I'm sorry you're having a migraine! Hope you get better soon. {{{HUG}}}

You're singing my song! Unfortunately it's kind of a dirge. :-P

I am really dragging my heels about one of my spare bedrooms that is supposed to be my sewing room. I've stashed so much stuff in there!!! Lots of leftovers from dd's wedding, bolts of tulle, fabric, stuff that needs to be tossed or donated. Ugh, I am sick of looking at it. I envisioned creating a nice space for me to sew and craft. I even have paint for that room, a pretty, very pale shade of aqua. I'm resolved to spend at least a couple hours in there today. Wish me luck! Throw some KonMari magic dust my way or something.

Happy birthday, Heather!

Happy birthday!!

My dh is the same way and has about 40 t-shirts. I sneak out the ripped, ratty ones.

Can you get them something consumable like wine of the month? Season tickets to the symphony or theater? Or another experience type gift?

We had a wonderful trip. It has been hard having her so far away, but she's coming back to the U.S.! She won't be living near us but at least we'll be on the same continent. :-)

Sorry I never answered this!! I didn't have Wifi during most of our trip and didn't want to take the time to seek it out. My phone's 4G did not work in France. We had a shorter connecting flight and a long transatlantic flight both ways and they were mostly okay but I did get tired of being in a plane for over eight hours! No really bad turbulence. The worst of it was ascending and descending through clouds. Those bumps made me queasy. What makes me nervous is the anticipation, when the bumps come thinking HOW MUCH WORSE is this going to get? When I did get nervous I imagined the plane being in jello! Oh and I had the complimentary wine on the long flight home. Lol

This is exactly what I was going to say.

We're starting school today but I am down to homeschooling my youngest who is 15. I don't need to hover over him every minute and I am not chasing babies or toddlers these days so I should be able to do this. Right? I have a spare bedroom that is my "sewing room" but has become a dumping ground for wedding stuff (one dd was married in May) and lots of miscellaneous!!! I don't think it's feasible to sort that room completely by category but I can definitely focus on what to keep/what sparks joy. I'm diving in!

Thank you, Ruth. You did a good job of summarizing. I suppose if I had actually listened to or read the whole book myself, LOL, I wouldn't have asked. But thank you.

Oh wow, I hope they did, too! A homeschooling friend of mine once told me that she and her dh used to attend a "name it and claim it" type church. Word of faith? I'm Catholic so I'm not sure if I'm using the right terminology. She was pregnant but the doctor discovered that the baby had died in utero. The people at her church told her if she "had enough faith" that God would let the baby live no matter what the doctor said. So she prayed very hard. The baby, of course, was stillborn. Even after it happened, fellow church members told her she hadn't had enough faith. That's why her baby had died. It was HER FAULT. Ugh, I couldn't believe the cruelty. The family left that church very quickly.

Just wondering...why has this book become so popular? I'm not saying it shouldn't be (I've listened to a little of it online) but there have been plenty of other decluttering/minimalism books around for decades. I remember when the big organizing guru was Julie Morgenstern and her book Organizing from the Inside Out. There have been lots of others...Don Aslett, Denise Scofield, etc. (Yes, I'm dating myself!) What is it about the KonMari method that makes it stand out?

I have encountered the "more children=more blessed" mind set, too. We have seven. I don't think anything in particular about others' family size. I have had a few negative comments but more positive ones about our family size. An older lady at church who had an adopted child and then miraculously gave birth (she had medical issues which had made it highly unlikely that she would ever conceive) told me she would have LOVED to have had a big family but it wasn't possible for them. Her kids were quite a bit older than our oldest. She was always so sweet to me, congratulating me with each pregnancy and new baby, and asking interested, positive questions about homeschooling. I learned from her, long ago, that it's wrong to judge anyone's family size and that each child is a blessing whether the family has one child or ten. Eyes on your own plate. So happiduck, no judgment from me whatever your family size.

I'm late replying, but I'm so sorry about your FIL, fairfarmhand. {{{hug}}}

I'm glad this thread is still going. We've been out of the country for about ten days but we got back last night and I'm pumped to keep at it. I just need some motivation from you guys. I love reading what everyone else has accomplished.

He's adorable!!!

I would stay home too. You're not horrible at all.

That really helps!! Thanks!

I do that too..imagine I am in a car on a bumpy dirt road. I listened to some youtube videos last year by a pilot (I think recommended by someone here) who explained about turbulence and all kinds of stuff about flying. It helped. Maybe I should have rewatched those. My other overseas flights were pretty smooth so hopefully this one will be.

Thanks Faith!! I know it is a rather irrational fear but I haven't been able to totally shake it.

Ok..they just announced they have to inspect one of the tires so we are delayed for a bit.

We are boarding very soon! Please pray. The first flight is only a couple hrs but the flight from East Coast to Paris is loooong. I've flown overseas twice before but I still get nervous ESPECIALLY if there's turbulence. I know it will be worth it to see our daughter and witness her final vows..and our youngest two haven't seen her for over three years!!! She will also be meeting her new BIL for the first time. I won't have time to respond right now so TIA for prayers and good thoughts!

Lots of stuff! Countless beloved books, my mom's RN cap (they stopped wearing them when she was still working but she loved them), a tote full of my kids' writings and art work, my mom's wooden Christmas plates, MIL's sterling silver flatware, and my great grandmother's sampler she made as a young girl. The needlework is still vibrant and bright. My mom framed it long ago and promised me I could have it when she was gone.