THING ONE:
I told you recently that my husband got a new gadget that allows you to record all your DVDs on it and play them back whenever you want through the TV. There is access to it via Roku, and we enjoyed watching one of our collection last night.
I’ve been working on a project to go through all the DVDs in our collection (hundreds!) and SAVE the ones that are mine personally. (I don’t really trust the new gadget and would be happy to simply play my movies when I would like.) The others I’m looking up on Amazon to see if we can sell them. The ones that remain I’m bagging up to give to the local library for their next fund-raising project.
I’m trying to go through several stacks each day. Most of ours appear to be ‘ancient’ as far as selling on Amazon, so most of them are going to the library. I’m trying to finish this project so that we can make a donation the week after Thanksgiving.
THING TWO:
Yesterday I showed you Phase I of reorganizing my too-many-shoes. We built and installed a 7 foot long shelf along one closet wall. We put it up high enough that I can store shoes on the floor under the shelf, as well.
Today’s project is to try to get ruthless. One can only have so many combat type boots in a lifetime, for example. I love boots of all kinds, so this will be a difficult assignment, but I’m determined to get rid of a BUNCH of pairs of shoes. I have a leaf bag, a pad of paper and pen ready to go upstairs and get started.
Again, the goal is to have a good-sized donation ready to take to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith by the week after Thanksgiving. I’ll try to take a pic of the finished shoe shelf by the end of the day.
Wish me luck!
I have too many shoes. I’m really trying to go through and donate some of them, but I really have trouble parting with them. I’ll get more ruthless later, but right now, My closet was being taken up by too much wasted space.
I asked my husband if we could build a shelf along the wall about 14 inches up from the floor so that I could put shoes ON the shelf, as well as UNDER it. Yesterday we got a nice board 10 feet long and 12 inches deep. We cut it into 4 pieces: one for the shelf and then three supports. I painted the pieces yesterday so they would have all night to dry.
We installed the shelf today and I’m busily scheming on how I want to rearrange things. :0)
Here are some pics of how it was BEFORE –
This shows you that I’ve been trying to store shoes, purses, health supplies, too-small jeans and shorts, shoe inserts, and shawls on the top-level above my hanging clothes and scarves.
I have two columns of cubicles, but ALL were filled with shoes.
Ta da! This shelf is 7 feet long and 12 inches deep. You can see the supports that hold the shelf up high enough along the wall I can put shoes under it, too.
Until I can force myself to get rid of more than the 3 pairs I’m donating so far, these are most of my shoes. I still have a couple of cubbies that have shoes in them, plus one shelf of combat boot type shoes along the top of the opposite side, but I was able to completely free up four cubbies after storing purses in some of them. I’ll probably refine this further by at least moving the summer shoes to the closet where I have my summer tops.
I was able to empty one full shelf above my clothes on one side of the closet. I moved my purses to some of the cubbies.
I realized I was starting to ‘stash’ and make excuses for what I was keeping, so I stopped for the day, but I wanted to show you that we made significant progress in making my closet much better!
Milton Hyundai
Yesterday we had a chock-full-to-the-brim day.
We started with Lunch Bunch – the usual wonderful time we catch up with our good, long-time friends, Linda and Kay. Yesterday, a lady we treasure was also there, Alice. We stuffed our faces and babbled as fast as we could in the time allowed. (My husband is an honorary member of Lunch Bunch. He sits at one end of the table surveying what might look like to uninformed strangers as his harem. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, he breaks us all up. :0) )
We did errands, came home, regrouped and then went out again for a doctor’s appointment for my husband and more errands. Afterwards we got a 10 foot long X 12 inches wide board to make a ‘shoe shelf’ in my closet.
We got home again, regrouped, and then spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the shop.
Our weather was finally warmer, so we used the opportunity to change the tires on our truck. When we first bought the Honda in 2006, we found and purchased 4 extra wheels and then bought snow tires. We had them mounted by the local tire place and stored them in the shop. Twice a year we change the tires from the regular ones to snow tires, then back again, once winter is over. Usually we plan to do this some time in mid to late November or early December. This year we had a cold snap and then rain, and more cold with the threat of ice and snow super-early. We didn’t get stuck up here on our ridge line, thankfully, but we decided that the next day that was warm enough we would get the tires changed.
We’re getting a bit long-in-the-tooth for this, but we have a well-equipped shop with an air compressor, good fancy tire pressure gauge that allows us to fill from the compressor while the gauge is on the hose, stools so we can sit, etc. We have this project down to an efficient “dance” having done it for several years now. My husband does the actual tire changing. I am the go-fer, rolling tires from the back of the shop up to where we’re working, taking the ones we’re taking off back to the storage area, getting parts and watching to be ready with the next step. Yesterday I was also handling the jack. We got this done in record time. No blood was spilled. No harsh words. The tires are now filled up and ready to take us through the winter!
When we finished with the tires, we started on the shoe shelf project. We went inside and measured again, making a few decisions. My husband cut the board into three parts – the shelf, and three supports. I then painted the boards so they could dry overnight. This pic shows several levels. Mine will be ONE board mounted on the wall across one wall of my closet, allowing me to put shoes ON and UNDER the board.
