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Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you find some helpful hints for organizing your time and space. My passions are to help you make home a refuge instead of a crisis center, and to help you function in peace rather than chaos - at home or at work. I have switched my main blog to 1-2-3 ... Get Organized on WordPress, so please visit me there.



Monday, May 2, 2011

Simplifying Holiday Decorations

   
Over the weekend I got caught up on some organizing projects for myself. One that has been bothering me is holiday decorations - not Christmas, but holidays since then. I try to change centerpieces and placemats each month to fit with holidays or themes. 

I consolidated winter and spring decorating items into one large plastic container - snowflakes for January, Valentine's, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter. Since I reorganized it, I put Easter on the bottom, since I'll need that later than the others. I donated everything but the things I really love.

We will not be foster parents forever, and by downsizing and simplifying a little at a time, it will be a little easier when we move on. We have no plans to move, but moving is such a big job, anything we can do now will help!

I stack my placemats in the order of when I'll use them. I'm using Spring placemats now. So Flag Day/July 4th are now on top of the stack, then watermelons, then sunshine placemats, etc. When I get ready to use them, I just need to pick the ones off the top. 

Changing the theme every month is as much for me as it is for the girls - it's an easy way for me to be creative, and it creates an pleasant atmosphere for the girls. Most of them don't come from environments where there is much beauty. And beauty is therapeutic, and I need all the therapy I can get!! LOL!

I'm in a constant mode of simplifying, reducing, and downsizing. A little at a time is bearable!


More on downsizing:

You Can't Downsize Memories

The Advantages of Downsizing

Three Steps to Downsizing to a Smaller Residence