Peak of the Week 7-29-20

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Views from my morning walk:

Happy Wednesday- The Peak of the Week!! Here is a list of things piquing my interest this week. 

Tomorrow is July 30th, which is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. I heard back from a childhood friend who works with missions all over the world. I asked her about Human Trafficking and what organizations she suggests we follow. She suggested two, which I will share below. Please get involved. It is hard to hear some of these stories, but I remind myself that each story is a person who is having to live with this terrible reality in their lives. Thank You, Kim, for getting back with me and sharing two accounts that you support. 

International Justice Mission-  A global organization with a solution to end slavery.

A21- The new abolitionists founded by Christine Cain. 

          End: Sex trafficking, Forced labor, Bonded labor, Involuntary domestic servitude, and

                   child soldiers

Both of these organizations have Facebook and Instagram pages. Please follow them so we can all stay as informed as possible on this issue.

Take a few minutes tomorrow to join in the fight to end slavery in our world today!!

I talked to a dear friend this morning. She and I worked together in education for most of my career. I loved working with her. She has to go back to work at school even though she has some underlying health issues. We talked about precautions she will take once students get back in classrooms. I thought I would share and remind people to do what you can for your health.

Please remember that even though a video being widely shared suggests that we don't really have to wear a mask, ALL legitimate scientists and doctors say that masks will slow the spread. My husband sent me the following video that shows the importance of wearing masks.

Please wear your mask!!

Two things that we talked about that I do that I feel keep me healthy each year are zinc and nasal irrigation.

Zinc is known to strengthen the immune system. I take it every year during the flu season and plan on starting up taking it again soon.  

Zinc can be ordered on Amazon.  

Nasal Irrigation can take on many forms. I use these two systems:

Sinus Rinse   

Found Here

Nettie Pot

Found Here

I have to use a sinus rinse every day because of severe sinus problems. I believe that my rinses have kept me healthy during flu season for many years. Plus, I always get my flu shot.

This article explains how it works.  NPR- Nasal Irrigation Makes Comeback as Cold Remedy

Let me make myself clear. I am in no way saying that these two strategies will keep you Covid-19 free. I do believe that they will keep you as healthy as possible during almost impossible circumstances!!

What's piquing your interest this week? I'd love to know!!

Small Closet Organization

I've questioned myself about whether or not I want to share my closet organization on my blog. You see, I don't have a big, beautifully designed closet. I have a midsize closet that I share with my husband. I guess it's a sad statement of life online when I feel like I even have to explain that I don't have visions of grandeur where my closet is concerned. I have an average size closet that is very, well, average. My average closet was in great need of cleaning and organizing. 

When I see closets like my dream closet that Rach Parcell shared last month, I always wonder, "Where does she keep her massive amounts of clothes?" There is no way that these are all of her clothes. Aren't closets mostly functional? 

Rachel's blog Pink Peonies shares her closet reveal. 

Closet Dreams!!

Would I be happier if I had a California Closet? No

Would I be happier if I had a bigger closet?        No

I remarried 5 years ago after the death of my first husband. I moved into a house in which I didn't choose one single thing. In fact, another woman (my husband's late wife) helped pick out everything in this house. And you know what? It's OK. 

Many (in fact, MOST) of you reading this post are living in a house in which you didn't pick out any of the fixed features. I'm a big believer in blooming where you are planted. I am so blessed to have had a new beginning in life. Things do not happiness make. 

I had a short DM going on with Wendy from @rememberwynn18 on Instagram. She shared in her stories one day that comparison on Insta was getting to her. We should never compare ourselves or our lives to others, but especially on Instagram. After talking to her, I decided to share how I conquered my closet. And, by the way, if you don't follow Wendy, you really should. She shares cute clothes and is so upbeat!!

So here is the reveal. There are no before pictures because, trust me, it was a real mess!! 

Welcome to my closet!

                                               

My first step was cleaning out the two closets where I had my clothes. I donated over half of the clothes to Goodwill. I don't work anymore. I don't need all of the clothes that I had. These are all of my summer clothes. All winter clothes are stored.

I took every single item out of our closet. While it was empty, Dr. T added an additional shelf to the top of the closet. We have tall ceilings so there was a lot of unutilized space up there.

I only allowed things back in our space that met my strict guidelines. Had I worn it in the last 2 years? Was it still presentable? Did I even like it? 

All out of season clothes and shoes are stored in tubs on the top shelf of the closet. I will go through my clothes twice a year now as the season change. It will be a forced time for me to make more decisions on whether or not I want to keep something. 

Shoes are on these shoe stands. They can be purchased at Amazon. They are great to double the number of shoes you can have in any given space. 

         All of our jeans are folded on this shelf. I found this at Target.

                                         

I'm still searching for an organizer to put on top of the shelf.

I cleaned out about half of Dr. T's clothes too.

His favorite thing about the "new" closet is the hat rack that he made.

He is a collector of caps.

His hat/cap rack is made from his old drumsticks.

A perfect hatrack for my favorite drummer.

One of my goals is to have every single item in my closet hanging on

one of these nice wooden hangers. I need to purge some more.

Or, buy some more hangers.

These are a little big for this space, and I am looking for something similar

to serve the same purpose. I need "window storage" for my purses.

I bought these on Amazon. 

I see many women showcasing their purses in their closet, but I live in the desert. My house gets extremely dusty. I need to keep purses protected from dust. These boxes are perfect except that they droop a bit. They weren't expensive, and I can use them elsewhere so I am on the lookout for something that I like better.

There you have it. It feels so good to walk in this space. It has seriously kept me from buying some clothes that I've seen online. I know I don't need them. And, I don't have space for them!!

Tell me about a space you have made new again during this quarantine. I'd love to hear about it.

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