Lighten Up

Peter Walsh who is the mastermind behind the show Clean Sweep on TLC has written a book to help people live clutter-free lives titled "Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less.” Clutter goes a step further if you watch any of the proliferation of shows about hoarding.

When the stuff starts coming out the seams of a house, you know there's a problem

Hoarding doesn't have to be messy, it can be in the form of piles of books...

...or rows of cans.

Hoarders, Animal Hoarders, Buried Alive... I find these shows disturbing so I don't watch. I may be the only person not watching though, their ratings are through the roof. Does that apply to anyone in this house...uhh, no! If you rang my doorbell right now,  I might not be dressed for the day but I can tell you for certain that my house would be clean. That's just how I roll. I just don't go to bed unless it's picked up, not spotless eat-off-the-floor clean, but the kind of clean that is ready for company. It's not cluttered...but it is stuffed. I need this book. He said most of us are guilty of buying too much. Your downfall may be clothes, or shoes, or maybe you are like me and like linens. Oh how I love good sheets and towels. There's nothing as good as crawling into bed on smooth sheets, rich in thread count and silky to the touch. And don't get me started on tablecloths, napkins or pillows. Yep, I have a problem! I have dishes for summer, winter and holidays, dishes for the boat, glasses of every shape and size, flatware for a small army. I have officialy ran out of room to store any more, so I've solved that problem...I'm passing some on to daughters!
Hoarding must start like this, a love of things. The need for plenty in our lives and somehow it just goes haywire. So, I've been purging, slowly but surely the closets are getting pared down, the dishes will be shared and my car has almost forgot it's way to Tuesday Morning. Almost...

The bad news is that Ross Dress for Less is opening soon. I'm in big trouble!

*The word "later" is the best friend of clutter. ~Peter Walsh

Back in the 50's

Friday nights have been date night for us for a long time, but times change and now when GRANDson Gavin spends the night, we usually end up at Steak and Shake.

His current fav is their Chili Mac 4 Ways... spaghetti, chili, cheese and oyster crackers on top, hey don't knock it unless you've tried it! :-) 

When his brother was little, we lived in Texas and Jackson spent Friday nights too. He loved to go to Luby's, a cafeteria with a huge selection of made from scratch homestyle food. His meal was always the same, fried chicken leg, blue jello, roll and a pickle!




Jerry and I like to go to the hole in the wall places, the Mom and Pop's in town that have waitresses that call you "Honey" or "Sweetie." One of those places is Smokin' Joe's. BBQ of course and they have daily specials on the chalkboard when you come in. Their list of sides are southern favorites like mac and cheese, fried okra or pinto beans, ....right up my alley!



Our waitress last Saturday called everyone "Kids" as she waited on us like Mom used to, making sure we had plenty of everything we needed to make our meal delicious. "Need anything kids?" "How about some pie kids?" She even reminded us to "Drive safe kids!"  It used to be the old Wrangler Drive-In years ago when we lived here back in the 80's. Drive-in's were beginning to fade away then, only a few A&W's left, but small town America still loved them so the good ones lived on.

In our town the one remaining is Susie Q, a blast from the past, stuck in the 50's, won't ever change drive-in. They serve the best homemade burgers and fries, tenderloin sandwiches, chili cheese fries, malts to die for and homemade fried pies. It's only open from March-November, they take a little winter break when it's just too dang cold to set and eat in your car!



Every now and then we take our GRANDS to the places that we love, trying to give them a taste of hometown America. Going back to the 50's when life was pretty simple, no sushi on the menus, real ice cream in the shakes and the only diet thing on the menus are the sodas! We bet they will take their kids there too someday...

The Happy Card!

I've been busy, busy since I visited Chickens in the Road last week. It seems most of us reached a "Grand Funk" the same day. The weight of the world is making us shed a few tears, earn some more gray hair and add some more wrinkles. I wasn't the only one feeling lower than a snake's belly, it was lots of people! After reading her post, possibly the best one I have ever read... I started to work on my HaPpY CaRd!

First I had to pick the right color of paper.

Then I needed to decide if I wanted to add sparkles and ribbon, yes to both!

Maybe some pretty markers too, after all I'm making a list.

Ten things that make me feel joyful...
1. My family, definitely my family. Even with all our faults and quirks we are an interesting bunch. We lean on each other, we confide in each other and we know for certain that we love each other.
2. Home, it makes me very happy to be inside these four walls, safe and warm/or cool. Secure knowing I have enough of everything. What a blessing that is.
3. Love, I have true love in my life. The kind that comes once in a lifetime, the kind that grows with each day, each year. I have the love of a husband and children and parents, still. My dog even loves me, I know this cause he lets me clean his ears without complaining, everyday of his life! He's a Cocker Spaniel...
4. The sun and the moon and the stars and the clouds all make me happy and joyful. It just makes me smile to look around and see green grass or blue sky or the stars up above just like they've been put there just for me.
5. A clean house makes me joyful. I love everything in it's place and a place for everything. Thank you Aunt B. for encouraging this in me years ago!
6. Cold milk with a piece of chocolate cake.
7. Baking bread or cooking for the ones I love.
8. The Past, I love reaching back for wonderful memories and the things that have been passed along to me.
9. The Future, I look forward to each stage of my life. At 58 I have to say it's pretty good right now!
10. The Security of knowing the "Best is yet to Come!"

Get your crayons out kids and make your Happy List too, it's going to make you feel like a kid again!