Photo of the Day

Unusual shopping bags

Update on James Frey

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog from the beginning, knows I'm a James Frey (A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard) fan and supporter. His book, A Million Little Pieces, gave me a look into a world I didn't want to see as a parent of an adult child who was submerged in the very dark world of drugs and alcohol. Through his writing, whether you classify it as memoir, fiction, or non-fiction, he touched me and opened my mind to understand that my only role in my daughter's struggle was to love her unconditionally and support her emotionally. Her struggle was hers alone. (I'm very proud to say she is on the other side of that dark period, and a truly successful person and terrific mother.)

I read Frey's book years before "O" picked it up or put it on her Book Club list, though I was happy for Jim when O announced her choice, as I knew this would make him an overnight success and millionaire. I won't again go into what I think of O now.

However, for any other fan of A Million Little Pieces and/or James Frey, you owe it to yourself to read an article coming out in the new issue of Vanity Fair, said to be Jim's last interview of any kind. You can read it here.

James has a new book, Bright Shiny Morning coming out on May 13th. I pre-ordered it on Amazon as soon as I heard about it. This is my birthday present to myself, as well as my own small way to pay homage to an author whom I personally think ranks with the likes of Jack Kerouack and John Steinbeck. I'm sure O won't be reading his book, but luckily I am still intelligent enough to form my own opinions about authors I do and do not like to read and do not need her to form an opinion for me.

Whether you're a nay-sayer or a fan, do yourself a favor and read the Vanity Fair article.

Today's To Do List

Today's weather forecast here in southwestern Ohio is 75 degrees, sunny and breezy -- perfect for hanging out laundry, so that's going to be the main task for me today. I've put off doing laundry for several days, waiting for a day when I wouldn't have to use my dryer -- and today's the day! To Do List Make Jeff's breakfast Make Jeff's lunch Make bed Laundry - wash, hang out, fold, put away Vac the downstairs Bring trash cans in Sweep front porch, back deck and patio Check gas prices on gasbuddy.com Errands - Bank, library, grocery store, get gas :( Get names ready for tomorrow's giveaway on my other blog I'd also like to do some sewing today, but that may have to wait until the evening. I may try and do some weeding of the front garden while I'm waiting for loads of laundry to finish as well. Dinner tonight will be chicken breasts on the grill and salad. Busy day! But I'm back on track now that I got rid of my "bad ju-ju" notebook and once again start my day with a written To Do List! Happy May 1st!

How much STUFF do you have?

Occassional cuss words

Into the Zen of housework

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I've gotten away from my routine of daily housework. Not the "habit" stuff -- I still clean my kitchen, sweep my kitchen floor, keep up with laundry, cook three meals a day, etc. But for several weeks the cobwebs have been gathering in the corners and the dustbunnies have actually poked their heads out from under the furniture. Surface cleaning? Fine, I'm great at it. Deeper cleaning? I confessed yesterday to letting it go.

Yesterday I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, gave me self a stearn talking-to, and got about the business at hand -- seriously cleaning the two upstairs bathrooms. This isn't just the swish-swish of a Flylady task, this is getting out the rubber gloves and bleach and giving the entire room a good going-over. Top to botton, stem to stern - it all got washed down with bleach and/or windex. Both rooms "spahkle" as my New Hampshire friends would say (OK, I say it on occasion too.)

And it felt GOOD to begin to get things back under control. It felt GOOD to see those two bathroom sparkle again. It felt good to put clean sheets on the bed (that still smelled wonderful because they'd been hung out on the line to dry), and know my husband and I would both enjoy "clean sheet night" tonight.

I remember now why I do all this. First, I love my house to be clean (which should not be mistaken for "I love to clean house"!). But second, I love my husband to come home from work and say, "Hey, the house looks nice." I love to have friends drop in unannounced and not feel embarassed that there's dishes in the sink or beds unmade or yesterday's sewing project spread all over the family room.

This is the Zen of housework. It's really not about the work. It's about creating a clean, welcoming environment for your family and friends...and for yourself. It's so much easier to sit out on my deck with a cup of tea and good book and enjoy a sunny afternoon when my house is clean! It's easier to enjoy some time sewing or quilting, knowing that my day's To Do List is completed.

I recently found a blog called Home Sanctuary that thinks very much along these lines. Each weekday she posts a simple task to do that will help make your home a sactuary for your family. Most tasks take as little as 5 minutes, and can be as easy as picking a few flowers to put on your kitchen table, or a little more time-consuming like cleaning out your silverware drawer. Check her out and see if it helps you get into the Zen of creating a home.

Do you have anything you do to help make your home a sanctuary?

True confessions

I'm not sure how it happened or when it happened, but I slipped. I somehow slipped away from the daily To Do list that I've been doing every single day for the past five or six years. And without my To Do list, I've slipped in my housework and in my gardening! Right now my house is dusty, my bathrooms are dirty, and sheets haven't been changed for two weeks! My To Do List apparently keeps me on track. I rarely don't complete my daily To Do List. But without that list, I apparently rarely complete anything. I know I've been working on my blog(s) a lot lately, and I admit to playing way too many hours of computer games! So this morning I got out a new notebook and threw away the old one. I think it had bad ju-ju! Today's TO DO LIST (which I WILL complete): -- Change masterbedroom sheets -- Clean two upstairs bathrooms, including tiles -- Wash bathroom floors -- Empty upstairs trash -- Dust masterbedroom and quilt room -- Vac upstairs -- Vac stairs and wipe down baseboards I'll concentrate on the upstairs today, and the downstairs on Thursday. No more computer until all To Do tasks are completed. I feel better already.

Be frugal about "going green"

Retailers and manufacturers seem to be suddenly jumping on the "going green" bandwagon. While it's a good thing on the surface, it's also seemingly creating a "going green" fad, and retailers want to take advantage of it, just as they do any "fad". On the surface, it appears the manufacturers want what's best for the planet (and in some cases, I'm sure this is true). But look closely -- is that what's really going on? Here's a great article from Treehugger.com on the new "recycled coke bottle" t-shirts that are being advertised on television that proves my point splendidly. While Coke appears to be concerned about the planet, what they truly are concerned with is how much money they can make from the "go green" fad. So what can we, as frugal consumers, actually do to "go green" without hopping on the go green bandwagon? Instead of buying the local chain grocery store's $5 tote bags, how about recycling the plastic bags you already have? That's right... take those plastic bags back to the store and re-use them! I think I take home an average of 10 bags per week. If I simply carry those same bags back to the store with me, that's 520 plastic bags I'll NOT take home per year. Our store also give you a .05 refund per bag - so that's a savings to me of $26 per year. Not bad. Want something a little stronger than the normal store's plastic bags? Well, once again, recycle your plastic bags by fusing them with an iron to make a new, stronger shopping bag! Here's a tutorial on how to do it. Now doesn't that make more sense than buying a NEW bag? There are things you can do that won't cost you money but will actually SAVE you money and do your part in going green. These are things that I, personally, am committed to doing: -- Hang my clothes out to dry. Not possible for everyone, I know, but if you can do it, please do! Secondary benefit? Your clothes will last longer (where do you think all that dryer-lint comes from?!) -- Turn my computer off at night. By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. -- Eat one meatless meal per week. One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed. -- Brush my teeth without running the water the entire time. You'll conserve up to five gallons per day if you stop. -- Post unwanted items on Freecycle. Instead of sending perfectly good items to the landfill, check your local Freecycle and see if someone else can use them. I have never posted one item on Freecycle that wasn't gone within 24 hours. -- Plant a tree. I've mentioned before that we cut down 10 mature trees from our yard two years ago. This year we planted 20 to replace them. -- Buy your produce locally. You can check out Local Harvest's web site and find a locally owned farm that will sell you produce directly, as well as local Farmer's Markets in your area. Just think about the amount of gasoline that is used trucking produce around the U.S. when it's right there in your back yard! You can find more great low or no cost "go green" ideas at the 50 Ways to Help the Planet web site. "Going green" doesn't have to be about falling into the fad of going green. If you are truly frugal, going green means not just helping the planet we live on, but saving your money with lower electric and water bills! What are YOU doing to frugally go green? I'd love to hear more ideas!

When being frugal, be patient.

This morning I wrote a post on my other blog about my church rummage sale finds. You can see the pictures and read about it here. I don't want to cross-post, but I think the lesson I learned is a valuable one for those trying to be frugal. The lesson is - be patient. Recognize the difference between what you WANT and what you NEED. I wanted a new cutting table for my quilt room. I have been cutting on an old wobbly formica kitchen table for years, and I've been looking online for an adjustable-height table to replace it. Did I need the new table? No. I had a table that functioned, though I was limited to 30 minutes cutting time because the height aggravated my back problems. But I'd adjusted to cutting for awhile, then sewing for awhile, then back to cutting, etc. Did I want a new table? Absolutely. In fact, I cruised the web and found the perfect table - size-wise it would fit my 36 x 24 cutting mat, height wise it was adjustable up to 40 inches tall! The cost? $180! Just not in my budget right now. But last week it went on sale for $125. And I got out my credit card and temporarily convinced myself I could afford that $125... it was a sale, after all! And I wanted that table! But, the frugal side of me won that argument, and I put my credit card away when I realized I had a table that functioned now and I didn't have the cash saved up in my "sewing fund" to pay the $125 (plus shipping of $40). Yesterday when I went to the church rummage sale I was looking for outdoor toys for my grandson. By luck, I got a little lost in the maze of rooms in the Church and walked into the room where they were selling furniture. And what do I see? THE TABLE. The SAME table I almost spent $165 for last week! It had a $5.00 price tag on it! The reason? The poor table's top had been attacked by a child and a permanent magic marker. I originally thought it wouldn't matter because my cutting mat would cover most of the markings. Of course, I bought it! When I got the table home, I got out a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge and every bit of the magic marker came off! The table looks brand new. Granted, it was pure luck that the table was at that rummage sale and at that price. But it was such a great reminder for me that patience is a requirement of being frugal. I would have been so angry with myself if I'd gone ahead and paid $165 (on a $0 balance credit card!) for that same table and then saw it at the rummage sale for $5! It also reminded me that being frugal just makes sense! I came THIS close to putting that $165 on my credit card. It has made me stop and realize that I need to recognize the different between "want" and "need"... and be patient when it comes to the "wants"!