FLASHBACK january 2012

"i'm only happy when it rains..."
i've discovered pinterest and, not being 100% sure what i'm doing, i spend hours just looking at various things others have pinned. i come across a simple umbrella. i love it! i become obsessed with umbrellas. and rain boots. i'm obsessed with rain boots. sadly...i only own one pair. boo!! 

                     

FLASH FORWARD today

i woke up to my favorite kind of day. a lazy rainy day. what? you love rainy days?! ummm...yeah. i kind of do. rainy sorts of days are great for relaxing...nothing more relaxing than raindrops falling on your roof. rainy days are great for being lazy...no one wants to go to the grocery in the rain...or cut the grass in the rain...or wash the car in the rain. and, most importantly, rainy days are great for play...for putting on you wellies and jumping in puddles...an activity you can only enjoy on a rainy day.

today is "step in a puddle and splash your friend day". i don't know who came up with this "holiday"...or why they decided to schedule it in january when most rain falls as snow and any puddles should be frozen over(?)...but, how fortunate that we, here in ohio, got a warm up and a rain storm?! 

put on your boots and celebrate the rain today!!
HAPPY SPLASHING!!!!!

FLASHBACK 1970 somethin

 

these are a few of my favorite things~

the brady bunch
candy cigarettes
alice in wonderland
michael jackson~ben
tee shirt, shorts, and bare feet

  

flash forward today:

these are a few of my favorite things~

the big bang theory
candy cane tootsie pops
to kill a mockingbird
dave matthews~mercy
tee shirt, skirt, and bare feet

          

look back on your own life...what were your favorite things when you were a kid? and what are your favorite things now? i bet you haven't changed as much as you think :)

FLASHBACK january 8, 1935

 "it's down at the end of lonely street at heartbreak hotel"

elvis aaron presley is born. in tupelo, mississippi. to vernon and gladys. his identical twin brother, jesse, was delivered 35 minutes before...stillborn...he was considered "average" while growing up in tupelo. he received his first guitar at 10 years old. in august of 1953, he walked into sun records to pay for studio time. sam phillips liked what he heard. after that meeting, elvis would release18 number one hits (the first being "heartbreak hotel")...would be declared "unfit for family viewing" by the ed sullivan show...would star in 31 movies...would serve his country for 2 years...would influence other artists, such as the beatles...would marry and divorce only once...and would produce one child. elvis passed on august 16, 1977 at 42 years old...in a statement, president jimmy carter credited elvis with "permanently changing the face of american pop culture"...since his death he has been inducted into FOUR music hall of fames (rock and roll hall of fame, country music hall of fame, gospel music hall of fame, and rockabilly hall of fame)...graceland was opened to the public and welcomes over 600,000 people a year...had countless reissues and remixes top the charts...
HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!

                

FLASHBACK september 2012

"in ev'ry job that must be done there is an element of fun...you find the fun and snap! the job's a game..."
we move in to our new apartment...we, carefully, unpack boxes and put everything in its proper place. it takes about a month, but we get there.
FLASH FORWARD november 23, 2012
the day after thanksgiving. all the christmas boxes come out of storage. up goes the tree. up go the lights. christmas gifts are being purchased and placed all over the house. ugh! i can't find anything i need.
FLASH FORWARD january 6, 2012
the epiphany. time for the tree to come down. time to cut off the lights. all the christmas boxes go back in storage. wait? where is that packing tape? where are my scissors? where? where? where? ugh!! I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!!!
FLASH FORWARD today
january is "get organized month" and i certainly know why! we have only been in our apartment 4 short months and, already, we need to reorganize. the beginning of the year is a great time to do it...out with the old and in with the new. need some help making the job less tedious? i have a suggestion...break it down to one task a day. 

