On an adventure!

OH --- I just remembered that I had to tell you about the second package I sent with Canada Post. Remember, the first one went in a bubble pouch and arrived sometime the next day but late in the afternoon. The second one (in a box) arrived the next day but before NOON. So when the post office says better service, they mean it! Was that a fluke, the location of the receiver? No idea, but both packages were delivered! 

Well, I did it! I tackled that darn table in the office. I can do anything when there's a REWARD at the end. I like rewards. I am NOT done, but I want it DONE. 

Here's what happened. 

I remembered to take a before picture, and you can see a lot of crap on the table. That's also something I inherited from my Mom! That mess makes it a tad hard to work. But I don't want to work at the table -- well, I would like to, and eventually, I will, but for the moment, I need a spot to keep my class material, or I'll go crazy trying to keep track of it all. And especially when I'm sorting through other papers, I have no home for certain things. 

The crap on the table

I started by moving the printer paper tray to the small cabinet beside the computer. Let's say that the office clean-up will take a long time, and unlike Studio B, only some things have a home. So there will be lots of shuffling back and forth until I get it right, but I need this space for the moment. 

OK -- the paper tray is gone. I've started. 

HEY -- there's that second green dust cloth that I couldn't find. OK -- so the dust cloths need to go in the laundry room first to be washed and then second to stay there, so I know where they are when I need one. 

My second green dust cloth

Then I found this mess in that basket. This is CLUTTER, and we end up with odds and ends and no home for them. This is primarily the kind of thing I have to clean up in this room, and it's going to be a little messy. Oh -- who am I kidding? There's a LOT of crappy paper that needs to go as well. 

Odds and ends

I found more keys, and when I went to put them with the other keys, I couldn't find the other keys! ACK!! I know I put them in a safe place in this room. But where? So I put these keys where I thought the other ones were, and they will all be together one day. 

But while doing that, I found a lottery ticket. Well, a scratch ticket. And while I watched a video, I scratched it and won $5. I checked for an expiry date, and it says "no expiry date," so I can take that off to the mall on one of my trips!

A "found" scratch ticket

Look at all this crazy stuff that accumulates. Why???? 

CLUTTER

Some of it got put away or tossed. All that FREE marketing crap seems like such a good idea at the time. But imagine if we didn't have that? No clutter and no garbage in the landfill. My new policy is to SAY NO to free stuff! Consumer shows are the biggest culprit of this! You pick up little trinkets because you think they are so cute and have ABSOLUTELY zero use. 

And what about this? Two small remotes for electronics that I no longer own are now in my electronics waste box. 

Two remotes for what?

And these are devices for an iPad, but my current iPad doesn't use that adaptor, so these will also go into the electronic waste. 

iPad adapters

And tags that look like they came from a golf course. Good grief --- maybe that belonged to DH. When you have kids or a husband, you seem to inherit their crap because they don't know what to do with it, so it comes to the Mom! Yep -- we do our kids and husbands a disservice by dealing with their crap. We need to teach them to NOT pick it up and to learn to find a home for it or put it in the donate box. Or it could be a key chain. Whatever, I do NOT want it!

A golf bag tag

So I ended up moving everything else off the table. OH MY GOSH -- I found the pattern that I was looking for!!! Yeah!!!! That was a happy moment, and it's back on the table, but in an appropriate pile. Yes, once the table was clear, I started putting things back on it, but now there's a pile for each of the classes, and it may have books in the pile, paper, homework assignments, or whatever, but now when I want to find something I know where to look. 

I didn't take a picture, but I will do that later today. This makes me very happy. Now I have to deal with the rest of the crap on the kitchen table. It's the kind of stuff you don't want to spend hours dealing with, but it must be done. I'll try to spend a half hour every day dealing with it, and now it looks really messy in the kitchen. DH is away for a few days, and I seem to be better at decluttering the house when he's not here. Perfect timing! 

As a result of the cleaning, I emptied this nice box. So that box now becomes my "current paperwork" box. I put stuff in there that was sitting on the floor. 

My current paperwork box

And then, while I watched another episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show, I sorted. I now have a small pile at the computer that NEEDS to be addressed today. I just have to spend an hour and get some e-mails answered. 

Sorting paper while watching the baking show

And then I must be diligent about keeping up with what's in that box. And as the amount of crap in the box goes down, I'll add more to it from other places. The goal is to keep at it until it's all gone or put away. I MUST develop new habits, with the reward being LESS time wasted on finding things and having a nice clean space that I can be proud of. That one will take some time to develop, but I'm trying! 

