Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A Prayer Request, An Update and Decluttering!

First a special prayer request for this little Sweetie Pie!
Bridget here is 4 1/2 and I am suspecting Type 1 Diabetes in her.
I started noticing last week, frequent urination, from the unquenchable thirst she has. 
I've noticed irritability, moodiness (mostly to a whiney mood) and she's been very lethargic.
She has funky breath too.
(it's not sweet, but funky)

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 10.
At 10 I understood what was happening, I could take care of myself.
(I'm not saying it was not hard, because it was)

My prayer these past few days has been, 
"Please not now Lord" 

And since yesterday, it has been "Lord give me the grace to handle this"
Because at this age (4 1/2)
It will be all me handling it.

I also confess, I've been praying, 
"Please Lord, no more suffering, I can't take any more"

I'm selfish and it becomes all about me doesn't it?
It's not about me

Lord, please give me the grace to handle all of this.

I'm begging for prayers from you.
For her.

She has an appointment at 3:45 today.
I'll update when I can.
 
 
These ducks have been in our yard since Sunday!  
(It's been raining since then!)
 
 Onto the whole moving thing.


The selling of my husband's business fell through.
Way too long of a story to go into
but I will say that we've gone onto PLAN B

My husband's goal is to try to get his business running without him 
there, so we can eventually move.

That may take some time with all the Obamacare crap changes.
He's looking into his options now with all that

Our ultimate goal would be to list the house by Fall
(Plan A was June)
and move before winter comes again
But if that doesn't happen by then, we will try 
to leave for part of the winter this year
and list the house in the spring and move then.

The good thing is where we move is up to us.
(well, God of course)
But it doesn't depend on a job anymore.
Because he will still have his business here, in Minnesota.

We are still hoping to move to Arizona or Texas.
But now, we are leaning towards Texas.
San Antonio, Corpus Christi areas...someplace warm 
and closer to the ocean!
Arizona is not out, it is still a possibility.


It's hard for me to not have a concrete plan.
I'm a concrete person, I have to have goals, I have to have a plan

SO our Plan B will have to suffice for now.
(as vague as it is)

Onto
DECLUTTERING!!
 

Remember that broken dresser I told you about?
Well, this was our solution:

 My 7 year old loves yellow, and this is her dresser.
It's bright, but it looks way better than the other way...
Doesn't it?
(we changed the room around too)
 This is another Goodwill pile.
I'm calling it "Goodwill" but we actually donate to a place called
"Treasure Chest" they give all proceeds to  help Birthline,
 a pro-life pregnancy help place

I go to garage sales, but will never have a garage sale.
It's easier to give it away
and we give EVERYTHING away.

(with the exception  of one thing, I'll show you later)

 Baby blankets and that is my "Boppy" pillow
(I'm washing the cover)
Only used for one baby...sad to let it go
Baby blankets, sad to let go too....
I decided to go through them and only keep the homemade ones
to give to the kids when they have babies someday.
(and they are treasures)

More about baby stuff later...
 We've gone through CD's, Games, Tae Kwon Do equipment
and given it all away.
 I took down all school posters and art work hanging on the walls...even in the school room!
(I took down those hooks later, and that bag over there is gone to Goodwill too)
 I forgot to take a "Before" picture, but this is my schoolroom cupboard and shelves
all organized.
Trust me, they were much more cluttered "Before",
 with things piled up on top too.

I have to admit, school stuff and Art supplies are the hardest for me to 
give up.
I'm not giving it all up, this is what we've kept.

When decluttering, it has helped a ton,
to say to  myself:
"Do we want to move this 1500 miles?"
"How often do we use this?"

If the answer is "no" or "never" 
It's gone.

 I have to admit, the snowpants and boots were easy to give up!
With the exception of keeping enough for one more year if we need to.

 Although, Tom gave his coat to Bob here.
I looked all year for a coat for him!!
His specifics were:
Blue or green
Snap up (no zipper)
Big pockets, big enough for his hat and gloves

Easy, huh?
NO
There are no SNAP up coats with those specs!!

Then, I saw him wearing a spring coat with a zipper one day.
I asked him if he could zip the zipper, 
and sure enough he could!
(one of his arms is partially paralyzed)

SO he tried Tom's coat and he LOVED it

If we are here next winter, Tom is out of a coat!




