1. See the sights

October in our state of Washington and its neighbor Oregon is stunningly beautiful now. Take a drive through the countryside and remember, it’s not too late to get one more picnic in.

 

What are some famous sights in your area? Go check them out. If you have already been to them, try to discover something new about them. If there aren’t any famous sights in your area, then go discover ones that aren’t famous.

Everyday I receive emails and comments from happy, enthusiastic, positive women who earnestly want to become more organized, efficient and happy in their homes.

They’re so optimistic about a new way to be organized because they get inspired by others who have experienced success in their homes. Thank you to all of you who send those kinds of sentiments to me!

 

My goal in spending most of my days writing is to encourage positive change in a lighthearted way and I appreciate all of your kind words and that you take the time to write to me.

“I’m completely overwhelmed with my situation!”

Occasionally I receive comments from overwhelmed, unhappy women who just don’t realize the power they have to change their circumstances. I answer every email and when I receive the sad negative ones, the only thing I can do is turn it over to God and write with love.

An Old-Fashioned Sunday

 

“A Relaxing Afternoon that Seemed to Stretch Forever,” that was the title of a magazine article I didn’t have time to read, but wished I did. I was just too busy. Still the idea haunted me throughout my hectic day and on into the packed weekend.

 

“Don’t you just love this sentence,” I asked my friend as we put the lids on the last canning jars of applesauce, “An afternoon that seemed to stretch forever?”

“That all depends if it's a relaxing afternoon you’re having!” 

She’d just spent a nerve fraying, toxic weekend camping out in a leaky tent with a wild toddler and two cranky teenaged pubicydes belonging to her husband’s relative.)

 

1. See the sights

October in our state of Washington and its neighbor Oregon is stunningly beautiful now. Take a drive through the countryside and remember, it’s not too late to get one more picnic in.

 

What are some famous sights in your area? Go check them out. If you have already been to them, try to discover something new about them. If there aren’t any famous sights in your area, then go discover ones that aren’t famous.

3 Keys to Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolutions

Okay, it’s January 21 and I’ll bet you’ve fallen off the wagon when it comes to the New Year’s resolutions you made for 2015. Don’t feel guilty! Most of us haven’t been true to the personal vows we made as we woo hooed our way to an exciting new year.  

The most in-depth study I could find on the science of New Year’s resolutions was conducted by researchers at the University of Scranton. It showed a sharp drop off in how long New Year’s resolutions last. Seventy-seven percent of the woo hooers studied, made it through a full week, then 55 percent of those stuck with their goals for a month. Six months later, only 40 percent of those who had made a New Year's resolution were still losing weight or not smoking or being nicer to their kids. I question this research! I don’t know what percentage of those in the study were SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives) but I’ll bet my nose and both my eyes that they were all BOPs (Born Organized People). If they’d surveyed SHEs, who are genetically disorganized, 75% would have quit in a week instead of hanging on, and by June, 99% would have bit the dust!

Think about it. A genetically disorganized person would NEVER sign up to be in a study like this in the first place. If you’re a SHE you know you love the drama of a grand vow just because it’s more exciting to think big and choose a huge make-over than to say something like, “In 2015 I’m going to keep the laundry off the couch,” or “I’m going to lose five pounds,” or “I’m not going to leave leftovers from restaurants in the car.” (I’ll tell you my resolution and why I’m still sticking to it, later on in this blog.)

So here are the 3 keys I chose that I think can help us with our desire to do better.

1. Pick just one goal. Here are some great examples to choose from.

Get more sleep

Cut out sugar

Have more fun

Eat more vegetables

Cook more at home

Let go and let God

Walk outside

 

Fifteen years ago tomorrow Marla Cilley, aka Flylady, had a major breakthrough on her path to becoming Flylady.

 

So many of us rely and depend on the lessons Marla provides us with. Marla and I sat and talked at one point and this was one of the most important things to come out of that chat.

 

Take time daily to be alone with yourself, away from phones, the Internet and noise. Making time for solitude is a gift you give yourself. Insist on it, and don’t allow anyone, including yourself, to talk you out of it.

Here are what I consider six benefits of quiet time.

1. Lighten Up

In a stressed state, it’s so easy to lose touch with inner peace, compassion and kindness; in a relaxed state, your mind is clear and you can connect with a deeper sense of purpose and good. Meditation and medication are derived from the Latin word medicus, to care or to cure. A time of quiet calmness is, therefore, the most effective remedy for a busy and overworked mind. Anytime you feel stress rising, heart closing, mind going into overwhelm, just bring your focus to your breathing and quietly repeat with each in-and-out breath: Breathing in, I calm my body and mind; breathing out, All is well.

2. Let Go

Stillness is always there between the thoughts, behind the drama, underneath the noise. What keeps us from experiencing our natural state of peace is the habitual and ego-dominated monkey mind. Meditation enables us to see clearly, to witness our thoughts and behavior and reduce self-involvement. Without such a practice of self-reflection there’s no way of putting a brake on the ego’s demands. From being self-centered, we can become other-centered, concerned about the welfare of all.

3. Gratitude

Take a moment to appreciate the chair you’re sitting on. Consider how the chair was made: the wood, cotton, wool, or other fibers, the trees and plants that were used, the earth that grew the trees, the sun and rain, the animals that maybe gave their lives, the people who prepared the materials, the factory where the chair was made, the designer and carpenter and seamstress, the shop that sold it—all this just so you could be sitting here, now. Then extend that deep appreciation to everything and everyone in your life.

1. See the sights

October in our state of Washington and its neighbor Oregon is stunningly beautiful now. Take a drive through the countryside and remember, it’s not too late to get one more picnic in.

What are some famous sights in your area? Go check them out. If you have already been to them, try to discover something new about them. If there aren’t any famous sights in your area, then go discover ones that aren’t famous.

2. Take a discovery walk

Things are always changing, but October seems to inspire Mother Nature to order up some drastic alterations. I like to think of her shopping some mystical catalogue, oblivious to what current color schemes are being pushed in fashion news and saying, “Oh, orange, red, yellow, lime green and brown, yes that’s what my trees are gonna wear!”