Monday, March 31, 2014

getting rid of stuff, new curtains, and a dinner guest

 Good Monday morning, friends.
 I am so happy to report that here in northern Illinois, the sun is shining and we're 
supposed to reach 65 degrees F. today! The winds will be whipping up to 40+ mph
this afternoon, but I don't care. Much better than snow or freezing temps. Of course,
it only being the end of March, this weather is too good to be true. This is just a
one-day deal. The rest of the week looks to be in the 40's with lots of rain.

I worked on cleaning out more stuff and organizing this weekend. One thing
I did was to go through my Tupperware/plastics cabinet (everyone has one of those
cabinets, right?) and throw away anything that didn't have a lid, throw away anything
that was obviously too worn, and then donate whatever I didn't want or need that was
still in decent condition. Here's the messy cabinet before:


And here's the after. I did keep a few plastic containers and will phase those
out as I buy more glass containers.
 

I had mentioned in my last post that I had gone through my closet and dresser
and bagged up no-longer needed jeans, shirts and winter cardigans. I had Brian
go through his clothes and do the same. We ended up with two huge garbage
bags full of clothes for donation! Here they are on my porch, all ready for pick-up.


I also went through stuff in the basement and ended up with two paper bags
full of household miscellaneous - plus an unneeded desk chair.


I had a friend gift me with some beautiful cotton curtain panels. At first, I thought I'd
use them in Tim's room/the guest room, but because that room is so small and the
headboard of the bed will need to go near the one window in the room, we decided
to order a simple Roman shade for that room instead. So, I tried the curtains in 
the living room. I love them! I love the way they softly drape and how the light filters
through the panels. I know that they're not the "proper" length. All the experts say that
curtains should either hit the bottom of the window frame or just skim the floor. Well,
you know what? I don't care. I happen to like these just the way they are. That's the
thing with decorating your house. Forget the rules, people. It's your house. You
can do whatever is pleasing to you. That all said, I can envision a piece of
 contrasting material sewn on to the bottom of these panels so that they hit the floor. 
But, I don't sew! I wouldn't even know what material to pick out. My eyes glaze over 
when I go into a material store. I just might have to commission a friend to work on 
these someday. ;-)
 

 Brian will be home quite late from work tonight. Unfortunately, he has a wake to
attend. A coworker passed away suddenly due to complications of diabetes. All
I know is that the paramedics found this 46-year old man unresponsive, with a blood
sugar level of 1000! I have never heard of that high of a blood sugar level. By the
time he got to the hospital, he also had a heart attack. Then he was on life support.
The next day, he was gone. So incredibly sad.

Anyway, I decided to invite one of my best friends over for dinner tonight.
I'm going to make these White Chicken Enchiladas. Don't they look
delicious? I found the recipe here.


 I am off and running now to do a big grocery shopping. 
Thanks for visiting!
 

28 comments:

  1. Wow, that poor guy. He was really ill. I'm sorry to hear of his death. I have long curtains in my living room and they are about the same distance from the floor as your curtains. My husband hung the rods too high, which is something he always does because he's tall and he hangs stuff to his own preferred heights. He does this with pictures and other stuff, which bothers me because they look weird, but with the curtains I don't really mind. With young kids (and a dog at the time we hung them), it seemed like they'd get ruined if they were hanging any lower, so I left them and they've grown on me. Good job with the decluttering, you've gotten rid of a lot!

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer - I have a lot more to get rid of, too!

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  2. Wow, sorry to hear about your husbands coworker. Sad indeed.

    I agree 100% with decorating your home with things you love. I stopped watching home decor shows years ago because I got sick of "designers" mocking peoples homes and choices. We are not all the same, so why would/should we decorate all the same ??

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    1. I do love watching decorating shows simply because it's eye candy for me...and sometimes I get some good ideas!

