A Simple Woman's Daybook~September 5, 2015

Our lives pass swiftly by! I want to do something to remember

the everyday moments and my thoughts about them.  

That is what this Daybook is all about.

Focusing on the little things that become my life.

One entry at a time.

Just for today~Saturday, September 5, 2015

Outside my window...It is 6:15 pm and I am sitting down to write a Daybook for the first time in over 5 months.  It has been far too long and I feel I really cannot let the sun set today without at least beginning again. I am playing catch up for sure on this one.  I am disappointed in myself for slacking off this much for the first time in literally years.  

It is beautiful out right now.  Just perfect in temperature and the bright sun has headed further west casting a nice shade over our home and yard.  The week ahead is to be hot again so we are enjoying every minute of this cooler weather right now.  Jim is out working in his wood shop and I have been working all day on all kinds of things.  The coolness brings added energy.  We do not have air conditioning so we have to start very early on the hot days to get things done.  Today was more leisurely.

Here a few highlights to catch up...2015.  Easter Time found us in Utah for a few weeks with Jen and her family. We had an excellent time with all of them.  Nobody makes an Easter Basket Like Jen.  The woman is an artist.  Lucky Girls! 

In May and June we were in Rhode Island, and Loughborough, England visiting our kids and grandkids. 

How lucky to see all ten of the grandkids in such a short span of time.  We also went to visit our friends, the Rayners, in Chester, England and toured around Wales visiting our ancestors' old stomping grounds.  We did lots of sightseeing and it was all spectacular.  I have been working on posts of all of that but they are not done yet. 

At the end of June we had a big backyard party for Jim's co-workers at the temple. In July Jennifer and our 4 grandgirls came for 11 days and we had a lot of adventures.  Lowell came as his work would permit for three days.  At the end of that we had a family reunion in our backyard so everyone could see them. 

 A week after they left I flew to Utah to attended The BYU Genealogy Conference for four days and then Jim came up with his mom for Owen's baptism on August 1st.  

In August we had something major every weekend. I taught a class called The Traveling Genealogist.  It was fun and relaxed and on how to travel and work on your family history at the same time.   The week before last we had three weddings and one pre-wedding dinner for 40 here at our house.  During that same week we had a family funeral for one of Jim's cousin a few times removed who was 93. He was a great man.  Because it was out of town we were gone 8 hours!  So come to think of it I am not surprised I haven't done a daybook in forever and a day.

I am thankful for...everything good in my life and for the challenges and God's help in getting us through them.  It is great to know he is always there for us no matter what the problem or what the solution. We are never alone if we choose to live in his presence.  If there is anything I have learned over and over again in my life it is that faith is the opposite of fear.

From the learning room...I am learning that new beginnings are always possible.  I can begin again as many times as I need to orchestrate my life in a better way.  I learned about a psychology term called "flow" yesterday.  It is fascinating and one we can all relate to on many levels.  Google the term flow~psychology.  I learned about it in Weight Watchers but it has application in all aspect of our lives.  Yes, I am back at that again after two months away.  I will be a member all of my life.  Going back was a good decision.  Only up 1.8 pounds in all the traveling indulgences.  May I say, God is Good!

I am reading...the words of wise people in several areas. Spiritual, health, genealogy, family things, household things, relationship things.  I really enjoy learning, it keeps me more in tune with God, myself, others and the world around us.

On Pinterest This Week....I have enjoyed my daily journey of pinning the beautiful things in this life that I enjoy and that mean something to me.  Here is my favorite pin from the last few days: Autumn...Bring It!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/252272016604364838/

From the kitchen...We have been enjoying the organic garden tomatoes this month.  Sorry to see them almost done for this year.  We eat light in the summer with all the melons, and fruits and vegetables.  I love a summer dinner plate...so colorful and delicious.  All stocked up for a healthy week.

Some spiritual thoughts I have been having...I have been thinking about the truly loving nature of our Heavenly Father and The Savior.  I have tried to be more aware of the blessing and miracles all around us and it is totally amazing. Faith in God opens doors to every possible way to be happy and feel secure in this fallen world.  His love is a protection for us and a sturdy foundation to build our lives upon. Sharing these common beliefs with the most important people in our lives is important to us.  It draws us much closer to our beautiful family and friends.

