tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62127663012226654412024-02-19T04:20:18.492-05:00 A Devonshire Design Designing my way out of the corporate life and sharing the journey!Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.comBlogger406125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-91329268615727758932021-04-06T11:27:00.003-04:002021-04-06T11:28:41.745-04:00Change? You Betcha!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I read this quote today by Muriel Rukeyser: “What would happen if one woman told the truth of her life? The world would split open.” I read this right after an article about how we might change as a person after this year of quarantine. It struck me that this quote really fits our times. So I wanted to find out more about Muriel Rukeyser.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Muriel was an American poet and political activist, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and Judaism. This, of course, is per Wikipedia. She wrote poems, children's book, plays and more. She wrote during times of turmoil and she wrote about times of turmoil in the past.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And isn't that what we are living in today? Not just the pandemic but also the political struggles, the issues with other countries, the standing of our country around the world, our own infighting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know that I will not be the same person after one year of worry, years of political arguments, health or money concerns, uprooting our life, and more. I know that I will come out of this different, not so fearful, not so reticent, I see that already.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a dream (or nightmare) depending on your viewpoint, that my DH and I never reached that retirement place, that we waited too long and lost our chance. It was then we decided to just make the first step - even if it is a baby step - to launching that move. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I would not have done that a year ago, I would have buried that dream...again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So how do you think you have changed in this year? What is the truth of your life that might change the world?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OYuqxZTIutw81EB92uXnk2oUjYQpGenTrDZOIbVBorPiRAKjxMtE-VtXudJOvFYNr6xpZr2B-8j_jXlaooCVRh5oRrsvgEvuaF6G_tySfFiP8kT1DekG7MXIDurwzBwxhI_ZVCuInIeV/s400/retirement-meme-11.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OYuqxZTIutw81EB92uXnk2oUjYQpGenTrDZOIbVBorPiRAKjxMtE-VtXudJOvFYNr6xpZr2B-8j_jXlaooCVRh5oRrsvgEvuaF6G_tySfFiP8kT1DekG7MXIDurwzBwxhI_ZVCuInIeV/w176-h132/retirement-meme-11.webp" width="176" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And what are you going to do about it?</span><p></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-60255826447162592952021-03-29T13:55:00.002-04:002021-03-29T13:55:37.111-04:00What Times We Live in<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What times we live in! I was reading this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/well/live/vaccine-shaming-medical-privacy.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article">article</a> today and was taken aback by so many new things this brought forward to discuss.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is "fauxmorbidity"?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When did it become important to discuss my "hidden" disease?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why do we all feel the need to share our vaccine cards?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It seems as if these days we are all in each others business. "You travelled"? What were you thinking, where did you go, was everyone masked, did you quarantine when you can back? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As if any of this is really your business. It may be your business if I live with you and did not share, it may even be your business if we work together and I am walking around unmasked and coughing. But it's not your business on my social media.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is not your business to ask me how I got vaccinated so early. If you know me well enough, you know my physical issues and you know where I work and whom I work with. If you don't know me well enough, then it's not really your business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was guilty of this. Even if I did not say it out loud (and I think I may have), I know I thought "Hey, how did so and so get it already?" or "You really went to another country?". But I now realize it's not my business to ask.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nor is it my business to badger you to get the shot. You can make that choice. I will then make my choice to spend time with you based on your choice. And hopefully we can stay friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This article and many other like it helped to open my eyes. I appreciate that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. Fauxmorbidity is the "issue" you may have to get yourself in line for an early shot. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-27360696559792224062021-03-18T15:06:00.001-04:002021-03-18T15:13:01.946-04:005 Random Thoughts For March<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are Five Random Thoughts for March (or anytime really).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It has been nice to see life springing back to "normal" or whatever will pass for normal in the next few months and even years. When you look back at the past year, you have to wonder what we are doing now that maybe we should have been doing all along. For example, less driving and flying, better choices with food (growing your own) and perhaps that we don't need lip plumpers to be happy with ourselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">2) Weather people on television need excitement in their lives. It is not that important that "Spring is in 8 Days!" or "27 Days to Baseball Opening Day" that is needs to be part of the weather time each evening. Give me the weather for the next 7 days, try to be accurate and BTW - sleeveless all winter long? Why? Maybe the weather men need to start wearing polo shirts all winter to be even.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) I am very proud of my son. Through all of the drama of the past year, he has managed to keep himself afloat (he is a restaurant person) and always find a good selection of employment while staying COVID safe. Now he is working in a really good spot with health benefits (soon) and has had his first shot. Whew!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">4) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am fairly tired of hearing "Pundits" and "Talking Heads" and "Politicians" telling me that the $1400 checks are unnecessary. Tell that to people who cannot pay rent, or buy food because their job is still gone and unemployment just doesn't cover costs. I'm glad that you are making enough money to cover all your expenses and pay off your bills every month that you don't need it. But so many do need it...so keep your opinion to yourself!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">5) It's been a joy during this past year to rediscover long lost hobbies, and also seeing so many people finds their voice as well. Entertaining the masses from your balcony, paying down credit cards because commuter cost are gone, feeding needy people, volunteering at a Senior Center, delivering meals or just building jigsaw puzzles; I am certain that all of us have had some positive moments in the last 365 days. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This has not been an easy year. Many of us lost loved ones or have friends who have suffered or are still facing hardships. But I am that person who tries to see the glass as half full and I am continuing to make that choice. What's your joyful or sad moment in the last 365?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9NYu80qTWrjtthgh2TaZBLf0EUlaAGqTYHpFpQRB_c10noY5UC6aEs5zVv_l-ozoq-ZlNpP_pjw-kdlI5Iv1bFhGjUtTIqKNkV3iM_SdtStgocDD0_PnCN1mOy3MybZZPEMEjhT9vF7O/s1300/113557208-icon-running-calendar-vector-logo-funny-illustration-of-a-paper-tear-off-calendar-cartoon-badge-embl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1300" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9NYu80qTWrjtthgh2TaZBLf0EUlaAGqTYHpFpQRB_c10noY5UC6aEs5zVv_l-ozoq-ZlNpP_pjw-kdlI5Iv1bFhGjUtTIqKNkV3iM_SdtStgocDD0_PnCN1mOy3MybZZPEMEjhT9vF7O/w166-h166/113557208-icon-running-calendar-vector-logo-funny-illustration-of-a-paper-tear-off-calendar-cartoon-badge-embl.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-65308672622884458712021-03-08T16:41:00.001-05:002021-03-18T14:39:02.533-04:00February About Did Me in<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I kind of went into hiding in February because I just could not deal with everything anymore.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was tired of wearing a mask everywhere (even at work in my own office); I was tired of the cold and the snow, I was tired because of my first shot and them really felt crappy after the second shot. I was tired of coming up with dinner ideas because who wants to sit outside to eat (when you could even get out) and finally I was over it all - elections, and politics especially.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the few things that has kept me sane for the past year has been my ability to leave the house and go to the office. For the first few months, I was the only one here for the most part and did not have to mask up (especially in my office with a door - so lucky) and was able to get work done and talk to people and not just be in the home cocoon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once summer came, we had the ability to eat out once or twice a month and we grew a small family circle that helped as well. Plus still, the office...the blessed office.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then winter hit. No more eating outside and the cold weather kept most people home. We did have a nice vacation (fully tested and vetted - family only) that again broke things up. But in January my goal was to get everyone in the house their vaccine so that we could maybe expand our world a bit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I lucked out for myself (as a health care worker) and got myself the first dose in late January but had not luck in scheduling my DH or my FIL. To be honest Pennsylvania was really dumb not having a central registry and of course those who want to be vaccinated are paying that price. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But I digress.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I registered the guys at every place i could find that seemed reasonable and waited. In the mean time February arrived and so did the snow. So what does that mean - now I have to work at home? And can't leave the house because the roads are not plowed (or my driveway)? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But then here comes my second dose (and of course I had a runny nose) and it hits me like no tomorrow. Chills, achy body, migraines and food - forget that! This went on for two full days and another weekend in February gone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I totally lost most of February. I was either snowed in or sick and stuck inside because of both. I need spring, I need warmth and I need to see some light at the end of this year long tunnel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ahh, March dawns brighter. I did manage in that time to get appointments for the wonderful men in my life and tomorrow it might be 60 degrees outside!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The world continues to turn. I can see the light, it's dim but at least it's not snow covered.</span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-55269270594792960542021-01-26T14:06:00.006-05:002021-01-26T14:06:42.384-05:00Who Me? Worry?<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I was reading an article yesterday in the New York Times titled "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/style/how-to-tell-if-your-parents-are-in-love.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Love" target="_blank">How To Tell If Your</a> Parents Are In Love" and it made me tear up. Well, cry actually.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since this whole pandemic started, I have internally struggled with the whole marriage thing. I think the fears were started back when we became empty nesters and I was so unsure how we would be as a couple again and not "parents". Losing that extra piece of your couple identity is hard enough, but adding to that by selling your home, moving in with your FIL and then a pandemic - Whoa....that's a lot.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o2K_nOZb3Ter083KxhqNQ-xJNJrydOUe_38Jnnqx7NS45PoxWjYB2m7M_PomYzOagttaxTb8fJVmDjJNVJ9ic9CdWdyR2u9T3BfnhQIBtpQrmXI9lbtniRaSkXBiO982RW7za2_y2DHs/s500/avocado_love_meme1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="500" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o2K_nOZb3Ter083KxhqNQ-xJNJrydOUe_38Jnnqx7NS45PoxWjYB2m7M_PomYzOagttaxTb8fJVmDjJNVJ9ic9CdWdyR2u9T3BfnhQIBtpQrmXI9lbtniRaSkXBiO982RW7za2_y2DHs/w239-h173/avocado_love_meme1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those who know me this will not be a surprise, but I worry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I worry about the world, I worry about driving to work, I worry about my work, I worry about a lot of things that no one should really worry about.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But I find it very difficult to stop. Worrying that is. And that's a worry too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So the moving was stressful. Some arguments occurred. I worried if we were strong enough.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My hubby retired and struggled to figure out what to do with his days as I still worked. Some arguments occurred. I worried if we could work through this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The pattern continued.....My FIL got very sick and we realized that we would have to postponed some things, pandemic hit and our days became endless (except for my work), and, and, and..... Something changed, I worried about us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then I read this article and I realized that the author could be writing about us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dancing. Smiling at only each other. Lost in our own world on that dance floor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This. This is how I know we love each other, this is how I know we are okay. When we make that connection, everything else is just noise.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So it is one less thing for me to worry about, because our kids will know - their parents are in love.</span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-50748129446685465222021-01-08T14:35:00.001-05:002021-01-08T14:35:43.164-05:00How Much is Too Much?