What a Day

Today started out like any other day (except I woke up at 5:15 which is rare!) I was planning on leaving the house promptly at 7:00 to meet a lady in a neighboring town for a Craigslist sale and then on to my parents house for a few days of spending time with them.

That was my plan.

Turns out the day wasn’t going to go according to my plan because I’m not in control.

At 6:55, I had my car completely packed, dog in his crate, Paxton in his car seat and my seat belt on. And just like I do every time I am ready to go somewhere, I turned the key to start the car. However, it didn’t start. I tried again and again, nothing. I called my husband (who had already left) and he called our wonderful neighbor to help me! Our neighbor was able to get the car started (it’s a minor issue).

I ended up being an hour behind my schedule.

My mom arrived home from work around 3:45 and we were going to go to a consignment store in town to sell a few things and do a little shopping.

That was our plan.

Turns out our plan wasn’t to be because we’re not in control.

After gathering the babies (Paxton and my niece Emerson), their diaper bags and carseats, my mom went in the attic to grab a box of clothes to bring to the store. The next thing I know, I hear a box fall on the garage floor and look over to see my mom on the floor.

I really can’t express what went through my mind in those few seconds before I got to her but it was a flood of emotions.

Thankfully, she was able to move her fingers and toes and neck and didn’t appear to be severely injured. However, since she hit her head, she went to the emergency room, where she still is at this time. (She had a CAT scan and they haven’t heard the results yet however she is feeling pretty good.)

I’ve just been reminded today that I am not in control, God is in control! I don’t know why my car wouldn’t start or my mom was injured. I do know that in spite of the change of my plans for today, that there is so much to be thankful for.

My car did start!

I made it safely home with no issues!

I was able to spend a few hours with my dad!

Most importantly, my precious mother was not severely injured!

God is good and faithful and is in control and that certainly is a finer thing!

Declutter Challenge: August

I have set a goal to have 365 things gone in 365 days! And once I reach this goal I’ll continue decluttering…hopefully more than 365 things will leave my home!

My one rule is that hand-me-downs from others don’t count! How is counting someone else’s cast offs helping me reduce clutter? So, if I receive items and decide to pass them on or donate to Goodwill, they will not be on this list!

How did I do in August?

Clothing: 91

Books: 17

Baby (everything but clothes): 17

Household: 34

Other: 28

Grand Total: 187 items!!

*I sold 2 books on half.com and baby clothes at Once Upon a Child for $37.82! My grand total of “stuff” sold  to $240.63 for the year…not too shabby!!

I’ve reached my goal!! I’ve now gotten rid of 432 things!!

The growing pile of unwanted stuff in the basement! I’m seriously considering having a yard sale this fall. We have a few larger items that we may be getting rid of and I haven’t even started tackling the clutter in the basement…it seems like clutter just grows in the basement!

Just a few of the piles of clothes that left my closet! I was really serious about getting rid of clothes this month. I went through my closet at the beginning of the month and throughout the month as I would try things on to wear and didn’t like the way they fit, away they went! (Over half of the 91 items of clothing were baby things…he had so much small stuff, I don’t think I even own 91 articles of clothing!)

Are you thinking about decluttering in 2010? Here is a video post about getting rid of 30 Things in 30 Days! It is amazing how much you can get rid of if you just get rid of 1 unwanted item a day…easy decluttering!

Linked to: Amy’s Finer Things August Clutter Update

Napping Baby

After nursing him, I laid him down for a nap and this is the position he fell asleep in!

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday

Stain Fighting

Meet Charlie, my stain fighting friend! I’ve been using Charlie’s Soap since I started cloth diapering back in May. It works wonders on our diapers! After a few blowouts when Paxton was a newborn, resulting in stains on his clothes, I decided to give Charlie’s Soap a try on soiled baby clothes and it works!

I typically will rinse the poo off of the garment with cold water, apply a little Zout and then wash with Charlie’s Soap and usually there is no stain.

This past week while we were traveling, Paxton wore disposables (which means more blowouts!) He soiled several pieces of clothing. The worst was a light blue onesie (the poo was all over the back!)

Once we arrived home (just a few hours after the incident), I rinsed the poo out and let it soak in cold water overnight. The next morning I applied Zout and washed in Charlie’s Soap. Unfortunately, Charlie failed me and there was still a faint yellow stain on the back of the onesie.

I decided to give Charlie another chance and dissolved about 1/4 a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap in cold water and then soaked the onesie for 2 days.

It worked! Here is the onesie…minus the stain! (I didn’t take a before picture for comparison because I really don’t like the idea of taking pictures of clothing covered in poo!)

I am thrilled that the stain is gone because this is a really cute little onesie.

Warning: The water I soaked the onesie in had a faint blue tint when I poured it out, so it is pulling a little dye out of the clothing after a 2 day soak. However, I’d rather the color of the garmet fade a little instead of being stained permanently!

Do you have any stain fighting tips?

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

Eating Healthier

Once again, I’m making attempts to eat healthier (I started down this path last year right before morning sickness hit with full force!) Since I’ll soon be introducing my son to food, (how is it that he will be 6 months old in only 1.5 months?) I’m becoming more conscious about some of the foods we’re eating that we shouldn’t be.

At this time, we cannot afford to eat only organic but I think avoiding processed foods and sugars and eating more raw fruits and vegetables is a start!

The plan:

• Making homemade breads (with fresh ground flour!)
• Homemade breakfasts (muffins, eggs, pancakes, biscuits instead of cereal)
• Eating more steamed veggies
• Salads (a simple side dish!)
• Eating raw fruits and vegetables, yogurt and cheese for snacks

What are some of your favorite healthy meals and snacks?

What organic foods do you purchase?