Someone I am praying for this week...Our family, some friends that are struggling with health and family issues, little babies with injuries and health issues.  Older people that are bothered by the chronic issues of aging and young kids returning to school.  Prayer is a constant thing for those we love.  We have also been praying regarding the drought in California and other places, the rampant fires, the people whose lives are affected.

I am hearing...The silence of a beautiful Sunday morning.  I hear Jim buzzing around getting ready for church.  I need to do  the same shortly.  I am looking forward to it today.  Such a stabilizing force for good and association with great people.

One of my pleasures...having my desk organized and straightened up.  A constant chore but worth the effort.  I am always working on it.  I need to go through my file cabinets and get some clutter out of them that I no longer need.

Pet Peeves...One thing that is my delight and my nemesis is the constant changing of technology regarding, computers, software, hardware, etc.  I love it and I hate it. I am still trying to get my new computer and laptop organized and set up after a few months.  There is always so much to learn and know...sometimes it makes me tired.

Past Remembrance...when Jim and I first learned about home computers and how we spent a long time being very curious about what one would do with one?  We came to the conclusion we didn't think we would need one.  We already had a place to store all our recipes and other importnat things. Haha!

If I could change one thing it would be...my knees!  And whatever else others need to function better and do their life in less pain.

An enjoyable movie/ TV show we have watched lately...Poldark.  A must see.  A Masterpiece TV series.  Exceptional.  Aidan Turner is magnificent in it.

I Am Quoting...

I am curious about...When we can get back to Europe to explore all the other Welsh lines we have and maybe get to Sweden.  We have enjoyed our travels so much.  It is a lot of work but so rewarding and fun.   Hopefully we can get back soonish, because now that Jim can drive there so well..I don't want him to forget how!  

Plans for the rest of the week...haven't decided for sure on Labor Day yet, either Temple, and a BBQ with the ward or Stay home and relax! Tuesday work, Wednesday, etc. not much on the calendar so that means get caught up on things and maybe do some more writing.  There is never a lack of things to do, that is for sure.   We are heading to Washington State for a family reunion with my cousins on my Dad's side later this month.  Just four days but it will be great!  Also my friend, Carol, is having her birthday this week so that will entail some fun I'm sure.  And I have some genealogy classes to prepare in the coming weeks.

One of my favorite things...autumn which is almost here.  There are things to look forward to and plan.  Thinking about the holidays and wondering how they are coming around again so quickly?  Thinking about getting out the fall decorations.  But with another heat wave coming maybe it won't be this week. 

One thing that made me so happy this past week...We had a fun dinner with my brother Steve and his wife Emily. That was so nice to just sit and chat with them,  Also our grandson, Connor, got his first job at Pizza Pie Cafe.  He rocks!

The most surprising thing this past week...Our water heater died on Monday.  Jim and Dave installed a new one on Monday night. (God bless those two.) By Tuesday it was competed and we had hot water again.  I off-handedly mention, "I think the dishwasher will be next."  The next morning Jim turned on the dishwasher and it was leaking all over the place.  Hmm..at least after removing the whole thing Jim saw the problem and it was only a $30.00 fix not a new dishwasher this time.  Whew!  God bless him doubly!

Here is a Photo I'm Sharing...these are some pine trees at Soda Springs that we saw coming home from Utah on August 2nd.  They looked so pretty after 8 hours in the Nevada dessert.  However, as we came down out of the Sierras it got dryer and dryer and many trees are not doing well in our beautiful State.  We need rain so desperately. Please pray for our trees and the things that make California so beautiful.  And that there will not be any more fires in the west to threaten lives or property.  Thanks Friends!

UNTIL THE NEXT DAYBOOK,

BE HAPPY AND CARRY ON!
Take Care Of You For Me!

UK Musing From Wingham, England

25 May 2015

Gobery Hill Cottage 

I’m sitting in this beautiful home we have rented in Wingham, England. I’ve been pondering the experiences we have had in Wales within the last week. This home is called Gobery Hill Cottage and is just the perfect place for writing.  The vantage point of this photo is facing the cottage back door of the cottage which has an outstanding view from the dining table.  Today the family went to Dover Castle for a special re-enactment of WWII and I had the entire day to write.  

