Blackboard Door Project

One of the things that Rick has to deal with on a daily basis is his memory.We have a dry erase calender on our fridge,and Rick has an IPOD with alarms to help remind him when he needs to take meds,etc.We have used lists and post- it notes. He also has me to help with reminders :)

The problem with the calender is it's only so big,and with Dr appts,Boy Scout events and meetings,as well as Zach's after school activities and my various things,it tends to leave very little room. Post- its tend to get overlooked,because they are small. Lists,even though they only have a couple of things on them,don't necessarily get looked at on a daily basis. And,I admit,some days my thoughts are other places and I fail with reminders.

I was trying to think of something that everyone could use,and that Rick would notice,even enjoy using. One day,I realized that I had a great space that was not being used to it's potential-the door to our attic. All I had on here was a bill holder,which held bills (obviously),stamps,the check book,and address labels. Well, I could certainly clear out a drawer in our sewing table for that,so that's what I did.

The next step was figuring out exactly how to do it. I didn't want the space between the boards as part of the blackboard,because it would 1) be a pain when writing, and 2) I didn't like the way it would look. So we decided to buy a board and blackboard paint.

When we went to the store,we discovered that they already sold prepainted blackboards,and that they were actually cheaper than buying a plain board. The problem was they weren't in the best shape. We decided to buy the prepainted board,and just go over it with blackboard paint. We still saved money,and I can use the blackboard paint for other projects.

Rick measured the door,and cut off the appropriate amount off the long side of the board.I wanted it big enough so we could write day a whole days schedule,and it would be in writing that we could read! We also bought nice bright chalk colors. Rick used screws to screw the board onto the door,and he found some longer screws for the door handle,since the old ones weren't long enough to go through the new thickness. I used one coat of blackboard paint,and covered the screws as well.

Voila' !

So Rick knows what day it is at a glance,we have "Today Is" with the day of the week posted. Any activities or chores that are to be accomplished that day are listed. As you can see from above,the only thing that was mandatory the day this board was made was wishing Rick congrats on his retirement!

It wipes off simply with water and a rag. Rick loves it,and likes using it. The space is now used for good purpose!

I would be remiss if I did not mention how grateful and happy we are that the final suspect in the Boston Marathon Bombing was caught alive so we can know why this horrendous act was done and there can be some justice. We have much thanks to law enforcement,who worked hard to bring this to an end. We are also proud of our own Nashua NH SWAT team who helped down in Watertown,MA. Our heart goes out to the family of the MIT officer who lost his life,and we are praying that the MBTA officer who was shot heals quickly.

Justice will be served.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Making A Pot Rack From A Wooden Ladder

The pot rack is finished! 

 We measured the space, picked the best end of the ladder,and sawed it off.  Since we have strapping that runs across our joists,we screwed the ceiling hooks into those (we used a stud finder and climbed up into the attic to make sure we were on the right path). To help him remember,Rick drew lines on the ceiling that were the width of the strapping.You can barely see the lines in the photo. We couldn't center it over the window because of our cabinet doors-we would like to still open them!

We bought two 24" lengths of chain,and four screw hooks to put in the ladder. Rick started the screw holes with a drill,and was careful not to split the wood. We bought large S hooks.They didn't quite fit over the ladder rungs,so Rick made them wider. 

Voila' !

Now I have a bit more space in my cabinet for storing things we don't use all the time. I can't wait for the kitchen closet to be built!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Paper Can Weigh You Down

Our file cabinet was at the point where if I opened the top drawer to access some of Rick's paperwork,the cabinet would pitch forward. Guess that means it's time weed out some documents!

A good portion of what I pulled out were duplicates of Rick's TDRL ( Temporary Disability Retirement List) appointment reports.Anyone in the military who has been diagnosed with PTSD is automatically put on this list for up to 5 years.They have to see a Dr when the military asks to see if the PTSD is better or not. Well,at this point,going on 8 years of being wounded and things staying the same,I would hope that the military would see that Rick should be fully retired.He has had three appts over the last two years,which my regular readers probably remember. Each time he has an appt,we have to wait for the Dr's report to be sent to a specific company who is handling the TDRL,and they send the hard copy to us.Rick has to sign a paper saying he agrees with the findings,a release of info form,and send a copy of what medications he's taking from the VA. Each time they send a new report,they also send copies of the old ones. We had over 240 pages of reports total,including the duplicates. Today I went through those reports and threw out the extras,so we only have one copy of each. I also went through some other old paperwork that we no longer need. I think the pile of paper weighed at least 5 lbs. It certainly freed up some space! At least the file cabinet no longer wants fall on top me when I open the top drawer.

Rick had been having a hard time lately. He has kept busy,to a point,but his confusion keeps him frustrated and his speech has been dragging,which adds to his frustration.A couple of times he broke down and cried. I don't blame him. No one can hold all that in indefinitely. You have to release it. I myself had a bad day yesterday.

 We did begin making a pot rack out of an old ladder that My Dear Friend Michelle found for me ( Do I still owe you for that ladder,Michelle?). It only took two years,but hey, it's getting done. We do have to move it over slightly to the right,and we have to see if Rick can make the opening on one end of the "S" hooks we bought a bit bigger. I don't want to post a photo of it until it's completed,though.

 Zach just celebrated his 15th birthday on March 3. We are so very proud of him. Zach and I went down to Somersworth to visit my Mom on his birthday and it was nice. We finally ( I say finally because Zach has been asking since 4th grade) bought him a phone. He is involved in different activities,so it's good to have his own line of communication. It's a very basic pay as you go phone,and we told him that he will have to pay for the minutes. We did buy him a new IPOD as well. 

I went through my seeds and discovered that I have to get more corn seed. It's almost time to start some of my seedlings!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Delays Are OK

Yesterday we had planned to begin the reorganization of our closets/decluttering of our bedroom. Rick wanted to go out hunting in the morning (coyote) first,which was fine. He told me Saturday night that he was going to go out early and we would get started on the bedroom when he came back. I said that was fine,but I did want to start by late morning at the very latest. I am one of those people who cannot begin a project in the middle of the afternoon. I feel the day has already gone by. He replied that he would be back by then. No problem.

Sunday morning,when I woke up,he was laying in his recliner still in his PJ's at 7:30 AM. I asked him if he was going to go hunting,and he said no,he changed his mind. Around 9:00 AM,he changed it again and said that he wanted to go,just for a little while,and we would start when he got back. OK,no problem again. By 10:00,he was gone with Brother B.

They came back around 12:00. Apparently,Rick had slipped on some ice on a dirt road,wrenched his shoulder,hurt his back, and dislocated his right thumb. He said he had to lay down for a while. He usually does take a nap after going hunting or working outside. He said he would be up by 2:30. I knew,of course,that he was not going to feel like doing anything afterwards,because he would be mighty sore from the fall,and I would not want to start a project of that size at that time of day.When he woke up,I was learning how to crochet a snowflake. No organizing for us.

Much of what goes on ( or doesn't go on) around here centers around how Rick is feeling,like I mentioned in my previous post. Of course,he took a nasty fall and hurt himself,which is out of the ordinary.I don't blame him for wanting to lay down-I would've done the same. 

When we plan things,I have to be flexible. I never know what kind of day Rick will have. He could have a great motivated day, a real up and at 'em-or it could be a day where he takes a long time to get going. In this case,it was a bit of lack of motivation, a touch of taking a long time to get out into the woods,and the rarity of getting hurt.

I have learned over time that I have to roll with each day. Things will get done,I just cannot keep beating over the head with it. I can certainly encourage and remind him of things,but I cannot push him. 

Today he is all fired up and ready to go. He has run to the store with Brother B  to get some storage bins so we can begin. I better get myself going as well!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!

I 

One Small Step.....

Trying to revamp all areas of one's life can be a daunting task. When I sit and think about everything I want to accomplish,it can make my head spin. One thing is tied in with the other. To create the home I truly want,I have to dig into myself and be the person I really want to be.That means,I have to clear up mental clutter and body clutter. I could organize my home and it could look perfect,but if I am swimming in a sea of mental and physical discontent,how I can truly enjoy it? It's a fake front.  A person's home is an extension of themselves. Clutter in the home means clutter in the person's mind,body,and spirit.I am working at the home,mind,and spirit clutter,but my greatest challenge is the body clutter  (AKA-FAT). I am wonderful at delaying the body part. Why? Probably because every time I start exercising and dieting,I sabotage myself. "Hey,"I say to myself," I lost 15 lbs. I can control it now."

Yeah,right. I gain it back plus another 15 lbs.

I hate clothes shopping,because nothing looks good on me. I have literally cried in the changing room. "Remember when you could wear whatever you wanted? Remember when you had a waist? Now look at you. You are disgusting," I hear my inner self say.  Fat clothes tend to be really ugly,and because I am only 5'2",most clothing for "heavier" gals tend to be average sized,not petite,which doesn't help matters.

How can I move forward on this front? I ponder it on a daily basis. I can't do the "I-am-going-to-diet-and-exercise-from-now-on" thing. It doesn't work. I lose my incentive. Not my gig. " Just do it already" does not work. People bugging me about it makes me want to eat more peanut butter cups (oh,how I love the sweet and salty goodness....it makes me feel great until after they are gone and then I loathe myself). No,I cannot rely on others to motivate me. It has to come from within.Rick,bless his heart,loves me and thinks I am sexy no matter what.

The only thing I can do is start small. I can't look at it as trying to lose weight,because if it doesn't happen fast enough,I will feel defeated.If I have a bad day and eat something I shouldn't,I will feel like a failure and say,"Screw it. Give me that plate of fattening carb goodness."(whatever that fattening carb goodness might be)

So...how do I start slow? How do I gradually work being more active and watching my calorie intake into my life?

1)  No more snacking after 7:30. This is a very bad habit of mine...especially peanut butter cups.

2) Work exercise gradually into my life. I walked once last week. This week I am going to walk twice. I walk about a mile or so. It may not seem much to you,but for me,it's a big accomplishment. I will keep adding walks until the weather proves too nasty,then I will hit the elliptical instead and begin to include toning with weights.Even if I don't lose weight from these walks,I am training myself mentally and physically to get used to physical exercise and hopefully will be more apt to continue and build on it.

3) Don't be on a time frame .I've tried that. I've failed at it. I'm going to keep going at slow but steady pace. 

4) Healthy for me means when I like how I feel and look. It has nothing to do with how many pounds I am.

That's where I'm starting.

As far as home decluttering goes,I tidied up our bookcase this morning. It seems to be a  catch-all for paperwork for Rick,as well as other items:

It's much better now!

I thought I would leave you on a cute note. I was looking for M&M ( Mini Moxie) a while ago. I looked in all the little hiding places that we have found him in,and when I went into our bedroom,I happened to see him curled up on my big teddy bear:

Is that just too cute or what?

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Freeing Myself From Paper Clutter!

Thursday was a gorgeous day,sunny,and comfortable. I picked the last of the potatoes and any of the green tomatoes that survived the frost.I would've done it earlier,but this past week has given us rain off and on,so nothing was dry until then. Now the beds are empty and the plants are in the compost pile. It wasn't our best season for gardening. I didn't even can anything because we didn't get enough of anything to can,with perhaps the exception of the green beans,which I froze instead. Rick cleaned out the coop to make the girls a bit more comfy.

Yesterday it rained all day,and this AM it's still foggy and rainy,though the weather is suppose to clear by noontime. Rick,Brother B,and Zach are all going down to Dad Shaw's house to split some wood for him for the winter later on today.The turkey that Brother B got yesterday turned out to be a bit smaller than we had hoped-8 lbs- a bit too small for Thanksgiving,so we are going to eat it tomorrow for Sunday dinner.Even though my Mom is the only extra guest we have for dinner,just that one extra person would not leave enough for a filling meal.( It reminded me of the The Fabulous Beekman Boys episode where they kill a turkey for Thanksgiving and it's waaay too small for the number of people they have invited). We may still have to buy our turkey this year unless Rick can get one with his bow.

Since yesterday was not nice, I decided to attack one of our worst areas of clutter-the front of the file cabinet and the top of the printer. Clutter in a file cabinet,you may ask? Isn't a file cabinet suppose to keep papers in order? Well, yes,in the normal world. Here in my world,I have a tendency to put papers in the front of file cabinet drawer because I am too lazy to just take the extra thirty seconds to put it in the folder it belongs. Sigh.

Many things I just placed there while still in their envelopes,so I had a whole pile of envelopes to get rid of (some which I could save for the wood stove,others I had to throw out). That in it's self freed up some space. Now I everything is filed in their proper folders,and the top of the printer is clear. I also went through the folders to see if there was anything that was no longer needed,so I had a nice pile taken out from that,too. Some weight had been removed,from both the cabinet and from my shoulders! It is so gratifying to see stuff go away.

Our new kitty,who we named Mini Moxie ( or M& M)is doing very well.He slept with us last night, Today I am going to show him the litter box. Hopefully he can climb into it,as he is still quite small.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Organizing and Being Inspired

I will post about our trip to Strawberry Banke-I just have to decide which of the 125 photos I took during the day to use!  :)

Yesterday I decided I really needed to give the bathroom a good old scrubbing. It hasn't had it since I wound up with the sinus infection (which is gone,by the way.My last day of taking antibiotics is today).Of course, I did clean the toilet and sink,but that was it. One thing I learned about being under the weather-if I can't clean the bathroom,it won't get done. I suppose no one likes cleaning it. I was working up my old elbow grease cleaning the tub,and I guess my heavy breathing was rather loud. Rick called out,"Don't kill yourself!" I replied,"Someone has to clean it," with sweat dripping from my brow (OK,maybe not dripping...but  my brow was most definitely moist).'Why didn't you tell someone it needed to be cleaned?" he called back. I almost retorted that if I have to tell grown men when a tub is dirty,then there is something seriously wrong with their eyesight,but I said nothing and kept scrubbing. (It looks lovely now,by the way).

Besides cleaning the tub,sink,toilet,and floor,our  bathroom closet needed a good redo. Our closet is very narrow,and it used to have a door on it,but we had a hard time reaching into the closet when the door was open because the open door created an even more narrow space. A few years ago,we took the door off,and I put a curtain up. My goal is to eventually open up this area somehow. It's a linen closet as well as where we keep our first aid kit,aspirin,etc. We don't have a medicine cabinet (another thing which will be remedied in the future).

This is what it looked like when I took the curtain off. There is one more shelf on the bottom that you can't see in this photo. Our bathroom is small,so there is not a lot of space to back up for photos.Our toilet is across from the closet.

So,I pulled everything out and looked at the space.Right now where things are stored works-but I have mismatched sheets,old sheets,old meds, etc. Time to purge. So I did. Meds that went past the expiration date-tossed. Sheets and pillow cases that were ratty-put in a rag bag. Old nail polish-gone. All those mini soaps,shampoos and conditioners from various hotels that I had for years-see ya!


                                                                 That looks much better!

