A Change In My Life and Blogging Style

Until now, I usually write my blogs by writing what comes to my mind when I have my blog entry page pulled up. As a result, most of my blogs are random and stray quite a bit from the topic I originally held in my head when I started writing that entry. I've been surprised by how many readers I've gathered over the past year, and I hope the numbers continue to climb as I write from my heart. You need to know the true life this crazy girl lives... even if it's crazy in my own way!

When the new year started a few months ago, I wrote about how I was ready to have a new start. I wanted to make changes to how I was living, taking care of myself, taking care of my family, my job as a wife, and just my outlook on life in general. I was ready to have my old self back and regain some form of dependability again. Fortunately, I can say that I have almost done a complete 180 and I have really stuck to my goal to change. As a result, I'm learning new ways to adapt to MS and I'm also regaining control over my life. After pretty much living in a deep and devastating depression for almost one whole year, I'm thankful to say that I'm climbing out of that hole now. And it is so relieving!

Well, now Spring has almost Sprung, it's time for the famous "Spring Cleaning!" This year, I want to continue my "New Start" plan and incorporate this outlook into my Spring Cleaning. I guess you could call it Personal Cleaning instead of physical cleaning, although I do plan on actually putting a mega cleaning spree on my house as well.

The first goal for my personal spring cleaning is to continue to work toward more organization in my life. I've worked my butt off to get my house more organized as we moved, and I've tried to keep everything mostly in place everyday. This may seem like a tiny step, but when you let everything go for almost an entire year, it is really difficult to try to regain control and set new standards. Now I want to gain a better control over my Make Up and Mud Boutique shop.

Better control as in more organized records, inventory, faster shipping, consistent schedule, etc. I want to set goals for my shop and make myself stick to them. I know that I can work even harder to build a better client list, and I can accurately track my progress. As with any start for any goal or project, the beginning is hard because you don't see immediate progress. But if I have everything in line for 6 months, it would be much easier to track inventory and plan for holidays like the Christmas rush. So, being more organized with Make Up and Mud Boutique is on my list as well.

Last goal: more structured blogging. You know those bloggers that consistently post on their blogs, and you can count on their posts to be there by following their blog schedule. Yeah, I want to be one of those bloggers. I'm still trying to make my blog schedule, and I want my writing style to have a certain flexibility, so it's taking me a while to get it all straight. I don't want to have a blog schedule for a month, because I want to have posts about things that happen in the here and now, not the there and then. One thing... my life will be more structured, therefore my blog will be more structured.

I have a new blog notebook to help me keep up with my blog planning, and I'm excited to start that new journey. I always have the craziest thoughts and ideas, and I'll think, "That would be awesome to blog about!" and then I completely forget what I was even thinking about. Well, that's happened to me one too many times, and I now have a little notebook for jotting down ideas and notes. Then of course, they will go straight to you.

Beware... my random thoughts are crazy. They are unpredictable. But... they are honest. And I guess I'm at a point in my life where honestly is the most freeing quality in my life, even if it is on the web for all to see. There is something relieving about getting things off your chest, even if you do have anxiety right when you click the Publish button. In the end, it's worth it. So, stay tuned. Mrs. Organized is working her way toward productivity and as time passes, you'll see a change as well! Maybe someone will learn from my mistakes!

Craft Inspiration and New Home Dreams!

I always save ideas on my computer, but I rarely ever complete the projects... Here are a few things and people and ideas that have been on my mind lately!

I LOVE this Birdhouse... I think I may paint one!

I LOVE this Gray color... I want to paint our kitchen table this color for when we move! What do you think?

This is my gynecologist... the one who does my surgeries for Interstitial Cystitis. Just thought I'd give him a shout out, because he is an amazing doctor and he saves me from a lot of pain!

I bought an organizer like this from TJ MAXX for $12... and I stored my paint in it just like this. And it was perfect!

Whenever I feel out of place or like I don't quite fit in, I think of Mrs. Dolly... she hasn't fit in from day one, she ignores the criticism, and she's awesome!

I made oval boxes that looked similar to these at Christmas this year!

I want to make one of these with my new sewing machine!

This is what I look like when I wake up in the morning... every morning. It's inevitable.

I have the little mirror with the wood border, I have the empty frame, and I can make the canvas,,, I just might make something similar to this for our new room, but a little brighter!

I have THREE windows that I'm waiting to either paint or create something like this... I can't decide! Anyone want to buy one?

I've actually thought about selling something similar to these  once I master sewing little bags... what do you think?

When you paint a LOT, your clothes look like this almost every day. Mine do. Acrylic paint does not come out of fabric (FYI). I love it!

An organization idea I plan to take advantage of once we move!

I plan on making a few of these with my frame collection!

I would like to paint this on a canvas. I think I like it so much, because I actually remember the periodic table!

I am a Scrabble fanatic. Scott has never beat me. And I fully plan on having one of these built into my back porch one day!

I have the shirts, the pants, the shoes, the belt... but it just doesn't look like this on me no matter what!

I've been collecting random frames of all shapes and sizes... I have about 30... Can't wait to be creative in my own house with them!

I definitely plan on making one of these for our bedroom.... I love anything that looks vintage and has to do with postage and letters!

 I use the following shower hook method for organizing my necklaces. Wal-Mart Clearance: Got the hooks for $2.50 for a dozen. I have 24 and they are full of necklaces! This was an awesome idea!

My husband things this is me... First of all, I don't walk or jog. Second of all, my chihuahua would DIE before she let me do this with her! haha!

Story of my Life... every day all day!

So, is there anyone out there as random as me? Please join and follow my blog if you are! 

My Plan for the New Year... Or Plan(s)

Well the new year is rapidly approaching... Act Surprised.  I'm sorry, haha, but I just had to write that last sarcastic line, because the sentence before it is one of those "Duh! No, Really?" lines. 

• I'm not sure if you have noticed before now, but I try to write to you like I would if I were actually talking to you. Therefore, I really try hard not to erase the stupid lines or sentences that I might not have thought through all the way. Why? Because if I was actually talking to you in person, I would have actually said the sentence without thinking. Does this make sense to anyone? Bottom Line: This is me. These words are mine. I admit that I can speak before I think, or in this case, write before I think. And I'm not erasing it just to make myself look like I'm totally together all the time. Cause I'm not. Hardly ever.  

On to our BIG topic today: Do you have any great new years resolutions? Yes, I'm sure there are the usual resolutions like:

• I'm going to lose 50 pounds this year.
• I'm going to join a gym and go 5 days a week. (DON'T sign a contract!)
• I'm going to pay off my credit card debt.
• I'm going to floss twice a day

Ok, well maybe that last one has never crossed your "Resolution List," but hey, you never know. For some anti-flossers, that may be a BIG commitment.

Anyway, I've a confession... (bahaha... that made me laugh out loud, because while I meant to write "I Have" a confession, the way I wrote it sounds kind of Foreign 1920's with an accent if you say it out loud... I've a confession... lol.)

Let's try that again: I HAVE a mildly shocking confession...

Ive NEVER had a New Years Resolution before.

I say "mildly shocking," because I'm only 24, so what serious thing could I have resolved to do in my life before now... make good grades? That would be a... sometimes.

This year, I'm going to be making my first New Years Resolution, and it's a little tricky to say the least. Remember my past ADD blog entry? (If you don't, click Past ADD Blog Entry. )
Well, I haven't yet mastered the art of narrowing down my lists yet, so my New Years Resolution is actually a Master List with many other Major Resolution List topics that also have Mini Resolutions below them. Remember this:

New Years Resolution
      1.Major Topic
              1a. Mini Topic
              1b. Mini Topic
      2. Major Topic
              2a. Mini Topic
              2b. Mini Topic

Get my drift? I think the main problem stems from one main issue: I want 2012 to be SO different from what 2011 was for me. This past 2011 year was full of ups and downs, with MANY more down days than up days, and I want 2012 to be the complete opposite. I desperately want 2012 to be a wonderful year, full of so many ups that I can't even remember what it feels like to be down.

