Why Worry Wednesday - Menacing Magazines

Mission Six:

MAGAZINES and CATALOGS

 I am a magazine junkie. One of the few bad habits I admit I possess is buying magazines. Over the years I have learned to cut back because 1) I just can't afford this bad habit 2) I can't actually read them ALL and 3) I have become more earth-friendly.


MY STORY: When my grandmother passed, I had to clean out her house. She had tons of magazines lying around. For every 50, I found one that she had marked with something interesting. It took days to go through them. Just when I thought I had sorted through them all, I opened the attic door to literally 100s of more! She kept every single magazine she ever bought! Magazines are RARELY valuable. If they are, it is because someone else is collecting them and need a particular issue. There is no reason to keep them for years at a time.



When I began to go through my own stacks magazines, I realized I was keeping tons of magazines for no reason. Since my business involves home decor, organizing and catering, I pulled out and few, mainly the holiday ones for reference, and everything else went to the gym or the women's shelter. Since then, every magazine I buy, I read as soon as possible so that it doesn't end up in an unread pile by my desk.


TIP: As you read a new magazine, skim the articles and mark the pages you want to go back and read. On the spot, tear out any article or photo you may want to try later. Go back and take the time to read the articles you marked, then immediately add the magazine to the recycle pile. Put the torn out pictures and pages in a file for later reference.

My own magazine "file" book

Assignment: If you haven't already, go through your house and gather every magazine (this includes catalogs) you own, read or unread. You can keep 12 for future reference. As you get the newest issues, pull the oldest out to recycle - even if you have not read it yet (after three months if you haven't read it, you probably aren't going to.) Don't renew your subscriptions if you find that all three issues are still un-read. Most magazines have on line versions. They cut down on tree harvesting, paper production energy and transport fuel. They also don't make piles in the floor that fall over every time the dog runs by!

Wednesdays in the Simple Life Series are for YOUR CLUTTER (and yes, it multiplies in my home too). I will let you know what I am doing to make simple changes in my own home to clear out my clutter. I hope you follow along and try some of these steps yourself. Please let me know how you are coming along by leaving comments at the bottom of each post. Tell me what works, what doesn’t, if you are bored – whatever – we are learning and growing together.

Yummyday Tuesday - Georgia Caviar

Another awesome find from Paula Deen. Great if you have lots of vegan friends. Be sure to allow time for this to marinate in the fridge.

Georgia Caviar

(2) 15oz. Cans of Black Eye Peas
1/2 Cup Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Cup Green Pepper, chopped

(1)  15oz. Can of Yellow Corn

(1) 10oz Can of Rotel

1/2 Cup Japs - Finely chopped

8oz. Italian Dressing - I use Robusto Italian

Drain the peas and corn into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Add remaining ingredients adn marinate over night. Serve chilled with Sweet Potato Chips.  This will keep for 2 weeks.

Why Worry Wednesday - Bagging Up Your Books

Reduce, Recycle and Repurpose. Reduce your stuff and commit to stop purchasing anything for your home that you don't need or love. If you love it on site, then know where you will keep it! One-time use items such as books and impulse buying results in junk drawers and shelves full of clutter. Don't buy it in the first place!

IF YOU DON' LOVE IT - LOSE IT.

Donate the extra things in your life and recycle what you can't give away.

MISSION FIVE, SIX and SEVEN:

Purging books, magazines, movies and other multi-media...

Even if you don't think you have many books lying around, just take a minute to try and collect them all, along with any magazines and catalogs. You may be surprised at the stacks!
BOOKS: Why do people hang on to books and magazines they have already read? Why do people buy more books when they have 20 at home unread?

MY STORY: I grew up with books everywhere in our house. My mother read, my grandparents read - I read. We had books everywhere! I kept all my books growing up and moved them every time I had to move. Boxes and boxes and more HEAVY boxes. Then a miracle happened. I read an article about the love of books and the people who love them. (Sounds cheesy right?) The article said that people who love books, just like me, tend to hoard their books, never to share with others. Why? Books are not irreplaceable. Even out of print books can be found through eBay and other Internet sources. Books are stories that are meant to be shared..why not pass the stories (books) onto to others? This hit me like a ton of books (sorry!) Why should I keep 500 paperback books that I will never to read again? This article gave me permission to release my books and, literally, the weight of the books was lifted off my mind (and my sagging bookshelves!) It took me a while to go through and pare down to the few I couldn't bare to part with, but now my books shelves contain books that are 1) My favorites 2) Non-fiction/reference 3) Biographies of people that inspire me or 4) valuable/rare.

