Category: Making a better Me

Clear The Clutter Clear Your Mind

I may have mentioned a few times how much I hate clutter. Yeah like a few hundred times probably. But I hate it. Clutter doesn’t seem to bother some people like my husband, and some of my co-workers. It has come to my attention that clutter makes me a less productive person. Clutter clutters my mind. Personal flaw?? maybe, but that’s just me.

Why do places get cluttered? Think about it. Is it stuff that we don’t need? We don’t have room for? or maybe clutter is just things that are not properly put away. Do we have somewhere to put it? and if not then why did we get it in the first place? Did we actually need it? If we come to a point where we don’t need said item why don’t we get rid of it? O.K. O.K. I am getting ahead of myself and causing my blood pressure to escalate. I will circle back to this.

When I was growing up we didn’t have clutter at our house. We lived in a tiny house and we didn’t have a lot of extra things so we didn’t have a lot of clutter. We used everything we had. That happens with seven kids. My mama cleaned constantly. She hated clutter even worse than I do. Maybe that’s where I get it. I always wondered why she made such a big deal about things being out of place. But now I see where she was coming from.

If you have a small space and you don’t have room for a ton of things why do you get them? Maybe it makes you feel better having something new, maybe a treat for you, maybe you bought more than you needed of something like for a project and it just gets pushed back into a closet or your garage when the project is finished. Maybe you have a sentimental attachment to something a long lost relative or friend, spouse or your child gave you and you just can’t part with it. This is where you have to make the decision of what to keep and what to let go. Of course you are going to keep some of those things. But if you are like me and my husband we have been in our house for over twenty years. We can’t continue to accumulate without letting go of some things.

I vowed to make this year the year I reduced the unused and un-needed things in our house. I have done pretty well so far. Every week I take several bags and or boxes to our local Good Will. Which in our area is called SAMS. The donated items are sold and the money helps people in our area who cannot afford their electric bill or medication. I also donate to a place near my house that collects money for our local animal shelter. I love that these items will bring help to people and fur babies.

I will share with you what has worked for me:
Because I work forty plus hours a week away from my house and take care of my mother in laws needs outside of her assisted living center, I don’t have a lot of time to invest in a huge decluttering that would include every room, closet, garage and basement. If you have time for that, great!!! So here is what I did

1. Right after Christmas I collected several empty boxes from work. I put those in my basement and whenever I had a free hour or even thirty minutes I would work on filling them with things I needed to get rid of. Small bits of time really add up. And it makes the job not so overwhelming.


2. I went through my closet in my bedroom first. I did not even gather any of my husband’s clothes I did only mine at this point. I went through the clothes piece by piece and placed what I didn’t, couldn’t or wouldn’t wear into large bags.


3. I then went through the clothes a second time and looked for stained t shirts old scarves and Pjs and things I knew I wouldn’t wear or donate and I threw those out. (One time I almost got the bags mixed up. Don’t do that)


4. I went to SAMS once a week with a trunk or car filled with bags and boxes. The first three weeks were only clothes and shoes. I am still going every week.


5. I then started in my basement and started filling the boxes. I had several boxes of books, magazines and household items. I took those in and now have another load in my car ready to go. I usually go on Wednesday when I meet my sisters in town for Sister Lunch.


6. Last Sunday I cleaned out a closet near the laundry room. This closet had gotten so bad we would just open it and stuff things in and slam the door before everything came crashing out. It took two hours to clean it out. I threw away two bags of things that we could no longer use, I discovered a ton of cleaning supplies, and I found a box of things to donate. Now the closet looks so nice I just stand in front of it with the door open gazing adoringly at it. My husband walks by shaking his head at me.

7. Before I make a purchase I ask myself if I really need it, or do I already have it. I shop what I have first.

8. I go through my pantry before going to the grocery store. I had so much waste and clutter in my pantry because of this. I often joked that I could live out of my pantry for a month without buying anything.