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  3. That is very sad about your husband's co-worker. Gosh, only 46 years old. That's scary! My kitchen cabinets are a mess. I try to tidy them but it's a hopeless cause. I always hope nothing falls out when I open them. At least nothing breakable. Ha! Still need to sort and purge and organize so many spaces around here. Spring Break in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll have more time then. As for decorating, I say break all the rules, and do whatever you want! You are the expert in your own home. :) Have a good dinner with your friend. Tammy

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    1. Yes, it's very sad and scary but even more sad is that he didn't take care of himself and let his disease get way out of hand. Don't spend your Spring Break cleaning - have fun instead! :-)

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  4. Wow, you have been having a major clear out, it is very cathartic though and makes you feel springlike doesn't it! So sorry to hear the news about your husbands colleague, that is very sad. I really like your curtains and think that the length suits them and the location very well! xx

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    1. Yes, it does feel good to clean out. Thanks for the compliments on the curtains.

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  5. I am so glad that the sun has arrived in Illinois. I hope it is there to stay. It is a good thing you got your cleaning done so you can just enjoy spring.

    I took 10 bags to the Goodwill on Friday and just filled another one today. I have been cleaning and purging in the attic. I am not done, but done enough that I feel I can check it off the list.

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    1. The sun was definitely not here to stay. The rain started this morning and will be this way the next few days. I'm proud of you for cleaning and purging, too!

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  6. Isn't it a wonderful feeling to clean things out? I've recently been thinking about my Tupperware, too. Some of mine is more than 30 years old! We cleaned some stuff out of our basement last week. Love it!

    And as for curtains -- I agree, do whatever you like. If my curtains touched the floor, they'd soon be decorated with dog hair!

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    1. Seems a lot of us are doing spring cleaning and purging. Great way to look at the curtains, lol! Mine would be covered in cat fur.

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  7. Your curtains are lovely just the way they are! And what a good job you have done decluttering! Very sad about your hubbys co worker, so young. I have never heard of a blood sugar level that high either! Usually 600 puts you in a coma or you do not survive. Prayers going up for this young mans family and friends. Love and Hugs, Nana

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    1. Thank you, Nana. You are very kind-hearted.

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  8. The curtains look nice. I like curtains to soften the windows with blinds (which most every window in my house has). You're right that they would look nice with fabric added to the bottom, it would give them more "weight", but since you like the softness of them, you might not want weight. I'm with you - whatever you like in your own home is what you should have.

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    1. Every window in my house has blinds, too. It's a must: we have neighbors all around us.

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  9. The curtains really look nice on your windows, Melanie. They stand out nicely against your pretty wall color. To lengthen curtains in one of my rooms, I hung them from clips and took the hem out, giving me another 5".
    Those chicken enchiladas look mighty delicious!!
    Mary Alice

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    1. You have some wonderful ideas with the curtains, Mary Alice - thank you! And the enchiladas were really good.

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  10. Oh, that delicious! You're absolutely right. There ARE no decorating rules.
    Brenda

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    1. Think how boring it would be if all our houses looked the same because we all followed the same decorating rules! ;-)

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  11. Those look delicious, hope you had a nice evening.

    Your room is beautiful, that curtain to the floor is a silly rule and one I do not follow either.

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    1. The enchiladas were delicious and yes, I certainly had a good evening with my friend. We ate, drank some wine, talked, laughed, and I taught her how to play Backgammon. Thanks for saying my living room looks beautiful - that was very sweet.

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  12. I have not even started to clear out all the junk I have in every nook and cranny of our dungeon. The enchiladas look amazing! I love the curtain, and I agreed do what you like not what someone else says is "right". Wasn't it beautiful the last two days, so sad to see it go!

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    1. I have a lot more stuff to clean out of my own dungeon, believe me. I hope we get more beautiful days back soon!

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  13. Hi Mel, You've got a friend with a sewing machine, me! Anytime my friend! Love, Penny

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  14. Hi Melanie, I wish I had your dedication for purging. I like your attitude for breaking the rules and I have always felt the same. I feel the same about my flower garden. I care little for curb appeal-it's for us. Yes, I can rake with an orthopedic rake with a frozen shoulder. I do all kinds of things with this shoulder. I have so much to do. I lifted furniture on Monday but I had lots of help. Have a terrific weekend, Olive

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    Replies
    1. An orthopedic rake...hmm. Never heard of that. Will definitely have to look into that one! For some reason, lifting doesn't bother my shoulder so much. It's more the pulling or raising my arm overhead (well, not that I can...but trying to).

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment - I read and appreciate each one!