Project Genesis 9/1/2011

Mother Nature has been wielding 

a heavy hand the past couple of years,

and many people are suffering.

Although there is only so much we are 

able to do to protect ourselves from

occurrences beyond our control, we are not helpless.

We can prepare as much as possible. 

I have had this discussion numerous times with friends
and find my nagging  advice is rarely heeded.

So...once again with enthusiasm, I shall

be the one asking you..

"ARE YOU PREPARED?"

Do you have enough stored water to support

your family's needs for a minimum of three days?

Batteries, lights, food, diapers, medicine?

Are your personal essential papers, 
and photographs copied and in a safe location, 
that is NOT your home?

Do you have an outside number 
where your family can call into

to check in on each other, in case communication
 in some areas of the country are down?

My kids and I will call my brother in another state

to leave messages for each other, 

via Red Cross if necessary.

Do you have a will, a trust for your kids, 
power of attorney for medical and financial, a DNR?

I do not have a crystal ball that predicted disaster
will never come my way, so I will be prepared 

to the best of my ability.

What does this have to do with PG?

I believe it is our obligation to 
take care of ourselves, as much as possible, 
before expecting help elsewhere.
That way the neediest get help first,
reducing strain on our public services.

Of course catastrophic events happen
 that are impossible to prepare for but we 

should never have to say

 "I wish I had, I never expected.. if only..."

Am I ready?

to all of the above...YES, and more.

Here is how prepared you too can easily be.
This is a system I developed a few years ago.

These two wheeled medium size trash cans
contain enough supplies to take
 care of a family of four for over a week.
Right next to them is sufficient water, sleeping bags,
a first aid kit, extra clothing and a tent. 
I grab those, the food in the pantry I have set aside, 
and in under five minutes we can hit the road,
 if we have to evacuate.
I can cook, clean, shower, etc. 
There are leashes, bowls
 and stakes for the pooches, 
and even an emergency toilet.
Knowing I am ready does give me
 comfort and piece of mind.


Maybe you don't wish to go this far, 
I am known to take it to the extreme, 
( no comments you local chums)
but I'm guessing there is something 
you could/should be doing
to be just a bit more ready 
when a bad day comes.
Why not start today?


Please join us here and remember
*Link to your PG post not just to your blog
*Please no self promotion
*Please no thrifting or upcycle posts
I reserve the right to edit any links :D

Project Genesis

is returning this Thursday Sept 1

See RULES HERE

Again please, no self promotion,

 link only to your PG post, not just to your blog 

and no thrifting or remakes please.

Remember it does not have to be a big profound post

on how you are saving the world, 

unless you are, then please share..

Any info, great websites, small/large environmental 

changes you are making;

all are welcome and appreciated.

If you wish to see some previous links,

 check my sidebar for prior PG days and some 

great gals and their posts for Project Genesis.

(I still get emails on my vinegar uses post,

lots of gals removing fish odors lol)

Email me with any questions and 

please join us! 

It's the only planet we've got.

Not a Hurricane

No, this is not the aftermath of Irene.

This is prep for a garage sale tomorrow.

No, it was not all mine, not even close.

Jessica McClintock dresses, size 4 Yikes

Several gals joined in and it started piling up.

Preview night was this evening. Friends on my mailing list 

come early to shop and get 1st dibs..

Tomorrow at 6 am we start hauling tables out into the driveway more and stage the tables and pull out the clothes racks and drink lots of Starbucks frappacinos.

I was going to rework tables after they were decimated this evening but I'm tuckered out.

Looking at this makes me crazy, 

my perfectly organized garage.

Justice is checking it out as you can see.

Howie is scared of it all. 

I think about a third is gone already.

$$$$$ We made some moola tonight!

Almost everything of mine that is left over goes to

 Goodwill immediately after the sale. 

AS for the rest.... 

The rules are : if you bring it down to my house it must

leave with you, no really, so by 4:00 my cars will be back where they belong  and orderliness will reign once more.

Why do I show you this mess? It sure isn't pretty.

But as much as I hate doing it,

it is far easier than what many are facing this weekend.

My heart and prayers are with all those facing Irene,

including my kids, Laura's daughter, Carole and George,

Debra and her kids..and so many more I care about.

Stay safe all of you.

See you all safe and well on the other side of Irene.

I'm naming my garage hurricane Julia;

they go in alpha order don't  they?

Project Genesis returns Sept 1st.

PLEASE put your thinking caps on.

Goodness knows this planet needs help! 

Z

Butter Rum

Life sends us signals all the time, 

if we pay close attention.

What does this have to do with Butter Rum lifesavers?

A lot

You see my dad loved lifesavers, and often 

had a roll in his pocket, for special times of need.

When standing in the yard 

pondering his next garden project,

or quieting a very fidgety 

daughter during church sermons.

He would offer a lifesaver to a neighbor

 who had wandered by and 

they would stand there in the yard, 

my dad's feet spread far apart, a shifting of his hips

 and his arms folded across his chest, settling in, 

very much at peace with the moment.

