Saturday, December 17, 2011

Real Connection

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: visit, comment, encourage the person before you.
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on Connected.



GO
Being connected to someone is every humans natural need. Especially for us women, maintaining that connection with someone or most times with a group of people is vitally important.Over the years I have made my groups of connections and they range from long distance friends that you could call one day and pick up from where we left a year ago when we visited, to friends that you are constantly in touch and share everyday moments.

The key to growing these God given relationships is to stay connected and put in the effort to talk more often, make a small gift, send over an extra meal. Its so easy and I have often chosen to email or text message something rather than pick up the phone and talk. Technology's curse, I must blame someone!


While I can dream and pray about having friends where I can just walk across the street and have a coffee with, God would ask me what I did with the friends He put in my path that require a 20 minute drive. Have I prayed for them? Have I helped them to the best of my ability?

Continued connections require love, prayer and effort.

My five minutes are up! What about you?

STOP

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Colors of Love

Five minutes of unedited writing. Here I am once again linking with Lisa Jo over at Gypsy Mama for what we call around the Blogosphere "Five Minute Friday"
Check it out. I am hooked on FMW.

GO

As I read December 7th Devotional from "A Jesus Advent Celebration" by Ann Voskamp on A Holy Experience with my family this evening(We are a few days behind), it was so apt with the topic of this weeks Five Minute Friday: Color

I look forward to writing this piece in only five minutes every Friday. I even sometimes keep on refreshing my page on Gypsy Mama until the word for the week comes online.

Somehow this Friday, I was swamped with household chores, engagements and family needs that it took me until Saturday evening to sit down to write my five minutes worth.

The devotion was on Josephs coat of many colors and him forgiving his brothers.It ended with "Today, dress your heart in the colors of love". Jesus being the lamb of God, with His robe dripping with blood and because of Him, we are forgiven. "He has given us the most shimmering love gift of all, a robe of righteousness" (Quoted from the devotion)

A colored robe also symbolized to me the "Set apart by God" aspect. We may look different among the crowd wearing this multicolored coat, standing out ... representing our relationship with God,staying near His presence, dwelling on His word and carrying out His great commission :Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20)

But, we are not alone. He promises us this one thing , at the end of verse 20:And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have you dressed your heart in colors of love?

STOP

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Reading through Luke with Mom's Toolbox

With Mom's Toolbox, I completed reading Proverbs , every day for the past one month. Using her SOAP devotional format, it made it easier to focus, apply and pray specifically. So, I decided to follow her on the next read too. This month we are following the readings from the gospel of Luke.

From doing a devotion (The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional)together with a friend living in the U.S, last week we both had doubts and uncertainties as to how we celebrate Christmas, what are our family traditions, being caught in the frenzy of consumerism. All the frenzy part didn't apply to us as our cultures were different.But this really got me thinking two things:

1. What Christmas really meant to me?
2. What traditions (non consumer related)can I instill in my family and carry it on for years to come?

Reading Luke, this week felt like I was in the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, moving with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, witnessing those things that astonished Mary and how she pondered over it and kept in her heart. It has never been this rich and vivid to me, compared to the million times I have read these parts.

As embarrassed I am to admit, but for many years even after I became a Christian , my knowledge of the Bible was from the Jesus movies and Ten Commandments. My mom and brother had a good laugh each time I said something from the Bible but was actually from the movie!They did enjoy rubbing it in my face, way too many times.

So for the first time, I didn't have images from the movie as I read, but images of emotions and God's working in the lives of these four individuals(Elizabeth/Zechariah and Joseph/Mary) and the characters around them.

Two things that stood out to me in Luke 1 was;

1.God showed favor on Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah.(1:6,25,28)
2.They were filled with the Holy Spirit and sang to the Lord.(1:41,67)

Prayer: Show favor on me and fill me with the Holy Spirit.

From Luke 2:

A. Several verses says how Mary and Joseph:
1. Marveled at what was said about Him,
2. Treasured up all these things and pondered them in their heart(1:19,33,47,51)

Imagine the emotions running through them as God fulfills one promise after the other, assures them that God is in control and that this Baby is truly the Son of God, Christ Himself.

