Julie Gumm - Author

Not my finest moment…

by //

Confession: Yesterday I had my bi-annual freak-out about the amount of crap we have.

I had dared to venture into the under-the-stair closet.

What you can’t see in the picture is that the closet actually turns the corner to the left (while quickly becoming about 3 ft tall).

And that is where I was headed, in search of the box for my Canon camera that I’m selling on ebay.

This back section of the closet contains Mark’s boyhood baseball collection… and his Hot Wheels collection.

And 2 bins worth of misc. computer parts, cables, remote controls, wireless routers …

And the original boxes for some of our small electronics.

It was also the scene of one not-so-grown-up hissy fit.

By yours truly.

Standing precariously amidst the portable DVD player, a box of remotes, unused backpacks and the kids board games, I tried to see the sought-after box.

As I started to move some things around I could feel the frustration building.

And then I lost my balance, barely catching myself but banging my head against the wall.

And then I lost my mind.

I started picking up empty boxes and hurling them out of the closet. Along with several empty backpacks. (You know, to get put somewhere else…ahem.)

Probably against his better judgment Mark came to see if I needed help.

I will leave out the rest of that conversation, but suffice it to say that I took out my frustrations on my poor hubby who was ready to load everything into the back of the van right there and haul it to Goodwill. Which I was tempted to let him do except a lot of the stuff needs to go on e-bay.

STUFF drives me nuts. Specifically UNUSED stuff.

And CLUTTER.

You know those neat little IKEA showrooms where everything is put away in color-coordinated boxes and displayed on shelves in just the right way? Yeah, that makes me all warm and fuzzy.

Now that we don’t have money fights this, quite honestly, is probably the area where Mark and I struggle the most.

Usually I don’t throw things though.

Sorry honey!

Clothing Diet

by //

It’s been amazing to me how much I’ve seen on the news in the last few months about “clothing diets”. Turns out there’s a whole group doing the no shopping for a year thing. I’m not sure I’m ready for 6 items for 30 days though.

So we’ve passed the halfway mark. I’m looking forward to getting down the bins of winter clothes. Except of course it’ s not really cold in Phoenix yet. Heck, this week we finally made it down to the 70s for the high. Brrrrr!

There have been a few “special occasions” lately where typically I would have gone out and bought a new outfit, or at least a new top. Instead I got creative with what’s in the closet and my jewelry. Truth is that once you’re at the event you’re having so much fun it doesn’t really matter.

The gauntlet Mark threw down last April was mostly about money. But for me the purpose of this challenge, other than proving to him I can do it, is to truly discover why I shop. What are my motivations behind what I buy and how much I buy?

The first is Boredom with a capital B. I’m not sure if this affects all women or just some but I get tired of the clothes in my closet. Maybe because I’m a somewhat creative person I find more of a “personality outlet” in what I wear. Not sure. But I am getting REALLY sick of the clothes in my closet.

Second is vanity, pure and simple. Which is weird. Because really I’m not the type of person that cares what people think about me. So why am I trying to impress people with what I wear? Still thinking on that one…

Quickie catch up post

by //

Mark took his fourth trip to Ethiopia this year (2 more than usual).

He was home a scant two days before leaving for Haiti. His first time back there since the earthquake.

The girls have whined about us ALWAYS being gone.

We had a little lesson on the correct use of the word “always”. (My mom taught me, “The words ‘never’ and ‘always’ are seldom true.”)

Knock on wood but I think the rest of the year is travel free (at least work-related).

It appears that fall has finally arrived in Phoenix and the weatherman is “confident” that we are done with 100 degree days. It was 93 today.

I’m looking forward to getting out my fall/winter wardrobe to alleviate some of the boredom that has set in at month 6 of the 12-month no-shopping challenge. Obviously it’s still a little early

Yes, that’s right – we’re half way there. And I haven’t had to buy a Bedazzler yet.

I am stressing that last winter’s go-to short black boots died late last winter (literally broke in half) and apparently I will have to go shoeless. Or wear brown boots with everything. (They were THE best black boots too – so comfy, casual enough to wear with anything, bought them for $9 in a “charity shop” in the UK in 2005. Sniff, sniff.)

I briefly contemplated participating in National Novel Writing Month were the challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

Then I realized maybe I should finish some of the projects I already had started, including one non-fiction book. So I’ve put that on my list of things to do in 2011.

We had two birthdays in a month – Noah turned 11 and Natalie is now 8.

The boys had their first Junior Bible Quiz meet a few weekends ago. We got whomped but they had fun – our school is in it’s first year competing against some well oiled teams!

Basketball started for the boys and we’re still trying to figure out how we manage the schedules most effectively. This is when it would be nice to live closer to school. I see an increase in our gas budget coming up.

Mark had his 20 year reunion last weekend. It’s nice that we went to school together so I knew everyone too – lot easier when there’s only 50 or so kids in your class.

Got me thinking about my 20 year reunion which is next year – looking forward to that.

So that’s what’s going on here…