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tyWMbnUer2wlPiSkrfvyM6fTr1cJXfQVxynXNLvM4shLpY4Jhyphenhyphenb6nSRNXCy4Uciyc4nkpLzayvG5L_bw7pWk4B8Jp1Pkox5MNW2iVafIaYoOkxVXKdFhh3Gmm1FPPmTpW4zbxgowYjJ/s1024/istockphoto-1078549170-1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tyWMbnUer2wlPiSkrfvyM6fTr1cJXfQVxynXNLvM4shLpY4Jhyphenhyphenb6nSRNXCy4Uciyc4nkpLzayvG5L_bw7pWk4B8Jp1Pkox5MNW2iVafIaYoOkxVXKdFhh3Gmm1FPPmTpW4zbxgowYjJ/w212-h212/istockphoto-1078549170-1024x1024.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">How Much is Too Much? </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's a topic that has been on my mind since the pandemic started.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am someone who like to have a libation or two. I enjoy a weeknight glass of wine one or two nights a week and maybe a cocktail or two on the weekend. However, every once in a while I think, Maybe I need a break, a timeout or as some people like to discuss "Dry January".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Except that I like to make my own decisions, not just run with the mob regarding this topic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In October I started to think that maybe I was overindulging a bit. It was a vague feeling, but it was supported with poor sleep and a bad bout of heartburn at night. I was not thrilled with waking up several times a night and popping a few antacid and sleeping in a sitting position.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I decided to do something for myself. I decided not to drink anything other than a glass or wine or two a week from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had done things like this previously, sometimes cutting off all alcohol for a period, sometimes cutting back to one cocktail a week, one time abstaining for almost a year (this after my parents passed away 5 months apart and I was pregnant...story for another day) but this time was with purpose.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was trying to see if it was all alcohol or just hard liquor that was causing my concerns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I ended up drinking less than even I expected and I did have two nights that I drank more than just a glass or two of wine. But I slept fine during this period and did not suffer any heartburn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why am I sharing all this? Because I was worried that I was drinking too much during lockdown and this confirmed (at least for me) that I was not. I was not unhappy because I could not have a martini and I did not "crave" a glass of wine every day. When your family history has any kind of addiction in it, you worry about yourself and your children having that gene.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I feel like I can say that I know when it's too much. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And that I know it's okay to indulge wisely.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And that I'm okay.</span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-29306135863391286482020-12-23T15:29:00.003-05:002020-12-23T15:30:28.542-05:00December 31st Cannot Come Soon Enough<div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I've never been a fan of December and 2020 is no exception.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This year has been hard on so many people and while I work in the health care field and have seen my share of losses, I have been blessed to not have any issues within my family/friend circle. (Knocks wood) But there is something about December in general that seems to follow me like a black cloud.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The past six years I have had some kind of car accident/issue in December. Six years ago I ran over a deer that had been hit by the vehicle in front of me (it was that or run into a deep ditch.) Two years ago, I had a classic December parking lot accident when a truck came to a sudden stop because they decided to let someone turn.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now this year. Driving to work after the snow storm, lazy assed people who don't clean their car in the other direction, well you can guess what happened - snow/ice flying off a vehicle and bam! my bumper has a hole the size of a small child.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkb6ugttoCECU8XWM_mbtcWrVnzXF7OmHKonjihlNjRTYYdAjW0scVQtjnISXpZ3ymcjNKBvckqOQNP4RaHZL4idWVqbPgrSxELSPYROIsF3VJNbl2SIDenYUev9bARBKNzAPsVSGKq3r/s2016/IMG_1030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkb6ugttoCECU8XWM_mbtcWrVnzXF7OmHKonjihlNjRTYYdAjW0scVQtjnISXpZ3ymcjNKBvckqOQNP4RaHZL4idWVqbPgrSxELSPYROIsF3VJNbl2SIDenYUev9bARBKNzAPsVSGKq3r/s320/IMG_1030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lucky for me that I saw it coming, hit the brakes and it missed my windshield. That could have been tragic. People - please clear off your vehicle - roof and all!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">December is not a kind month. Cold, windy and lots of holidays to deal with. For which this year shopping was not fun, not enjoyable and well, let's face it, not in person really. Can't see smiling faces, can't share holiday cheer in those long lines checking out because....six feet.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am looking forward to a week off from work, away from the regular schedule and a chance to share time with those I love in my bubble. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I look forward to ringing out 2020 and looking ahead to 2021 with a renewed optimism. I wish that this vaccine helps return us to a new normal and that we can travel and spend time with people and see their faces - in person, on a beach or at a bar.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One more thing... I finished the knitted rug for my son....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWSTULFRdLKF5P_YMs4sBJJOCVlH3S069hIyGRmt3nDBXzWcBRogKIRdhHWIMFU8cjkpBQqw7ZIeZWtGQyQfR70TwuTRMlIDBDExLOAvSA03GL4pAm7gzG0imFUWzyVF6_oCSlszOlfvp/s2016/IMG_1033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWSTULFRdLKF5P_YMs4sBJJOCVlH3S069hIyGRmt3nDBXzWcBRogKIRdhHWIMFU8cjkpBQqw7ZIeZWtGQyQfR70TwuTRMlIDBDExLOAvSA03GL4pAm7gzG0imFUWzyVF6_oCSlszOlfvp/s320/IMG_1033.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope your holidays are bright and wish you a happy, travelling 2021 too! </span></div>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-88311049753313689852020-12-11T16:02:00.001-05:002020-12-11T16:17:39.911-05:00How are you staying Sane?<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So how are you stating sane during these crazy times?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have taken up Knitting again. Back in my younger days, my mother and I would do all sorts of knitting - of course she would be doing sweaters and cardigans and I was doing scarves. Plus she had to bind on and bind off all of my projects.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When she passed away there were so many unfinished projects and so much yarn - I kept a few projects and needles and such, but most of it we donated to those folks that do baby blankets and hats for hospitals.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And then I forgot everything.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But last fall, after we came home from the retirement trip, I was looking for something to do that would challenge me and get me off the phone/computer and such.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It had to be knitting. Little did I know how much I would need it in the coming months.