A Happy Closet

As most of you know I am moving. I found this GREAT article on purging your closet. I thought what a perfect time to make MY closet a happy one.

10 Steps to a Happy Clothes Closet
By Maria Gracia
The clothes closet is one of the least respected areas in the house. It's often stuffed from floor to ceiling with clothing, briefcases, purses and shoes. Valuable clothing rod space has been taken over by vast armies of mis-matched hangers. Books and magazines have managed to somehow sprout out of nowhere. Bed linens are mixed in with towels, umbrellas and shoes. You can barely see the floor. Before you know it, your closet has become clutter central!
Here's some friendly advice. Heed the old saying, "Less is more." You'll save an enormous amount of time, money and stress by thinning out your huge wardrobe.
GET THE PROPER SUPPLIES. Buy a starter set of 30 hangers, or 60 if the closet is shared by two people. Get the sturdy, plastic ones. They're inexpensive and can be obtained at a homegoods store. Buy all one color for uniformity (or if you're sharing closet space with someone, get one color for yourself, and another color for the person you're sharing space with.)
While you're at the store, pick up a few sturdy skirt and pants hangers. Vertical skirt hangers with clips that hold 5 to 6 skirts on one hanger are a great choice. In addition, pick up an expandable shoe rack and a tie rack if you wear ties.
START WITH A CLEAN SLATE. Pull out everything (yes, everything) that's currently in your closet.
Keep in mind, as you're doing so, that you probably only wear 20% of your clothes on a regular basis, 10% of them are for special occasions, and the other 70% of them are probably never used at all.
SEPARATE CLOTHES INTO 5 PILES.

A. Clothes that meet any of the following criteria:
it is outdated
it is ripped
it is stained
it doesn't fit (if you're not sure whether or not it fits, try it on now)
you think it may come back in fashion someday
you wouldn't dream of ever wearing it again
B. Wire Hanger Pile (they're weak, they stick up in the air, and they damage your clothing)
C. Clothes that need minor repairs such as sewing a hem or replacing a button. If it's too much of a hassle to repair it, then don't put it in this pile.
D. Clothes you love and wear at least once a month AND clothes you love and wear at least twice a year (special occasion wardrobe). Your wardrobe should always make you feel good about yourself. If you don't love it or wear it often, it doesn't belong in this pile.
E. Any other items that don't fit into Category A, B, C or D.
CATEGORY A OR B: DUMP IT OR DONATE IT. Ok, now here's the fun part. Grab a large plastic garbage bag and dump everything (yes, everything) from your A pile into it. Bring it to your local charity organization first thing in the morning or dump it now.
If you're still reading this in disbelief, take a deep breath to get over the initial shock, then go ahead and toss it or donate it. You'll feel better in the end.
While you're at it, take all those terrible, awful, lousy wire hangers (Have you gotten the point that I really don't like wire hangers?!) in your B pile and bring them to your Dry Cleaner for recycling or dump them immediately.
C'mon now. Are you still considering keeping something in your A or B piles?? Please, dump it. It's clutter. You'll feel better about it later when your closet is organized, inviting and free of chaos.
CATEGORY C: REPAIR IT WITHIN 2 WEEKS. Ok, now that your A and B piles are donated or trashed (I hope), let's move on to your C pile. This pile should contain those articles of clothing that need minor repair. Get a basket or container. Dump this entire pile in it. Now, carry that basket over to your clothing repair area.
Give yourself a 2 week deadline. If it's not done in two weeks, dump or donate the entire basket. After all, if it's not important enough for you to repair, it's clutter. Sound drastic? I wouldn't steer you wrong. It's very easy for clutter to build up, and I want to help you eliminate any chance of it happening to you again.
CATEGORY D: ORGANIZE YOUR KEEPERS. Sort everything in your D pile by category of clothing (blouses, skirts, pants, suits, etc.) When done sorting, start with one category. Take one article of clothing at a time, put it on a hanger (the colorful, sturdy, plastic kind) and hang it in the closet. (Important Note: If you found something that didn't belong in the closet in the first place, don't put it there again.)
Do this until you've managed to hang all of your categories of clothing, making sure that all clothing and hangers are facing the same direction. (By the way, if you share your closet with someone, don't mix clothing together. Put each individual's clothing on either side of the closet.)
CATEGORY E: CATEGORIZE AND ORGANIZE EVERYTHING ELSE. If, due to lack of additional storage space, you have some items that simply have to be returned to your closet which haven't been put there already (your E pile), categorize them. Then, get some inexpensive organizing containers so that each category remains separated and place the containers on shelves in your closet.
Now is a good time to set up your brand new, sturdy, expandable shoe rack and neatly place your shoes on it.
FINISHING TOUCHES. Now, you're ready for some finishing touches. If you install a few hooks on an empty closet wall, you'll be able to hang belts, umbrellas and handbags. If you're lucky enough to have cubbies in your closet, purses and hats can be stored there; otherwise, put them on your closet shelves.
You can even pick up a clear, over-the-door shoe bag for small accessories such as hosiery, scarves, jewelry and the like. Don't put shoes in the shoe bag. It may sound funny, but these bags are too flimsy and awkward for the weight of most shoes, plus they collect dirt from shoe bottoms.
FINAL THOUGHTS. Don't overstuff. There should be plenty of room in your closet to get an item in or out. If there's not, consider thinning out your wardrobe a little more. The goal here is quality, not quantity. Don't buy another thing to wear without first determining if you really need it. Some people like to discard something they're not really happy with anymore, for a new item.
CELEBRATE. Congratulations! You're done. Don't you feel great?! You deserve a special reward for your hard work. Treat yourself to dinner, or a double hot fudge sundae. Go for a massage. Rent and watch a favorite movie. Be happy. Your closet is!

