Best Life NOW! Blog

I have been sorting and scanning paper, mementos and memories lately like it's nobody's business.  After all, this is the best time to do it.  It's cold outside so I thought I would catch up on projects inside. As many of you know, my dad passed away many years ago in 1981.  I was only 6. I came across the card that they passed out at the funeral home.  I've always only looked at the right side of this two sided card.  The side that lists the name, date of birth, date of death.  I've also only looked briefly.  After all of these years it is still painful to see. The other day I finally noticed the left side.  It was a poem by Tennyson.   Sunset and evening star    And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar,    When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep,    Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep ...

I have a new best friend.  Actually, two new best friends.  One is my Neat Connect Scanner and the other is Evernote . They are both helping me to keep my memories - but not the paper, photos, things, etc. I have lots of paper (thanks to my mother) dealing with the geneology of our family.  Great stuff.  I want to retain and use the information - but not the paper.  That's where Neat and Evernote come in.  I scan the papers into Neat and then send them to Evernote.  In Evernote I organize them into a Notebook called Genealogy.  Then I recycle the paper. This solves my hateful relationship with paper. What systems have you discovered to allow you to love something you once really hated?

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2015 is your best year yet! What will you do differently this year than last year?  Are you making any changes?  I recently read that it takes an average of 21 days to change behavior.  So if the changes you are making don't happen right away - give yourself some time. So what do you want out of 2015?  Have some fun planning!  Create a vision board from photos of magazines, create a list on Evernote or create a list and leave it hanging on the refrigerator.   Think big!  2015 is going to be your year!

I've been thinking about gift giving during the holiday season.  The craziness that happens.  The overspending, stressing out about getting the right gift, being time crunched and hating driving to the mall and fighting traffic - in the street and in the mall. I have a suggestion.  It does not involve the mall, traffic, overspending, time or stress.  It also makes you feel good. Have you ever thought about giving to a charity in your loved one's name?    It's so easy.  Ask what their favorite charity is and then visit that charity's website, click donate and you are done.    No mall, no traffic, no overspending.  Plus you are really demonstrating the Christmas spirit.   Plus (and I really like this one) you are not contributing to your loved one's clutter! Happy holidays to you!

November 15th - Clean Your Refrigerator Day .  To me, this is scheduled perfectly.  Think about it - Thanksgiving is just a few weeks after Clean Your Refrigerator Day .  Genius!  You will have a clear, organized refrigerator for Turkey Day!  And you all know that being organized makes events and parties easier.  Who doesn't want to make Thanksgiving Day easier? Some products that I love to organize a fridge - all from The Container Store. Lazy Susan I love using these - you can easily see what you have with one spin.   Fridge BinzThese are great to help keep your food groups together.  Dairy, lunch fixings, etc. Fridge Binz Wine HolderThese holders are a neat, efficient way to keep your wine chilled and the bottles from tumbling over or rolling around in your fridge.Enjoy your newly organized fridge.  You can do this - I believe in you!

So I found this awesome solution on Pinterest yesterday. If you have wire shelving, you will understand how frustrating it can be to place items on the shelves only to have them wind up tilted. The solution?  Self stick tiles!  I love this idea.  You can customize the color to match your taste which is exciting as well. Are you excited about all of your wire shelving now?

I took my mom into the endodontist today for a consultation - which turned into a root canal. The gratitude part in all of this?  I was able to rearrange my afternoon to take care of mom. I am lucky to have the ability to do that. So this afternoon I got mom a root beer float - she could not eat anything solid and she really needed a treat after her procedure.  I got her prescription filled and did some shopping for her. I am so grateful for a career that allows me to do that.