This is the time of year for spring cleaning. I love to open my doors and windows and deep clean everything, It is also the time of year to go through your junk drawers, closets and garages and see what needs to be cleaned out, put up, or thrown away.
I am not a “pack rat” and neither is my husband. If we don’t use something within six months or a year, we get rid of it. Generally, we give things away to someone who needs them or is a pack rat.
The older I get, the more I can’t stand clutter. I believe it makes me nervous.
With all this rain we have had, I think it is time to clean out some more stuff. My husband always says, “We haven’t use it in six months. Get rid of it. If we need it again, we will get another one. But, we are not keeping something, ‘just in case.’”
I have talked him into keeping some things, only to get rid of it a year later. However, there are times we need something that I have saved. I just knew we would use it.
On a similar note, I may or may not have a problem with buying shoes and clothes. Since my weight loss, I now can fit into cute things I can’t resist. I am a bargain shopper though.
I have an idea for all of everyone that has too many clothes in their closet. There are some in there that will never be worn.
The first step is to take seasonal clothes out and put them away. Then, turn the remaining clothes backwards on the hangers. That’s right, turn the hook facing the outside. When an item is worn, hang it the original way.
After six months, look and see what hooks haven’t been turned. If it isn’t seasonal, get rid of it. It’s not going to be worn.
There are some people that have clothes ten-years-old or older in their closet. Please don’t try to wash them, they may fall apart.
I know most say they are going to fit into old clothes one day. Well it has been 10 years. Why not start fresh? It helps when you clean out your closet and see what is left that you still wear.
If clothes weren’t enough, there are our “collections.” My husband collects several different things. Early on in life, I collected Emmett Kelly Jr Clowns. I love the look of hobo clowns. At one time, I had them displayed in our home. But, now that we have moved and downsized, they are stored away.
I think it is time for me to get my clowns and bring them to work and display them. I don’t have abundance but I do have quite a few. What good are they doing in a box in the closet? That will be one of my goals in the next couple of weeks as I spring clean my house. I’ll upack my clowns. Hopefully, they aren’t broken. I think they will look good on my shelves at work.
It is time to declutter our lives. When you have clutter in your life, you can’t function properly. I have helped several friends declutter their lives. Others weren’t ready to get rid of anything.
My life is at peace when my life is uncluttered with the junk — junk in my house, junk in my yard and junk in my mind. Keeping Jesus the focus of my life, and though there are bumps in the road, I am clear-headed and ready to tackle anything.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
Makes 5 servings
Ingredients:
2 Ibs boneless chicken breasts
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
3 Y2 teaspoons dry Ranch seasoning
8 oz low sodium turkey bacon, cooked crisply
and crumbled
Instructions
1. In a slow cooker place chicken, cream
cheese, and Ranch seasoning.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4
hours, until chicken shreds easily.
3. Once chicken shreds stir with a large fork or
spoon, so the chicken shreds and all the
ingredients combine.
4. Add in crumbled bacon and stir to
incorporate.
5. Serve warm
Tina Specht is co-publisher of the Minden Press-Herald. She shares her thoughts and recipes each Thursday.