(Recycled) Christmas Crafts!

Burned out Christmas lights

Well, here we are a few days from Christmas and I *almost* got all the things on my "to do" crafting list accomplished. However, I didn't get to share them for a few reasons (I really wanted to, I'm so happy with what we've accomplished). First and foremost being married to a photographer has it's benefits... It also has it's pitfalls. Namely, December is a really popular month for people wanting pictures. So although my stuff is a priority people who pay with more than cookies and kisses take the front seat. Then, my dear husband, threw his back out and was laid up for a good many days.

Milk carton villages!

But I did take a few "during the process" snaps that I'll share and who knows, maybe I can make proper tutorials before next Christmas!

 Snowflakes from old letterhead!

The burned out Christmas lights I had from the hanging of our outdoor lights and all the rage right now is to make them pretty by dousing them with glitter. I did 8 bulbs, 5 of which I added magnets too and are now adorning our refrigerator!  The main issue I have, as pretty as they are, is the glitter shed! I looked for from Diamond Glaze but it's only available at a few stores in my area and I wasn't going to drive 1/2 an hour to find some. They look great and absolutely pop against my white fridge.

We also built a milk carton village. It is absolutely my favourite thing we did this year! We have five houses in our village and they are adorable. We added flame-less candles and they have been twinkling the night away since early December.

Snowflakes - who doesn't love them? Even though we are under snow here for typically six months of the year, it's fun and simple to make paper snowflakes. TroubleMaker is a pro with his scissors and with a simple square folded, it's a breeze for him to make unique and creative snow flakes.

So this is what we've been up to this month - what have you been doing to make Christmas fun and crafty?

Christmas Countdown - Day 2 - Bird Snacks!

Stir it up!

It snowed early here this year and our usual bumper crop of sunflowers wasn't so bumper! What does this mean? Hungry birds and an easy peasy craft for us to do! Cruising FOLK! magazine's blog, folklifestyle.com, I saw a crafty little idea for a bird seed ornament. We have a feeder in our tree (my mother in law gave it to Brennan) however the birds haven't exactly flocked to it. But with a few dozen hungry chickadees roaming around our yard, we headed off to get birdseed! He is a very helpful helper. He only splashed flower out once. We pressed them into a wax paper lined cookie sheet - finding the backside of a spoon was much less messy! Add some cookie cutter (press them REALLY hard into the mix - getting them out and flipped later was challenging and we found they didn't seem to cut through much).

STICKY!

Just a little higher! 

Brennan is very independent and must always, always have a hand in anything - especially if it is very awkward and requires some form of parental acrobatics!  The end resulted netted us a large ziploc bag full of ornaments (mostly "blobs", our shapes didn't withstand the taking out phase). We've hung four in our tree and are now awaiting some fine feathered friends!

Nothing says bird food like a bear!

Unfortunately, our neighbourhood has a load of cats that have the local bird population hesitant to land anywhere) but we remain hopeful, especially since we're only a few months into winter! 

Dream a little Dream: Plans instead of Resolutions!

I don't know about all of you, but I have dreams of grandeur. I don't mean that I dream of fame and fortune but I do dream of a life less ordinary. I start out the year (nearly every year) with the thought “this is going to be my year".

The year I lose weight and get healthy, the year I finish/write a story to publish, the year I get organized, the year I get my own business running, the year I succeed.

Each year turns out just like the last and I begin each New Year with the same ideas, hopes and dreams. I've known for a long time that my thought patterns are cyclical and in order to do something, I have to take it further than a list or an idea on a piece of paper. I joke about being scatterbrained and disorganized - and I am, to a point, but I think I also lack a few other things that keep me from succeeding.

Focus - I know this is a problem. What starts out with a bang gives way to me forgetting about it, replacing it with a new and even better idea, or my lack of confidence zaps the life out of it.



Source

Commitment - maybe this is similar to focus but I can't commit to any one thing. I've got a few talents and they aren't the get you rich quick kind of talents but moreover, I need to hone in on one thing and start with that but because I lack focus, I'm not sure how to do that!

Time - not enough of it. I know everyone suffers from this. The real world gets in the way of living one's dream. Food needs to be bought, bills paid and by the time all that is done, there is no time left in my day to dedicate to a start-up. I work 7 to 5 (including commute) and I have a small child who is not known for his ability to sleep... I just don't know how to get it all in...

Health - I lack it. Not just my weight and lack of regular exercise. I have a few health problems that are roadblocks. I've never used my health as an excuse but as the drugs increase in my body, the side effects worsen but the issues aren't really being resolved. My body hurts, a lot, but worse than that is the exhaustion! Any parent, college student, senior or stressed person can relate, I'm sure, but many days, I feel like that times 10. My head gets muddy and I can't think straight and its sheer will power that one foot gets put in front of the other. Working all day and walking all over campus do me in. When I get home, its make dinner, find jammies and SIT! There is no playing with my son, no visiting friends, talking on the phone, and writing or being creative, I am just finished. And the bonus? I get to do the exact same thing the next day!

But I want 2012 to be different. I’m three years from my fortieth birthday and although that doesn’t really bother me, the fact I feel stalled – and like I’ve spent nearly twenty years stalled – does. I want to live life, not wait for a life to live. I’ll let you know right now, I don’t know the answer, I don’t have a plan and I don’t know if I will have any success but this New Year, I’m making a list and I will be checking it twice! Assuming I can remember where I put it…

MPM: Quick and Easy Week

This past week, I did a lot of juggling, shifting and rewriting my menu. I get asked often what if I don't feel like having what's on the menu on the given night... This weekend was a prime example... I don't think we ate anything I'd planned! And as I was laying out my menu for this week, I jigged our weekend menu too! For Sunday, which I'd declared "Pasta" column as per this post, I knew I wanted ravioli.