Your assignment is to gather ALL your books. The paperbacks by the bed, the reference books in your office, even the hardback Stephen King's you've been collecting for years. Pull out the ones you read over and over and can't bare to part with, keep it under one shelf-full. Pull out any reference or guide book that you have read or used for reference MORE THAN ONCE. (That bird-watching book you bought four years ago can go if you aren't an avid bird-watcher by now!) Pull any sentimental books - such as the Book of Etiquette that belonged to your grandmother or that is valuable, like an original Gone With The Wind. If you have books you have not read yet, pull out the ones that still interest you and pass on the others.

TIP: Everything you keep should fit in ONE space, not in several all over the house. The only exception could be books you use in your office only and your children's books. Create a space dedicated to your children's books. Allow them the opportunity to learn to love books by having them sit in this designated area to read. It will keep the books from getting torn or colored in. Also, don't add do-dads to your book shelves. They just get in the way, collect dust and, well, get in the way. From now on, when you buy new books, pass them along or donate them as soon as you are finished. Share the stories, don't hoard them!

Paperbacks aren't valuable, will get musty and don't travel well. Hardback books, even best selling fictions are rarely valuable, heavy to move and take up alot of space. So what did I do with my books? Some went to eBay, others to the women's shelters, the best went to the library, a few (hundred) went in the yard sale. I tend not to buy hardbacks anymore. Instead I borrow from the library, buy the paperback version and have quarterly book swaps (click HERE for more info.) My book shelves are orderly, full of books that are often USED, and if I do buy a new book, I have plenty of space for it.

$ TIP - Cash4books.net is a fast, SUPER easy way to get money for your books. Just search their website to see if they have your book listed, print a pre-paid mailing label from your own printer, package them up and drop the box off at the post office- once they get and inspect your books, they mail you a check - easy as that! My first check was $41 for 6 books!


Wednesdays in the Simple Life Series are for YOUR CLUTTER (and yes, it multiplies in my home too). I will let you know what I am doing to make simple changes in my own home to clear out my clutter. I hope you follow along and try some of these steps yourself. Please let me know how you are coming along by leaving comments at the bottom of each post. Tell me what works, what doesn’t, if you are bored – whatever – we are learning and growing together.

Yummyday Tuesday - Foil Wrapped Lemon Rosemary Salmon

This recipe is original from Lagasse. I made it for a wedding tasting last month and it was easy and wonderful! It's so pretty it would make a great plate for that romantic Valentine's Day Dinner you are planning (wink, wink).

Foil Wrapped Salmon with Lemon and Rosemary

1 ½ lb. Salmon Steaks (Total Weight)
1 tsp. Sea salt
½ tsp. Fresh Ground White Pepper
2 Springs Fresh Rosemary
1 Lemon, sliced thin
½ Small Red Onion, sliced thin
2 Garlic Cloves, sliced thin
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Preheat oven 425 degrees
Arrange two squares of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet. Top each piece with a smaller square of parchment paper.
Rinse the Salmon steaks under cold water and place on the top layer of parchment, skin side down.
Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and pepper. Place the slices of lemon, garlic and onion across the top. Place one spring of rosemary on each filet.
Crimp the foil on each side to prevent the oil from running off, and drizzle the fish with olive oil.
Fold over the parchment paper to cover the fish. Then fold over and crimp the foil over the parchment, creating an airtight package.
Bake for 15 minutes or until just cooked through – you want it to be moist.
Serve with fresh spinach or rice pilaf.

Thinking Thursday: Create Your Own Wedding Table Number Stands

Looking for ways to save money in your wedding budget? Here's an easy way to make your own table number stands for guest tables. Why rent or buy these when you can make them!

All you need are: Wooden dowels, wooden wheels, wooden clothes pins, glue and spray paint. All these items can be found at your local Hobby Lobby or craft store. There is an aisle that is dedicated to unpainted wooden craft supplies. For Step-by-Step instructions with photos, visit http://www.thekendalcompanies.com/DIY-Projects.html