I'm Moving!

Z-man helping

 My daughter and son in law are building me a Grannie Flat in their back yard (!!)

So after 19 years here, I'm engaged in downsizing and purging for that move, which will be in stages!

During construction, I'll be mere yards away, in a back nook in their home! Able to watch over and bless the process at every stage! Deciding what to take with for that 3-6 months, what can go into short term storage! 

I've ordered my new mattress, but for the nonce, I'll borrow one of the kids bed, that fits in the space. 

My new room

Note to self: Wash the walls with a bit of salt and citrus Essential Oil in the walls to clear predecessor Chi.

Meanwhile, I've lived the longest in this  house on Galloway! So there's much accumulation of - stuff!! My daughter and her first 2 girls lived with me 17 years ago - and left some things in my garage (we've sorted that). 

That nest egg included things from my mom (who died the previous winter) and dad,  who's now been gone 30 years. And of course many things from my own 72 years circling the sun.

Having their help has been huge! 

I asked a new neighbor if he was intersted in buying my house - and his brother is! A realtor friend is overseeing the sale, and I have a week and 1/2 left to finish up! 

I've been sweeping the front porch and spritzing the door with cinnamon (thanks to tips from Amanda Gibby Peters) and have a virtual consultation scheduled later in the month with my BD twin Gwynne, who is a Feng Shui practioner! 

Partway through many of my moves, I often just want a backhoe at the end - and sometimes just brought junk along! On the weekend I thanked Mary and Matt for "being my backhoe BEFORE the very end!" 

Construction beginning

The stuff! The books! The plants!! 

We began moving the plants first - I had kept many in pots, and dug up others  .... I somehow found time to garden (rather than being going through stuff!) this summer ... and my grandson Z and I put in a little bed on their back garden, which he helps check and tend!

I've been listening to lots of podcasts and watching decluttering videos, and realize I'm 'motivational challenged and have problems wroth executive function - my dad would say, "Penny wise, pound foolish!" I can focus for hours on non-essentials!! But often delay important tasks. Procrastination often goes with this challenge getting motivated! And sticking to one task (they are a subset of ADHD!)

One clutter clearing champ, Cass, invites us to learn to "eat the Frog First!" Do that hard thing you don't want to do, 'cause you know you'll never want to!!

I'm assisting in a virtual creative class (scheduled months ago!) Last week we created glyphs / sigals - I used the non-repeating letters from 'Eat the Frog First' in creating this one - 

Eat The Frog First 

So - I'm eating the frog 🐸  and find its getting easier with practice. 

Some tips on dealing with the stuff - whether you're simply dethugging (and we all need to at times - toddy people have less stuff - who knew??) or preparing for a move! 

✔ have trash bags/ bins in every room, plus recycling, shredding, and areas for donations. 

✔ thank / bless the items as you bundle them up 

✔ it can help to start with things you're less attached to - and handle quickly! 

✔ Our brains release bonding hormones when stimulated by touch - have a friend hold up/ point to/ ask you about things! A good phrase is, 'it looks tired' ... another,  'close your eyes and think of the house you want to live in - does this fit?' 

✔ Choose what you want to keep and work on boxing those, let a helper bag/ box up donations (that helps keep me from rebonding!) If they want it, it's theirs!! Since we're dealing with family things, we have a box set aside for my son, and my daughter reclaims special items.  

Books for Matt to box

✔ Engage a friend or your kids to witness /go with you for the first donation drop!
✔ get yourself some flowers 💐 and/or favorite coffee ☕ on the way home! 

✔ If you can, have someone else handle some of the drop offs! Have a clear staging station, and just let them do it - go along occasionally if you want - up to you! The less disposal I'm copingwith, the easier sorting becomes 

In the past, those bags🎒 🛍 rumbled around in my car for months ... it's such a blessing to just set them on the porch for them to load up! 

✔ Selling? If you're good at it and have time .... or there's a garage sale you can tag into .... Matt is listing a few things on marketplace, and deals with those, I sold one of my old massage tables (don't judge!) to a friend who's taken Reiki from me.

When you need to do a donation run, set yourself up for success ✔ Have a system for when and how you'll bookend it with other errands, and where in your car you'll put them. 
✔ include a treat once a week - fresh flowers are great! Amanda Gibby Peters of Simple Shui has some great stories about it being a quick way to freshen Chi! Find her Simple Shui tips on Instagram.

✔ be good to you! Stay hydrated!! Have glasses of water, maybe with a bit of lemon and cucumber, stashed around. Schedule breaks - go on a little walk, sit down, take a bath or shower at the end of the day.
You've got this!! 💕 💐 

Cold Brew Chicory Coffee

For years I've sipped herb tea and infusions, with occasional forays into drinking coffee. My mom was fond of green tea, and for a brewed drink, choose Sanka (instant decaf, 'sans caffeine'). With recent studies promoting health benefits of drinking a cuppa daily, I've been drinking some, usually black (! I was fond of flavors, which were also pretty sweet!) 