The dining room has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the gorgeous lush green garden with grass and trees. The sky is like a video presentation of various cloud formations moving quickly across the sky.They vary in color, size and shape.  This scenic sky is insuring that the experienced person will be layering today and taking a brollie along. There are some park benches in the garden for just being.  There are lovely potted flowers on the patio and planted in beds around the perimeter of the yard. Added perks include little bunnies hopping through the yard now and then. The environment for writing is important for me. Solitude and quiet are essential.  Beauty is helpful as well.  I am in love with this day!

This reminds me of the day I was able to write all day in Yosemite looking out through the huge  windows from a secluded place within the big lobby of the Ahwahnee Hotel. That was four days after Jim and I retired in 2010.  That was more than five years ago now but seems like yesterday.   The scenery was captivating. There is something calming about elements of nature that open my spirit, heart and mind to thoughts that only surface with less confusion when I write.

We have been here a couple of days with our kids Chris and Melissa and their four kids.  The house was rented  so we could all  have a little vacation together as well.  It is hard to believe they have already been living in the UK in Loughborough England for nearly a year.  A Sabbatical at the University Design School in Loughborough brings them here.  As I begin my musings about this trip they have only about six weeks before they will return home to Utah.  We have already spend some time in Loughborough at their amazing home and find it absolutely charming.  Oh there is so much to tell!

I will write about all our time there later as we are still going to be there for a few weeks once we leave Kent and go north to their home.   

 The Uk is very different in many ways that the USA and yet very familiar too.  There are a lot of adjustments going on as we make our way from place to place.  It's all about adapting, something that seems to get harder as you get older.  

It is all about “no hurry” over here. It is good for my legs but not my nerves because the American contingency I’m with is still on the fast track. The same held true for getting new sim cards for our old phones. We needed a hotspot and they were out. We couldn’t find one until getting to Chester*, England and then when we got it, it didn’t work well. It’s nothing akin to a hotspot in the US that is just incorporated into your internet provider fees…the hotspot here is an added device you carry with you.  

*Chester will have it's own post as well.  I feel such an urgency to get the genealogical parts of the trip down first.  

Here is a little about our cottage here in Wingham before I dive completely into the trek to Wales.  

Chris and Missy's Room

The grandkid slept in this upstairs room.

The Living Room

Our Melissa~Our Magician in the Kitchen!  

She is unbelievably good at the culinary arts.

The Kitchen was so nice and well-stocked.

Our Cozy Room

 

The Game Room

The Loo

They have these incredibly modern bathrooms in some places but not one of them throughout the Kingdom has a socket in the bathroom for blow-drying your hair. What the heck? That does not seem to have changed in 20 years.  It wouldn’t be bad if they placed their mirrors close to the plugs they do have but that doesn’t necessarily happen. I could go on but you get the picture. Even getting ready for the day is a chore until you acclimate. Different is not bad, it is just different and it takes some adjustments to your regular mindless routines.

We take our conveniences at home for granted and we are far too dependent upon them and our many creature comforts. Don't get me wrong this home was spectacular and spacious with all the amenities but still no place for plugging in your hair dryer that was convenient.  It's not a priority in England apparently.

First hand experiences are so enlightening and reveal things about one’s self one might not really want to know. Just sayin’. Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue…

All that aside we had a lovely, lovely time in Wingham, England.  There were some great family times and fun adventures in Kent.  We went to Warwick Castle and Canterbury Cathedral.  The ward we visited was so friendly and kind.  We made new friends with shared values in a matter of minutes. That is one think I truly love about The Church. There are so many good people and hunting for common ground is unnecessary.  I cannot help thinking what a wonderful experience this is for Chris and Missy and their kids.  They have been so thoughtful in how they have spent their time here.  They ave been to western Europe and all around the UK during this year.  These kids are so privileged, they have grown closer than ever and this has been all good for them.  They have missed their friends and things at home but like all all of us...when they get home they will long for these memories once again.

Easter Thoughts 2015

Our Easter celebration and commemoration is upon us.  The glorious event pictured above is the culmination of this week.  The joy of the open tomb of our resurrected Lord and Redeemer. The events leading up to it were not so pleasant.

