Honalee - l'm looking forward to seeing your 'forest'. I've thought about making those tomato cage trees for years but so far haven't as I always use the ones I find at yard sales to prop up perennials. Thanks for the smartjane link which I've bookmarked and will look at later. I'm not sure what normal is but it sounds a bit boring so let's avoid it! LOL I actually love winter - the snow is beautiful and there's a respite from gardening. Occasionally I make "a snow angel!" I love decorating inside my house even more than I like decorating my garden and from March to September my house gets little decorating attention. In fact this year I had spring decor on my mantle until fall! The last few months I've been more serious about editing my house so have given away lots of decor accessories and things I no longer need or want. I have 45 years of accumulated "stuff" so there is lots to go thru and many decisions to make. It's an ongoing project but hope to finish by spring. With Christmas coming I've been shopping for gifts and need to wrap and send them, cleaning my house more thoroughly, and will be doing Christmas decorating starting today. It's taken me the last few days to pack away all the fall decor. Other than that I occasionally volunteer, read, 'play' online, talk on the phone and email, occasionally lunch with friends, attend a few social functions, only watch TV a little as there is not much that interests me on the hundred+ channels I get, and shovel snow and haul wood. I've been shoveling the few inches of snow we've gotten onto my perennials which takes more effort but I want them to survive the colder temps to come as I didn't winterize anything this fall. I heat my house mostly with a wood stove so that takes a bit of work. I do have a good and seldom used gas furnace but prefer wood heat. Oh, of course I cook and make almost all meals from scratch which takes time. Occasionally I do crafts, knit, and crochet altho haven't done much recently - have one knitting project on the go and hope to get it finished soon as it's boring me and I want to start something more interesting. I have 4 indoor pets who require care and attention which takes a bit of time. After Christmas things will slow down and I'll spend time planning, and re-planning, my garden. Plan will then go in the trash and the garden will continue to evolve as usual! LOL It's a lot of fun to plan tho and occasionally I discover something I want to implement. There are a few new craft projects I want to start but won't until the new year. I occasionally travel and have a short trip coming up soon so have to prepare for that. I always make to-do lists which helps me finish projects as I love crossing things off the lists! I love days like today when there's nothing scheduled and I can do only what I want. I will start Christmas decorating but will do it at my own pace so I enjoy it. Plan to finish by the weekend. I think most gardeners are probably creative people who do other creative things when they are not gardening.

You know that saying that goes something like, "Grandma had it, Mom threw it away and I'm buying it back."? That's me! I'm in love with antique stores now and digging in old kitchenware and crocks and jars and graniteware and you name it! I have always loved this stuff..even when I was young. There is something about some old bench, or old jars and graniteware that calls to me! However I didn't really get into having this stuff in my house until within the last couple of years. Before that it was more cutesy stuff and most of that has went into the garbage now! LOL I'm into the primitive country stuff in some ways but not the REALLY Prim stuff. I love the rustic and painted furniture and items. I hit up the thrift store for items for a quarter that are done in wood and then paint and sand and make them look old. Slate Welcome signs actually aren't totally out. I mean if they're done in the right way, many country lovers would buy them up but just not with ducks and geese and the country of the 80's. You have to change the designs with the times! I have had a HUGE pile of slate to work with for like the last 3 years. It's dwindling down now though :( My father was out of work and so he worked for a bit with the Amish that live by my grandparents. They would tear down old barns and sell the lumber off to these companies that build new houses out of old lumber. Dad found all sorts of neat things in the barns! The slate I have came off an old train station in a town about 40 miles from where we live. Most of my slate has went to family and friends with sayings or whatever that fit them so I kept it close by! Oh, and I found a new love...stitcheries! I started making them last Sunday and I'm hooked! Just another thing to add to my sewing, crocheting, painting and whatever else I do!

Hallngarden isn't this indeed wonderful? I've been doing a little inspiration research through out this. I google decluttering, home decor, organizing. I look at web results and image results. I look at online magazines for ideas. How can those ideas help me? Can I apply any of their methods? rethink my attitude? What does Peggy want out of the available space? Who or what owns this space around me? Do Dave and I own our space or does the clutter own it? Am I happy with the present state of things? Is this really such a big job or can I break it down to be more manageable. When I get into the feeling of I'm tired - it's my cuppa time. That's when I surf for ideas, read online positive attitudes or just simple take a break from it all. Kinda like my winter tune up diet - this year I've approached my annual winter tune up differently. It's not just a diet, I'm doing a lifestyle tune up in all areas of my life. Health eating habits, healthy mental habits (ongoing challenge) and healthier home living habits. I am working this winter on Peggy's mind, body and immediate surroundings. Being a horrid sleeper - bedroom hygiene is a must. By that I mean - decluttered, nice looking - somewhere that is mentally peaceful. It helps a great deal. The funny part is - it's contagious. When I get more organized at home, DH starts to organize his space, his computer area. I don't coax nor bother him - it just seems to rub off. I can't actually say 'at the end of all this' because it is a lifestyle change for me. It will never end because it's a beginning. It's liberating. How this journey affects each and everyone of us will be different. I sincerely hope this has been a very positive experience. Even if you are doing this and not posting - I wish you success and happiness from your efforts. Like I said, I love this place. You inspire me too! Cheers, Peggy

We have a fairly large bedroom and we both consider it very cozy. I think cozy is not really a matter of size, but how the space is furnished. If there are comfortable places to sit, to read, to put one's feet up, to write a note or check email when you don't want to go to your office, to step outside to enjoy the weather in a comfortable chair--- to me, this evokes a comfortable, safe feeling that is the epitome of "cozy." With respect to guest rooms, now that our children are out of the house we have several :) One is a large room with a double bed, a club chair and ottoman, a desk, dressing room and spacious bath. It is off by itself and has its own HVAC zone, so we usually put people there. The other two rooms have two twin beds and one single bed, respectively. We find that this configuration lends itself to a versatile combination of sleeping arrangements. The only thing I would change is to put a double in the room that holds one twin. But since my ,other is the one who uses that room most often and finds the bed very comfortable, we haven't bothered. And since we also have beds downstairs, they're not the only options. IMO it should not be considered a hardship for a married couple to sleep in twin beds for a few nights. In fact, I find the concern about it sort of odd. After all, it's only a few nights out of years.....right?