A week ago, my daughter (RosePetal) and I drove to Kentucky to pick up our new bus, Vera Louise. It was quite an adventure. We learned a few things along the way (more on that later) and had an amazing time. I must admit, I was a little (okay, a lot) nervous to be heading out to another state with my kid, to drive a vehicle that I had not yet seen/heard in person. . .but also a type of vehicle the likes of which I had never driven. The sellers picked us up at the car rental place and took us to Vera. We looked her over, got our lessons in solar panels (henceforth - The Solar System), composting toilets and air brakes and were on our way. On our way down the road two miles to our lovely campsite at Natural Bridge State Park. That first drive was super scary. It was raining. The roads were narrow and hilly (we were at the bottom of a gorge, after all). But, we made it and enjoyed getting to know our bus.
Once the fire was dealt with, we went on to Hoosier National Forest and hiked at Hemlock Cliffs. I will create a separate post about our hike. Then we stopped to spend some time with family. A couple of RosePetal's uncles gave Vera a good looking over. She meets with their approval. :)
Sunday was the hardest day. We (I) drove all the way from south central Illinois to Kansas. This was by far the longest drive, including two cities and Cubs V Cardinals traffic. There was the added fun of driving straight into the sun all afternoon. I did have to stop one time just to cool off and hydrate. It was a little nerve racking, but we made it home. I am one happy bus owner. RosePetal is already wanting to move in Vera full time. See you on the road, Jules #veralouise #buslife #manifestthat #visionboardlife
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If you haven't heard of KonMari, I highly recommend that you check out this philosophy on "stuff", clutter, and organization. The author and champion of this system is Marie Kondo, of KonMari fame. She has a book, and the webs we weave have countless blog posts outline the details of the system. So, I am not going to get to in depth with it here. I am to give you and overview. Then if you are inspired. . .get her book or check out her website for all the specifics. The basic idea is this: keep only those things that spark JOY. Yes, joy. Pick up each item you own (in a systematic series of categories); decide if it brings you joy; and keep it or pitch it. Rinse. Repeat. With every single piece of every single thing that you own or have dominion over. The challenge is also to get it all done "in one shot". Work through everything you own as quickly as possible. Do not lose momentum. The categories are designed to go from easiest to hardest:
ClothesI did start out with my closet, as directed. It wasn't quite as simple as it could have been. Because of my rapid weight loss, I had to not only sort things that don't fit right now, but I also kept a few things that don't bring me joy. . . so that I wouldn't have to run around naked until I lose another 20#! I went ahead and integrated my "skinny clothes" into my closet. Now it is all together. Every 10# or so, I cull through it again and weed out a the big stuff. Here's is a little idea of what the process looked like. You have to bring the entire category together and sort it all at once. So in the case of clothes and accessories, that mean dumping it all in my closet floor. I was prepared with my sorting containers:
This whole process for clothes and accessories took about two days, not counting the time listing items. . .which is a WIP. I will say that it went much faster than I thought it would, and the results were dramatic! I know that my closet is still huge and there are still a lot of clothes in there, but it is so much easier to deal with! I can see everything. . . I put things away because I actually know where they go. I have been wearing clothes that were previously out of sight and mind. BooksI did the books, but I did not bring them all into the same space as recommended. I worked in the different rooms and boxed up most of them for the garage sell. I was worried about books because I have. . .err. . had so many. But with JOY as my barometer, it was very easy to get rid of the lion's share of my books. I saved a few cookbooks, two or three art books, and maybe 10 miscellaneous books. This from the bibliophile. All of my books would actually fit on one shelf now. . .provided I wanted them in the same room. PaperI was really dreading this category. I hate paper. No seriously, I hate it. Mail, paperwork, records, taxes, all of it. . .yuck! So, because I have been so bad at managing it. . .I tend to cram it someplace and forget where I put it (or that 'it' even exists). There was lots of paper. I got it narrowed down to this:
Komono - Everything else.This is a HUGE category. I started with the kitchen and then the garage. I still need to do the living room and my studio/office.
