One advantage to not being able to go far the last two weeks is that I have worked at getting myself organized. I felt like chaos was beginning to take over in places in my house.
One big project was to organize digital pictures. Backing them up on an external drive, doing a better job of labeling, knowing where to find them on a disk, and figuring out a better organization system was a tedious task, but I am glad I have taken it on. One hundred pictures of Kit- off to the Recycle Bin. You can guess I had way too many pictures of the lake from my deck. It was difficult, but some bouquet pictures had to go also. Perhaps I should spend another week and make collages like the one above... oh wait! I have to go back to school! I also worked on music downloads... not as tedious!!
I also tackled the closets and cupboards. The nice part about reorganizing closets and cupboards is that you find things you forgot you had. Another advantage is it gives you an opportunity to check the strength of your giant garbage bags. Good night... where does the stuff come from? I am convinced now that some of the items in my closet reproduced when I wasn't looking. I was so happy to find some very cute snowman thank-yous that will come in handy this week-end!
The "Christmas stuff" also got an extreme makeover. Once I threw out the half pieces of ribbon, the faded bows, and the torn bags I had an amount I could work with. Is it too late to find after Christmas sales to restock my tubs?
The recipe files also got purged. I am old-fashioned when it comes to recipes. I still use my cookbooks and recipe cards. I was at the store buying more recipe cards and a box and the clerk explained proudly how she organized all her recipes on the computer and then can just bring them up when she needs them. First of all something would surely get spilled on my laptop if I had it anywhere near my cooking counter. Also, what joy is there in knowing where the recipe is? Isn't part of the creative pleasure of cooking rifling through three cookbooks and a basket of newspaper clippings trying to find the right recipe? I do download recipes and I do have a file on the computer, but I also have my "hard copy" cookbooks, the original recipes written by my mom, notes in a cookbook from my grandmother, and personalized recipe cards from neighbors and friends.
I love recipes, but these are my rules for throwing out a recipe:
If I have had the recipe for three years and still haven't tried it, it goes.
If the recipe has at least three ingredients that I have never heard of or can't buy in my area, it goes.
If the recipe requires complicated pans, thermometers, cheesecloth, parchment paper, and three types of strainers, it goes.
If the directions are three pages long and use at least five cooking terms I have never heard of , it goes.
I said bye-bye to a pile in my collection. Believe me though , I could still do a macaroni and cheese cook off with all the versions of the recipe I still kept!
I am off now to begin the home office shelves. Hopefully spring won't arrive before I finish! I'm sure you have guessed that the house pictures are not my own. I couldn't find the camera under the pile of wrapping paper tubes and old magazines! Plus, my clutter areas weren't quite as photo perfect.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not one of these perfectionists that alphabetizes her home library and organizes sticky notes by color, but sometimes it is nice to just find things again. I was ready to say good-bye to clutter, find the top of my desk again and find a place to sit!
Now where did I file all those cords?
When a new year begins it is always nice to reflect on the past year and do an inventory of highs and lows, hits and misses, and put together my Best of 2008 lists.
Our Lake Chelan trip over spring break was exactly what we hoped for. It was quiet at the campground, the scenery was spectacular, the bookstore in Chelan was awesome, and we had wireless at a remote tent trailer! We hope to return to this place when the temperatures are warmer another time.
This place was right under our noses for years. The first time we decided to drive there we were amazed that we hadn't discovered it sooner. Once we saw the beauty of the area and free campsites we packed up our tent trailer and off we went to get away for a few days. I think we saw about five other people the whole time we were there.
It is hard for me to explain how I grew up in northern Idaho and never visited Priest Lake. My parents weren't big on spur-of-the-moment drives or trips so we had a comfort zone of places we always went. That didn't include any location north of Coeur d'Alene.Visiting Priest Lake in the fall was nice. The beach was great for walking, the lodge with a restaurant and gift shop were close to our cabin, and we had lovely drives on the two routes we took to and from. We had thought about going back in the winter until the snow that never seems to end hit our area. Now I am content to stay home and gaze at photographs!
Best of 2008 to be continued....
