It's been a few weeks since I've posted about this, shame on me! To be fair, some of those Mondays that I haven't posted my confessions I've actually been... cleaning! Who knew? he he. Last night we updated our Netflix account to have instant access once again. I like watching some things on the spot. I decided one thing I wanted to watch was "Hoarders." Oh dear. While I don't think my house has ever gotten to the point that I would qualify to be on the show, let's just say it makes you take a pretty good long look at what is kept and what isn't. While I am not a hoarder to the extreme, sometimes my house does look like it because we have such little space to work with. Some things we simply cannot get rid of (Christmas tree, ornaments, decorations used year to year) but there is no storage space for them here. They need to go to off site storage. Beds. My son has a bed that is thoroughly destroyed and we have a day bed that would take up half the space his old bed does and is in a lot better shape despite the frame being 22 years old. Guess what dh is going to do this weekend? Magazines. Okay, this is my area. I get them in the mail (mostly free), I buy them at the grocery store, I pick up some at the doctor's offices. I know well that I should send them on their merry little way when I'm done with them. But... there's a recipe I want to try!... There's an article in there that I havent read/want to keep!... my favorite here, I'm saving that for a craft project! While I do throw some out, I keep an awful lot out there. So. New game plan.
If I've read it and there is nothing to keep, put it in a tote bag bound for doctor's appointments, or anyplace else where magazines can sit that isn't home. If it has a recipe, either clip it, copy it, or realize you're never going to make the dish anyway and move on. Better yet, check the web, it's bound to be there. Pin it to Pinterest or copy it to a file on your computer. Works great.
Articles I want to save --If the magazine is more than 3 months old, toss it out or give it to someone else, you'll never access that article again in that magazine because you will have forgotten. If it's really that important, rip out what you need and chuck that puppy. Better yet, search the web. 9 times out of ten it will be there.
Saving it for a craft. Okay, for me this one gets trickier. I am a creative sort. I like having bits and bobs of different things to use. I also like having a lot of inspiration. I don't buy crafting magazines every single month. I would like to get a few as subscriptions but so far hubby and I haven't agreed on which one(s) yet. Yet there is a short stack of them in my house. I've tried limiting the ones I keep to a magazine holder or two, but that hasn't quite worked. I think this one is going to be harder for me. What I'm going to have to do here is realize that I have a limited amount of space in which to keep my crafting supplies/inspirations. I will decide this week how much space I can allot to those magazines. Once the space is full, I will purge some. There will be some I have to purge this week because some are a few years old and I haven't gotten to the projects yet.
So now you know my dirty little secret about magazines. I have my work cut out for the week for me. What about subscribing to the magazines online? Alas, not all magazines work with Android, which is what we have in the way of e readers in this household. So, paper it is for now. Regular magazines get dropped off where others can enjoy them after being in my house a month (sometimes less time than that) craft mags worth keeping can stay as long as there is room in their allotted space. After that they get the boot. I've spoken this aloud so you, dear reader, can hold me to that. As for Pinterest, yep, you know I adore that, but it too can quickly contain hundreds of pins that will never be seen by you again. Take time to glance through your own boards now and then. Check for repeats, and choose one to try now and then. As for me, I've begun trying some of the myriad recipes I've pinned. Yummy! I'll share one on Friday. :) Until next time, Have a great day!@
This blog tells about many aspects of my life --being a mom, dealing with the joys as well as the frustration and heartache of raising a child with moderate autism, being a wife, and my growing relationship with the Lord. What I am about to mention here will only be brought up once on this blog. At least that is my intent. I may share one particular part, but that's it. You see, after much discussion, my sweet husband agreed to my becoming a Stampin Up! demonstrator. I'm very excited about this because for one, I love creating cards and other forms of art, and I really would like to delve into the world of scrapbooking -both traditional and digital. The other reason is I feel the need to contribute financially to this family. With J needing constant attention and hubby's schedule changing weekly, it's very hard to work at a conventional job. This way I can do something fun, visit with others, and be able to mesh with hubby's work time. For those who may be interested, my Stampin Up! website is http://dottiemcconnel.stampinup.net. I will not use Life at Home to promote my business on a regular basis because this is my personal space. I will, however, eventually begin adding a project to show, maybe once a month, or possibly more often, say once a week or every two or three weeks. Adding crafts has been something I've wanted to do here for awhile. It's still on the to do list as I learn a bit more about blogging and uploading and such. Have a great day!
