fluttering qualms, learning lots and getting confused Options

[bikerbooker2]

ok - so i haven't written anything lately. my bad. my computers both got a virus and i finally got them up and running again, and the contacts were all messed up - only some returned. my anti-virus didn't catch this virus. so my flylady emails stopped coming (due to not being in the email list) and i didn't even think about it until recently. i noticed i wasn't doing my routines!!!!! shudder...............................my house is looking worse, and my organization is gradually going away. when i get the emails, i don't read them all - but i do read some. and that's enough to keep me on track. some days i just delete the whole email. most days i skim through the entire thing, skipping ones that don't apply to me. it's fairly often that i read something sent in by someone else that simply hits the nail on the head for me. And that's what keeps me going.

lately, however, i've been getting back to the routines just because i realized what was happening. i have re-signed up for emails and added flylady to my email list again. so i should get those inspirational notes that keep me on track.

so - what have i worked on lately? getting back to doing a load of laundry every day. with only two people here, it's not as critical, but i don't like doing laundry a good part of the day because i've skipped it the last three or four days. it's lots easier to do one a day, completely, and that keeps my clothes drawers and closet full of clothes whenever i need something.

i've been doing hot spots better when i think of fly lady. and im always surprised at how much difference two or three minutes of straightening and putting away things makes. seems like it would take a whole day to straighten my living room, and it only takes minutes. wow.

i've been reading nutrition books, and studying about it, and have lost 12 pounds in 8 weeks. that's the most i've lost in a very long time. last several years i hve lost five pounds over and over again, but this time it's working. vegetarianism. i know - you don't want to hear that. but it's working for me and i love it. i'm feeling much better, losing weight without really trying, eating as much as i want of most things, reducing the fat very strictly, and trying to eat whole grains, but limit those. im learning as i go, and have already figured out some things that work well for us, and that we like. i've gotten a steamer basket for my pan, and plan to use it a lot. i know - americans like their meat and potatoes - but it's killing us folks. we started years ago having some vegetarian meals every week, just for variety. i just read today that some smart scientist started the "meatless monday" campaign in America. They figured out that one day a week equals about 15% of our food for the week, so they started that campaign to help america reduce it's fat intake by 15%. clever idea. we just did vegetable meals occasionally, and i never thought of it as reducing fat, but it is. we were eating lots of chicken and thinking that would reduce our fat. it probably did, but not nearly enough. the fat in that chicken kept my weight and sugar high, and my energy low. today i have more energy, i'm losing weight graduallly and consistently, and feeling ten years younger. my fingernails aren't splitting, my skin is softer, and im not short of breath. and i don't miss the meat at all. except when i go into wendy's and see those four ft high pictures of cheeseburgers......

today for the first time in a very long time i walked a mile on a treadmill at the YMCA. in the past eight weeks, i've been able to do the grocery shopping and other shopping without shortness of breath. i usually rested afterward, but i did it. i've been cooking more and working outside with DH. mowing, gardening, etc. treadmill is a new step. I actually took a book with me, read the whole time i walked, and didn't even notice the time until my hips began to hurt somewht. I checked the time and it was already 24 minutes! i was able to go to 1 mile, a few more minutes, and then i stopped. i plan to do that more often. i can't walk or work outside in this heat - have to go early in the morning to do it outside. i will do that too, eventually.

my job is complete, and DH is only working occasionally, so we have more time to work outside. he has been cutting down some trees that have died (pines mostly- very ugly when they turn brown) cutting up the debris, and burning it. big job. i helped some. i've mowed, hoed weeds, etc. don't last very long, but every movement counts. and the yard looks better. and im getting stronger. i don't like feeling weak and tired all the time.

as for the house, the kitchen is coming back together, the bedroom is always pretty good, and my desk varies from semi-clean to disaster. usually it's filing piling up that's most of the problem. and dropping things there without putting them away. again, when i begin to file and finish in five minutes i think, why didn't i do that before? five minutes makes a huge difference.

take care - and tackle one thing today that's been bothering you. just a little bit every day will make a difference- and sooner than you think!

God bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

news to report today. i found some videos of flylady on my roku account, and watched them. i knew what they would say, but did it make a difference for me today? you bet. i got motivated again. for some reason, i can't get the emails to come again, and i am missing that daily nudge in the britches to get up, get dressed to shoes and start doing stuff. so - i put my shoes on, turned the tv off, and started in. i put a load of clothes in the washer to soak and wash, and went to my office. i started handling things that were on my desk. a couple bills to pay, some things to hold on to until they happen went into the pending file, and some tax bills i can't pay till after the first of the month went into the pay file. i made two phone calls to order checks and deposit slips. i sorted out papers to file into three categories: medical, condo, other - and sorted all the paid bills into those folders. haven't filed them yet, but my timer went off! next i got my new cookbook to look for items for a menu this week, with fourth of july in mind. we will be having company on that day and i need to make a menu. i found a recipe for black bean salad with tomatoes, corn, onions, etc, with a homemade dressing (equals NO SALT!!) it was good. i put it in the frig to chill and we grabbed some before going out to a softball game tonight. i still need to make appointments with two doctors to discuss some health issues, and i also need to go through my back lab tests to see what is changing and what needs attention. i keep putting those things off for some reason, but they need to happen. i know if i make the appointments, the rest will happen, but im dragging my feet. maybe i really don't want to know the answers!