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once I did a few YouTube video's and read a few books (Knitting for Dummies, anyone?) I learned how to bind on and I was off and running with a project. It was scheduled to be a lap blanket, but I lost track and it ended up more like a wrap. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So back to the books. I then found a pattern for a rug, so I am finishing that up for my son's apartment (he has hardwood floors) and also these great cowls that can double as an emergency mask (you never know these days).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's really keeping me sane and focused. The repetition of the rows, seeing the patterns form and finishing something so pretty is keeping me sane.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Plus the happy smiles from the folks who receive my handiwork.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. I ripped out the wrap - it was useless..lol.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So what about you, any new hobbies?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZqbJt_A7BOUy9lB7LatLEFg5T43pAi7FpjOnOhCF5d7WqZDrZwqHx2kEAhO4L4Ra3AJ9fEPTeoXTyW9TJ9TmlSz-ta6ps-s4pNNuMk_w0k9AzyIPCqqyAFVIv1lGhNJN4fj3hksmB0dR/s1024/PWJan18Poincloux-frontis_HERO-1024x576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZqbJt_A7BOUy9lB7LatLEFg5T43pAi7FpjOnOhCF5d7WqZDrZwqHx2kEAhO4L4Ra3AJ9fEPTeoXTyW9TJ9TmlSz-ta6ps-s4pNNuMk_w0k9AzyIPCqqyAFVIv1lGhNJN4fj3hksmB0dR/s320/PWJan18Poincloux-frontis_HERO-1024x576.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-25796856646362510832020-12-02T13:28:00.000-05:002020-12-02T13:28:35.786-05:00Reflections on All The Things I Didn't Do <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like so many people I enjoy journaling and for 2020 I saw an interesting idea in one of the journaling communities and decided that it would be a fun thing to do - 20 Things To Do in 2020.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I came up with a great list for myself; some new ideas, some that expanded on things I was already doing and some really stretch ideas. Many of them required travel of some type.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I sure that you realize, many of them will not be completed by December 2020. This makes me sad. Sad for the trips not taken, sad for the experiences not completed, sad for the people not seen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, I did manage to sneak in a few trips and thankfully. spend some time with my bestie, who lives so far away...sob. I was able to visit my son in between waves and check out a new town that we are pondering for retirement. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But what on my list was missed?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">20 Museums to visit - something I really wanted to do this year was visit new museums even locally - places I had not even know were there - but they all closed as the virus worsened. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">20 New Places - well, that just went by the wayside after February.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But more than anything, I stopped hugging, I stopped seeing people to hug for goodness sakes. And that was kind of difficult at first but as the months wore it has become just really sad. I miss hugging.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know that I am not the only one obviously who misses these things but in a year that I wanted to be really ambitious, it seems to hit harder - all the things I wanted to do, but couldn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But then I look out at my friend circle and see those we have lost and I say a silent prayer and thanks for the blessing of making it through.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I look forward to 2021 and reworking that list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-81885587721521379302020-10-13T09:58:00.001-04:002020-10-13T09:58:36.658-04:00We're on the Road to Nowhere<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This week marks the one year date of our big retirement adventure cruise and land trip to Italy and Spain. In all of my travels, as limited as they are, I think that this trip was the top. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But then I wonder - was it the top because it was the last trip before the pandemic? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When we went to Paris on our honeymoon, I thought that could not be surpassed, when we went on our first cruise 15 years ago, I thought that was the be all and end all. The clear blue of the Caribbean, or the wine county and big redwoods in California - nothing could top that!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Each of those vacations was amazing and wonderful, but this last trip to see Italy from coast to coast, to explore Barcelona and to do most of it from a cruise ship just stands out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This trip was totally unlike any other, especially in my efforts to get out and explore with my DH. So many of our vacations have had me on the sidelines while DH and other family went off and did things. If you know me, then you probably know why. If you are just reading about me - I'll share that another day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now it is one year later and the photos and memories are popping up on my Facebook and Timehop and it feels like yesterday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting on the ship, touring the Vatican (OMG), lunch at a Mt. Vesuvius winery, tapas in Barcelona, seeing the small town where my FIL's family immigrated from, putting my feel in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas - I can see it and I can clearly remember every bit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Was I subconsciously savoring these memories more? Is that because of what happened just a few short months later when the world shut down and we knew that travel like this may not happen again for a long time?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We shared our great times on this trip with everyone we spoke with, no seriously, we did! From our own family, to co-workers, to someone who might have a inkling of going there. From the moment we returned, we could not stop talking about this trip and how wonderful it was. Maybe that's why this trip is a standout - our incessant sharing of it with everyone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But right now, as we are stuck in our travel to a smaller world, and we all feel that this is the road to nowhere, I have these lovely shared memories to make me believe in the possibilities of the future.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-11078460742569877482020-09-28T08:50:00.001-04:002020-09-28T08:50:46.775-04:00Happy Anniversary, Just Don't Talk about Politics<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">It was recently my 20th anniversary and my DH and I went to Atlantic City for a few days to celebrate and relax.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had a wonderful dinner at our favorite place - Cafe 2825 - getting a reservation was no easy feat! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We slept late because we had no responsibilities - no checking on FIL, or going to work, or running errands or cooking every meal - nothing. That was a present in itself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We set a gambling budget and stuck to it. I won and DH lost but it all worked out in the end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We strolled the boardwalk, held hands, danced a little and wore a mask all the time. Except in our room, or while eating. Cocktails in paper cups was interesting, but we were glad we could sit at a bar and have a drink - our state is a big more restrictive with bar seating.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in All, a wonderful few days. We like to hang out together but we have learned one very important thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Don't Talk About Politics.....ever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are in agreement over many things in the political arena but nowadays all those discussions can end in anger, tears and strong words.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is the hard part of marriage for sure, having a different viewpoint and not being able to have a rational discussion about your differences. And to be honest, it's usually me who gets frustrated and says the strong words.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But in the end, it's okay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Because love and commitment are more important that any politician (or reality star or pandemic).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy 20 to us and here's to 20 more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-3133650867949723982020-09-18T14:44:00.003-04:002020-09-18T14:44:53.445-04:00Does Anybody Really Know What Day It is? Does anyone really Care?<span style="font-family: verdana;">Is it Friday? Is it Tuesday? Does it really matter at this point?</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm certain I am not the only person who has flung this question out and when given the correct day of the week thought....Really?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, since this pandemic has begun, I have been lucky enough to continue working, some days at the office and some days at home and some weekend days too so it makes sense that I am not sure what day it is.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">But this is currently the opposite of what is happening at home. MY FIL is on a rigid schedule of dialysis three times a week and at home we plan so many things around the his days. Doctor appointments on non-dialysis days, same goes for bigger dinners and having other family visits (backyard, socially distant visits).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It makes for a schizophrenic life. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I have been really working on routines. I have a Saturday morning routine that gives me some alone time yet I get errands and shopping done. I have a "work" morning routine that I do even on days that I am working from home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This weekend the routine will be a bit different as the dear Hubby has started a part time job just to get out of the house (can't say I blame him!) and it is Rosh Hashanah. I am going to try to stream services so I get some of the experience but who knows how that will work. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I always thought that it would take me being retired to have days that would run together and being confused about the day of the week. Instead, it took a pandemic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">A spring disappeared, A summer melted away and now the prospect looks the same for Fall and maybe even Hanukkah/Christmas.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I cannot wait for 2021.</span></div>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-87589014238035200402020-09-08T11:04:00.000-04:002020-09-08T11:04:57.891-04:00Musings of An Itchy Woman<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I recently decided to help in the garden of my Father In Law's home and came out of it with a raging case of poison something. This had led me to be the Itchy Woman and it is no laughing matter...but it has given me a lot of time to think.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I am applying calamine lotion, I wonder about friendships. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How difficult they are to find as one becomes an adult. How it is tough to nurture them when you are not sure how to nurture yourself. How you miss them so terribly but cannot for the life of yourself get past your own concerns that you are not a good enough friend to those you have. How in this pandemic time, you cannot just go visit someone to revive and refresh that friendship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I sit on my hands so I do not scratch myself, I wonder about my career.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did I really ever have one? Was I a woman who was just good enough at something to make a living, but never excellent to have it become mine? Have I become like my mother, someone who moved from job to job never really satisfied but always getting it done? When I look at the list is there something I loved, or something that I know warmed my soul? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I lie awake at 4:00am unable to sleep, I think about family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How family seems to shrink these days more than grow. How social media makes it easy to keep in touch but still not really be together. How people become family and how family can become just people. How much I miss certain family things, like holiday meals or special days or even those summers down the shore that I grew to dislike so much as I became a teenager.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I drive into work, I put all of these thoughts aside so I can concentrate on the day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But then I start to itch....</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-51141056058122166062020-09-04T14:28:00.000-04:002020-09-04T14:29:09.526-04:00Year One Complete - Year Two Confusing<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I have been trying to decide if I needed to go back to this blog and I think just doing it for myself is as important as any other journaling that I may do. There may be no one out there anymore, but I know that this is as cathartic as drinking and must less painful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Year one of living with a 98 year old man has come and gone with so many changes. Midway through the year, after a great trip to Ohio to see his Great-Granddaughter graduate high school, he was struck with full on kidney failure. It was a surprise, but when we looked back as a family, we saw signs that we should have paid better attention and not let my Father In Law talk to the doctor himself and relay the news. Deafness does not make good communication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was a real touch and go situation for him and just as the family was able to get a handle - I was put in the same hospital for a kidney stone. My poor husband was going from one floor to another but lucky for him I was fairly out of it and was not really up to much company. Once I was out of the hospital, the next step was getting my FIL into a rehab that we felt he might like and would be close to home and treat him well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the back of your mind of course it the thought that this might be the last place he lives - dialysis is had enough but for a 98 year old seemed insurmountable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, as my FIL is wont to do, he set his mind up and within 8 weeks he was strong enough to start insisting on coming home again. So in late summer, he was home again - ramps on stairs, grab bars in bathrooms and home health aides in tow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So we have settled into a routine of thrice weekly dialysis, constant complaints of head ringing, achy knees and the wrong settings at the dialysis center. But even with all of that he has managed to celebrate his 99th birthday this past month.