What's Important?

Ten days ago, the Waldo Canyon Fire started here in Colorado. While there were some early evacuations and people who knew they might be evacuated, there was no damage nor loss of life in the first few days. But on Day 4, the weather took a turn that no one saw coming and 65 mph winds sent the flames into the city of Colorado Springs with no notice at all. By the time all was said and done on Tuesday, 32,000 people had been evacuated and 346 homes were burned (although we didn't learn that number for a few more days).

Even though we live about six miles east (as the crow flies - you couldn't drive that short a distance) and it wasn't terribly likely that the fire would make it that far, I also decided I wasn't going to be foolish enough to think that it was totally impossible. I felt that getting a few important things together would probably be a good idea, even though I'd most likely return them all to their regular homes before long. I'd rather be prepared and not need it than the other way around, I decided.

It's interesting when you start considering what would really matter to you if you had to leave your house with no knowledge of whether or not you'd get to return. Most of us have quite a bit of stuff, much of which we really like and want to keep. But when you view your stuff through the eyes of what you would take if you had to leave on a moment's notice, it's amazing how much really doesn't matter that much. One news station here listed it succinctly with 5 Ps:

1. People
2. Pets
3. Prescriptions
4. Papers
5. Pictures

Of course there are memorabilia and heirlooms that some people will take with them. But when I was gathering items together, those five pretty much covered it.

Now, when the somewhat-less-than-immediate danger to us has passed, it makes me stop and really think about all this stuff. I've been in a pretty good de-cluttering mode in recent years, but now it seems that even more of it is not that important. It just takes up space - physical space in our home and mental space as I think about it, organize and store it, maintain it, move it around, and wonder if I should keep it. I think it's time to shift the de-cluttering into high gear. While I don't care to have to start all over, I do think that living lighter is a great idea.

Less is More: Linens

Once upon a time, John and I had plenty of bath towels, very few sheets, and a reasonable amount of kitchen linens. We received bath towel sets aplenty as wedding gifts. Along the way, the towels decreased, as did the sheets. In fact, we lived with one set of sheets for a number of years. The downside to this is that you have to wash, dry, and get them back on the bed pronto. Either that, or pull out the sleeping bags.

Over the years, we acquired quite a few hand-me-down linens from my parents. Which was great. And then one day, the linen closet(s) said, "We've had enough. We are too full." So purging the linens has been on the proverbial To Do List for some time.

I actually started to the purge some time back, but being the I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects, I didn't follow through. In this case, that turned out to be a good thing. Because when I actually tackled this for the second time, I had a plan. A solid, strategic plan.

Instead of following my normal M.O., I sat down with pen and paper and made a list. I wrote down each type of linen we have; Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Washcloths, Queen Sheets, Twin Sheets, and so on. Then in each category, I thought about the amount we ought to reasonably keep. For example, in the Queen Sheet category, we need two sets - one flannel (cold weather) and one cotton (warm weather). I did this for all the categories.



In the meantime, I washed and folded ALL THE LINENS and piled them on my bed. I also put on a movie, because I couldn't possibly get through all this without some sort of entertainment. It was a big job. And no, I did not get a photo of that pile. I think I was distracted by the movie.

Anyway. Once I had my nice folded piles of linens, I pulled out the list and went to work. Queen Sheets? Two sets. I pulled out my favorite flannel set and my favorite cotton set (well, the flannels are actually ON the bed, so I left them there). All the rest went into a donation bag. Ditto with everything else.

I am happy to say that all the linens now fit in the closet space and we gladly donated two big bags of linens to the thrift store.



I was so proud of myself for coming up with such a terrific strategy. In the past, I just look at everything and keep what I like. Well, that hadn't panned out so well, as it always left me with more than I needed. I'm planning to apply this to other areas of stuff as I continue to purge and pursue my Less is More lifestyle.

Hot, Hot, Hot: the Story

Growing up, we always had a gas stove. Over the years, I've had a few electric stoves and some gas. But I really prefer a gas stove. Maybe it's because it's what I'm used to, I don't know. But one significant factor for me is that I like seeing the flame, not wondering which burner is on. Say what you want, but even after over two years with this lovely stove, I still manage to turn on the wrong burner. A couple of weeks ago, I nearly destroyed an empty non-stick skillet sitting on the back burner (covered), while wondering why my water wasn't boiling on the front burner.

