Making progress in more ways than one

Ya know, I was afraid of starting FLYlady again because I thought it would detract my attention from my weight loss journey. Maybe it would be too depressing to deal with all the clutter and mess and it I wouldn't be able to handle the emotions. It would push me into old habits of eating despite the lack of hunger, wanting food that isn't healthy, and not exercising. Well, after 24 hours I can say I'm doing pretty well with it. I'm glad I pushed myself to take the risk because it is completely supporting my other goals. It's making me happy. It's not too hard for the most part, and maybe I will be able to have friends over without being embarassed. I'm incorporating a lot of the things I've learned about weight loss, such as stopping the negative self-talk & name-calling, replacing it with positive thoughts and even action. I plan to continue these new healthy trends!

October's monthly challenge is paper clutter. This week's focus is on the kitchen. The first assignment was to set the table. This seemed crazy since it was hours before meal time. Usually getting the table set involves last minute rush, pushing aside mail and newspapers and homework to make space for 3 plates, cups, and utensils. We serve hillbilly style straight from the pan and sometimes buffet style from the stove top. 

Yesterday before noon, however, I started setting the table for dinner. I sorted and cleared all the clutter, and remembered instantly how beautiful our table is. It made me happy to set the table for my family ahead of time and have it nice and ready when kiddo came home from school. Snacking would take place elsewhere after school, and there is an empty seat to use for homework if necessary - at least until the desk is cleared.  When dinner (make your own mini-pizza) came out of the oven, it was so relaxing to have the table already set and ready for us. We had a nice, relaxed dinner without so many distractions.  My apologies for not taking photos of before and after last night. But, this is what the table looked like this morning after everyone was off to school and work!

The table itself looks nice, but showing you the clutter surrounding it makes me feel vulnerable and sad. Notice our maid, "Wanda Dyson" wearing my workout jacket on the right. She just stands there and ignores the work to be done. Hobbes is obviously ap-pawed at the sloppiness.  Look at the stuff just sitting there on the pass-through. Really? How much effort would that really take to tidy up quickly?  The answer: Not much at all!  Here's what it looks like now:

Now you can peak into the family room. I'm glad you can't really see much of it cuz it's pretty messy itself. I've had worse though and I know that I can conquer it when the time comes. At least the fireplace mantle is fairly clear. I've decided I'm not really in love with that painting, though. I've put out the first of my cute little Halloween deco now to serve as somewhat of a center piece. The floor is swept, the cat is gone (that happened automatically when I moved the Dyson) and you can see just a smidge of the lovely view I see when I sit down to eat. Who wouldn't want to sit at that lovely table? And look! It's not even 10 a.m. and it's already set for a lunch for two. Hubby and I will enjoy smoked turkey and swiss sandwiches with all the fixin's when he comes home for lunch in a couple of hours.

Before then, I can exercise, check on today's assignment, and go to Wally to pick up my meds and things I need to take along for my weekend getaway to Chicagoland. I can't wait!