My husband did our shopping this week and he brought home spinach and cheese - which inspired me to create!

Spinach & Cheese Ravioli with Marinara and Bechamel Sauce
Image courtesy of Blackstone Images










It was fabulous! My husband loved it and the boys (ours and the kid next door) liked it too (even if they teased me that is "smelled" bad). I served it with Jumbo Cheddar Jalapeno Rolls.

This week, not a lot of creating going on but with the countdown to Christmas, I'm trying to maintain easy and quick meals so we've got more time after dinner to spend as a family!

December 5 to 11
Monday Chicken Salad Sandwiches & Soup
Tuesday KD & Fishsticks
Wednesday -
Thursday Pork Lo Mein
Friday Beef Stroganoff
Saturday Wings & Fritters
Sunday -

Thanks for stopping in and I'm linking up this week with the Org Junkie!

PS My Bechamel Sauce is the standard white sauce I use as the foundation for my Grandmother's homemade Mac & Cheese - but I half the flour and butter. Generally, I make a simple tomato sauce with lots of veggies, but yesterday, I just opened a jar!

Snap, Batman! It's November 19!

Today I am tired. I didn't wake up tired, but a trip for snow pants and a frying pan, some more things at Michael's and the weekly grocery shop wore me out!

During all my planning and shopping I realized I have forgotten about Christmas... I'm all excited to be getting ready for Christmas and to be crafting and planning and baking... But the "Christmas" thing kind of got lost on me!

What am I talking about? Well, presents of course!

As a family, we don't exchange many gifts... The kids "under 16" get gifts, over 16 participate in the "adult exchange". We don't buy for our friends - save for the little boy next door and a couple of other little children but I realized that it's nearing the end of November and I have yet to even make a list...

I very much dislike the consumerism the holiday season brings about. The endless TV ads trying to sell everything to children and the other ads that make you feel like you've done nothing of value for your loved ones if you don't spend hundreds of dollars on the latest gadget. It's all 'gimme, gimme'! And unfortunately, my baby isn't immune either. Although we try to limit his exposure, I know we can't shelter him from everything and he is influenced by things outside of our home now too (his school mates, the babysitter's house, his cousins and friends).

We are working towards trying to incorporate practices and activities that reinforce the things our family values as being 'important'... giving back to our community, sharing with our fellow human beings, taking part in charitable work, giving of our time and love.

Presents can be non-materialistic in nature is one thing we keep trying to introduce to him but we are continually met with resistance... I'm not sure how we will get past that one, but try we will!

What traditions do you have that you do year after year - or hope to keep doing?

The Light Inside: Finding Peace

For the past few weeks, my view of the world has been dark, melancholy and pessimistic. Trying to understand my place in the world has had me question why I decided to bring another life into the mean, hateful and angry place. All of this has left me sad, alone and lost.



I'm a happy, optimistic, it's raining sunshine kind of person so this has left me all very bewildered and not at all at peace with my existence.

But sometimes, peace and tranquility finds you in the most unexpected and unimaginable way. And today, it found me.

It started simply enough with my step dad asking for help unloading and moving his quads. He needed a couple of extra drivers to ferry the quads and drive his truck. We were all planning to go out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather so away we went. By the time we got out to help, he'd actually done what he needed but encouraged my sister and I to take a ride around the field on the quads. He gave us a crash course in Quad Driving 101 and tentatively, I pushed my thumb to engage the throttle. The machine lurched forward so I promptly let go. A couple of hesitant tries and soon, I was ambling across the hay-stubble field, the late fall sun cascading shadows of light through the tall pine and poplar trees. Looking back, I saw my sister flanking behind me, a wild grin on her face. I pressed harder and the machine shot forward, filling my sweater with cool, fresh air.

We raced around the field, laughing, getting silly and frightening ourselves by going up a tiny little incline to get back on the driveway. We drove up to our children and their eyes were giddy with excitement - you could read their question - could they have a ride too?

And with my little boy in front of me, clutching my pant legs, we slowly sped away back into the field. Courses of "faster" and "Weee!!!!" filled the still of the afternoon. The grumble of the engines delighted all of us and as I turned the lumbering machine to race back across the field and TroubleMaker's little hand waved joyously at his cousin as they drove towards us, peace found me.

I suddenly saw the clouds that surround my soul dissipate, the warmth of the sun touched my skin and all the beauty and wondered I'd seen last weekend while we were in Jasper hit me.



And as our confident on the powerful machines grew, we decided to take one of the many trails my step dad has around his quarter section. And as drove deeper into the rugged, Alberta bush, the sense of wonder expanded. The light spilled through the dense canopy and illuminated the mossy ground and the burst of red and yellow leaves dripped with light.



Everything I saw was beautiful - the squirrel running up and down the fallen trees, the old man's beard that grew on the trees, the squishy, vibrant green moss, the laughter of the kids was pure delight.



I know it was just one day and it was a silly activity, but I felt peace and I began to remember that under all the darkness, there is light.

All the things I need to know, I learned from my three year old...

Today, I took TroubleMaker shopping. My husband gave me the "get rested" speech as I'm several days into this cold and I'm not much better than the first day... So, I shopped.

I am not a shopper. I like the idea of shopping but I dislike the throngs of people and routing through a bunch of stuff I don't want in hopes of finding what I do want. I also get annoyed that the stores I want to go to are so far apart.

But this is about TroubleMaker, not me.

First, we went to PetSmart to get Max some Greenies. We had to look at the fish (the catfish were most confusing to him) and the rodents (Mommy, where are the bunnies?) and the birds. He liked the lizards and thankfully didn't ask to bring anything home.

We then went to a big box craft store. They had a sale if you had a coupon. I had the coupon. TroubleMaker rode in the cart. He liked this but he was annoyed that I was not buying him toys.


