Hilde's Handy Hints for Wasting a Weary Winter...

Wow, who knew it could be so much fun to clean and organize? I am so proud of my accomplishments that I could just scream. The weather has been horrid. I've been housebound for what feels like eons and yet, I have a sense of fulfillment which I can't begin to explain.

I don't dare share my efforts with my non retired career minded friends. They would remind me of how old and boring I've become. I remember when I was once one of them, enveloped in work. I'd come home after a long day, do the bare necessities...perhaps a load of laundry, eat some unidentifiable fridge leftovers, veg out in front of the tube and fall asleep exhausted. On good days, I'd make it upstairs to bed and sometimes there was even time to blow my nose or shave my legs. Next morning, begin again, same routine.

It was worse when the children were small because I also had to fit in their lessons, their school events,  remind them about homework, do a lot of nagging about their paper route, plus I had to cook. Apparently, good moms feed their kids.

Front hall closet even has hangers for guest coats.



Since I am unable to share my new found helpful hints with the aforementioned hard working friends I will illustrate these significant changes in my home and lifestyle on my blog. I am about half way done. It seems, that I can easily, efficiently and competently complete half of any job. If this snowy, freezing weather goes on much longer, I might be forced to get the whole house done. In fact, if my hubby dares stand still too long, he just might find himself with a label firmly affixed to his forehead detailing his contents.

Clothes colour co-ordinated albeit mostly black.



I even sorted and filed the coupons and recipes. No longer are there bits of random scribbled on papers and magazine clippings hidden in the back of cookbooks. Gone are the piles of outdated coupons that haven't been used because of their lack of order. Yes, these too, are labelled and filed.

Important hint - be sure to highlight expiry dates.

I expect that any eulogy about me will include this most important of all my newly acquired skills. It might sound something like this. "She was a ferocious filer, the master of bins, the siren of symmetry, and the queen of colour coding. When we think of her, we will always remember the cleanliness of her closets."