Back at the Library

I'm back at the library, but fortunately only until 2 pm today. I've managed to get a little work done, but have spent most of my time looking at laminate flooring online. I think Hubby is going to be going to home improvement stores for Father's Day. We need to make a decision and get going on this. The worst part of the whole process is moving the furniture out of the family room so we can do the work. I'm sure ripping up the old carpet won't be pleasant, either. I did find neat online resources through the library site and am looking forward to using them in the future.

I spent time yesterday reading old posts on The Happiness Project. It's fun to look at lists/hints/tips of others. I almost always find exceptions with at least some of them. At home, I talk back to the computer but here in the library I must remain quiet. Gretchen, at the Happiness Project, is an advocate of de-cluttering, and so am I. But I am also a person of moderation. De-cluttering does not mean never having anything out in the house. She talks about putting away small appliances (coffee pot, toaster) so de-clutter your counter. I leave them out to simplify my life. A tip to decluttering is to avoid souvenirs when travelling. But if I have a shell for souvenirs, then why not? Avoiding souvenirs that you don't already have a place for in the house...got it. I'm sure my the outside of my refrigerator drives my OCD and clutter-free friends crazy. It is covered with magnets (lots of business card/advertisements) so it's not a 'clean' look and then I have all sorts of important papers held up by those magnets. I do 'clean' the outside of my refrigerator and throw out out-dated stuff, but have the girls' schedules, my Jo Ann's coupons and the Rays' schedule so easily accessible is very important to me. When is stuff too much stuff? I don't know...I'll know it when I see it...in someone else's house. I have been trying to simply/downsize. We really don't have much storage room in my house. No basement and no real attic (very few things can survive a Florida summer in an attic). So I am forced to limit my stuff to a degree. I know I'll never be like the people on hoarders who climb over stacks of trash to get through their homes. The hardest thing for me to part with is a book. The Imp is the same way. I was in her room the other day (usually her room is primarily her domain) and I noticed she had a stack of books on her dresser...at least 3 feet high...no exaggeration. I told her she needed to put some of them away on one of her 2 bookshelves. She told me there was no room. I told her she needed to weed through some books. She doesn't know how to get rid of books. Having me as her mom doesn't help. But the 2 of us will be going through her books next week. I just got rid of 2 boxes of books. I let my friends rummage through them then give them to the library.

I wish I could stay home tonight. But Hubby and I have our marriage ministry group tonight. Once there I'll be fine and have a good time, but after 1 1/2 years of running the meetings, I'm ready for someone else to step up, but I know there isn't anyone who will. I think it's an important ministry, so Hubby and I will continue for a while longer, at least. When we started out we said we'd do it for 2 years. 2 years is up in February. We're both disappointed that it hasn't drawn more people. I guess lots of people see their marriage that as something that just IS, and not something that needs nourishing. Oh well.