Nope, I don't think so!  Last year I went on a rare garage sale hopping adventure and I actually came up with a few true finds.  One was promptly buried when it got back home to my house…a hazard of hoarding.  When I was moving things around in my office, cleaning and purging, I unburied a book…Confessions of an Organized Housewife, by Deniece Schofield.  NOT that I had any plans of actually reading it, but it was kind of like my own secret, private joke.  I, the mistress of the disorganized.  The cover looked so quaint and simple…  Is that a cord attached to a telephone?  Upon further investigation, I found that this edition was printed in 1984, so it is just slightly older than my #4 child, Lizzie.  In the intro, Ms. Schofield writes: "If you're like me, you not only need motivation to get going;  you need to know exactly what to do.  This book will do both.  It's packed with ideas that will help you take control of your own house." That's it!  I want to take control of my house!!!  I know I have mentioned being a fan of the Hoarders shows – Hoarders and Hoarders: Buried Alive – and determined that I didn't want inside pets or to leave my children with a major mess if something were to happen to me.  So…on occassion, I will take time

It's been getting a little cooler here in sunny San Diego!  Needing a sweater to keep the morning chill off the arms is a sure sign that Fall has arrived. You can't count on the beautiful change of color in the deciduous trees, at least not anywhere close to home.   I've wanted to bake, but can't seem get away from my cleaning/purging stretch.  It's probably because I have so much to do.  But I have been doing a little hunting (bargains) and gathering (supplies to bake), so when I get sick of cleaning, I'll move on to baking.  Which brings me to my last trip to the 99 cents only store…  These cute little pumpkins were just a dollar and brighten up my front porch.  I might try to cook one so I can make the pumpkin cookies from scratch.  But if I'm not in the mood, these little ones will do until I get big ones to carve.   Don't you just love orange?&#

I'm so happy that Fall is almost here! It's pumpkin time!

Last week, I mentioned that I was going to be working on my new school year's resolutions.  I talked about being getting organized and making better use of my time…I didn't go into any specifics, but in order to have a goal, I think I'd better get specific.  So here's what I would like to do… Cooking With Food Storage:  If I am going to buy it, I'd better practice cooking it, so when I do, they will like to eat it.  I figure if I do it every week, that would be wonderful…not necessarily practical.  I'm going to do this in baby steps!  So maybe something new every two weeks.  I am going to include gathering and rotating into this schedule. Organizing the Home:  I have cupboards that serve only as storage and haven't been cleaned out for years!  There are things that you don't use often, but still want to keep.  But if you never use it, maybe it's time to part with it.  If I attack a bank of drawers, re-lining the pots and pans cupboards, refilling the water storage (in the back of the cupboards) and re-evaluating what's in the closets, one smaller project at a time, I think I can find joy in small successes. Organizing the Work Room:  Here in is where I really want to focus the most, at least my secular energies.  I have one monster project

The dishes can wait...the Mission President's Fireside won't!

Remembering Nine Years Ago...

Setting goals and finding balance in your life isn't ever an easy project.

Saturday is a special day...it's the day we get tired for Sunday!