We’re going to try to get the shoe shelf installed today. If we do, I’ll share pictures. This will allow me to empty the cubbies that are now holding the shoes, giving me a lot more flexibility on what I’m storing where. :0)
By the time I fixed us dinner, it was 8:30 in the evening. Since I was up in the middle of the night before from 1am till 3am unable to sleep and reading, you could say, by the time we went to bed around midnight, I was ready.
amazinganimalstories.com
I didn’t do my yoga yesterday, but I think I MOVED enough to make up for it…
Filed under Challenges, Changes
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Filed under Jeff Jett Photography
“Echinacea” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Wild Yellow Flowers” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Yellow 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Yellow Leaves” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Young and Old” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
I told you yesterday that I would try to get pics of the turkey mailbox decoration showing the Googly eyes I added.
Back
Front
Happy Turkey Day!
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art
We have five dog beds in the house: two small beds for Molly (our cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross) or the cats to use, a larger one for Amber (a 93 pound lab puppy) to use, and two really large beds (one in the living room and the other in the utility room) for several animals to use at once or Amber to spread out on.
As you can see from the picture above, the animals have a whole different take on the subject. Amber loves to curl up in one of the small beds.
Here is Molly on the larger bed in the office.
And here she is all by herself on the corner of this large bed in the living room.
One cat will spread out in the middle of this bed and dare all comers to encroach on her territory (though neither of them will allow us to even TRY to get a pic).
The best laid plans….
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
YouTube
Before I started NutriSystem, I lost 12.4 pounds trying to follow a low carb diet plan. Since I’ve been on NutriSystem, I’ve lost another 30.6 pounds. Total = 43 pounds.
Funchun.com
I’ve lost a total of 45.45 inches so far.
There are two big differences –
THING ONE –
At my last doctor appointment, my blood test showed significant improvement in my lipid profile. I was down in ALL the sections, where I had been way higher than desirable before. I have had to go for blood tests and monitoring quarterly for as long as I can remember. She said to return in 6 MONTHS.
THING TWO –
My exercising is finally yielding ‘feel good’ results. I’ve finally settled on yoga and exercises one day and elliptical trainer the next. I’m giving myself a gold star on my desk calendar as I finish each day’s exercise. :0) I was doing yoga yesterday. My husband apparently came in and sat down in his chair, watching me. When I finished, he told me how impressed he was with my efforts, particularly in increased flexibility and in my exercises for the abdominal area. To say that a compliment is rare is a vast understatement. It just doesn’t occur to him to say anything. I was grinning from ear to ear!
PLUS – Since I outdid him on sit-ups, and also did a bicycle type thing and some leg lifts, I think I may have spurred HIM on in HIS efforts!!!!
Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off, taking care of yourself
We got the turkey put up on the mailbox, but I forgot to take my camera. Since we made this decoration, I added Googly Eyes, so the expression on the turkey is a bit different.
The next time we go out, I’ll try to remember to take my camera and get a current pic. In the meantime, BRRRRRR!
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Collin Bogle via Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals, Jeff Jett Photography
Lee Samantha
Living Locurto via pinterest
Filed under Creativity, playing with your food?
Catherine Lee – Linked In
Catherine Lee – Linked In
Catherine Lee – Linked In
Filed under Amazing Animals, Catherine Lee
Live Life in Color
My husband and I are very lucky – and VERY aware of it.
We’re both retired, busier than we’ve EVER been, (even when raising a child, working full time, going to school nights, weekends, and summers, and all that that entails). We can plan most of our days to do what is most important to us at the time. We can be energetic, getting lots of stuff accomplished, or fat-ass in our recliners, reading a book or watching TV until we nod off for a nap. We live on top of a ridge line on about 8 acres, so we don’t have to worry about any of our activities bothering our neighbors. We can work in our shop in the middle of the night if a creative mood strikes, making a yard critter out of spare parts or a decoration for the mailbox.
We are both healthier than we’ve been in several years – other than getting older than dirt. We are actively trying to get the lard off and exercise. Since April, we have both lost about 30 pounds. Our blood tests are showing the difference and our primary doctor is patting us on our collective heads. My husband is almost where he needs to be weight-wise, but the NutriSystem programs we’re on help us watch our portions while avoiding sugar, salt, and fat without causing big problems and we’re eating more raw veggies at least twice a day.
Our luck runneth over because our son is trying to make arrangements to come home from Thailand for a good visit – the first in three years or so. We talk to him almost daily, either using a good chat program he arranged, or a face-to-face program called, “Appear.in”, or a combination of both, so we get everything but hugs on a regular basis. We’re lucky that he seems to enjoy us as people, rather than communicating out of some sense of ‘duty.’ We are closer as a family with him living across the planet from us than some families who live in the same city. Lucky, indeed.