9. After I have totally finished with the purging I will keep a box in my car and one in the basement and I will continue to get rid of the things I don’t need or use. I don’t want to get so bogged down with items that I don’t need that I can’t find a starting point to get rid of them.

10. Stay focused this is an ongoing process.

It feels so wonderful to start seeing spaces where once there was only clutter. I feel lighter, more focused and free!!!!! WHOO HOOO!!!!! Let me know what works for you.

Always remember

Love your day your way

In The Days of COVID

Hello friends,

I have been in a bit of a funk lately. A good friend of mine has COVID, She was diagnosed two weeks ago, and I had been around her for a few days before she was diagnosed. As soon as I heard she was positive I felt that familiar worry start to creep in. I have been monitoring myself carefully. I also stayed away from Mark as much as possible. We can do this easily because we have such different work schedules. Also I got a new TV for Christmas for my upstairs den and we added HULU. I am a little ashamed to tell you how much time I have spent catching up on all the shows I have heard about for so long.

My friend who has COVID is very sick and has pneumonia. She is starting to feel a little better but the recovery is slow. It’s scary seeing someone so young and vibrant so sick.

The cold hard truth is, we are probably around many more people than we realize that are COVID positive. I wear a mask when I am out and I follow all the other precautions. I only go to the grocery store and usually do the online shopping for that. I did venture out yesterday to Hobby Lobby in Maryville, about 45 minutes from my house, to get a tool I needed for my earrings I am making. More about those earrings later.

But still we carry on because what else can we do? I was talking to a friend the other day and she said that some days she feels positive, some days she feels fed up with everything that is going on, and somedays she doesn’t really know how to feel. I think that pretty much sums up the way that we all feel. I think it’s hard to think about what we will do in the upcoming months because we really don’t know. I am a planner and it makes me realize that you just have to take life as it comes day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

So I have been hanging out at the house a lot. I’m trying to continue clearing out the clutter in my house. I just finished reading a really interesting book, The Year Of Less, by Cait Flanders who calls herself a binge consumer turned mind consumer. It was a really good book and I highly recommend it. It helped me to understand that I don’t need all of the things in my house just because I “think I need them”. Maybe I think I need them because I have always had them. So what? In this book Cait actually made a commitment to herself not to purchase anything for a year, other than groceries and toiletries. She put her money into saving for things that she really enjoyed like traveling. Before she made a purchase she first went to the things she already had in her closets. It has made me really mindful of what I need and don’t need to buy.

Weeds? I don’t care I love the muted winter colors.
We have lots of these squirrels’ nests in the trees.
Walking the babies and enjoying being outside is always a pick-me-up.
Look what I found at Hobby Lobby, 100% Merino Wool and very reasonably priced. I wanted all of it. But I did refrain because I already have a lot of yarn at home that needs to be knitted. But I may still be in trouble just knowing how close it is.
TVA ( Tennessee Valley Authority), drops the lake level every winter. It is really low right now.

I had the weekend to myself. I did some reading and working on a Valentine’s cross stitch. I baked some bread and walked with the babies. The usual. I like the usual. Not everyone is having that luxury right now.

Just look what is blooming. It gives me hope and promise.

I feel ashamed saying I am in a funk when my friend is so sick. I can’t really do anything for her but check on her every day, and try to be there for her. I continue to pray that my family stays safe and healthy and we get through this COVID crisis and things return to somewhat normal for us.

How is your weekend going so far?

Have a wonderful week and always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

The Mountains Behind Us

Are you a mountain climber? Of course you are!!! I am speaking metaphorically of course. You may have actually climbed real stone mountains but I am talking about those things in your life that you have accomplished or overcome or struggled with, etc etc. They are just as hard to climb.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by things in my life that I feel that I need to do. You know those things you feel like you should do or feel like you have to do etc etc. It seems like when we look at the big picture with everything that needs to be done it looks like a mountain. I usually stare up at my mountain at around 2:00 AM on the mornings I can’t sleep. That mountain seems so ominous!!! It’s usually better once I get up in the morning and have had my coffee, it doesn’t seem quite as hard to tackle. But it’s still there.