How Many Hairs on His Head?

I love the below article. It is such a wonderful relief to give my worries and fears to the Lord.

How Many Hairs on His Head?
Have you ever caught yourself worrying about your children? I know that I certainly have! I have worried over their safety when they are away from me. I have worried when they were sick. I have worried over some of their behaviors. I have worried over their futures and whether they will make wise decisions concerning who they marry and how they live. I have worried over whether their decision to follow Christ was sincere. When it comes to my concerns for my children, I can come up with quite a list. I love them so much and want what is best for them.
On one such morning, I was thinking about my children and beginning to worry about a certain situation concerning one of my children. Suddenly a thought occurred to me: How many hairs on his head? I mulled this over….how many hairs on his head? I have no idea how many hairs there are on any the heads of my children. But, God knows exactly how many hairs are on the heads of my children (Mt. 10:30). What a wonderful thought.
I am with my children every day. I am their mother and their school teacher. I certainly feel like I know them better than just about anyone. But I don’t know them better than God does! He knows them best. But better than knowing them best, He also loves them best. I just love the account in Mt. 19:13-15 where some children attempt to approach Jesus and the disciples try to shoo them away. Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Jesus loved children then and He loves them now.
Therefore I know I can trust God with my children. I can handle this worry the same way I handle other worries in my life, the Phil. 4:6-7 way! “Do not be anxious about anything (including my children), but in everything (including my children), by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (parenthesis mine)
Praise Him!Karen T.
(You can reach Karen at karen@t2chk.org)

Refuse to be DIscouraged

I refuse to be discouraged,To be sad, or to cry;I refuse to be downhearted,and here's the reason why:I have a God who's mighty,Who's sovereign and supreme;I have a God who loves me,and I am on His team.He is all-wise and powerful.Jesus is His name;Though everything is changeable,My God remains the same.My God knows all that's happening;Beginning to the end;His presence is my comfort;He is my dearest Friend.When sickness comes to weaken me,To bring my head down low,I call upon my mighty God;Into His arms I go.When circumstances threatento rob me of my peace;He draws me close unto His breast,Where all my strivings cease.When my heart melts within me,and weakness takes control;He gathers me into His arms,He soothes my heart and soul.The great "I AM" is with me.My life is in His hand;The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,It's in His strength I stand.I refuse to be defeated,My eyes are on my God;He has promised to be with me,as through this life I trod.I'm looking past all my circumstances,To Heaven's throne above;My prayers have reached the heart of GodI'm resting in His love.I give God thanks in everything.My eyes are on His face;The battle's His, the victory mine;He'll help me win the race.
Written by~~ B J George ~~but inspired byLord & Savior Jesus Christ

Books I am Currently Reading

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

Activating the Gifts of the Holy Spirit


I love to read, infact a perfect day for me would be a day of quite with a good book. No that's not right, a perfect day is spending time with my family. However, everyone needs some alone time. For me, it's a good book. I used to read thriller/suspense novels. I still do but I order them from a Christian book club. I try to read at least one spirit lifting, self improving book every couple of months. I just finished The Power of a Positive Wife, that was a great eye opening book! I highly suggest anyone who tends to be negative in the flesh to read that book. It has certainly helped to change my relationship with my husband-even though I didn't think it needed any changing.

I also just finished (last month) Practical Tools for the Foster Parent. This is a great resource for "how-to" deal with certain situations that may arise. We are finished with our classes and recieved our certificate last week! WE still have some more paperwork to turn in and another home visit. I am excited to begin this new chapter in our life. I am reading and researching as much as I can, so as to be the best foster mom I can be. Our class instructor was fantastic and I feel better prepared and ready to move forward!!!