Hurry Up! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas!

The title of this post says it all. Our holidays have become one rushing event to the next. We all need to take a step back and look at what this holiday is truly all about!

Thanksgiving Day, the real one in no way resembled the one that we celebrate today. Today we gather family and friends around a table filled with bountiful blessings of food stuffs and proceed to eat ourselves into a food coma. Then we stagger into the living room/family room and plop down upon the sofa to watch football games, depending upon the viewing habits of the family in question. Then, we go back to the table for another round, calling it supper, then to our respective homes to sleep it off, only to jump up at the crack of dawn to begin the mass exodus to the retail worship centers.

BUT, the real Thanksgiving Day, was not a good day originally. It has been changed to what we know now over many years. Today there is a warm fuzzy feeling as we think of the Indians and the Pilgrims sitting down to share a feast of Thanksgiving, and yes that happened once. As with many holidays, the terms have been changed and the reasons fitted to our needs. With time and practice, the real story often becomes lost.

I have no problem with the way anyone celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday. To each his or her own, I say. But I try every year to remember what the day is about for me. The holidays should be a personal celebration, if you celebrate the way I described above, great. We don't. Oh, we have a feast, complete with Roasted Turkey, Dressing (no stuffing...we live in the South) and all that goes with it, but we don't do the TV thing. If the TV is on, we might watch old movies or something on the History Channel. But mostly we gather in the livngroom and sit around talking. Imagine that! I LOVE it. I look forward to it so much.

This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving a little differently. We are not celebrating on Thursday, we are gathering together at my home on Saturday. There is a very practical reason for this change. My brother and his family are celebrating Thanksgiving Day on Thursday with my Sister In Laws family. My Oldest daughter is celebrating with my Son In Laws family and my middle daughter is celebrating with her boyfriends family. So, in self defense, I proclaimed that our celebration would be on Saturday and that way I can have them all to myself! They won't have to run off to another house to eat yet another huge meal. They can stay here and we can have our round table talk, the children can all run and play to their hearts content. It will be heavenly!

So....you see what I mean about making the holiday a personal celebration. After all it is all about what we are thankful for the most, right? Me? I'm Thankful for my wonderful husband, who is my love, helper, and soul mate, for our beautiful, talented and intelligent daughters, for our Son In Law and the one I hope will be our Son In Law someday. I'm Thankful for my precious Grandchildren, they are a delight everyday. I'm Thankful for my Parents and my Husbands parents, my Brothers and Brother in law, and their families. I'm Thankful for my friends, both online and the ones I'm blessed to see if not daily, then often. I'm Thankful for my CMA Brothers and Sisters and the Ministry we share.

But most of all....I'm Thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and the gift of His Saving Grace.

Now go out and make this day yours~
Blessings~
Kat

On Target!

Finished! With my scrapbooking room that is.

The first three photos are the finished product and the last photo is where I started from. I call the folder that these photos live in "The Room Of Shame". I'm not proud of the mess, but I am proud of the finished product.

I don't have Ikea storage items, and can't afford them, but I do okay with what I have around the house. The stacking unit is a recycle item from an office and works great for my scrapbooking supplies and Ebay shipping items.

My Scrapbooking/Office room is a multi use room with many sides to it's personality. Like me, it must wear many hats.

I use it for working on my scrapbooking hobby, for office work in my dual business, CMA Treasurer business, my blogging and my ebay sales. So, the potential for clutter to build up again is great.

To try and avoid this I've turned the room into zones. The two level desk is my "work" zone. Used for CMA business, cleaning business and Real Estate Management business. The long table side is used for my Ebay shipping prep table and my scrapbooking table. The corner unit is storage for my many scrapbooking aids and my ebay shipping supplies.

So far, it is working great. Of course it has only been in use as is for twenty four hours! We will see how it goes.


Now on to the balance of my home.

I am working to again declutter and lighten my load in our home. There are so many things that have crept in, that we don't need, can't use or rather won't use and someone else can benefit from it more.


Today I will be working on my kitchen. One side at a time and one day at a time. Rome wasn't built in a day and my home isn't going to be decluttered in a day either, but I will continue to fight against this clutter monster that threatens me and defeat it!

Now, go out and claim this day as yours~
Blessings~
Kat

Getting it together

Well, I've made good progress on my scrap booking room. I have been reconstructing it for some time now. A dear friend reminded me that we needed to get our respective rooms back together and well, to be to the point, my room was a mess!

I'd moved all my supplies and storage units up from the basement. They were scattered all over the tiny front bedroom that was to become my office/scrap booking room. I had a corner desk unit that had a large table to the side. A stacking unit and some photo boxes. To top it off I had an antique dresser with mirror and antique sewing machine in the room as well. Needless to say it was stuffed! There were supplies, office materials, files and just stuff in general tossed into this room and left. It seemed that if an item had no real home, it found one in that room.

So, I've been organizing and purging. You simply cannot organize clutter and believe me that room was full of clutter!

I honestly believe if I hadn't started this "renewed" project (Thank you dear Cheryl!) I'd be up to my....um....armpits in clutter and junk!

It is a work in progress, Cheryl and I agreed to do 30 minutes a day. However, I sort of got of track when I injured my hip last week. But last night I worked 30 minutes. Tonight I work 30 more. And hopefully no later than next Monday, I will be launching the first scrapbook page done in this house for some time!

I will post before and after photos when I am finished. Even though I will be very embarrassed to do so!

Blessings~
Kat

Scare Tactics?

It is just me? Does anyone else out there feel that shows like Dr. Oz, to name the one that I've seen it on, are using scare tactics cloaked in so called helpful information to get you to watch their shows?

Point of fact, I was talking with my mother recently and found out that she no longer could eat peanut butter. Not because of some allergy or even because of the high fat content, but because of a Dr. Oz show that she'd seen.

It seems that Dr. Oz and a guest were discussing the additional items often found in our processed foods that shouldn't be there. I won't go into detail about what was found to be in peanut butter that they discussed but if you knew how much my mother loved the stuff and that now she won't even talk about it with out shuddering, you'd see why I'm not happy with Dr. Oz.

Even just a simple rearrangement of the segment to give the solution and then state why it would be a better thing, would be more helpful. Less shock value for the rating guys but more helpful.

I asked Mom if they'd offered a solution to the problem and she said they hadn't. Not even a solution saying to make your own at home? She didn't remember it if they had, she'd been so freaked out by the inital disclosure.

This is my main gripe! I'm not saying Dr. Oz doesn't do a good thing. He brings many health issues to the attention of the viewer, but here again they are getting off track. I've noticed it and have stopped watching the show. Not to mention the silly women they have come down from the audience to be the "assistant". I know they pick them like they do the "Price Is Right" contestants, for their...um....personality. Sorry....got off track there myself for a minute.

Back to the subject.

They come out with these horror stories and then they don't have a solution to the problem. Not even a suggestion! For the love of mike, they are not making it better, they are causing fear and reaction.

So, Dr. Oz and all you other so called helpful shows, how about really being helpful and not showing these "reports" without some back up as to how to fix the problem. Even a personal solution that is helpful not out of reach of the average home's budget.

Buying roasted peanuts and making your own peanut butter is a solution, a high priced one but at least that would have helped my Mom to have her favorite food back. I found a use for an old coffee mill. Single serving peanut butter, fun to make and even better for you to eat!

Blessings~
Kat

Small appliances....big issues!

Good morning all!

I was working yesterday at a new client's home and ran across my subject for today. Small kitchen appliances and how "dirty" they can get in their day to day use. The most common culprit is..... the electric can opener.

Be honest...when was the last time you removed the blade assembly and either tossed it into the dishwasher or dropped it into the dish water and gave it a cleaning?
I'd bet it has been awhile.

Now, now, don't fret. You are not a dirty person, you are the norm. We all use these kitchen helpers everyday and quite often they are given a "lick and a prayer" cleaning. Then they're pushed back on the counter or tossed into the drawer without a second thought. This my friends is dangerous!

I ran across an electric can opener blade that told this story. It was coated in food, the wheel wasn't turning properly and this caused the owner to think the machine was broken. Not true. When I finished with it, it was working like new.

This is dangerous on so many levels and is very common in home kitchens and frankly I'd be willing to bet in many commercial kitchens. The food on the blade gathers and grows dangerous germs and attracts pests. The food you are opening with this blade is then contaminated with the old food causing you and your family to possibly become ill. All the while not realizing where the cause is coming from.

All that being said, I never point out a problem unless I can offer a solution! If you follow the simple guidelines for keeping this useful kitchen helper clean
it will give you years of service as well as help in keeping your family well.


1. As with any electric appliance, remember to unplug it from the wall outlet
before cleaning.

2. NEVER immerse the case in water.

3. Try to remember to wipe the can opener after each use to remove food spills or
drips.

4. Remove the cutting wheel and lid holder and soak them in hot sudsy water.

5. Scrub caked-on food with a toothbrush or small brush. Take care to avoid the
blade! It is sharp! Rinse, dry, and put the blade assembly back onto the case.

6. May I suggest that you add the blade assembly to your top rack of the
dishwasher? This is how I keep my can opener blade clean and sanitary. After
all it is part of your tools in your kitchen, you don't just shove the spoons
and spatulas back into the drawer.....do you?

So, follow these guidelines and let's keep our kitchen healthy as well as our families!

Tomorrow's subject.....Dr. Oz and the shock treatment! (I know, shameless tease!)

Blessings~
Kat