I have written a lot of Easter posts in the past few years and have given talks about Easter on Easter in church more than once or twice.  But for a couple of years I had been trying to remember where I had seen the Easter passages that really touched my heart several years ago.  It was in one of our church books somewhere.  I am excited that I have found it again and I love this so much.  This is a talk given by Jeffery R. Holland when he was the President of Brigham Young University in 1985.  I found a portion of it in his book entitled On Earth As It Is On Heaven.  It was published in 1989 By Deseret Books.

The book included a portion of the talk in this anthology.  The Chapter heading is I Stand All Amazed.  Hmm, being the researcher in training these days I thought maybe...just maybe there is a talk online by Elder Holland with the same title.  Bingo.  I found it on Google is a nano second.

So I have given you a portion of his words where he is quoting a former Apostle, Elder Melvin J Ballard later on in the text.

Elder Holland...

“There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

“And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

“And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

“Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

“But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

“But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

“And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.” (Matt. 21:33–39.)

That is the moment at which we find ourselves on the summit of Golgotha. It is not a pleasant story. Through patience that seems inordinately generous, the Father and the Son have waited and watched and worked in this vineyard for mercy to run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. But they have not run. Not only have the prophets and faithful few been killed, but now so is to be the son of the Lord of the vineyard. A terrible, incalculable price is to be paid, and it wounds the human heart to tell it.

In the midst of the swearing and the spit, the thorns and the threats, the ridicule and the rending of his garments; added to the crushing weight of his own body straining for support on the very nails that have been driven into his hands and into his feet; with friends in retreat and foes as far as the eye could see, the worst possible scene in this divine drama unfolds.

Perhaps the briefest glimpse is given of the terrible emotions and forces at work here when we read lines intentionally preserved for us in the original Aramaic: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46.)

There is one thing and one thing alone this Only Begotten Son has been sure of: the love and companionship and unwavering support of his father. Consider these lines taken almost at random from the Gospel of John. They are suggestive of a theme that runs throughout that book.

“The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: … The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth.” (John 5:19–20.)

“I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38.)

“I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him.” (John 7:28–29.)

“The Father that sent me beareth witness of me. … If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.” (John 8:18–19.)

“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30.)

“He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” (John 12:49.)

“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” (John 16:32.)

And then this assertion, perhaps the most painful of all: “I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. … He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” (John 8:16, 29.)

That one constant thread of doctrine and belief, the one certainty he had in spite of what might happen among mortal friend and foe: “[My] Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things which please him.”

And now, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

May I share this from Elder Melvin J. Ballard, written many years ago:

“I ask you, what father and mother could stand by and listen to the cry of their children in distress … and not render assistance? I have heard of mothers throwing themselves into raging streams when they could not swim a stroke to save their drowning children, [I have heard of fathers] rushing into burning buildings to rescue those whom they loved.

“We cannot stand by and listen to those cries without its touching our hearts. … He had the power to save, and He loved His Son, and He could have saved Him. He might have rescued Him from the insult of the crowds. He might have rescued Him when the crown of thorns was placed upon His head. He might have rescued Him when the Son, hanging between two thieves, was mocked with, ‘Save thyself, and come down from the cross. He saved others; himself he cannot save.’ He listened to all this. He saw that Son condemned; He saw Him drag the cross through the streets of Jerusalem and faint under its load. He saw the Son finally upon Calvary; he saw His body stretched out upon the wooden cross; he saw the cruel nails driven through hands and feet, and the blows that broke the skin, tore the flesh, and let out the life’s blood of His [Only Begotten] Son. …

“[He] looked on [all that] with great grief and agony over His Beloved [Child], until there seems to have come a moment when even our Saviour cried out in despair: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.

“In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles, … His great heart almost breaking for the love that He had for His Son. Oh, in that moment when He might have saved His Son, I thank Him and praise Him that He did not fail us. … I rejoice that He did not interfere, and that His love for us made it possible for Him to endure to look upon the sufferings of His [Only Begotten] and give Him finally to us, our Saviour and our Redeemer. Without Him, without His sacrifice, we would have remained, and we would never have come glorified into His presence. … This is what it cost, in part, for our Father in heaven to give the gift of His Son unto men.

“He, … our God, is a jealous God—jealous lest we should [ever] ignore and forget and slight His greatest gift unto us”—the life of his Firstborn Son. (Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness,Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, pp. 136–38.)"