TroubleMaker's First Shopping Cart Ride_October 2008

We then went to the bank and then a mall. We had snacks. He ate a hot dog and we shared (via different straws) an Strawberry Julius. He much preferred today's Julius to the orange ones I made yesterday.

He asked me 17 times if his school was open. I can only hope his enthusiasm lasts through University.

We went to the fabric store but only after he informed me this "Mall does not have a fab-ick store." He admitted he was mistaken a few minutes later. Our trip was short - I had a negative reaction from the weekly Methotrexate injection and he just wouldn't stay near me. A fabric store is a dangerous place for a child. All that clean and a mustard and ketchup laden face...

We raced home. He brought in the spider.

Wait, I didn't mention the spider did I?Our 'spider' is much, much, much bigger.

I introduced him to Pick Up Sticks. I was amazed by the simplicity of the game. He liked picking up all the red ones and didn't care for the rules. Once that got boring, we began assembling ramps. As I tried to explain the finer nuances of leveling the ramps so the cars could race down them - the gaps and the bumps would stop them.

He raised his little fist in the air and said "I KNOW WHAT CAN DO IT!"

We spent the next hour racing the monster trucks down our make-shift racing ramp! We laughed and giggled and had a fantastic afternoon of silliness! He loves things that go fast and he has no concern for logic or reason or the 'right' way to play. He only knows that makes him happy and what makes him mad.

I over heard him telling Max about the catfish. Funny he didn't think to tell Tsarina (our cat) about the catfish. Perhaps he thought the irony would be lost on her.

We had a simple supper - nachos loaded with lots of peppers and cheese. He had to help - when I said "No" he lost it and begged and cried at my feet to help me make dinner... Again, this is something I hope will carry forward!

I gave him a bath, we snuggled and he bugged me relentlessly. He told me that he just couldn't get enough of me. When I looked at his little face - his beautiful blue eyes and fluttery eyelashes, his cheeky smile and I see his personality sparkling in his face, I am amazed.


First day of playschool

He came from me. He is a part of me. He is the truest treasure I've ever known and I know if I had to live one second of my life without him in it, it would not be a life worth living.

Should Recognition be your Ignition?

I think we all get days like today... Mine just happened to be a Monday. I don't blame you, Monday, but really, was it necessary to make today, today?

I get down - really down sometimes. And I don't know why I call it "down" - truly, it's just a low in my depressed state. I guess it's like my Gramma's depression being called "nerves" - suicide attempts and hospitalization and they just called it "nerves"... Go figure...

Anyway, today was one of those days. Just bleak and grey and lonely and sad and the cool kid stole my candy kind of days. Cold pizza and grapefruit couldn't cheer today up. Chips may have helped but it never occurred to me to go find any... None the less, it seems when I get these lows, people I know post inspirational quotes on their Facebook status.

You were born an original. Don't die a copy.
~ John Mason

This made me sadder still. I don't know why - perhaps because I struggle with my identity : Who I am versus who I want to be versus who I think I should be. The phrase "Authentic Self" keeps popping into my head. On one hand, I believe that phrase is junk. Authentic self - how can one be anything but authentic... Then on the other hand, I think I don't think I understand this - because if I do, I'm truly one of the most unauthentic people I know. I am the image of who everyone thinks I should be... Which is the key descriptor of "Fictional Self".

Where did I get lost? Or did I? Was my shining, new self tarnished by childhood drama? Do I blame my parents (FYI - I don't - just theorizing here)? Television? Media? A plugged-in world? Was I suppressed, oppressed and depressed? How did I get here? Bad choices, uninformed choices? Why did I chose to lead my life as the vision of how others see me (or is it just how I think others see me)? How do I be more 'me' without offending, upsetting or destroying all that is my life now?

Dr. Phil seems to think he has the answers. Or at least if I buy his book, I will have them (in complete detail, his website just has teasers). Like this one:

1. Did you at one time listen carefully to your innermost voice? Describe this moment. When was it and what was the circumstance? Do you suspect that somehow, somewhere along the way, you have lost contact with it?


Yes. The last time I heard a voice, I was taken away... In all seriousness, don't we quell the inner voice during childhood? Don't say this, don't do that - we all tell our children. And when they ask why, we say "Well, we don't do x or y because..." enter the fallacy here. In reality, we don't play with our penis at the dinner table because it's rude. We don't say to Mommy "Why do you have this lump?" when he's pointing out one of the many rolls of baby fat you haven't lost yet because it'll hurt her feelings. We can all argue why these two examples aren't done - we'll say it isn't nice or polite or what good people do.

Reality is, all of it is a convention set up by someone else. It isn't how any of us start out living our lives. Kids call things as they see them. They are authentic because they haven't been told different.

My son is very social. Embarrassingly social. His father and I are introverted. Having our son speak to every person imaginable causes a high level of anxiety in both my husband and me. I don't like talking to people I don't know... Mostly because I'm afraid of looking stupid and of bothering them. I'm not sure of my husband's motivation but I know mine. My skin crawls when I have to talk to people I don't know. My hands sweat, I get nervous. It bugs the hell out of me.

But I have a social, outgoing, gregarious child who must - must say hi and bye to everyone he sees. Everyone. I'm not exaggerating. We stopped in to buy a drink and a snack on our way home, he had to talk to the store clerks and the two other patrons in the store. Grocery shopping on Sunday, every person we saw, he greeted with a smile and a "Hi!" When they don't answer, he says it louder. And when they still don't answer, he says "Mommy, why didn't that man/woman hear me?!"

I've started telling him "Some people aren't as friendly as you." I say it in my normal speaking voice. I also have never shushed him for doing it.

You see, what he is doing is fine. There isn't anything wrong with talking to people. Looking at people or asking questions. I like that he's outgoing. I like that he's confident and believes in himself. I like his authenticity and I'm not going to go out of my way to hamper that.

Sure, I'll tell him not to play with his penis at the table, but I will not shush his innermost voice. Even if it's my feelings he hurts. When he asked if my rolls contained more Mummy milk I just told him that every person is different and special and we should celebrate and encourage those differences.

He then likened the differences to dinosaurs - specifically dinosaur excrement... (this video will only play for those in the USA - YouTube has poor quality videos of the same episode).

So where was I going with this? I don't know. I started off sad and melancholy and thought I'd wax poetic about life and the great tragedies... But as I started to examine this idea of self, I looked to my inspiration - my son - and it's like the light found me. His innocence and youth are my guides and although I don't know the answers or even my path forward, I know that I'll find the way.

Here are a few other points to ponder. They all got me sad today but rereading them tonight, I don't feel quite the same way. Maybe it's because I'm wearing my three year old goggles. ;)


The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another. ~James Matthew Barrie

There is just one life for each of us: our own. ~Euripides

There are only two great tragedies in life: one is never getting what you want. The second IS getting what you want. ~ Oscar Wilde

And just in case you are wondering, the title of this post is from The Northern Pikes Big Blue Sky.

We-Design-Day: Upcycled Interior Chic

If I told you people were doing things that are (going to be) the wave of the future, a way to reduce consumerism, keep things out of the landfill, and give old products new life – that would excite you, wouldn’t it? It excites me! Probably a little too much! This idea I’m going to present to you isn’t new – it’s something old, really. Probably really old… If you think back to a time when most homes were single income, had multiple children and money was scarce, everyone ‘reused’ everyday items until they wore out and fell apart.

The photo below is of my grandparents. It was taken February 8, 1935. I love this picture – it’s so beautiful and whenever I see it, I’m reminded of a few things my Grandmother told me about her early married life. Life was tough for her and my Grampa!



It was the mid –thirties and the country was embroiled in a depression. Although we are North of the United States, the ripple of the 1929 stock market crash was felt globally and by the time Gramma and Grampa married, jobs were scarce, unemployment was high (it hovered around 10% for the entire decade) and the once fertile and supple prairie land had been left drought-stricken, dry and cracked with plagues of grasshoppers.

Take another look at the wedding picture - see my Gramma's dress? Can you guess what it is made from?

Flour used to come in flour sacks. It was common practice to keep the material, bleach the print out of it and sew it together to make clothing, bedding, curtains and an entire blog post of additional uses. But this dress, this beautiful, bleached flour sack dress, was sewn and adorned by my Gramma!

So what does this have to do with (what I’m hoping will be a new - you heard it hear first, Blue Door Interiors, We-Design-Day original) design trend called Upcycled Interior Chic©? Well, as my budget has been getting smaller and smaller for the renovation, I began at looking at how to get all the things we need on our budget – which, by the way, is now around $800 (down from $2000).

But despaired I am not! I’m re energized, excited and I cannot wait to get going! This is so much more my style – funky, odd and so GREEN! It’s like my eyes opened and everything I see now (almost) gets my brain working overtime thinking about how it can fit into my plan! I popped over to my parent’s garage sale this weekend and found the PERFECT piece!

With some paint, mactac and a piece of plexi, I’ve already got four pieces to refurbish! A simple desk will be the new family computer station, an old wall unit will become the storage centre for my studio! It’s only the beginning but already, by reusing and repurposing these items, I’ve kept them from the landfill AND I’ve saved almost $500! And yes, I know my time is worth money but I’m either assembling knock-down furniture or I’m painting. This way, I get a custom piece that I can ‘funky’ up.

This also allows me to spend what we do have on the most important things: power upgrades and new lighting! I'm now on the hunt - scouring the Freecycle and Kijiji listings for anything usable and FREE! How is this not the perfect plan?!

Let's get knocking some walls down!

Come back next week as I'll be posting an updated construction schedule (as obviously, we're behind) and revamping our budget. Thanks for stopping in and what piece do you have that you can see Upcycling?




PS Please note that the phrase "Upcycled Interior Chic©", to the best of my knowledge, has not yet been used or applied as an interior design finishing concept. Being that not-everything is original, I am hoping this is. If you have seen or heard reference to it else where, please let me know (and provide the link). Otherwise, I do believe this is an original concept and would appreciate any use of it being referred back to here. Thanks!

Menu Plan Monday - When the motivation runs away with the spoon

I don't like it when I have the get behind, under the gun and have to plan everything in one night because life got to busy, I had too much wine at the barbecue and spend Sunday "recovering", was in a course all day, had heartburn and am now further behind that I was last week, husband had to survive without a menu on the fridge but they didn't starve 'cause we always got peanut butter blues.

I'm behind - so behind that I think I've spent a whole bunch of time walking backward in my sleep and it's really last week. I like menu planning - I like that I'm really in control of one aspect of my life. But I'm not. Although June ended more than a week ago, I only finished my monthly menu plan tonight and I didn't really do the entire month as we are going camping the last week and I'm holding out planning a menu until we sit down with my parents (as we are going camping with them) and plan out our meals.

My new menu planner is causing me grief too. It still has a couple of 'bugs' that I've not been able to iron out so it kind of makes planning a pain.

Oh, and did I mention that I am feeling so NOT inspired by my culinary abilities. Everything on our menu looks boring, sounds boring and in no way holds my interest. I feel like I've made everything I know how to make one million times and if I have to open one more can of soup or dice another carrot, I will, with out a doubt, expire.

I am also very tired of rotating the "chicken, beef, veggie/fish, pork, pasta, slow cooker" days of my week. I want something new and exciting that will enliven our my Menu Plan blues.

