Driven by decluttering

I am so happy.  I'm almost done with the bi-annual clothing "change-over."  It's never limited to clothing - I usually include the bookshelves and the toy stash and the paper piles and the cupboards and the kid's rooms.

The only places that remain to be sorted and straightened are the big guys' room and the shed.  Yes, I plan to tackle the shed.  I usually give fair warning.

The big guys' room may pose a problem.  I think there are seven computer hard-drives and at least a few spare monitors, along with box after box of extra cords and cables.  (There are hazards to living with computer geeks.  They don't part with old equipment easily.  The upside is that they can construct a computer for you at any given moment.  Handy, that.)

Then there are the legos.  Oh, the legos.  Any mother with boys of a certain size knows what I'm talking about.

The big girls worked hard to declutter their room.  Some bits of their childhood were boxed up and placed in the attic.  I am sure that was hard for them, but it is a part of growing up and they enjoy the extra space.  I think they enjoy their room a lot more now that they have room to breathe.

We are a family of ten that lives in a 1800 square foot house.  I'm aware that for some this means that we have no room at all, and for others we have room to squander.  We're very grateful that God has provided it for us, and that it is paid for.

I will say that without a garage, a basement, and only one room with a very small closet, I have to stay on top of the junk.  (We have a wet cellar.)

My husband has worked hard over the last two weekends to modify a little walk-in "attic" under the eaves of one side of our roof.  Before his work, it was grungy, had missing boards, and nails that were sticking out everywhere.  A real hazard for me every time I ventured in to find the next size of shoes or a particular clothing item.

Now, the "attic" has solid floorboards and the sloping roof is paneled (taken from another remodeling project, of course) and there is even carpet on the flooring.  This morning I spent an hour or so in the attic, labeling totes and tucking in last minute items to hand down to the next child.  Man.  That felt GOOD! 

Little by little we continue to settle into this over 100 year old house and make it work for us.

As I pulled out the children's clothing for this spring and summer, I realized that other than a pair of sandals and church shoes for Mariam, we have everything that we truly need.  Sure, a family's needs are on-going, but when we pare down our concept of "need," it is much easier to accept and be thankful for what we have been given.  Once again, God has provided all that we need.  I'm not sure why that amazes me year after year, but it still does.

I spent a few moments kneeling in my attic this morning (well, really, that's all you CAN do in there....) just saying, "Wow!  Thank you Lord.  You've taken care of these material things.  I don't even need to worry about a thing.  That means we can focus on You, on the things that will please you and on how to serve you."

C'mon Spring.  We're ready.  :)

As usual, none of my photos are my own.

They're all my Emily girl's.  This photo was taken

at my parent's farm.