Good morning! It's a bit cloudy out but still looks to be a good day. Mondays have a bad reputation don't they? It's the start of the work/ school week for many, and some believe that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong on a Monday. So far the only thing that went "wrong" is finding that dear son had hidden the laptop inside his bedroom wall. No clue why that had to be, other than he figured it needed to be put away. I'd dearly love to get inside that boy's head and see what he is thinking. My greatest wish is that he could talk. If he never speaks here on earth, he will in heaven. By then it won't matter why he put the computer in the wall. J gets to see his new neurologist today. He's no longer under the care of a pediatric neurologist. We had great respect for her and will miss her, but I am sure this new doctor will be a good one as well. Have you already decorated for the holiday? I have one large stocking and the first card of the season up on my walls so far. And I'm only about a third of the way done on my shopping. Nothing is wrapped yet. This week will be devoted to cleaning, wrapping, and decorating. Probably some shopping will be done as well. I did get some Christmas cards made yesterday. I was thrilled for that, and it made me want to do even more. I hope I get a chance to do a few more this week. Speaking of cards, did you ever go take a look at the cards from At Studio D? While her Thirty Days of Christmas contest is over, I am leaving the button up on the side of the blog so you can check out all thirty of her Christmas cards. Damaris is also in the middle of a short series called Table Scraps, in which she makes cards using what she had left on her crafting table. This is one talented young lady, and I'm not just saying that because I was chosen as one of her winners. <smile.> I enjoy card making, and I love getting inspiration from others. I hadn't made any cards in a long while, so the Thirty Days of Christmas series was the perfect shot in the arm for me. I would like to add pictures to this blog sometime, especially to show crafts and such, and maybe incorporate a project once a week or so. We'll see if Santa brings me a camera so I can do that. : ) I've talked your ear off long enough today I think. I hope you have a wonderful day. I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to let me know what you are up to today.
While reading my blog today and yesterday you've seen the badge on the right, proclaiming 30 days of Christmas. Have you checked it out yet? If you are a crafter or even love hand crafted items you're going to love it. At Studio D has a contest going these days. Each day for 30 days Damaris is showing her hand made cards. If you are a blogger, you can have a chance to win one of the cards she made, plus a few other goodies. Go check out Damaris, At Studio D and while you're at it, check out some of her earlier posts. She is one talented lady and seeing her cards is a reminder that I need to get busy coming up with some Christmas cards as well! I don't craft as much as I'd like, but I do like making cards, especially at this time of year.
Poor hubs. He didn't know he was walking into a bear cave this morning. He worked last night and brought breakfast home with him --but I snarled at him. Not such a great wife this morning, I'm afraid. The toilet is acting up so much I'm about ready to build an outhouse behind the house, and dear son decided that somewhere around 3 am (his magic number) would be a great time to wake up and stay awake. There are other things turning me into a growly bear as well, but the upshot is I was letting small things turn into big things and that's not a good thing. No chocolate in the house to make me feel better (should be a rule: Every home needs emergency chocolate at all times) but I did have some tea and some time to write. Studying God's word makes me feel better. I joined a facebook group that will be teaching more on digging deep in God's Word. This month's goals include reading the book of Genesis and writing down all of the promises, and reading the book until you can tell all of the events in sequence. Ladies, if you are interested, please check it out. I'm thinking of blogging my thoughts and questions as I read through, but it will have a different heading than my Morning Cup of Tea posts if I do. I've been working on my household control journal this week. I have it mostly put together now, and have been trying to follow the schedules I wrote out. It's helped some to keep me focused on what needs to be done and when. As for my cleaning schedule, I'm trying to focus on one room at a time, partially using Flylady's suggestions and plan. It's slow going but I'll get there eventually. I use the schedule mainly as a guide because life almost never goes according to plan. As for the digi scrapper give away, look for that next week. I hope to have a chance in the next few days to write up my review and get it ready for you. How is your day shaping up? Did you wake up all smiles, ready to greet the day? Or were you a growly bear like me? If you are like me this morning, I hope the day gets better. Mine has already calmed down to a dull roar and the fun of the day begins. : )
Hi, My name is Dottie and I am a Youtube junkie. I like to find the old music I used to listen to as I grew up, and sometimes listen to ones my husband points out, but I've also been a fairly big fan of Clara Cannucciari, of Depression Cooking with Clara fame Here is where you can find one of her videos. But the biggest part of my time on Youtube is spent looking at card making techniques, junque journals, altered arts, craft store hauls, and craft rooms. Yes, I love seeing the deals other people get at craft stores --sometimes I'll see a stamp or gadget that I put on my wishlist. And although I don't have a whole room set aside for my crafting, (mine is more like a crafting corner!) I love getting ideas on how better to contain my supplies. I enjoy crafting so much! I had a friend once tell me, i'm so not into cutting and pasting and such. Shrug. To each her own, I guess. But to me, it's therapeutic. I love painting and stamping and embossing and gluing --all of it! I like making a mess of myself (it happens. i throw myself into my work) and having bits of paper and glitter in my hair (and everywhere else) and watching something emerge from the chaos. Am I the best at it? Nope, not by a long shot. But a lot of the time I can come up with something I'm happy to share with others. My sister just got married so I'm coming up with ideas for a gift for her and my new brother in law. And I'm working on a home decor project for my home. Last but not least, I'm already thinking Christmas cards. I haven't yet decided what type of cards I'm going to make this year, but browsing through stamps, die cuts, and papers are part of the fun. If you are interested, hopefully I can get a camera or use a friend's camera to take pictures of the projects and I'll have instructions on how to do them yourself. What about you? Are you a crafter? Do you like trying your hand at new things? Are you the creative type who can take one look at a picture who says I can do that --and puts her own beautiful spin on it? What do you like to do?