Elder Holland continues...

So how do we make sure that we never “ignore or slight or forget” his greatest of all gifts unto us?

We do so by showing our desire for a remission of our sins and our eternal gratitude for that most courageous of all prayers, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34.) We do so by joining in the work of forgiving sins, which is so clearly demonstrated hour after hour, day after day, in temple work, from the baptismal font on the back of those twelve oxen deep inside the House of the Lord clear to the veil of the temple, the celestial room, and the Holy of Holies beyond it.

“‘Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,’ [Paul commands us]. (Gal. 6:2) … The law of Christ, which it is our duty to fulfill, is the bearing of the cross. My brother’s burden which I must bear is not only his outward lot [and circumstance], … but quite literally his sin. And the only way to bear that sin is by forgiving it in the power of the cross of Christ in which [we] now share. Thus the call to follow Christ always means a call to share [in] the work of forgiving men their sins. Forgiveness is the Christlike suffering which it is the Christian’s duty to bear.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 2d ed., New York: Macmillan, 1959, p. 100.)

Surely the reason Christ said “Father, forgive them” was because even in the weakened and terribly trying hour he faced, he knew that this was the message he had come through all eternity to deliver. 

All of the meaning and all of the majesty of all those dispensations—indeed the entire plan of salvation—would have been lost had he forgotten that not in spite of injustice and brutality and unkindness and disobedience but precisely because of them had he came to extend forgiveness to the family of man.

Anyone can be pleasant and patient and forgiving on a good day. A Christian has to be pleasant and patient and forgiving on all days. It is the quintessential moment of his ministry, and as perfect in its example as it was difficult to endure.

Is there someone in your life who perhaps needs forgiveness? Is there someone in your home, someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood who has done an unjust or an unkind or an unchristian thing? All of us are guilty of such transgressions, so there surely must be someone who yet needs your forgiveness.

And please don’t ask if that’s fair—that the injured should have to bear the burden of forgiveness for the offender. Don’t ask if “justice” doesn’t demand that it be the other way around. No, whatever you do, don’t ask for justice. You and I know that what we plead for is mercy—and that is what we must be willing to give."

I find this to be extremely beautiful and poetic and true.  I especially love the portion where he is quoting Elder Ballard.  We often think of the magnitude of our Savior's sacrifice which is incomprehensible to us.  

But until I read this passage I never pondered deeply about the unfathomable anguish of Our Heavenly Father as He watched His Only Begotten Son experience this horrific death one hideous abuse after another, knowing that he could have stopped it.  But He, Our Heavenly Father, suffered it for us. Having a son of your own adds yet another dimension of appreciation for His gift.  Our Heavenly Father did this because He loves us...that much.  Imagine it!  It was for you and for me individually and all of us.  Not as a group but for each one.  

There are not words sufficient to express the gratitude we should feel for both The Father and The Son not just in this Holy Week but all the time.  Because of that pivotal and universal sacrifice the opportunity for everything that is important in this life and the next can be ours.  This should give us great cause alone to have A Very Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs~I Learned Something Today!

I enjoy that a lot of our religious celebrations also are accompanied by cultural traditions that are fun for families and people everywhere.  Which one among us would not like to get a chocolate bunny for Easter no matter our age?  

I like occasions that unify us as a people, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, etc. There are far too many things that divide us as Americans. The speaker in church stated today that he had looked up Easter eggs and then he said something I cannot ever remember hearing before.  I may be showing my ignorance here!  Or have I known it before and dismissed or forgotten it?  Who can know for sure with the hard drive of my brain getting more full day by day?  

Anyway his talk prompted me to look Easter Eggs up on Wikipedia.  Sure enough his words were a direct quote from the Wiki.  

"Easter Eggs, also called Pascal Eggs, are decorated eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.  As such, Easter Eggs are common during the season of Easter.  The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionary such as jelly beans. Eggs were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth in Christianity. 

For the celebration of Eastertide, Easter Eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus.  The Easter Egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who will also experience eternal life."

The part I didn't know was the underlined part of the above paragraph.  Easter Eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus.  I never could really grasp that from the way Easter eggs were done in our childhood.  

