10 Signs Your Life is Too Cluttered

"Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answers to all your troubles are in this little bottle, Vitameatavegamin." We all know those famous words Lucy Ball so convincingly said to us like 50 years ago! It is certainly one of my favorite episodes.

Anyhow, I can mimick her and say, "Is your house a mess? Can you not see the kitchen table? Do you lose your keys? Are you embarrassed to have people come further than the front door, even to the front door? Is your mail stacked up for the last 2 weeks?" All your troubles can be solved with Danna." ....all these signs might just be pointing to the fact that your life is
too C L U T T E R E D. Don't despair, I have some ideas for you :)

Life is a series of actions. We all know that. One thing leads to the next and the next and the next. Do the wrong thing, and wa lah, you end up in a crappy place (I speak from experience. in my personal life...)Anyhow, keeping a home neat and organized is really a series of actions or choices.

Here are 10 things to consider that show your life is too cluttered..
1. Mail piled up
2. Late fees on bills
3. Taxes filed late
4. Dinner table too full to sit and eat at
5. Laundry coming out of the hamper, not done for more than 1 week
6. Newspapers, receipts, and other items laying around your home or even your bedroom
7. You have to think where your checkbook is, your extra credit cards, a suitcase, scissors, baking powder, snail bait, just to name a fun list of random things :)
8. Your clothes and shoes are not put away in the closet and dresser, they are everywhere else
9. You don't want to entertain anyone, as you feel your house is a mess, all the time
10.Your refrigerator is a hodge podge of items, things well past the date, old produce, nothing to offer yourself or a guest.


MAIL
If you bring the mail in each day and put it on your kitchen or dining room table, well after a week or so, it is stacked high. If you don't go through it, is just keeps going. Now you have no table to eat at, let alone you are running the risk of paying bills late, missing important information, etc.. So when you get the mail, SORT IT right then. Bills, (these get put in a folder on your desk and you always keep it in the same place..) JUNK (most of what I get), anything good? 95% of my mail is just plain old recycling. Take it out to the recycle bin right away. Shred anything that needs shredding right then and there. My recycle bin and my shredder are right next to each other in the garage :) So now you have the mail thing handled, you do it everyday right then and there, and do NOT let it pile up. Easy. Really.

LATE FEEs
Well the above just took care of that.

TAXES FILED LATE
I never have understood this! For God's Sakes, they give us until April 15. That gives you 3.5 months after New Year's eve, to get your taxes together. Really it is not that complicated. Filing late is just nuts. I am not a fan of taxes or the IRS at all, but unless you want to end up with major problems you have to file your returns and pay if you owe, so do it on time. And, really, figure out with an accountant what you are going to owe, and then plan accordingly. Unless you are in dire straights, borrowing from what you should be paying to taxes right now, in order to have the money in your pocket right now, is not really a plan. I know, it has been a tough year, but overall, please don't do this.

DINNER TABLE TOO CLUTTERED
Well I am going to guess a lot of this is mail and other junk. Your table, any table in the house really, is not a spot for mail and other junk. Every evening, take 5-10 minutes, go through the junk and don't pile it up on your kitchen table, don't pile in anywhere, a huge pet peeve for me!

LAUNDRY
Okay, laundry has to be done at least 1x a week. I know people with a lot of kids and they are doing laundry all the time!! But if you only have a small amount, do it 1x a week, all of it. And fold it and PUT IT AWAY. I cannot handle laundry left in the laundry room, on chairs in a bedroom etc..One time my friend told me that her sister in law could read a book right next to laundry that needed to be put away--I almost fainted :)

NEWSPAPERS
Another pep peeve of mine. Read the news online! It is free, mess free, and better for the environment! But if you must read the paper (I know people who still do) please R E C Y C L E
it everyday!! Don't leave it around..Piled up newspapers are a total mess. Anything lying around is an eyesore--papers, receipts, dishes, etc..everything has its place, or the trash can or recycle bin, really it is that simple.

WHERE ARE THE SCISSORS
Well that is easy, in my "junk bin" in the laundry room, on the shelf. I know practically everything in that junk bin. I know where everything is. I don't write it all down and think about it all day, but I plan where it is, and then it is always in that spot. Totally learned that from my mom. Don't just put things anywhere, that is why you can never find them!

CLOTHES
Your clothes and shoes belong in the closet (HUNG UP) or in the dresser--not ON TOP. Think of clothes and shoes and personal items as total extensions of ourselves. Things to be taken care of and respected. When things are just lying around on the floor it really is not a sign of respect--if anything for your time and your money. So pick up your shit. I had a friend who would try on clothes, and then just throw them on the floor until she found something she wanted to wear. I would cringe.

A MESS ALL THE TIME
I have met so many people who don't want to entertain because their house is a mess. What a shame. Life is SO SHORT, it will be over before we know it, ENTERTAIN! Don't you just love to have friends over to laugh! It does not have to be, as I say, "Danna perfect" but yes, it does have to be suitable to have guests. Take a hour or so to straighten up (if you need more than that then you really need to read this list) and get your home ready for some guests. It does not have to be fancy, a little wine, cheese and crackers and some music and candles--all set.

REFRIGERATOR
Okay, I cannot handle a refrigerator that is a mess. Outdated food grosses me out. Old produce, yuck. Sticky jam and bar b q sauce and salad dressing bottles--such a mess. Organize your refrigerator by shelf and crisper drawers, and once a week, for like 5 minutes, really, get it in order. Do not have a refrigerator that has beer and ketchup as it only contents either. A refrigerator is like this happy spot, filled with some of your favorite foods and beverages, arranged nicely, is such a welcome sight. :)

Okay there is the list. Happy de cluttering!!

Rit Dye

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to give fabric a whole new life is to dye it. A couple of years ago I dyed my plain old ivory velvet drapes a wonderful emerald green. The green is so beautiful I could look at it all day long. I have one extra drape and think I should make a dress or something out of it! Anyhow, they came out so good, like I bought them in that color. I have had so many people inquire when they see my room and I tell them about the drapes. It seems that dying fabric eludes people, thinking that there just must be more to it than how simple it really is. I have to admit before I knew how simple it was, I had no idea either!

A couple of weeks ago I saw some really cute purple bamboo sheets at Target. I really wanted them, but for $60 (which in the world of sheets is not really expensive, I know...) but $60 is $60 and I watch where I spend the dollars..so I thought about it. Then it ocurred to me, I have ivory (there is that color again!) flannel sheets, that are perfectly good, but I don't want that boring color, but I could dye them. I don't know why it took me 3 years to think of it.. So off I went to Ace Hardware, which has a huge selection of Rit Dye. I think I had done the powder type before, but now there is a liquid, and for $4.50 for one bottle, was all I needed.Purple, one of my favorite colors.

Now this is the easiest thing to do..really.

-First you just rinse the sheets (whatever fabric you are working with..and this is all on the label..) to get the sheets wet.

-Then you fill the washer with hot water and dump in the dye.

-Once the water level is full, and the dye is mixed, gently fold in the fabric.

-You will want to wear rubber gloves (and of course you all have your gloves) and careful not to splash, on yourself or anything else.

-Then the washer does the work for you.

-You want to run about 30 minutes of the wash cycle, then let it rinse, and wa lah! the work is done.

The purple is even better than my expectations! It is a deep beautiful color, and totally even. The washer did not even look like it had been full of purple dye, but I did a rinse cycle just to be sure. Tossed the sheets in the dryer, and 45 minutes later I had stunning, warm, soft, deep purple sheets. All for the bargain price of $4.50.

Rit Dye, totally recommend it! It can transform old tired fabric into something you never even thought possible. :)

Putting Away Summer

Funny, I started this, well I wrote the title! weeks ago..and then I forgot. Summer is definitely gone here, quite a long time ago. For all the seasons, just like in our emotional life, we have to pack them up, and plan for the new one. It is much easier to pack up seasons in the physical sense, no doubt!

PLANTS..
Well there are the annuals, and while I still have some holiding on, and I won't yank them out until they are really done, but yes annuals need to come out. I always hate taking any plant out, I feel like it is some sort of death. Why can't they just live all year round? So out come the annuals. The perennials need to be cut back in some cases, or sometimes they just lose every single leaf and wither away, I mean you think the plant is a gonner, and the next spring it comes back--I find that a small miracle! The evergreens, a great time to give them a bit of a hair cut and prepare them for the long winter ahead (if you live in a winter climate like I do.) And of course the leaves, the leaves, the leaves, I will be spending many an hour picking up leaves. I cannot believe how many leaves are just on one tree!

FURNITURE..
One year I left my chair pads out all winter (I am not sure what I was thinking) and they got pretty darn weathered, not that all summer in the sun doesn't do the damage too. But I decided no point in leaving them out all winter to get perpetually soaked, so I finally brought them into the garage. I am going to clean them up with a light spray cleanser and that way they will be ready for next summer. The frames of the furniture stay outside to face the winter. It probably won't look so hot by next spring, and I think a spray painting is in its future. I guess if I was really good I would buy all the plastic covers, so you might want to think about it, certainly if it is wood, but then again, I don't really like wood furniture, certainly not in a rain soaked climate.

PLAYSETS..
Well these stay out all year, and I think mine is going next spring. I almost feel like looking at it now, like it is a house of cards, and one more card on top, and the thing will just cave in. Wood, again why wood, it is just rotting away at this point. I have diligently restained it two years in a row, and can totally see the destruction of rain and snow and wind the following spring when it looks like it is on death's door (for a playset that is.)

KIDS TOYS..
I keep a large trunk outside where all the kid's toys goes. And I only keep what fits in there.
Every year about this time, I go through it, and toss out the broken and well loved outdoor toys that no longer are working--amazing how kids go through things. Amazing how kids put things away--throwing them in there like a wishing well. So it is all cleaned up again and straigtened up waiting for next spring. If it is broken or in bad shape, do NOT keep it. Toss it out. Recycle if you can. Don't keep junk lying around--my major pet peeve.

CLEANING GUTTERS..
Well this is not exactly putting away summer but much more preparing for winter..and I get mine done, which reminds me I have not..gutters can get loaded with leaves and other debris, and wait until that major rain, and suddenly your gutter is spewing water all over the top, most likely right at your front door, because this is the way life is. This did happen to me last year, and I am happy to say I was still married, so I was able to send my husband out in a rain coat and ladder to fix it, not so this year..

LEAKS..
Again more preparing for winter. Windows and doors, caulk where you need to. I have a window that leaks like a pasta strainer, and my neighbor was going to fix it last year before he almost fell right down off the roof (so that ended that..) and it was leaking the other day, and I am dumbfounded as to who will fix it--a roofer? Ugh, I blew this, I should have had it done last summer when I had more extra cash. Leaks are bad, they lead to rot, I don't even want to write that..

HEATER..
Remember when the house was so warm all summer? I love it really warm and seldom use the AC, but that might not be for everyone. The flip side is the winter is coming and I have to manage my heater, so not to pay big bills one month later..so I work on turning it down even just a couple of degrees from where I would really like it, and I see the savings. Like my dad would say, put on a sweater!!

Embrace the change of seasons. That is where I try to stand. It will happen anyhow.

Halloween Decorating

No matter what, I love decorating for Halloween. I guess it is the endless child like spirit in me, but I cannot skip the season. Halloween has become a multi billion dollar industry, it rivals Christmas..I remember being astounded by that fact. When I was a kid (y e a r s ago..) it was very simple, a homemade costume or one from the drug store, a pillow case or plastic pumpkin to collect candy, simple stuff for decorations...I just don't remember the boom that it now has become. But I cannot say I don't like it, on the contrary I have grown to love it.

Where to start...I know, not everyone will decorate for every time of the year..but if you are reading this you probably do, or someone stumbled on this blog and think it is the dumbest thing you ever read and cannot wait to get out of here...! bye :) But for those of us who love holiday decorating :) this is a good one!

Great places for inspiration..Target (well of course) Jo-Ann Fabrics, Pottery Barn, Halloween magazines at the grocery store, Pier One, Cost Plus, to name just some of my favorites!

Now, although tempting, I don't think it is a good idea to go overboard, again so tempting. Every time I go to Target (my Mecca!) I see more and more things I want to buy, but I restrain myself, well...sometimes.. But as we all know, for the most part, too much of something, well is too much!

So...

Decide first what is the look you are going for..
Classic...crazy...scary....colorful....Martha Stewart ish....homemade....expensive...I mean there are lots of ways to slice and dice this holiday. But if you go with a theme, sort of, it will make it much easier to skip over buying those cute things (like accessories for your home, if they don't go, then you don't buy them..)

My look is probably kind of "classic/cute stuff from Target look." Colorful, whimsical, not scary and dark..some things I love...my "the witch is in" witch hat hanging sign, that reminds me of something from Peanuts, when Lucy had the sign for when she was in for pyschoanalysis. My plastic/heavy foam pumpkins, that are pre carved and light up--love them--one is a skull with a crown on its head, I am in love. A little black metal container, that has a haunted looking house on the outside cut out, so when you light a candle you get to see the glow..my scarecrow well he stays up until Thanksgiving so he makes 2 holidays...he is the figure on the porch. So you get the idea. There are so many accessories to chose from it is overwhelming, but stick to some type of theme.

Front door..so much fun. This is where you show your holiday spirit! It is like a little glimmer into the personality of who lives behind the door. So I have my scarecrow--his face got a bit mildewed over the years, and the bleach cleaner on a sponge cleaned him right up! There are the couple of pumpkins, the little sign that hangs on the porch that says "sweet treats" something like that, today up go my orange lights, which I love at night. Pumpkins and lanterns lit up make the front porch, it is like a picture in a magazine, and you want to go inside..I would not mind a few more little things here and there, but overdone holiday decorating is just an eyesore.

Inside...things sprinkled here and there, some more than other, maybe like the kitchen or entry. Fun things in the bathroom, like festive tissue boxes and soap bottles. I love the way just one or two things in a room catch your eye. Now for Christmas, I do believe in more, without being overdone, it just suits the holiday...maybe overtime Halloween will too become like Christmas decor to me, but for now, I prefer a bit less, but it is tough with all those cute things to buy.

Kids artwork..always a sweet little addition. Kids love Halloween, so they are all about art projects. My daughter swoons over Activity TV to see the latest and greatest for every holiday.
Keep things that are special and bring them out every year for a dash of sentimentality, who doesn't love memories.

Photos, food, parties, costumes!! It is fun to bring out a few holiday photos. Food, that is a huge category! Perhaps the most fun holiday to have a party for, because the food really can become part of the theme..and parties, Halloween parties may be the favorite of all. And of course costumes, the flagship of this holiday, and it is only for a few hours, maybe a bit more if you go to a party a week before...but costumes clearly define Halloween, and as we know it is a big business. I have to say I love so many costumes, I wish I could just buy them and wear them around, like mermaids, and witches, and cute maids, and teachers and fairies, and princesses, I love them. But really, where am I going to wear them..?

But like everthing around your house, approach it with a plan and some order, and your Halloween spirit with flourish.