Here's what my kitchen utensil drawer used to look like. Lots of junk and with so few drawers in my kitchen I knew I needed to put something up on the counter, even though I have zero tolerance for clutter.I realized that most of the utensils are stainless steel. Some of them have black handles so I just hid the handles in the bottom of this canister that I already had on the counter. I think it looks great, I have everything I need right at hand and I freed up a crowded drawer! Read Full Story

I'm back in the hood now and watch out Beau! If he thinks he's going to taunt me with that flat basketball he's got another thing coming! Remember that Judas Priest song? Sometimes I listen to stuff like that just to get into a mood. Read Full Story

I am still digging out from this move. Our last renter finally moved all of his stuff out on Friday, but unfortunately we still have lots of extra furniture that won't fit in this smaller house. One would think I'd have everything put away by now, but I of course, consider each thing I have and weather or not I really need it. We also decided to repaint in a new light chocolate shade that looks very contemporary. Being as busy as we are right now, my husband spends about an hour a day... Read Full Story

Well, now that we finally got everything out of the big house and the new renter has moved in, it's time to unpack. Of course, some things will be put right back where they were, but I am taking a fresh look at the house one room at a time. My sister was saying she should move so she would be forced to get rid of stuff. Believe me, that's not the easiest way to do it! However, starting with an empty place, does let you see it afresh.  Even living out of a suitcase for a week got me fo... Read Full Story

So here I am, back in my minimalist's row house but, a shocking thing happened on my way to minimalism.... Apparently, while in the huge flip house we accumulated more stuff! I am shocked at just how much stuff! Much of it is attributed to remodeling left overs and stuff left there by our son and his crew who lived there while they remodeled. I knew it was there and we cleared out a lot but, my mistake was not clearing out enough on a weekly basis. I was so busy keeping the house looking ... Read Full Story

Well, I haven't posted in awhile but found an incredible artist I'd like to share with you. Check out this ring:It's from CatherinetteRings. You can buy it on ETSY. I am just blown away by this jewelry! If you love wire wrapping you're going to love it too! It's a genre called "Steam Punk."  You've gotta check it out. As for me, I'm working on a portfolio to be juried for Portland's Saturday Market this weekend. I've been selling primarily through... Read Full Story

Here's my favorite blues man, Alvin Lee. He gets me through the long afternoons while I wait for my people to get home from work. This clip is from 1968. He's about 21 years old here. He's a bit older now, but ain't we all? Read Full Story

I apologize for neglecting this blog but it seems everything has changed rather quickly. In the past month here is how our lives have changed:1. The substitute teaching job I described in an earlier post turned into a long term position until the end of the school year, (the third week in June.) More on that later in another post. 2. After months of the doldrums, our remodeling company has landed quite a few bids thus, my husband and son have been working their tails off for the last two wee... Read Full Story

Knowing that moving again is in my near future, either because we get this house sold or rent it out, I find myself thinking about what to do to make the move easier. I know the worst thing to do is to jumble things together in hopes of sorting it all out on the other end. I also know that anything that isn't in a container is difficult to move. So, I've decided to tackle packing way in advance by getting things into containers as much as possible and planning which containers to use ... Read Full Story

The current economic conditions have created the need for me to substitute teach, but I am actually having a great time! I keep getting long term situations where I really get to know the kids and really get to experience real teaching. I just spent the last week in second grade and the kids were just so sweet! I did however, walk into quite an organizational mess, which I of course, took upon myself to sort out.There had been another substitute for the previous two weeks.  The desk and teach... Read Full Story