Edie Wadsworth

I’m leaving tomorrow morning for Allume and if you could see my closet right now, you wouldn’t trust another thing I say.  There’s boots and shape wear and flower pins galore. I don’t know why I’m fretting about what to bring, because in the end, I’ll just throw it all in there and wait for inspiration once I’m at the conference.  I appreciate those of you who’ve prayed for me.  I’m a nervous nelly about my talk.  I’m considering doing some karaoke with Melanie, to ease my nerves.  I couldn’t be more excited to see all the wonderful people who have inspired me over the years.  I’m rooming with Ruth, Paige, and Jen and can hardly wait to shower them with hugs and cookies and all kinds of southern love.

On to the business at hand.

Ruth and I  both did closet makeovers this year.  We learned a few a things that might help you in your fight against clutter and disorder in the closet.  My approach is slightly different—slightly more than hers, but there are some things we both had in common.

The first, most important barrier to tidy closet spaces is that most us have way too much.  

The more we have, the harder it will be to keep it tidy.  So, the first principle is purging. Or as Ruth calls it RUTHless purging!  Get rid of everything you don’t love.  Most of us wear 10-20% of what’s in our closets for a reason.  Those are the pieces that fit well, that we LOVE. I learned when I did this exercise that I tend to wear drapey blouses a lot, but I had a closet full of button up shirts.  I liked the color of the pattern of the shirts, but I seldom wear them because that style is not very flattering on me.  Here are a few good tips besides PURGING:

• Stop over-buying— When you find something you love, try it on and then leave the store and think about it.  Go home and check your closet.  Do you have something similar already? What is it that you love about the piece you want to buy? Do you things similar that you’re not wearing?
•  Invest in good hangers—I can’t tell you how much this revolutionized my closet. I use these hangers and they are an investment.  Buy a set at a time, until you eventually replace all your old hangers.  Make sure you purge before you buy hangers!
• Take better care of what you have—Start using homemade laundry soap.  Hang your good clothes to dry.  (I LOVE this laundry cart for that!) Wash like fabrics and color with like. In other words, don’t wash your yoga pants with towels.
• Do the rainbow closet—I have my clothes organized by color and it’s almost like a work of art.  It inspires me to keep it tidier, because it’s pretty.
• Rinse and repeat—This is not a one time gig.  Every couple months, revisit what you’ve done and keep purging/organizing.

Challenge Day 23:  Organize your closet today. Or, if that feels too overwhelming, start with just one rack. Go through every piece and remove the things you haven’t worn in a month. What percentage of the pieces are left? Examine the ones you removed and ask yourself why you don’t wear them. Not flattering? Don’t fit? Out of style? Stained or torn? Snap a before and after photo of your pared down closet and then share with us on Instagram or Facebook. Ruth and I will go first and then you can follow our lead. Use hashtag #31dayslessmore.  Over the next weeks, do this for every rack or section in your closet. Store the unwanted/unused items, if you’re not sure whether or not you want to keep them. Follow our other suggestions and get your closets in great shape.

And while you organize, revisit the Low Risin’ Blue Jeans video featuring the hilarious east TN girl, Leanne Morgan.

Read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Closet Chaos!

This is Day 22 of our 31 Days of Less and More series. To read all the posts in order, start with Day 1 and check out our overview page to see the topics for the entire month.

“Paperwork wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for all the paper. And the work.”  ~Darynda Jones

This above photo is a picture of my desk, exactly NEVER.  I wish for all the world  it looked like that right now.  To make this talk about paperwork more fun, I’m posting a picture of my desk on Instagram and Facebook, in its current state of I CAN’T FIND ANYTHING,  and I’m vowing to have it pristine by nightfall.  Join in with your before and after photos.  This should be fun!  Side note:  If your before pictures are pristine, we can no longer be friends.  Or we can only be friends if you move in with me and keep my desk clean.

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If I had one piece of advice to give about paperwork, it would be this:  Throw things away.  

And being the hypocrite that I am, I look over at my desk, piled high with things that need to be sorted, filed, and tossed.  I’m nothing, if not the pot calling the kettle black.  But the point is, you have to get into the habit of throwing things away.  It’s not a one time deal.  In a perfect world, you would process your papers everyday and throw 97% of it away. But if you live in that perfect world, I need to move in and set up shop.  My world feels more like a snow globe most days and I’m grasping at the air trying to nail anything down.  I will say, though, that since I’ve begun my new filing system, I have a LOT less paperwork than ever before to deal with.  You can read about the whole system here, but the short and skinny is this:  Set up a good filing system that is easy to use, keep an incoming/outgoing box, THROW THINGS AWAY, and file what must be filed a couple times a month.

