I just got off the treadmill so thot Id take a break. This cold, damp, dreary day is really affecting me. Im trying to stay busy so I dont get into food I dont need to be eating. Im going to reward myself for staying good by watching a tv show I recorded this weekend while Dh was watching football. Love that DVR. I saw a curio cabinet at Costco Id love to buy. Took DH to see it and am hoping hell agree its worth stretching the budget for. I even measured the van and itll fit! Well see. Eden, Im so glad Eve is doing well and I hope that continues. Im a little concerned about Bullet. He is now 9 lbs., down from 12 thats quite a weight loss in 2 yrs. As instructed, Ive been watching his eating, drinking, etc.,habits. He didnt eat much over the weekend. Since he deposited a fur ball this am, so Im hoping that is what the problem was. He just seems older and slower to me since his surgery. Im hoping its just effects from the anesthetic. Janie, it was good to hear from you. Hope your Mom continues to do well and recovers quickly. Marlene, don't work too hard. Those trade shows are killers. I always needed at least 2 wks. to recover -- one from the pace, the second to catch on stuff that accumulated back in the office. Deanne, I agree w/Marlene. I think you look wonderful. Why dont you give it a rest and see of you just need to let your body catch up. I truly think that might be what's happening. Cynthia, count me in for the group rate on a plastic surgeon. I need a full body lift, pulling everything up by my scalp, lol. I, too, love the picture I got of you and the kitties basking in the sun coming in the kitchen windows. And I know what you mean about kitties and paint. I was doing some staining touchup Sun. and a really nosy kitty was doing his best to get into it. I dont think "walnut stain" would improve his appearance at all! It's not his color. When he was a kitten, he fell into the wallpaper paste bucket. Now, that was a real mess! Yep, I know the pros and cons to the control freaky thing. As Da would say, Le Sigh! Martie, thats great about your new "favorite client". It sounds like you make your job interesting. Cant wait to hear how the Logees get together goes. Wish I could come. Thanks for sharing the info on your DB. I feel very badly for you having to take on that responsibility. But it has to be a huge relief to your parents. Mental illness is just so sad for everyone concerned and I wish more research was being done on it. Babs, now why did you have to tell us that!!! Hopefully, the almanac is WRONG! Yuk to colder temps in May. I prefer to go gently into the seasons but thats not been the trend these last few yrs. Sue, Happy Birthday to Tom! Sorry you didnt get a day off Monday. Hi to all. Dont want to bring anyone down, so Im going to go do something for me under full spectrum light to help with this funk. TTYL, friends. Honey

Claire: Good thread! I wish I had a basement to become a hot spot! We can't store much in the attic either due to extreme heat in the summer, so I really have to work on clutter containment. Once it came to me like clouds parting and a light shining in my brain. Finish what needs to be done each day. Really, like a heavenly voice! What an insight. Well, now you all know what a nut I am. But it's true. I can't pare down my life enough to pace things a day at a time. I can't even think about breaking things down into manageable sub-tasks. I really need to FLY, I guess and just focus on getting things done. Claire, isn't it great to have the remodel over? I really don't post much on the Kitchen Forum anymore, I'm so burned out. All the things that were so important a year ago, the details of my new kitchen... all of it has nearly beat the stuffing out of me. It will take months before I will feel normal again. Anyway, I have a five year old to put to bed, so goodnight!

I haven't had time to visit the Home Org forum for several weeks, but I had a little time tonight, and I'm enjoying reading everyone's messages in all the active threads. I hope to have a little more time after the new year. I think that is a good word ... "blessings," in connection with looking through the clutter and finding things you thought you had lost, or forgot you ever had. The more I pare down, the more I can enjoy what I have left. I feel doubly blessed, because my husband "gets it," too. He's willing to pare down on his own stuff. He's just down the hall from me. While I was typing, he found out that we have about eight pairs of the headphones that the airlines give you to listen to music. He said, "Let's keep two for ourselves, and bring the rest to church and see if anyone else can use them." (Big grin!) At church, we have these special devices that help people to hear the service, and maybe these extra headphones will come in handy for those who need help hearing. So my life is filled with all these small miracles that occur whenever I am brave enough to look at the clutter instead of trying to ignore it.

I don't know that there is any one "perfect" way. This is how I did it.... all my solid papers are together by color... all my patterned papers are filed together by topics ( Christmas, vacation, baby, etc.)... I have an old printer's tray that I modified to fit for stamps and hung it on the wall...my scissors are in a Fiskars scissor carrier (which also hangs on the wall for easy access)... all my stickers and die cuts are in mid-sized envelopes categorized by topics... I have a tackle box for pens and punches.. . I have 2 filing cabinets with file folder space on the top (for easy access of paper) and they have 2 drawers apiece for other incedentals (chalks, stamp pads, etc.). For photos and memorabilia, the hardest thing to do is assimilate them together. What I have done is seperate all photos by year (which takes awhile if you have been married 20 years). Then if the memorabilia is about photo-size, you can store them together. If it is too large, file it all as well. There are things I know I