Wow adobesunlight, very inspiring. My mom has a lot of "stuff" and I tend to be that way at times too. My MIL was the complete opposite, everything was very simple and clean. I find myself trying to be the happy medium in between, lol. Before my MIL died, she said to me, "Once you throw it out or give it away you will never think about it again." And you know what? I didn't want to hear it at the time, but she's right! Everytime I question getting rid of something (we are talking clutter here, not important stuff like photos etc.) I think to myself, will I ever think about (insert object here) again? 99% of the time the answer is no. Last night I had some major breakthroughs. I got both the kids rooms back to square one, folded all (and there was a ton) the clean laundry and put it away, and then I cleaned out all the toybins/toychest in the living room. We don't have a playroom, so part of the living room is a sort of a playroom. It was amazing how many toys I went through. I gave a bunch of them away to Goodwill, and the kids haven't even noticed! It is a great feeling to have all the toys organized and fitting neatly in their baskets. I tend to feel that the toys get out of control quickly, so I am working a bit harder on that. With the toys they don't play with weeded out, things will be easier to pick up as well. I have a new rule too: small toys or toys with lots of parts need to be kept in the bedrooms, not the living room. I think it will make everyone's lives easier. My next project is attacking the clutter that has accumulated on my bureau. I need to get the master bedroom a bit more organized, and more inviting and restful. Good luck to everyone making progress out there. This forum is always makes me feel better!

Thank you, thank you ladies. I took some bird photos last night and this morning. I'll post them later after I re-size them. She Loves her new digs and won't come out. I have seven coats of finish on the cage, and want to do another. (however, she won't come out of her new home. Walnut wood is a beautiful tight grain wood, the more finish you rub on, the more it takes on a beautiful patina.

Took these today. It's been mild so far, but somehow I am guessing that things will be very different in a month or two...... The little red mums come back year after year, but the daffodils sprouting surprised me. The large-pad prickly pear cactus is loaded with fruit now. The pads are 10 inches long and the fruits are about 5. There are two photos of my yellow Knockout rose, still with a few flowers and one shows the hips. The foliage of the oak-leaf hydrangea is always a great color in fall. The last one is a mum that I've had for years. It blooms early, thrives on neglect, and best of all has a very large flower for a hardy mum, about 4-5 inches in diameter. Not shown are my camellia Snow Flurry (but posted in another post here) and the lavender, still going string, and a few flowers on my ice plants (delosperma).

I looked and looked until I found my camera to take pictures again, I have given up on my cell phone. Everyone who has tried to help me says I need to take it to the Frontier Store for help. Anyway, Annie I loved all my bird goodies. Annie sent: Penguin Socks (Clever-Just in time for the Holidays) Cardinal - Kitchen Towels (Cardinals are my fav.) Feather earrings-thanks Gift card for seeds-I find much pleasure looking for seeds on line so this will be fun! Thank you Annie, sorry the post office gave me such a fit over this pkg. The funny thing is they had another pkg there for me from Oct. Yes Oct. Upon opening it I found it was from Susan. Sorry Susan I never knew it was there. It was filled with chocolates, thank you so much. They sure are good. Shirley