Trust me on this.  I’ve developed a low threshold for this after losing everything in our house fire.  It turns out, you don’t really need that much.  You can survive your life fairly well with very few papers in it.  And anything you really need, you can probably get from the person/company who sent it.  If you’re brutal on the front end, there’s less to process through and file and the chances are better that you’ll keep up with the system.   In my case, there’s one very important caveat—-insurance.  I have to keep every receipt of everything I buy so that I can turn it into insurance for reimbursement.   But after I’m through with this process, I’ll only keep receipts for major purchases.

Here’s where you can make your smart phone earn its keep.  I’ll give you  few examples of how I use my phone to keep my papers at bay.

• invitations, graduation announcement, or other events—add the date to my calendar on my phone and set an alarm a week ahead of the event.  If  I can attend the event, I try to RSVP (in a perfect world) and if it’s a photo announcement, I keep those in a file folder labeled keepsakes.
• wedding invitation—add the date to my phone (calendar) and take a picture of the important stuff from the invitation with my phone.  Add a note to the ‘event’ on your phone about where the couple is registered so you’ll know where to look for a gift.  Set reminder alarms.
• catalogues—I almost always throw them away because most if not all of the info can be found online and I don’t need the temptation!
• regular bills—most of mine are set up on automatic payment systems.  For the rest, I pay them and then file the monthly bill in my filing system.

Day 22 Challenge:  Tame that paper mountain that is threatening to take over your desk or countertop right now.  Give yourself an hour to tackle your piles.  Ruthlessly toss anything that isn’t necessary.  Use your phone to take pictures of invitations or other important events, add them to your calendar, and then toss the paper copy.  Start a file box, if you don’t have one already and establish an incoming/outgoing box to replace the piles that you would normally make.  Join us on Instagram today as we share our before and after photos of our paper taming.  Use the hashtag #31dayslessmore.

Be sure to read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Paper Clutter.

This is Day 21 of our 31 Days of Less and More series. To read all the posts in order, start with Day 1 and check out our overview page to see the topics for the entire month.

(Hold Your Horses print can be purchased here!)

The practice of patience toward one another, the overlooking of one another’s defects, and the bearing of one another’s burdens is the most elementary condition of all human and social activity in the family, in the professions, and in society.  ~Lawrence G. Lovasik

I was 27 years old when I met her.  Susan Ward was the kindest, most gracious woman I have ever known.  Our sons went to school together and I had just graduated from medical school and was in residency training in family medicine.  I was working 80 hours a week, sleep deprived, bearing a heavy weight of guilt because I missed things like field trips and volunteering to work the lunch line at my children’s school.  I was short on sleep, short on patience, and short on friendship.

Susan had a smile a mile wide and the sweetest Mississippi accent. She introduced herself to me and invited my kids to play at her house after school.  That was the beginning of a relationship that changed me and the way I have parented.  I had never witnessed someone who was so patient and loving with her kids.  She didn’t see them as a distraction or a nuisance and she was constantly teaching them and telling them stories.

I watched her every move; how she was so calm during her son’s meltdowns and easily diffused the situation, how she talked so kindly to her boys when she corrected them,  and how she constantly reinforced good behavior.  She loved those boys and everybody knew it—most certainly them.  I can’t imagine how my life would be different if I hadn’t met her.

I still work at that kind of love and grace and patience, especially with the kids.

Life is stressful and there are  a hundred reasons to lose your cool everyday.  But, when you see someone show mercy and grace and kindness and patience, it stops you in your tracks.  It’s not the normal way of the world.  Susan’s way of living and being with her family changed the trajectory of my life.  It so inspired me that I began to reevaluate all the relationships.   Was I extending this kind of rare kindness, love, understanding, forgiveness, and patience to the people in my life?

I’ve spent a lifetime trying to grow up just like her.

Think about your own relationships.  What word would describe how you relate and live and engage with your world?  Are you always on edge?  Do you constantly lose your cool?  If you dared ask your children or your husband how patient and kind they find you to be, what would they say?  Maybe it’s time to restart and rethink how you want your life to be.  You have the power to change those poor habits and to do the hard work of relating in better ways. Don’t just pray for patience, practice it.  Start today with the very people who try us and test us the most—our own families!

 Challenge Day 20:  Identify a recent situation where you felt stressed or tense and, as a result, snapped at a loved one.  Reflect on how you could have handled the situation differently.  What are some ways you can think of to alleviate tension in your day-to-day life?

Be sure to read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Tension.

This is Day 20 of our 31 Days of Less and More series. To read all the posts in order, start with Day 1 and check out our overview page to see the topics for the entire month.

