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Decluttering your Closet

I have been working on downsizing and decluttering my home. I started in the closets and found several helpful tips on doing this tough task. Experts say to get rid of stuff you don’t need, use or want. Donate the usable items to charity or give them to friends and family who can use them.

My hall closet was just jammed with years of stored stuff on the floor and on the overhead shelf. I first took out all the stuff on the floor which included a box full of hats and gloves. Some of the gloves and hats were from my children who are all adults now and haven’t worn the items for years. I got three big bags out. One for the garbage, one for charity, and one for my family. After going through all the items and placing them in the appropriate bags, I had just a few remaining things that I needed and wanted to keep.

Next I moved to the shelf and took all those things out of the closet. I went through all the rest of the items including the coats hung up on the rod. After I had everything sorted through, I cleaned the inside of the empty closet. It was dusty and the vinyl floor needed mopped.

I placed the boots and shoes on the cleaned floor in a nice row. I put all the gloves and hats that I was keeping inside a plastic container on the floor in the corner of the closet. The coats that were kept were re-hung. A remaining few things were placed on the overhead shelf and my closet decluttering was complete.

I stood back and just had to admire my work. The closet looks so good and organized now. Continue Reading →

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My Elderberry Bush

I recently purchased a little Elderberry bush from an on-line plant store. It was shipped to me in a small pot and is about 4 inches tall. It is listed as a York Elderberry shrub which features white blooms and in summer is to produce a bounty of soft dark purple berries that are good for cooking or making jams, syrups and wines.

I replanted it in a larger pot and have it in my greenhouse at the moment. It’s just a bit too cold to plant it outside just yet. Here is a photo of the plant after 2 weeks in a bigger pot.

It seems to be doing well. I’m keeping the soil moist and am following the Elderberry caring instructions Continue Reading →

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Green Tomatoes Stored 5 Months

Last fall I had lots of green tomatoes and set out to save them again as I did last year. I just wanted to share the results after 5 months in storage. These are the last of my green tomatoes from last October.

Here is the blog post I wrote about storing tomatoes in newspaper for fall and winter use. This method not only stores the tomatoes but also allows them to ripen over time. Just check the tomatoes periodically and use them as needed.

As you can see the tomatoes are red and still very usable. I cut a few up this morning and cooked them Continue Reading →

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Recycled Glass Match Holder Jars

Here is a handy idea to recycle small glass jars into wooden match holders. I have added a sandpaper cover to strike the match on as shown. A hole was added on each jar so you can just shake out a match as needed.

The old jar on the right was a small screw-on jar that I drilled a hole into the lid for the match opening. The other jar was a jelly jar that was gifted to me.

For both jars, I traced around the lid on a piece of sandpaper for the top. I glued the sandpaper disk to the top of the metal lid for the screw-on jar. For the jelly jar, I glued the sandpaper to a piece of cardboard and then screwed on the lid ring. I punched a round hole through the top of both so you can just shake out a match from the jar.

I added a piece of recycled denim hem to the one jar lid for trim. Just cut a piece of hem for an old pair of jeans and glue it in place around the lid rim.

On the jelly jar, I added a piece of ribbon around the lid ring for decoration. There are several version of this idea found on the web Continue Reading →

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Empty Shelves After a Storm

After several of the recent winter storms, I saw many photos like this one with the shelves emptied at local grocery stores. So many people rushed the stores to stock up on supplies such as bread, milk, meat, water, and other necessities leaving the shelves nearly bare.

Empty Shelves after a Storm
Photo Source: Pinterest

Scenes like this are scary to see. Especially if you are witnessing them first hand and are in need of the items normally found on the shelves. This is why it is so important to be prepared.

Stock on the things you need in advance and don’t wait until there is an emergency to go to the grocery store to purchase them. Do you have enough bread and milk in the house if you couldn’t get to the store for a few days? How about a week?

Here are a few things you want to have on hand.

Bread
Milk
Water
Eggs
Meats
Pet Food
Coffee/Tea
Peanut Butter
Jam/Jelly
Meats
Tuna
Beans
Granola/Protein Bars
Crackers
Fruits
Veggies
Butter
Flour
Sugar
Cereal
Pastas
Matches
Batteries

This is a very short and basic list. Continue Reading →

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Cardboard Vacuum Tube Extension

Do you need an extension for your vacuum hose? Did you know that you can recycle a cardboard tube into a handy vacuum hose extension? Here is plastic wrap cardboard tube that I recycled and use on my vacuum hose. The heavier cardboard tubes work best but a paper towel cardboard roll will work also.

Maybe you need to get under a tight spot and need a flatter tube. Here is a tube I pressed down on the end of it to create a narrower opening. This flatter tube works great to get under your refrigerator to vacuum up lint. The flat opening allows you to get under the coils and vacuum up more lint where a normal vacuum tool won’t reach.

Or maybe you dropped an earring or other small item and need to recover it. You can cover the end of your vacuum hose extension with pantyhoses or a nylon stocking. Secure the sock in place with a rubber band and Continue Reading →

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