Homemade Cloth Pads

We like to do the food storage for preparedness in case of an emergency. We are two hours away from Memphis where the fault line lies. I'd like to think we wouldn't be affected directly in case of an earthquake but I do like to be prepared in case we are indirectly affected. I expect that most supplies from surrounding areas would have to be shipped to the most affected areas and that would mean limited quantities for us around here in our own stores.
   One of the things to store up is feminine products for women's needs. Have you ever tried to store up a year' s worth of sanitary pads? It boggles the mind. And what if you did have a year's worth stored up but found you had to grab a backpack, leave your home, and possibly live off the land. Then what? I decided instead of storing up disposables from the store I would revert back to what our foremothers used. Home made pads. Midwives are still suggesting the use of these today. They divert allergic reactions, lessen flow, and lessen cramps. They are 100% cotton ;completely breathable and not loaded with bleached out man made fibers. You can purchase already made ones but they are very expensive. There are numerous patterns on the internet;  so many that I had a problem picking the ones I wanted to try making. I tried several different ones and have a few more that I'd like to try.    I bought pretty receiving blankets at Goodwill during their fifty percent off sale for the flannel material  to make them. And no, I didn't get the ones that had baby themes on them. I did get a pretty lilac color with bows on it, and a pretty pink stripe, a blue one with butterflies, and I also picked up a few pairs of flannel sleep pants at the thrift store pretty cheap. I can get more pads out of the sleep pants than the receiving blankets but they aren't near as pretty. And a girl just has to feel pretty, doesn't she?
  I figure this way I can store in a backpack a week's worth and then they can be washed and dried and restored in the backpack if it ever came to that. A weeks worth is so easier to store than a years worth.
  And comfortable! On all of the sites I read the comments on how comfortable they were but I was skeptical that there was really that much of a difference. I had enough made that I used them this month and the first thing I did was apologize to my son for not using cloth diapers on him!
  I am a convert now and I will never go back!

Here are some pics below and yes, they are in the sleep pants material. But trust me I made some in the pretty material too. These were just on the top of the stack and I wanted to take a pic before I forgot.

Sewed around the edges like the instructions stated

Turned it.

Put in the inserts I made out of towels and flannel.

Sewed a seam on the edge so the flaps turn down easier.

I sewed a few straight but a few I contoured for a more natural shape.

This is a liner below in the lilac.  So cute!

This is before the snaps were put on.  I bought snaps like on the baby "onesies".

And like Always says "Have a Happy Period"

Well, I WILL NOW!

Till(er) We Meet Again

Back during the summer the kids did this to the yard....

Finally after much needed rain, the ground was right for tilling....

Ahh... much better!  Now I don't have to worry about running the lawnmower off in it or twisting my ankle in it walking to the shop after dark.  LOL!

Have a great day today!

Use It Up: Pinto Beans

This week’s food spotlight is on the illustrious brown bean. Beans are so versatile. They are inexpensive yet filling. Great plain or dressed up. They can be the main course or be a good side dish with a number of different themed dishes.

Just about any bean can be substituted in the following recipes. Great northern or navy are great subs. But pinto beans are what I’m using up right now.

We like to make a couple of pound of beans in one cooking. I like to make mine in the crockpot after soaking them all night. Just drain the dirty water and rinse, then place in crockpot with fresh water and your seasoning of choice. Country ham seasoning pieces are great for this, as is bacon pieces. Goya has a great powdered ham seasoning packet if you don’t have any meat available. Chicken base in paste form is also something I like to season with. And of course salt and pepper. The first night that will be our meal usually served with corn bread or hushpuppies.

But then what to do with the leftovers?

Depending on how many servings you have remaining, there are a number of different things you can make to avoid the repeat of beans again that week as the main dish. Not that there is anything wrong with that mind you. But in case you want something different here are a few ideas.

