Holiday Traditions

I can't believe this week is Thanksgiving! Another year is almost gone!

Don't know about you, but unfortunately, I don't have any holiday traditions that I can recall. Therefore, it's been especially important for me to create ones for my son. There is nothing that I want more for him than to look back on his life with fond memories, particularly of the holidays.

So, I can tell you that we already have our Christmas Tree up! I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but it sure feels wonderful to see the Christmas decor surrounding our house. My son helped me take things down from the attic (and at 5 years old, that was a feat alright!!!). Together we chose the places to place certain items through the house. He helped me take out the tree decorations and one by one, we placed them on the tree. We played the soundtrack to "Charlie Brown Christmas" and drank hot cocoa. We colored pictures to give to Santa, and picked out special photos for our Christmas Card this year. I wanted Christmas to last longer this year as it always passes so quickly.

After we had gathered our items for Christmas, together we gathered items to donate to a shelter for single mothers. It was so sweet to watch my son carefully inspect each toy to see which ones to donate. He was so generous too! I was completely in awe of the things that he chose to give. Together we loaded the car as full as we could get it, and drove the items to the shelter. I explained to him the importance of giving back, though he seemed to already know the value of it.

And so, I would encourage each of you to start traditions of your own. It can be anything. The most important thing is that you do them together.

Bless you all!

Simple ways to declutter...and defrazzle your life!

For whatever reason, organization is a priority in my life. Maybe it comes from having lived in a 450 sq foot condo for 18 years where I barely had room to change my mind! I even kept clothes in the oven (tells you how much I cook :-))! So, I learned simple ways to stay organized and on top of the things that were of importance. Not hard really, in fact, anyone can do these things. It may just take a few people some time to get "into" it. I have even had friends ask me to come and organize their houses for them. I actually enjoy it (weird I know)! So, here are just a few things I do to stay de-cluttered and de-frazzled:

Organize my jewelry within ice cube trays. They work great for keeping things together.

Use a cloth over door shoe hanger to keep hair items in inside my bathroom. These over door hangers that you can get so cheaply at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc, work great to organize other things like socks, winter scarves/gloves, toys, etc.

Use an office drawer organizer for my "kitchen junk" drawer.

Keep my clothes, and my sons clothes all color coordinated in the closet. This helps so much when you are in a hurry and trying to match things up. If you wanna get serious (like me), I also divide them by short sleeve, long sleeve, etc.

Buy plastic round jars with lids (walmart and the dollar store are great for these), and use them to store/divide up snacks. In the mornings when we are rushing, it saves so much time to find things for lunches.

Keep a special drawer in a cabinet just for this years receipts. I find this works well when I do my taxes as it is all right there and I don't have to hunt for hours.

Organize each belt into a tight round circle, band them with a thick rubber band, then store each one in it's own clear sandwich bag. Put them all into a clear plastic storage container. I do the same thing with bathing suits.

Use a notebook style CD and DVD Holder. I have ones that hold 96, or 220 of them. I store them in these and throw away the plastic cases as those are just space wasters. Plus, this makes it so much easier to find. I even divide them by genre.

Use office desk organizers for make-up and divide them up into lipsticks, eye shadows, blushes, foundations, etc. You will love being able to find your make up in a jiffy. And, please get rid of items you haven't used for a while!

Also, take a few large trash bags. Label one for donations, one for trash, and one maybe to consign or sell on eBay. Then, meticulously go through your closet and start getting rid of space wasters! You will be amazed at how much extra stuff you find that can be donated or sold. If you haven't worn it for over a year...get rid of it! There is usually someone else that will be grateful to have it.

So, those are a just a few things to get you started. I will add more later. Have fun!

Paying it forward and planting a garden...

Just went through my son's clothes again. He grows so fast it's hard to keep up with him anymore! Though I do sell some of his things on eBay and at the Kids Consignment, I mainly give his things to others in need. There are so many hurting families these days especially. In fact, I just spoke to a friend today and found out they lost their home. It's heartbreaking. They have a little boy themselves, so, that is where a "care package" went today full of my son's things. She was grateful, and I was happy to do it. It's all part of "paying it forward" folks. It's the right thing to do, and the bonus is that it makes you feel good! Since I am a garage sale Queen, I often pick up things for others when I see them. I am tickled when I see their kids using what I have passed onto them.

On another note, today I seriously started working on a vegetable garden. I preface this with the hope that the deer will not come to kill it, or whatever land digging monster I have that continually turns up my shrubs and lawn!! I purchased a short fence which should help...I hope. I have several vegetables that I am planting. My goal is to eventually have enough that I can just go to my garden when I want fresh vegetables. So much cheaper, healthier, and convenient. Plus, what a wonderful thing to do with my son. He has his own little watering bottle and loves to help me. It's the simple things that bring the most joy, and this is one of them. Why don't you try one too? Even if it is just in a window box in an apartment! Enjoy!