And then there's always that issue of how long the burner remains warm after you've removed the pan. Yes, I know there's a light on the back of the stove that reminds me that the top is hot. I also know that there's a little drawing next to the burner knobs that tell me which burner the knob will operate. Apparently I have some sort of stove instruction impairment, I guess. But there isn't a gas line piped to my kitchen. So maybe I'll learn how to better live with electricity.

What about you? Do you prefer an electric or gas stove?

Washing Baseball Caps

My dear husband has collected baseball caps for years. Many years. So he has many caps. This tradition is making its way to my boys now. Although they don't so much collect them as just wear one all the time. And then maybe wear another one all the time. But not at the same time. The Comedian is almost never without one.


(BTW - this may not look like much, but they're stacked at least 3-4 deep. This is also only a small portion of said collection.)

As you might imagine, these baseball caps get dirty. Either from a) sitting in a portion of the collection atop our dresser, or b) being worn every single day.

I've seen crazy little gizmos that you can use to wash them, but don't really want to spend money on such a thing. So I chose the next best option. I googled washing baseball caps. While there were many answers, I most enjoyed this particular entry. Great sense of humor, for sure.

It turns out that since sometime in the 80s, they started making the brims out of plastic, not cardboard. Therefore you are free to just toss the hats in the washing machine with the rest of your laundry. Who knew? Obviously, not me. So I promptly washed about 6-7 hats with a small to medium load of clothes, put them on our drying rack afterward, and they look nearly new! I did use some stain remover on a couple, letting it soak for awhile before tossing them in the wash.

On the one hand, I felt silly that I'd never been washing baseball caps when I could and should have been. On the other, I was just happy to have discovered that I can do this. My men do not have to wear grungy, yucky hats any more! And that is a very good thing.

DIY - Laundry Soap

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday picture definitely resembled a block of cheese. It's actually soap (which a number of you guessed - though I thought the fungi guess was quite interesting!).

A number of years ago, I read about making your own laundry soap from Mary Hunt. She offered recipes for both liquid and powdered soap. Seeing how the liquid took a little more work, I opted for the powdered version.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:
1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap
1/2 cup washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team borax

Mix and store in airtight container or bag. For light loads use 1 tablespoon. For normal loads, use 2 tablespoons. For heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons. Cost per "normal" load .15.

You can purchase these products in the laundry section of your grocery store or Target and probably others (assuming they carry them). If not, try Soaps Gone Buy. In fact, you can get the Fels Naptha Soap on sale for 99 cents a bar right now. And please note that it's WASHING soda, not making baking soda. Also be aware that Arm & Hammer makes a powdered laundry detergent that looks quite similar to their washing soda. If you buy the wrong one, you'll essentially be using their detergent that you've supplemented with Fels Naptha and Borax. Not that I've ever done that personally or anything. Um, yeah, right.

The first batch was REALLY hard to make because we (I had to have help) grated the soap by hand. UGH! I would not really recommend this method. If you have a food processor, a rotary cheese grater, or something, then go for it.

Fels Naptha is a very versatile, useful bar of soap. Here's an extensive list of all the great things you can do with it. In addition to cleaning, you can use it to treat poison ivy and deal with plant pests.

You will not see a lot of suds with this, but it is awesome! Clothes are clean, they smell FRESH, not like detergent, and it's much better in terms of what it's NOT putting into the waste water. It also seemed to cut down on the need for fabric softener and/or dryer sheets most of the time. Mine is stored in an empty Boy Scout popcorn pail. I have a 2 tablespoon scoop from a container of flax seed that works wonderfully.

Give it a try!



ps - you can find other follow-up stories to Wordless Wednesday posts at Tell Me Thursday.

Utility Bills

Our city utilities has a program called Budget Billing. I'm sure many, if not most, other utility companies offer something similar. When you go on Budget Billing, they will take an average of your usage for the past year and you pay that amount each month for the next 12 months. They'll adjust accordingly at the end of that year. It eliminates all the seasonal fluctuation and makes budgeting much easier.

The requirements are very simple:

You have had utilities at the current address for a year or longer. Check.

Your bill is current. Check.

You have to pay on time each month, or they'll take you off. Check.

So we signed up recently and I had a vague idea of how much I thought it would run, from checking out most of the past year's statements. It turns out I was wrong. Happily wrong. Our monthly utility bill for the next year is...

EIGHTY-NINE DOLLARS!!