 My wedding dress.
Yes, I decluttered it.
I heard about this organization:
They take wedding gowns (used)
and turn them into gowns for babies that pass away at the hospital.
Parents are unprepared usually
 and this gives them something beautiful to bury their baby in.
 It really wasn't hard to give away
(a little wrinkled here)
with that long train, I am hoping they get a few outfits made out of it.

I asked myself, "Do I really need my wedding dress laying around in a box?"
I want the girls to get a dress in their own style when they get married.
 Old bouquet...gone
(I made it)
Why did I keep this anyway?
 My veil...will be used again for a First Holy Communion!
 I had one daughter who said she will want to wear my dress when she gets married.
She's also the one that wants to be a nun.
I told her with those puffy sleeves, she will NOT want to wear it.
 Here's the address if you are interested.
I'm not very sentimental, am I?
I have pictures.  I'm sentimental about pictures.
 Tom got rid of his baseball collection!
This was HUGE
This he did SELL.
It was worth 8000 bucks
He could have gotten that if he had the time to list and sell them on E-Bay.
(he doesn't)
And that would have taken a long time to get rid of them, like months.

 So he sold them to a card shop, all as one whole set for 
1500 bucks.

 He'd been collecting since he was a young boy.
 He did not get rid of the Star Wars book though...

 Our dress-up box
I have to go through this but I want to give it all away.

I'm going to admit here, that I actually HATE dress-up.
I hate saying that, but I do.  
I feel like I'm preventing my kids from being creative or something by saying that, 
and by not having dress-up.

But, I hate when they do get it out, it is all over the house, and we find pieces for days after.
It's just a BIG mess.

It's a big box that takes up a lot of space
And I don't like it.
I can get rid of it, can't I?

I never had dress up.
I turned out OK.
Right?
What would you do?

 Goodwill run
Stamps...I gave those two middle boxes full of stamping stuff.
(Stampin' up to be exact)
Even the lady at Treasure Chest was like,
 "Wow, you are giving all these beautiful stamps away?"
 I told her I still had one whole large bin at home that I was saving.
This holds everything though, card stock and envelopes
chalks, markers, lots of stamps and ink pads....

 Now onto hard things.
Baby stuff.

OH, my goodness, this is 15 full bins of baby clothes up to my youngest 
boy and girl.  

15 bins waiting in a certain area
I'm holding onto them til right before we move.

I'm 44 1/2 now and have not been pregnant in over 2 years.
It's hard to give up, because there is still that hope for one more.

I'm keeping my high chair (always good to have a high chair for company)
My stroller (I think)  I guess, if we move next spring, I'll give that up then.

My baby Pack and Plays (I have 2) I'm keeping)
My baby bath, now that is so hard to giveaway...why? 
Is it because I love baby baths?
Is it because I loved that actual tub?

Proving to be a hard one to give away.
 Keeping all  homemade items
Like this beautiful knit sweater, 
knit for Little Red, from Jenny!

Someday his wife will use this for their babies.

Gave away all old shoes already...like these, now why were these hard to give away?
They are so dang cute that's why!

I'm also finding that the girl clothes are harder to giveaway than the boy things.
Why is that?

 I have a ton of extra empty bins now...
I went through all the kids clothes and got rid of a ton 
that either we didn't ever wear or whatever
but I have 6 bins in the sizes 6-8
Most of them are 7-8 size.
(with another whole bin of jammies)
Having 3 girls that overlapped sizes for a while 
and all different body types and personalities 
left my 4 year old with the pick of the crop!
I don't know how to lessen this....

Decluttering is a struggle from within.
But once it's done, it feels so freeing.

Once it's done, nothing is missed. 
If you have any questions, please ask!

I tried to get this out quick and probably did not do 
a very complete job of explaining the whole process!


23 comments:

  1. Oh my am I ever inspired, I've been decluttering and cleaning like crazy but you've inspired me to go even further, thanks Jamie Jo.
    You remain in my prayers and have been on my heart. I'll be praying for Bridget as well as her parents, you guys are really being hit right now but I know (like you know) it is all going to be okay. It doesn't hurt to cry "uncle" though - God gets it and he loves you!