But I think it is perfect for the way modern customs have provided us with the plastic eggs that open.  We normally put little treats inside, right?  There has got to be a clever little way to have kids find some eggs that are empty and that is the surprise inside. (So they don't burst into tears explain first perhaps? Like something far better awaits when you find an empty one?) Then following up with something about the resurrection for the little ones and a really special treat.  For what it is worth, it just made me think of a way we could incorporate a teaching moment along with an Easter Egg Hunt for our little ones.  

In keeping with my new resolve to post more often and reprise older posts here is one from 2011.

Easter Eggs

Wouldn't it be fun if you could save eggs your kids decorate when they are little that aren't hand blown and so fragile? Wouldn't it be neater if your little kids could even hold and decorate a blown out egg without cracking it?

Once while decorating eggs with my friend, Lee, I discovered that you can. Did you know that you can hard boil and decorate eggs that will last forever a long long time? If they don't have any cracks they will be just fine for years to come. I always thought they would start smelling rotten, but nope. All that happens is that the egg inside dehydrates and shrinks and they are like a little rattle over time. Think plastic egg with a small chocolate egg in it. The first few years I would leave them out but hidden for a few months to make sure they were not rotten before storing them away. I have never had a problem and neither has Lee and she still has some that her mother painted for her when she was a little girl. Try it, it is eggciting.

The eggs that you see with the patterns on them are done with hard boiled eggs and spring tissue papers. You just tear some pieces dip them in liquid starch and press them on the egg and dry. Our daughter, Jen, taught me this little trick ten years ago when we were in Scotland she made them for Piper's first Easter. I fell in love with them but they were the blown eggs so would not transport easily. Finally I just made some of my own. Again, my kinda thing. They really are pretty cute for the effort that goes into them.

Well, I hate to put all my eggs in one basket but this is probably the only crafting post you will ever see from this chick!

Easter Week is Coming

This is just beautiful and says it all. Remember Him!

Kick-Start Heightened Personal Productivity!

When I looked at my total number of posts this year I felt terrible.  FIVE.  That is not acceptable. I have decided to revisit the over two thousand posts I have done since December 2007 and republish some of the more timeless ones, or the reminiscent ones, or the funny ones.  I also thought that it might be fun to pick amongst the hundreds of Pinterest photos I have collected and share thoughts about one every once in awhile.  This post comes from another blogger and it is one that helps me a lot even still.  Attribution and link below for The Happiness Project's author.

The only place clutter works~in the garden!

Remember when we thought that electronics would make our world of paper, a thing of the past? Wow, not so. When I got home last night I found two and a half weeks worth of mail, magazines, junk mail, bills, cards and letters, adverts, you name it. Jim was so sweet to stack it all up nicely for me and for that I am grateful...but Holy Cow! So much paper! I am a real stickler about keeping my desk fairly well cleaned off as I find it gets overwhelming if you don't. I also go into many homes where the paper takes up more room than the people. For me it is almost like brushing your teeth~you take care of it everyday for a few minutes or pay the price down the line.

I have so much to do to get ready for the staging on Friday but I really just couldn't unclutter my mind to think straight until I took care of this paper mess. So I have slowly been chipping away at it while unpacking, etc. Some time ago I ran across a fun blog and today there is a great article in there about this very topic and increasing our personal productivity. 

This article is by Gretchen Rubin. You can find her here~
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/
Add her to your Reader, she has some great ideas.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.

Better Personal Productivity

"I confess: I can’t touch each piece of paper just one time. I can’t return every email within 24 hours. I can’t maintain a clear desk at all times. I can’t go paperless. Nevertheless, I’ve found some realistic strategies for getting things done that have helped me a lot.

One thing I know about myself is that an accumulation of tiny tasks, even if they aren’t particularly irksome in themselves, combine to make me feel overwhelmed and drained. If I can keep little chores from piling up, I feel much more capable of tackling bigger, more difficult tasks.

For that reason, many of my most important daily personal productivity rules are very low-tech and simple – they’re aimed to help me accomplish the most basic tasks of my day.

1. Follow the “one-minute rule.” I don’t postpone any task that can be done in less than one minute. I put away my umbrella; I glance at a letter and toss it; I put the newspapers in the recycling bin; I close the cabinet door. Because the tasks are so quick, it isn’t too hard to make myself follow the rule, but it has big results.

