Is There Trash In Your Closet?

I started working my way through my friend Elsie's book today.

(This one: )

I'm always trying to declutter and get rid of stuff we don't need, but now that Christmas is over and the house has been filled with lots of new things that were given to us as gifts, it's time to do a major purge.

(You can join me in the Homemaking Challenges group on Facebook if you'd like!)

So the first section in the book is the bedroom, and the first thing in there is the closet.

I started in on it, but I only got through my skirts and dresses before I needed to shut things down for the day.

I started by taking everything out and putting it into piles of things I truly love, things that are “okay”, things I definitely want to get rid of, and things I need to mend.

Then I put back in all the things that I love.

Since I had plenty of things that I love I went ahead and got rid of all the things that were only “okay”.

I had a pile of things I had to deal with – things to take to the thrift store, things to give away to others I know could use them, things to mend, things that had stains but that I wanted to try and salvage.

But, take a look.  There is a trash bag there.  Some of my clothes went into the trash.

I don't consider myself a pack rat.  I try really hard to get rid of stuff right away.  But I still had things hanging in there that I didn't even realize were stained beyond repair because it had been so long since I wore them.

(And some things sat in there and yellowed.  What's with that?)

How long has it been since you cleaned out your closet?  I mean since you really gave it a good, ruthless overhaul?

-No saving things because you paid good money for them but you don't really care for them.
-No saving things because you hope to fit into them again someday.
-No saving things because they're sentimental or were one of your favorites but they don't fit anymore or they're stained and ruined.

Leave me a comment and tell me if there's any trash in your closet!

(And if you'd like a copy of the book I'm working through, you can grab one right here.)

Christmas Carol Catch Phrase Game – Free Printable

Here's a fun and easy game to play at your next family Christmas party!

My mom asked each of us children to plan a game for our family Christmas party.  I wanted something that wouldn't too much running around/craziness since that's not really our family's personality.

I came up with a Christmas Carol version of Catch Phrase.

Here's how it works:

1. Print the provided cards or write out your own.
2. Divide your group into 2 teams and separate them into separate sides of the room.
3. Give each group a set of 10 cards, plus a “winner” card at the bottom of each stack.
4. When the leader says go, a person on each team will start describing the Christmas carol on their card to their team.  The team must guess what it is.  The one describing the card cannot say any of the words on the card.  They can, however, use other lyrics in the song if they want.
5. Once the team has guessed correctly, they pass the stack to the next team member who will start describing the next  Christmas carol.
6. Both teams continue this process until one has reached the “winner” card at the bottom of the stack.

I chose carols that are non-santa, since we don't do santa.  There are a couple secular Christmas songs in there, though.

Subscribers can print this game free. Just enter your info to subscribe and the download link will immediately appear. (NOTE: The ad companies love to put ads up that say “DOWNLOAD HERE”. Don't click those. 🙂 Once you subscribe, the correct download link will be obvious.)

Stocking Stuffers

Today I've rounded up a few fun items that would be perfect as stocking stuffers!

TODDY GEAR PEPPERMINT SCHTICK PACK

Toddy Gear has bundled up a portable charger plus a screen cleaning cloth in this Peppermint Schtick Tech Pack.

The plush microfiber cloth attracts any oils or dust and completely removes them, while the power bank will take care of all your on-the-go charging needs.  Pack it all up in the handy drawstring bag.

Check it out here.

PICK AND DRAW

Okay, so we love giving (and getting!) massages in our house.  We seriously bought all 4 of our kids their own massager because they like giving mom and dad massages.  (I'd tell you what my secret is, but I honestly don't know!)

HoMEDICS has a great little mini massager that woud be perfect as a stocking stuffer.

The button turns on a gentle vibration, while the comfortable hand grip makes it easy to hold and use.  At just $5, it's the perfect price too!

Check it out here.

Gifts for the Health Conscious

Do you have any health-conscious people in your life?

Is it challenging to figure out what they might like?

I've tried to help you out with some gift ideas for the health conscious.

FITSNACK

As someone who is quite health-conscious myself, I enjoy the opportunity to discover new snacks that fit my dietary needs.  I don't always have time or energy to make things from scratch, so when I discover a packaged option that tastes great and isn't filled with nasty ingredients, I definitely make a note of it!

I got to try out a FitSnack box recently, and it was so much fun to find (and eat!) all the goodies inside!

While not everything inside was my absolute favorite, I did find a few things that I really liked!

Those Mighty Flakes are gluten free, bean-flour based cereal.  I've never had anything bean-based that did not taste…well…beany.  The Mighty Flakes were actually delicious!  I'm a cereal-lover, but most gluten-free cereals I've tried are corn-based (which irritates my system) or rice-based (which gets over-used already in my house and I really need to diversify my diet much more.)  It was nice to find a cereal I can have on occasion that tastes great and offers a little more variety to my diet.

I found several other goodies I really like as well, like those YummySnack bars – kind of tasted like an Almond Joy!

Grab a FitSnack subscription here if you want to try out a new batch of healthy snacks every month!

YOO FITNESS TRACKER

YOOC Bluetooth Smart Activity Tracker is an easy-to-use wireless fitness monitoring device with an integrated dot matrix display.

All your personal fitness data is viewable right on the device or sync to the YOO App to track your progress and compete against your Old YOO in any of the YOO Challenges. YOOC comes with a magnetic smart clip so you can secure it to your clothing however you'd like.

And with a 6 month+ replaceable battery and a water-resistant design, YOOC will be with you as long and far as you can go.

Check out the Yoo Fitness Tracker here!

dōTERRA BALANCE ESSENTIAL OIL

Balance is dōTERRA’s Grounding Blend, which brings a sense of calm, peace, well-being and promotes whole-body relaxation. It also soothes sore muscles and joints, promotes circulation, supports cellular health and lessens stress to help with anxious feelings and nerves. It’s perfect for a sense of stability, bringing balance to situations of stress.  TO USE: This blend works well when 2 drops are applied to the bottom of each foot. You may also put drops on the wrist, over the heart, on the neck, or along the spine.  You can diffuse this blend in an essential oil diffuser, or if you don’t have a diffuser, put 6 drops on a cotton ball and attach to the air vents in your home. Do not use internally.

Check out Holly's dōTERRA site here.

Gifts for Grandparents

Here's a great idea for a gift for grandparents!

Homedics has a hand-held percussion massager that is amazing! What a great way to pamper those aching muscles of grandma or grandpa's!

Let me tell you – this thing feels AWESOME!

I'm not very old, but I sure do like a good massage; therefore I've tried out a lot of different types of massagers.  (Call me weird; I don't care!)

This one is one of the best ones I've used — really!

Purchase yours here.

Gifts for Families

In our home, we like to get a family gift that we can all use together.

Here are a couple great ideas for gifts for families!

BRINKMAN ADVENTURES

The award winning Brinkman Adventures  teach, inspire and entertain while highlighting the importance of missions and fulfilling the Great Commission.   Inspired by true stories, these episodes of Christians serving the Lord will strengthen your faith while providing important teachable moments.

PICK AND DRAW