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You may ask, what did we do during all of this? My darling hubby retired from his company, we took a long planned almost three week cruise and land trip to Italy and Spain with a side trip to his family's town of origin Grottomare (that's a whole other chapter!) and he also started a great retirement job that he was very excited about.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Except COVID came and took that retirement job away and made my essential job even scarier because I had to worry about bringing something home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Year one was completed, but here we are in year two and it is a confusing time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Three years left on the revised 5 year plan....</span></p>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-12479580963802546952019-01-05T09:06:00.000-05:002019-01-05T09:06:27.085-05:00The New Five Year PlanIf you had followed my blog in the past, then you might think that the DH and I are firmly ensconced somewhere between Hilton Head, SC and Savannah, GA, playing golf, meeting with friends, shopping and generally relaxing in the retirement sunshine.<br />
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You would be wrong......<br />
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Yes, the five year plan did progress forward:<br />
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We staged and sold our home (You'll hear that story in another entry)<br />
We made a lovely next egg to put towards that retirement home<br />
We then lost the plan.<br />
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Maybe I packed the plan into one of the several dozen boxes that are in our very full storage unit, but we got derailed by life. You know - that thing that happens while you plan? For example, do you know how expensive a college education is these days? But regardless of that, we had a larger consideration, family.<br />
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What family I have left is concentrated in the Northeast - except for that handsome son of mine in Charleston - and the majority of DH's family is here as well - in particular my father in law. My sister in law has lived very close to him for many years and I tend to think that daughters bear the bulk of taking care of aging parents and that's just not right.<br />
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You see, my father in law has been living alone for about 10 years in a larger home since my wonderful mother in law passed. About 6 years ago, we shared our plan with him and asked him about moving in to help, but he was against it. It was fine, and we just modified our thoughts into moving to an apartment nearby until we moved south.<br />
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But about 18 months ago my father in law changed his mind and here we are....living in his home.<br />
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We know everyday that this is where we are supposed to be - near family, providing support and making great memories.<br />
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The south can wait, this is the new five year plan.<br />
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<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-41457563856618333442018-12-30T12:09:00.001-05:002018-12-30T12:09:22.058-05:00It's Almost 2019 and I am Back!Hi! Welcome Back....<br />
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I am actually saying that to myself as I have made the decision to start blogging again in 2019. There have been so may changes between my last post and today and I feel like there is so much I have to share with you.<br />
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A Short List....<br />
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House Sale<br />
Moving in with my Father In Law<br />
Watching my Husband Get Closer to Retirement<br />
Missing my Bestie<br />
Running my Just Jewelry Business<br />
Working with a Great Friend on Raising money for Others<br />
---And the list goes on<br />
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I hope you will join me as I restart sharing my journey and life with you!Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0Southampton, PA, USA40.179209 -75.04359160000001340.1306815 -75.124272600000012 40.2277365 -74.962910600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-84449386147152278782016-10-02T14:40:00.000-04:002016-10-02T14:40:17.327-04:00Feedback, How Does One Get Feedback Anymore?I enjoy blogging.<br />
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I enjoy sharing information with the readers of my blog.<br />
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I enjoy the aspects of research, finding the right photos, and actually writing the blog.<br />
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I enjoy the topics that I write about (after all, I am an interior decorator, home stager and jewelry freak).<br />
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What don't I enjoy about blogging? The lack of feedback.<br />
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Sometime in the last few years, blog readers have stopped commenting and providing feedback on posts. <br />
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It's that interaction that keeps people like me blogging.<br />
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Because, I don't blog for money.<br />
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I don't blog for fame.<br />
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I blog to share information, ideas and get you to think.<br />
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Yet, I don't know if that happens.....<br />
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Because no one gives feedback anymore.Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-84123274918432194792016-09-17T13:55:00.000-04:002016-09-17T13:55:10.014-04:00Storage Boxes and More...A Revisit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As anyone who has read my blog knows, I am a big fan of storage boxes. I love the idea of hiding all my messes in something </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that is pretty and decorative.</span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=adevdes-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000XAJH9W&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In several of the staging jobs I have done, decorative boxes have been the thing that made everyday life possible. In the family room, they can hold (or hide!) remote controls or children's toys. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the kitchen, cookbooks or counter top items such as scales can be place inside. In the bedroom, they look lovely on a nightstand and can hold notepaper, books or hand creme and tissues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are uses that are very practical for staging , but also can be practical in everyday life. The key is not to use them as dumping spots for junk! But for me there are two totally practical uses for these decorative boxes - Photo's and Cards!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Use these boxes to sort and organize cards - thank you note, birthday, anniversary - all those cards you need that you can never find. I did this project </span><a href="http://devonshiredesignltd.blogspot.com/2009/01/design-tips-decluttering-organizing.