Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Kitchen Chaos
I wonder how many trees could be saved if we eliminated all of the damn junk mail that we all get every week. Seriously, I think a small elm tree was taken out just in the mail in my kitchen. Ridiculous! Once I sorted through all of that mess, I found the bills that needed to be paid, filed the stuff that needed to be filed, and shredded the papers that needed to be destroyed. The shredding was surprisingly satisfying. I found myself wanting to find more things to shred just for fun! Seriously. You should try it. It is almost therapeutic.
It took all day, but everything found a home. All all of the bills got paid, and both the kitchen table, and the sideboard were unearthed. Who knows? Now that I have found it, I might even serve an actual meal at the table, instead of at the kitchen counter for once! Probably not, but it is nice to have the option!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Conquering the Clutter
So the first order of business was to get all of the big boxes down from the high shelves and get rid of most of the stuff in them. Stuff on the high shelves is on the high shelves because we never need it or use it. Out it went! That did away with the need for four of the five boxes from up high! Yippee empty space!
Next I hit the clothes with a vengeance! Recently I have lost some weight, but I still have most of the clothes the I bought when I needed bigger sizes. They went into one of three Donate bags. If I didn't love it, need it, or wear it, it had to go! I filled three bags of various sizes and made enough room to free up an entire section in the closet. Woo hoo! Everything went back in by color, collar, and sleeve making me a happy girl. A bag full of shoes left the building, I found at least two pairs of super cute flip flops that are just begging to be worn, and got rid of some that have never been worn at all. Sweetheart's clothes are neatly hung by sleeve and style. I let the color coding go with his stuff, you have to pick your battles.
Six or so hours after I started, the donation bags were full, the closet was clean, the clothes were organized, and all was right in my little corner of the world. That could only mean one thing: cocktail time! Tomorrow would bring the kitchen conundrum.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
More Challenging Than I Expected
Again I decided to dump everything out on the bed. If it works, why change it? Rowan, my thirteen-year-old puppy, is less than thrilled with having to share "his" bed with all of this crap, by the way, but what can you do?
I knew that the bottom drawer was mostly technology (chargers, power cords, warranties) but I had no idea that I would find a Gratitude Journal from 1998, (It ended two days before my grandfather died.) a journal of "Morning Pages" that my mom talked me into keeping from 1996, another journal from 2000, and a Day Planner from 2008. Why did I still have all of that? And why in the bottom drawer of my nightstand?
I threw away all of the journals. I did keep my Gratitude Journal, though. I had gotten out of the habit for a while, but have been trying to keep a Gratitude Journal daily for the last two years. It helps. Looking back at the old one was pretty cool.
I corralled all of the cords. Tossed the ones to technology we no longer possess, bagged all of the warranties and owner's manuals together, and put that drawer back in order fairly quickly.
The top two drawers were a bit more challenging.
I found five, yes five, sleep masks! Yes, I am sleep-challenged, but how many sleep masks can one person use? The scariest part is that I kept three of them - they were filled with lavender and flax seeds. The ones I am using are losing their scent. What? I need them! Move on! I put them back in a very organized way where I can reach them when I am having trouble sleeping, give me a break!...Sorry, I think that was the voices in my head, not yours, arguing with me. ( I won.) Keeping the well organized, easy-to-reach, flax and lavender filled sleep masks.
At any rate, I found greeting cards, directories, receipts, lip balm, hand salve, pepper spray, pens, a blood pressure cuff, book marks, and so much more in the drawers than I had any intention of ever trying to put back!
This abundance prompted a trip to the store to replenish my supply of organizational tools. Things do need to have a designated home within the drawers, after all. Unfortunately, after everything had been sorted, cleaned, and delivered to its appropriate resting place it was well into the dinner hour. Where had the day gone? What about the closet and the rest of the bedroom?
The beauty of this challenge is that I have created the schedule, so I can modify it! And at the end of the day, I am still an optimist!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
And So It Begins
I tend to be a fairly well organized person. I have a friend who says that I dream in colored Rubbermaid containers. While this is clearly hyperbole, there is a part of me that does hold on to a daydream of a completely color-coded, place-for-everything, HGTV kind of life, but who can actually live like that? Not I, at least, not yet! A girl has got to have hope, right?
Our house is lovingly referred to by our friends and family as The Clubhouse, as it is most often the site at which we congregate, whether for celebration or just a night in together. This being the case, it is fairly important that The Clubhouse stays relatively presentable in all of the common areas. I am happy to say that, with help, I am usually able to make that happen, more or less. That having been said, we now have an entire room, let's call it the office, with a door that must remain closed at all times.
What I have discovered is that I am too overwhelmed by the magnitude of that room to start there. Baby steps are the way to go.
I started with the master bathroom. My method is to dump everything on my bed so that I have to finish in order to go to bed that night. It may seem extreme, but it works. I separated everything into stuff to toss, stuff to donate, and stuff to organize and put away. The first cabinet was a breeze! I thought, "I'll have this done in no time!" Then I hit the medicine cabinet, next all of the cosmetics and brushes. After thirty years in theatre, I have quite an abundance of make-up, but seriously, I think I found twenty-five compacts! Ten of them were empty waiting to be taken "Back to M-A-C" for recycling, but geeze! No one needs that much foundation!
Day One took about six hours. Three bags were filled for donation, two were filled with trash, everything was cleaned and organized and put back into a clearly defined home, I had my photo for the day's #photoadaychallenge #busy, and my bed was clear so that I could rest for Day Two.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Just Do It Already
Should I follow the crowd? Should I shoot a pair of plaid Sperrys and a tie dyed shirt to represent the crazy combination of Preppy and hippie that has always been me? Absolutely not! That would be a visual assault! (For the record, while on the inside I may be a combination of tie dye and plaid, I would never actually mix them on the outside! That would just be painful for everyone!)
