FORGET THE LOST WEEK: WHERE DID FEBRUARY GO?

I have yet to figure out how a person can be busy all of the time and not get things finished. I remain DETERMINED to continue to finish the "Clean Sweep" we have started, but for the life of me, I believe I am dragging around a 100 lb. ball and chain. It feels like I need dynamite to get me going.

At least this week we managed to shred enough papers to fill a 4-foot tall box! All this to keep our identity secure. That's certainly a sign of the times we live in. I have been going through some other old documents and items that I refer to as "memorabilia". Some of it makes me laugh, some of it makes me cry. But, I came to a really liberating decision. If it only brings back a sad memory--TOSS IT! Now that really feels good. I also decided that if it's "worth keeping", get it out of the boxes and put it in an album. Now, I'm not talking about fancy scrapbooking; I'm just talking about getting it out of a box or folder and placing it in a top-loading photo album page. At least I can flip through it easily and so can the kids and grandkids. When we are done, we don't have to shove it all back into a box, we just close the album and put it back on the shelf. It seems so simple. When I feel like it, I can go back and add a little bit of journaling to give some insight into why I wanted to keep it or what it represented to me.

Jim has been busy, when it's not raining, building a three-tier water fall in our back yard on the hill. It is a place that has been waiting forever for a water fall. I am including a picture of the "in progress" work and will update later with the finished project. Did I mention I have a very "handy" husband? Wow, the water fall doesn't look so big in this picture, but from where my husband is sitting, to the top, is about 10 - 12 feet.

Lost Week

I feel like I lost a week. Last week came and went and I hardly have anything to show for it. But wait! Maybe it wasn't really lost; maybe it was just that I didn't get things done that I planned on getting done. Because as I look back, there was a lot going on, but I didn't make progress on the CLEAN SWEEP. Here are some things we did get done:

• attended a Stampin' Up group meeting. At the end of the meeting, my group helped me to make my deadline for the card swap that was due on January 28. Thanks to my stampin' buddies. Got my swaps back yesterday and they are awesome. The whole set is done with Sale-A-Bration stamp sets that can only be earned through the end of March. Pretty cute stuff. Tried to download some pictures, but had problems--maybe later
• purchased fabric for the office curtains and cornice board (sure is nice to have a handy husband). I decided I want the curtains for be full length, so I need to go back to IKEA for another panel of fabric.
• started a new Bible study--very intense--hope I can keep up. It's a 10-week "precepts" study, developed by Kay Arthur. It covers the Sermon on the Mount.
  went to two doctor's appointments--yucky eye infection
• picked up prescriptions
• shopped at Costco, IKEA, Home Depot, WalMart
• shopped for my mother-in-law
• visited my mother-in-law
• spent hours trying to resolve computer and telephone problems....
• did a little work in my Retired Annuitant position with the State of California
• attended worship team practice
• watching the Super Bowl (as I type this) and doing laundry--always need to multi-task!

Well, like I said, maybe I did more than I thought, since what I listed above is only what I can remember. Here's to the first week in February. I'd love to send pictures of the finished office!