I rolled up my towels to help make a bit more space. My homemade soaps are in the basket. Ultimately,I want the litter box to be at the bottom of the closet,so it's hidden. Right now it's in between the sink and the toilet.  Of course, the shelves will have to be moved,but you can see that there is wasted space because the space between the shelves is too much. They need to be closer together. The whole closet is going to get an overhaul. But that's a different project for a different day.

Apparently,my organizing inspired Rick,because he cleaned out his bedroom closet (though I didn't get any photos of it).Things like his Army dress greens,which he will never wear again,and other clothing items were put in a bag to go into the attic. Some clothes became gun cleaning rags.He did a good job.

I was looking at my wire shelf in the kitchen,and added some items to the area. In the last few days,I not only put the pretty pouring bowl up,but my Beekman Boys Heirloom Cookbook,and a milk bottle and old mason jar that Brother B found in the woods in an old dump site. It still needed more. Wednesday, I put out some canned goods- pinto and navy beans that I put in canning jars for storage, homemade raspberry and strawberry jam,and canned green beans. I canned them last year. It still needed more,though. I thought my silver plate tray would be a nice contrast behind the pouring bowl,and would look nice with the stainless oven. I hung a small bunch of oregano. The next thing was what to put above the shelf. A handmade plate clock that my brother Dennis had given me for Christmas one year had been somewhat hidden in the dining area. It's pretty,but I didn't really have the right place for it. He bought it when he was stationed in Italy. Now it has it's rightful place of honor.

Looking at this gave me more inspiration. I have some blue and white checked valances that I had bought when we first bought the house. I had them up for a while,but then took them down. We have been without curtains in this area since. My thought process was that,since we don't get a whole lot of light here because the windows face NW,NW,and N,I wanted to get as much light as possible into the area. I thought any type of curtain would block that extra precious light. However,the area felt stark and cold.There was no warmth to it,even with that tiny little extra light. Since I didn't have any extra  tension curtain rods,I took down the curtain from the closet in the bathroom and used that to see how the valance would look. Judge for yourself!

I was amazed at how cozy this corner now feels-how the whole kitchen  is feeling! We still have some cosmetics to do and the closet next the to the fridge-but it's coming along. I am so excited about how it's all coming together. The nice thing is,the only thing I bought to decorate this area was the wire bin. I had everything else already. It's great to decorate with what you have!!!

Today the neighbors are all coming over for a fish fry.The weather isn't the best-it's gray with chances of rain-but it will be fun,nonetheless.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!!

Back In The Swing And Being Aware

Yesterday was a productive day for me. I cleaned the fridge,dusted,ironed clothes,picked herbs and hung them to dry,and finally hung up the assorted tea tins that Zach gave me for Christmas!

Oregano,basil,and rosemary are very fragrant-and did kick up my allergies a bit,but that stopped after a few minutes.

The various teas and their tins that Zach gave me for Christmas.... I had to wait until the kitchen was almost done before I knew exactly where I wanted to put it!

By late afternoon,I was wiped out,though I did pick Zach up at school at 5:00. He is in an after school program called "FAMEE" ( what the letters stand for escapes me at the moment).They have various programs for the kids-and,since he is interested in film making,he is in the TV club. They are rewriting "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's  Nest" and he is going to play the Jack Nicholson role. He has volunteered to help film the school's events for local cable access,so we have to bring him to the school tonight so he can help film a volleyball game. Thursday after school he has "Youth To Youth",which is a group of kids who educated other kids about drugs and tobacco. He is going to be a very busy little bee. I told him that as long as he keeps his grades up,it's fine.

Now when I do things around the house,I take the time to immerse myself in them. I'm not thinking about what's going to happen in a few hours,or worrying about tomorrow. I am in the moment. I pay attention to the sizzle of the steam coming out of the iron,and how smoothly it runs over the clothes. I take pleasure in the smell of the herbs as I cut them off their plant,even if they make eyes itch a bit and my throat scratch. I don't rush through things anymore to finish a list. I plan my day,and I don't go overboard. 

Part of my decluttering process in the home is that I try to really look at what is around me and be aware of it. We all wind up not seeing things after a while,don't we? I look at certain areas,and think,"Is this what I want? How can I make this better and more effective? Do I really need everything that here? What is the purpose of this item? Is it even used?" I find myself happily doing things around the house now,instead of just going through the motions.

Tomorrow we are off to Norwood MA,which is about 110 miles from here. Normally,I would be dreading it terribly,as I have never been there and driving in MA is not what I would consider fun.However,since I don't have to go through Boston (thank GOD! I still will never drive in Boston)I am actually looking forward to the trip. I haven't been thinking about it non stop,worrying and obsessing over it. I'm taking it as it comes.  I might wind up being a nervous mess,but at least I won't be one for days before it. I figure that's a step forward!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Girl Day And... Re-purposing A Metal Crate

Saturday I stated feeling better. My head was still a bit off ,but by the late morning it cleared enough so that I was able to drive. That was a good thing,because My Dear Friend Michelle and I had birthday plans. Since her birthday is in July,and mine is in November,we split the difference and in September we go out for lunch and have a pedicure. We were both ready to get out of the house and away from testosterone ,even if it was just for a few hours.It was a lovely time,even though I did suffer a bout of unpleasant digestive moments. Sometimes when I eat,for whatever reason,it does not agree with me and I get horrible,painful cramps,which lead to upset stomach,cold sweat,etc. Thankfully,we were at the salon when it hit full on,so I had access to the bathroom ,and,thankfully,it passed quickly ( no pun intended!). When these things happen I can sometimes be indisposed for up to half and hour,writhing in pain. NOT FUN. Once I almost yelled for Rick to call the ambulance because the pain was so horrible and I thought I was going to pass out. Sigh.