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  2. Oh, Jamie, I am praying for her! What a blessing, though, that you were alerted to it because of your own experiences. God's grace will come and help you through all of this. And I can't tell you how excited I am about your move choices- Corpus Christi is where my husband works and is only about 40 minutes from me (if I drive a little fast!). And if you move there, Christine will have to come visit you, right? So I can see both of you! Big hugs to you, my friend, and continued prayers.

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  3. Wow! I am impressed by all the decluttering. I did not do nearly so well and we brought way too much with us to Germany.

    It was such a sweet surprise to scroll down and see something I made for that sweet little guy! Much love and prayers were knit into that! I hope his children do use it!

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    1. I also meant to say that I am praying for the grace to deal with whatever God gives you and your sweetie pie! I am just plain praying for you all. For the move, the job, those sweet kids and you especially.

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  4. Hi Jaime Jo! My name's Theresa. I followed you over here from 9PeasMom. Your comment on type 1 caught my eye, as one of my sons was diagnosed a year ago at age 6. I recently wrote a mini series on it at my blog in recognition of living with it for one year. I will be praying for your daughter as you await a diagnosis. You already know all about it, living with it and treating it, but if she needs any "encouragement," my son recorded a few videos about what it's like for him, which I invite you and her to check out! They're at ordinarylovely.blogspot.com

    And, WOW!! Your decluttering is inspiring! I need to get on this!
    Happy Easter! -Theresa

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  5. Ok, I resolve not to complain about the rain and apply the merits of the grace to you and Bridget and your family with all these plans up in the air. I would hate that too - all the uncertainty. But I would LOVE decluttering and starting fresh in another house far away in a warm state. You have a lot of endurance to go through so much, and abundant grace to get you through.

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  6. Fantastic decluttering!!!

    I hope your little sweetie pie is just a thirsty girl, but if she has to have T1 diabetes, at least she is in the good hands of someone who has dealt with it. I hope you get the diagnosis figured out very soon so that you can stop worrying and start planning and treating if necessary.

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  7. Jamie, you don't say if you are in the "hmm, I wonder" stage or at the "having blood tests" stage. Have you checked her glucose in the morning and after meals? Or had the a1c test run? Praying this is not your cross and hers. My future daughter-in-law is high risk as well, and I also pray she is spared. It is a heavy cross. I recently had the a1c test because I also have many symptoms, but it was normal.

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  8. Since sweetie pie is my goddaughter she is so very close to my heart...and you and Tom as well. She is such a sweet little girl and I am really praying for you and her.

    Wow, I am so amazed Tom got rid of his cards!!!! I cant even get Brian to get rid of the 300 tree tubes that sit in the pole barn. yes...300 long green tubes he bought from a green house to put over trees and they didnt even work. Proud of you guys. I am thinking of those people who lost everything in the tornadoes. I would be only sad to lose my pictures. Our kids do not want our stuff. I wouldnt want my parents stuff...although I do like the religious keepsakes. The old prayer books etc...

    I am keeping baby stuff too. Not sure when I can let that go. Baby clothes and toys go into bins. just the special stuff.

    That was so sweet to give Bob a coat. sweet sweet sweet.

    Love this blogging community praying for you. hugs to sweetie pie and (((hugs))) for you.

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  9. OH..and I am glad you might be staying longer!!!
    To answer your question about feeding the teens...they all fed themselves..THANK GOODNESS! They pitched in their money and bought pizza/pop/and snacks. They are all really good boys...all in the Knowledge bowl and robotics club etc..

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  10. You are my hero. It must have been so much work...physically and emotionally. Maybe I need to move so I can get myself motivated!!
    Prayers for Bridget and for you as well. And please don't think it's selfish at all to ask the Lord to end this suffering. It's okay to be specific in our requests. It must be; I read it in a book somewhere. *smile*
    Hugs, Kathleen

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  11. Hugs to you and your cutie pie! We will definitely pray for this newest issue. I am totally with you regarding the "feel sport for me" moments. And we are human. And God knows that. He will carry you through. Praying for you that he will pour abundant blessings upon you as satan tries to tear you down.

