Monday, January 6, 2025

Get a Jump on Your Mental Health for the New Year



When the holidays are over and you have time to breathe from the hustle bustle, you may find yourself looking around after trying to find room for your new holiday booty and think "where the hell am I going to put this stuff?"  The landing spot for many of us is a closet.  I know that was the first place stuff was chucked when company came unexpectedly as a kid.  It's the place things can get thrown in a bin to be dealt with later and somehow later never comes.  You forget how bad it is until you open the door and something resembling Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock is staring back at you.  They talk about Spring Cleaning being so therapeutic but choosing to use this post holiday time that some find depressing to purge and/or organize your closet can set you up for a calmer mind going into the new year.

Here are products that have helped me get stuff organized in the past because this post is as much as a reminder for me right now.







I know this may seem a little extra but my sheets tend to end up on a bench after laundry day and before I know it, a week has passed and a layer of dust has settled on them.  I have several different sets like Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin and Christmas and I like to keep them easy to stack and store.  I will say that like everything fabric these days, these do have a bit of a funky odor straight out of the box.  My solution for that was to spray the insides with this spray and let it dry.  I never had a problem with that smell again.


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These folding drawers are awesome to put those extra things that don't have a specific home but you want to wrangle them.  If you have old photo albums, journals, seasonal fuzzy socks or scarves, etc  I will say they have the same issue with smell as the sheet sleeves but again, using that spray goes a long way to tame the factory smell.



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Where do you put the sheet sleeves from above?  I put my seasonal sheets in these along with a few seasonal throws.  Perfect for the closet or under the bed.  I don't mean to harp on it but because it's fabric, you're probably going to have to hit it with the spray I keep mentioning.  


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If your closet space is at a premium, these babies may be just what you're looking for.  Whether it's your seasonal clothes, your awesome jean collection or the hated work pants you have to slide into on the daily, they'll give you more room by using your vertical space!  Works great for skirts and scarves too!


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Yet another space saving gem to hang seasonal sweaters or a bunch of tees.  I love them and they make great gifts too. 


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Some people prefer to have their clothes air out but you don't want them tipping all over the place.  These shelf dividers help keep your clothes, purses and other strays nice and tidy!  No more attack of the upper shelf when opening the door.



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Need another way to use vertical space?  This thing is awesome.  It can hold your socks and unmentionables to free up an extra drawer in your dresser.  If you don't want to use the drawers, they can be folded down and stored elsewhere.



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To say this thing saved my sanity is the understatement of the year.  When we got rid of the large, overbearing dresser in the master, we also got rid of my landing strip for stuff like hair products, lotions, makeup, etc.  Enter this thing and before we knew it, we had THREE!  One on the closet door, linen closet door to grab the most used things and the garage door to free up space under the kitchen cabinet.  


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There's not much you can't cram into these babies.  Throw pillows, blankets, seasonal clothes, comforter sets, stuffed animals, anything soft.  There's something satisfying about watching that big ol' heap get sucked down into a little rock that could be used as a weapon if thrown.  It does best if stored flat despite what many depictions show.

These are some suggestions and the things that have made the most difference for us over the years.  Since I have extra stuff from Mom's passing, it has left me with some serious rearranging to do and I plan on implementing a few of these to give things a home.  Opening the closet is stressful for me now so trust me when I tell you I'll be taking my own tips and putting them to use.

If you have any suggestions I may have missed, feel free to share your best organizing finds in the comments!

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Friday, January 3, 2025

What I'm Reading This Week #1

Well hello chickadees and welcome to the first Friday of 2025!  Did you jam out on New Year's Eve or were you partying behind closed eyelids by 9pm?  Hey, ain't no shame in the sleep game especially after the holidays!  The Mr and I fixed up some snacks, chilled and watched old Dick Clark ball drops from our youth.  You couldn't pay me to watch the crap on now that night.  Ahh, settling into middle age curmudgeonry right on schedule!

Now let's settle into:





How to Gain Muscle, No Matter Who You Are  (Looking forward to getting some muscles a-poppin' again!)



Here’s Why Foot Strength Shouldn’t Be Neglected from Your Training  (It's true, I'm more than a year into my foot stuff that is affecting my quality of life.)

The Relationship Between Food and Mood (Definitely a mind body connection)


Tired of Being A Night Owl? 8 Steps to Stop Staying Up So Late  (It's going to be a real treat trying to break decades of night owl behavior.)

32 Mindfulness Activities to Find Calm at Any Age  (Some interesting suggestions!)



Not sure what's on the agenda for us this weekend other than trying to eek out the last bits of holiday cheer.  I'm sure we might poke around a store or two if we can get out early enough.  Otherwise we'll be in hunker down mode and pretend we're hibernating bears. 🐻 

Anything on your to do list this weekend?

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Stopping by Real Quick to Wish You...


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We hope you guys had a good New Years Eve and are taking some time for yourself to start 2025 with a clear mind and heart.  

No resolutions necessary.  

No goals you have to jump on because the calendar flipped.  

No pressure for "new year, new you."  

Take today to reflect on the holiday season.  

To exhale.

Goals will come if you want them.

Wishing you good health, peace and healing if you need it in the new year!

Love you guys!




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Monday, December 30, 2024

Taking a Little Break From a Weekend Recap

Anyone else in a holiday heap?

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Wow...that went fast, did it not?  The late Thanksgiving's always seem to screw you time wise because it feels like it's taking away a week.  I guess it kind of is, isn't it?  😄  Just a reminder that next Thanksgiving is on the 27th so it'll be that same feeling of time crunch.  Set up your reminders now about getting to it earlier next year for a less stressful holiday season!  (Personal note - make and food save dough the middle of October!  You just seriously don't have a choice anymore.)

As we marked our second holiday without Mom, it is the one that reminds you that yes, this is your new normal.  There's no going back.  While it had many bittersweet moments, we tried to make the best of it to find those small pockets of self made peace, magic and nostalgia of grateful moments of holidays past.  Trying to 'get back to' what we had holiday wise in our early marriage and my childhood has actually been going on since 2009 according to my posts both active and archived.  That was sobering.  So it is time for new traditions while honoring old ones.  Ones we would not have chosen if Mom and Grandma were here but we need to focus on doing stuff that we want to do, making memories of our own and not spend time with some people who either don't like us or we don't feel comfortable around just because they're family.  My friend since the 80's purposely sent his partner to be with his family because he loathes family get togethers and just wanted peace on Christmas day to play specific records and be alone.  His partner has a bit of a hard time settling down which can irritate him but the partner is also very dependent on his family.  So while it might not seem 'right' to many that they weren't together on the holiday, I really respected him standing up for what he needed that day.  We should all do that for ourselves.  Whether forced into it like we were or are one of the many who had more gripes after visiting family after the holidays, we should all evaluate how WE would like to actually spend those sacred days.  You can always have holiday gatherings earlier in the season or even get together once the hustle and bustle of the season is over to share everything you did.  We don't know how many holidays we have left.  We deserve to spend them the way we actually want to and that doesn't necessarily mean trying to recreate what can never be or gritting our teeth through hot topics with people who seem to only exist to tick others off.  Just something to think about as we roll into a new year.

I do want to thank you for still hanging in there with me this year.  I know it hasn't been a thrill a minute and certainly no real weight talk to be found.  (Which actually has no choice but to change in the coming year.)  So I appreciate all of you for hanging in with me/us.  I'm wishing you the happiest new year full of peace, health and healing.

Please share how you spent the holidays and if you have any plans for NYE!


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Friday, December 27, 2024

What I'm Reading This Week #52

Wow... we've reached #52.  We're rounding out the year and as the saying goes, "the days are long but the years are short."  I don't know if anyone else feels that way or not but it sure feels that way for us.   We were still in a grief stupor for the first half of the year and then deciding to push forward on finishing abandoned reno's from the previous year with some extra "fun" thrown in trying to fix the mystery noise we heard for months which lead to the replacement of our sump pump, hot water tank, gas regulator, roof flashing and finally the exhaust vent chimney cap was just *chef's kiss followed by the bird *  (It ended up being the whole house water filter system by the way and was fixed by hacking out the superfluous check valve.  Found completely by accident.)  Throw on all of our 567 doctor, vein, chiropractor and therapy appointments in addition to the bathroom tub to shower conversion which was delayed because we are us and it was a constant flood of cortisol on the daily for both of us.   I would really not like a repeat of that next year please.  😁

Now let's repeat:







8 Immunity-Boosting Beverages to Drink When You're Sick (In case anyone got more than wrapped gifts for the holidays.)

5 Easy Tweaks to Your Work Routine to Avoid the Negative Effects of Too Much Sitting  (I think we all need to keep this one in our back pocket.)

13 Fatigue-Fighting Hacks to Supercharge Your Mornings  (I think we're all pretty fatigued right about now)

Inflammation-Fighting Dinners You Can Make in a 9x13 Pan  (Dump recipes are the best especially this time of year!)

Why Wall Mopping Is The Secret To Spotless Walls  (I hope to make this my new habit in 2025.  Not going to hold my breath though.)

16 Festive Holiday Cocktails for Gatherings Big and Small  (Who says you need champagne to ring in the new year?)

New Year's Party Games to Celebrate 2025  (Ooh, some fun suggestions here!)

Lest you think the whole year was a pooper for us, I'd like to end on a positive note.  In February, the Mr got his new ride which is quite the roomy upgrade.  We had a nice vacation to Massachusetts and Martha's Vineyard.  We got a retreat this year and that's all I got to say about that and we got some peace and horsies for my 50th birthday.  I didn't need bail money after the crapfest that was/is the bathroom remodel.  Most of all, I'm thankful for the Mr.  I know he probably wanted to run away several times this year but he didn't which speaks volumes given the amount of constant stress from beginning to end.  Thanks hon for sticking with me and not tapping out.

Wishing everyone a weekend of exhaling and high fives for making it through the holiday season.  Be careful if you imbibe on New Year's Eve.  Don't drink and drive because I know my peeps aren't a-holes.  😉 

Love y'all!

What are you doing this weekend?

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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Wishing you all a...



I hope however you're spending the day whether a cozy solo holiday that you never get out of your PJ's for, with your honey or with family and/or friends that it is a good one.  Enjoy the present while celebrating the past.  Create magic where you can even in the smallest of moments.

Have a holly jolly Christmas!




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Monday, December 23, 2024

33 Years of I Love You's

Welp, 33 years ago today, the Mr said I love you for the first time...three days after our first date!  

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Obviously I said I love you too.  

We knew each other for 2 months but were slow to get to dating and it was worth the wait.  I have no idea where that amount of time could've possibly gone since we barely feel 33 much less have the ability to have been together for that long.  People say it goes by fast and they're right.  One day you're 17 and you blink and you've been together in what could technically be two generations if they got started at 16/17 years old, which my mom did with me.  I hope to be together at least another two generations.

It might seem juvenile to still celebrate our dating anniversary but we always give each other a card.  I remember the days we would celebrate monthly anniversaries the first year and I still have all of the cards we gave each other.  While everyone is getting ready to celebrate the holidays, we start our holiday celebrations by celebrating love.

Happy dating anniversary hon.  Here's to many more!


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