B. The prophesies of Simeon and Anna (affirming God's plan and strengthening Mary and Joseph for what is yet to come.)




C. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.(1:52).A prayer that I pray over my children, that they grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.


Friday, December 2, 2011

Tired

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.


1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!
OK, are you ready?

TIRED

GO

Tired me? No Way!I am indeed super MOM. I have to keep us to that title a few moms have given me. Shouldn't disappoint the fans. Okay, which 100 points list am I going to conquer today? Alright, coffee first! Looked at the time 9 am. Great start! Chose a Latte Macchiato in my Senseo machine and waited for it to pour into my cup.... It feels like I have woken up and somehow feel time has passed. I checked the time and it was 9:20 am. I slept standing near the coffee machine for 20 minutes. Super MOM, indeed!


Who am I trying to fool here? Who am I trying to prove to?

I drank my coffee and kept the timer on my phone for 20 minutes and had a wonderful power nap.

Having that power nap, I was fresh to get to my tasks for the days. I broke down that 100 points task to realistic , prioritized , do-able tasks. Set time to it and went about doing them.

PHYSICAL TIREDNESS LEADS TO UNPRODUCTIVITY AND FRUSTRATION.

When you are praying hard for something for a long time, there comes a time when our mind feels like it's shrinking in that one prayer area in the brain and this overwhelming kind of feeling sets in. It's like when you are in the gym exercising(not that I go to the gym), and then rest after a workout, this muscle pain and tiredness creeps on you. Just like that when a prayer was answered and I stopped to savor the moment this tiredness(in a good way) crept in. My arms ached.My brain was becoming numb.

It took a while to fall asleep that night. But I felt so refreshed and as if I slept so deep and long.

WAITING ON THE LORD CAN MAKE ONE WEARY, BUT WAITING IN PRAYER REAPS ANSWERS AND PEACEFUL REST.

STOP

Friday, November 25, 2011

Grateful

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

Won’t you join us?



1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!
OK, are you ready?

GRATEFUL

GO


It must be on everyone's FMF post, but that's what I am truly grateful for. FAMILY FRIENDS HEALTH CHURCH.Here are my top 10 :

1.I am truly thankful to God for the place he has put me in.He had a purpose and a plan for me being here. Thank you revealing a part and guiding me through rest of your purpose here.

2. For my family. For my husband who is understanding and patient with me. For my oldest sweet and caring Benjamin. For my rebellious yet loving Elijah. For my parents who made me who I am today. My brother, who is still my baby brother even though he is 26 years old.


3. For good health.
4. For the home we have.
5. For great friends. Our family in Eindhoven.

6. A good church to be part of, to be fed and to serve God.
7. To work as a Speech Therapist in a place even if the language is a barrier.It is amazing how God led me to be where I am in my professional life here in Eindhoven.
8.God's patient nature , ready to forgive me for the 100th time and always by my side.
9.Financial stability and a husband who has work in these times of uncertainty.
10. Peace,joy and happiness.

What are you grateful for today?

STOP

Sinterklaas Fever and Advent

For those who are wondering what this means.... this is a Dutch version of Santa Claus. With its own story from Spain and not at the North Pole.There are many theories or preferred versions of "Sinterklaas".He was a Bishop from Spain who came in a steamboat to the Netherlands with his little helpers. Not so little like the Elf but helpers called "Zwartepiets". A literal translation could mean "Black Peters".

Sinterklaas traditionally arrives in the Netherlands each year in mid-November (usually on a Saturday) by steamboat from Spain. Some suggest that gifts associated with him, the mandarin oranges, led to the misconception that he must have been from Spain.

It is a media frenzy when he arrives at the harbor with the entire population of the Netherlands watching him arrive on Television. This is also a family event. Some go to see him as the Sinterklaas arrives at different places.

This pre Christmas celebration continues until December 5th when it is the chief evening of celebration with gifts with hot chocolate and "pepernoten"(are a cookie-like kind of confectionery).They are light brown, randomly shaped, and made from the same ingredients as taai-taai (flour, sugar, anise, cinnamon, and clove) and is fairly chewy, though it hardens gradually when exposed to the air. Pepernoten sales are usually high and its in every house from the time he arrives in the Netherlands.

