Oil and Shine

When Dan and I got married, as we put away gifts that we received from our wedding, we would go through items that he already had. I love to organize things and purge my house of stuff I do not use to simplify life, so when I came across a lettuce crisper I thought, I have never used one before, why do I need one of these? I may or may not have tossed it. Years later we were putting away groceries, including iceberg lettuce, and Dan wondered where the lettuce crisper was, and I was like-yes that would be nice to put our lettuce in. We could not find it anywhere. Then I remembered seeing it when we first were married and told him that I might have donated it. I honestly was not sure what had happened to it. My husband did not understand why I would want to get rid of a lettuce crisper. We then ended up buying another one-which we do not use very much I might add, but I have not donated this one....yet. I have tried to donate items in my kitchen that I don't use oft...

I have a sign in my house that says "Relax". It is a reminder for me to take a deep breath and enjoy life. I have been on a journey to simplify different areas of my life, because removing distractions helps me to relax. You would think simplifying your life would be easy, but it can take time and you have to be intentional about it, but the outcome is worth it. One area that I have worked hard to simplify is in the home. Organizing is part of that process and de-cluttering is the first step. Clutter can be a joy sucker. I think better and relax in an uncluttered environment, with a bonus of having an easier time keeping my home clean! Taking baby steps helps me tackle different jobs I need to do. Focus on one area of your home at a time and make small goals that you would like to accomplish. I have used all sorts of tools to help me stay focused. Books and blogs have helped me, but I pick and choose what works best and adapt it to my needs, because everyone is diff...

It’s 5 o’clock and you find yourself standing in front of your pantry or refrigerator wondering what you are going to make for dinner. A glazed look comes over your face as you can't think of anything that will work and on top of that, you are very tired and you start feeling the stress of not knowing what to do. Does this sound familiar? That was very often me and many times, my family and I would end up eating out instead because that was easy.  There isn't anything wrong with eating out, but it can get expensive to go that route all the time. I wanted to have a solution which would reduce the stress in my life, was a healthier option than fast food, and would keep us from blowing our budget on eating out. What saved me? Putting together a meal plan every week so when dinner time rolled around I knew what I was going to do.  Here are a few strategies that has helped me stay sane at meal time: Once a week sit down and look at your cookbooks/recipes and choose what you wan...