Talk about doing a stunned happy dance!! We moved over a year ago because the utilities at our old house were reaching the neighborhood of FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS per month. And we were living like frozen Otter Pops for that price. We were not having a tropical party, dancing in hula skirts and bare feet. We were miserably cold.

Now we get to have comfortable temperatures without selling the car, our blood, and the children to cover the bill. And considering that hubby's income is so up and down this time of year, it's a huge blessing to have a consistent utility payment.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

I love it when God does exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think!

Catching Up

It seems that days are just zipping past me and I keep missing the bloggy part of them. I haven't even felt all that bloggish recently. But now it's time to hop back on board (in more ways than one).

Tales From the Scales - I have completely fallen off the wagon here. Of course, having a broken set of scales didn't help. But there's still a month left. I'll see if I can drag myself up off the dirt road and hang onto the wagon for the remaining weeks.

The Burn(ed) Brothers - The boys went to the Sand Dunes on a Scout campout this past weekend. They failed to utilize sunscreen on Sunday (the operative word here? SUN!). This would be the day that they played on the dunes, in the creek, and in a pool - pretty much all day. They came home with extremely bad sunburns. So I've been providing them with pain reliever, mists of lavender oil & water, peppermint oil & water, and aloe vera burn relief spray with lidocaine. Oh, and some aloe vera lotion - when they'll allow me to touch them that much. Today has been the worst day. My oldest son woke up at 3:30 this morning and couldn't get comfortable or back to sleep.

Invalid Dog - Our dog is 14 1/2 years old (chow/husky mix) and he has some issues with arthritis (being treated with rimadyl). He came in yesterday and his right hip seemed to give out completely. He couldn't stand nor walk. He tried - a lot - but just fell or dropped back down. It was a little after lunch, but late enough that I couldn't get him into his regular vet. The local mobile guy had no time available. I ended out just sitting with him on the floor for about 5 hours until the emergency clinic opened so we could take him there after hubby got home from work.

On a happy note, he came home with just a prescription and is doing better. We were kind of freaking out, thinking that we might have to put him down, that this might be it for him. What a huge relief that he gets to hang out with us awhile longer.

Homeschool - I'm finally rolling with homeschool plans for this year. We use KONOS, which is a unit study. I'm pretty much finished choosing our units (to be posted later). Now I need to finalize the other subjects and the schedule. We'll be starting either next week or the week after.

The House - We moved the old, blue recliner out (donated it) as the upholstery was wearing through and it's not very comfortable (for adults, anyway). That enabled us to shift the living room furniture into a better configuration.

Much of the house is cleaned up and in better shape than it's been for awhile. I still have work to do in the family room, but it's also greatly improved. My stamping and scrapbooking supplies are all in one area. I have extra space at my second/third desk which has been helpful for school plans.

We also acquired a free sofa from my sister and brother-in-law which will be used for the entertainment area we have planned for the boys in the family room.

Paperback Books - After reading about PaperBack Swap at SusiePie's place, I promptly joined and am having a great time swapping books! Check it out if you like reading, have too many paperbacks that you don't need anymore, and like the idea of recycling.

There may be more, but it's time to head to bed. So I'm off for now. Maybe I'll play Wordless Wednesday tomorrow.

House (?) Cleaning & Snow, Snow, Snow

One of my email accounts has just been transfered by my ISP, so I figured it was a great time to start cleaning house on my computer. I have too many email accounts, member accounts with various websites, etc. I am also on WAY too many mailing lists, which means I don't read most of them anymore.

So I'm merrily going along and UNSUBSCRIBING like crazy. Then I can start fresh with just a FEW that I actually have the time and interest to read on a regular basis. Whew! I love email, the internet, IMing, blogs, etc., but it also provides an opportunity for me to add more STUFF in my life. Just as I have to be careful with allowing more to come into the house, I really need to be more diligent in not allowing so much information to enter my home through the computer! At least with housecleaning, I'm getting some sort of physical activity. With computer cleaning, I'm just stirring up my carpel tunnel problems, drying out my eyes (already switched to glasses), and causing a stiff back (sounds like I'm old, huh?)! I'm not very good at remembering to get up and stretch and blink and all those good things I'm supposed to do for myself!


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It's also snowing again today here in lovely Colorado. We've had more snow in the past few weeks than we've probably had in the past few winters! The boys and I got out and built snow forts. I also got to bury them! (They asked me to) Then it was time to come inside, warm up with some lunch, blankets, a fire, and a movie. Definitely a perfect Friday.