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Card Organizing</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and it has worked out great. Not only do I know that I have a card for an occasion, but I also know when I need to go buy more due to a low supply. This is a cost savings as well!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean really, how many time have you gone out and purchased a birthday card when you just knew you had one at home - somewhere!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was recently web surfing and found a few articles on the use of storage boxes and wanted to share. <a href="http://blog.extraspace.com/2013/09/20/bliss-kit-contest-winners-creative-ways-use-storage-boxes/">This one </a>about a cool contest, a <a href="http://www.handimania.com/diy/fabric-covered-cardboard-storage-box.html">DIY idea</a> or two, and <a href="http://www.houzz.com/using-decorative-boxes-for-storage">one more</a> with inspiring photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, the best reason for decorative storage boxes? They can update your decor in just five minutes. You can go out and get red boxes for holiday time (or Valentine's season) or Pink/Green flower boxes for spring or a modern design to change the vibe of a room.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The list is endless. and the cost is reasonable....and you get....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Storage and more.....</span>Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-72878513141779974832016-09-12T15:36:00.002-04:002016-09-12T15:36:42.038-04:00Organizing your Closets - A Bedroom Closet that Works - 5 TipsThe final chapter for the closet organizing work is the Bedroom Closet.<br />
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For other posts on closet organizing, please see <a href="https://devonshiredesignltd.blogspot.com/2016/08/organizing-your-closets-moving-to.html">here</a>, <a href="https://devonshiredesignltd.blogspot.com/2016/04/organizing-your-closets-lets-start-with.html">here</a> and <a href="https://devonshiredesignltd.blogspot.com/2016/06/organizing-your-closets-setting-up.html">here.</a><br />
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I love clothes, and shoes and purses - I mean who doesn't love these things? But we know that we do not have room in our lives for that great purse we used three summers ago, or that top that might fit again...you know the drill.<br />
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We know that the closet is the clutter hot spot in your home!<br />
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So how do we cure this troublesome issue? Here are 5 simple tips for getting the closet organized.<br />
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1) <b>Buy hangers.</b> I love the hanger that are suede and soft and that nothing falls off of. I have them in three colors to make organizing easy. Black for pants, skirts and dresses, pink for sweaters and long sleeve tops and creme for everything else. Good hangers of the same type make any closet look more organized, take up much less space and can be helpful when putting outfits together.<br />
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2) <b>PURGE </b>Take the plunge and get rid of anything with holes, rips, tears, spills/stains that won't come out - right to the trash bag. Anything that does not fit or that you have not used in a full year of seasons - right into the donate bag! This includes shoes, purses, belts, scarves - now is the time to purge! If you should have something of value - say a Chanel purse, well call me and I'll come get it- just kidding - there are <a href="http://www.fashionphile.com/">great resale sites</a> that you can get some money back.<br />
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3) <b>Floor Space</b>: Use the floor for shoes only. Don't let the floor be the catch all for laundry, drycleaning piles, etc. If you don't have shoe cubbies then consider floor shoe racks.<br />
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4)<b> Containers</b>: Only use containers for items that you do not need to see everyday and be certain to label every container. Scarves may be a good container-able item and you could certainly sort them by color, label and stack them in the closet.<br />
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5) <b>Color:</b> So in addition to better hangers, consider organizing your clothing in categories by color. I like to have all of my dreeses together on a rack, then organize by season and then within the season by color. It makes it very simple to find something AND to put it away after laundering.<br />
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So those are my five quick tips for the mater bedroom closet (or any bedroom closet), do you have any ideas that you would like to share?<br />
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As always, Devonshire Design is here to help you with all of your organizing and decorating needs, just e-mail me at dnapoleons1018@aol.com!<br />
<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-37135282344862909032016-08-30T13:28:00.001-04:002018-12-30T12:03:11.632-05:00Article Roundup - Decluttering BooksI wanted to follow up on some of the bookcase discussions with a few articles on how to declutter your bookcases themselves. How do we get weed down our books?<br />
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As always there are the basic steps for any declutter project - Get boxes and label them - Donate, Sell/Trade, Storage (back to the bookcase here) and Trash.</div>
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This <a href="https://www.itssimplyplaced.com/decluttering-home-bookcases/" target="_blank">article</a> goes a little deeper into questions we should ask ourselves with each book. I'm not sure that someone who has libraries of books should do this for each one, but it does raise the point that one needs to "let go" for this to be a successful project.</div>
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This<a href="http://keepitlit.co/blog/2013/1/7/doing-the-unthinkable-decluttering-our-bookshelves.html" target="_blank"> blog</a> talks about how the writer dealt with her issues and why she hung onto her books for so long. I like the idea that if we examine this as a whole - not just the books, but the reasons we have them - this project is do-able.</div>
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Finally, a <a href="https://worthybooksandthings.com/2014/05/03/books-cleaning-collecting-and-not-decluttering-my-bookshelves/" target="_blank">great blog post</a> on how the writer is NOT interested in decluttering her books and why. I found this to be so very truthful - if you love something so you really have to set it free?</div>
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Happy De-cluttering!</div>
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Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-69296745465774365842016-08-19T08:03:00.000-04:002016-08-23T12:51:20.862-04:00An Interesting Twist for the Magnolia FansI recently read an article about how several of the homeowners of homes renovated by Chip and Joanna Gaines have now become vacation rentals....<br />
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Apparently the Gaines' are none too thrilled, since they designed these homes for the family featured on their HGTV show.<br />
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It should be interesting to see if this is addressed in the new season of their show....<br />