If you have followed any of my past posts, you know that I have struggled with gaining control over my Multiple Sclerosis this past year, and I was largely unsuccessful most of the time. Thankfully, God has allowed me to kind of wrap up the 2011 year with a little more closure and control than I've had all year. As a result of such a crazy rollercoaster of a year and the effects of the placement of my brain lesions, I've also struggled with depression almost consistenly for the entire year.

Many people who have never been exposed or dealt with depression don't realize how difficult it is to find the perfect medication for depression or what happens if you have a bout with a medication that seems to do more harm than good.

Now imagine this:

Imagine trying to make all of these medications work successfully together EVERY DAY, all the while trying not to lose your mind:

• Anti-Depressant
• Muscle Relaxer
• Migraine Medication
• Interstitial Cystitis Medication
• Hypersomnia Medication (to stay awake)
• Brain/Nerve Conduct Medication (like anti-seizure)
• ADD Medication (to channel the Hypersomnia medication effects)
• Medication for random pain management
• Heat/cooling therapy
• The list goes on

See what I mean? Try making all of those work together every single day. It takes time, and for me that time was most of 2011. And the thing about MS is that the symptoms are constantly changing, so what medication works this month may not work next month if anything changes. What does that mean? It means II better pray long and hard that there are no side effects from the new introduction of new medicine or withdrawal from the ceasing to take the old medicine.

The #1 KEY to taking all of this every day is MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT. Strictly documenting everything, so that if I have some adverse effect, I can help to narrow down which one is causing it. And by adverse effect I mean nausea, fatique, grogginess, dizziness... I have to be able to function as well as possible, and I've had to build up a decent tolerance to each drug. And I have to responsibly monitor each medication to ensure that the tolerance stays at the right place, making TIME MANAGEMENT crucial.

Needless to say, I've spent the better part of 2011 being poked, prodded, tested, watched, and monitored. And thankfully, God is making everything come together just in time for the New Year... now do you soo why it's so important for me to get off on the right foot?

First things first: When you're struggling to climb out of a hole of depression, you can easily sink back further down before you realize it. I REFUSE to do that, so I am starting a crazy little thing for myself called: The Good Day Project. See, I am so scheduled in my own weird way that I can almost trick myself into following my own rules (yes, I know it's strange). In 2011, 15 out of 20 days were just low low low and I honestly had a hard time finding reasons to make them any higher.

2012 Solution: The Good Day Project
I have one of those little mini planner/calenders and I have already filled it up with so much inspiration! There are certain days each month that are designated to be GOOD DAYS, no matter WHAT HHAPPENS that day. So what does this mean? One of my problems stems from feeling overwhelmed a LOT of the time. I never used to get overwhelmed, but that's one of the biggest personality changes for me now, because the slightest change in plans can make me panic. On the designated GOOD DAYS, when I feel overwhelmed all I have to do is remind myself that I promised myself that I would have a good day that day, and if I let me down, what will all of the rest of the GOOD DAYS in the year mean?

Sounds simple, but to someone who's actively trying to make a normal life again, this is a BIG deal. The point is to start out with a few good days a month and gradually, as the year passes, I want to start to have more GOOD DAYS than bad until, at the end of the year, I have almost nothing but AWESOME DAYS. I know no one has good days every single say, so I'm planning for that. But the 2012 year will be a year of "Finding the new me, figuring out who I really am now, being normal again. I will never be the old Chelsea, and I can't go back in time. But I want to learn who I am now. And yes, brain lesions are brain trauma, which do cause personality changes. While I still have the same values and love, my interests, talents, needs, and wants have changed drastically.

  Now, I obviously don't want to be too optimistic so I'm starting out in January for one designated GOOD DAY each week. All of the other good days that run my way are bonus days. February, I start with two GOOD DAYS a week, and March goes to three and so on. The weird thing is, I found myself making little "rules" about which days could be designated as GOOD DAYS...