We remark to each other that it doesn’t bet much better than this. We love our lives. Winning huge sums of money through PCH or the state lottery would be icing on an already delicious cake…
Filed under empowerment, Family, quality of life
source unknown
We’ve always thought that being able to see the humor in most situations is something that helps us through life. My dad did this, and I’ve always been grateful he instilled it in me. I can’t tell you how many times being able to stand back and see what is happening as though it’s happening to someone else has diffused possible strife in our home, saved friendships, and made for saner people (at least we like to think so!)
Lately, we have a LOT to laugh about –
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
“Begonia” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Flowers of Wild Chestnut 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Pink Beauty” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Pink Rose 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Woman’s Scent” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
We THINK we MAY have solved my Internet problem – finally. I’m almost afraid to even whisper it, since I’ll have it, and then halfway into an email, it’s gone again. But I’m keeping all appendages crossed and I’m trying to “hold my mouth right” in hopes my access will continue.
My husband ordered and installed a new Ubit 8111F Network Adaptor Card today.
We’ve had a really mysterious situation around here – intensely frustrating – that my husband has Internet, the modem shows that I have a good connection, but I can’t access anything.
Anyway, communicating with you is quite difficult, or impossible, from time to time. I’ll keep getting through when possible. I long to be able to take the Internet for granted again – at least for several minutes at a time!
Filed under Challenges
My sister-in-law, Mary Lou, emailed me the Starfish Story. It is definitely food for thought, so I’m happy to post it here –
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.
— Adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren C. Eiseley
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Food for Thought, making a difference
“Autumn Sonnet” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” ~ Stanley Horowitz
“Leaves Dried Between Lights and Shadows” – Paul Militaru Photography
“The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.” ~ Henry Beston
“November” – Paul Militaru Photography
“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds – November!” – Thomas Hood
“Red and Rusty” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Fiery colors begin their yearly conquest of the hills, propelled by the autumn winds. Fall is the artist.” ~ Takayuki Ikkaku
“Red Branches” – Paul Militaru Photography
“A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.” ~ Hal Borland
“Red Leaves 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” ~ Albert Camus
“Rusty Leaves” – Paul Militaru Photography
“For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.” ~Edwin Way Teale
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Mother Nature, Paul Militaru Photography, Seasons
BEFORE –
AFTER –
As usual, I found a bunch of things I didn’t know I had. I threw out a bunch of stuff, relocated other things, then cleaned up the rest. I also cleaned out the basket above and to the right of this that holds the cleaners I use on a daily basis.
I found a mystery ‘thingie’ that neither my husband nor I had a clue what it was, so I pitched it. I had bought supplies I didn’t need because things were such a mess. I now have a bin in the pantry that holds replenishment for the things we use most often.
Now I’m going to go put my feet up for a while – drinking coffee, reading more of my current book, and patting myself on the head before I dig in again on processing our DVD collection.
Filed under Uncategorized
Sculptures by Kim Jotuni
Filed under Creativity, When Wood Comes Alive
blast4traffic.co (for a baby shower)
JollyChic
keriansart.com
Filed under Creativity, playing with your food?
“First Lesson” – Graham Colthorpe – LinkedIn
Filed under Creativity, Watercolors I Love
World Arts Me
I’m in the middle of “PHASE 2” of going through our house with a fresh eye, trying to purge, donate, give away, clean, and reorganize things room by room, one cabinet or drawer at a time so as not to be completely overwhelmed.
I made it through PHASE 1 – and we have made lots of donations to the Disabled Vets Thrift Store and to our local library to use for fundraising. Our house is better for it – better than it’s been in years. I’ve made a pact with myself that I will do this at least once every 30 years or so…. :0)
Today’s project is the double cabinet under the sink in the kitchen. I have stashed as much as I can in there now, and it’s to the point where I can’t get anything out without several other things coming with whatever I’m looking for.
As you can see, it’s been time for a clean-out for quite a while. Last time I did this, I added the two storage bins to help a bit, but they are overflowing.
I have everything out of the cabinet now. My husband awoke from a nap in his chair, going into the kitchen to heat water for some hot apple cider. He asked, “What’s happening?” seeing all the ‘stuff’ on the kitchen counters. I assured him that it would all be ‘healed’ sometime during the day….
I’ll try to post a pic later, and hopefully, you’ll be able to see a difference.
Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs – NumbersUSA.com
“Immigration – Global humanitarian reasons for current U.S. immigration are tested in this updated version of immigration author and journalist Roy Beck’s colorful presentation of data from the World Bank and U.S. Census Bureau. The 1996 version of this immigration gumballs presentation.”
My friend, Marsha, sent this to me. I thought this was a very clear, effective, short presentation that made me look at things in a different way. I hope you find it worth your time.
If the link above doesn’t work for you, here is the url to paste into your browser –
https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded
Filed under Food for Thought
Kathleen L. Hawkins, http://www.SpeedReadingExpert.com – Tim Vine via SlideShare
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Reading is FUNdamental
Photo by Morgane Schott ~ MorganeSchPhotography https://www.facebook.com/MorganeSchPhotography/
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals, Jeff Jett Photography
creativeartworksblog 