by Allison on July 30, 2010
in Etc.
Today I am refreshing a commitment to the space I inhabit: the Zen Apartment. When we originally moved in on a short-term lease, we crossed our fingers it would be extended & decided we would use those months to destash, unclutter, & refresh the ideals of our ‘stuff’.
& it worked. For a while. But life pops up & then all of a sudden you realize it will be two years in the fall & that you’re not quite content with the ‘stuff’ situation. Nothing happens overnight (not for me, a semi-recovering pack rat), but I know I feel better when I let my organization skills flourish. & for that to happen – well…there needs to be space!
I’m creating space for things that are more than just stuff. Belongings. Mementos. Events.
A few of my favorite places on the web to assist me in this:
- Unclutterer – tips on everything from closet space to finances
- Bneato – blog of a professional organizer from LA
- Zen Habits – organize your thought processes!
- Lifehacker – if you want to streamline something, chances are they have a tutorial for it.
What are your favorite resources to help the organization & de-cluttering process?
This isn’t really what my cookies looked like. This is my depiction of what they might have looked like had they not all been eaten before I thought to take a picture. This is my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe which I then make chunkier depending on what other ingredients I have on hand. I’ve also increased the chocolate chips because there’s nothing worse than having a mile in between each chocolate chip. & the dried cherries? YUM, totally worth it.
Chocolate Chip (Chunk) Cookies
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
- In another bowl beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets.
Bake for 9-11 minutes (it depends on the size you make them).
Enjoy!
by Allison on July 26, 2010
in Etc.
Today is a day for persistence.
Today is for deep breaths & small smiles. Sometimes you do make a big mess of things, but sometimes that big mess leads to a pretty awesome situation. Today is a day to examine if the eggs I’m juggling are worth taking care of. A few of them are nice & smooth, speckled & cold to the touch. But there is one or two that have sneakily found their way in there – they have cracks & are lukewarm. My energy wouldn’t be well spent caring for them.
How many eggs are you juggling? Which ones would you like to ditch?
by Allison on July 24, 2010
in Etc.
#63: Make a funny face.
