Great Article about the Value of De-Cluttering

Very concise, insightful article about the difficulty--and value--of de-cluttering:

Why De-Cluttering is Difficult, and Valuable

Recycling Perennial Seeds and Paper

Yesterday was an outdoor "clean up and reuse stuff" kind of day.  I finally potted up a bunch of saved perennial seeds, just to see if they might actually sprout.  Seeds saved from my mom's lush gardens, seeds from friends' perennial beds--even seeds I collected from spent flowers at the entrance to a local hospital.  Let's see which ones survive.

Instead of preparing the little pots the "proper" way, with rocks at the bottom to aid drainage, I simply used torn sheets of computer printouts scrounged from the trash in the shed.  Out here in the country we take our trash and recycling to the dump so there is always something available to use.

By the time the paper disintegrates it'll be time to plant the seedlings.

Just Wait For It

My DD loved this tablecloth when she first saw it at a very expensive store.  Being a little tight with money, a family trait, she would not allow herself to pay the approximately $190 price tag for it.  So, she waited.

While waiting several months for it to fall out of favor with the fashionable crowd, the price dropped and dropped.  But, she still waited.

Last week she bought it online, for about $20.  It's really pretty and goes with the other everyday linens and accessories she uses.  She and her husband have friends and family over for meals a bunch, so it'll be enjoyed by many folks.

My DD loves beauty, she loves saving money, and she's patient.

Do it Yourself Walking Tour of Church Hill

I looked all over Google last night for info on a self-guided walking tour of the Church Hill area, but ended up planning my own based on my foggy memories of working at Bellevue Elementary School many years ago.

A girlfriend and I braved the heat for a little while, then retreated to a de-lish lunch at Millie's Diner on East Main Street.

Richmond is still pretty on a 100+ degree day, especially the shady spots.

 This road is directly alongside Bellevue School.  We watched a lady riding a scooter chug, chug, chug up the hill.

 Escaping hydrangeas

 A cobblestone alley

 More alley

 It just keeps getting prettier and prettier

 Spikey wrought iron

 Old stained-glass windows

 Drought warrier

 "The Dancing Man" statue at Bellevue School

 These impatiens are probably watered several times each day

 More hydrangeas

 Intricate grill work on the porch railing

Happy 5th of July to all!

Economical Decorations for Little Sailor Baby Shower

Over the weekend my daughter and a friend put on a sailor theme baby shower--look at these thrifty decorations and appetizers:

 Extra invitations were trimmed and used to add little boat signs to the cupcakes.  Extra large Lifesavers were anchored to the napkins with twine.

These n'little bateaus were created from paint sample cards and attached to cotton rope to create garlands for the windows and fireplace mantel.

 Paint sample cards were utilized again, cut into wavy flags and attached to the fruity skewers.

Thankfully, a family member grows summer spices and these basil leaves made excellent "peapods" for the mozzarella and tomatoes.

Only 7 More Work Days Until Summer Vacation!

It's a little hard to control myself, but there are so few work days left until summer vacation I can hardly contain my anticipation.  Sleeping past 5:30 AM, drinking a full second cup of coffee in the mornings, de-cluttering my gardens...oh joy!

Sure, I hope to work as much as possible in home health or tutoring this summer, but it'll still be a nice break.  All you outofthehouse working ladies, try not to be too jealous.

Positive By-Product of Helping Friends Declutter

After dropping off a friend's bags of decluttered clothes and household goods at the local thrift store, I did my usual scan for a better tote bag for the summer.  What was that I saw behind a bunch of other handbags--could it be the perfect tote bag for me???

Oh, yes!  The right size, lots of pockets and even one with a zipper and no thrift store perfumey scent.  I can see why it probably wasn't a big seller when new--the weird closures on the sides are very impractical--but I'll keep it open anyway. 

Later, I looked up other totes by this designer on her website and they are going for a hefty price.  My price???  $12.60!  Score!

Spring Break? Not Really

No school for a week!  Yes, yes, I did sleep in late most mornings.  But the days were full.

This week brought in some $$$ for my rainy-day fund, via an organizing job at a friend's office.
Not organizing her work station or supply cabinets this time, but revamping her files.  It made me realize how much time it takes to make sure that duplicate papers are really duplicates, down to comparing/contrasting the initials and signing dates along the margins and on the signature lines of many different forms.

My other job was for a buddy. First, organizing her home office and a second day decluttering and organizing the kitchen.  I had forgotten how "twicky" those rolls of shelf liner can be; how they like to pretend that they're cooperating with you and then keep curling up around the borders.

It was interesting to learn how my buddy chose what to put in her kitchen cabinets.  I try to assign drinking glasses to a cabinet near the sink, to be close to the water faucet, but she put her drinking glasses near the refrigerator, since she usually pours drinks from pitchers in the frig.  I always discover a new way of looking at how to set up living spaces when I'm in someone else's home.  

Managing Coupons

I don't usually recommend buying products to help in organizing, but this might be useful for many folks who want to keep track of specific coupons they might otherwise forget they have:

Little notebook for organizing coupons