　
　

No Bake Baked Beans

2 slices bacon

2 Tbsp green pepper

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 (16oz) pork and beans(substitutre with your beans)

1\4 c. chopped onion

2 tsp mustard

1 1\2 Tbsp brown sugar

Fry bacon, reserve 2 tsp drippings. Sauté green pepper and onions in drippings 2 minutes. Add beans, mustard, sugar and ketchup. Mix well. Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Crumble bacon and stir into beans.

**********************

Brown Beans Baked Beans

About 2 cups cooked brown beans

1\4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1\2 tsp dry mustard

1\3 c. chopped onion

Dash of cayenne pepper (opt)

1\2 tsp salt

Cooked bacon (opt)

***********************

I like to rinse the beans for this recipe, though it isn’t necessary. Combine all ingredients, spread in a greased casserole dish, and bake until bubbly in a moderate oven.

To make either of these a main dish or heartier side just add browned and crumbled ground beef.

If you decide to make baked beans but want a twist on the traditional, then how about Slow Cooker Meat and Beans.

Slow Cooker Meat and Beans

2lb well trimmed chunks of stew meat (beef, pork, or venison)

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

½ cup chopped onion

1 bottle (18oz) BBQ sauce

Beans equivalent to 2 cans( 16 oz each) baked beans, drained

Mix meat, pepper, onion, and 1 cup sauce in crockpot. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours. Or on low 8-10 hours until meat is very tender. Stir in remaining sauce and the beans. Continue to cook until beans are heated through.

***************

Bean patties are another quick fix. Take leftover cold beans and mash with an egg. Shape into patties and dredge in flour or meal and fry.

You can also mix the cornmeal in the bean mixture and thin with milk until about like hushpuppy batter thickness and drop by spoonfuls into hot fat and fry. These are very good. Grated onion can be added in the batter and crushed pork rinds (that’s right the chip bag form) are good in there too.

******************

Chili is a great way to use beans and there are just too many versions out there to list. Most of you already have a favorite chili recipe so I’m going to save my fingers on this one (hate me, I know)

If you only have a small amount left over remember they can be put in a bowl in the freezer with other veggies and bits of meat and be made into soup or stew when the bowl is full.

One time I cooked an excessive amount of beans and we had beans in one form or another for a week. On this occasion I made a Pinto Bean Cake and it was actually pretty good. It’s not for everyone but worth sharing just the same.

Click the link below for the recipe
Pinto Bean Cake

A couple more favorites:

Refried Beans (with leftover beans you have most of the work already done)
Beans and Rice


If you are a bean lover then I hope this gives you a few more ideas.  If you aren't a bean lover then I hope it gives you inspiration to try something new.

Beans are very sustaining and very economical.  Long range shelf stability is a big plus in our house too. 

In these hard times with grocery prices soaring dinners are sometimes planned around price rather than preference.  But who says beans have to be boring?

If you have a favorite bean recipe, tip, or trick then feel free to share!

Have a great day! 

Lock and Load

Here's what Zach was up to this weekend.
Dad taught him to reload.
He reloaded for his own gun; his .308 hunting rifle.

Getting everything ready.

Measuring the powder.

Using the trickler to fine tune powder.

Pouring powder in the case.

Aligning the bullet.

Checking again.

Seating bullet into case.

Final inspection.

Finished product!

He made several by himself. 

Great job!

Just When You Think You Have The Night Wrapped Up

I had the scare of my life last night. Charlie had one of his allergic reactions but this one was the worst yet.

He’s had theses from time to time and benedryl usually works. Not so last night.

He took a dose of benedryl and gave it time to work but it just slowed the hives down some what. He took another dose and in an hour it was still spreading. He took a third dose and went on to bed; thinking the medicine would knock him out. I couldn’t sleep so I laid in bed and read. He was tossing and turning beside me. Around ten he got up and went down the hall toward the restroom. Shortly after that he called for me and my heart stopped. It was the urgency in his voice that scared me. Zach heard it and rushed down stairs. You have to understand that Charlie is our strength. He is the strong one that we lean on and when he sounds like he did last night then there is something major wrong. This man is always calm and never jumps to conclusions while this rest of us are rushing around in a panic. (or my personal defense mechanism is just to pass out with instructions that say “ wake me when it’s over“) His hives hadn’t gotten any worse but he had broken out in a cold sweat. It was pouring off of him. He was making a puddle in the floor. He was red in the face, on his hands and feet. There was pressure behind his ears , he felt dizzy and nauseous. I was afraid he was going to pass out before I could get him loaded in the car. After a call to 911 we headed out for the emergency room. 911 dispatch called the emergency room to let them know we were coming. I believe that was the longest trip that I’ve ever made.