So I've been doing The Conquerer Challenges for a couple of years -- actually, this is my fourth year. I always set an aggressive goal for the yearly one, and then you can do the specific walks, like The Appalachian Trail, Route 66, etc. Once I finished the Pacific Crest Trail last year (August), I haven't done any specific walks. Well, that is about to change. Look where I'm going this time. 

My new walk!

Yep -- -that would be The Shire as in Lord of the Rings. I even borrowed The Hobbit from the library (audiobook!), and I have the other three books (Fellowship of the Ring trilogy) on hold. 

The Lord of the Rings challenge is in five parts, and I'm set to do the first one. It's 233 KM, so I set myself a goal of three weeks! Easy peasy, since I walked almost 15 KM yesterday! Why do I do that? Honestly, that afternoon walk is a HABIT, and I always go out. Even when my feet were a mess after returning from Spain, I did NOT miss that afternoon walk. I may have walked slower and with sandals, but I was NOT missing that walk. Nor did I walk 15 KM on those days, but I still got out. 

So then I decided to have some fun with this little guy. As I walk The Shire and into unknown territory to destroy the ring, I'll have to climb mountains. 

Bilbo Baggins climbing mountains

Walk through scary forests. 

Scary forests

Figure out how to cross vast expanses of water. 

Crossing large bodies of water

And deal with scary monsters. 

Scary monsters

It'll be an adventure, and I'm already on my way! Wish me luck!!

The entire journey is 2,920 KM, so that will keep me busy for a while. 

I mapped my yearly challenge on the African continent (for paid subscribers only) and missed many geography lessons by not following the map every day. Well, I was in the desert for a while, and there was not much to see. I'm back (another habit) and keeping track of my daily progress. I'm in the middle of Africa, and it's fascinating to see Google Map pictures daily. Here's the divided highway I'm currently on. 

A divided highway in Nigeria

This is SIGNIFICANTLY different from the highway I was on in the previous territory! Just like here, some have more money than others! But it's fascinating to watch my progress and see the daily picture. This is in Nigeria, but as in all countries, it's divided into territories. OMG --- and if you zoom in (you can't), but I just did, and under that large tree coming up on the right is a "gas station." Some guy is standing there with barrels of gas, jerry cans, and a big funnel!! WOW!!! I NEED to be watching this every day; what a different lifestyle!!!

I was productive on the writing as well and making good progress. I have a looming deadline, but it's far enough away, so I don't need to drop everything and focus only on that, but close enough to give me that edge. The first article took forever to write because there was no deadline. The second one took a lot less time. So I need to keep this timing in mind for the future. I'll be writing again today AFTER some of those e-mails get sent!

And then, I was in Studio B, working on the 150 Canadian Women Quilt. There are THREE rows left to sew together. Once you get into a routine, it's pretty easy, and all the sashing pieces are cut, so that is good. 

Progress on the 150 Canadian Women Quilt

 

I read somewhere that at some point, you start to look like your dogs, or they start to look like you? Well, we have two dogs; one takes after me, and the other takes after DH. Yesterday morning, this is Murphy -- already up and alert and watching the "nature" channel. 

Murphy, watching the nature channel

This is Lexi, who is NOT like me and resembles someone else in our house. 

Don't bother me -- I'm sleeping!

It's hilarious how their personalities somewhat match us. Lexi is definitely out of sorts (well, they both are) since DH is away. Where the heck is our Dad? He is ALWAYS home. We NEED HIM!! 

This is Murphy -- that dog practically vibrates with excitement - just like me!

Are we there yet? 

OK -- so that's it for today. I have a few extra minutes before my spin class, so I might just get an e-mail or two out. I thought if I did the blog first, then people wouldn't cringe at the time the e-mail went out! 

How are your habits coming along? I think our whole lives can be changed significantly if we change our habits. Someone mentioned the book Atomic Habits, which I really want to read (I've already read it), but there is a waitlist. 

OH -- speaking of wait lists. I am on the waitlist for the fourth book in The Seven Sisters series. Currently, the wait is 24 WEEKS. Yet -- when I checked this book while I was reading the third one, it was available to download immediately. What happened? So I checked books 5 and 6, and they are sitting on the shelf, ready to be borrowed. But I will NOT read them out of order. I know --- I can't make myself do it. Another darned habit! And I'm OK with that. But where did these 12 people come from on that waitlist? 

As mentioned in this book -- The Power of Habit, the author talks about changing or eliminating bad habits. You can't just eliminate them. You have to understand the CUE (I think that is the MOST important thing) and then how you change the cue and the reward. Oh boy -- -it's quite interesting. Now I have to think about my bad habits and what would I like to change? 

I'd like to be more timely, which means less time searching for things. That is happening -- slow, but happening!

OK -- so now I'm off. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!