A Little Action in My Kitchen.

One of the first things I did when we moved into our new house was recreate our Action Center.



This was a simple and effective way to keep papers off the dining table and in a place. It had three containers. File. Use. Act. It worked great in our old house, but with all the responsibilities in the new house we needed something more.
So, I tried a full out tickler.




43 Folders + Actions Tickler File
31 Days, 12 Months and a few actions. Too much for us. The Basic Tickler worked so much better for our lifestyle.
So, I modified to a monthly tickler.




12 Folders + Actions
12 Months and about 6 Actions. I think this will be perfect. The only thing I might add would be a few years. Like Next Year, 2 Years...



The monthly with the actions is working like a charm. The best part is my husband is actually using it. After creating this for our space, I decided to write a little tickler file instructional booklet and create some pdf labels for JOYS.

Why Organizing Paper is so Challenging

I posted a new slideshow on my website. Why Organizing Paper is so Challenging.

Discover the 3 reasons why you struggle to organize your papers, the 1 emotion they all have in common and 3 simple guidelines to help you keep your papers organized.

One Little Basement Organizing Project Complete.

I have wanted to do this cool organizing idea since seeing it in a magazine a few years back.



I was actually inspired after another diy project flopped. I had made a large frame with leftover wood and an inexpensive piece of plywood to use as a magnet board in my office. But when the magnetic paint I purchased (twice) totally flopped, I was left with a big ugly black board.

So, since the gladware (inexpensive way to keep small stuff organized and contained btw) wasn't working as great in the new house as it did in the old, I decide to spend a little money. After all, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find what you need in the middle of a bigger project.




I ordered this 60mil magnetic adhesive and a whole bunch of different sized metal containers. Now all my nuts, bolts and screws are organized. It wasn't an inexpensive project (around $100), but it is definitely an effective organizing solution and this was not a make it work project. This is a permanent fixture in our basement. I have seen where people have used old glass jars by screwing their lids to the bottom of a shelf. I always liked that idea too. I just didn't like the glass part.

This Weekends Top Ten!

10. Fabric store on Friday to find curtain fabric for guest room.


09. Door and shelves in guest rooms sanded, painted and back where they belong. Thanks honey!

08. Blueberry and raspberry bushes planted. Thanks honey!



07. New bud on our new rose bush, can't wait to see the full pink and orange bloom.

06. Dimmer installed and switch plates and outlet covers updated.
05. Radiator scraped, primed and painted.

04. Ceiling fan light kit updated.


03. Great dinner and conversation with new friends.
02. Great cookout and conversation with old friends.
01. Floor in guest room, cleaned and polished!



Even though the old light kit was hideous (and is now on freecycle) and changing the light went a lot smoother than I anticipated, past experiences with anything electrical have been a three day affair; the floor was my favorite week-end project. The floor is always my favorite. I love cleaning my floors, because it means a room is ready to move into. Finally and thank-you!

Much Joy all, especially to those who are serving, have loved ones serving or have served our great country. Thank-you!

Surprise! The Joys of Fixing Up an Old House.

I like surprises, particularly when they are happy surprises.
This was not one of those.




Someone at some point did not do the proper prep. All the paint was peeling like a bad sun burn. Which meant ALL the trim in ALL the upstairs rooms needed to be stripped before it could be painted. Not in the PLAN and a major renovation set back.

I am not going to go into the sloppy details. I used Smartstrip and it worked. I guess. But chemical stripping, even the green options, really suck. It took me a few weeks to remove all the paint and clean up the wood work. Then the room became storage for our attic renovation. That took months.




Now, almost a year later, I finally have paint on the trim and walls and I am so looking forward to decorating. I can't wait to check room 2 off my list. At least 10 more to go if you count the bathrooms and the kitchen!

A year ago, an oh crap, now what!


Yesterday, a little joy and sense of accomplishment.


This was definitely a job I would have loved to hire someone else to do. The stripping part a least. Painting is not a just make it work project. Painting is a do it right or you'll be doing it over kind of thing. And if you do something silly like no primer and cheap paint, you'll be making A LOT more work for yourself (or someone else).

New Inspiration. New Direction.

We moved over a year ago and since then I have been struggling to get myself re-organized. My business and our life. I had all my systems in place and everything in it's place on Amethyst Lane. It was simple to write about getting organized when I was organized. Now, not so simple. Now, I feel like a hypocrite as I am surrounded by renovation clutter and stuff that doesn't have a place.

Life was pretty easy before. I guess that is why we decided it was time for a change.
Change is a wonderful thing. It comes with lots of surprises. Stepping out of our comfort zone was necessary to have the life we dreamed of. Part of that dream included a beautiful old house in a wonderful neighborhood.

Needless to say I had grandiose plans. The renovations would go quick and I could go back to 150% focus on growing JOYS. Reality finally struck me this past week.

My idea of "perfection right now" is ridiculous.

We are making great progress but the house will be finished when the house is finished. It's time to just make it work. (thanks, tim gunn). Make my rooms all they can be right now with what I have. If I can finish a room, great! If it requires big project dollars. The money will come, I am sure of it. In the meantime, be creative and enjoy what we got ourselves into.

I think I am ok knowing, it's ok, to just do all I can each day. That a plan is great, but a plan can change and when it does the inspiration in the detour will make the outcome even better.

The JOYS of Managing Your Money

Tax records pile up year-long. Establishing a system to collect and organize your tax-related receipts, papers and spending throughout the year will end tax-prep panic. A great paper filing system is a must, but a really good software is a must consider.

03 The JOYS of Managing Your Money