Getting Organized. One Space at a Time.

My mother is great with her suggestions on organization. She watches more YouTube videos than my kids do. But always with a purpose. Recently, she told me to check out ClutterBug. I'm glad she did. That lady knows her stuff! She takes about 15 minutes a day to go through a place in her house and declutter. And it has been an eye opener for me. 

She has been doing this in a 30-day challenge set up. I've had to play catch up to some degree, but its worth it. I would suggest you take it in stride. Subscribe and get the notifications. Then get started. Watch the videos to the end to get some humor as well. 

Day 1 was to go through under the kitchen sink. My kitchen sink will never be so tidy with the buckets. But I did organize the types of cleaners I have. And was able to pull out a piece of trash and some scent stuff we will probably never use. Everything we have is easy to see and grab.

Day 2 had me going through food storage. While I only had one container to get rid of, it helped me to organize those plastic containers that I use often. 

Day 3 was to go through your dishes and bakeware. Again, we really only have what we use regularly. But I still took a look.

I found 2 lids to pots that I had tossed a while back. It gives you a chance to decide if you need it or just hold on because you can't let go. Or do you need to rearrange? Now is the perfect time. I know there are couple things my husband and I disagree on when it comes to tossing out. He has a panini maker press thingy (we have not used a single time since being together!) that he refuses to let go of. Then there is the vase at the top of the cabinets. He says I should keep it in case I get flowers (which was once...? back when we started dating?) I see no purpose to them, but he says no when I bring up donating them. "You never know" is usually the response.

Day 4 is that utensil drawer. I had a couple things in there that I really don't use. I had a bunch of kids utensils. You know the little character ones? My kids have outgrown them. So I decided to hang on to a couple for the baby and donate the rest. There were several... I found this in there. Anyone want to take a guess as to what it is? How about what it could be used for?

 Leave me a comment below!

Day 5 I looked in the fridge. We don't often have foods left over, and even if we do, they are usually eaten within a day or two. Unless we all can't stand it... Which is when you bite the "waste not, want not" bullet and say its time to go. Toss it out if you know no one will eat it anyways. Why grow a science project before letting it go?! 

Day 6 is when you jump into your freezer. How many of you buy something and try it only to find that everyone in the family hates it and it will never get eaten again because it is just that gross? But you tell yourself that the bag is nearly full. And how can you waste it? What if there was a way to make it better? Yeah... I did that with some meatballs. And cheesy chicken nuggets (Tyson). Those things were never going to be eaten by us. No matter how we tried. They were gross. So I tossed them. And felt better. Plus, I had more space! 

Day 7 was the pantry. I pulled out some crackers that had been there since my family visited for my wedding. It was a while before I realized they were even there to begin with. And every time I reached for crackers, I forgot about those. They were so stale when I finally did this... I also pulled out some canned beans. My kids and husband don't like beans. I buy them, intending to put them in my chili, but only I will eat them. So out they must go. That was all I had that we won't ever use. I'm frugal with my grocery shopping. I only buy things I know we will use. 

Day 8 is one I still shiver at. The junk drawer. *wants to melt into the carpet* Mine looked like a dangerous zone to traverse.

And its never so neat as hers was. I have manuals in it that have to stay with the place (we rent). I have twist ties in a baggie (we use these daily). There were tools and a chip clip.... I hate the junk drawer. Mostly because it is so chaotic. I do love how she tells you to test out pens and markers. How many can you find that have no ink left in them? Why do we throw them back in the drawers or desk cups?! Thankfully, we don't keep writing utensils in the junk drawer. Sadly, my "junk" isn't what really goes into this drawer either. But at least it looks a little better.

I pulled out my husbands tools to go in the garage. I moved everything around to fit better and be more visible as needed.

Day 9 is when you check out those linens. We don't have a set place for linens. Each kids room has sheets and blankets in the top. All of them should/could be used. But I checked anyhow. And I got to thinking. I'm washing their bedding so often, they don't need more than 2 sets for each boy. So while I only have that many sheet sets as it is, I did have 6 fleece blankets for them. I decided to pull out 2 of them. The adults linens are kept in a tote in my closet.

Plus there are our towels. Adult towels are in the top shelf of my closet. We have a lot of them, but my husband says to leave that number as is. So I don't take from the stacks. The kids have a stack under their bathroom sink. They have enough that I don't need to take from that stack either. Its enough to keep stocked and have extra for times when they get sick. I can clean out a full stack when a virus hits them like nobody's business. 

This is where I'll stop on this post. I will continue my organizing spree in another post to come. Don't forget to let me know what you think that thing is that I found in a drawer in a comment below. Or better yet, what use would you have for it? And what is the number one place that you hate having to clean or organize?

Who Can Afford To?

I've seen some crazy things. But recently, I saw something I never would have thought possible. I mean, who has $10,000 to blow and why would they use it to buy a silver birds nest? 

I mean, seriously! Where have we gone that we are throwing money away on such stupid things?? This was just one thing of many on the Everyday Objects page of Tiffany & Co. How about a $950 Paper Plate? You can even have it engraved! It is only made of Sterling Silver. For that much, I want it made of gold with a diamond in the middle. Sheesh people....

