my big plan

i'm way behind - on laundry, on housework, on photography work. but, i have a plan! i am purging our home of unnecessary belongings. then, everything will be given an assigned place. and everyone who lives here will eagerly put things back where they belong immediately after using them (i'm so kidding). just like with weight loss, i know that the hardest part will be the maintenance. but once there is a system in place, i know life will be easier. i've had it before and i miss it! i feel ahead because not only have i decided to this is, i have actually started (and it's only december 29- i'm ahead of new year's resolutions)! i have completed 7 kitchen cabinets and 4 drawers. i washed the glassware we are giving away and have packed it in boxes. i've reorganized our coffee cups and glasses so that the coffee cups, filters, and coffee are in the cabinet above the coffee pot. all of this tidiness makes me giddy. i am not so sure ritchie gets this about me, which is okay. once i get the whole job done & maintain the orderliness for a few weeks, he'll remember that we once lived in such a manner. he'll see the muscles in my shoulders relax, and the glow of contentment on my face, and he will see that i really am a bit ocd. my tendency towards neatness and order have simply been thwarted by multiple big life events. i'm getting back on track :- )

time

i am so not surprised that i abandoned my blog for months and months. i have always journaled in such a sporadic manner. it did me a lot of good to read my last post about honor. i wish i could say that i've been living that lesson, but unfortunately, i don't feel i have. my relationship with and care of grandma are among the many things on my list of duties that i feel are lacking these days. there is so much i want and need to do, and so much that i want to do so much better than i am currently managing. pretty much everything, actually. i'm not trying to be down on myself, i'm just trying to figure out how to manage everything on my plate, and feel like i'm getting it all done at least halfway well. i am searching. i've been reading a couple of books, and have found a quite inspirational blog that i've been following. i think perhaps that a large part of this overwhelming feeling of lack of accomplishment is adjusting to our newest family member. aaron james was born on february 17! he will be 5 months old this weekend. the time flies by even faster the second time around. he is a happy, sweet baby, who love, love, loves to be held. since he has joined us, we decided that my nursing career is on hold for now. ritchie is being enormously patient with me as i try to juggle responsibilities. the plan is for me to assist him by helping him edit images. the problem is trying to fit that in between my other jobs (eli and aaron!) i am on a quest to get aaron sleep schedule more solidified (ok, he has no daytime schedule. i am so thankful that he is pretty consistent at night!). once that happens, i am confident i'll be a higher functioning human again!