Sunday Summary

This was a pretty good week as far as being productive. Mentally, it was a little trying. I've been working on ideas for decorating for Valentines Day... decorations that can easily be incorporated into my daughter's birthday party - a Hello Kitty theme. I made these fan hearts from the same concept I used for the fan heart tutorial I did last year. These were made from wrapping paper and I stood them up in my grandfather's vases. Our mantle is so huge that it needed something large to make a statement. The large hearts also seem to go well with the Valentine bunting I made a few weeks ago.
I also finally got around to framing my son's karate certificate for earning his yellow belt. I was pleased with how it came out. I used a yellow "mat" (charcoal paper that I cut an opening out of) since it was his yellow belt that he earned. I then took the white belt (and with his help tying it) we wrapped it around the frame. It looks great.

One of our projects this week was to rearrange his room. He'd been having trouble sleeping in his bed so we moved it up against a wall. It was a good move as he slept much better last night... his first night in the newly rearranged room. His room also has more room... so he could potentially practice his karate in there.

I also reached my goal of two boxes or bags to Goodwill. Yesterday my husband dropped off one large box and one large bag. My plan is to keep this up through the end of February. I've already started the box for this week. I can't say that you can notice a difference in the house by removing these things (it was that bad), but you can see that the cleaning it has inspired has made huge improvements on the condition of our house.

I set a goal of having this downstairs clean by Lyssie's party... and I have less than two weeks to make it all happen. But I'm feeling like it could happen. And not just the type of cleaning that happens when you run out of time (shoving things in boxes and moving the boxes out of sight).

All things considered, I've had a good January. I filed my business taxes on time and with very little stress, my house is starting to feel more like a home, I've come to terms with my new position as a taxi, and I've even managed to squeeze some time out to spend with my friends thanks to my husband. Yep, this year is starting off well... and I'm looking forward to a very busy February.