I want to taste France and Portugal and experience Far Eastern delights, I'd love to sample new and exotic flavours fused with traditional, earthy delicacies. But the reality is I've got to feed a child and a husband who knows his enemy - fishies and anything dried (like fruit). I have forty-five minutes to get dinner on the table when I arrive from work. I need simple. I need fast. I need not going to break the bank.

What is a working mother to do? Plug seven more drab meals into the menu planner and hope next week works out better! ;)

June 6 to June 12
Dinners
Monday: Perogies & sausage
Tuesday: Chicken Burgers (from last week)
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes
Thursday: Mushroom & Chicken Linguine
Friday: Barbecued Steak
Saturday: KD & Fishsticks (I'm volunteering all afternoon and the boys will be on their own)
Sunday: Pizza

I know. Never before has a menu lacked originality, variety and interest. It is boring. It is blah, it is all that I could come up with.

For other, more creative menu planning ideas, check out the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday! Come back next week and see if I've kicked the MPM Blues! Thanks for checking in!

52 Week Challenge: Exposing yourself (and the skeleton in the closet)

Each week, I really enjoy surfing all the blogs of those participating in the Organizing Junkie's 52 Week Challenge. I'm always amazed to see that there are so many people who are continually overcome by their stuff and, like me, are working on getting out from under it all!

For Week 19, I had to call in extra resources... See, I know myself too well and I know there are several good words that describe me: creative, fun, silly, kind, passionate, dedicated. But there are others too - like scatterbrained and disorganized. I don't like those words. Sure, I always joke about my piles and my chaotic filing system and I've purchased something twice forgetting that I had already purchased one but couldn't find it when I needed it (ask me how many large sized bias tape makers I have).

I want to be organized and I want my world to fall neatly into line and stay there for more than five minutes!

Participating in the 52 Week Challenge has made me see a few things. First, I like to think I thrive with chaos around me. I've learned that I'm (more often than not) out of control because my environment is out of control.

It's like the old saying 'contempt breeds contempt' - chaos breeds chaos and one does not thrive: one adapts and learns to exist and survive in the world they created around them. To do anything less would be tantamount to admitting defeat.



I am defeated.

I've also learned that my stuff bordered on hoarding. I'm fairly certain that my entire house would like like my office (if I lived alone). I would just keep piling more and more stuff until I couldn't dig my way out with a forklift!

BUT noticed I said "bordered" - not "borders".

Sometime in the past three or four years I quit buying stuff (mostly). But generally speaking, I'm getting better. I realized that those things do not make me happier or feel better nor do they add any value to my life. But I've spent over 12 years getting everything I have because I really tied my sense of happiness and well being to my possessions. I became so overwhelmed that I just stopped dealing with it. I've moved things around and re stacked the piles but I've never really dealt with all the issues tied to it, in part because I don't know where to start.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend an Organizing seminar with a local professional organizer. I've gathered information from the wonderful online communities and I think hearing it in person helped it click. I've also gone back and read many of Laura's older posts (I easily succumb to obsession).

Quite simply, my office, as it exists now, is more than I can do.



So, armed with a little knowledge (enough to be a little dangerous, anyway) I set out to use the PROCESS and a couple of the tricks from the seminar.

First, I really took a look at Laura's PROCESS. We are renovating the basement, I've spent many hours looking and planning (storage) solutions to my sewing and design studio clutter problem. I've pictured a place for everything and room to grow. I also decided know that I could not possibly keep everything I have and fit it into the new space.

North Elevation

West Elevation



This is what I've allowed myself for storage. The nearly 250 metres of fabric, the hundreds of spools of thread, miles of ribbon, cutting rulers, pins, books, magazines (don't ask me about my button collection) has just this much space to exist in along with the crochet supplies, scrabooking stuff, clay modeling and acrylic painting supplies. No storage solution would allow me to keep everything and keep it even a little organized. Trust me, I tried and tried to get everything to fit but I do believe it would be physically impossible for me to squish the current 160 sq ft of clutter and stuff into 14' feet by 18" deep space I will have. Did I mention I also do interior design jobs on the side so I have a sample library too (of paint chips, product guides and laminate samples)?

So, I planned. Then I 'removed' my stuff from the space - well, sort of. The room is adjacent to our main living space so there is no way I could dump put everything out there. Some of the big stuff is in the living room - at least the huge stuff that I can't contend with. As my husband said, I need space to work at the clutter!

And this is where I began to employ some of the tips I learned at the seminar.

First, remember I said I didn't know where to start? Well, this week I learned about "White sheeting" and not biting off more than I can chew. I knew from the get-go my office was going to be a struggle so the White sheeting idea seemed a good one. I used two table clothes to 'hide' part of my room.

This allowed me to focus on one, small manageable piece of the room. Then I applied "containerize" - but not in the typical way. I got boxes and labeled them "Keep" and "Give-away". I also had a garbage bag and a blue bag (for recycling). Then I set to work and I was ruthless.


The Purge Pile


The Undecided Pile

And I know it doesn't look like much, but it is a huge start for me and combining the two helpful techniques allowed me to positively focus on one area as well as allowing me to see instant results.



And although I did not find any Mom jeans or medication older than 2002, I did find three large sized bias tape makers, 17 garbage CD's (old software - I was keeping for a craft), several floppy discs and the notebook I kept when I had my back surgery in 2003 - in which I document every detail of the surgery and resulting complications... And I only did 1/4 of the room...

I have Freecycled all my old design resource guides and paint fan decks, 18 gift bags (I have a dozen still saved for my own use) and I have two - two cubic foot boxes filled with craft items to be played forward. I also have about 70 bottles of acrylic paint I'll be passing on to my Painting Princess of a Sister!

It was a good week and very rewarding for me to see actual progress!

52 Weeks of Organizing: Week 10 - Our Dresser!

Wow - week 10! This week I was a little slow getting my organizing done but as my son played with his friend earlier this evening, I tackled another one of my infamous toppling towers...