I thought there would be more to get rid of in the kitchen, but it didn't seem like I created that much room. The garage however, is going to be empty after my big garage sale! I put almost all of my stored kitchen stuff in the sale. I figure if I am going to live in a skoolie one day, I'd better first learn how to cook with just a kitchen full! (it is a big kitchen too!). I will post a progress update in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing just how organized I can get! Have a joyous week, It's been just over a week since I started my bujo (bullet journal). I am happy to say that I am busy learning about my behaviors and pushing my self to the next level in my goals and actions. With any new discovery/project, I tend to be a kid-in-a-candy-store. I see 1000 new ideas, and suddenly everything must change to accommodate said fabulousness. This time, however, the discovery itself is about consistency and self awareness. Miracle MorningI stumbled across the Miracle Morning concept in some of my trolling around the bujo blog sites. What a simple concept. I will leave the in depth explaining to the author/founder Hal Elrod. Here are the basics. If this is something that sparks your interest, I highly recommend going to the original source for instructions. First, use the awesome downloads that he GIVES you. The main component of this is the Level 10 Life material. Designed to help explore where you are now, where you want to go, and what is standing in your way (SPOILER ALERT: YOU are what is standing in your way); this exercise should not be skipped or rushed over. Every. Morning. Take. Time. Life S.A.V.E.R.S.
What would you do if you were focused and committed to inventing a life you love? Is there a dream you are ready to start living? Do you need to assess first and define your dream? GREAT. Start there. And move the needle. Where are you headed? Please comment and share your goals and adventure. I am on a freight train of FUCK YEAH. That's right. A freight train of fuck yeah. Just try to stop me. I have had enough of living anything less than my best. Let the BadAssery commence. (stay tuned for a post on my other new find: You Are a Badass). I will be posting updates on both my Miracle Mornings, as well as Badassery in general. Go forth and create/discover the life of your wildest dreams. Was it really just last Wednesday that I was posting about my EC Life Planner and related transitions? Well, I have now jumped in to Bullet Journaling with both feet! I discovered Midori (traveler's) notebooks. It is truly a match made in heaven. I made this case/cover for my notebooks. The inside is fabric, which I sewed and embroidered to meet my needs and make it pretty. I made the outside out of leather. So far, it just has a simple tie on the outside. I decided to hang out with it for a few days before I trim the edges and make the final fastener. I am not sure if I will go for the natural look or hemmed lines on the leather. I have four notebooks inside:
I have joined a couple of challenges already. Check out #PlanWithMeChallenge and #RockYourHandwriting on IG. I look forward to sharing this adventure. I will post a full detail of my July spread as soon as it is fully developed.
Happy Planning, Am I the only one that has a love/hate relationship with my planner? I bought my first Erin Condren Planner for 2014-15. A perusal through the months will show that some months I vigorously planned, tracked, decorated, and generally used my planner; while other months will go by with nary a doodle being added, as if the planner were lost in my backseat for a month (hey, it happens!). Earlier this year I read Sarah Centrella's Hustle Believe Receive. Wow! What a great book. She got me back on the wagon with my productivity in a big way! I highly recommend this book for anyone who isn't content to stay where they are in life. She will poke and prod you into action! I have toyed with various ways to use my planner. I pretty much always track my workouts. Sometimes with cute little custom stickers. . .and sometimes with a simple note. The monthly pages are great for an overall schedule, but what about the countless tasks that need to be done in a given week or month? They are not appointments. They do not need to be done on a certain day or at a certain time. I know myself well enough to know that I cannot schedule down to the minute, or even the day when tasks need to be completed. I will miss one, and then either resent the list and lose all track of progress. . .or beat myself up and lose all track of progress. So, scheduling is out, but things still need to be done. Progress must be made. The solution? Bullet Journaling. I resisted bullet journals when I first saw the concept. I really like my pretty Erin Condren Planner, and my stickers and colorful pens. All of the bullet journals I had seen were very "brass tacks". How could I integrate this strategy and still color outside the lines? Enter the Monthly Hustle list. I use the lined page just before the monthly layout. The idea is to list out all of the things I need/want to accomplish in the coming month. This month I started breaking it out by category (side hustle, declutter, blog, wellness, Norwex, & square dancing). I am sure categories will get added over time. As I am typing this, I realize that I need a garden category. . . and maybe one for routine cleaning, ugh. Some of these items simple get checked off/filled in as I accomplish them. Others get transferred to the weekly view. The "notes" section has become my "Win the Week" section. This is where I list out the important things from my #theHustle list and add action steps for the week. I still flip back to my #theHustle list for most things. This is just one more layer for breaking it down into actionable steps. These strategies help me move forward towards my goals. Some months I am better at them than others, but I am learning to be gentle and keep moving forward. How do you get your #theHustle on? Please share any strategies that help you. Disclaimer: The Erin Condren link is a sort of affiliate link. If you follow that link, and order your first planner, I will get a $10 credit. . .which I much appreciate! The Sarah Centrella link is not an affiliate link. I receive nothing if you go buy her book. I just happen to believe in it and want to share it with you.
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Jules Warner - AuthorThanks for reading my ramblings. Archives
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