Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Crazy Talk

Yes. When I repainted my living room....there were a few unnecessary Diderot purchases.

I subscribe to a blog called Becoming Minimalist. This post was a new idea for me. 

I have never heard of The Diderot Effect. I know, of course, that there is tremendous psychology in marketing and sales. So it should be no surprise that there is something psychologically that clicks in when items are purchased. 

Non-scientific and unverified info from my brain so take with a pound of salt...if we use credit cards we spend more than if we use cash. The Monopoly money syndrome? That's what it feels like to me anyway. And I know that is a something I  have succumbed to more than once. It seems odd to use a card for a $2.00 purchase but not at all if using cash. Plus I know the surcharge for credit cards is hefty and that small mom and pop places have a minimum on credit card expenditures. I actually feel guilty if I spend less than $10.00 on a credit or debit card. Hello! If that's not a reason to always use cash, I don't know what is. 

The Diderot Effect is (major summarizing of a really good article so read it above) the extra expenses incurred when one buys one new thing. Example. A new skirt opens the door to the perfect necklace or shoes or both. Soon the $50.00 skirt is $170.00 in purchases. Or the need for new living room furniture when the old is just fine because you replace the carpet that was a necessity. 

You know how many times I've fallen for this one? Sheesh? Yikes! It might be right up there with the "It's on clearance" syndrome that plagues me. 

But. The choices that we made yesterday belong to yesterday (unless we still have the receipt). But we are masters of the choices we will make tomorrow or today. Right? 

Scribbles and Scrambles - A Favorite DIY

One of the favorite things in my house started out as a serendipitious idea for a literal piece of trash.

We have a rental property and the last tenants left it in sorry shape. It's nearly taken me three years to talk about it. Ha-ha! I spent somewhere close to six hours scraping condiments and filth off the kitchen cabinets. Not. Even. Joking.

Anyhoo. They left behind a couple of good things. Two really quality cookie sheets that apparently never left the oven, ever. These suckers were seasoned. After scrubbing the crumbs and chunks off and heating them to kill who knows what, they entered my kitchen. Too much information? Sorry.

They also left a wobbly small coffee table covered in some of the same patina of the kitchen cabinets. I scrubbed it then had an idea. It seemed the perfect size for a chalkboard. We cut off the legs, I sanded it very well and then painted several coats of chalkboard paint. Four coats, each done in opposite direction.

And there we go. It's hanging on one of my unfinished kitchen walls.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Potty Waltz

Ever see a kid do a potty dance? You know the slow do-si-do involving crossed legs, and possibly crossed eyes? Occasionally, the polka version of the potty dance includes the clenched thigh forward tango, the tight turn and the final leap onto the toilet.

Dogs have a potty dance. At least mine do. It is practiced several times a day with varying results. This would describe my reaction.

Anticipation? Watching the "finding-the-sweet-spot" potty waltz.

Frustration? Hoping, coaching, waiting, finally giving up only to be summoned to the door 25 minutes later.

Insanity? Two dogs with unique potty peculiarities and ADHD. 

"Squirrel? Bark!!! What was that? Bark?" 

Tear to the right. Stop. Sniff. Run left. Stop. Sniff. 

"Wait? Is that a squirrel?" Bark!!!!

Satisfaction? Two dogs who go directly out and take care of bizness then tire of sniffing before the mosquitoes come out to feast on the people who wait patiently for the dogs to for-reals go potty.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ What's Your Type?

I don't think Beagle fully fits my personality. But, I like so many breeds. Can I plead eclectic?  

http://barkpost.com/what-does-your-breed-say-about-you/

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Six Million Dollar Man?

Rob had knee replacement surgery a couple weeks ago. He's doing great. His staples are out, he's buzzing up and down the steps on a regular basis. Now comes a different kind of pain. 

THE BILL!!!! 

Thank you, Lord, for good insurance. 

The hospital bill alone (not including the doctor daily visits, the surgery labor, and the reading of x-rays) is pictured. 

The parts (again, not the labor) as in the knee chachinging in at a cool 20K. Just the knee, ma'am. 

Just sayin! 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ R and R

My daughter and her kiddos and I took a kind of spur-of-the-moment trip over the weekend. When I say kind of spur-of-the-moment I mean that she had to move several heavy obstacles and we both had to jump through some hoops to pull it off. But we got it done and it was so, so worth the hoops. 

My in-laws own a little trailer in a park on the shore of one of Minnesota's 10k lakes. It's a trailer from the sixties with a few upgrades and a build-on, and a stackable washer and dryer. Orange and moss green shag carpet was cutting edge high-fashion when it was laid in the bonus build-on bedroom. Paneling was all the rage. And dog gone it if the decor isn't cheesy cabin tourist crapola. 

But we make the trip almost every year. And once my little kids were beyond the toddle-into-the-lake-and-drown phase, this place has become what vacations are meant to be. 

When it's just Rob and I we go and decompress completely. He fishes, I read in the boat, we eat twice a day and wear whatever we want. 

With the kiddos my daughter and I had to be a little more on top of our game. And the lake was the lure we knew it would be. From about 8 a.m. to dinner time the kids were digging, playing, collecting and glorying in the secret treasures and new experiences of the lake. And as an adult along for this experience it was glorious. It was exactly what a vacation should be. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Decluttering Update

Since I've posted several times about my decluttering/purging goals I thought I'd give you an update. 

You know I met my goal of purging 1000 items from December 1 thru December 31 in the first quarter of 2015?

I haven't stopped. We had long term house guests in June and several boxes and bags found their way out of the house. After they returned home we unloaded some big items that we needed to unload. I now hate holding onto something that I don't use and someone else might not only use, but could be blessed by receiving it.  We have a ministry thrift shop down the road plus a homeless shelter in a neighboring city that need and want our stuff and they use it to help. So it's a win. Win. 

My closet population continues to diminish. I haven't followed the ruthless advice of those who say pull every item out and make three piles. I have too many things I wear infrequently, or need to keep on hand. NEED is a word that I have to consider and act on, ehhh? 

I have taken to looking at an item I pull out of the hanging rack, try on, or put back and ruthlessly decide right then and there if this item does anything for my life. If it doesn't, it goes right into the bag in my closet. Right now I have two of them that are half full. Here's the kicker. When that item goes, so does the hanger. If something comes into my house that needs a hanger, something already living here goes so I don't have to put out any new hangers. 

While Rob was hospitalized and I was visiting I also did something I've been thinking about doing for months. I have too many scarves. Yes. (I also love purses, note the one, the RED and ADORABLE one in the giveaway bag...it doesn't work anymore for my life. So it has to go.) I decided I'd wear them if they were infinity scarves. 

So I shoved them in a big bag with two colors of thread, needles a thimble and scissors and simply stitched the two ends together in a blanket or hem or hidden stitch. I got most of them done in the first two days and they are all infinity scarves now. If you think that's useful, make sure they are long enough or you'll just be annoyed. Compare them to the favorite infinity scarf length to be sure. Now, if I don't wear them I either donate as is, or I snip the simple stitches, pull them out and give them away for someone else to wear. Win. 

Again. I have to say I have very few items I even remember to miss. Purging has been excellent for soul and house. Cleaning is easier because I have space to put things away where they belong. I do kind of want to get rid of kitchen bowls and pans and crockpots because I have multiples of each. But just when I get brave something big comes up and I'm glad I have all those duplicates. Darn. And I keep looking at Tiny House stuff on the computer. I'd love a 700 sq foot or slightly less house with 2-3 bedrooms. Oddly, our first purchased house was a duplex and we lived in 900-1000 sq ft and were very comfortable even with 2 kids. And our current house started out at about 1100 sq ft when we moved in and we were cramped but comfortable with 5 of us under one roof. The second story was a great thing. But two of us do not need that much room. Hmmm we'll just have to see what happens with that.