Our dresser.

Now I should truly thank and probably point a finger at my husband for both putting up with the ever growing pile of stuff on our dresser and also to say "HEY! I didn't put that box of calendars on our dresser!" Or if I did, I probably forgot and I owe you a chocolate cake... :)



So yes, it is a mess. And yes, I am embarrassed by it but I suppose there is something to public shaming that motivate a person like me... I started wading through the pile of junk and wondered why I put the basket of bibs TroubleMaker quit wearing a year and a half ago on our dresser... And then I wondered if I'd dusted the dresser since last year... I must've right? I found my watch (it needs a battery), my other glasses, $0.25, a nose for Winnie The Pooh, a key and several dinosaurs. There were five story books, the Trudeau biography I started reading before Christmas, To Kill A Mocking Bird (I finished reading it for the 20th time in November) and the lotion that matches my perfume.

I dusted the dresser once I'd emptied it, made a trip to the garbage and the recylcing bag and the four other rooms to return stuff to it's proper place. I was a little (ok, a lot) surprised when I uploaded the 'finished' picture... Look at that wood shine!



I know, right? I wonder how long it will stay like that...

It got me thinking about the questions Laura posted on her site on Week 9...

Do you know what your “good enough” is?

Yes, I think I have an idea... I just want a tidy home that I can manage. I'm tired of being ruled by my possessions and I'm tired of having my 'things' take over my life and home.

Are there areas you are struggling with in this challenge

Yes - keeping the momentum going and I think the biggest thing is struggling with the 'things' I mentioned in question one. I love my stuff - it gives me comfort and security and status and parting with anything is like giving up a part of me. I've been working on parting with stuff and some stuff, I'm ok with... Others, it's like trying to give away a part of myself - especially when it comes to my craft stuff... I decided to give away a bunch of my craft stuff this weekend - no organizing involved, just simply parting with some of the things I've not touched in ten years...

For more super inspiring organizing goodness, check out everyone participating in the 52 Week challenge! Thank you for stopping by and visiting me!

MPM # 41 - A Guide to Good Eating!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m sure many of you are preparing yummy meals for your beloved partner and family… We did our celebration yesterday (more or less). Although we don’t usually make a big deal, my wonderful husband (who claims to think Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark Holiday) bought me a beautiful card anyway. So I made him one of his favourite desserts! I’ll post that recipe on Thursday…

This week is a simple menu and this coming weekend is a LONG weekend for some of us Canadians (It is “Family Day” in Alberta where I live). I’m trying something new this week with the Layered Meatball Casserole, but I’m substituting homemade meatballs for ready made. I don’t like buying ‘pre-made’ food when I can help it. Yes, I’m sure it makes things a little more convenient, but with convenience comes a price… A box of 30 meatballs was around $12 (on sale) at my local grocery market. Buying a little more than a pound of extra lean ground beef from the same store was $5 (it would have been more like $4 from our Butcher – but I didn’t make that trip on Saturday). Also, if you read the Nutrition Label, I’m sure it will frighten you too… The sodium content in most prepared foods is up to three times what the homemade equivalent is.

The one thing I learned early on in my life is the importance of menu planning when it comes to maintaining healthy eating habits. When you come home tired, fed up and hungry (from school or work, etc) it is very easy to toss in a frozen pizza or cook up a box of Kraft Dinner and scarf a cold hot dog or two. I’m not perfect but let me show you an example.

My recipe for “Gramma’s Homemade Mac & Cheese” breaks down nutritionally like this: 1 serving (about ¾ of a cup) has 371 calories and 768 mg of Sodium. “Healthy it up” by omitting the salt (flavor using other spices), using reduced fat cheese, skim milk and whole wheat pasta makes it 297 calories per serving and only 348 mg of sodium!

Comparatively, a similar sized portion of Kraft Dinner has 520 calories and 1200 mg of Sodium!

Most people need only 1200 mg of sodium EACH day. When you make “homemade” you have options – prepackaged food doesn’t give us those choices.

Makes you think, doesn't it???

Here is our menu for this week… (some will be updated later - I left for work and forgot the menu)... :)

February 14 to 20

Monday Crispy Baked Chicken & Corrie's Spanish rice
Tuesday Tuna Melts w/ veggies & dip
Wednesday Ravioli w Rose Sauce
Thursday Layered Meatball Bake
Friday Burgers & chips
Saturday Easy Hot wings & coyote fritters
Sunday Pulled Pork Roast

Want to learn more about healthy eating? Check out these fantastic links…

Canadian Government endorses Menu Planning

Print you own Food Guide

More Good Stuff from Health Canada

Choose My Plate

More good info from the US Dept. of Agriculture

For more links, tips & tricks of Menu Planning and so many more great menus, check out the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!

52 Weeks of Organizing... Challenge Accepted!

Ok. I like to tell people I'm organized. Very organized, actually. It's on my resume. My organizational brags have likely gotten me a job or two. Thankfully, I'm very talented in other ways because, well... Although it's not a lie, I am a bit delusional in my organizing ability. Well, no, that's not quite right... I'm delusional in my ability to keep my life organized.

The one notable exception is in my project management ability - although I may have to shuffle through an enormous file folder that contains all the documents, I know to the penny what my project is costing, how much is left in the budget and exactly where we are in regards to the schedule. I remember conversations and details and actually had a file drawer full of every single incoming and outgoing phone call I made over the six years at my last position.

Personally, well, I need serious help. So during my recent lunch time reading session, I came across a great motivator... The Org Junkie's 52 Weeks of Organizing. I had a "plan" for the year - one of which was to be a little more organized. I've got room after room of 'stuff' that I need to go through. But I think I had that list at the start of last year too... I tried and I wrote about it here and here and it was part the reason I started my blog. I thought if I was 'accountable' publicly, I'd get the job done.

