Under the Skin

We are almost there, guys. And I cleaned out this box of life ephemera in my guest room closet.  I know it doesn't look different, but it is, because I went through it all. Before: After:

When I was in college, my music in civilization professor talked about how the Catholic Church started to have a fit with polyphony, mostly because polyphony was being used to incorporate bar songs into masses.  Basically, because it got people to actually listen to mass.  I mentioned this to an LDS person, and they said, "Well, it is kind of inappropriate." Well, we do it too as Mormons.  I mean, many people know that "Praise to the Man" is the tune of "Scotland the Brave."  Well, folks, there are others.  Today, I noticed another one. Listen to this song: Now tell me that it is not the same tune as this: Or, even better...(and what I was listening to when I noticed) this: Yeah, we Mormons do it too.

We are getting there, everyone!  Today, I cleaned my freezer.  This was less clean out and more organize.  But it is an improvement Before: After: As you can see, the freezer is now arranged into fruit, vegetables, meats, frozen foods and chocolate chips (hey, I really like to bake, okay?)  Popsicles in the door.

Well guys, today, I cleaned my email inbox.  Its going to need another day, I think.  But at least today I managed to clean out all the definitely unneeded emails, and get all the needed ones into their folders for more manageable dealing with.  Progress was definitely made.

I am going to tell you all a story.  An embarrassing story, but I will allow you all to laugh at my expense.  Today, I went to the eye doctor.  Having been wearing glasses since the tender age of seven (barely, I probably needed them at six), I am no stranger to the eye doctor.  So, I went to update my prescription of my glasses.  This is where I get embarrassed.  They do the whole thing where they puff air into your eye, and make you look at a little red house down a lane (why, I've never actually been sure).  Then, they actually had one of their assistant people do the whole "better with 1, or sharper with 2" deal.  I'm sorry, but they look the same.  Is that okay?  Or am I going blind!?   So, then they decided to dilate my eyes, always a pleasant experience.  I sit there, waiting for my eyes to dilate. They take me to the waiting area where everyone is progressively getting more and more unable to read the magazines.  I had a book.  Until I could no longer read

I know that the rules say you are not supposed to do more than one area in a day.  But I couldn't help it.  This was scheduled for Day 35.  But I couldn't tolerate that mess any longer!  So, I cleaned it today. My piano area!  I told myself that my piano would never look like my mother's (sorry mom, I still love you).  Well, it does, guys!  So I cleaned it up.  My piano corner--which has become my violin corner, music teaching corner and Irish dance training supplies storage corner--is a nightmare!  And you can't even see what is going on between the piano and the wall on the right-hand side, guys.  That's where the yoga mat and ukulele live (and supposed to be violin, but it wasn't put away as you can see).  So, I cleaned it up.  And it is much prettier now. Before: After: That's MUCH better!

We are almost done and it's almost time to go back to my normal bloggerating.  I have a lot of posts planned, so I hope you are excited!  Well, today, I cleaned out the bottom of my linen closet! Before: After: So, I know that it doesn't look that much different.  But it really does feel different.  I am glad that it was done.  Next is my email inbox.  Wish me luck!

So this one you don't get to see.  It's my financial affairs.  I will admit something:  I have always been bad at keeping financial records.  This isn't to say that I've always been bad at living within my means.  I have never had trouble there.  I'm not bad with money.  I don't buy things I can't afford.  I am a pretty savvy grocery shopper (thanks to my mother and homeschool).   I'm just bad with financial records.  I don't keep a very good record of things.  I don't really do budgets (I know it sounds like I can't be not bad with money then, but it's actually possible).  This came back to bite me this year during taxes when I didn't have solid records of all my charitable giving.  So, today, I took the time to start an official "budget." I have actually been putting this one off for a long time.  I thought it would take forever to set it all up.  It actually didn't take that long.  And we'll see how well I keep

Only 10 Days left.  Which with our speed will actually be about 25.  But today, I cleaned my room.  We always tell kids to clean their rooms, but then we, as adults, use the bedroom as our dumping ground.  Today was especially that way for my room.  Today was a low-point for my room.  But, on the other hand, when I sat down to do it, it took me ten minutes.  So, I'm glad that I just buckled down and cleaned it. Before: After:

Everyone, I have been very inconsistent about my journey towards a less cluttered life.  But a lot of that was because of my busy life.  But yesterday, I used a blank day to clean out my recylcing (yet again, I know), and today, I recommenced with actual cleanout projects: under my bathroom sink. Before: (pictures are not cooperating, will retry tomorrow) After: Yes, I know that I have feminine hygiene products under there.  I'm a 25-year-old woman.  Pardon my indiscretion.  What got removed:jewelry  I never wear (mostly it was things that were given to me in young women's that were not even sort of my style), old gross curlers (now that I have a wig for Irish dance, I only kept the curlers that were in quite good condition that I could use for other things), some glitter hairspray that I haven't found a use for in almost three years, my sillybandz (which I only wear at camp, so I put them away until camp), and then I removed some jewelry to put in my memory box that