three loads later, dried and folded and put away - actually the last one is still in the dryer. i will finish it tomorrow. ran out of time today. also i got sidetracked (OH NO!!) and started reading the cookbook instead of picking out menus. as i read, i started making a list of non-fat things to begin to add to my pantry and freezer as i go to the grocery later this week. many things i hadn't thought of went on the list. i will pull some things from there for my grocery list, ONCE i select an actual menu. also, DH took a countertop that's been sitting in front of our cabinets in the garage for six months, a floor fan that someone can surely use this hot summer, a yoga mat, a telescope, and an art watch all to Good Will for donations. we'll take a little off our taxes next time, and we'll finally be able to get into those cabinets for a change! hopefully, someone will benefit from all those things.


so you see - i was dressed to shoes when it came time to go to the softball game - i volunteered to be scorekeeper and had a great time. DH went with me, and shagged some balls that went out of the fields on both sides of us. he had fun too. my laundry is almost done, im a lot smarter about low or non-fat cooking, and i have some ideas to stock up on for my pantry. it only took about three fifteen minute sessions to get those things done.

thanks flylady. now i just wish i could get those emails coming back again.

god bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

We had a harrowing several days this week. Friday night a 15 minute storm put out the electricity in 2/3 of our state, and most of our county. The fast storm came upon us fast, and did huge damage, mostly to trees. Winds were clocked at 80 mph in some places.es fell everywhere, across lines, into homes, flattening cars and anything in their way. In those few minutes, i learned what disaster planning and survival skills are for. We have had blizzards when we were literally isolated for days in life threatening weather. This storm was over so fast, but its effects were long lasting. with 95 degree heat and no electricity, our food supplies were threatened. Grocery stores had no power until they could get generators in place, and they had to throw away all their meat and perishable items. We had a generator, but it is not big enough to run the air conditioner. It did keep our freezer and refrigerator going safely for tthose four days, and allow us to use lights and get news from the tv and radio. It certainly didn't keep us cool. after four nights of poor sleep due to the heat, we were out of sorts. That's putting it mildly.

Those aren't the reasons I'm writing this to you. We have been reading about survival skills in an emergency, and doing some preparations for that. I have purchased a case of dehydrated meals, some dehydrated fruits and vegetables. I have stockpiled a few canned items that can be used or eaten without cooking: canned baked beans, canned tuna and chicken. I have also been buying distilled water in gallons every time i go to the grocery to use in case of power interrupts. We have our own well, but it's dependent on electricity.

On the second day of the emergency, i was so hot i got in the car to drive around and get cool. I wanted to see what the rest of the area looked like. I was stunned when i saw our busy shopping area where we often go, and there were no cars. no stop lights, no signs flashing. it was like a ghost town. Gas stations closed. How could we get gas to run the generator when we ran out?

It started to dawn on me how our lives are so dependent on public services, electricity production, even stop lights. People were very cooperative about the lights, graciously taking turns every time. It was in fact faster than normal to get through the lights. What if people were NOT cooperative in these things? It would have been chaos and life-threatening. Things could get bad quickly. The hospital had no power like the rest of us until their generators were hooked up. One industry in our town had a generator as large as a semi which they had available for twenty years. During this emergency, they discovered that it had never been hooked up! Though it took several hours to get that accomplished, it soon became operational.

So what is the point of all this? Because of a very violent 15 minute storms, millions of people in several states had this experience. I had to preserve the food i had because NO OTHER was available. No restaurants or groceries were open. None the first day or two. No gas stations. Only one in the county was open with a generator and people waited over an hour to get gas. We were essentially on our own until power was restored. The little planning I had done made me feel much more comfortable that we could safely last through the emergency. Our cell phones worked once we could ensure recharging them. We had no phones, no internet, no tv, no radio without the generator.

Our nephew told us of what they had done in his town in california - they were meeting as a town to prepare for disasters. they have earthquakes to prepare for. They don't have hurricanes on the west coast, but earthquakes make up for it. Their neighborhood got everyone to agree to purchase some sort of valve for their gas lines that make it easy to shut off the gas in an earthquake. The freed gas causes lots of fires. They all agreed because one person who doesn't do it can cause a fire in the whole neighborhood. They are asked to do certain things to help protect their neighbors as well as themselves. For examp-le, they are asked to keep their property free of brush and weeds which can carry fires quickly through a neighborhood.