For example, Holidays don't count, because those are already good days in my book, because I get to spend time with people I love. Close friends and family member's birthdays don't count, because they're a given that they're going to be good, because I'm going to be trying to make that day special for them. Weekends don't count, because I'm also with people I love. Do you see the trend I made for myself, even though I didn't realize it at the time. My designated GOOD DAYS were only the days that I would be spending alone. And there lies my problem. Solution?

On the GOOD DAYS, I plan to do more than just make it "good." I plan to spend about an hour or two doing something that makes me happy that day, something that relaxes me that has nothing to do with stress. For me, it may be making a scrapbook page, painting, making jewelry, or even writing in my blog. I promise to keep you updated! When I realized that the GOOD DAYS were days that I was alone, I realized that I was starting something a little more important than just having a good day... I was starting a little project to spend some time on myself. I was starting an actual project for one year that I really want to finish. To me, it's more than just having a GOOD DAY... it's finding out what makes me happy again. I can't wait for the new year to begin! 
 

Pinterest and Randomness: INSIDE My Head!

Sometimes I think I'm trapped in a nice girl's body, and underneath all that niceness is a layer of sarcasm just lurking around, trying relentlessly to find a way to escape. I forget it's there sometimes, but then I find my way back to Pinterest. That's when I realize that somewhere there is a secret very hidden community of sarcastic and impatient people just like me. And not just that, if you go a little deeper into that secret world, you will also find my other personality half, which is where people survive by saying random thoughts and mentally asking theirselved silent redundant questions.

Have no freakin clue what I'm talking about? Here are a few of my favorites: (WARNING: If you think, thought, would like to continue thinking, etc, that I am a perfectly normal person, just click out of this now, because you're about to go inside my random crazy thoughts! ALL THE TIME...

To check out more *awesomeness*, go randomly flip around on PINTEREST!
I'm addicted to this...

Love you ALL,
Chel

A Brand NEW Approach to Cleaning

Good Morning Everyone! (By the way, I'm totally faking this *CHEERY* attitude, because this chilly weather makes me want to go crawl right back in the bed... just to let you know.)  Now that we have that out in the open, I'll continue.

This post is about my path to a new MUCH more organized life.  Thinking about having an "Organized Life" really reminds me about how we think about our senses. While we often remember to give Sight and Smell a slot in our senses category area, a good majority of people forget that people actually have and use FIVE senses: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell.

Similarly, when the term "organized" comes into play, what is the first thing you think of? Do you only think of how un-clean and "dis-organized" your house is right now? What I'm learning is that I can "pick up" the clutter in my home all I want, but I also have to remember that there is Mental Clutter, Financial Clutter, Guilty Clutter, Mourning Clutter, Sentimental Clutter,  Sad Clutter, Potentially Useful Clutter, Memory Clutter, "I Might Need It One Day" Clutter, Relationship Clutter, Time Clutter... and the list goes on and on and on. I'm just a clutterbug I guess!

Have you ever really thought deep down about what kind clutter you may be carrying around? I know I hadn't until recently.  I found myself beginning to feel overwhelmed, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the cause of this sudden stress.  Sound familiar?  For more information on types of clutter and how to take control of your clutter, click on the links below. (Don't forget to come back to the good stuff!)

{FYI: I'm about to tell you why these approaches do NOT work for me, but they may work for you.}

6 Types of Clutter
Oprah's Clutter Control Remedies
How Clutter Control Affects You

I have never really thought of myself as an organized person. In the past, I was never stressed out enough to feel the need seek out a cause to blame it on. That sure has changed! In the past 6 months, I've struggled with so many new changes in my life, and I've looked near and far for the main cause of the changes. The only answer I can come up with is that my changes were just in God's plan for me. That's fine with me, because I would rather be a part of God's plan and not understand why he dealt me these cards than be in a rough situation that I was responsible for on my own. I think that's why the clutter in my life is so frustrating: I did it to myself.