It didn't work.

I realized when reading the challenge on the Org Junkie's site that I have many talents and knowledge but organizing is not one of them... But I can learn and why reinvent the wheel? I have knowledge and skills, which I'm sharing with We-Design-Day but I must realize my specialty is interior design - organizing is not one. So now I'm sifting through articles and hints and I've committed to the 52 Weeks project.

One of the tasks was to make a list. The other night, I made mine. Now, I only have 30 items on my list but I know there are a couple of the tasks are going to be multiple week projects. And I know as I get started, the list will grow.

Here is my dirty little list... It isn't in order either, I just wrote as things came to me and I'll pick/choose the task based on the time I have that week to commit to it.

52 Weeks of Organizing
1. Closet shelf (mine)
2. TroubleMaker's dresser
3. Appliance Closet
4. Ensuite medicine cabinet
5. Ensuite vanity
6. My dresser
7. Front hall closet
8. Main bath vanity
9. Linen cupboard
10. Phone desk
11. Guest room closet
12. Wheel cart
13. Spice cupboard
14. TroubleMaker's toys
15. Cookie sheet cupboard
16. Laundry room
17. Cold room
18. Christmas decorations
19. Painting supplies
20. Non fiction library
21. Sewing studio
22. Design books/library
23. Computer files!
24. Email "inbox"
25. Gardening supplies (shed)
26. Night stand
27. Fabric stash
28. Photos (print)
29. Recipes
30. Back hall closet
31. Broom/pet closet
32. My closet/clothes
33. Dresser top

Wish me luck... I'm going to need it!

How being creative led me here...

I love to create. I have since I was a little girl. Whether it was fashioning new furniture for my dolls from scrap pieces of wood in my Dad’s garage or sewing clothes (without patterns) from my Mom’s fabric stash, I was always putting things together to make new things or cooking up ideas for different things.



Sweater Set handmade by Brennan's Mom


I remember re-purposing the foot rest from my kid sister’s high chair to make a table I could use while sitting in bed and turning a first crochet project into a wall hanging (as I’d dropped enough stitches it could no longer be used as the intended pot holder it was supposed to be). I taught myself guitar when I was 13 and even began writing and playing my own songs a year or so later.



Baby blanket & card handmade by Brennan's Mom


I learned to sew, crochet, create with clay, make cards, scrapbook, arrange flowers and a whole host of other ‘crafty’ things because it’s just who I am. And today, when I started questioning my entire career choice, I began to remember all these things about me and perhaps why I chose to go into interior design ten years ago. Because honestly, three hours ago, I had no idea why I’d chosen this field.

Brennan's Nursery designed & all items in room handmade by Brennan's Mom


But what I did realize over these few hours was that I have not created a thing lately. And my job is of minimal creative value and other than my writing; I haven’t made time to do anything. I have a mother/son apron project half cut out on the sewing table and I owe my friend at See Spot Run a final crate cover! I was supposed to sew my niece pajama pants two years ago and then decided to make her gym bag from the fabric because she’d outgrown the pattern I’d purchased. I have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 metres of fabric waiting to be sewn into something… Anything… But it sits and collects dust instead. And the yarn – I tease my Mom about the thousands of balls of yarn but I’m just as bad – I’m just better at hiding it!


Wedding decorations handmade by Brennan's Mom before she was Brennan's Mom


So although I don’t know how to fix my current dilemma, I know that reading this on The Organic Sister's blog made me think perhaps I should try to apply myself more and find some time soon to get back to the things I know bring me joy.

How does my garden grow?

I have a garden. It is a small garden – only measuring 22’x20’ (6.7m x 6.1m) – or about 440 square feet… When I think about it, my current garden is only a few square feet smaller than the apartment I had when I met my Husband.. I loved that apartment – it was probably my favourite of all the places I’ve lived… The only shortcoming was no garden!

But I digress… My little garden – it has fed us and it has starved us… Neither of which has anything to do with the garden itself but more to do with my lack of gardening skill. I remember when we bought the house – my husband was seriously worried… The new house had a vegetable garden, extensive (by our definition) flower gardens, plum, apple and crabapple trees. And I was not known for my ‘green thumb’. Our first year we hurried and put in a vegetable garden – we ate like kings! And the plum tree – oh my God, did we have plums. Tons of them… Enough to give several of my former co-workers a very upset stomach (from eating far too many ripe yellow plums)! And apples. So many apples our kitchen table has permanent damage (from a temper tantrum over pie crust) and if I’d had an axe that day, we would not longer have an apple tree.

This is one of the plants that mysteriously dissapeared a few years after we moved in... I think I dug it up one spring by mistake thinking it was a weed.









Our second year we had an issue with ants - they damaged the roots of several plants and then we used an all natural product on the hills but it seemed to have a weird effect on the soil and anything that grew in the affected area was stunted and shriveled. We did send our soil away for testing (I used to work for a major research facility that specialized in agriculture) but it was inconclusive and all the soil experts and agrarians assured us that nothing we applied would cause what we were seeing. Regardless, it affected our harvest the next two years. Which was ok – we dumped all our bins of compost on the garden and worked it into the soil. Then we got pregnant, had a baby and really weren’t ready to start gardening again until this year.

And it’s going well – save for the nearly 120 cubic litres of weeds TroubleMaker and I pulled out of the little vegetable patch three weeks ago… Needless to say, I’m a little embarrassed that our garden got so overran by weeds that it choked the cucumbers into extinction! We had a funny season here this year. Early in the spring, we were suffering draught conditions. Then it was cold – unseasonably cold and we couldn’t plant for fear of frost. By the time my Husband, his Mom and TroubleMaker seeded our garden it was the second week in June and we still had frost that nearly killed our four tomato plants! It then rained constantly and steadily for a month. It would just dry out enough to get into and it’d start raining again – hence the weeds that nearly took over.