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It is a money making world after all!!<br />
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Here is a<a href="http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/fixer-upper-houses-becoming-popular-vacation-rentals-around-waco/article_8c38ba57-31db-5b22-8fe6-a8b46fc92f82.html" target="_blank"> link to the article</a> I read.<br />
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What are your thoughts??<br />
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<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-74564804354004060302016-08-03T09:37:00.000-04:002016-08-03T09:37:02.345-04:00Organizing your Closets - Moving to the Pantry - 4 Easy StepsAs we walk through the closets in your home, one of the favorites for all homeowners is a pantry closet. A pantry closet can be large or small depending on the room you have, but it certainly needs to be functional for the chef's in the home.<br />
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Here is a cool example of a pantry with doors, shelves and drawers/ I'm not sure about how efficient the space usage is, but the design is interesting.<br />
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Now here we have a lower cabinet pantry. I think this is a great idea for an awkward space (notice the corner), or for ADA accessibility. It might also be a good idea for a children's pantry, with allowed snacks and juice boxes and such.<br />
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So what are 4 Easy Steps?<br />
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1) Start from Scratch. Start with a clean empty pantry so you know how much room you have, and you are better able to visualize the use of the space. Not a visual person? Get out the pen, paper and ruler and measure and draw the space on paper and place the items on your drawing first to see how everything fits.<br />
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2) Create Zones and Locations. Maybe have a pasta zone that includes tomato products, pasta and cheeses, a baking zone with flour, baking powder, etc., or how about a breakfast zone? Then take these zones and create a location for each. Breakfast maybe on a lower shelf so everyone can reach, whereas baking may be higher so no accidental spills!<br />
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3) Buy in Bulk. As you can see below, one of the great advantages of a pantry is that you can buy in bulk, store in clear containers and have a shopping list made every time you open the door!<br />
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4) Label, Label, Label. Label containers and label shelves. Using a basket? Tie a label to the handle. Put dates on cereal boxes and other items that you want to ensure you rotate or dispose when older. Labeling make putting the groceries away easy for any member of the family.<br />
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These four tips will help you get started with an amazing - organized for your home - pantry!<br />
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Do you have any ideas to make a pantry better, please share!<br />
<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-20721401292834138312016-08-02T16:44:00.000-04:002016-08-02T16:44:00.209-04:00So EXCITED to Join the Just Jewelry & JJ's Boutique FamilyHi, I am so excited to share with you my new company.....JUST JEWELRY and JJ'S BOUTIQUE! <br />
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Here are a few sneak peeks and I would love to share more with you....jewelry, jeggings, dresses, purses and more - all $40 and under!!<br />
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Want to see more? Leave me a comment with your e-mail and I'd be glad to follow up!<br />
<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-87216780678833373342016-07-20T21:40:00.000-04:002016-07-20T21:40:08.356-04:00Goodbye Cookie Lee/ViVi; Hello New AdventuresAbout 10 days ago all of the Cookie Lee/ViVi Jewelry consultants in the United States got an email that said.....and yes I am paraphrasing...<br />
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"Well when I bought the company I really though we could turn it around and even with all of our efforts we realized that we have to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Corporate is closed and we will let you know any next steps".<br />
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A few notes on "The Note"<br />
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1) It came at 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon.<br />
2) The company needed to be turned around?<br />
3) Isn't Chapter 7 the one where you dissolve everything?<br />
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You can only imagine the chatter that was on all of our Facebook team pages, plus the huge gasp of disbelief from all of the consultants. It was not a good weekend, to say the least.<br />
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But, sometimes you do see the forest through the trees and I feel confident that I was ahead of the game here. I had cut back on my inventory starting in January and had no plans to yet invest in the Fall jewelry line until the end of the summer. I know lots of ladies that are out quite a bit of money pre-ordering catalogs, fall jewelry and more. <br />
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So now it's time to look for a new adventure and I am keeping in the jewelry world, I will share my news once it's all signed and delivered. In the meantime, if you see me at an event or show, there will be a few bargains on my table!!<br />
<br />Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6212766301222665441.post-31081817317990077652016-07-04T18:46:00.000-04:002016-07-04T18:46:11.454-04:00Back from Vacation...and Back to WorkAway for two weeks and I feel as if I haven't been here in months. <br />
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My husband and I recently took a trip up to Connecticut and this was truly a vacation for him! We found out that the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction would be in the Northeast for the first time ever and darling hubby really wanted to go. Being that every vacation is usually planned and geared towards me, it seemed only right that he get a great vacation for himself.<br />
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He had a great time, looking at over 300 cars, talking with other car guys, watching the auctions and well, we had great meals too. (That was my favorite part!) We met some really nice people who made the time spent in Connecticut even more fun. We stayed in two different hotels, one I would highly recommend (Bellisimo Grande) and another I would not.<br />
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And now we are back home and looking over the list of things to do and decided that this weekend while you are celebrating our countries independence, we would check a few items off the list. We worked on the painting, began filling lots and lots of nail holes (especially on the trim), repaired the chalking in the bathroom, cleaned and determined how to fix the gutter issues, cleaned out some trash from the garage and worked on getting things ready for the yard sale.<br />
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...And I am tired. But I am feeling good about what was accomplished and I know that we are working in the right direction.<br />
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Just nine months to listing.....Debie Napoleonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09245893613535508731noreply@blogger.com0