BACK to the point: (See, the same thing happens when I try to clean: I get DISTRACTED!)

If you open any "Lady" magazine, you can almost bet that somewhere inside there will be at least one article about household organization. I'm waiting for the day when all of the "Women's" magazines realize that they just rotate advice around from one article to the next... and it doesn't work half of the time.

Common advice doesn't always work for everyone, and it amazes me that magazine editors still haven't created a few more reasonable or unique approaches to housework. Below, I have listed a few "Common Clutter-Clearing Tips" that I see ALL the time. So, underneath each useless tip is a little tidbit of what I think about it and why it doesn't work for me.

The Common Advice 

• Walk into a room and pick up everything you see that doesn't belong there.

                            - I don't like this tip, because I feel like the writer is trying to make me feel like an idiot. Obviously, IF I could go into a room and pick up everything out of place and it was really that easy, there's a pretty good chance that I wouldn't need to read the article in the first place. I would have already picked everything up and put it away. Strike One... NEXT.

• Everything in your house needs to have a "place" where it belongs.

                             -  REALLY? Everything needs to have a place? Uh yea, obviously. And if I KNEW how to make a place for everything, again, I wouldn't be reading the article. I want to know HOW to find a place for everything. A "REASONABLE" how-to... Not one of those, "Save 20 cereal boxes and cover them with wall paper and have your husband use his circular saw to cut eleven of the thirteen 2x4's you had to buy from 'Herald's Home Place' specifically for this project" and hotglue them together and so forth.  That is NOT the norm...

                             - First of all, I said "Herald's Home Place," because there is a 50/50 chance that you will have never heard of the hardware store recommended in the magazine, the one with "the lowest price around." Around what? Sometimes I think writers google all over to find the store with the cheapest lumber prices, even if the only one in the entire United States is in Idaho. Second of all, I can almost promise you that IF you indeed routinely volunteer your husband and his circular saw for every cereal box DIY craft that you run just happen to across, there's a good chance you will need to read to the "Why Does My Husband Avoid ME" printed a few pages over. Long point short: Give us some eco-friendly, easy, CHEAP ways to organize. Strike Two... NEXT.

• Only save the "Really Special Artwork" that your child has made, and take digital pictures of the rest. You can print the pictures and look at them forever without the clutter of all of the coloring pages.

                            -  Ok, let me be clear for those who do not know me personally: I am not a mother to a biological child.  I do, however, have two creative little stepchildren who constantly draw and design oodles of pictures and items for their Daddy and me. I even have a box in the top of our closet with special little keepsakes they have created. While they are only at our house every other weekend, they still draw like 10 pictures at a time... each. I wish I knew how many "books" with silly little stories they have created and stapled together for us, but I lost count a while ago. And I've kept every single one.

                            - My point is: I don't want to take a picture of their artwork. And it's probably not for the reason that you may think. I don't want to take a picture and toss out the art work, because I just don't agree with the reasoning. You're swapping out an original for a duplicate. Printed pictures are also going to take up space, right? So, you might say, "I'll burn the pictures of their artwork on a c.d. to save space."  Really? You're going to take the time to round up the artwork, take an individual photo of each page (usually double sided as well), so around two pictures of EACH page, and upload or scan them into your computer, name each picture describing what it is, who drew it, and what year it was made. Then, you're going to either upload the files to Rite Aid and drive there to pick up your child's artwork pictures? Or if you opt for the Image C.D. route, are you going to put the images in a folder and burn a million C.D.s and then label each C.D. and create a way to organize them?

                          -Either way, you're going to be in a bad mood, because you just threw our your kid's precious artwork! Just take twenty minutes and stack each paper individually, neatly, with one on top of the other and put it in a clear $4 bin from Wal-Mart and slide it under the bed or put it up in the top of the closet. Do you really think you're going to have that day where you say, "You know what? I don't have anything to do today. I think I'm going to go find the disc with Tommy's artwork from 2nd grade and look at all of those pretty scribbles on the computer this afternoon?" Please just stop kidding yourself.