Running, to him,  was real.   It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.”  ~John L. Parker Jr.

Taylor and I headed out on a six mile run a few weekends ago.  I love that boy-a-mine.  And running is something we like to do together when he’s home.  He’s fast, he’s young—I’m slow, I’m old-ish.  He got so far ahead of me that when he finished, he came back and ran the half mile with me.  Now, that’s a good son, right there.  It made me so thankful, that over the years, for all the mistakes I’ve made, he has picked up something from my life that will serve him well.

Three or four mornings a week, I leave my house while it’s still dark, lace up my tennis shoes, crank up my music, put in my headphones, and head out for a date with the pavement. Some days, I can’t wait to get out there and some days, I’d rather stay in the comfort of my cozy house. But, I’ve learned over the years how desperately I need this, more for my heart and soul than anything.

My commitment to exercise is more out of my desperate attempt to preserve sanity than anything else. Running tames my wandering spirit and helps me stay focused in my writing. Running is a way to release the stress of the week as well as a way to renew my energies for my big long to do list. I’ve been running for so long that my runs are like old friends to me. There’s a familiarity in the strike of the pavement and the rhythm of the breathing that I’ve grown to love. But, every single run is hard.

It might get easier, but it never gets easy.

And the hardest part of the run is always the first step out the door.  Leaving home is always the hardest part for me. That’s the part that you have to make as easy and  as automated as possible,  because there are a million obstacles.

I’m too tired.
I don’t have enough time.
I’m so out of shape.
Whoever invented running shorts?
Why even try?
It’s too cold.
It’s too hot.
It’s too humid.
I’m too old.

You recognize those excuses, don’t you?  Well, guess what?  I have a million more.  But, if I can get myself out of the door, I’ve overcome the biggest hurdle and I have never one time regretted doing it.

So, if you still have the capacity to get outside and get some exercise, take advantage of it.  It won’t last forever.  Whether you run or not, I’m a huge advocate of getting some exercise outside if possible. We need the fresh air, the fresh perspective, the sun on our face and it’s good to ask our bodies to work hard. We need it for so many reasons.

Asking my body to do hard things reminds me that I’m weak and undisciplined.  It reminds me that there are so many things in life I have yet to learn.

Running keeps me humble.  It’s so hard and unforgiving sometimes.

But then there are those days—those days when nothing else will do, when the only answer to the struggle of the mental and spiritual battles is to ask my body to do the same.  Blood, sweat, and tears.  It’s not just a good metaphor for life, it is life—with all its valleys and battles, and mountaintops.

For those of you who have never (or not in a long time) done any regular exercise, let me encourage you to start. Just getting out to walk a few times a week would be a great first step. The couch to 5K program would be perfect, if you still have the capacity to run. Whatever you decide, decide to do something. And be thankful you still have the chance.

Just do it.

Day 20 Challenge: For the rest of the month, cut your coffee (or caffeine) consumption by half. Try drinking decaf or tea or even just water instead. Then sometime today, walk or exercise for at least 15 minutes. Consider making a bigger fitness goal, then share it with us on Facebook!

Be sure to read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Caffeine.

 

This is Day 19 of our 31 Days of Less and More series. To read all the posts in order, start with Day 1 and check out our overview page to see the topics for the entire month.

(Fall in a bowl—Pumpkin Chipotle Soup with Barley)

“There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.”
― Thomas Wolfe

THE DAY after our house fire, my sister took me to Knoxville so I could get the bare essentials.  I bought cowboy boots, makeup and a Le Creuset dutch oven.  That’s not a word of a lie.  She gently reminded me, when I insisted that I needed the dutch oven, that I didn’t really have a stove. Or a kitchen for that matter.  But, some of the things we have just remind us of who we are and apparently, I’m a woman with a good dutch oven—kitchen or not.

Needless to say, I didn’t use it for a while.  We ate out a lot and good people brought us lots of food.

We’ve all been guilty of taking the easy way out.   We worship at the altar of fast and easy.  It’s been a hectic day/week/life, we haven’t planned well for feeding our troops, and we cave to the allure and convenience of fast food.  I usually regret the decision, but every now and then, you just need a greasy burger.  I get it. But, for the bulk of your food, it pays to learn early in life to cook and cook well.  If you live to be 70, that’s 50 years of adult life and if you eat 3 meals a day, you’ll consume 54,750 meals.  That’s a lot of thinking about, planning for, and consuming food.  Or that’s a lot of McDonalds.  SO.  Here are some thoughts on learning to cook and enjoying it more.

1.  Remember that feeding people is perhaps THE most important way to love and care for them.  It can feel like a drudgery or you can see it for the beautiful mysterious gift that it is.

