STUFF

Hi peeps!  Just wanted to give a little report on my 40 Days challenge!

Unfortunately, last week was a bit of a set back considering everyone in my household was as sick as sick could be.  I did manage to get a few things crossed off, but I'm gonna have to kick it into high gear for the rest of the challenge if I want to accomplish everything on my list!  Only two & a half weeks til' Easter Sunday!  

I realized  a little somethin' somethin' about myself {& possibly why I have so many bags going out the door} during this whole cleaning, purging, tossing deal.  And that is: that once I throw a whole bunch of stuff out the door & feel all refreshed & rejuvenated inside,  almost immediately, my wheels start spinning about all of the new stuff I think I need.  It started when I cleaned my master bedroom from top to bottom.  I took one look at the new fresh clean look & decided that two new lamps were precisely what I "needed" to make the room pop! 

Then I stopped dead in my tracks & had to have a little conversation with myself.  Whoa Whoa Whoa.  Pump the brakes, sister.  I don't need two new lamps.  The lamps I have are perfectly fine & I had not a single thought of new lamps until just this moment! The point of this whole 40 bags in 40 days challenge is to purge, simplify, & last but certainly not least, glorify the one who deserves it.  Not to acquire more stuff, not to set my mind on earthly possessions that just lead to more clutter, more crap, more dust, & more stuff to throw out the next time around.  

What is it about us human beings?  That we desire to get more, buy more, change this, add that.  It's a total "out with the old, in with the new" mentality, & sometimes it is just exhausting {& expensive}!  I get so caught up in it sometimes, & I allow it to consume too much of my time {& space in my house}.  

This little 40 days challenge has helped me to change my perspective about my house & all of my things.  It has helped me have an attitude of contentment & to learn that less really is more.  To realize that this life is not about STUFF.  When I'm not focused on "things" like new houses, new cars, & even new lamps,  {I'm not saying those things are bad things.  I'm just saying they can sometimes become all consuming}, it is then that I have more room in my life to focus on the things that truly matter--like my relationship to the Lord, having more time to read my bible, & allowing for myself to inch closer to the woman he desires so much for me to be.  I have more time to spend outside with my little boy, coloring with sidewalk chalk & pushing him in swings.  I have time to focus on my husband, laughing together, sharing the little details of our day, & strengthening our marriage in small ways that make a big difference.

This 40 day challenge has been so much more to me than just cleaning STUFF out of my house.  I am cleaning STUFF out of my life.  Already I feel lighter, fresher, & happier because of it!  I am excited that there are still two weeks to go & probably much more in store for me to learn!    

Here's what I managed to get done last week despite our coughing & sneezing frenzy--

I went through ALL of Jett's toys

- took out all of the toys he has outgrown that are too "babyish" for him {tear}.

-cleaned & sanitized each & every toy & the baskets they reside in.

-rotated toys & put some away for the next rotation

 {This is the first time I have done the whole rotating of toys & let me just say,  I am sold on it!  I had put some of his toys away a month or so ago {mostly because there wasn't room upstairs for all of them, & when I brought up the toys from downstairs, it was as if Jett had a whole new playroom!  They were brand new to him & he was so excited that he sat & played for hours!  I will most definitely be doing this on a regular basis!}

Well, that's all I've got to report for today!  Hope you all are having a fabulous week!