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.

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.

Talking Clutter again

Since fall is officially 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

Fall frenzy

I can't believe how fast this month is going. It won't be long and it will be a new year.

This week's tip................

Take a breather and make your life slow down a little bit. Enjoy the simple things and don't let the "big" things get you down. Remember, write your list and get jobs done one piece at a time. With a little planning you will not only get through the holiday season, you just might be able to enjoy some of it. Oh, and don't forget to ask for help when time gets short.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Till next week