We did have a lovely lunch,and the pedicure/foot massage was nice. If you have never had your feet wrapped in wax covered strips,you must try it. It feels great! Spending some girl time getting a bit pampered with your BFF is fabulous! The massage chair doesn't hurt,either :)   I got my toes painted orange (for fall) and she had hers painted red. We then decided to get facials for Christmas!

Zach and Rick are gone this weekend for a camping trip with the Scouts (they will be home sometime this AM) so it's been just me and Brother B.He told me he would get my new shelf up over the stove on Saturday,and by the time I left to pick My Dear Friend up,the shelf was in place.

I had envisioned a white metal shelf,with nice scrolls,or something that looked old fashioned.However,I couldn't find what I wanted. I went to little places I had never stepped foot into before,trying to find this shelf that I saw in my mind. When I went to "Just The Thing" in Dover and found my shelf that is now above our computer desk,I looked. They didn't have what I was looking for,either,so I started looking for something different that I could re purpose as  a shelf. I stumbled across this:

No,it's not white,it's not scrolled,and it's not a shelf. It's a metal crate. But I really liked the  look of it. It has rust.It's not perfectly straight. I loved it. The question was,how do we get it up on the wall? Brother B came up with a plan.

He used two pieces of trim we had left over,screwed them to the wall,and painted them yellow to blend in:

He then found four brackets,which were a bit big .However,he improvised with some rubber gaskets that he cut in half,then gouged out some of the rubber so the metal would sit in it. He put the gaskets in the brackets. I held the basket up against the wall,and he screwed the brackets into the wall. The metal of the crate fit in his creation perfectly:

TA-DA!!!! My new shelf!

The first thing I put on it was the pouring bowl that My Dear Friend gave me for Christmas. It's pretty,and I love the color punch it gives to the room.

Now I just have to decide what else to put on it. The boards on the left side can used to hang small items,such as keys,or whatever else we decide to put on it. I'm still mulling it over. Next on the list: seeing if we can re purpose an old ladder for a pot rack. It would hang over the window to the right of the oven.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Taking It Easy

Today is  going to be a down day for me,I think. Yesterday my eyes started burning,and the rims were sore. I awoke with this yet again,but now I have a scratchy throat,my sinuses ache,and I feel wiped out.Could be allergies,or something else that's going around,though to me it feels and sounds like allergies.I do take allergy meds on a daily basis. Up until yesterday,I felt great,upbeat,and full of energy. My,what a difference a day makes.

Yesterday I did get out some photos out,though the ones I was going to hang on the wall I wound up not doing. I just couldn't decide where to put them. I did hang one photo in our bedroom over the bed. Rick took it when we lived in Dalton,MA waay back in 2001 when I was the manager of the Jockey Outlet in Lee. There was a trail up to the reservoir,and the view was pretty,especially in the Fall:

Unfortunately,the photo I took doesn't really do it justice.I tried to block as much of the glare from the window across from our bed as possible. The colors are much more vibrant than they appear here.

 I  took a photo of  the print I bought at the Wilder Farm in Burke,NY so all my fellow Laura fans could see it. I still need to get down to the store to buy a nice frame with matting for it so I can hang it. It's called "Coming Home" and the artist is Sandra A. Young. I feel in love with it as soon as I saw it and had to have it. It brings back great memories of our trip,and how it felt to actually walk the same yard and be in the same home as Almanzo. Isn't it gorgeous? Like Rick's photo above,the colors are a bit muted in the photo,but you can still see how wonderful it is! It conjures up cozy winter feelings,even in the midst of summer.

While I did that yesterday,as well as puttering around the house cleaning,Rick began the oh-so-ever-fun task of decluttering the garage.When I went outside to take a photo,he had pulled some stuff out of it already and had 7 bags of trash.We are not talking stuff we no longer want,we are talking trash.

We had the garage filled right up to the door. As I mentioned in an earlier post,part of the problem is things are not being put back into their proper place,or trash not being disposed of (chicken feed bags that are emptied into our feed bin seem to never find their way to the trash,they are just thrown off to the side for instance). This is Rick's project. He does not want help.I did ask him what his game plan is and we are on the same page: take everything out of the garage,get rid of trash,and put like items together (tools,garden,camping,etc)He checks to see what is still good,or what is broken,and keeps the good items. He then takes what we are going to keep and organizes it in the garage. A tool bench will be made.Part of the problem of not keeping this area organized is when we try to find certain tools,we can't find them,and then wind up buying a replacement. Then,of course,we find the original. It's a waste of time and of money. That is coming to a halt this year. I will have to try and keep Rick on task as far as putting things back because he forgets.I think having him put that reminder into his IPod will help. He now schedules his days with the IPod that the VA gave him for such things and it has been very helpful. This is to help him become more independent so he doesn't have to rely on me to remind him of everything.I always feel like a nag when I have to remind him of this,or question if he did that. It makes for an odd dynamic-almost like a mother and child,which is not a good thing.

