On track

 So far, things are going pretty well. The five things rule is one of the best things I could come up with! It has helped me tremendously. My bedroom is so comfortable. I still need to go through my desk, and there are a couple of things in my bedroom that need to be hung: a cabinet for the bathroom, shelving for my daughter's room. Those things are on the list, and we'll get to them. I'm sitting here in my room now and am just finished doing work for my job as a music director. It's a comfortable place to be. I enjoy being in here. It feels good. 

I also tackled my linen closet which was out of control. I should have taken a before picture. With seven people in the house, we have a lot of linens. We just had too many though. That closet is always a mess, and it drives me nuts. My littles never would put things in there neatly, but I realized that with it being so crowded that was contributing to the mess as well. I got rid of a bunch of pillowcases. I can probably get rid of more, and I probably will. I got rid of an old set of sheets, a heating blanket with no heating unit, cloth napkins that I say we're going to use but never do, and some ratty towels and rags. My linen closet is now neat and easy to keep that way!

The downstairs is still making me feel uncomfortable. I'm reminding myself not to get overwhelmed though. Baby steps. I go look at the utility area and smile because it is neat and tidy and decluttered. Then I look in the one drawer that I've done and feel good about it, too. My plan is to maintain and keep moving forward - little by little. Honestly, I sometimes really don't know what I am going to do with the kitchen especially, but I'll just keep chipping away at it. 

I've been talking mostly about the minimalism M of my year, but there are other things as well. I'm still struggling with the mindfulness part. I'm still practising self-love, but sometimes I forget. I'm forgetting less than before. I'm still in counseling to help me heal and grow. I'm doing things like hanging the photos in my home that I have been meaning to hang for over two years. It makes me feel more anchored. I have been listening to music more. I look at my vision board and my "home diagram" to help me feel centered and renew my commitments. I'm doing well at keeping the finances under control, and my husband seems to be pretty engaged in that this time as well - which is awesome and helps me to feel not so alone. I'm trying to figure out how to stay engaged and active politically without it drowning me in a black cloud of crazy. I've been taking walks with my daughters. We're planning on hiking again tomorrow with the whole family, so the movement M is going okay. Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps....