De-Clutter Your Home in Three Easy Steps!

Hi, Everyone!

I hope your Christmas was fabulous and that you are looking forward to the New Year with excitement and hope! So, are you making New Year's Resolutions? New plans? A new resolve to get fit, lose weight, get organized? Ah-h-h, yes, get organized! No matter how hard we try, it seems that clutter can consume us. It's a constant battle, isn't it?

Today I'm going to give you a system for how to de-clutter your house in Three Easy Steps! Wow! Three steps! We can do that! Now you might be wondering why *I* know how to deal with the clutter at *your* house! Good question! Well, let's put it this way - if you are planning a super fun party for New Year's Eve, and you want to invite your ten most fun-loving, witty and carefree friends - hm-m-m-m, I would NOT make that list! Nope! But - if you want someone to help you clean your house and get organized - that would be me! So let's get started!

Step 1: Grab a large basket or plastic storage bin, go to one end of your house, and start walking. Pick up and put into the basket everything - I mean everything- that is not in it's proper place. Yes, dirty clothes, magazines, toys - everything!

Step 2: Carry your basket to the living room and dump everything out on the floor. (If you have lots of clutter - probably do, we've just been too busy with the Holidays to keep on top of things - you might have made several trips to the living room to dump your basket. It's OK! Once you start this system, your loads will get smaller, I promise!) Now sit down in the midst of your piles and start sorting. Sort your piles according to the proper room where the item really belongs. So you'll have a pile for kitchen, master bedroom, Susie's room, Bobby's room . . . AND you'll have piles for laundry and trash, too!

Step 3: Take each pile to it's proper room, and put the things away. Right now! When you get to that room, you will be tempted to stop and do the dishes, make the bed, check your email - DON'T DO IT!! Just this once, just for today, you are to focus on putting that clutter away! Don't stop until you have found the proper home for everything you put into your basket.

Done? Now, go walk through your house again. How does it look? Better, doesn't it! Yay, you! You just de-cluttered your house in Three Easy Steps!

If you do this simple trick every day, or every week - you decide, it's your life and your house - you will get your clutter under control! Feels great, doesn't it?! Congratulations!

My pictures for today are pics of my "crafting bedroom". My happy little corner of the world, where I create. It's all dressed up for Christmas in these pictures. Hope you enjoy them!

Have a great week, a Happy New Year, and God bless!

A Little Christmas Planning!

Hi, Everyone!

It's only three more days until Christmas - hope you are ready! And if you vow next year to be more organized than this year, I have a little project to show you. It's a Holiday Planner! Now everyone has been making these little cuties - except me! So I finally made some this year, and here is one for you to see. Instead of using the pocket folders, I made mine from a standard file folder. It's small enough to tuck into my purse, but large enough to hold all of my lists! I hope you like it!

May you all have a blessed and joyous Christmas! God Bless you and your loved ones!

Hi, Everyone!

It's almost Christmas! Hope you are all coming along on your preparations without too much stress! We decided to give our grandchildren money this year (how tacky, huh?!), so I made these little money cards. They were quick and easy, and I think they're kinda cute!

And if you're looking for a new cookie recipe, here is my all-time favorite! My Mom used to bake these, and whenever we took our sons to Grandma's house, they devoured them! So, although they are *correctly* called Ginger and Spice Cookies, at our house they will always be called Grandma Cookies! They are dee-licious with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea! Enjoy!

Ginger and Spice Cookies

1 ½ cups margarine 2 cups sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten ½ cup molasses 5 cups flour 4 tsp. baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. ginger Additional sugar for rolling the cookies in. Cream margarine. Add sugar and continue creaming. Add eggs and molasses. Beat well. Sift flour with baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to margarine mixture. Mix well. Shape into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Roll in sugar. Place 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 350°about 15 minutes. Do a test cookie – sometimes you need to add a little more flour.

What I Really Want for Christmas Is . . .

Hi, Everyone!

Each year, Ken and I ask his Mom, "What do you want for Christmas?" Every year she smiles sweetly and says, "What I'd really like is . . . a new garden hose" or "a good flashlight" or "a new rug for the back door." Dutiful son that he is, he heads off to the home improvement store and returns with the requested item. "But honey," I say, "This is your Mother, the woman who gave you life! You can't give her a garden hose for Christmas!" "But sweetie," he says, looking bewildered, "it's what she wants."

"Well!" I huff. "That's not a real Christmas present!" And off I go to the mall, where I spend hours shopping for the perfect Christmas present for my sweet mother-in-law. Like, a pretty piece of jewelry to go with the dozens of other pieces she already owns. Or, a beautiful crystal bowl to cram into her too-crowded china cabinet. Or a darling pantsuit identical to the one (unbeknownst to me) that my sister-in-law is also buying for her!

Time has passed, and this morning as I was cleaning the kitchen, I thought, "The kids have been asking me what I want for Christmas, and I don't know what to tell them, because I don't need anything. I have a closet full of clothes, drawers and drawers of table linens, and a craft room stuffed with supplies." Then it dawned on me! I know what I want for Christmas! It's something I really want, and something I really need! It's a . . . new sponge for my mop! Yes, I have become my mother-in-law!

And speaking of inspiration, the card I'm posting today was inspired by a swap I received from my good friend and Swappers' Anonymous Sister Paula (scrapshappen). You can see her card here. The plaid paper on mine isn't Stampin' Up - it's some I had in my stash, and I'm trying to use up my "stuff"! (so I can buy new "stuff"!) I love this layout, and I'm sure I'll use it many times. Thanks Paula thanks for the inspiraton!

I hope you all have a great week! Enjoy your Christmas preparations! I hope you can take time to ponder the beauty of life and the wonder of the season! Till next time, God bless!