We don't have fires or earthquakes in ohio - not like california. but we could. We have fault lines too. We do have neighbors. What could we do to help each other in an emergency? What do we need to talk about with each other in advance to make ourselves safer? In our nephew's town, they agreed that the first person on the scene is in charge. Period. No discussions as to this. That person is responsible for appointing people to do first aid, organize search parties, collect any supplies, etc etc. I don't know what all their responsibilities are, but our friend told us that his neighbors got together as well. As his wife is a nurse, they decided in advance that she would be the medical person in charge. anyone with special skills was appointed to that role.

Though i have done some thinking along these lines, i hadn't thought about these community issues. Now i am. Also, what is a disaster chases us out of our homes and neighborhood? How would we connect with other family members without phones or internet? Where would we meet? Where AWAY from our homes would we meet? and what if THAT location were unavailable as well? We should have two or three locations away from our homes where we could find each other. And we should have maybe a three day supply of food, water, first aid materials, etc to use in a carry bag that's portable in a vehicle and on foot. Could we survive in the outdoors? do we have those skills? Do we have extra clothes and medicines in our bag? pet food?

Don't want to bring you down on this birthday of our nation - but planning ahead is a lot better than wishing you had.

God bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

spent the day cooking and freezing the other day. then rested in front of tv. then cleaned up the kitchen and put away and cleaned vegetables from our community supported agriculture program. We pick up vegetables at a central point every week. goes until sept sometime. great vegetables, very fresh and we never know what we'll get. very nutritious. too many greens, but i just discovered i can put them in smoothies and have a REALLy healthy drink! so i found a use for them.

so once i cleaned and sorted and put away all the vegetables, and discarded the science projects, i actually had space in my frig! hmmmmm. guess i should do that more often. then i made a carrot potato cauliflower soup that was really good. froze the leftovers for later. very tasty, and i felt like i had a fruitful day.

god bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

Looks like it's been awhile since i wrote. i had a virus in my computer, and it took a very long time to get rid of it, much like clutter in the home! i got rid of it in one computer, and simply stopped using the other. The very worst part of the virus was that it blocked emails to and from my most frequent email partners. guess who one of those was? FLYLADY! have still not been able to re-connect to the emails from her. today my other most frequent emailing friend sent me a flylady email and it felt like a long-lost friend......i complained to my friend that my house just didn't look the same as when i was receiving those emails from Marla.

today - yes i put away some things in the living room and kitchen, FINISHED the laundry, worked on a drawing i had been doing (Im taking a beginning drawing class!) and cooked and froze a bunch of vegetables from the local famers' market. my refrigerator is once more usable without cramming, my freezer is packed with easy to prepare foods, and i'm feeling better about myself. I even took cuttings from frou young shrubs and potted them up in the greenhouse. since it's cook and damp here now (fall) they are keeping just fine without frequent misting as I have to do in the hot months. I hope they all make it.

so my desk is piled with completed tasks that need to be filed - that's one task for tomorrow, unfinished tasks (like books to list for sale), and general "not sure where to put these things so I'll pile them here" things. Same story.

My kitchen is also cluttered with cookbooks, recipes, fresh fruit, leftover mail unfiled or undealt with, etc.

One good thing: Since I volunteered to help with the landscaping at church, i was assigned with another lady to take care of one long flower bed along the longest side of the church. I convinced my husband to help us, and we have been meeting weekly to re-do some badly overgrown flowers. Daylilies, Hosta, and Irises have clumped solidly along the top of the soil and require lots of muscles to get them out. we have completely removed all the irises, and planted some ornamental grases in their place. The grasses are much better behaved than the irises. We are currently removing the daylilies, and leaving only a small clump every 15 feet or so. We will see how fast they spread or how fast i can convince the other lady to plant something not so invasive. Anyway, my point was that i am feeling stronger and lasting a lot longer than i have been in a long time. My legs are bouncing along without feeling tired. and me too. We are trying to get the beds finished in the next two or three weeks.

As for flylady, I am going to do the missions for this week and see where that takes me. I also need to catch up on my windows and dusting, put my summer clothes away, and CLEAN MY DESK!!!

God Bless!

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

i think i finally figured out how to get my flylady emails back! today i manuevered the big tent scene and found a link that asked me to set up emails! i hope that means they will start coming back to me and prodding me to stay on point. since i lost them due to a virus that i had a tough time getting rid of, my home has suffered. some routines are firmly ingrained, but others - well, they slipped. my laundry often waited until saturdays, when i spent half the day doing it, and feeling deprived. grocery lists went by the wayside, and grocery trips became crisis runs. sometimes...... nothing felt so good as when i talked to a good friend via email - and she reminded me of routines. i went out to the kitchen and shined my sink. I spent five minutes in the living room and five minutes in the kitchen doing room rescures. after about three days of that, they looked much better. I went to my office and DH helped me file for 30 minutes. i can again see my desktop. Part of the problem was that i had several things in my to file pile that i didn't know what to do with. DH said, "what shall i do with this one?" i said make a new file. after a few times of that, the desk began to clear. Postponed decisions are the crux of many problems.

