Let's start fresh

Well I told myself in 2009 I would get back with it, so many of you I miss, I feel like I have lost touch as well as lost blogs I am reading :( I'm going to try harder to be here and read and post. I already blog on Myspace so I may just copy and paste many of those over here.

We went to Florida for almost 2 weeks and had a FANTASTIC time! I got to see Sharon , Shelly and a new lady (to me) named Beth, which I need to find her Blog here and start reading. Had a great time, visit with them was way to short and didn't have my camera :(

Onward...........
I think it's safe to say that we love "THINGS", we collect things, we give things, we borrow things, we hoard things. We seldom let them go, donate, or sell. We may pack away, but we typically are keepers. We work hard for things, we go in debt for things, we protect our things, show them off and cherish them. Many times..these *THINGS* define us. And you know what??? All these *THINGS* will never love us, will never take care of us, not comfort us, or be our friend. They are material possesions, but yet somehow even though this friendship with our *THINGS* is ONE SIDED we keep doing them. We even go in debt for them.
I'm tired of things. I'm tired of going in debt for things. I'm tired of things all around my house that only cause me more stress because I am always picking up *things*. I trip over things, don't know where to put things and sometimes I look around and there are to many F**** Things.
I read an article this month in O Magazine and it was about a lady that lived in a very upscale large home filled with costly "things", she took afternoons at the "resort club with friends having costly lunches" , she was married and just wasn't happy. She evaluated her life and decided to leave it all behind (well except her twin kids), she moved into a 2 bedroom home that was really small off the beaten path and left her club lunchens behind, her busy schedule her expensive things and she traded it for what she had missed most as a child and longed for as an adult......SPACE, NATURE and SERENITY. Now, this was a bit extreme for me, however I admired her strength to downsize.
It made me evaluate my life, and I have thought of this often, just never really moved to forward with it. I am a person that gets overwhelmed...EASILY and many times it is caused by to many damn "THINGS".
I'm doing 2 things in 2009 that are different and I am the first to say, it will take discipline and work to keep it going, and I know by doing so I will be rewarded. Here is my 2........
1. WHOLE FOODS
The 1st is to eat far more PURE EARTHBOUND FOODS. Now I already do this to a point. However, I need to kick into gear my liquid diet..LESS to NO pop, no guncky fillers. H2O is what I need. Our livers, our kidneys and our immune gut (intestines) need that water to work, so why the hell am I guncking it up with nasty liquids when what I should be doing is helping my body to work less and more effieciently on the important aspects of organ function...VITAMINS & MINERAL absorption. Now in no way is guncky liquid prohibiting this, it just makes it all work a bit more then it should have to. And in the end, there is no benefit health wise to soda and fillers. I want to cut way back on ALL meats and lean towards fruits/vegis that grow on earth. More WHOLE FOODS..that's what I'm talking about. And those of you that know me, know that I have a strong track record of being chronically sick. I've done the vitamin thing, the you name it thing, but I have never once really stood my ground on just eating MORE WHOLE FOODS.
2. SIMPLIFY MY LIFE
I'm weeding out clothes. Let's face it, there are 7 days a week, so why and the hell do I have 30 some shirts? Yesterday I weeded out 2 HUGE bags of clothes to donate. I also weeded out all my business clothes I hadn't worn in nearly 3-4 years. Some I never wore. I'm going to start with Eric's clothes, then Dusty's then Bradleys. Simplify clothes. That is THIS WEEKS PLAN. SIMPLIFY CLOTHES.
Then I'm going to go from one room to the next, seeing what I can DONATE...SELL on CRAIGSLIST. I will spend this week keeping my eye open for THINGS that need to find somewhere else to go. They do nothing for me, so why should I give so much of me to them?
I copy & Pasted some articles and there is a website below if your interested. Now for me?? I'm off to Eric's room. I am tearing out is room...DECLUTTERING...then moving Dusty in his room so I can GUT out Dusty's room and make it NEW!

I copy & pasted the below from the web....
Simplify Your Life
Think about your values and write down those that really matter to you. What is most important? Spending time with family? Accumulating great wealth? Achieving powerful influence? Acquiring possessions? Expressing yourself? Learning new ideas? Experiencing adventure and travel? Maintaining excellent health? Socializing with friends? Contributing to the community? You can't do them all. Cut out activities that aren't consistent with your core values.
Write a list of goals you'd like to achieve. Focus on doing a few really well, rather than a lot in a mediocre way. You can't add hours to the day, but you can cut down on activities.
Say no instead of yes. People agree to requests from others because they like to please them. Instead, realize that you have a right to say no. Creating plans or policies makes saying no easier. ("I'm sorry, I already have a financial planner." "I'm sorry, we already have a plan for giving to charities.")
Stop being a slave to communication tools. Do you really need an office phone, a home phone, a cellular phone, pager, fax, e-mail and internet ICQ technology?
Give away clerical tasks to others who can handle non-priority activities.
Stop spending time to save money. Instead, spend money to save time. Don't drive across town to save a few cents on a grocery item. It's not worth your time. Do hire someone to do chores you're not fond of.
Cancel subscriptions to magazines you never get around to reading. Only read one newspaper per day.
Cut back on television time. Only watch those shows you decide ..hand. Circle them in the television-listing magazine. Then turn off the television when the program is over. Cancel extra cable television packages for channels you rarely watch. Go for broke. Give up watching television altogether.
Clean out your basement or your office. If you're not using something, get rid of it. Put an expiry date on items when you can't decide to keep them or not. Get rid of them when the expiry date arrives.
Quit organizations that aren't contributing to your advancement, your network or your fun.
Automate repetitive, clerical, mechanical tasks. For instance, set up automatic bill payments. Include your automatic savings plan as part of your monthly spending.
Make a plan for the weekend that doesn't involve work. Plan to spend more time with your family or with people who make positive contributions to your life. Stop spending time with people who are a drain on your energy or vitality.
Carry a smaller wallet or purse. Start by cleaning out the one you've got. Get rid of unnecessary credit cards and other clutter that you don't use regularly.
Stop checking up on your financial portfolio every day. Most people invest for the long term. Checking your results daily adds to stress and might lead to expensive and unnecessary changes.
Make time for yourself. Set aside time each day to reflect quietly, go for a walk, plan for your future or meditate. Visit the park instead of the mall.
Cut back on debt. Consolidate your different debts into one and pay it off. Put your credit cards in a spot where you won't be able to use them until you're debt-free. Track your expenses for a month, then cut back your spending on items you don't need. For instance, pack a lunch rather than buying one at work. Mix and match your outfits rather than constantly buying new ones.
Consider renting a vacation home rather than buying. You won't be burdened by time (and money) spent in maintenance. Also, this allows you to visit a different spot each year.
Plan time for a vacation every year. Some people claim "I haven't had a vacation in three years" as if it was a badge of courage. It isn't.
Cut back on your children's planned activities. If they have to use a time planner to schedule their activities, and you spend all of your time taxiing them around, they're probably too busy.
Live closer to your work so you don't have to drive.
Take a moment each day to be grateful.