Children also keep their shoe near the door with a letter or poem for Sinterklaas and a carrot for "Amerigo", the white horse that Sinterklaas rides on.

On the television every evening at 5:40 pm , children huddle to watch the "Sinterklaas journal". Every year there is a story revolving around him. So this year, as far as I have understood, the steamboat came in only with Sinterklaas and something about his book of names for good children was missing. Most Dutch schools watch this the next morning and discussions and themes in class revolve around this. The kids are very serious about the whole affair.

This year, we decided to follow the event.Benjamin, being in a Dutch school was surrounded by the story and the activities, so I had to get involved in some way too.

So, we decided to keep the shoes near the door only on Saturday since, Sinterklaas and the Zwaarte Piets come only on Saturday to our house because they are so busy(Ya right!).In the morning, there will be treats or small gifts in their shoes. I decided only Saturday, since buying gifts and treats for everyday wasn't what I wanted to do. But some families have it everyday and sometimes really huge gifts too.

We go through the huge book on Sinterklaas with only pictures. By the way, this is a beautiful book with just pictures giving the entire story.


And then on the eve of December 5th, A laundry basket of gifts for the entire family magically appear near the door. Chocolate letters with the first letter of each of the family members name are also given as gifts.

The older kids and adults gift each other a funny "Supris"(I think thats how they spell it?)with crazy gift wrapping in different shapes and a poem attached to it...

I guess I have educated myself enough for doing Sinterklaas this year!

There is no religious sentiments attached to this and this is merely a fun event that happens in the Netherlands.

As Advent arrives, I also decided to do the Advent devotions" A Jesse tree Journey" written by Ann VosKamp over at the blog"A Holy Experience".You can download this free printable.

Each of the 25 days this journey includes Bible texts, a devotional that can be read out with the whole family, a short simple action point for the day and a small ornament to hang on your own Jesse Tree.

What is your family tradition as we celebrate and remember our Christ coming into this world to die for us and save us?

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Growth of an extrovert

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.


1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!
OK, are you ready?



GROW

GO

Being an extrovert, one might think its easy peasy to make friends. Ya, you're right easy to make friends, to carry an entertaining conversation through the evening, and on goes the list.

But it is difficult for an extrovert to make long lasting friendships and grow in that relationship.
Being in the Netherlands has especially been difficult to keep friends. Being a moving expat community, friends come and leave. And that makes me,very careful in making friends. And growing together with them.

At least I am glad to say there are two , who are so far away from me, still close to my heart and me in their' s.

It's been hard to trust that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you meet someone and think, "She is going to be a keeper!" Because I get them often and nothing comes out of them.

So, here I am a day later on our usual "Five minute Fridays", and cheating on the rule of not thinking much of the topic.... How can I not think about it?

I wonder at times, we are all busy with something called "Life"and yes we have priorities. But there is definitely time to feed the "heart of friendship."

So I decided to write my prayer in my journal ,the kind of friendship I would love to have and and the kind of friend I need to be.

Have you told God lately what a friend means to you?

In God's hand, I wait(patiently and not downcast) for that Jonathan and David kind of friendship.

P:S: Thank you Monica and Lingwei for the comments on my earlier post. That has surely lifted my spirit.

STOP

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Garments of Praise and Prayer

As I wore my gloves before leaving the house, I remembered something beautiful about these gloves. I bought these stripped ones because my best friend Lingwei loves anything stripped. So each time I wear them, I remember her and say a prayer for her and thank God for her in my life. So even though she moved from the Netherlands to Boston, memories of our weekends together drinking wine and going crazy over a stationary/arts and craft store, comes back, bringing a smile to my face.

I realized, as I was driving back home that I have few of these things that remind me of someone and a floodgate of memories rush in.

Every time I use Wim's chilly from his garden, I remember what a wonderful man he was, and how much his family misses him. A moment to thank God for his life here on earth and the legacy he has left behind.

Every time I wear a bracelet gift from another best friend, Blessy, I am reminded of our times together eating real spicy fish curry and watching Oprah! A moment to thank God for best friends like her. Even though we live in two different parts of the world we are able to pick up and connect no matter how long it has been since we chatted.