One day i pulled out the vacuum. DH was interested immediately. Do you want me to do the carpet. He is in charge of vacuuming around here. he's great at it and has done it most of our married lives, which is a LONG time. I said, no, i want to do the furniture. So i did the couch pillows, the back and arm cushions, under the cushions, and the pillows on top of the couch. I pulled the couch out from the wall and found a cat toy and my grandaughter's baton....some time ago, i purchased sliders, which makes it really easy to slide the couch out and back. works on beds too. haven't been under there in awhile apparently. You know, it's amazing what fine dust comes out of a couch when you vacuum it. It's skin cells, i think. and it's also amazing how fresh it feels after you finish. the whole room feels better. DH's recliner has buttons on the back, and dust collects in there like it was sprinkled in.

The laundry has been flowing through on a daily basis. Interestingly, if i don't do it, DH does! amazing how contagious this system is.

All this happened the last month or so even without flylady emails. today i think i solved that problem. But i learned that all that info was still there. I just had to take the first babysteps to get it going again. i started with the most basic things. and decluttering. I went through my closet and pulled out brand new clothes that are too small, and put them in the Good Will box. I filled it up quickly. haven't taken it in yet, but i will. I decluttere my kitchen counter and table, which tends to fill up quickly with stuff moving in and out of the house. mail, projects, empty boxes, to do lists, etc., all crash in the kitchen on a daily basis. Funny, when i started there, it motivated me to do the living room as well. I have three ongoing responsibilities (i teach a bible study, tea party officer, and art class student) Yep, you read that right. i took a class last semester - beginning drawing. it was a great relaxer and entertainer, and i learned a great deal. It involved carrying a big portfolio around with drawing supplies and large tablets of paper. In fact, each responsibility has a bag associated with it. And all those bags ended up in my living room every time i came home. So i put those away in my office. That made a huge difference immediately.

Finally, while i was doing this work, I aske DH to declutter his garage surfaces. Thats his problem area, as the desk and kitchen are mine. He worked for about a half hour down there, putting things away and discarding them. There are still things that need to be dealt with, but, like the kitchen and living room, things are much improved.

We are on the move once again thanks to flylady. Now if i start getting the emails again, i may even wash the windows!!!!!

God bless.

Bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

no good news to report on flylady emails. still haven't gotten that straightened out. all im getting is news of this forum! THAT i already know about! guess i'll have to contact the website lady to get hooked back up again.

we were traveling today, and i took along my new calendar that just came in the mail. I use one of the professional versions, as i have for years. I've used both franklin covey and day-timer, but have settled on day-timer as my favorite. today i had the firsst six months calnedar in the cover, and i took along the list i copied from the website which states the zones of the month. in the past i did some small zone work, but never a complete month. in fact, i seemed to start at the beginning of each month pretty regularly, cleaning my fromnt door and front porch each month. i was proud of how good the door looked when i t was cleaned regularly. somehow it rarely continued through the month however.

so today when i had time waiting for my husband at medical appointments or lunch, i wrote those zone numbers and rooms assigned at the top of each week of the month, for all the first six months of the year, beginning in january 2013. i wrote zone 1 - entrance, front porch and dining room, etc, for each week. i also was motivated to set some goals for each month of the first six months. for example, january - write new folders for tax categories in the file cabinet. for example, write a medical file" medical 2013. that will go behind the medical 2012 file already in there. once the year is over, and i have received all the medical records for 2012, i will pull that file and place it in the box i use for tax records each year. i discard the oldest year, which is the fourth year prior to the latest tax year (for example this year will be 2008 that i will discard. we only need to keep three years, unless we are audited. we haven't been audited for a long time, so i only keep three years in a row. that has saved me much filing space, thank you very much. in february, i will pull out the 2012 files, place them in the tax box, and already have the new ones in place. I will also print out my computer budget records and go over them for missing information or mis-categorized items or uncategorized items. printing that out is a huge step in getting ready for our tax person to put together our taxes. once all that is done, i will be ready to fill out her questionnaire from which she calculates our entire return.

good system? it has gotten easier each year. by late feb i will probably be ready to submit our return. i like getting it in early.

so a little planning goes a long way in getting that to happen. i also included in my six months goals things like order seeds for garden, start plants for spring planting, start plants for summer planting, etc. that will get my garden going on time this year. i usually wait too long to start the seeds, then they go into garden late, etc. worse, i always grow plants for the neighbor, our daughter, and our daughter in law. i know what they like, and it's easy for me to save a group of plants for them. i just order ones fthat i know all of us will like. the seed packets produce far more than we can use anyway.

so wtih about an hour or two of planning today, i have two big projects scheduled in steps for the first six months of 2013. i like using my calendar for this purpose. it really helps me get organized easily, with minimal planning. all it is is a reminder of the steps i need to do and when.

what are your big projects that would be helped with a list of steps to accomplish them, and a dateline to do each one? that's a plan, sister.......try it. even if it doesn't work perfectly, it may get you started earlier than usual, and that's a benefit.

