Tag: chaos

Crochet Savior!

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

My middle daughter moved home.  March was chaotic with her moving.  April is turning into chaos with getting our house organized – or reorganized and integrating her stuff into our house.

I’m finally tackling my office.  Currently it’s in that state of extreme messy because I’ve been going through papers, shelves, drawers in order to sort out what we need to keep.  There’s an ultimate goal in mind but for now, I want to get rid of one piece of furniture and move two others.  These means I’m taking decorations down from the wall as the furniture is going to cover up the wall space.

I’m not certain the way I want to rearrange the furniture is actually going to work so I need to try it before I decide whether it is how I actually want it.  Also all the stuff I want to put on the furniture is sitting around my office making it seem more cluttered.  I swear there is an organized method to the chaos at this point.

I started yesterday and made good progress but today I’ve spent running errands and prepping for the week.  There are some things I don’t want to get rid of.  I look at them and the organizer in me is saying just let it go.  But the writer / mom / creator in me is saying NO!!!  I’m working on it.  I’m also looking at a row of books – reference type – which sit by computer.  Do I want to weed through them?  No but should I?  Probably.  I know some of them will stay.  I can look at at least six of them and know they stay but there’s at least three times that many.  So reluctantly I’ll look through these books to weed out any.

Then there’s the recycle / garbage, sale piles to contend with.  I’ve got a box of stuff for a sale we’re hoping to participate in later this summer.  Also while I remove and rearrange what do I do with all the stuff.

It’s definitely been a weekend of chaos.  I’m not sure we’re making it any better.  However, at the intermediate phase, it is so chaotic I’m not sure it’s getting better.

We’re doing all of this while I’m at my most busy at work.  Registration and scheduling for spring 18 are going on.  Lots of changes, problem solving, and stress at work means I need peace at home.  Right now, no peace just chaos.

This is where my crocheting comes in.  I’ve been working on a number of projects.  I finished an afghan, several headbands, and started a bandana.  This keeps me sane (ish) as it takes me away from the stress of both work and home.  It allows me to escape into my creative mind and work on patterns.  Right now I have several which I want to publish.

I keep telling myself it will get better.  I keep reminding myself it is the first weeks and I need to be patient.  However, the clutter is starting to wear on my nerves.  After I’m done in the office, I plan to hit the recliner and work on another pattern or three in order to calm and ease the stress of life right now.

Down Time

by eileentroemel, posted in Life

At work, I have people in and out of my office.  Even when they aren’t coming in my office, there is noise up and down the hall with faculty and students collaborating.  It isn’t always chaos but it comes close. 

Being part of a large family, chaos is normal for me.  I cope with it in my own ways whether that is listening to family news from faculty or student workers or hearing complaints about students or faculty or a myriad of other ways.  This is my social time.  I’m interacting with people. 

When I get home, I want my peace and quiet.  I love those moments when Ken and I chat about our day or some news report or whatever.  I enjoy the time he and I spend together watching tv or just being together.

Still that is social time for me, granted it is on a smaller level but still social time.  I enjoy the people in my life whether work or home.

Being an introvert, what keeps me coping and managing all the chaos is the time I spend alone.  Last night I sat in the dark and thought about things.  A variety from story lines to possible story lines to life and anything else that popped into my head.  I wrote for awhile but the time I spent in the dark just thinking helped me bring the focus back into who I am and what I need. 

The alone time, the me time, helps me handle the chaos in my life and helps me let go of the stress in life.  It isn’t something new.  One of my favorite activities as a child was to climb a tree and read a book.  I had a favorite red maple tree I’d go hide out in.  Even as an adult and mother, there were times Ken took the kids so I could have time to myself.  Alone time helps me be a better me. 

Slippage

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized

How is it possible for an entire week to slip by so quickly?  I can’t even say it slipped by unnoticed but it just whizzed right by and left me gasping and wondering why I didn’t get enough stuff done.

Work was good. I got almost all the things done I wanted to before I left for vacation.  I even got organizational stuff for my desk and got it reorganized.  I left a list for my student workers, changed the voice mail, out of office message and got the tasks done I needed to. 

Yesterday was supposed to be super productive.  We were supposed to get all these errands run – which we did – and the house completely cleaned and a whole list of other things.  My cleaning person got a good chunk of my house clean but still there is more to do.  Why is it housework is so time consuming?

This afternoon the girls fly in.  We have to pick them up.  Then from that point on we are booked.  It will be a very busy weekend and I’m stressing a little about how much is going on. 

Taking a step back from the chaos of the weekend, I cannot wait to see the girls.  It will be nice to have my whole family together.  I just hope we aren’t so busy doing that we actually have time together to laugh and just be. 

Tomorrow is the big party.  Normally big events with lots of people make me nervous but this one isn’t.  I’m just looking forward to being around the people who are important.  I am hoping for good weather so it can be more an outside event than an inside event. 

Ken has gotten so many projects done in the house.  They are bigger projects which we thought would take more time and money but they didn’t.  I really like the changes in the house.  It makes me feel like we are claiming more of the house. 

On one hand I’m really glad that the week has slipped away since I’ll get to see Virginia and Stephanie this afternoon.  On the other hand I’d like another day or two to get ready.  Isn’t that always the case?