Every time I read my Bible, I come across an almost yellow, 10 years or more, old piece of paper with verses written on it, given to me by yet another best friend, Monica before we went in for our final university exams. A moment to thank God for her friendship and how the prayers of her mother and her, that kept me from falling! We had terrible issues with writing really long sentences for our research paper! I still do this Moni!


Are you wearing something,or come across something that reminds you of those precious people that God placed in your life? Take a moment to thank God for them and pray for them.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Five Minute Friday: God in the unexpected

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!


GO


When life doesn't turn out quite the way you imagined, God steps in, in His right and perfect time revealing His plan for now. Why did I ever think I could do this better? Why did I ever think I know what's best for me?

When I worry on how to tackle an issue, How to use this matured 30 year old brain I have from this October onwards... God in the unexpected reveals the solution.... which is so WOW... and I try not to take pride in that decision or solution.. as if I thought of it...

Even when I run around a chaotic morning and forget to dwell in your presence first, you shelter my children from harm and watch their every step as they bump into other kids and have a bloody lip, and hit their tiny heads at the edge of the table. Your presence surrounds us no matter what promise we keep with you.... You still keep your Word and stay with it.

God, your presence is ever so near...

STOP

Monday, October 31, 2011

Day 31: Journey begins with end of the month

Today is the last day to Nesting place October month blogging commitment of "31 days of" series. It has been an incredible time of understanding the need to make your house a home. To tackle things that get out of hand in organizing. With tips I have learnt in this month and projects that have finished and some in the process, I look forward to this streak in me continuing.

Here are some of my highlights the last month:




Day 30: Baking organizing

I love baking. And hence have a few more than few baking trays of different shapes and sizes.
I bought a baking tray organizer from lakeland Uk. A friend bought it for me when she was there early this year.



How has it helped:

1. Organizes all the baking ware neatly. So , its not jammed and stuffed under the stove or in shelves.
2. It lasts longer since its placed in order, space between each other and doesn't scratch against each other.
3. Strong and sturdy to hold many trays and cake pans.

Day 29: Handbag explosion

I love handbags and shoes. So, I have lots of them. I also realized I don't use all of them, because I don't have a proper place to keep them and hence don't see them in order to use them.

I would love to have a solution to store handbags properly or someone please give me a pill to stop buying them. Since no one has ever discovered a treatment for "Bagshoecrazy Disease" , I will stick to finding a solution to store them. And be good. Control the urge.
How about that?

Here are a few available storage options:



Friday, October 28, 2011

Day 28: Declutter your kitchen

I have tried a number of ways to declutter my kitchen and a mix of ideas have worked.
but as I was surfing the net, I found this wonderful article on Good Housekeeping.


Enjoy reading the tips:Declutter Your Kitchen

Whether your specialty is risotto or Rice-A-Roni, the prep process likely could be streamlined if your kitchen cabinets and drawers were in better order (admit it: that pot-lid avalanche is getting pretty old). Un-jumble your tools and spiff up cookware now — before the holiday-cooking season starts. Read on for ways to make kitchen time less of a chore.

By Kate Mathis
Special Offers

COOKWARE CLEANUP


How to organize your kitchen gear — fast

1. Take Stock: Be ruthless as you clear out cabinets — there's probably stuff in there that's been collecting dust since your wedding.

Make three piles: Always Used, Seldom Used, and Never Used or Useless (see sidebar for what to keep versus what to toss). Ditch or donate anything that ends up in the last group.

Box seldom-used and seasonal items — such as the ice cream maker and corn-on-the-cob holders — and move those out of the kitchen's prime real estate. Consider storing holiday dishes and servingware with corresponding decorations so you can get to them when needed.

Think outside the cabinet when putting things back: There's no reason to stash your favorite cooking utensils in a crowded drawer, for instance, if you can pop them in a countertop vessel by the stove. Also...

2. Repurpose to Reorganize:Try these household helpers or pro tools to restore kitchen order

A letter or file organizer or a small dish rack keeps pot lids in place. Or, buy a specially designed lid rack (we like the ones that go on the backs of cabinet doors).

Small curtain tension rods, sprung vertically in a cabinet, create slots to stash cookie sheets on end. The store-bought version: Rev-A-Shelf's Tray Dividers ($18 for two; rev-a-shelf.com).

A copier-paper-box lid, a boot box (sans top), or another low-profile carton becomes a slide-out "drawer" at the bottom of a cabinet. Or, splurge on Oxo's Large Roll-Out Bin ($20; oxo.com) for the same purpose.

Paper plates make perfect liners to protect pots and pans if you have to stack them. Limit piles to three so no pan is a pain to get at.

KEEP OR TOSS?


Some well-worn cookware just needs a little love — and some is a lost cause

LIDS WITH MISSING KNOBS

KEEP If the pan or pot is still in working order, contact the manufacturer for the replacement part. If the knob has merely become detached, take it and the lid to the hardware store to buy a replacement screw. For a tighter fit, add a metal washer just below the screw head.

MISMATCHED LIDS


TOSS If the pots are long gone, why save the tops? Clear out the lot and spend about $15 on a universal lid like RSVP's (bigkitchen.com), which has ridges to fit most pots and pans.

DISCOLORED STAINLESS STEEL


KEEP Caused by high heat, the blue tint won't affect performance. Scrub it with a stainless steel cleaner, like Cameo's ($1.09; churchdwight.com). Bonus: That'll take off brown grease spatters, too.

WARPED BAKING PANS


TOSS Use these, and baked goods will come out misshapen and may cook unevenly. Next time, let hot sheets cool before soaking them in the sink; thermal shock causes that warping.

SCRATCHED NONSTICK



KEEP (IF YOU WANT) While some wear will diminish its ability to "release" food, the pan isn't dangerous to use (do toss a chipped or flaking pan, however). If your bigger complaint is a gummed-up surface, simmer water in the pan with a generous sprinkling of baking soda added. Once cool, clean with a soft nylon scrubber. Also: Stop using cooking spray, which gunks up surfaces fastest. These pans are called "nonstick" for a reason.

Day 27: Organizing Kids Toys

Parents get enthusiastic in the name of educating their children and giving them the best. With that enthusiasm come a whole load of toys and educational junk. Most of the times the kids don't even know that a toy exists in his toy box. Too much of anything is not good either.

So how can we manage the "WOW this would be great for John" "He would love it" urge!

1. Children would love to have some wooden blocks. Plain old simple wooden blocks. You would be shocked to know the ways they get creative with it.

2. When there is a birthday and there is a certain toy the child is eyeing, there are a few ways you can deal with it:
a. An older child can save for it

b. Keep a chart of things the child should do around the house, and thus earning a set of stickers to reach the goal of getting the toy.
c. Have the policy of "buy one give away another 2 toys" system. This gets them to see the value in the existing ones and choose not to get the new one.

3. Plain old cardboard, paper plates and cups, toilet rolls can be used to create things.

When you have toys , they can get a little messy with blocks lying all around and I have slipped on a car lying in the kitchen floor. So, for your safety and in the name of organizing:

1.Assign boxes or containers for specific sets of toys, like a box of cars, box for Lego blocks, a box for all the play kitchen set, plates and food.

2. It's never too late to teach organization:Teach your kids to be responsible for their own toys and teach them to put them back in their respective boxes. Since you have containers and designated places for each kind of toy , it will be easier for your children to learn how and where to put toys back in place.

3.Kids should also know that if they take some toys upstairs, it needs to be returned in its box downstairs.

4.Have a regular "check up" for the toys. Throw out those that are broken.

5. Organize the stationary in separate containers. Craft papers in one box

Have fun playing around organizing the toys!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Day 26: Games cupboard

Even though my kids are still under 5, we have many board games that occupy at least 2 shelves in a book case.
Board games need to be gently cared for. Or else you will end up with no dice in a game that requires the dice and half the UNO cards missing. GENTLE is the word.

What can you do to take care of your expensive precious board games?

1. Keep all board games in one designated place.
2. Let the Monopoly game be in it's own box and not in the Bingo box.
3. Put all small parts in Ziploc covers to keep them from wandering away into no man's land or wandering into other game territory.

here is a picture of our Game Cupboard:


4. If you have games that are too young for your children and so haven't been played in ages, give it away. Why keep stuff you don't use.
5.If you have small game packs such as cards put them all in a basket, so they stay snug in one place and don't disappear at the back when pushed around.
6. Puzzles: It may be a tough job , but go through them and see if they are missing any pieces. A puzzle isn't complete without all its pieces. Keep those puzzles away for a while until you find the pieces. If you have a puzzle with more than 5 pieces missing (depending on the number of puzzles: those tiny tot ones may have only 5 pieces . So that an absolute throw away ), throw it away! Same policy with card decks.

Enjoy organizing your game cupboard! And as a treat play one of these games with your kids!

Here are some pictures of other game cupboards to give you an idea on organizing it:


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Day 25: File everything

Filing your papers properly is a pain sometimes. They tend to accumulate on the desk and it gets pushed aside when you need space. How can be combat this war?

1. Assign a Bookshelf or a filing cabinet for all important papers.



2. Maintain a file for each cause such as: Electricity, Gas, Heating, Car, Bills from shopping, Insurance, Bank, Kids daycare, important certificates(birth, residence,school papers, degrees.. . the list can go one. But its up to you and the type of papers that come in that requires the filing.
3. For me this shelf is in the attic. So when I get the mail containing these documents or important papers it progresses on its movement to the first floor in my file tray designed for "home", "work", "bill paid/action done" tray. After a while when the pile builds up I take it to the attic one day and file them in the appropriate files.

Sort out your papers before they become impossible!

Day 24: Gift Wrapping Station

It's a good idea to make a convenient corner in your work room or attic space to store away gift wrapping paper, ribbons, cards and other decorations. So, you will have everything you need in one fixed corner rather than hunting for scissors every where else.



Ideas:
1. You could convert a closet into one by removing the door and having the wallpaper on the wall and fixing a small desk near the shelves . Like this one:

2. You could hang rods on the wall and have ribbons pass through it. Easy to roll out strings when you need it.

3. Use a basket to store away rolls of gift wrapping paper.
4. Use bottle of odd shapes to store stickers, letters, and other shapes.

5. If you don't have the luxury of converting a closet, you could hang your supplies on the back of a door.

Gift wrapping is an art to be enjoyed! Think on how you can convert an area of your space for a hassle free, all stationary present in one place, wrapping time!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Day 23: Project Attic

I finally started my "Project Attic", because I know now that there is a chance my best friend from Maryland may visit during Christmas. And the Attic room would be the space for her and her husband. But can't call that a room anymore with the junk that has been collecting. I also knew my parents wouldn't be coming this year so the junk piled up.

Where to start....

I started with buying plastic boxes to store all the clothes that my oldest has grown out of.I need to keep it for my second one. They are currently in cardboard boxes and plastic bags not sorted out according to sizes.

Project #1: Sort clothes. Put in size allotted containers.Separate clothes for charity.
Project #2: Make gift wrapping station
Project #3: Arrange tool cupboard
Project #4: Make plans to arrange the attic bedroom.

Now don't gasp! This isn't my attic. Just to show you how things can get messy.
Clearing attic space can be so messy.Dont look at the entire space and get so upset.

1. Have a plan in your mind as to how you want the room to look like.
2. Stick to that idea. Start in small areas and take it one day at a time.
3. Don't start to clear the whole space in one day. You are set to disappointment.
4. Keep an open mind to throwing out things you haven't used in more than one year. If you haven't used it for that long, you don't need it.I don't mean you need to throw out memories of photos or letters.
5. If you are allergic to dust mites, I advise you to wear a mask.

Enjoy your "clearing out projects"!

Day 22: Cereal box can also be used for other things

Today I made my son his very own file tray.

What do you need:

1.Gift wrap(I used some gift wrap which I know I wont ever use)
2. 3 cereal boxes or more
3. Scotch tape
4. Scissors

Wrap the individual boxes.Make sure you leave the opening of the cereal box open by pushing the lid inside and using the wrap to neatly tape to the sides. This is where you can put the paper. Glue the bottoms of 2 of the cereal boxes and stick on top of each other. Voila!
Your very own file tray!

What does he use it for?

1.He currently uses them to put his small colored paper.
2.His stock of stickers.
3.Some art works that are in the process.

How is this uncluttering?

Well, he gets to organize his own papers and art works by himself. Thus, neat kids table and responsibility for his own work!
2 birds with one stone. The cheap way!