God bless.

bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

i finally gave up trying to fix the flylady emails myself and contacted one of the staff for help. within a couple of hours, i discovered emails from her! now I'm getting back on track. today is Christmas, we have no family coming this year, so i am coasting with a cup of coffee as my husband still sleeps. he is recovering from broken ribs, so i am happy when he gets more rest. this morning i walked into my kitchen to find counters full of things not finished. i started putting those things away. in 15 minutes or less, i had most of them where they should be, with just a few items remaining. some are for vegetarian chili for the rest of the week, some are partially filled jars of dehydrated vegetables and fruits, some are fresh apples to eat, other miscellaneous. sounds like a lot still remaining when i list it like that. guess i need to do 15 minutes more. however, the living room is looking pretty good. my shoes are put away - i admit that is a problem i have, shedding my shoes the minute i come inside. Flylady would not approve, would she?

I recently bought a dehydrator, which DH is enjoying more than me i think. We have been dehydrating tomatoes, fruits, even leftover macaroni and cheese. my freezer is less crammed, and dinners are easier to prepare. DH's favorite thing is making jerky. We tried first on turkey left in the freer from a long ago dinner. it was pretty good. next we tried it on some buffalo burger we had in the freezer. We just thaw it, mix in the seasoning packet, let set in frig a few hours, and squeeze it through the squeezer thing that shapes it into a flat strip. we put it in the dehydrator a few hours, and voila! presto jerky. we've made it three or four times in the last month, and it doesn't last long. next i plan to defrost a chicken breast and see how that goes. i caught DH on the computer the other day ordering more seasoning packets. he said he likes the flavor. I eat small amounts, but the salt is not good for me, and i am a vegetarian, though i eat meat occasionally. i like the jerky too.

why dehydrate? It's easier than canning and freezing. It doesn't take any energy to store, once it's dried. Power off? food still good. I wish i had had this during the summer when we were getting piles of veggies from our community supported agriculture provider. we had overflows every week of turnips, greens, etc etc etc. it was delicious but some of it went to waste. if we had had the dehyrator, we'd still be eating from those items.

i am enjoying a peacefull Christmas. At noon we are meeting two friends and our brother in law at a restaurant for Christmas dinner. after that, we're going to a movie at the mall. I'm looking forward to a very relaxing Christmas.

I hope you all are enjoying your family and friends today, and remembering what it's all about. Not gifts and wrapping paper, but about celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to earth to offer us salvation.

God bless.

Bikerbooker2

[judyf]

I see that its your birthday today so

Have a Very Happy Birthday!! x

[bikerbooker2]

Thank you!!! i don't know where you saw that, but i appreciate the greeting! Between here and Facebook, i'm getting more greetings than ever before.....

two days after Christmas is not an easy time to have a birthday..

God bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

i sneaked out of bed this morning, made the bed, got dressed, put a load a clothes in the washer, put away some things, paid some bills, and am feeling pretty smart right now. still need to get my declutter kit out and when DH gets up, we can do some decluttering to start the new year! seems like we've been watching a lot of football during this holiday season. i like football but im sitting down too much. i want to start with decluttering our respective areas 15 mins at a time, then work on getting organized for tax season. DH will help so long as there's no football on tv! im going to put a pot of chili on. two days ago we went to town and DH wasn't feeling good. He said, "Let's go home and dry something!" He means dehydrate something. He is enjoying the dehydrator as much as i am, particularly since he discovered jerky. he loves it, and he's done several batches.

time to get busy again. will let you know how it goes.

god bless.

bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

Update! Update! DH was willing to do a little decluttering, provided no football was on. Fat chance! on New Years Day? i settled that one by promising I'd put it on hold for 15 minutes during halftime. Then we did it again after the third quarter was over. The second time he said he'd be willing to do half as long - 8 minutes. Surprise, surprise! He did the full 15 minutes.

DH results - a spotless desk. looks like an ad for a desk. i wish i could clean mine in only 15 minutes. Second session he worked on his files and found some that needed to go to my office for tax season. His office looks very nice now.

as for me - I spent the entire first session on the kitchen. Started by putting everything away on the counters that i could. Could see progress right away. Next i washed the dehydrator racks and the coffee pot, put all dirty dishes in dishwasher, and wiped up the counters, sppliances and table. I took a couple things to other places to put away, and shined the sink. Timer went off and we showed off what we accomplished.

