Clutter Free Me

 We have finally done it.  

Our home is clutter free!!  Well… the attic and shed aren’t done because it is impossibly HOT.  But they are in really good shape.   They will have their FINAL go-over in October, if not earlier. 

My last major area was my creative studio.  It always got pushed back behind everything else I needed to do.  I’m so excited that now I’m able to create as I wish. 

I have gone over everything as to exactly what my creative project will be from now on, and then did a hard culling.  Those supplies were sorted, organized, and labeled.  In step with my wabi sabi lifestyle, organizers and labels are simple things that for the most part I already had.  I will confess to buying some Sterilite shoe & boot boxes.  We have a terrible time with stupid destructive mice and cardboard storage doesn’t work. 

My labels are simple white card stock that are hand written then hand dotted along the edge for a border.  Those Sharpie fumes pert’ near did me in! 

After I finished my studio, Himself & I went over the entire house one more time.  It only took a leisurely day to do so.  We’ll keep clutter out of our lives by doing a “tidy” once a week.  It should be no more than a quick walk through with a basket and a trash bag. 

The thing that has made it possible is we have two people who are top shelf networks for getting things to people who need them.

Occasionally I have something I’d like to get a little cash from.  I use Facebook Marketplace for that.  Larger things (things I can’t fit in our little car to take up to E) with a low value either go on the “No Buy C’ville” Facebook group OR go down on the end of the driveway with a FREE sign on it. 

Yeah, it’s been a long time coming.  It is so worth it.

(A section in my studio)

Review: VOCOO Digital Kitchen Timer

 I told you earlier this month about our new microwave and its wonderful silence feature. 

Well there’s a downside to quiet.  How will I ever know when my hot tea is done?  Or anything is done!?  By getting a timer, right?  Wow... timers have changed since I bought the last one, which was one of those twisty dial things. 

  

 

I have now joined the 21st century of gadgets.  Meet the VOCOO Digital Kitchen Timer. 

It has a big easy to read LED digital face.  There is a magnet on back so I can put out of the way on the fridge.  The beep is gentle and there 2 volume levels to choose from.   AND it doesn't tick! 

 We highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M95B91P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 

"You're So Strong…"

 This is so painful to write but if I can help one person, it is worth it. 

I have cried because I woke up in the morning. 

So much has happened in the last 4 years, a flood that never seemed to end.  Then Covid brought more seclusion for us than most people.  You see, Himself’s cancer treatments have left him with a compromised immune system.  Being ‘out and about’ is not an option. 

I was so lonesome.  All of my social activities stopped.  Facebook had become unbearable as I discovered the true nature of family and friends.  There were verbal attacks and snarks on my Facebook wall because of perceived political standing or the fact that I wore a face mask.  Mind you, I actually knew everyone that was a “Facebook friend”. 

By October, I’d had all I could stand.  I explained to my 50 ish “FB friends” I was having a very hard time and I needed encouragement.  That I was leaving Facebook so I needed real contact by either email or a phone call.  Please help. 

Oh I got tons of freaking stupid emojis… crying face, ‘caring hug’…  got a bunch of “I’ll email you” and “I’ll call you”.  Or the worst, "You're so strong!  You'll be fine." 

NOT A SINGLE PERSON CONTACTED ME.  In fact, I've never heard from any of them ever again. 

I’ve read that a percentage of those contemplating ending their lives will “bargain for hope”.  They tell themselves that if just one person speaks to them, they won’t do it.  Survivors have testified to what it meant to have someone say, “I’m here… I’m listening”.  And notes testify to what it meant when there was only silence. 

Thankfully, I never went far down that terrible road where I actually thought about taking my own life.  The next 14 months were so painful, so dark as I dragged myself thru.  I changed a lot because that is what it took to survive.

 

I tried to get “help” – a counselor or a shrink – but with insurance it was nearly impossible.  Too many ahead of me in line (waiting list), and without insurance it’s too bloody expensive. 

However, the insurance company gave these helpful (NOT!) suggestions: 

Talk to a friend 

Find a group counselling at a church or such 

Read a self-help book (Seriously) 

I’m getting to be OK now.   But my heart breaks for those going thru similar.  PEOPLE!  If someone says they need to talk… FREAKING. TALK. TO. THEM. 

You may be saving a life. 

You will definitely be saving a heart from breaking.

 

Spam Musubi

 One of my “Covid hobbies” has been learning to cook Japanese cuisine.  It’s been kind of amusing as I like the looks of Japanese food but I’ve never really had it (outside of sushi!). 

In my search for recipes that have ingredients I can source locally, I discovered the Hawai’i-meets-Japan snack Spam musubi.  Some call it “Spam sushi” because of the way it looks… like a sushi roll. 

It is fast, easy to make, and tasty.  It is like making a sandwich except instead of bread you use rice.  Between the 2 layers of rice there is a slice of Spam (I used Teriyaki flavored) and what ever else you’d like.  My choice was egg and avocado.  Then the musubi is wrapped in a band of nori.  There are at least a hundred recipes for making musubi.  Seriously.  The only way you can go wrong is if you rice layer falls apart. 

Here is how I did it – 

I made my sushi (short grain) rice according to package instructions.  Once it was cooked and at room temperature, you press your rice ‘patty’.  

 

Here is an inexpensive mold you can buy for less than $10 from Amazon or an Asian store.  

 

OR if you’re not sure if you’ll ever make it again, put it on a piece of plastic wrap as I did here and shape it into a Spam slice shape (cut long ways). 

Then either way you squash the bejeebers out of it.  If you have the mold, add the filling and the top layer of rice.  Give it another squashing.  If you’re going the plastic wrap method, make 2 separate rice patties.  Then assemble your ‘sandwich’. 

Add your nori band (or not, I don’t like nori very much). 

 

Ta-da!  It is munching time!

Online Classes and Wildflower Ikebana

 During the early part of Covid a lot of creative type schools and organizations were offering free Zoom classes on all sorts of subjects for free or really reduced prices..  Not so much now but they can still be found.  

Recently took one on making gnocchi from a woman in France.  Yummy! 

My favorite class was an Ikebana flower arranging class through a Japanese society in Chicago.  The teacher was visiting from Tokyo.  She is an instructor at the famous ikebana school Sogetsu.  Wow!  What an opportunity.  It was an excellent class. 

We were given a list of flowers to purchase.  I went a different route.  Florist flowers are just way too expensive and now aren’t all that great quality.

 

 

On our country road there is a plethora of wild flowers to choose from.  Free too!

 

 

Did you know that thistles had so many different appearances?

 

 

Or sizes?

 

 

There were daisies and more too.

 

 

Himself volunteered to go down into the ditches to cut whatever I wanted. 

 

 

There was a great variey to choose from!  

 

 

Soon I had my finished arrangement and learned to do more.

Review: Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven

 Last February our microwave started sounding really weird.  Like bad weird.  It wasn’t surprising since we’d had it since 2003.  Yes, NINETEEN years. 

Time to get a new one.  After some research I ordered one from Best Buy since I could get free 3 day delivery from the store here in town.  Or not...  It hung there with "shipment delayed".  After a lot of BS from both FedEx and Best Buy that went on for 16 days.  When it finally came in, it was awful.  That baby was returned…

  

I did more research and decided on a Toshiba EM131A5C-BS through Amazon.  Ordered it and it was here the NEXT day. 

We have now been using it for a bit over 4 months.  We love it!

 

 

The control panel is so easy to use.

  

The BEST thing is you can turn off the annoying beeps!  Both the pushing buttons beeps and the finished cooking beeps.  Beautiful silence.  Even the cat is happy! 

We all recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WCB1T6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1