Today he is going to continue on the garage. It was very humid yesterday and he worked hard for a good three hours. He is not fast but he is steady. One thing you learn when you have a spouse with a brain injury is that you cannot rush them. They have to do things in their own time so they don't get overwhelmed.,which can be very easy.Sometimes it can be something very small that will set them into tailspin. I have learned that setting time frames for projects is not necessarily a good thing. It can be sometimes,but sometimes it just puts too much pressure on Rick,which then shows up in his demeanor,and he feels even more scattered than he already does,which I don't want. It's a fine balance,which I am still struggling to find.

We did get a nice surprise treat yesterday. Our neighbor across the dirt road stopped by with a homemade apple pie. She buys eggs from me as soon as my sign goes up,and we give her and her family fish on occasion. Last week she came over and asked if she could buy some! She was going camping and thought her parents would love the fish. We said we are more than happy to just give her the fish,no problem! Yesterday she was baking for her church's bake sale/pig roast which is today and made us a pie to thank us for the fish since we wouldn't allow her to pay for it.. How nice to have  good neighbors!.The pie,by the way, was delicious :)

Today I am going read,work on some Christmas gifts,and just relax.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

A Simple Mattress Can Help In Many ways

For quite a while now,Rick and I have been complaining about our mattress and how we really needed to get a new one. We slept on it for 10 years. It was a no name brand that we could afford at the time. It was comfortable back then. It worked.

The last few years,however the signs of wear and tear were starting to show on our old mattress. There were lumps and valleys. We flipped,re-flipped,turned and re-turned that sucker over the years. We put one of those "egg carton" type foam toppers on it. It was to the point where none of it made a difference. We would wake up with back aches, hip aches,etc. We would toss and turn all night,and not all of it was due to nightmares or minds racing. Many times we just couldn't get comfortable. We complained about it- a lot.

Sleep is a very important factor in life. Those of you who have a hard time obtaining a good night of it,for whatever reason,know what I mean. A few nights of fitful sleep can really affect your mood,thought process,and motivation.

Of course,we have other contributing factors. Rick gets nightmares and has sleep apnea,so he sleeps with a sleep apnea machine.( For those who are not familiar,it's a device that has a mask that one wears over their face so air is being forced into the body and helps keep the throat open to prevent snoring and keep breathing regulated-Rick stops breathing over 50 times an hour) I have nights where I just can't shut my mind off and I toss and turn and turn and toss-which also affects Rick's sleep patterns. I also am bothered with RLS ( restless leg syndrome) once in a while,as well as night sweats on occasion (ah,the joys of being a woman!!!)

Wednesday in the mail,we got a flyer for Big Lots. They were having a sale on mattresses. Now, one may not think of Big Lots in terms of  great mattresses. However,when we woke up yesterday morning both sore yet again,Rick said to me,"We need a new mattress. NOW." We figured we would take a drive down to our local Big Lots and see what they had.

Well, I must admit I was actually impressed. All the mattresses were Sealy brand. Not no name generic. We laid down on all of them (which did feel rather strange with people walking around). We laid on our backs. We laid on our sides. We laid on our stomachs. We compared every one. We read the literature. We finally decided on a good mattress with a 800 coil count. Our old one probably had less than half of that. You could feel the body support.It wasn't the most expensive( memory foam) but it wasn't the cheapest,either,which would've been our first pick in the past. Even better,the box spring came with it for only $10.

Why am I mentioning our mattress? Because it ties in with my theme of late-surrounding yourself and clearing out clutter. 

Clutter? How does that play into it?

Have you ever looked under some one's bed? Apparently we had not looked under ours for quite a while. We found socks,a staple gun that was missing, a hammer, a level, a hat Rick was looking for,VCR tapes we no longer want,assorted other items,and plenty of dust. Blech. Under  the bed clutter! Who knew?? We cleaned everything up,and now  under the bed is very nice. No junk.

