October Surprises

 When my husband returned from the Robin Hood workshop, he brought a stained-glass autumn leaf suncatcher made by one of the shop guys. The gift was totally unexpected.

We are having really nice autumn weather: days are sunny 65-70 degrees, nights are in the 40's. This should last through Wednesday re the forecasts. It does make it difficult to know what kind of blanket to have on the bed. I have my electric blanket on my bed, but I didn't turn it on last night at all. In fact, I had it folded down by my feet until about 6 this morning. Too heavy. The sun warms up the house nicely, and we don't need the furnace. Apparently, I don't need an electric blanket right now either.

I still read Ann Voskamp's blog regularly. She has guest posters, especially if they have a new book to publicize. A few days ago, she had Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson. I decided to search Hoopla, but I didn't really expect to see it there as the book was published mid-September. Surprise! Not only the e-book but an audio edition was available.

 This is written by a Christian lady with a Biblical perspective. In the introduction she says that "sparking joy" does not work for everybody. (Guess we know she is not a fan of Marie Kondo). I am quite sure she won't be asking me to say goodbye to my stuff and wish it a happy new life so its feelings are not hurt. 

Do I really need to read another book on decluttering? Actually, my condo looks good, but when/if we move into an apartment in 4-5 years, all of my things won't fit. They will be clutter. Even some of my furniture will have to be replaced by smaller pieces, e.g., the dining table and chairs. I am fortunate that we have "swap shop" two times a year and the give-and-take table at Grace Village. It makes it easier to discard items. Also, the Robin Hood garage sale in June where GV paid the ad. I did take some unsold items to Goodwill. Working with the future in view motivates current action.

Mrs. Acheson has some lists and exercises to identify why an individual hangs onto clutter and what kind of organizing works for a particular kind of person. I have just started the book so will have to share more later; I just wanted to share the surprise that such a new book was available free to me on Hoopla. The book also gives an address to a blog that has the lists to print out since I cannot photocopy from my Galaxy Tablet. I am looking forward to seeing what the author has to share.