By the time we arrived he was shivering and shaking and his speech was slurring like his tongue was thick. He wasn’t always making sense when he spoke.

They put in an IV, got him stabilized,  and took blood.

He started feeling better and they pumped him full of more antihistamines so he would sleep and discharged him armed with a couple of prescriptions. We made it home around 12:30 am. He slept until 9:30 the next morning.

He’s been groggy today. But he’s much better. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

I told him when he married me he made me a Gray and now he is proceeding to turn me gray!

Until next time……..Kristi.

Update for Week of September 19

I’m going to spread this week’s update out over the course of this week because there’s just too many pictures!  The weather prevented us from getting some things done but we worked when we could in between . I have to say I felt off my game this week.  I have been so preoccupied lately.  Hopefully that will be resolved this week and I can get back in my groove.  I was grumping about having to wait a month for an appointment and ,now that it's almost here, I'd kind of like to have some of that time back. (although I don't think my mentality could stand it, :) ) Your prayers this week would be greatly appreciated. 

Last Monday I put up some of our winter things. The swim suits were put away and I cleaned out the pool bag. It will now get delegated to a sewing bag until next summer. Seemed appropriate since Friday welcomed Autumn. It is such a pretty season and I try to find the beauty and joy of each season. Of course I do my fair share of complaining about them too! But they are each lovely and bring good changes to us otherwise life would be quite boring.

Just a note from last week: I thought I had learned my lesson with the contact paper but no, not me. On Monday I found somewhere else just begging for it. Have you ever tried putting it around an ice cream bucket? It looked so unassuming. So non-threatening . Ha! ( can you feel the sarcasm?) I’m going to spare you the details but let’s just say I was muttering to myself again. ‘Nuff said.

Monday night it was raining. Our niece came over, so we decided to have a movie night.  We had a great time.

Three days this week were spent on the phone with Apple trying to figure out what was wrong with my iPhone. The proximity sensor was messing up and they suggested updating or restoring the phone to factory setting. Problem was it wouldn’t do either. But after numerous hours on the phone, Charlie managed to speak with an actual tech named Steven and he figured out the problem. Bless his heart!

I worked on my sewing this week and I’ll be posting about that soon but I will tell you that crafting is serious business and dangerous at times. Take a look below and see what I mean.

I fought the iron and the iron won.

How do you burn yourself there with an iron? It’s a long story. Only someone with “red hot ice pick” war wounds on her thumb would understand! (Heather, you are a true inspiration!)

This burn, plus the poison oak, and bruises I got lately the doctor will think Charlie is abusing me!  LOL!  I am a sight!

We spent time out in the shop this weekend. The guys worked on reloading and I cleaned up the office. The tanning area is now ready for use once again now that cooler weather is here. On the way out to the shop I noticed I still have roses hanging on. I’m not the only one reluctant to let go of summer.

Coming up this week:
I want to show you what my little man has been up to.
I want to update you on an outside project.
My sewing project that I have been working on.
Beans! What to do with leftover beans complete with recipes.
And anything else that pops in my head! LOL!

One last thought:

We rode over to the field to see what damage the rain might have done and this is what greeted us.

Beautiful!
Seemed something enjoyed the rain!

That's it for today!

Have a great week!


 

Picture Thought

While sitting at the parts store the other day, this little beauty parked beside us.

Have a great weekend!

My Homemade Cheese Dip

This has been my secret for years but I want to share it with you. I would love to think I developed it but I’m sure someone has made it before but I had never heard of it. It WAS an experiment in our house and a success. Hope you enjoy it!

On our first round of tightwadding years ago one of the things that we faced giving up was one of my husband’s favorite snacks. He loved Velvetta dip made with sausage and Rotel.

Velvetta is shelf stable but very expensive so I didn’t keep it stocked as a staple.

One day I decided to see what I could come up with. I mean basically I needed a creamy cheese sauce. So I started with a white sauce. A white sauce is basically a plain gravy. They are great binders for casseroles. Or throw in salt and pepper and you have milk gravy. A basic white sauce consists of flour, a fat, and a liquid. The fat can be butter, oil, margarine, shortening, bacon grease or the drippings from where you cooked meat. The liquid can be milk, water, broth, or a combination . Depending on what your using your white sauce for will dictate which of the combinations you will want to use.

Plus your ratio of flour to liquid will determine your thickness of sauce.

For example 2 Tbsp of flour and 2 Tbsp of butter to 1 cup of milk will produce a thinner sauce just as 4 Tbsp of flour and 4 Tbsp of butter to 1 cup of milk will produce a thicker sauce. Of course more liquid can be added later to thin it down as desired.

To make the white sauce you want to make a roux.

Place your flour and fat of choice in sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the flour takes on a nutty flavor. Don’t worry if you didn’t know flour could smell nutty because you’ll soon see or smell for yourself and does it ever smell yummy! If you don’t cook the flour until the nutty smell then your sauce may have a floury taste to it. If you over cook your flour and scorch it then you just ring the dinner bell down south because you’ve got a good start on ol’ sawmill gravy.

But assuming you’ve cooked your roux to perfection then add your liquid in a steady stream and keep stirring. Cook until thickened. You can season to taste. You can add your salt and pepper at the beginning while cooking your flour if you’d rather.

Now on to the cheese sauce.

I make my white sauce with butter or oil and milk for this. I make it on the thick side but use 1 ½ cup of liquid. Then add in american cheese singles. When I first started making this I used around 6 or 7 cheese singles to make it really cheesy but have since cut back and use 4 or 5 and it seems just as good.

Then season with salt and do a taste test and add more salt and cheese to suit your taste. (Use a separate spoon for taste test please)

At this point it’s great to use in casseroles or top veggies or mashed potatoes.

To finish the dip version:

Now add in browned and crumbled and drained hot breakfast sausage.

And one well-drained can of Rotel or the off brand equivalent.

Let simmer until the flavors mix and adjust thickness by adding a little more liquid if necessary. Some liquid will cook out of the tomatoes and thin it a bit. It will thicken up on standing.

Great with tortilla chips or corn chips.

Kristi's Homemade Cheese Dip


4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 Tbsp butter or veg. oil

1 ¼ to 1 ½ cup milk

5-7 slices american cheese singles

½ lb to 1 lb browned hot breakfast sausage, drained and crumbled

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, well-drained

Salt to taste

In saucepan over medium heat cook flour and oil until flour smells nutty. Add in steady stream of milk while stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Add in cheese singles and salt to taste. Then add in sausage and tomatoes. Simmer until flavors blend.

Hanging Out

You know by now that we hang out clothes in an attempt to keep our electric bill down. Notice I said attempt. Our usage was down this past month but our bill was about a dollar more. Plus we had less days in this meter reading cycle. Go figure. We need a creek behind the house with enough water flow to generate our own electricity. Or maybe a windmill? (Yeah I know, one of these days when I step up on that soap box it’s gonna throw me)

Back to what I was saying……

Weather permitting this is where the clothes hang dry.

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, this is where they hang out…..

I take the clothes line down after I collect the clothes. Just the hooks remain. It only takes a few seconds to hang the line back up when I need it next time.

What things do you do to save on your electric bill?

My impromptu project last week:
(remember me saying I get side tracked?)

The linoleum remnant was old and stained. It had been down since we moved in fifteen years ago.

 

 

A couple of revelations that hit me while I was working :

• I don’t love, enjoy, or anything near the word like, putting down contact paper.
• The idea of carrying it around the corner so that it would all be the same was just the adhesive vapors talking. I can live without it under the sink.
• Obviously I’m not as claustrophobic as I thought. I had to climb into the cabinet to reach the far corner. That or I was too busy muttering to myself to notice my confinement.
• Knee pads should have been listed under “tools needed” in the directions.
• The person who wrote the directions for this stuff will NOT be getting a Christmas card from me anytime in this millennium.
• They have some nerve putting the word magic in the name. I tried hocus pocus, abracadabra, and open sesame. None of those helped.
• A discount coupon for one free visit to the chiropractor should have been included in the packaging.

Well, it’s done. Think I’m going to go soak my knees now.

Until next time…….Kristi.

Also a note on the color scheme. The local store where I purchased it made it very easy to decide. They had two choices. Polka dots or clear. Polka dots it was.

Update

In spite of not feeling the best in the world last week, we still managed to get several things done. On Monday Charlie worked over at the field.

The reason it takes me twice as long to finish a project is that I get side tracked on one and start another!

Some of the pockets on my clothes are just too small to tote my iPhone. When I go out to hang up clothes or just go to the opposite end of the house I have to go off and leave my phone or try to remember where I laid it down. I have my cooking apron but I wanted one more light weight and just a half apron and complete with at least one pocket to hold my phone. So, on Tuesday I made a utility apron. The material was some left over from early home school days. It was our Spring bulletin board background cover.

　

Tuesday afternoon I mowed and weed eated around the house while the guys worked on two dirt bikes that weren’t running. They got them fixed. I started up Little Red. She cranked on the second try. Guess she’s raring to go. I also moved edgers from around a flower bed so Charlie could mow it. It looks so much better now.

Wednesday I finished weed trimming a few places and trimmed a few tree limbs that were bugging me. A few storms passed through later that evening and soaked the ground pretty good.

Thursday morning was really cool. Zach and I had to wear jackets to town that morning. We went to Wal Mart for thread and can you believe they were out. Out of white all-purpose thread. Oh well, maybe next time. Charlie went and helped his dad work on the dump truck that evening. Once the field dries enough they are going to haul extra dirt out. Then maybe we can get it finished.

Zach has been learning a lot about working on dirt bikes in the evenings with his dad. He seems to be really interested in mechanics. I don’t think he has ambitions to become a mechanic. I think he just wants to be able to work on them if they need it. It gives him a sense of accomplishment. He likes knowing he doesn’t have to wait on dad to work on them. He wanted me to ride dirt bikes with him the other day. I told him my tires needed air and he popped right up with, ” I’ll do it.”
So he checked them, added air, if he added to much then he let some out, checked them again and declared them perfect. Just love that little fellow.

Friday was spent in overtime for Charlie. That means sewing projects for me. I needed to finish some of them up but with the nights turning cooler I wanted to get the dogs some bedding for their houses. I had an old quilt off of our bed that I cut up into smaller sections and hemmed up. I got several so I can trade them out. I made them small enough that I shouldn’t have any trouble getting them in the washing machine to be laundered.  The bedding plus an insulated dog house and heat lamp should be warm and toasty come winter.  Before anyone emails me about taking your pets inside in very cold weather, let me remind you that Buddy would and could do that but Bowie is still pretty wild.  He's come a long way but he's still very jumpy about any kind of confining areas.  I consider it an accomplishment that he sleeps in his doghouse now.  The shop is heated but I think he would absolutely panic if I put him in there this winter.  So you work with the situation you have.

I also asked Charlie to fix me a strip of wood in the bottom of my cabinet. A bottom cabinet by the stove where I keep cutting boards and cooling racks. They are just propped up under there and when I go to retrieve one or put one up they slide down. That’s really annoying! So I asked him to screw a strip of wood down there as a bumper to put an end to that. While I was getting everything out of the cabinet for him I decided to give it a good scrubbing and then of course that starts a chain reaction in me and I'm thinking new paper would be pretty in there. And I don’t get my sewing done. More on the paper subject tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Saturday we worked around the house. We “doctored” several ant hills around the place. Charlie put the strip down in the cabinet that I had asked for. We finally couldn’t resist any longer and took the bikes over to the track. I can now say I know what it feels likes to go over a tabletop. We had a blast! So much so that we rode again that evening and then again on Sunday. Now we are so saddle sore we groan every time we sit down. But so worth it! The more we ride the more we’ll get back in shape.

A picture of the newest tabletops.

Pic of the berm and longest tabletop in the background.

The rest of the week will depend on the weather. But rain or shine the housework and school will go on and on! LOL!

Just a note about the blog. I have a recipe to share this week. One I developed and have kept close to my vest but I’m finally ready to share after all these years! Ha! Nothing too special but a good “knock-off “ version of an old classic.

I’d also like to start a series on here of ideas and recipes on how to use specific ingredients and how to use up leftovers. Just little things that work for our family in keeping the grocery bill down.

Have a great week! Until next time…Kristi.

News You Might Have Missed

Slowly But Surely

One of these days I'll understand all this high tech stuff and learn the lingo.  Then I'll be up-to-date instead of behind the times.  I finally put up a Welcome entry on here as well as a Follow by email.  I've seen this on other blogs but wasn't sure if it was an option on Blogger or was actually out sourced.  Hopefully all the bugs have been worked out of this by now.  Wish I could say the same for the comments option.  I know it has been giving some a few problems as of late and I'm sorry.  I understand your dilemma as it wouldn't let me answer some of your comments yesterday.  Slowly but surely Gray Days will grow up one of these days.  For now, please bear with me through this teething stage.  And any suggestions will be appreciated.  Until next time.......Kristi.

Sewing Project Update

The Halloween banner that I showed you on here a few weeks ago is finished and then I went on to Frosty the snowman. No, he isn't my Christmas door hanger but he will be my winter decor. January and February if I can stand his gaudy self that long. A few things about him: I embellished him with real buttons on his cuffs and down his front, the flag wasn't suppose to be quilted and instead glued to a dowel and glued to him. I didn't like that so I quilted it and am going to tack it on where you see it pinned.

The flag had white dots for the stars and just looked rather plain so I decided to embellish it with clear and white buttons in various sizes. I believe it turned out rather well. The button stars give it a more country feel I think.

I finally got my sheets tore into strips and started my rug.  I'm freestyling here on the pattern and the color changing.  Flying by the seat of my pants to put it plain and simple.

I started mom's lap throw.  These are flannel receiving blankets, cut into strips and sewn together.  After the front and back are sewn together you go back and snip about every inch or so and then toss in the dyer to sort of fray the edges.  I thought she might stand out more and make more of a statement with this type instead of the traditional quilted throws!  One side is sunny yellows and the other is pretty pinks.  

Things are coming along. Of course, like everyone else, for every project I complete, two more takes it's place.  But..........

Busy hands are happy hands!

Until next time.......Kristi.

Better Pic

 A better pic of the tabletop progress.

Update

Friday they got started around 3:30 in the afternoon and worked on the other two tabletops.

Digging out the berm.

Look Ma!  No wheels!

Everyone else was digging, so Buddy decided he would too. 

 Nate showing how tall the tabletops are getting!

That's where they are right now.  After they are "dressed up" then it's time to get in the rhythm section and whoops and then hopefully we are done. 

That's pretty much the whole weekend. Hope your weekend went great and this week finds you well.  Until next time....Kristi.

Remembering 9.11.01

Take A Load Off Part Two

Today I'm tackling people clutter.  There are so many types of people clutter out there with technology it's no longer just people on the phone or on your doorstep. 

Nowadays we have Facebook and email and blogs and chat rooms all of which have people clutter.
What is people clutter?  People clutter is simply people that do not bring anything productive to you or your day.  Or people that their attitude just brings you down. People that have a habit of guilting you.  People that seem to make you justify yourself constantly. People that make you feel bad about yourself.  That's all people clutter. 

I started with blogs.  I love blogs and I had one blog that I felt was a kindred spirit but she decided to stop blogging which is her prerogative.  I mourned the loss of her blog and went back from time to time and reread some of her articles. On several occasions she announced that she would be coming back to the blogging world and would for a few months then leave again.  This went on for almost two years and I remained faithful though each time a little more frustrated.  I see blogging as a responsibility.  It's a choice you make to start one and if you start it then you take on the responsibility of maintaining it.  The last time she came back she stayed a few weeks and then decided to leave it behind.  I decided enough was enough and let her go.

The same with another blog that had me feeling, although unintentional on her part, like my house was lacking.  It wasn't cozy enough and therefor my family was suffering. I cut her loose too and went back to my comfort level in house decor. 

On Facebook I've had people that every time they post they whine.  They never have a good day.  Now I'm all for venting believe me but to constantly post those things and spend all day thinking those things has to be exhausting as is reading them everyday for me.  So they are gone.

Now guilting people are so transparent for me because they could never top my mother in that department.  She was queen of guilt ,God bless her, and had every trick in the book.  So I can spot a guilter a mile away.
And I have been guilty, pardon the pun, of allowing one to guilt me, to the aggravation of my husband.  "If you know they are guilting you then why put up with it?", he would ask.  My reasoning was that since I knew they were guilting then I felt that took some of their power away and then I would just pick and choose what to allow or not to allow to be guilted with a result.  I know, messed up, right? 

Then there are the ones you have to answer to all the time.  Every move you make or don't make you have to have a justified reason for.  Because they are gonna ask and expect an answer.  Don't you hate that? They just want power over you.  Or the one's that expect you to build them up all the time and feel better about themselves. They are insecure and want to feel empowered. 

And don't forget those sharks that we have talked about all year.  The ones just waiting to feed on you if you trip up.

All of these are clutter. 

I read a book several years ago about all types of clutter.  The author himself had one person in particular that would come over incessantly while he was working and whine or fuss and in general hinder this man even though he knew he was working.  It got so bad that as soon as he knew this fellow was coming, or about the time for him to visit again, he would sneak out the back door with his briefcase and work in the woods behind his house.  He finally realized the absurdity of it and addressed the man and took care of it. 

Sounds nice in theory but executing it in reality in my own life is a little bit touchy.  We are taught to be nice and play nice from an early age that to run the risk of hurting some one's feelings goes against all that rearing.
But we are also taught to be honest with ourselves and others.  So what do you do?

There's something to be said for the art of tact.  Wish I had the knack for it.  Maybe there's an app for that. You know Tact 2.0 or something. 

The fact is we have so many good things in our lives: our families and our households and our healthy relationships that we shouldn't be wasting our time on those that are not productive in helping us to maintain those dearest to us. 

Until next time.... Kristi.

Take a Load Off

Today's post as well as tomorrow's are a two part series that I wrote back in July and just haven't had a place to put them until now.
My Sister-in-Law is shaking her head right now. She'll remember me talking about writing these on one of her visits. She'll also rethink that comment about how organized I am! :p

I've spent this past month getting rid of clutter.  No, not cleaning out closets, but rather mental clutter. You know that stuff that just wastes brain cells, brain cells that I desperately need in high volume these days.

 I started with my stored pictures and deleted lots of duplicates and just stuff that I don't even remember why I took it in the first place.  And then moved the remainders into folders, simple folders, so I can find the pic I'm looking for in just a matter of minutes.

Then I moved on to Facebook and "unliked" some pages of products or stores that I had added.  When I added them I didn't realize that would mean they would send something every two minutes and fill up newsfeed until it would take me thirty minutes to try to see what my friends were up to that day.  I had to sift through too much stuff, unwanted stuff.

 Then I hit email and determined to unsubscribe to places that I no longer wished to receive messages from.  I know it only takes a nano second to delete an unwanted email but if they never send it in the first place then I don't have to deal with it at all.  

So now things are pretty clear and cut and dried.  Already I can feel my mind saying "thank you for lightening the load".

In the next post we'll move on to people clutter.
Until next time.......Kristi.