    The entire deck uttering thing. I know EXACTLY what you are feeling on all levels. Even though it's been 7 years, it is an experience I won't forget. And I am talking about everything you mentioned. Everything. Continued prayers your wAy!!!

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  12. Prayers for your sweet baby girl, my friend...
    Please update. K?
    Because of course, you have NOTHING else to do. ; )
    I am in awe of your decluttering.
    I love it!
    Those bins are my favorite.
    I went through ours a few years ago and had quilts made with special outfits from each child.
    Before that, I had saved every. single. piece. of. clothing.
    After, I had beautiful quilts and gave the rest to a wonderful place that helps mothers and children.
    Win/win.
    The baby stuff?
    I can't. I just can't.
    44 1/2 here too.
    And I can't.
    Still have it.
    Probably always will.
    Hugs and love!

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    1. Oh...I forgot...
      I hate dress up.
      It makes me crazy.
      For real.
      So...yay us!!!!

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  14. Praying hard Jamie! I understand your need for no more suffering. Believe me! God bless you all.

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  15. Prayers for your little Sweetie Pie! Wish I could get serious about decluttering like that. Baby stuff is definitely my biggest downfall, too.

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  16. Decluttering is so hard and I've been struggling with buying things in general. Asking myself things like: Is this necessary, do the kids really need this, how useful will this be later...questions like that I've been trying to ask myself before buying things that I often think I need. Than other times, there are things I wish I would have bought because I can't find it anywhere in stores and it would be helpful now. Our current infant carseat expires soon, and I'm trying decide what I should do about that.

    I'll be praying for sweetie pie! God will give you the graces to handle any situation.

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    1. I wanted to also say how amazing it is that you have so many people online responding to your prayer request! How many lives you must touch! I asked for prayers for Joseph and only you responded, but I am so thankful you said you would pray for him :) Thank you for your friendship.

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  17. Prayers! And good luck with your move! My sister lived in San Antonio for a while, personally I would rather live there than Corpus Christi. Just my personal preference from the ambiance of the cities. Corpus Christi is not the prettiest city from what I saw, but I really loved San Antonio, and I know my sister enjoyed living there too. If you're looking for my opinion that is ;)

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  18. Wow, you are VERY busy!! I'm sending prayers for your little lady and all your plans. I hope it all works out for you. My husband and I dream of moving to a warmer climate. My personal health problems are always so much better on warm days, but sadly my husband can't find work anywhere warmer.
    I laughed at the Star Wars cards, we have a bunch of those here! And I loved the idea of using the wedding veil for First Communion! :-) Take care! I'll be praying.

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  19. I bet you are feeling POUNDS lighter after all of those goodwill drops! Congratulations. Seems like Texas is full of Catholics, especially in Austin area. God will direct your path.

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  20. I will pray for Sweetie Pie. I see that you do have an update post also sitting in my Bloglovin feed, so I will check that out. I don't know where I was yesterday that I missed this post. Oh wait, I've got FOUR hacking coughing kids. In the spring. In.the.spring. This was the season I was waiting for after the bad winter and now my kids are sick again. GRRR. Sorry, had to vent.

    Any way.....decluttering!!! Can I say that looking at all your pics and reading about it made me giddy??!! Sad (because you'll be leaving), but giddy because I'm a decluttering nerd and I know how good I feel when I donate and toss stuff. My husband doesn't get it. One day I just wake up and am consumed by anxiety over 'stuff' everywhere and start making piles. Reed thinks that in the grand scheme of things, we really don't have much. I see our storage room of kids clothes bins and every so often minimize again. A lot of that stuff, what am I saving it for? The girls stuff, sure. Boys stuff I've started giving away to friends who have boys and could actually need/use it. Right now I don't know if I will ever have another baby, let alone a boy, so it just feels like hoarding to hold on to it. I am so proud of you and your great progress! You're doing great!

    I'll keep praying for your Plan B. I know I'm like you and couldn't stand the unknown plans that lie ahead. An extended stay will, however, perhaps grant us a few more get togethers?? Right? Maybe once school is done for the year. I need to get my smiling Jamie fix before you leave. :)

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