GET ORGANIZED IN 15 DAYS 

day 1~medicine cabinets: check expiration dates and throw out old meds. make a list of things you may be running low on and be sure to replinish (tylenol or ibuprofen, band aids, neosporin)

day 2~coat closet: get rid of coats and jackets that don't fit, or never get worn (donate to a shelter). got hats and gloves loose? a cute basket or box for the shelf will come in handy OR that dust bag that came with your handbag you got for christmas makes a good catch all for them. 

day 3~under beds: do you use the space under your beds for storage, like i do? get under there and go thru all that stuff. get rid of anything that's unnecessary...those shoes you haven't worn in 5 years? guess what...you aren't going to ever wear them again! DONATE!!

day4~laundry room: go thru all those cleaners on the shelves. toss old bottles of detergent and fabric softener that don't even have enough for one load in them (i know you have them...don't even lie!). a heavy duty tote is a great way to keep cleaning products organized. and BONUS!!! you can carry it around the house as you clean, as opposed to trying to carry them all in your arms, or making several trips!

day 5~hand bag: take the time to go thru your bag. get rid of all those gum wrappers...take all loose change and put it in a jar to save for a special weekend or item you've been wanting. rule of thumb: you don't need a ton of change in your purse, you'll only weigh yourself down...i keep 4~quarters, 2~dimes, 3~nickels, and 4~pennies, all other change goes in the jar! also, take this time to get rid of near empty lip gloss, and lip sticks you know you'll never wear.

day 6~under sinks: get rid of near empty bottles of hair spray...gels you haven't used in so long they've become solid. that curling iron that broke 2 years ago? toss it. while you're at it, check your hair appliances...are the cords frayed or broken? time to get a new one.

day 7~fridge/freezer: check the expiration dates and toss any out~of~date items. leftovers? if you don't know how long they've been there...toss them. replace any often used items you're out of.

day 8~kitchen cabinets: spices that are over a year old may need replaced...broken pots/pans? why are you holding on to them? toss! and why are you keeping all those margarine tubs? they aren't microwave safe and they just make a mess! toss them and invest in a food storage set.

day 9~makeup case: mascaras and eyeliners really should be replaced every 6 months, but we all know that doesn't happen. at least do it at the new year!! take this time to get rid of old foundations (face it, you are NOT going to get that drop from the bottom of the jar). look at your brushes? can they be cleaned or maybe they need replaced. 

day 10~bedroom closets: now is the time: donate clothes you haven't worn in a year. but...but...i DO wear this member's only jacket?! no. no you don't. having trouble remembering if you did wear something in a year? try this: as you hang clothes back up, turn the hangers backward...as you wear and wash pieces, hang them back correctly. next year, anything on hangers that are still hung backwards get donated to charity.

day 11~linen closet: frayed towels? they go to the laundry room to become dust rags. pillows that have seen better days? toss them and get new ones for guests. sheets and blankets that have holes in them...TOSS! 

day 12~bedroom dressers: socks and chonies have holes in them? toss them...unless you're gonna darn the socks, and no one does that anymore! and holey chonies?! really? remember what your mama always said about having clean chonies in case you're in an accident...same thing with tee shirts and sweaters. AND, again, if it hasn't been worn in a year: DONATE!!

day 13~living room: magazines on the coffee table need to be up~to~date. you should NOT have last january's sports illustrated or good housekeeping sitting out. do you have remotes that you aren't even sure what they operate? or you have 45,000 remotes for all your electronics? maybe you should invest in a universal remote...

day 14~cars: go thru all the compartments in your car and get rid of trash...check registration and insurance cards and make sure you only have the CURRENT ones...also, check that you have jumper cables, a flashlight, flares, and a blanket for emergencies. or, better yet, an emergency kit.

day 15~jewelry box: broken jewelry? get it repaired. if it's beyond repair, take it to a respectable jeweler and have them purchase the gold...extra money goes in the jar. jewelry you never wear, and does not have sentimental value? donate it, or sell it.

if you have other spaces to organize (a garage, playroom, craft room) it may take you a few extra days. but, by breaking tasks down to 1 per day, it makes it far less painful!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!!