Janice

Fall Bulb Planting

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I was talking to a friend today and she mentioned about all the tulip and daffodil bulbs she was planting. I haven’t even thought that far ahead. Now is the time to plan, buy, and plant the spring flowering bulbs. It’s not too late to plant yet, because they say you can plant the bulbs up until the ground freezes. But who wants to be out digging in the soil when it gets cold out?

IMGP1528_edited-1 Looking at the pictures I took at a local park this past spring help motivate me to go out and buy some bulbs. I will put it on my shopping list. First I have to decide where and what I want to plant. Then it is important to know when I will be able to plant the bulbs.

Without a plan it is easy to buy or order lots of bulbs because the pictures on the package or in the catalog look so wonderful. Buying 100 plus bulbs will give the look above but do you have the time to plant them?

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It’s probably best to buy a few and get them planted. Then if you have time you can dig up another area of the garden, buy some more bulbs, and plant them. If you start now by doing it in stages you should be able to plant lots of bulbs before the ground freezes.

If you buy too many bulbs at one time and feel overwhelmed because you can’t find a whole weekend to plant them, you could end up with unplanted bulbs that rot over the winter. Been there, done that.

Let me know about some of your bulb planting stories.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Houseplants in the Fall

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In the Midwest, Autumn is definitely showing it’s face. Some of the trees are losing their leaves. The evenings are beginning to cool down. And the sun is setting a lot earlier than just a few weeks ago.

I have mixed feelings about this time of year. I don’t like the shorter days but the cooler weather is nice. It’s sad to see the vegetable garden looking tired and worn down.

But my houseplants, especially the flowering ones, are looking great with the cooler weather. IMGP1737They will soon have to come inside. That’s where the problem is.
As much as I love the houseplants I don’t have a lot of room to over-winter them inside. When I squeeze them in front of the windows the rooms start to look cluttered. I do have some lights on a timer in my basement for the smaller plants but the big ones are heavy to carry downstairs.

Each year I go through the same debate. Do I let the frost take them or do I bring them inside and have the room look cluttered? I’ve had many of these plants for years so it is hard to let go of them.

Maybe I will get more lights downstairs and put most of the plants there. Then if I can remember to water them on a regular basis they should survive until next spring.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Remembering 9/11

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We go about our days getting irritated by the little things such as someone else’s car accident causing heavy traffic making us late for work. Or we’re behind someone in the grocery store line who doesn’t have enough money and has to decide what to put back, slowing everything down. Now we have to rush to get home so dinner can be served on time.

It’s when we remember tragedies like 9/11 that we put the human factor back into our thinking. Instead of being irritated about being late for work, be grateful you weren’t the one in the accident. Have empathy for the people who were. Their lives will be forever changed, whether it’s only a bad memory of a minor accident or a life changing event due to major injuries or even death of a loved one or friend.

That person in the line at the grocery store may just be unorganized. Or they may be struggling to put food on the table for their children after a job loss or other financial struggles.

We never know what is going to happen to us nor do we know what other people are going through. In the days, weeks, and months following September 11, 2001 most people in this country showed more empathy towards their fellow man/woman. The little irritating things became unimportant. Family, health, friends, a sense of community, caring about others, pride for our country, became the important things.

Unfortunately we seem to have forgotten these things. Since that time we have become a country of people divided on both sides of the fence with a them vs. us attitude. Whether it is the war, health care, the economy, or any other area we are affected by or have an opinion on, maybe it’s time to at least try to see what the other side is seeing. Step into their shoes for just a moment.

We don’t need another 9/11 to remind us of what is important. Just remembering, truly remembering, the feelings we felt that day and beyond can help us get back to recognizing what makes this country great – it’s people caring about each other in spite of their differences.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Grandparents’ Day this Sunday, Sept. 13

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Grandparents’ Day is this coming Sunday. Grandparents should be recognized everyday for their special place in the family. However, in our busy lives we sometimes forget. Make this Sunday a special day for your grandparents, your children’s grandparents, or even adopt a “grandparent” and let them know how important they are to you and your family.

Here are lot of links for homemade cards and other activities you and your family can do to celebrate this holiday. If the grandparents are out of town then make sure any cards are mailed today or tomorrow. If they are in town then check out these links and start planning for a fun family day.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/grandparents-day.html
http://www.grandparents-day.com/
http://akidsheart.com/holidays/grand/grand.htm
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/grandparents/
http://www.grandparents.com/gp/topics/national-grandparents-day.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/grandparents/

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Creative Procrastination

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We all have more to do than we have time to do it. The reality is we will never get it all done so we have to choose what is most important. This is what creative procrastination is all about. Choosing what to procrastinate on and what to make a priority. We do this everyday, most of the time unconsciously. The problem arises when we choose low-value tasks over high-value tasks.

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Creative procrastination applies to all areas of our lives. The book I’m reading right now “Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy is mainly geared towards business but the principles can be applied to home management. His definition of creative procrastination is “…to deliberately procrastinate on tasks that are of low-value so that you have more time for tasks that can make a big difference in you life and work.”

If you go through the whole day and wonder what you accomplished, chances are you are procrastinating on the important long term activities. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing short term low-value things that the long term ones get unconsciously procrastinated.

For example, you decide today that you are going to tackle the clutter in your bedroom. But first you have to plan for dinner. You realize don’t have all the ingredients and have to run to the store. While you are out you might as well stop to get gas because you’re almost on empty. Once you’re back home you put the groceries away and remember the the load in the dryer from yesterday. It’s all wrinkled so you put a damp towel in it and set the dryer for a short time. Then you remember you have to bake cookies for your child’s party at school tomorrow. This goes on and on all day.

When you go to your bedroom exhausted and ready to collapse in bed you realize you didn’t spend one minute on tackling the clutter. Now you go to bed feeling frustrated and like a failure because you didn’t tackle a task that can have a long term positive effect on your life. Decluttering your bedroom will give you a place to get quality rest and peacefulness at the end of a hectic day.

So how do you change this routine? By using creative procrastination. Something has to be procrastinated for you to have the time to tackle the important jobs. The best way to “procrastinate on purpose” is by choosing what you are not going to do today. Don’t run errands today. Make a dinner with what you have on hand. Bake the cookies in the evening with your child spending quality time together. Or plan ahead and purchase cookies while on your weekly shopping trip.

Write on your “to do list” each day what you want to do and what you plan to procrastinating on. This will help remind you not to waste time on those low-value tasks until you have completed the high-value ones.

As I read this book I will let you know of other ways to stop procrastinating. If you would like to find out more about the book here is a link to it on Amazon.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

If you have little tricks to help stop procrastinating I would love to hear about them. Please leave a comment.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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