What's on your to-do list?

Good evening bloggies. I just wanted to check in before I went to bed for the evening. Each night, I think about my to-do list for the next day. I plan out (and write down) what I'm going to make for dinner, if I have to go to the store at lunch time, what chores I need to get done before work, etc. Doing this clears my mind so I can sleep peacefully. Here's an example of my list for tomorrow:

6am- get up, work out for 20 min
620am- shower (FAST!!)
630am- make lunches, then make breakfast
650am- eat breakfast while getting ready- iron, etc.
8am- leave for work
830-5pm- work

Lunch- go to the bank, TJ's- get shredded cheese, tortillas, peanut butter, pasta sauce

Dinner- tortilla pizzas

After work- go with Brenton to have his pants taken in, do/put away laundry

Planning my day out makes my head clear. If I don't get to something, I do it the next day. In college, I had to plan out my day by the minute because I was so busy. Now, I'm not quite as busy with meetings and classes and such, but with other responsibilities. The moral of the story, plan ahead, but use it just as a guideline. You'll stay organized, but not get so stressed.

Until next time, namaste.

Out with the old...

Happy Saturday to all!! Today's mission was to clean out my closet!! Out with the old, to make room for the new!!

The day was off to a good start with a nummy breakfast- Egg White Omelet with peppers, a tiny sprinkle of cheese, hot sauce *YUM* and salsa. Paired with a couple of kiwi's and half of a piece of Ezekiel Bread topped with almond butter and cinnamon.





Mucho yum-o!! Then, nothing new- I taught some lessons, did some laundry, got my 10 min of sunshine... normal Saturday stuff. By the time the early part of the afternoon rolled around, I was ready to take on the challenge- oh the closet...

Here's what it looked like to start...



Full of too many clothes that I don't wear anymore. Too much stuff, holding me back from getting new, pretty things! I totally re-arranged how everything was set up, and got rid of clothes that I knew someone ELSE could use! After 2 hours (oye...) here's what it turned out to be...



YAY for organization. Now when I open the door, I don't scream!! I donated my clothes and stuff to AmVets... hopefully it all goes to someone in need!! When you're open to give, you're open to receive, and let me tell you, I'll probably be going through the closet again in a few months to give again. I still have way too many clothes, and unfortunately, most are not... my style... they're just filling the time until I can actually FIND clothes that are! All in good time. I did find a GREAT dress from Goodwill that was a CUTE Isaac Mizrahi. LOVE IT! You never know what you'll find at thrift stores- for CHEAP!

I'm looking forward to re-filling my wardrobe, one piece at a time, and moving along the clothes that are fillers. In with the new, out with the old.

I hope everyone has a FAB Sunday! I'll be at TJ's early doing the grocery shopping for the week! So, until next time, clean out your closet and donate to those in need!! You'll feel good!!! Namaste.

A new pantry! Mission Organization!

'Ello bloggies! On Sunday, my husband and I decided to tear apart the kitchen pantry and cabinets and do a MAJOR organization project. It's always good to get organized, go through things, and just get rid of the 'STUFF'. Here are the pantry 'before' pictures (don't judge me... ha!)...



Yeah, that's a lot of stuff. So, we proceeded to get it ALL out, and start over.


Talk about crazy! It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate!! We did a major purge, and re-org (as my husband says), and started to put things back...




PHEW!! It took about 3 hours, but it feels good to have some organization now!! We did the same thing to the kitchen cabinets, but I didn't take any pictures of that. Like the mountains of bananas and avocados? Hehe.

Even with all of the work in the afternoon, I still managed to make myself a FAB salad, topped with grilled shrimpies. WAY YUM!


And as if re-organizing the pantry wasn't exercise enough, Brenton and I decided to go out and enjoy the weather by kicking the soccer ball around. Lots of fun!!



After an hour of running around and kicking goals, we were spent! But, not a bad way to get in exercise!!!

Hope everyone had a great Sunday! Until next time, have some fun in your day!! Namaste.

Your Car- Sanctuary??

TGIF! I wanted to share with you another 'me time' strategy that I have....

Is your car a sanctuary?? Or is your car an chaotic mess? My commute to work is no less than 35 min. per way, and if I have to run errands after work or on my lunch hour, I end up being in my car at least an hour every day, if not more. Why not create a serene space to make that time more enjoyable??? Here are some tips:

1- CLEAN OUT YOUR CAR. And I mean REALLY clean. Use a vacuum, wipe of the dash board, clean out the crevices, empty out your trunk. Your mind will be much clearer if your space is cleaner. Plus, you won't hear all of that junk rattling around all over the place, sliding here and there.

2- MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE ESSENTIALS. When you're on the road a lot, it's very important to have the following in your car/trunk at all times--
*Spare tire and jack
*Umbrella
*Reflective Sun Shade for the windshield
*Map of the state you live/travel atlas
*Registration, Insurance Card
*Ice Scraper
*Blanket

Now, here's the fun part!!

3- FENG SHUI YOUR SPACE. Hang a faceted crystal from a blue ribbon from the rear view mirror if you are prone to road rage, or hang a silver ball from a red ribbon for protection.

4- CLEAR THE AIR. If your car has a stale or musty smell, consider opening the windows and leaving it outside, or in an open garage for a while. I like to use essential oils like Lemon or Lavender on the dash board, and sprinkled on the carpets. A little goes a long way! Stay away from air fresheners- the scents are not safe to smell all the time, and can cause headaches.

5- TIME TO GET COMFORTABLE. Be sure to sit up straight, with equal weight on both of your 'sits' bones. The seat should be adjusted so that you are as far away from the steering wheel as is comfortable. If you have back pain, consider buying a lumbar pillow for behind your back, or a wedge cushion for the seat.

6- PLAY SOME TUNES. I like to play 'smooth jazz' when I'm in the car, because it reminds me of being on vacation in Florida- my happy place. Play soothing music that appeals to you, whether it's classical, to pop. Stay away from hard rock, or anything that makes your blood pressure rise.

7- PACK SOME COMFORT ITEMS. Some items that I like to keep in the car, in an organizer (like this) are:
*Trash/plastic bags
*Travel kleenex
*Cleaning wipes
*Waterless hand sanitizer
*Magazine
*Hair comb
*Napkins
*Eco Bags (for those farmers markets!!)

8- AND DO NOT... Keep plastic water bottles in the car. When the plastic heats up, it leeches cancer causing chemicals into the water!!

Go make your car a sanctuary! Until next time, Namaste.

My Bathroom Re-Do!

Good morning, bloggies!! In the spirit of Spring Cleaning, I decided... on Thursday... to re-do my bathroom this weekend! Pretty lofty goal, but I was ready for a change. I was ready to make my bathroom "my own", rather than feeling like I was just borrowing the previous home owners.

So, first thing was first- what on earth should I do?! Here's what the bathroom looked like 'before'...



See? Mostly a hodge-podge of stuff... that didn't match anything- each other, my personality, our house... nothing! An un-zen place, surely throwing off my chi!! In talking with my sister, I decided that I wanted a home spa!! And why not?! Those commercial spas are so expensive, and use toxic paraben-ridden products. I'd rather use my olive oil, thank you (as you see in the above picture in the canning jar). Keeping all of this in mind, me, being the frugal person that I am, did not want to spend a whole lot. I knew that I wanted to paint the walls (and decided on some sort of blue/green that reminded me of Florida!), and get some new things like a shower curtain and floor mats, but didn't want to buy a whole lot of new accessories. So, I decided to re-purpose the bathroom set.

It went from this...




To this, with a little silver paint!...



Off to a good start! I had picked up some canning jars and a basket at a yard sale (oh how I love thee...), for under $.75 total, and since they were clear, I didn't need tinker with those.

I picked up my paint, and had left over painting supplies at home to use. Here's the new color!!



Then I went to town!!!

Here's the bathroom, under construction....



New color on the walls!! It's coming together!!



After 3 hours of painting the walls and accessories (including the light fixture), then cleaning up, and installing a new toilet seat, shower curtain, and laying of the rugs (all myself!!)... the new bathroom was a success!!




This re-do cost me under $100, and maybe 5 hours of my time. I say it was WELL WORTH IT! A zen bathroom, is a happy me!

Until next time, organize a room, and make it your own!! You'll feel good every time you walk in.

Namaste.

'tis the season to be FRUGAL!

Spring is here, and weather such as this brings a flurry of yard sales! It's one of my favorite times of the year. Whenever I hit up yard sales, I have a few rules for myself:

1- only purchase items that will be used, or given away as gifts within the year
2- when an item is brought home, an already possessed item MUST be sold or donated
3- if bargaining is an option, do it! Get the most for your money
4- stick to a strict spending limit. Only bring as much cash with you as you're willing to spend
5- bring eco-friendly bags with you to carry items in. You never know if you'll have to park far away, and the seller may not have bags for you to use. Plus, it makes it easier to pick up items and continue to browse

I am very excited because the first yard sale of the year that I'm going to is happening on Thursday evening. It's at a church very close to work, in a very upscale area. Lots of nice items for VERY cheap! This year, I'm hoping to find organization-type items (tubs, drawer separators, baskets, underbed boxes, crates, shelves, hooks), nice clothes (I've lost 15 lb. since last year at this time!), container garden items (pots, potting soil, hanging baskets, seeds, potted plants-I'll post more on that in a later post), indoor plants/trees (decor), a trash can for under our kitchen sink, and glass Pyrex/Corningware. My intention is set to find all of these items by the end of the summer, at very reasonable (ok, CHEAP!) prices!

Keeping in mind that clutter is the enemy, I am very strict about the 'bring an item in, push an item out' concept. I'm a big fan of that tv show 'Clean House', and it's absolutely amazing how much STUFF people can accumulate. Unfortunately, too much stuff can throw off your chi, and make you a frazzled mess! The people that go on this show are SO stressed, and it's obvious that their clutter is a representation of some other inner conflict that they have.

When I was younger, I was a pack rat. I'm told it runs in my family... I would hold on to things and give them a sentimental value that I would get too attached to. Getting rid of possessions when I was a kid was a nightmare for me. It caused way too much of an emotional drain, for things as ordinary as a pen, or a tube of lipstick! Now that I understand what clutter represents (and in my life, it's a barrier to be able to accept better and new things into my life), I hold these strict rules to get rid of things that I have not and will not use.

Being open to give, is being open to receive. Keep this in mind when you are bargain shopping at your local yard sales! One item in, one item out.

Until next time, Namaste.