Butter rum was a favorite of his and certainly mine.

I don't think I've had a lifesaver 

or even noticed them in many, many years.

Until today.

There were the rolls, right in front of me,

and suddenly dad was in my mind and heart

 as if he was standing by my side.

Saying "now Suzy, what's the matter?"

"Here, have a lifesaver", 

as his thumb popped one off the top.

 I wanted to say, "You see I'm very

sad about several things and confused

 about how to handle 

some situations and I'm so weary of 

figuring it out all alone.

I wish you were here, I still need you here."

Then... seeing those silly little rolls of butter rum, the only flavor they carried, I knew he was here.

Always in my heart 

guiding me to do the right thing, 

all those lessons learned at his side;

to stand up for what is right, and for myself.

To keep my word even if it meant sacrifice on my part.

To aid each friend, neighbor and stranger,

 as he always did. I struggle at times to live up

to that ideal, I think we all do, but he never faltered,

never wavered in his commitment to his family,

his country, his neighbors.

My dad's birthday would have been Friday.

I think perhaps he was just checking 

in on me today to see

how I've been doing, a little cosmic butter rum

reminder of who he wanted me to be.

I pray that Ben and Hannah will

honor the lessons I leave behind, most of them 

the same lessons he passed to me;

and recognize the signs when I 

come check in on them.

so to you my friends..

Here,

have a life saver;

they're Butter Rum

First Floor Done

So, not too many changes in here that you will notice.

I did purge dishes etc, cleared out drawers and cabinets

and thinned out the collections.

Swapped out some lamps and tried to get the 

room out of the bowling alley look, but

it is so narrow that bringing furniture out into the room 

would mean walking around it 

all the time like an obstacle course. 

 I did try different layouts and then

threw in the towel. 

I swapped out the

 chairs from the porch and now the chairs

 are with their matching tables.

Since for years I had pizza and teens eating here 

I had the fabric seat ones on the porch.

This great room is three stories high.

When I tiled the first floor many years ago, 

I could not afford hardwood, and 

now I don't wish the expense to add it,

since I don' t know how long I'll be here.

 I know I would love it, but priorities....

Tile certainly helps keep the house cool.

105 degrees now at 7:00 pm

111 for later in the week

 You may have noticed I love using multiple mirrors

 to reflect all around the room

Inside the bins are dried pods and fall pieces.

Yep, I am getting ready for fall.

September is fall, period, don't argue,

 and I took advantage of the 

"purge and clean"

 to remove all the summer shells out of here.

Vintage handblown jars full of naturals.

********

Making shades, as I had planned;

only a few more to go.

Polka dot swiss

Strip shade over vintage frame

gives of the coolest light and shadows

This does mean a tag sale this weekend.

"Oh dear heaven, another one" she says....

For you local gals, Cindy of "the Cottage"

is on her way this evening to drop off

 her items for the sale. WOOT!

Preview night is this Friday @ 6:30 pm.

Call first please.

Saturday - doors open @ 7:00am

Joining the delightful and gorgeous Kathleen at 

Faded Charm for another White Wednesday.

Please check out all the lovely ladies.

z

Playthings

I'm playing in the living room.

What are you doing this weekend?

z

A Treasure

Jacqueline @ Home 

is not a stranger to most of you by any means. I feel like I have been living under a rock, because somehow I had missed getting to know her, even though

I frequently heard of this wonderful blog HOME.

Carole @ Maynard Greenhouse sent me

 this link  

to Home's latest post, to bop me on the head,

and I was gobsmacked.

I spent the next few hours all over Jacqueline's blog,

lapping up every delicious morsel and 

marveling at the photographs and content.

Grab coffee, wine, cookies,

whatever floats your boat and settle in

for a treasure filled afternoon of browsing.

The whipped topping extra?

Jacqueline wrote me a lovely email letting me know

her a little bit more. This gal has class.

If you are one of the five remaining people 

who have not visited Home, 

shove the rock off and go...NOW!

Carole, thank you for the head bop.

You're the best.

Pics of latest re-do's on hold until google lets me have more storage space.

Murphy's Law..Of course it only happens when you are just about to upload right?

z

It's a Process

 

  "(It don't come easy, you know it don't come easy)

(It don't come easy, you know it don't come easy)

Got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues

And you know it don't come easy

You don't have to shout or leap about

You can even play them easy

Forget about the past and all your sorrow

The future won't last

It will soon be your tomorrow"

George Harrison

So yesterday this is what the great room looked like:

It's a process.

After purging all the main floor rooms

 and dumping into this one spot,

I was able to separate what was

 to be given away, sold, or relocated.

Local gals, yep, another sale....

Today I am playing in here.

Not so many changes,

this space has always worked.

Pics to come.

I have been making lots of 

small changes in the evenings,

working on lamp shade swap outs,

covering light switches on counters.

I noticed they where a negative focus  

 in the kitchen shots.

Attention to small, no money changes.

******

See your home with a fresh eye:

Two ways to give yourself a view 

of a room you have not changed in awhile.

