Monday Musings, January 18
Hello friends.
On this Martin Luther King day, let’s remember
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
martin luther king
I haven’t told you that we have a new addition to the family. Meet Farrah…3 months old and full-on crazy! I know she looks sweet in this photo, but it’s just a ploy meant to lull you to let your guard down.
Part of the problem is that she thinks, well truthfully, she knows, that she is smarter than we are. In any event, if you wonder what my days look like lately, it is fair to say that 75% of the time I am in puppy-mode.
It may come as a surprise to you that, despite Farrah’s best efforts, I actually did get a little decluttering and organizing done in the kitchen this past week. I published this post where I shared some of the Kitchen Organization Tips that work for me.
If you need a little decluttering motivation, check out this comment made by one of our readers, Kate. Can we all agree that we hope Kate enjoyed a well-deserved, peaceful, solitary bubble bath? Maybe with a good book and a glass of wine!
This is truly inspiring! I am a mom of 5 and I always feel overwhelmed and clutter-overtaken! It’s like swimming in a house full of stuff! Not just kids stuff but my husbands clutter, my own clutter. I usually try to take a declutter if day of just my own things every 6 months. The kids stuff is harder seeing that we have a 12, 8, 6, and 3 year old twins. So if I don’t have to buy something and the younger ones can use it I save it. But I went through things after reading this and I mean how many pairs of jeans will my 6 year old need from his older brother… not 15 pairs, I went through everything between what I gave for the twin and my middle son and got rid of 5 totes full of clothes. I currently have 2 totes in the twins closet and 4 totes for my middle son vs (what felt like) 50. Thank you so much! Off to tackle the kitchen and basement next! Thank you again for your guidance! It helps this Mama out!
If you’d like to join in on the decluttering fun, you can join anytime! Click this button to sign up for the 6 weekly emails which will delve into specific areas of our homes.
Because we can close the kitchen off from the rest of the house (and therefore close Farrah off from the rest of the house), I am spending a lot of time in that room. I made several gallons of chicken stock over the weekend and I will can it today or tomorrow and then start on the beef stock. This post on canning stock will work for any meat or bone broth.
If you are looking for a Knitting Project, consider the Diagonal Basketweave Blanket. Amy used Lion Brand Wool Ease to knit the blanket for her lucky husband.
Make your own Art. Here are some tips for lighting for Indoor Floral Photography
I’ve purchased several brands from the store, but I still think my Jalapeno Pimento Cheese is the best.
A healthy, hearty, winter-ish Fig and Butternut Squash Salad.
I am off to continue to do some decluttering while the beast Farrah sleeps. Wish me luck!
Be the light and be the love, my dear friends.
Many hugs to you,
Hi Lynn, well I was wondering what was going on, it takes me a while to get clued in. Went to the link three times and finally gave up. So happy you reposted the link.
As you know, not able to declutter yet, so am so jealous that all of you are doing so well in getting your closets and cupboards in order.
Oooohhh, a Golden Retriever! They are the most precious dogs around and such faithful dogs. You will have a friend for life. We got my daughter one when she graduated college and had to move out of town for her first job and knew no one. That dog (Chablis) lived for 15 years and was my daughters best friend the whole time. Best doggy ever.
So have fun both with new puppy and decluttering.
Love, Juanita
I am so sorry for the frustration I caused. It was all on me, but my email provider was having a hard time fixing it. The perfect storm!
Oh Juanita, I am so sorry you are still being sidlined with that wrist! The good news (and maybe the bad news) is that your stuff will still be there when your wrist heals!
And small world, Farrah is actually going to live with our daughter once she is housetrained for the same reason. Our daughter is in Philly in med school by herself and quite lonely. Farrah will be a great companion and I know they will be fast friends.
Do take care of yourself…hope you are at least able to find some good shows to watch!
Many hugs, Lynn
Hi Lynn, thinking of all my American friends over here in Australia at this very challenging time, with love. Please stay home and stay safe. The bandaid has been ripped off and the wound is ugly, but it WILL heal. This too, shall pass. xxKathryn, Melbourne, Australia
Hi Kathryn,
I do believe that yesterday was a cathartic and healing day, but we do have much work to do. It is heartbreaking that we allowed ourselves to get to this point and it won’t be easy to get out. It sounds simple, but it will take each of us to do the right and kind thing to ultimately heal our nation.
Thank you so much for your thoughts…
Many hugs, Lynn
Omg Farrah a Golden Retriever, we love them, they are the best dogs have had 3 now and would love another but we have two cats now go figure
Wish you the very best of luck with her!❤ she’s soooo cute
Hi Debbie,
They are the BEST dogs…we can’t imagine having any other breed. We do have a cat as well and are working with Farrah to leave Meep, the cat, alone. It is a challenge!
At this very moments she is HOWLING, whining and crying in her crate. Trying very hard to get her on a schedule…it is tough, but we will get there.
Have a great day, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
In a weak moment, we also got a covid puppy, a Boston Terrier named Henry Tudor because, well he “toots” …. it was actually reassuring to me to hear that you spent 75% of your time with your sweet Farrah, as I did the same for two months. He is now 6 months old and beginning to get trustworthy, but he does have his “witching hour” every night when he barks at everything outside, even though it’s dark and he can’t see a thing. Love your posts. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Morven,
Henry Tudor, what a fun name!!! I love it! We have a cat who we initially named ‘Quinn’, but when we heard that her ‘meow’ was really more of ‘meep’, whe changed her name to Meep! At this very moment, Farrah is whining, howling and barking in her crate. We are trying to get her on a schedule as she will ultimately live with our daughter who is in med school and so Farrah needs to adjust to her schedule. We will get there!
Have a great day, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Congratulations on your puppy. Beautiful I have yet to even finish bathroom or bedroom. We got our English Setter when we were in North Carolina and a couple had to give him up and they lived in Wilmington. He is greatly missed after living a wonderful life. Would love to get another one but very hard to find in Florida. Have a great day
Hi Christina, what a small world! I have several friends here in Wilmington who have English Setters, sorry you can’t find one in Florida. I’d be glad to ask where the got theirs!
And no stress about not finishing a room yet. That’s the beauty of this ‘declutter challenge’, you can do it at your own pace! I am definitely having problems getting motivated this year…think I am suffering from PTSD from the last year!
Have a great day, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn