Sunday Visitors

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I was interrupted Sunday afternoon by an urgent voice coming from the front yard.... "MOM!....MOM!...come outside!! You gotta SEE THIS!"

So I happily stopped scrubbing the toilet, and rushed outside to see what my daughter had found. After I did see it, I rushed back into the house to get my camera....

Luckily my subject wanted to be photographed--even posing for the camera!

He seemed just as interested in us as we were in him, and he would intermittently go back to his meal when he wanted another bite, all while still watching us carefully.

Fascinating! Just as we were about to usher him to safety in the nearby brush (my husband was getting ready to mow the lawn), I heard someone else calling to me from the Pussy Willow tree just a few feet away.

Can you see him?

Actually, I think it was a HER, and she was tweeting (the old fashioned kind) and watching us as well! I have never seen a bird like her before in my yard, with her lovely saffron-yellow breast--I am wondering if she was a type of Warbler? Not at all sure...and if she is, she should be flying south VERY SOON. You are late little girl!

She also happily posed for us....

regarded us for a few more seconds, and then flew away to go find her lunch, I am sure.

This is why I love afternoons at home. You never know just who might stop by!

The Menacing Mailbox Monster

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It seems no matter who I talk to, when when the topic of clutter comes up (and it frequently does with me!), people most often tell me that the clutter they most frequently struggle with is PAPER CLUTTER!

I have written about this before, but since it comes up so often,  I think it bears repeating....

 

So here is a typical question that is frequently asked of me:

 

"How do I best organize my catalogs, magazines, coupons, and other items that come in the mail??"

 

My short answer is: you don't--you just get rid of them.

 

Did I just hear you gasp??

Before you start calling me names and dash away to hide your circulars, please hear me out. I love flipping through the pretty booklets and finding out about a sensational sale as much as anyone, but I like having peace and balance in my house better.

 

If there are piles of papers keeping folks from sitting at your kitchen table, or your nightstand has a tall tower that may fall over on you in the night, then read on for a few ideas that make mail management manageable, and put the whole thing in perspective:

  • Just Three Minutes a Day! Mail delivery happens six times a week, and dealing with it daily tames the paper tiger. Have a place in your house set up for sorting, with your paper recycling bin, shredder, letter opener, and bill file within arms length.  Don't want to do it? I don't blame you....but set a timer and muscle through three minutes. That's all it will take to keep it at bay.
  • Use the OHIO method. ONLY HANDLE IT ONCE. As you look at each piece of mail, make a decision on it (piles of clutter are really piles of delayed decisions, you know) and put it right where it goes--recycling, shredder, bill file, etc. Take your magazines right to where they eventually will be read.
  • Keep things in balance. While you are there putting the magazine in the basket by the couch, pull out the last issue and take it back with you to the recycling bin. If you haven't read it yet, it is okay to get rid of it. Really.
  • The perfect place to store your catalogs...you guessed it, the recycling bin! After you have flipped through it once, put it in the bin. If you want to come back to it, you'll  know where it is for the next week or so. And if you want to order something, it is easiest to do so online anyway.

A Fun Fall Weekend!

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I know that Fall is here...today especially. I am wearing a heavy sweater as I type this, trying to keep from turning on the heat for one more day. So strange when you think that last week I was dying to turn on the AC due to the unbelievable humidity! Ahhh, autumn in Pennsylvania--schizophrenic and unpredictable! This past weekend, however, we were blessed with lovely weather--lovely enough to invite some friends over for a camp out in the yard!

and play a little soccer as the sun went down...

And then you just have those who hang around waiting for the marshmallows and hot dogs to be served around the bonfire...

 

Fun for everyone!

 

Scenes From My Life This Past Week

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I started this morning, as I usually do, by taking a walk with a friend.... and I couldn't help but think back over the past few days and all that has gone on...

We started the week celebrating my son's birthday--

How is it possible that he is 14 already?!?

And the next minute, and I was grabbing a stack of my new business cards...

(just hot off the presses...so pleased with the way they turned out!)

and dashing to catch the train to attend the Pennsylvania Conference for Women.

We sat in large rooms with patterned carpet and florescent lights, drank too much coffee, and scribbled notes with the free pens and paper from the event's sponsors.

I met some lovely women--fellow business owners and business leaders from our area--and listened to all kinds of inspirational ideas.

Now that I am back on my home turf, I have some questions for you!!

If money was no object, and you could change anything about the way you live in your house, what would it be? What would you want Revealing Redesign to come and give insight about? What are the daily frustrations that you wish someone could wave a magic wand and make go away??

Please, PLEASE comment below and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!!