But have you ever stopped to think about the things that you have already done in your life? The mountains you have already climbed? I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for those things. Think about it with me for a minute:

You were born, you have learned so many things. You have helped so many people during your life whether you realize it or not. You’ve applied so many of those things that you learned to your life and to other peoples’ lives. You’ve climbed a mountain.

You have had relationships. Maybe you’ve married, had children, grandchildren, You have been a son or a daughter, a sibling, a partner, a mother a father, a lover a friend, you have loved. You have hurt, you have been joyful, you have lived. The things you have learned, mentored, and taught the people you have known and loved is astounding!!! There is no measure. You’ve climbed a mountain.

You’ve nurtured, fed, clothed, cuddled, survived. You’ve climbed a mountain.

You’ve overcome obstacles that limited you in many ways, physically, mentally, emotionally. You’ve climbed a mountain.

You’ve worked, supported yourself and your family. You have given your knowledge, earned money, helped your family, friends and co-workers. You have grown and matured. You’ve climbed a mountain.

You have been happy, you have been sad, you have mourned, You’ve lived. Each day that you are here is in and of itself a mountain that must be tackled and taken step by step. This is a mountain you have climbed and continue to climb.

So I say when you are lying in bed, or wherever you may be, and you have something weighing on your mind. Think about all the things you have done in your past, and all the things you are doing right now, and know that you will get through you are climbing a mountain.

And even though you still have a lot of mountains to climb you have so very many that you have already conquered. Those are the mountains behind you and they are to be treasured.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

This is the Berchtesgaden Alps in Southeastern Germany, near the border of Austria. 2019.

The Winter Light

A cold and cloudy day today. The temps will barely make it to 39 degrees F. We are actually having snow flurries right now. I am one of those odd people who loves winter. I like wearing warm snuggly clothes and snuggling with the fur babies when I get home in the evening. I don’t even mind that it is usually dark when I get home from work. There is just something so cozy about all of it. I love the winter light. It is so different this time of year. On a sunny day the shadows are more pronounced and the light of day just has a different tinge to it. On gray days, like it is today, the entire day looks like it is dusk and night will be falling soon. Maybe I am a vampire. I think I really like the slower pace of everything in the winter. You can’t do that much outside so it’s almost like you get to hibernate inside for awhile.

I love working on projects in the winter. I usually have two or three knitting projects going as well as a couple of different books I am reading. I often have a jigsaw puzzle out so that I can place a few pieces here and there when I get a chance. Kitty Kitty also loves the puzzles. She is fascinated by all the different pieces. I have been working on tapestry earrings and I love making them. I admit the first few pairs I made looked horrible. I may have acted like a big spoiled brat when I threw the first pairs in the floor proclaiming to my husband that I would never get the hang of making them. He reminded me that I had acted the same way when I was learning to knit socks. Patience is not one of my better traits. I will show you those tapestry earrings very soon.

Kitty Kitty is obsessed with all the puzzle pieces.
I just started a new pair of socks. I love the colors.

I love baking in the winter. I made a few loaves of sourdough bread last week and two loaves of banana nut bread. My nephew, Tyler, loves the sour dough bread and had been hinting that he wanted some so I had a good reason to make it. There is just something about baking in your warm kitchen, with the winter light shining through the windows, the warmth from the oven, and that wonderful aroma of baking bread, or whatever you have in the oven, that is just heavenly.

Banana nut bread
Just look at this beautiful yarn a good friend sent me for Christmas. I can’t wait to start knitting it.

Yes the colors are muted and gray and that is okay with me. Time to recharge and regenerate and get ready for the year. I think with all that is going on in our nation today it is good to be at home and get back to nature and nurturing and things that are comfortable for us.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!