Take several photos from all angles

 and study them objectively,

 or my favorite; turn on some lights,

 go outside in the evening 

and look in the window .

You obtain objectivity for a room this way,

and visualize with a fresh perspective.

I am not suggesting any of you scale your walls

to see in the second story...lol 

Don't do that!

OK back to work...

Remember that den with the newly

 painted wall unit? Well the sofas got 

swapped out and I made an ottoman.

It don't come easy.....

z

Debra and Kristen?

Yoo-hoo you won!

scroll down  :D


post script- reposted from 30 minutes ago 

Covered these books on the right before DD left.
She was to label for me but we forgot!
I made a "tear and attach" linen drape
 to hide brightly covered books on the left.

sorry for blur- I hurried


Sectional was here, now it will be sold.
Floral was in family room.
I made ottoman slipcover for sectional ottoman,
which I am keeping.
I have matching chair to this sofa 
so it makes sense to keep it, not the sectional 
because sadly I no longer need room to 
seat 4 teenagers always sprawled there.
Money spent so far?  Zero

WOOT WINNERS WOOT

I am thrilled to announce the winners:

Kit @ A Montana Life

Jolene @ The Primitive Bucket

Connie @ She Dreams Big

Debra @ Maison St Germain

Kathleen @ Faded Charm

Connie @ Hartwood Roses

Danielle @ My Blessed Serendipity Life

Kristen- no blog

Congratulations to all of you! WoOt wOoT

To keep the surprise going just a wee bit longer,

you'll have to wait and see 

what special treasure arrives on your doorstop.

I'm so mean..hehe

Now, I need all your addresses 

ASAP via email please, so 

that all these lovely ladies can get your

prizes winging your way. <3

Gift Givers..as soon as I have the address

of your recipient I will email you.

A ginormous hug and thank you once more to

Carole, Carole, Cindy, Donna, Tanya, and Theresa.

These ladies are so wonderful I could gush endlessly.

These are such warm, loving, talented women, the backbone of this country, kind of women.

I am truly blessed and honored to call them my friends.

Z

Kitchen- The process continues

The Kitchen:

Pretty self explanatory

Master Howie tucked under the bench

He thinks we can't see him.

Gonna paint those stools some day...

been going to for..oh..about....

15 years

Now at the top of my list,

after the new shades for family room.

Bananas usually in the egg basket

Cookie jar empty - good thing

no temptation

Onions usually in smaller copper 

in front and garlic in crock.

No bananas, cookies, garlic, or onions...

Hey, I need to go to the market

Be Brave - a secret note here to a bloggie friend

At least I have apples.

Anyhoot, if you are planning on stopping by, either

bring food or give me a heads up, the cupboards,

and counters are bare.

******

Many of you have commented and emailed your

personal path of purging/ paring down, 

and inquired how to do it.

Since I do this often for many others, I can 

only say it is a process and some of you will need 

to go slowly or risk being overwhelmed, and some of you

will go crazy and tear it up and

 then put it all back together...

Do what works for you.

Design the way that makes you happy.

Use what YOU have, before acquiring the new.

 You may get inspiration from others,

but replicating it may not bring you satisfaction.

Deal in realities and follow your own heart.

My photos are straight out of the camera,

nothing is staged or moved ..

( except for the paper towel holder Tot lol)

A home should always be a process of evolution,
 never stagnant. 
Just as we grow and learn as we age,

so our homes should mature and 

change with us. It should reflect us  

at our current stage in life, 

not the life we were living 30 years ago, 

or even five years ago.

Sometimes just removing unnecessary stuff

 is all you need to do to have 

a brilliant new perspective and view.

My home gives me a sense of peace, 

of refuge, when I walk in the door.

Shouldn't yours?

It's a process. Begin.

Family Room check! check!

Well I'm happy with it. I've always loved this couch. 

It was the one that was on the porch.

Got it for free over 25 years ago,

 and it was "gently used" then. I recovered it twice,

 and now it is slip covered and it is still going strong.

Gotta love those old Drexels.

Finally found a home for this gorgeous wool rug that

I bought from West Elm last year at 75% off.

It feels like a sweater to my feet.

Be a good dog Howie!

The pooches are rolling on it like it is catnip.

I still have "things" as many of you asked, but I evaluated

each one before including it back into the room.

I had to love it or use it.

It is a cleaner look for sure, 

but not cold, or less cozy to me. 

I still have all the lampshades to work on, covering

them with other fabrics or trims, updating them.

The french door you see to the right

 is to the back porch you visited yesterday.

******

So tonight is the end of the giveaway.

Midnight PST 

I've met some delightful new gals, visited new blogs

 and had a grand old time.

 I wish you all could win a little something 

because you mean so much to me.

I will announce the winners as soon as I finish

making all the drawing slips,  

and verifying the winners. 

WoOt wOoT

I did my best to reply to all of 

the comments except for those of you who are

"no reply comment".

(please put your email in your profile ladies)

Z