If I had $10,000 to blow, I can promise you it would not be on something so stupid. It would be put to practical use. Maybe a down payment on a house. Maybe to pay off my van. Maybe to pay off my husbands debt. Heck, if I wanted to do something so selfish, I'd use it to pay for surgery and treatments on my spine to end my pain!

This is why I have so little faith in humanity. Every once in a while, you see something that reminds you there are idiots out there making money off other dumber idiots by selling crap like this. Or maybe the first is smart and the latter is the idiot. Either way, I could put such money to much better use. 

Hey, let's say I had a few hundred to blow and could only buy things I liked. Know what that would be? Tickets to see the next Star Wars movie at the Alamo Drafthouse so that I could get the Mondo Pint Glasses with them!

They would be awesome in my pint glass collection. Sadly, I can't afford them any more than I could afford the Justice League ones.

I would have picked up those cool yard signs from CVS that were in the Halloween clearance stuff. They knew how to decorate for Halloween, better than anywhere else I saw! 

I'd buy myself the new Women of NASA Lego set! At least that is inspiring.

Sometimes, I think that those with money don't know how good they have it. I know they say that most rich people are miserable. That they have everything and yet are lacking. And I believe it to be true. But there are occasions in my life that I have wished I had a fraction of what they have. That I have wanted something like a $50,000 a year income. I'd settled for $40k a year. Just so that I knew the bills would be paid every month, on time. That my kids would be fed. Even when they are teenagers! That I could afford to repair everything on my van or upgrade to a new vehicle when I needed to. That I could finally "take care" of myself as I've been advised by those who know me too well. I have recently heard of a man that made millions. Yet, he compared himself to others. What he had with what they had. "A beggar in a sea of gold." Makes you think, doesn't it? 

What would you do if you had $10,000 to spend on anything you wanted?

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Stranger Things 2 is rockin' it!

I'm so happy that the world brought us the Duffer Brothers. I don't know who they are, but without them we would have no Stranger Things. And Netflix. Can't be without Netflix. They hosted the creation that so many of us have an addiction to. Stranger Things is now a movement in its own right. Cosplay, Comic Cons, to being a hit at the comic book stores. You don't have to be a nerd to fall in love with it, however. If you like horror and adventure, buckle up! You will be wondering what happens next every scene of the way. 

So what are some things that have me hooked? Let's start with the fact that it is based in the early 80's. America is trying to fight the Soviets in the race of technological advances and mind-controlling warfare. They are conducting secret psychological testing on children who have abilities we normal humans can only dream of having. Moving things with your mind? How about giving illusions that look and sound so real, you are convinced it is? These kids are the "key" for scientists who want to prove something to their government. But you can't play with fire and not get burned...

As is usual for every scientific quest that the government sets out on, they screw up. Crap hits the fan and things go wrong. Strangely wrong. Time to delve in the opposite dimension of our own reality. And your only hope of survival is the 13 year old telekinetic girl that doesn't back down from the fight. 

As I said, it's set in the 80's. How they managed to scrounge up props from that time that make it so incredibly realistic, is beyond me. The ugly couches. The jeans. Oh the cars.... Its all pretty amazing when you think of it! Farah Fawcett Spray?! It is actually real. And they brought it into the show! 

They incorporated another movie I love that came out at that time; Ghostbusters!

You see, the main characters are a group of young, boy, nerds. AV club, D&D players, Star Wars fans (yes, that movie gets mentioned too). They are into it and heavily into all things scientific. Can you see the draw for a nerd like me?! 

Now, there were a couple things that I didn't approve of. I was a  little disappointed. The gun fight between 8's gang and the cops. There is no way that bullets from the cops just ricocheted off that beater van. No way! All the windows would have shattered. Tires would have punctured. They wouldn't have been able to drive away like that! I was expecting it to blow up or spin out of control. Not that I wanted 8 to die. I have a feeling she will play an important role in Stranger Things 3. And yes, I believe there will be a third season. No way can season 2 end like it did and NOT have another season to follow. 

Then you have the death of someone (won't name him for those who haven't completed the series). Though if you haven't finished the 9 episodes yet, what have you been doing?? My husband and I binged watched it. I think we finished it in 4 sittings. Anyhow! Someone dies. A lot of people die, but this was one of the key characters in the season. And having him die... especially how and when he died. Well, let's say it was pulling at my heartstrings. He was awesome. He was helpful. He was a hero. He was a nerd. I had a feeling that would be his fate towards the end, but I had hoped there would be a way he would get free. That he would be saved. WHY?! Why would you do that?! But I digress. 

My favorite character right now would be El (11). She has been closed off from the world. Still learning what normal 13 year olds would know by the age of 8? But she is strong. And determined. And adapting.

If you haven't been hooked by Stranger Things yet, I suggest you check them out. It is strange. It is retro. It is AMAZING! I'm looking forward to Stranger Things 3.