You never know what you'll find...

Spring is in the air... it’s 72 degrees here today and a beautiful day.

Closet Shopping...

We are still “de-cluttering” and I have been going shopping in my closet. This has been great for my pocketbook. In digging through all the green plastic bins and the back of my closet, I have found clothes I’d forgotten I had and still are quite fashionable with adding a few accessories. Some of course are WAY too small and I really don’t have a hope of ever getting back into them. But some I’m very close to wearing again and should be able to in a few months. Since I’ve been sticking pretty closely to my ADA diet, I’ve lost a few pounds. I just need to get serious about the walking and the exercise!

Bud carried off 6-HUGE bags of clothes to the thrift store Friday and we still have a lot to sort through. I promised myself if I dropped it in the bag, I couldn’t take it back out! So far so good! Now we need to start on his!

Bud’s next project after he’s through setting up the canoe as a bog garden/fish pond is to clean and reorganize the garage. Although, our garage does not even begin to look like some in our neighborhood. We are in a subdivision that was built in the late 70’s & early 80’s, so most of the kids are off to college or married and the garages are so packed you cannot even walk through them. I know, I’ve seen them with my own eyes. Ours isn’t quite that bad, yet! I hope never. We do have some of our kids stuff in the garage and under the stairwell in the basement. But you can (carefully) walk through our garage.

To give you an idea of how we classify as genuine “packrats”... I have a bonnet hair-dryer in A-1 condition from when I was in high school. I kid you not! I still have my Brother Word processor with the black screen and bright yellow font! Again, in A-1 condition. Know anyone who would like to acquire these items? Please let me know! I just might get up enough gumption to part with them (and more). Bud just purchased a book and when he got home realized he had the original 1936 version. I can’t say too much to him as I’ve done the same thing and bought a book twice. We are so bad! They change the book covers on you now and republish the same book with a different cover and supposedly an “updated” version.

I have (kind of) promised our kids that we would sort through all the clutter and OLD PAPERS so they wouldn’t have too when that time comes. I’m afraid they wouldn’t go through all the bins and boxes and would just set a dumpster in the drive and start chucking. Although, I do believe they realize some of the “stuff” has value, monetarily and as family heirlooms/keepsakes.

Well, we will keep plodding along on the de-cluttering process. But it will have to wait until I get through my CE study and exams for my State License renewal. Then I have to take my companies BANK course and exam. All this before our Tennessee District Ladies Conference March 19-21! I’ll be ready for a break and a time of REFRESHING!

I want to be outside digging in the flowerbeds getting my hands dirty and feeling the soil sift through my fingers.

Have a blessed weekend and enjoy...while I go back to my studies!

Technorati Tags: Clutter,Decluttering,family,springtime,stuff,closet shopping,garage,reorganize

Random thoughts and photos...

It has been a busy 2-months for me. Moving my parent's in with us has been an adjustment for all of us. But we are doing just that... adjusting. My mom has settled in quickly... my dad... it's hard for him. We are out of his "known" territory and "stomping grounds" and since his eyesight is almost totally gone... he can no longer drive or read. For a man who was constantly reading and studying... this is extremely difficult for him to accept. Listening to CD's or tapes is just NOT the same as READING the WORD. I suppose this could be a lesson for ALL of us... READ while we can! I simply cannot imagine not being able to read. Books are my lifeline! It seems I've always read!

My mother will "shoot me dead" if she sees this photo... but we were at DQ getting ready to eat/drink a blizzard and some startling news came on their BIG screen TV (this is something new in our DQ)...

I probably won't show her this picture :D

Here's a photo of them at the surprise "Welcome" party our church gave them after their first service with us.

This is my Dad with "Tina" their almost 16-year old Chihuahua before we left Missouri for Tennessee. She is their baby!

Back in April we had our first strawberries of the year and leaf lettuce from the produce store just down the hill from our house. They were delicious and I dried the lettuce in the salad dryer and kept it in an airtight bag for almost a week! I'm not big on "head lettuce" or Boston lettuce. It just doesn't have the flavor of REAL lettuce or a good Spring Mix.

My first Rhododendron bloom of the year! I've buds all over the plant this year.

This is my back yard... which slopes down hill and we have left "natural". It is exceptionally filled with "green" growth this year. I guess the combination of rain, sun, and temperature was just right this spring... because I don't ever remember it being this "lush" this soon in the year! Hubby keeps the area around our patio and dog run clear... but the rest is left for all the "creatures" including the deer. The kudzu has just now turned green. Fortunately, we do NOT have kudzu in our yard. The beautiful mystical shapes are delightful to look at as long as they are on someone else's property and not mine!!!!

I've many more photos of our plants around the house and will try to be more diligent in posting regularly.

One last photo... my GREAT Granddaughter, Chloe. My dear daughter-in-law sent me these recent photos they had taken of her. I have more... but will not weary you with them ALL right now.

This is her "I'm so EXCITED" expression.