But we’ve eaten from the garden. Two picks of peas (and another to come), green beans twice, a few carrots, new potatoes and enough dill to supply the most ambitious of picklers. I didn’t plant the dill; by the way, it’s a byproduct of living in an old part of town. Things just grow here, whether you plant them or not. Poppies - one of those things that just keep growing without any input from me...

Yes, that reminds me, we had a spinach salad too this year – but we didn’t plant it this year! Last year, we had spaghetti squash – it grew out of our compost.
Relatively speaking, we have amazing soil. The neighbourhood we’re in used to all be farm land so the dirt is supple and fertile. Things grow big and green and honestly, I don’t have to do too much to it. And this year, the credit really needs to go to my Husband and TroubleMaker – they made the garden the success it is!
We are thinking and planning of uprooting (haha) our little vegetable patch so we can build a new garage with apartment studio for Blackstone Images and for the most part, I was ok with that… until last night when I realized that it would be the end of my gardening. Sure, I’d already decided to dig up the few flowers I haven’t killed and put in vegetables, but my little patch of sunshine will be gone…

And I don’t know if I’m really ready for that.

Our Daily Bread...

A few days ago, I was flipping through a cook book I've owned for more than a dozen years. For many of those years, it was my 'staple' cook book but the other day, I found a recipe I don't ever recall seeing in it before. It was for Italian Cheese Bread. Now, I love homemade bread but generally, it's time consuming and tedious.

Yes, I have my dream Kitchen Aid Mixed (I love you Mixer - that's the rule of the Mixer - one must always say "I love you Mixer" whenever one speaks of the Mixer) with a dough hook but I don't like using it for 'hard tasks' because, well, I'm weird that way... But my lovely Mixer is another post... Back to the bread.

The day I found the bread recipe, I was too short on time to make it but today, having had a late afternoon meeting cancelled, I decided to sneak home and try this recipe! TroubleMaker drug his chair to the counter and we assembled the ingredients!

"Where was I?" I asked myself about a dozen times this afternoon while measuring the ingredients as I kept losing my place!

Forty five minutes later, we were almost ready to put the bread in the oven to rise. Now, had I been working alone, I would have had it together in about fifteen but I`ve learned that these extra minutes spent working with my son are the best (even if they are frustrating) so he has had a regular place in my kitchen whenever I cook.

Half an hour more and we preheated the oven and prepared to cook our bread!

Another 40 minutes and BOOM! Bread (and spaghetti with meat sauce - YUM!)... And I decide that the bread looked so good, it must be photographed... And thankfully, I married a photographer so with dinner on the back burner and the counter emptied of the usual household stuff, we had mini-shoot! And then, once we'd reassembled the kitchen and I sliced the bread, I called back to my husband and asked him to do it again so up came the cameras, reflectors and lights and we were re-shooting the bread...

The finished product was definitely worth it - but take a look for yourself...

Now, it was good but it could be better... Here is the recipe and below is what I'd do differently (and will do) next time...

Italian Cheese Bread

2-1/2 cups flour
2 pkgs yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine

2 eggs

2-3/4 cups flour

FILLING:
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg of dry salad dressing mix, like Salad n Dips Italian or Country Herb
1/4 tsp garlic powder.

METHOD:
Combine first 4 ingredients, mix well in large mixing bowl.

Heat milk, water and margarine well (until hot and margarine is melted). Stir to combine and add to dry ingredients. Add in two eggs and beat on low until well combined. Turn mixer to medium and continue to beat for 3 minutes. Add second amount of flour, one cup at a time until blended and dough is sticky.

Turn onto lightly floured surface and kneed gently. Cut into two pieces and shape into a two balls.

Grease a 12" bundt pan well. Sprinkle lightly with Sesame Seeds. Poke hole in one of the balls and fit into bundt pan.

Combine filling ingredients and put on top of dough in pan.

Poke hole in second ball and place on top of filling and first lot of dough.

Cover with greased wax paper and clean tea towel. Place in COLD oven with only the oven light on. Wait 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and preheat to 350 F. Put uncovered pan of bread in oven and bake 30minutes (or until done - bread should sound hollow when knocked). Turn onto wire rack to cool.

What I'll do differently...
The bread was good but a little 'heavy' and 'cakey' so I may try just putting it i bowl first, letting it rise and punching it down before forming. Also, it was a little short on flavour. Next time, I'd add the seasoning packet to the dry ingredients (first 4). I'd likely omit the butter in the filling too and just either add the cheese into the dry ingredients or put it in the middle as suggested.

The good news is it is quick and makes a nice addition to a pasta dinner. It also would be very good with a supper salad (like Chicken Caesar Salad). I hope you try it - original or modified!

The Pioneer Woman

Photo Courtesy of Blackstone Images


Last week, while perusing some of the great menus on Menu Plan Monday, I happened across The Pioneer Woman and I fell hopelessly and dearly in love with her and her life.

Since then, I've been reading her blog nearly every spare chance I get. It is amazing - I don't know it it's because I have my own man who reminds me of her Marlboro Man or because I've always wanted to live on a ranch or I love the Prairie or I love her house... She writes well, is interesting, captivating and keeps me coming back for more.

I spent a whole afternoon last week just reading her romantic tale of how she met her husband! I could see myself curled up in snugly PJ's (complete with fuzzy socks) in a big arm chair reading the book in actual print.

At the tail end of my lunch today, I popped back over and it was a full 15 minutes later before I landed back in reality (and that was because my sister called). I was completely enamoured with this post and it made me want to call my three best friends from junior high and get together!

If you have a spare afternoon, check her blog out!