2. Observe the “evening tidy-up.” I take ten minutes before bed to do simple tidying. Tidying up at night made our mornings more serene and pleasant, because I’m not running to and fro like a headless chicken; and it also helps me prepare me for sleep, because putting things in order is calming, and doing something physical makes me aware of being tired.

3. Do a daily errand, or a bi-weekly errand afternoon. I keep a list of things I need to do (get a prescription filled, buy a new toner cartridge, return library books), and each day, I do one of them. Doing one errand is manageable, and although it doesn’t sound like much, it adds up. My mother prefers to spend one afternoon every few weeks running errands—perhaps a more efficient strategy in a place like Kansas City, where she needs to do a lot of driving from place to place, in contrast to New York City, where I usually do my errands while I’m walking someplace. And while I’m running those errands, I…

4. Buy necessary supplies and keep them in order. Nothing annoys me more than spending time vainly searching for some obscure yet important office supply: a jumbo binder clip, an index card, a ruler, double-sided tape. I dislike running errands (therefore, tip #2), but having the right equipment, and keeping it organized enough so I can find what I want, makes a big difference to how much I can get accomplished in a day. Also my level of aggravation.

5. Ask yourself, “Why do I need this?” before you keep anything. I have a friend who filed the stubs from her gas bills for years. “Why do you keep those at all?” I asked, when she was complaining about how far behind she was with her personal paperwork. “My father always told me to keep that kind of thing,” she said. That’s not a good enough reason!

6. If there’s something you don’t want to do, prepare all the necessary preliminary steps the night before, and make yourself do it first thing in the morning. For example, I dislike making even the easiest phone calls, so I always steel myself to do those right away. (Check here if you need more tips for making yourself place phone calls you don’t want to make.)

7. Be diligent about “unsubscribing.” I need to be better at this. We all find our way onto email lists and newsletters of all sorts, and I often let weeks or months go by before taking five seconds to unsubscribe. But it’s worth it, to weed out clutter from your in-box.

8. Keep a daily scratch pad. You know those notes you write to yourself—phone numbers, URLs, the “call John Doe” reminders, the quick “don’t forget” notes…all those nagging loose ends that clutter the surface of a desk, and then vanish, get thrown away, or can’t be deciphered when you’re looking for them? Now I keep a scratch pad on my desk, and anytime I have the urge to make a note, I discipline myself to write it there. At the end of the day, I copy anything I need to keep (this is important!), then toss the paper.

9. Remember my Eighth Commandment and “Identify the problem.” This sounds so obvious, but it’s astonishingly helpful. For example, I like to work in coffee shops, and for years, and I mean years, I spent a lot of time running out of battery power and chasing around looking for someplace to plug in my laptop. Then I asked myself: “What’s the problem?” Answer: “I need more battery power.” Light dawned. I could buy an extra battery! I did, and it gave me a huge boost in productivity."

Don't Be Afraid...

I thought this was quite cool and decided to write a little something about it.  What is so great about sparkle and why should a lady go for it?  Because she can!   Sparkle is adding a little pizazz to the ordinary.  I love that the fashion industry has been on bling for several years now.  Why?  Because it is fun and fancy and whimsical.  I don't like dreary...not a bit.

Glitter adds light and uplift and excitement to drab.  There comes that time in a woman's life when she is no longer a young girl. Around the 40s it seems to hit.  People often decided to quit trying then.  My thought is if you can buy a cute tee shirt with a little bedazzlement...why not?  Or a ring with some pretty stones or a dangly bracelet...go for it.  Or how about a cute scarf that adds a lot to an outfit and covers up those neck wrinkles a bit or at least distracts the eye.  A big YES!

It will lift your spirit and make you feel fancy.  It doesn't have to be expensive, in fact it shouldn't be. Just something to brighten your countenance and make your eyes sparkle a little more is fun.  Of course sparkly from the inside is essential and beautiful too.  But today I'm just talking about the exterior.  I say why do drab when you don't have to?  Unless of course you like the real toned down approach, in which case then carry on!

As for me and my closet we are going to keep calm and sparkle on.  Why?  Because it makes me happy.  When I am happy I see the world through a different set of glasses.  They are rose-colored perhaps, but that is OK isn't it?