Go Hug a Tree

It's the LAST DAY OF JANUARY!
It's winter.
Mother Nature has been a big fat tease this month.
We've had a snow, rain, a lot of cloudy days, and a few clear skies.
Last week the temperatures soared to 70.
Yesterday there were snow flurries.
Today the wind blew.
Crazy weather.
Call it what you want, but save the spring clothes for at least another 6 weeks.
It's hard to fool Mother Nature.
I suppose the little varmint below will let me know what to expect this Tuesday,
for GroundHogDay! Here is another tid-bit of information on How Accurate is the Forecast of this lovely creature!

Being out-door is mandatory (for me), regardless of the temperatures.
It's good for my soul.
Yippee for me that I live in an area where there are trees, hills, woods, and trails.

It translates to peace, tranquility and renewal ....so....
GO HUG A TREE!

See, don't you feel better already? 

Forget/accept those things that you cannot change.

Breathe in the fresh air! 

Push that reset button in your brain.

Go Hug a Tree♥

TODAY I AM PROUD........update.

Sometimes being proud is a good thing.
The last 23 days have made me proud.
Not only did I write a blog to the world, I challenged myself to de-clutter my home.
(Use it, love it, or get rid of it.)
What a whirlwind.....
My car is loaded with items to donate.
I've given stuff away.
The trash containers have overflowed with 'WHY DID I SAVE THESE' items.
A few things have been sold.
NOTHING however, was stored in the PACK box below.

My intent with this project is to GET RID of it, not KEEP it.
As of today, there are 258 items that are no longer in my house.
IT FEELS SOOOOOOOOO GOOD.
The NOURISHING MINIMALISM site suggests that you take the 
2017 Challenge and eliminate 2017 items in 2017.
(The easiest, most painless attack to this mammoth project is to eliminate 5 or 6 items daily, or 35 items per week.)
I've printed the chart, listed items, and marked the little blocks.
Today, I am proud to say that I am ahead of this challenge.

More than likely, my progress will slow down, but for today, I'm proud.

Sorry, ladies, these items are gone!

I would love to be able to add this to my declutter list: PROJECT 333 

It looks like it will be soon.

Next on the master plan is eliminating STUFF from my kitchen.
OH TO HAVE ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS:
TOUR MY MINIMALIST KITCHEN
To be fair......... I have to admit to a TINY BIT OF TRUTH.
It's about that dream kitchen de clutter!
SOMETIMES we have to compromise.
This is one of those times!
Ron does all (not some, but ALL) of the cooking.
He is very creative, and uses just about all of the items that we have.
His advice:
"Be careful what you ask for!"
But for today, I am proud!

First Snow in the 'Noke' for 2017

Hello January.
YAAAAAAY... It snowed in the 'Noke'. That's Roanoke, Va
I.LOVE.SNOW. ♥
This is the first thing I saw when I woke this morning:

.....And briefly I became a child.

The first snowfall seemed peaceful and quiet.
It was magical.
...powdery, pure white, rosy cheeks, glistening, isolated...
It was a light snowfall, and enough to blanket the ground.
...A snow day, but not snowed in...
The first snowfall called for everyone to stand still, sit, ponder, watch.
Again, it was magical.
Not everyone, however, likes snow.
While some people look out their window in the morning at the new-fallen snow, and see a winter wonderland, others see freezing temperatures, travel problems and misery.
Me?
I love it.
But I also loooooove having the choice to be indoors when the temperatures tonight will plummet into the low teens.
Today I enjoyed seeing all/most/some of the photos on Instagram and Facebook,
ESPECIALLY THE GRAND-BABIES!
I'm not sure Wyatt's fascination was with the snow, or if it was being able to climb like a monkey onto the ledge of the window sill.
Either of these options made this photo priceless!

Wyatt's first snowday! 

Landon and Katelyn were equally fascinated this morning, and couldn't wait to get dressed before having their breakfast/lunch served on their tongues!

They didn't stay in their pjs long. Snow angels for sure!

The 2 older "grands" weren't quite as uninhibited as the younger 3... or at least with the photos that they agreed to share! Thanks Ethan for sending these to me! And thanks Carson for your beautiful smile! These 2 cuties are always ON.THE.GO.

At day's end, fireside, flannel, fleecy, and frappuccino became my preferred choices!
Baby it's cold outside. Y'all stay warm.....and safe!

The Christmas Cactus that's Not...

Photo taken with  macro lens

Don't ask me how, but we managed to preserve our Christmas Cactus for ONE MORE YEAR.
It was blooming on Christmas Day.
We have 2 plants.
One plant has already bloomed, and was quite luscious!

The remaining plant sits on the kitchen counter in front of the window.
Some of the blooms are fading fast, but there are 4-5 more little buds that are popping out.

Pointed Lobes on Stem Segment

Honestly, lack of care, made this plant become "only-the-strong-cactus-survive".
Maybe this year, I'll pay more attention to how these beauties actually survive!.
Here is a site for caring for a Christmas Cactus ---> CARE FOR A CHRISTMAS CACTUS.
The miniature buds develop quickly into this:

One of the frustrating things that happened after the flower buds developed was 'BUD DROP'.
HAHAHAHA.... like this!

Bud drop is usually caused by over-watering.

Here is another close up of the flowering cactus!

One more minor FACT...
This is not a Christmas Cactus!
It is a Thanksgiving Cactus.
FOOLED ME!
The flattened stem segments of a Thanksgiving cactus have pointed lobes on the margins while the true Christmas cactus has rounded lobes.
The anthers, the pollen bearing structures in the flowers, are yellow in a Thanksgiving cactus and a PURPLE color in the Christmas cactus.
After reading the care instructions in the link above, I'll do my best to make these  Christmas Thanksgiving Cactus bloom at the correct time in 2017!

Welcome 2017... Use it, love it, or get rid of it.

If the last several days are any indication of one of my goals for this year, then I'm off and running and no one can stop me!

2017 items in 2017..... as in GET RID OF 2017 items in the year 2017.
I'M TALKING ABOUT CLUTTER!

Nourishing Minimalism is the link that was suggested by a social media friend.Thank you Lisa! It's one of the few sites that sparked an interest. I've already made a 2017 chart as suggested, and am flitting from room to room, as my mind races to fill my chart. If you join the challenge, there is a free decluttering chart! Each time you get rid of an item, you put an "x" on a square (or black it out)
A bit overwhelming? Not if you break the challenge down into 39 items a week, or 5-6 items each day. The rules are your own. If you have a stack of magazines to get rid of, you may count it as one item, or you can count each magazine as an item.

THE POINT IS JUST TO GET RIDE OF IT!
Ready for this?
GONE---->An old computer, a very large stack of papers in a cabinet, 10 magazines, a broken shredder, floral arrangement, metal floral container, 12 art magazines, 2 pot holder, 2 cookbooks, 5 magazines from the kitchen, 5 articles of clothing, 200 Facebook acquaintances, 2 pair shoes, 2 pair socks.
It's just STUFF.......... and STUFF that I DO NOT NEED.
This week I'm in my sewing/craft/laundry room.
Can I say how excited I am to have EMPTY cabinets?

I'm excited to have EMPTY CABINETS.

***The point here is not to FILL UP these empty cabinets with more junk.***
***The purpose of my decluttering extravaganza is to live with less STUFF.
***Specifically, this translates----> DON'T BUY MORE STUFF.

There are an abundance of decluttering guides and sites available
Four of my favorites are:
Joshua Becker BECOMING MINIMALIST ,
Courtney Carver BE MORE WITH LESS
Kim Carruthers LESS IS MORE and
Francine Jay THE JOY OF LESS
I stumbled across HIP DIGGS the other day. Wow! Dan Erickson, who is a moderate minimalist, posted 9 reasons to stop collecting stuff (check out his link!). His post made a impression on me!
If that didn't do it for you...........this one surely will!(it's a fabulous SNOW DAY Project!
EASY, FUN, QUICK...and no order! Cross them off as you toss them out!
200 Things to Throw Away
Still another important part of my declutter plan is to clear up and clean out  my mind. Do you ever feel like you need to reboot your mind? Yep, sometimes I feel like my mind is crammed full like this:

"The world of stresses and worries and errands and projects and noise that we must all endure inflicts upon us a mind full of clutter and chaos."
Happy 2017 to you.
Here's to decluttering your world and your mind.
Use it, love it, or get rid of it!