                        -In reality, you are going to want to pull out that old dusty box of "Scribbles" after your "baby boy" moves off to college and cry as you have your midlife crisis, wishing that he was five years old again. You actually DESERVE to keep the originals as proof that you actually kept another tiny teacup human alive AND they were somewhat creative. SCORE! (ha... that makes me crack up to hear someone say that, and I've been looking for a place to throw that in!)

Back to the point: You'll be in even more distress if you regret throwing the originals away. Most of our world is digital and made up of replicas, so I think there's something special about original items to bring you back in time. So if someome tells you to take a picture of your kids artwork and "bid it farewell," then I suggest that you tell them to go take a picture of their grandmother's 100 year old china cabinet and sell it for $10 at a yard sale... Strike three... THE MAGAZINE ADVICE COLUMNS LOSE.

                       -(I HAVE to add this last tidbit just because it annoys me to read it over and over... so here's one more piece of useless advice.)

• Ask yourself, "Do I REALLY need this?" If the answer is "No," then toss it out.

                       - What kind of dilusional world do these overpaid organizers live in? Don't they think that IF indeed you are reading an article on how to get organized, then you have probably already asked yourself IF you need a specific item like a million times already, and the answer is, "Yes. Yes I do need to keep the busted float from the beach trip in 1999, because it CAN be fixed. And what if there's a time in life where we don't have the money to buy another $2 float? When everyone else needs a float and they can't afford to buy one, I won't have to worry about anything, because I kept AND fixed mine!"

                       - Now we're just going to ignore the fact that IF you did happen to keep a ripped $2 float for 12 years, waiting to need to fix it during a economical depression, then you are probably not JUST a "tad bit unorganized." You're probably well on your way to arriving at your next "Hoarders Anonymous" meeting. The main point I'm trying to make is, people who keep pure crap and wierd junk are horrible at organizing, but they have a freakishly awesome ability to rationalize anything. They will indeed ask theirselves IF they actually need something, and the ALWAYS "yes". I ask myself all the time if I REALLY need something, and I'm so distracted and unorganized that sometimes I even forget to answer! :)

The REAL Bottom Line:  Don't these Martha Stewart clones think that if everyone could/would "spend twenty minutes a day" putting away items that we wouldn't have an issue with clutter?

BACK TO MY OWN MESSY HOUSE:

I think I may have FINALLY found the solution to my clutter... FLYLADY!!!

You have GOT to check out this site! FLYLADY takes a whole new approach to cleaning, and I believe she specifically works well for people with "Attention Issues," much like myself. She teaches you how to use new approaches to my three main demons: PROCRASTINATION, GETTING SIDETRACKED and BOREDOM! I LOVE this site!

One of the HUGE things I find motivating about this new sight is that the FLYLADY herself, Marla Cilley, is not one of those "Organizing Fanatics" that was practically born obsessively color coordinating and organizing her crayons when she was like 3. She didn't spend her childhood making her parents beam with pride at how clean she kept her room. No, Ms. Cilley was once a dysfunctional personal herself, so she really knows what she's talking about. Regular methods didn't work for her, either. LOVE IT!

I have found that I work much better if I set my own goals rather than follow another person's schedule. All of our lives are going in different directions, right? All I know is, when I found this site, I just about peed in my pants with excitement, because I finally found someone who just seemed to "get" me and my organizational issues. I now have a new title to add to my chaos: I am a... "FLY Baby."

Here are a few links to get you on the right track!

Getting Started with FLYLADY
Start with BABYSTEPS
What to Expect from FLYLADY

So, if you want to try to make an attempt at become more organized and efficient and the regular methods just aren't helping you become successful, I recommend that you check out FLYLADY.  I really don't see how it could hurt!

Here are a few of the motivational pictures and quotes that I use to "BOOST" my cleaning genes...

Now, in the words of the FLYLADY herself.... "Go Shine Your Sink!"