So,we placed the mattress on the deck. I know what you are going to say- "Donna,how long is that sucker going to decorate your deck?" Not long. Rick is inspired to clean out the garage today,to we are going to put it in there until town pick up in a few weeks.We joked that we could lay it on the deck if anyone wanted to sleep outside one night ;)

One thing I thought would be neat is having a raised bed. I don't know why,I just always thought

that a bed that was higher than the normal ones would be cool. For some reason,it never occurred to me while we were setting up the new bed,until Brother B suggested,"Why don't you 

put the old box spring on the bottom,then put the new box spring and mattress down?That way you can have a raised bed." DUH! The one thing I had been wanting to do for years! At first,it was too tall for me to even climb on ( I'm 5'2"),so we took the wheels off the frame,which lowered it by three inches,so now the bed comes up to just below my belly button. I need to hop a bit,but that is no problem. I could use a little stool if necesary. Before, I could just roll over in the old bed to shut off the alarm. Now I have to reach down to do so-which is no big whoop to me. Here is a photo to give you the idea of the height:

You may notice my lack of bedspread. I had one up until five months ago. I had a very pretty quilted spread which matched the pillows above. I loved it. Until the dogs started ruining it.The spread would get dirty.They would get it wet when they washed themselves. I would wash it. It would get ripped from their nails. I would fix it. It was a cycle. I finally gave up and  had to get rid of the quilt.The fabric got too flimsy and you can only repair the same areas so many times.You could say,of course,"Donna, just close your door.Put up a gate. Don't let the dogs in there." Been there,done that. This is the problem: our bedroom is right off the dining area. It gets a lot of light during the day that our dining area doesn't get,so I like to keep the door open to brighten things up as much as possible. We also get a lovely breeze through the bedroom windows that we don't have in the kitchen. Having this door open creates a fabulous cross breeze.Plus, I don't always remember to fully close the door behind me if I am in the middle of something and I am on a mission."OK,but what about the gate?" you may ( and rightfully) ask. We did that,too.It was too much of a pain taking the gate out of the doorway and putting it back up when we had to go in and out of the room . I guess you could say I paid for my own need for convenience.Now the bed is too high for the dogs to jump on. When we repaint the bedroom,our new bedding will not get ruined.

How did getting a simple mattress help in many ways? For us:

1) It helped us get a comfortable nights sleep,which is a good thing physically and mentally (pain and a tired mind lead to body and mind clutter!)

2) It allowed us to see the crap under the bed and clean it up (junk clutter!)We are now mindful that we need to keep an eye on that.

3)It let us get the high bed we both wanted (Rick loves it!)and is a first step into creating the type of bedroom haven we want. We feel like royalty on that bed!

4)It gave us a way to save future bedding,and stop the dogs from climbing on the bed without closing off sunlight and lovely breezes. It also stopped annoyance.

All from a simple mattress.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!!

Being Inspired By What You Love-The Laura Edition

One of my goals for helping with mental clutter and home clutter is trying to surround myself with items that I LOVE. Like many of us,for a long time if I needed something I wouldn't wait to find what truly spoke to me. I would get it out of necessity even if I didn't like it very much,or if someone was getting rid of something that I might be able to use,though it wasn't my ideal,I'd still scoff it up.I would see it on a daily basis,and while it might be functional, it wasn't me. This wasn't such a bad thing when I lived in apartments (which was really someone else's property,so why bother?),but now that I have my own home and finally discovered what style I like,I am more than willing to wait until I find the piece that speaks to me.Even if it takes years. Once I get an idea of what I want in my head,it's pretty difficult to change my mind. I am looking for the exact same thing I see in my mind's eye. However,I can be flexible if I find something that 

hadn't considered that I think is really cool. It still has to be something I will love,though. I want to surround myself with inspiration,things that make me think and things that make me happy,such as photos,books,and functional items. I want my home to be a haven.

I want to share my latest step.

Our computer is in a corner in the living room.Now,I do have two windows to the right of the this area which has a lovely view of the trees in our front yard. However, when I am banging away on the computer,this was the view in front of me:

Ah,yes, a lovely barren wall,completely with holes from where we hung our old computer monitor. Guess what? This wall has been empty since we painted the room about three years ago. Didn't I say at one point I was going hang the photos back up? ( Remember my Queen of Procrastination post? This is a prime example). To the left on the wall on top of the black speaker is a Limited Edition Print ( 111 out of 500) I bought from my journey to the Wilder Farm in Burke NY three years ago called "Coming Home." I still haven't framed it. (hangs head in shame). I know, I know. (Refer back to the Queen of Procrastination post,please!) I will take a photo soon,I promise..and it will be in a place of honor and suitably framed.

Back to the barren wall....so,I needed inspiration. I knew what I had to do. I had to find some shelves to put things on them that I loved. But what kind of shelves? I didn't want some regular old pressed wood shelves from a box store. I wanted something unique. Something different. Something that spoke to me and spoke about me. I stumbled across this gem in Dover:

This was that white shelving unit that was in the pile on my bed in that post yesterday. I was not going to let it sit idle for months! It had to get up ASAP!  I just thought I was adorable. Not only could I use the shelves,but the drawers for storage. Perfect!

So...now that I have the shelf up(actually, I must give credit where credit is due-Rick and Brother B put it up) what am I going to put on it?  I already knew well in advance.

