Breezed right through Thanksgiving

All the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten and it is now time to move on to Christmas cards. I have to be honest, I love the entire Holiday season. Everything about it except actually shopping in person on Black Friday. Never have and never will. I gave myself extra room this year. Started cooking on Tuesday and it worked out so well, I will continue that tradition. I find that this time of year can be difficult for people. Trying to do it all and putting such unrealistic expectations on themselves that they are bordering on a breakdown. It is NOT worth that kind of stress. We moved to our cabin 8 1/2 years ago and this is now our forever home. It is tiny. We do not have room to decorate and entertain like we used to. I have accepted that and we do what we can within our space restrictions. Family, friends and good food is what it is all about. Don't lose sight of that! Okay, off to update my address labels. Enjoy your weekend!

Talking Clutter again!

Since fall is almost here, I thought I would address clutter once again before we are stuck inside all winter. You have heard me say this before. Feng Shui is about increasing the flow of energy or chi in your space to create harmony but it’s also about surrounding yourself with things that you love. That being said, when there is too much “stuff” in the way, the energy gets stuck and things tend to stagnate in your life. Sometimes when there is an energy blockage you may not even be aware that it is the clutter that is causing the issue. Now, I am not asking you to live a totally minimalist lifestyle. You don’t have to completely clear the decks! Just take a look around your home and ask yourself the following questions. Do I like this? When is the last time I used it? Where did it come from? Does it have sentimental value to anyone in the household? I have found that we sometimes get so used to seeing something in a particular spot that we are almost immune to the fact that it’s even there. Do you catch yourself saying, why didn’t I get rid of that long ago? Or, why didn’t we fix that before now? If so, then you need to take a look at your surroundings in a whole new light. Go through each room and actually stop and look at each piece of furniture, everything that hangs on the walls or sits on a table or shelf. Is it in good repair or has it been around way too long already? Is it just there simply because it always has been? Do you save every newspaper and magazine? Are there piles that seem to take on a life of their own? In the past I have suggested that you not even bring the junk mail in the house. Toss it in the recycling bin before it ever gets inside. Keep a shredder handy and instead of setting it down so it can pile up, shred it. Look at things one time and get it done. Remember my 9 minute plan. Take 9 minutes each day and clean, sort and put things away. Once you get used to it, you will be amazed how much you can get done in a short 9 minutes. Hopefully there will come a time when you don’t even need a full 9 minutes per day anymore and can cut back to less days a week. Until next time! “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.” William Morris

Clutter

This was originally posted by me in 2011. Still holds true today. Reach out with any questions. Have a great day! Are you getting rid of your clutter using my 9 minutes a day plan? Don't get overwhelmed... just give it a try. Set the timer, go and in no time you will have a clean, uncluttered space. It really is not that difficult and it gets easier the more you do it. Get started today!

2018

I have been seriously neglecting this blog. I will get better, I promise. New Year means new thoughts and actions. Right now I am working toward getting settled and have a bit of a mess on my hands. I will be back as soon as the boxes are out of my living room. In the meantime remember that clutter is your enemy. Take nine minutes a days and purge! Happy New Year

It is almost mid March

Once the calendar hits March we start to think about spring cleaning. If you are getting the itch it probably means that you have some "stuff" to get rid of. May be actual stuff but it may be stinkin' thinkin'. Please remember that your thoughts become your reality. Think only positive thoughts and keep your space and mind uncluttered. Stay up on your chores. Handle things as soon as they show up. Don't wait until tomorrow.

Are you glad the Holiday season is over?

Personally, I am glad it is now January. I have always loved the time from Thanksgiving all the way through to New Years Day but something has changed. It isn't the same anymore. Maybe we, or perhaps just I, have lost the true meaning of it all. Maybe it is too commercialized. Busy and overwhelming instead of relaxed and enjoyable. Maybe it is because I am a grown up and don't get the time off that children do. It could be a lot of things. When I am out in the stores merchandising I try to keep to myself and not make eye contact too much. I get interrupted enough as it is and lose a lot of time each day. But for the last several weeks I couldn't help but notice peoples behavior. Screaming kids is always a factor and I don't let that get to me although it does seem worse than ever lately. People asking me to help them reach something is also an everyday occurrence. Then there were the rude folks because maybe I was working in an area where they wanted to shop. They don't say excuse me, they just push the cart right in and don't care if they run me over or move my cart out of the way. The "taking up the whole aisle" type or the going through the speed lane with too many items. These things happen all the time and are just multiplied by ten during the season. Normally I just shrug it off and keep working. Sometimes I laugh or shake my head. What I really noticed this season were the parents trying to buy things for their kids that they knew they couldn't afford. You can hear the conversations and you know they don't want to put it back but they also don't know how they are going to pay for the items. I saw this several times in December and it is hard to watch but what I really wonder is why the pressure. Why do these parents feel as though they need to break the bank. The little ones don't know the difference or understand how much you spent. They just want to open something. Another strange thing I saw was a total lack of communication. People would see each other in the store, greet each other and start a conversation. You could see one party was very happy and enjoying the talk and the other just wanted to keep moving. What I surmise from my time in public over the last six weeks or so is that we have become a very ungrateful society with no manners or patience. It is all about me, I am more important than anyone else in the building, my time is more important than yours will ever be, don't make eye contact and certainly don't talk to me. Such a sad way to live. I am going to do my best to not be like that. Be grateful for each and every day because you just never know. Oh, and go out of your way to be super nice to all of the rude nasty people. It really pisses them off!

Is it over yet?

Once we get to a certain age we would like for time to slow down, not speed up but right now with all of the election "stuff" we are being bombarded with I wouldn't mind if it was already November 9th! Add to that the fact that most of it is so mean and negative. Oh, and it is everywhere. TV, radio, facebook, youtube, newspapers, magazines, in your mailbox and dialing you on the phone. I am fairly certain that I am not the only one that feels this way. Since we can't totally escape it I guess we have to figure out how to live with it. So what do we do, go live in a cave for the next two weeks? I know, not an adult solution to any problem. But what you can do is stop talking and thinking about it. Don't watch live TV. Record so you can fast forward past all the BS. Stay off social media or at least ignore anything political. Shut your phones off, especially during dinner and put your energy into positive things. Now, on the other hand if you love a good debate and enjoy the chaos then have at it! Put all your energy into your candidate and rock on.

My website

My website is live but still very rough. I will keep working on it over the next few days. Check it out when you have a few minutes. fengshuiforeveryday.com

Feng Shui Appointments

Since I am still working on my website I thought I would post a note here to say that I am once again making time available for Feng Shui appointments, real estate staging, space clearing and organizing appointments. If you have been putting off getting your life in order, now is the perfect time to contact me. I would be more than happy to do phone appointments for those not in the area.

The Green Thing

I am sure you have all seen this but I just wanted to share it again :) A friend sent this to me and I just had to pass it on. Author unknown No virtue is attached to simply having been born in a different time. But it does point out how much so-called progress isn't. In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pen s with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person. The Green Thing writer unknown

Happy Chinese New Year

The year of the Dragon is almost upon us. It is said that this year will bring prosperity and good luck to us all. I do hope that you have kept up with the clutter so as not to become overwhelmed but if not there is no better time than the present. Clear the clutter of both mind and space and see what awesome things can happen for you this year. Dream big because in the year of the Dragon anything is possible. Happy New Year Make it a great one!!

Happy New Year

Wishing all of you a safe and Happy New Year! Have fun tonight and don't stress over making tons of resolutions. Make one and concentrate on that one rather than making many and setting yourself up to fail. Happy New Year! See you 2012

Schedule your appointment today

I am once again making time available for Feng Shui appointments, real estate staging, space clearing and organizing appointments. If you have been putting off getting your life in order, now is the perfect time to contact me.

Picture perfect fall day

What an absolutely fabulous day. There won't be too many more of these and I am doing my best to enjoy the sunshine today. Fall is in the air though and the trees are starting to show us some color. This is a good time to get things in order for the unavoidable winter that is on it's way. Here is my short list of what should get done soon before we run out of nice days. Clear your front door area of leaves and cobwebs. I know what you are thinking, it looks cool for Halloween..... but it is bad Feng Shui. If you really want to wait then put it on the top of your list for November 1st. Put away all the "summer" items in the garage and yard. Water toys, life jackets, fishing poles, garden tools and yard decorations. You get the idea. Sweep the garage and get rid of anything that you have been meaning to toss. Get out the snowblower and make sure it runs. Find your shovels or buy a new one if you have to. They are out already and you can beat the rush and get one you like. Think about your Christmas decorations. Are your lights in a tangled up mess? If they are, then you are not reading my blog! See if they work and toss them if they don't. Take advantage of these last few nice days to get them hung. Take a few minutes to do some garden/yard/flower bed maintenance. With just a little effort now you won't have to look at all the brown dead foilage until the snow covers it up. Ok, this is enough chores for today. My next post will be about getting inside ready for winter. Enjoy the day.

A friend sent this to me and I just had to pass it on. Author unknown No virtue is attached to simply having been born in a different time. But it does point out how much so-called progress isn't. In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pen s with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person. The Green Thing writer unknown

Feng Shui for Fall

We are rapidly making the transition from summer to autumn. While it is beautiful it can be a stressful time for some. We already had the threat of a hard freeze here and I was able to cover my flowers and vegetables to prolong the season. Since they are predicting 80 plus degrees this weekend, I think it was a good decision. One thing to remember about this time of year is that as your plants brown and die that you take care to remove them. It is never good Feng Shui to have dead plants around. It may also be a good time to bring out the fall wreath for your front door or the beautiful mums that do so well in this weather. Anything that you enjoy looking at that brings some energy to your life, front door and home is a good thing.

Make the clutter go bye bye!

Are you getting rid of your clutter using my 9 minutes a day plan?

Don't get overwhelmed... just give it a try. Set the timer and go and in no time you will have a clean, uncluttered space. It really is not that difficult and it gets easier the more you do it.

Get started today!

Happy Mother's Day

Every one have a great day. The sun is now back after a few hours of rain.

Happy Mother's Day

Clutter Theme

This goes with the clutter theme.............




Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

William Morris

Spring

I have really neglected this blog for some time now and I will try to make up for that.

Spring is in the air!

Clean, sort, organize, toss, purge.............. whatever you need to do.

Get RID OF THE CLUTTER!! Start today.

If you don't use it, need it or like it, it absolutely must GO!