After another quarter of football, we started again. This time i went back to the kitchen and put away the dry dishes. The counter is much better. I scooted some things over to make more open space, and threw away a couple of pieces of paper. Next i went to the laundry room to fold clothes. Finished a load of dry clothes, rebotted another load to the dryer, and carried up an armload of hanger clothes, went back for a second load of folded clothes. Laundry room is looking good. clothes are all upstairs where they should be. On the way back downstairs, I took down the basket at the top that collects receipts, bills, recycling stuff, stuff to go to the launching pad for tomorrow, two dirty aprons for the laundry room, and went down to put them away. Still time left. Can you imagine? I went up to the bedroom to decluter my stuff. I didn't think i'd find much, but i found a couple of things on the bookcase - extra buttons, two books on my bed table that im not reading yet, so i put them on the bookcase, and a badge went in my jewelry case. Looking down on the shelves, I saw two or three books - paperbacks - that are used workbooks and that i haven't looked at in years. those went ot recycling, one book went to donations. Forgot to mention that i used my declutter kit! my give away box was about 1/3 full when i finished. i found clothes i don't wear any longer, some really nice things that don't fit, and a couple things went in the trash. I looked in all the drawers and the closet, and the dresser cabinet. All are lighter now.

So three rooms are improved, two visibly and one deep cleaned (cabinets and closets that don't show, but sure make a difference!)

nice work for thirty minutes in two stages.

What can you do in that time?

God bless!

Bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

Our recent decluttering escapade netted us a pile of things to take to town. Haven't taken the give away things to Good Will yet, but i did put them neatly into three plastic tubs of various sizes, so they aren't wadded up when they receive them. if i were really good, i'd donate the tubs too. but i may need them next time DH and I do some 15 minute sessions of decluttering. it's amazing how, no matter how many times i declutter, there's always more to do. Does it breed in the drawers? or am i still bringing stuff home I don't need? probably the latter, though most things i declutter have been here several years. Knowing that we're not getting any younger, and that someday we'll have to sell this place for a one floor plan that's easier to care for, i stay motivated to get rid of things i don't need. And every time I wonder why I haven't done it earlier! My bottom dresser drawer is positively roomy! my linen closet is neater than it has been for a very long time, mostly because i just re-organized things so as to be easier to find. my closet is roomier, having lost those things i always thought i would be able to wear AFTER i lose weight. Guess what? I haven't. But i lost those clothes that make me feel like a failure. By the time i lose the weight, they'll be out of style.

Over the holiday, I got a cooking bug, and made some things in larger quantities than two people should need. I froze the rest, so now have a series of frozen dinners that cost about a dollar for two people compared to the ones i buy at the grocery - the vegetarian healthy ones - at five dollars each person. Further, I know that they don't contain a huge amount of salt or other undesirable things.

We have been dehydrating things whenever we have extra time. Fruit leathers, jerky, vegetables, fruit slices, etc. it's fun and makes me feel very frugal. Also the things are much more flavorful than canned and every bit as easy. The nutrition is comparable to frozen. I'm getting a row of jars and plastic containers full of beautiful dehydrated things on my pantry shelf. When the power goes out, i won't worry - at least about those items.

my hot spots are improving, but have a ways to go. i never realized how quickly they pile up. guess i wasn't very good at fire drills....some things i still haven't taken up on after four years of flywashing. im a slow learner.

Since we had no company this year at Christmas - our children were both at their in-laws - we put out no christmas decorations, and had NONE to take down! i almost feel guilty reading the after holiday emails from flylady. Not that much, though.

I have been reflecting on the things we celebrate annually - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. All those are worthy remembrances. But what in our lives is also worthy of remembrances and thanking God for? After consideration, i came up with three so far - two times we had close calls on health issues, and one of DH's sobriety date, 14 years ago. I put all those dates on the calendar today, planning to celebrate each wtih a thank you God, and a gift to others in honor of it.

What do you have to celebrate in your lives?

God bless.

bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

Today i officially exercised for 25 minutes. that's a big one. DH wanted to swim in the warm pool at the YMCA. It makes his aching better, so i went along. i took my computer in case i had to wait, but left it in the car. i decided to walk on the treadmill, though i considered doing nothing. that would have been crazy, since i was at the Y!!! So finally my inner brat said OK LETS DO IT. i can always quit early and do the computer. so i walked 15 mins, and was feeling pretty good. I put 10 more minutes on the treadmill, and did that - no problem. so i added 5 more minutes and walked SLOW for that time. i felt really good when i finished, got the computer out of the car, and played on it until DH came out. This afternoon and evening my sugar was lower than usual, and that's due to the exercise. why do i NOT do this??????

we did some errands while we were in town. returned library books, got DH a small calendar for the year, stopped at the grocery, etc. productive day. DH was very tired when we headed home, and we both watched yet another football game this evening. i fell asleep. Consequently, im awake in the wee hours.

God bless.

bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

I just realized today - Sunday - that i'm reaping the benefits of work i did during the week. We had to stay at church late due to a volunteer commitment, and didn't leave until 1 pm. for a diabetic, that's a long time between meals. I had planned and prepared for a meal of pork chops (im trying to use up my least healthy meats in small quantities), potatoes, and spinach. The potatoes were left over from a mishap in drying extra potatoes we had left over from the garden. They were small and beginning to sprout. I planned to cook them, slice them, and dehydrate them for the future. we ate some the first night, but when i tried to slice them in the food processor, they became mashed instead. So we just ate them throughout the week. I was promoting stopping for lunch in town because i was so hungry. DH talked me out of it, and helped prepare the spinach and potatoes and set the table while i cooked the pork chops. surprise surprise, we were done in about ten minutes. just as fast as a microwave dinner, LOTS better, and LOTS cheaper.

my kitchen counters are staying cleaner since i decluttered them. I've been working at not leaving things there just because i don't put them away. I also have been wiping counters down every evening. Consequently they are staying cleaner.....still need to figure out what to do with a few items - two packs of new batteries that don't fit in my battery drawer. where can i put them?