My collection of Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

Yes, I am what is affectionately called in the World of Laura Ingalls Wilder a Bonnethead.I grew up reading her books,and I still do. I get much inspiration from them. I also have books about her and her impact written by different authors-Bill Anderson,Wendy McClure,Kelly Ferguson,and John Miller. I also have "The Prairie Girl's Guide To Life" by Jennifer Worwick. I do have Melissa Gilbert and Allison Angram's autobiographies,but they did not make the cut for this area,as much as I enjoyed them. The ones I put up on this shelf are about Laura and her world. Notice the green apple on the pile of books to the left? That is an apple ornament I got from The Wilder Farm in Burke. The little white sheep in front of the yellow books? Well, to be honest, I put it there because it was cute and I wanted to stop my cats from carrying it all over the house. Then,this morning,I remembered that in "The First Four Years" Laura and Manly have sheep. So there you go! To the right is my favorite photo of my parents,taken in 1948,a year after they were married. Top shelf is my Beekman Boys cookbook,which is really a temporary place until I can get my shelf up in my kitchen. I do have a bit more Laura/Almanzo memorabilia, I just haven't put them out yet. But it's a start! I am also going to put up family photos.

So as I type my blog,I can look at my Laura items and glean some prairie inspiration and determination. When I crochet,I can look over to this spot and remember the sewing/knitting/crocheting Ma did in her rocking chair by the fire on cold nights . When I clean, I can remember how difficult life was on the prairie (imagine having to beat rugs! or having a dirt floor! ). I also find myself asking sometimes,"WWLD?" (What Would Laura Do?)

Just sitting here right now,I am in heaven,motivated, and feeling fabulous.

Thank you helping me create my haven,Laura!

Mental Clutter =Physical Clutter

We all have some form of clutter,don't we? Physical household clutter,body clutter (ie weight),or mental clutter. My goal is to rid myself of all clutter possible. It may take months,it may take years. But that is my ongoing goal. I need to free up my surroundings,as well as my physical and emotional being. ( Remember I alluded to making the home I want in a previous post? This is what I was referring to). I believe that our physical surroundings reflect our inner self. If we are not comfortable and happy,how can our homes be? Or our bodies?

This is something that I have been reading about and mulling over for quite awhile now. Controlling anxiety, minimalism,zen habits,etc. It's been very eye opening....what Oprah would call an "a-ha moment." I love those!

I cannot speak for anyone else,of course. I can only speak for me.I am tired. I am tired of being fat,being anxious,or looking around and wishing for something else. Not a different house,but a different home. It's not bad by any means,but it doesn't reflect what I really want it to be. 

I am grateful that Rick did not inherit his mother's hoarding gene. She should've been on the Hoarders show. It took us three weeks to clean out her tiny apartment after she passed-once we made pathways to get around. I couldn't live like that. Nor do I want a museum for a home. It will get dirty.It will get messy living with two dogs,two cats,and three males. Rick has a hard time remembering to put things away,and when I try to do it for him,he says he will take care of it,because if I put it away,he won't know where it is. Which is fine,except he will take forever to put something away,and when he does,he doesn't remember where he put it anyway (part of the TBI). So,I do have to be mindful of that situation. However,I do want a home that is clean enough for folks to come into and I don't feel like I owe them explanations"Oh,we are going to move this and do this,but we haven't done it yet,"etc.,etc. 

Since my down days have been pretty bad the last few months,and I probably should just go to the Dr to either up my dosage or see someone one on one,I am determined to try and do it myself. I have been reading. I have been following blogs ( among them,two great ones, Be More With Less and Zen Habits,which I have links to on the right).

Now,if you enter my home,right now it's not bad. Let's face it-there is nothing to spur one on to make a good cleaning than relatives who have never been to your home. Our mud room is all cleaned up. I washed walls (amazing how if you see dog slobber often enough that you don't see it anymore!). I was further inspired by my Dear Friend Michelle's closet-though I had it in mind to organize mine,seeing hers spurned me on. I was able to get rid of 7 photo albums that were taking up space,and got rid of photos of things that I just didn't need (why did I take 5 photos of the same damn statue kind of thing). I got the photos down to three photo boxes. I still need to weed through my clothes,though.  At least I have started. A bit everyday adds up.

The big room to do was our bedroom. I usually just close the door when company comes over.  It was an embarrassment. In all honesty,most of the stuff is Rick's. He has backpacks,clothes,a dry vac,etc...again,things that I say I will take care of and he gets annoyed. I finally convinced him that I had to wash the walls and move his stuff. Here are a couple of photos of the lovely pile that was strewn across his side of the bedroom:

I took all the crap,shit,stuff,junk,whatever you call it,and piled it on the bed. You can see on the left a white shelf item. That is going to hang over our computer,and I had put that and two other shelves in the bedroom until they got hung. I then changed my mind and put them in the rooms they are going to be hung in.

Here is the back side of the pile. The big bear is mine,it was a gift from Zach. You can see a bit into Rick's closet in the back of the photo on the right.


Rick did finally go through everything and put them away. I don't have a photo of our bedroom after,but it is nice and tidy and I have been working to keep it that way. I am also going to paint it. It needs it.

It's so much nicer coming into the bedroom now. I want my whole house to be a cozy space where one feels they are enveloped by happiness and contentment.

I did help Zach clean out his closet and we had two garbage bags full of clothes that we donated to Planet Aid.

This is going to be an interesting journey. Anyone else out there going through the same thing?