But, the only way to get more comfortable in the kitchen is by getting in the kitchen.

When I first started learning to really cook, I watched the Food Network and read lots of cook books.  You will learn to love it by doing it and getting better at it. Fifteen years later, one of my favorite things to do in this world is put on some good music, pour a glass of wine  and chop up some ingredients for a soup, or start some homemade bread.  Work that we do like that with our hands is rewarding in so many ways.  Start slow but be intentional about getting in the kitchen.

2.  Gather a few good supplies.  You need a cutting board, a good knife, a dutch oven and a flirty apron.  I have almost no fancy kitchen gadgets.  I don’t have a garlic press and I have a 1930’s style potato masher.  I hoard spatulas and wooden spoons, but that’s beside the point.  You don’t need much to get started.

3.  Stock your pantry with good ingredients.  I made a list for your here and you can download it and print if off.  If you have a well stocked pantry, cooking is SO much less frustrating.

4.  Organize your pantry and your baking supplies so that they’re easy to access.  I don’t hesitate when I want to bake because my pantry is well stocked and my supplies are easily accessible.  There’s a whole post on this in my ebook that might help you get started and more is coming on this topic next week!

5.  Cook!  All this will be for naught if you don’t just start.  Here are a few easy recipes to get you going.   Try my meal planning guide for busy moms.

 Challenge Day 19:  Plan a healthy, low sugar menu today for the next week.  Use some of the ideas from the post, if you’ve never done this before.  Think about your schedule and what night’s would be better for something in the crock pot or oven all day.  Make your list and then grocery shop tomorrow for what you need.  You CAN do this!! You’ll be so happy and organized with your week’s menu all planned out. Share some of your menu ideas with us in the comments below or on Facebook.

Be sure to read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Sugar.

This is Day 18 of our 31 Days of Less and More series. To read all the posts in order, start with Day 1 and check out our overview page to see the topics for the entire month.

(photo by Patty)

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.

I have something to confess.  I’m not a planner by nature.  I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants girl who’s always looking for a better offer.  I’ve spent the better part of 20 years trying to find some sort of day planner/calendar that would work for me.  I’d do it faithfully for about 3 weeks and then hurl myself off the wagon.  I don’t know why, but that’s just the way I’m wired.  My spontaneous, creative spirit cannot be tamed. But I have found a few strategies that seem to work, even for my right-brained, wild and free, always distracted by something shiny self.  The first one I call Sunday  Speed Prep.

Here’s how Sunday Speed Prep works.

On Sundays after church, we rest and relax.  We watch football, read, nap, sit by the fireplace, play outside or whatever else kind of refreshment we can drum up.  For the past few years, since I started homeschooling, I’ve taken an hour or two on Sunday evenings to prep for the week. If I haven’t already done it over the weekend, I look over my menu plan and make any adjustments I need to make, based on what’s going on in the evenings.  Every other Monday, I’m the lunch lady at school, so I make sure and do a crock pot or slow cooking meal on those Mondays.  Since I’ve initiated my meal planning guide, using my iPhone, it only takes a few minutes to make some tweaks to it.  Then, I throw a load or two of laundry in and clean a bathroom or two.

I try to work really fast, with the eye of the tiger.  I’m in it to win it.

I spit shine my kitchen sink using the Fly Lady’s technique and I get the coffee ready to brew the next morning.  I make a list of things I need to accomplish during the week, in order of priority or by day. I make my girls do the same thing at the same time.  We jump up, after a day of lounging— and prep like crazy for the week.  It doesn’t take that much time, but it makes SUCH a huge difference on Monday morning and for the rest of the week.

My other favorite planning tip, that even us non-planners can do, is to write down a list of three things, either at night or first thing in the morning that you want to accomplish that day.

Get in the habit of doing the hardest thing on the list first.

I learned that from reading a book called Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (suggested by Ruth!)  because even though we all procrastinate, you don’t want to procrastinate the most important things.   I highly recommend reading this little book—it will help in your goal setting and productivity.  It’s made a huge difference for me!

 Challenge Day 18:  Starting tonight, write down three things each evening that you want to accomplish tomorrow so your brain is ready to go as soon as you wake up. Commit to waking up 15-30  minutes earlier than normal.  Use that time to plan your day and to do and to ensure that the rest of your day goes a little smoother.  This could include getting a head start on breakfast, putting dinner in the crockpot, eating a frog off your to do list, doing personal devotions.   Then, this Sunday, give my Sunday Speed Prep a try and see if it doesn’t make for a better start to your week.  Let us know what you did!

Be sure to read Ruth’s corresponding post, Less Catch-Up.