I talked with DH about recording our menus every night for a month, so that i can use that as a basis for menu planning next month. i've been discussing this for years, have done it occasionally in fits and starts, but it never sticks for long. However, now that i've been doing dehydrating and cooking some things ahead of time in quantity (like rice) I can see the benefit of knowing ahead of time what you're going to fix for the week. For example, cooking rice ahead means it can be used as a side dish, part of a casserole or soup, or even rice pudding! Once the rice is ready it's a simple matter to add part to a dish. Makes dinner lots easier and far healthier than buying pre-prepared meals. Im trying to be mostly vegetarian (meat maybe once a week), and having some ingredients prepared ahead makes it pretty easy and delicious. I've also been trying to use up things in the freezer that have been there too long. This week we had two meats (one more than my goal!) that I found in the bottom of the freezer - a chicken breast -frozen raw - and two pork chops. I have no idea how long either of these were in the freezer but a long time im sure. The chicken went in to a poaching pan with water, lemon juice and dried spinach and cilantro for flavor. After the chicken was cooked, the stock was left to simmer down by about half and went into the freezer as chicken stock. The chicken was added to a platter of steamed broccoli and reheated rice. Simple delicious dinner. Both made good use of things in the freezer, saving money. Throwing away food makes for a very expensive grocery trip. Amazing when you don't allow anything into the waste basket unless it's unhealthy. finding new ways to use leftovers is a critical skill in cooking finances. In fact, some people actually plan their leftovers. When you cook a large amount of chicken - a whole chicken for example - you can eat on it a whole week. Especially if you use just a little meat in a casserole for flavor - that's healthier and much less expensive that half a chicken breast per person. Since I've been eating vegetarian, my LDL has gone down to 75! Further, the last heart catheterization show my heart arteries were CLEAN. They certainly weren't three years ago when I had my heart attack. One was blocked enough to require a stent and two others were blocked over 60%. Not enough to get a stent, but enough to be wondering when the next emergency would happen.

Because of that, I'm learning that food can be far less expensive, far healthier, and just as tasty. I don't really miss the meat. I enjoy the vegetables, fruits, etc. And I enjoy knowing my heart is improving, not going the other way.

God bless.

bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

Last night I got a pure Flylady urge! I went to the kitchen to take my evening meds, and saw a few dirty dishes in the sink. We had run the dishwasher earlier, and DH had put the clean ones away, but a few dishes that hadn't fit in the washer were still in the sink. I pulled them out and put them in the dishwasher. Then I noticed the sink. Normally i wipe it out with a damp cloth, but this time it looked dirtier than usual. I pulled out the spray bottle with vinegar and water that i use for cleaning everything, and sprayed the washing side of the sink. Then i sprayed the drying side, and pulled out a microfiber cloth. I then noticed the water/coffee stain around the sink lip on top of the counter. Soon i was spraying and polishing the whole counter, the ceramic stove top, both sink bowls and the refrigerator and dishwasher! Everything gleamed! Usually I do this in the morning before DH gets up.

I was so motivated I took the dirty towels, etc to the laundry room and put out a clean towel and a clean dishcloth for tomorrow. First time i ever did the entire clean your sink routine!

This morning i got up and went directly (after making my bed) to the kitchen. I walked in to a spotless room, and smiled all the way in. i ate my cereal and put my bowl directly in the dishwasher.

Great feeling. I'll look forward to doing it again!


god bless.


Bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

Last night I got a pure Flylady urge! I went to the kitchen to take my evening meds, and saw a few dirty dishes in the sink. We had run the dishwasher earlier, and DH had put the clean ones away, but a few dishes that hadn't fit in the washer were still in the sink. I pulled them out and put them in the dishwasher. Then I noticed the sink. Normally i wipe it out with a damp cloth, but this time it looked dirtier than usual. I pulled out the spray bottle with vinegar and water that i use for cleaning everything, and sprayed the washing side of the sink. Then i sprayed the drying side, and pulled out a microfiber cloth. I then noticed the water/coffee stain around the sink lip on top of the counter. Soon i was spraying and polishing the whole counter, the ceramic stove top, both sink bowls and the refrigerator and dishwasher! Everything gleamed! Usually I do this in the morning before DH gets up.

I was so motivated I took the dirty towels, etc to the laundry room and put out a clean towel and a clean dishcloth for tomorrow. First time i ever did the entire clean your sink routine!