Should I shoot my family cookbook and my iron skillets to represent my appreciation for sharing great food and family? Maybe, but there is so much more to me than that.
Should I just shoot in the mirror? Boring! Ugh! I suck at this!
So I finally decided to just do it, already. Pick up the camera, aim, and shoot that which has always so fascinated me. I took a photo of my eye. Eyes are the first things I notice on other people and animals. I have been sketching them for years. They have been called "the windows to the soul." How better to represent myself? With my self portrait, I invite you to look through my window.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
On challenges
A challenge that is more my speed in which I have participated for the last few months is the Instagram #photoadaychallenge set up by blogger, fat mum slim. Check out my blog roll to follow her for yourself and play. I am going to try to link my #photoaday to my blog, and may even use it as a jumping off point for the blog each day. I love taking and sharing the photos, so it seems like a good place to start. The photo for the last day of June was "Friend" and I went a little outside the box in my thinking. Are you surprised? Have you met me? This is my photo. (I hope.)
This was an awesome little roadside dive in Sylva, NC where many locals have lunched for years. They only had two tables inside, so you either made friends very quickly, as is often the way in the South, or you found a seat inthe shade at one of the few picnic tables outside, or you ate in your car. However you chose to eat, you would be glad you chose The Burger Shack!
Download the #photoadaychallenge or just come back here for a visit, and join me on the journey.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Trifextra Prompt : Gatsby in Thirty-three
I give you The Great Gatsby.
West Egg. Wealthy, sophisticated, Gatsby befriends guest-house-dweller, Nick. Green light across the water: dream-girl, Daisy. Perfect shirts bring tears. Gatsby killed in swimming pool as he waits for his love.
Bill & Jud The Rest of The Story
When the story ended, she had a contest, asking her readers to continue it.
Here is my submission
Bill,
Remember the moms I got thrown out of the baseball game last week? Who knew they would come back? Apparently there is some fancy new thing called Groupon, or something, where people spend money they don't have on stuff they don't need, like a month's worth of seats to Dollar Night at the damn baseball games righttheHell next to me! And let me just tell you this, my brother, those baseball moms are a bitter bunch of biddies! Hellfire, I hadn't but barely took the first sip of my dollar beer when the biggest one got up in my face about last week like it was all my fault. It's like she forgot Billy and Buddy were even there, and her damn kids were never kicking anyone. Stupid Scooter was no help at all! You'd of thought he had important work to do being the mascot or something. Before I knew what had happened, I was wearing three beers, three little kids were screaming their heads off that I was trying to hurt them, and the cops were hauling ME out of the ballpark! Unbelievable! I think this damn Groupon thing ought to be outlawed, right along with moms traveling in packs with their kids to ball fields. They just ruin the whole game for the real fans who are there for the dollar beers! And I even had my metal detector and my night vision goggles with me to do some serious diamond digging tonight. If I find out those stupid cows ended up with one of my diamonds, they'll be sorry! I'll sic Mrs. J on 'em! She is scarier than anybody!
I gotta ask, Ceviche? Shrimp COOKED in lime? The last time I checked the only thing a lime was good for was sucking after a tequila shot! Pesto? No red meat? Men sitting on your lap at ball games and coming up to talk cooking with you. Dude, I'm starting to worry. Is there anything youse want to tell me? (smile) Try to find yourself some beef soon so that muscle keeps working. (smile again)
Talk to youse soon,
Jud
Too long
Sunday, October 30, 2011
On cooking and comfort
But here's the thing: I love to cook. I love everything about being in the kitchen. I love the rhythm of chopping onions and garlic. I love that the damn onions make me cry every time! I love the sound of oil heating in a pan, and that hiss when the onions hit the oil for the first time. I love the aroma that permeates the house as everything begins to come together. I love to take recipes and play with them to make them my own. I love the idea of creating something that will bring joy, comfort, and nourishment to the people around me.
I watch Food Network the way my sweetheart watches sports. I can watch it all day, and never realize that time has passed. I actually had to take a sick day a couple of weeks ago, and I spent the entire day in bed with Food Network on the television. I slept off and on throughout the day, but just having those shows on in the background soothed me. They inspired me, too.
The chefs made me want to feel better so I could get out of bed and try new things in the kitchen. They made me feel like eating again, but not just any food. Good food. Healthy, homemade food that was filled with energy, effort, and love. They made me want to head to the grocery store for Belgian Endive to stuff with Swiss cheese and wrap in ham before covering in a silky, cheesy sauce and baking it in the oven. They tempted me, for the first time, to try lamb, in the form of "lollipop" chops, as I prepared a Greek inspired meal. My head was overflowing with ideas of new ingredients I could throw together in the kitchen, and I started to feel better.
When I cook, I always feel better. Always. So why do I dread it some days? Is it perhaps that I have set my expectations to high? I have done so much experimenting, using fresh ingredients, playing with spice combinations, making things from scratch, that now it feels like cheating on a night when I just want to open a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. I can't leave it alone. I have to add spices, hot sauce, more cheese. Who doesn't want more cheese, after all? But I think that by falling in love with cooking, I have deemed dinner daunting. what's a Betty to do?
I spent yesterday throwing together a bunch of old favorites for a Halloween party, and was so happy to see that they were a hit last night. As I type, I have a Paula Deen inspired dish bubbling away in the crock pot. My house smells amazing. The anticipation is building, and I can't wait to see if what I have done with her recipe has worked. I had so much fun just putting it together that it really doesn't matter. I realized that just the act of creating the dish soothed me and brought me comfort, so that is enough.
But it sure will be a bummer if it turns out to taste like dirt!
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