Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

I am not decisive. Never have been.

I never beat myself up with regret when I face the results of indecision. I deal with it with grace and the knowledge that there could have had a different outcome IF I would have made a decision but, because I didn't, I have to deal with it.

It seems when ever I make a decision, it turns out costly. Not always, but mostly. Or maybe I just don't notice the good decisions.

I've been in the process of de-cluttering for awhile now, taking zones on a free weekend and paring them down to the things I love and/or need.

Last month: Clothes.

I went through the little boys (and my) closets and threw away anything stained or torn and donated things I was just getting tired of looking at (4 boys = lots of hand-me-downs). Do they really need 7 pairs of jeans? 10 sweatshirts? I think not.

My goal was to not be so overwhelmed at laundry time. Another benefit was to be that they were not so overwhelmed when it was time to get dressed, and maybe if they only had 2 pair of jeans, they'd not lose them for months under their beds, or throw them down the laundry chute just because they weren't sure if they were dirty or just laying on the floor.

My goal was to not have so much that my blessings became a burden. I always thought saving everything was being responsible. "Just in case" I'd always think. Slowly I'm changing my thinking, Just in case...what...? Suddenly I'm unable to do laundry for a month? Suddenly it's okay to wear stained clothes because it's better than nothing? I had plenty AND I had 2 washers and 2 dryers. I could easily get a buttload of clothes washed and dried in less than 2 hours.

And then...my decision came back to bite me! All in one month, both washers and both dryers bit the dust. Can you believe it? First one washer started leaking, the other stopped agitating, and one of my dryers stopped heating. I made due with soaking in the non-agitator and stuffing towels on the floor to stop the leaking one from creating a river in my basement. Drying with one dryer slowed the process but still it was bearable. Then, right before the boys departed for deer hunting, the last dryer stopped working. With all my boy's clothes in it. The one who was going hunting...in the woods...in the cold...with nothing warm and dry to wear. (I'll have to add that to the "Just in case" file.)

Luckily, it was a 4 hour drive to the hunting cabin...in a warm van...with a hanging rack. I'm not too sure he felt comfortable with his undies waving for all to see, but he would at least have dry clothes to wear, unlike the rest of us...with just a few outfits...who will still have damp clothes in the morning...because the basement, although recently cleaned out, is not an ideal place for a clothesline.

Matt was able to fix the 2 washers cheap, but my 2 dryers are still lifeless.

That's usually what I'm rewarded with after a decision. Like the time the kids (I) splurged on a Kitchen Aid mixer for my Birthday/Mothers Day present and the van died that week. Could-have-used-that-money-for-the-van! (whacking forehead) Not positive reinforcement.

Or the time when we (I) decided to have Matt replace the basement steps and the hot water heater sprung a leak. At least we hadn't spent the project money on the new materials yet and were able to replace the appliance. I carried laundry up and down with ladder for about a month, but at least we had hot water.

I'm not going to be making any big decisions at least until Christmas is over, with newly processed venison to be frozen, my freezer is in jeopardy!