This morning i got up and went directly (after making my bed) to the kitchen. I walked in to a spotless room, and smiled all the way in. i ate my cereal and put my bowl directly in the dishwasher.

Great feeling. I'll look forward to doing it again!


god bless.


Bikerbooker2

[bikerbooker2]

It seems I liked my last post so well that I posted it twice! Soon I'll be dottering around wondering where I left my glasses! Wait! I do that now!

Enough frivolity for today. Due to the 15 min sessions at my desk with DH helping, my desk is much much better. Things that I didn't know what to do with and didn't take the time to decide, got decided when DH asked what he should do with them. All found a home in short order, if that tells you anything. I simply didn't take the time to find a home for them. Now my desk is clean except for three items that need to be filed, and about four items that need action. I will do those in my next desk session.

Tomorrow I am going with DH to a hospital about three hours drive away, to see if he will be able to have his surgery next week. I am praying he will. He has been avoiding crowds so as to not get the flu, and staying off the ice so as not to fall, etc. They suggested he wrap himself in bubble wrap! He even got a second flu shot to protect himself. They told us that they tend to wear off after three months.

I will know that I will come home to a comfortable, less cluttered house. I managed to take the three tubs to Good Will, along with an itemized list of donations inside. I got my receipt and put it into the tax file for this year.

funny how when your house is organized, everything seems to go better? it's contagious to other parts of your life.

I read an email that finally got me to do menus this week. The lady who wrote in said she used sticky notes for her menu items and put them on her flylady calendar. She writes the menu item for the night on the stop of the sticky note (the part that sticks), and puts it at the bottom of the calendar day. She did that for one month, then pulled them off and moved them to the next month, with perhaps new items inserted as well. That way many menu items are available for choice for the following month, and you can even move them around as need be (for example, if you don't have an item you need to make a recipe, you can move it to another day). This is brilliant. I've only done it for a few days, and i'm putting stickies on every night. can't wait till i get a quantity built up and can just peel them off and place them on the next month! thank you, dear lady, for sharing a beautiful simple idea, that will help me get the lead out and actually DO menus for a change! Im looking forward to planning my meals better. Even just the entree being planned makes the whole meal go easier.

If you try it, let me know how it works for you...

God bless

Bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

It seems I liked my last post so well that I posted it twice! Soon I'll be dottering around wondering where I left my glasses! Wait! I do that now!

Enough frivolity for today. Due to the 15 min sessions at my desk with DH helping, my desk is much much better. Things that I didn't know what to do with and didn't take the time to decide, got decided when DH asked what he should do with them. All found a home in short order, if that tells you anything. I simply didn't take the time to find a home for them. Now my desk is clean except for three items that need to be filed, and about four items that need action. I will do those in my next desk session.

Tomorrow I am going with DH to a hospital about three hours drive away, to see if he will be able to have his surgery next week. I am praying he will. He has been avoiding crowds so as to not get the flu, and staying off the ice so as not to fall, etc. They suggested he wrap himself in bubble wrap! He even got a second flu shot to protect himself. They told us that they tend to wear off after three months.

I will know that I will come home to a comfortable, less cluttered house. I managed to take the three tubs to Good Will, along with an itemized list of donations inside. I got my receipt and put it into the tax file for this year.

funny how when your house is organized, everything seems to go better? it's contagious to other parts of your life.

I read an email that finally got me to do menus this week. The lady who wrote in said she used sticky notes for her menu items and put them on her flylady calendar. She writes the menu item for the night on the stop of the sticky note (the part that sticks), and puts it at the bottom of the calendar day. She did that for one month, then pulled them off and moved them to the next month, with perhaps new items inserted as well. That way many menu items are available for choice for the following month, and you can even move them around as need be (for example, if you don't have an item you need to make a recipe, you can move it to another day). This is brilliant. I've only done it for a few days, and i'm putting stickies on every night. can't wait till i get a quantity built up and can just peel them off and place them on the next month! thank you, dear lady, for sharing a beautiful simple idea, that will help me get the lead out and actually DO menus for a change! Im looking forward to planning my meals better. Even just the entree being planned makes the whole meal go easier.

If you try it, let me know how it works for you...

God bless

Bikerbooker

[bikerbooker2]

Two things: I forgot to say that i cut the bottom off the sticky note and only stick on the narrow part that sticks. so i have a little colored space at the bottom of each calendar day with the dinner entree on it.

another: I asked DH one day to declutter his office or bedroom. He spent about an hour in his office, going through stuff on his desk and files in his file cabinet. Another day he concentrated on a bookshelf in his office, and carried out t wo big notebooks that he emptied into the trash, some items to donate. Another day he dedicated to culling Tshirts out of his dresser drawers. He came out with about 15 to donate. He did all of this without argument.

Now I have asked him to do these things other times when they failed to get done. After some thought, I think the reason he did it so easily was that he knew i had done it myself in my stuff. I think it's contagious!

Try it and see.

God bless.

Bikerbooker