Råskog cart (mine's cream)

Saturday I went on a field trip to Ikea with a couple of friends, seeking a Råskog cart for art supplies. We played a grand game of shop-till-we-collapse, ... getting the cart and other goodies, eating dinner, shopping a bit more, ... and I picked up a little French press and some organic whole coffee beans. 
I have a little electric mill I generally use for spices, and wanted to grind my own. My friend suggested making iced coffee concentrate, and so I looked up some recipes for proportions 

I liked the idea of adding chicory, which I have from Mt. Rose Herbs, and checked out their site, finding this article. I decided to go half and half, so got out the grinder, and did a course grind of 1/4 cup coffee beans, adding 1/4 cup roasted & ground chicory at the end for one more grind.

The next step was putting the mix in a quart jar, and covering with filtered water. The last addition was a teaspoon of powdered Reishi mushroom, then capping the mason jar, and setting

Cup from Alyssa

it on the counter to steep overnight (6-12 hours, at room temperature.)

Reishi and other tree fungi are considered adaptogens, beneficial for daily use. Studies have shown Reishi to have potential for protecting the neurological system, inhibiting tumor growth, and aiding liver regeneration.

In the morning, I poured 1/2 of the cool coffee blend in the French press, and after pressing, filed with 1/2 cup filtered water. Mmm.

I left the rest to steep longer, then pressed and refrigerated it. I covered the grounds with 4 cups of water, and steeped a second time. After pressing, I poured some of that into my new "water bottle" ice cube tray (long and slim) 

My cup of choice was my Christmas gift from my granddaughter Alyssa, which she made in her HS pottery class! Didn't she do a great job? I love the glaze and the round belly! She made her mom a matching vase, which is equally lovely and loved.

Last week I cleaned up and rearranged my front porch, and painted my front door a yummy Cosmic Cowgirl Magenta!  We had a long, cold and wet winter and spring, it's lovely to have a temperate spell, and I'm enjoying sitting out in the morning with my journal.

I think I'll add turmeric and a dash of pepper tomorrow ... 
What's in your cup??

Purple Door & Feng Shui

Welcome 2011!

I've been following my dear, inspiring friend Gwynne's Feng Shui 18 day program to nutrure business success for the coming year, & the task for day 3 was to clear & bless your entrance or 'Mouth of Chi' by clearing clutter by your front door, sweeping the steps & porch, making sure the street numbers are visible, & washing the door - or painting it! Gwynne's suggestions were: glossy red for good luck, black for career & money, or green for growth & new beginnings.

I've done some things at the office, & some at home, so my front porch got some needed attention! I swept, cleared, washed the door, took the mailbox down & repainted it (gold with red), took the shutter by the window off (to the L, facing the door), so I could move the house numbers to a 'visible' position, & thought about choosing a new colour for the door!

My home has vinyl siding, & the door & vinyl shutters on several windows have been teal blue. I considered painting it red ... my friend Leonard mentioned having looked up possibilities on-line - which colours are harmonious for the direction your door faces.
Mine faces East, some possibilities include: green, blue, & turquoise. One author commented: "in feng shui, purple is the only colour that you can place in any direction." Hmm, purple ...

Reno Berkeley writes: "a purple door signifies royalty and wealth, but not necessarily monetary wealth. Purple is a spiritual color, and in Feng Shui is connected with psychic activities such as spirituality & meditation. ... painting your front door purple can show the world that you are open-minded and willing to think outside the box. Purple is universally known as the most spiritual and versatile color in the spectrum."

So I headed out to find some paint - & chose a glossy purple for the door, & pale lavender for trim. Painting is so satisfying, very quickly you have a whole new look!! I washed & painted the porch window trim as well - still have to do more clean up, & find a nice new doormat!

The Chinese New Year - year of the Rabbit - begins on Feb 4. On Saturday, I went with my friends Donna & Marvin to the Lan Su Gardens in downtown Portland, had tea, enjoyed the gardens, & got a few goodies from the gift shop. My feng shui packet from Gwynne & 10,000 Blessings contains a lovely selection of cures for enhancing the fortune of the year, Chinese coins on red ribbon, loose coins, ingots, incense ...

The Rabbit year is an especially favorable & mild one, following the more exciting year of the Tiger! I'm a Tiger, & my Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes says: "A happier year for the Tiger. Some good news is forthcoming, love & business affairs look rosy. There are still some obstacles, but (s)he will surmount them with little difficulty, & will be quite content with (her) achievements." That sounds good!
In general, a Rabbit year brings "A congenial time in which diplomacy, international relations & politics fare well. We will act with discretion & make reasonable concessions without too much difficulty. Money can be made without too much labor, our life style will be more languid & leisurely. A temperate year with an unhurried pace."

Remember last year's preparations - my grandkids especially loved rolling oranges across the doorstep! This Saturday my LAc co-worker Lisa & I are hosting an open house at our business, & rolling those oranges!!

Blessings on your year! May it indeed be congenial, prosperous & leisurely!