Taking a Merry Break…

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve been working on my Time Well Spent concept for nearly a year…

From those first weeks of brainstorming and sketching, to the months of online research and websurfing to that moment when I rented my pre-launch office… On to the summer when I continued to grow my idea in spite of the typical distractions of summer as a mom of 3… September hit and I revved up my networking in earnest and met many, many great folks in service-driven organizations and like-minded business professionals… To the most recent connections I’ve been making with the local business community, green-minded folks, flea-market lovers and “neighbors” who are enthusiastic about my unique mission-driven concept.

Of course, I could go on and on (my typical writing style which I’m trying to reign in just a bit).  But, I’m going to take a mental and physical break and spend some important holiday time with my somewhat-neglected family (don’t worry, the teens need to learn a bit about feeding themselves, eh?) and my seriously-neglected house…(not so good to espouse decluttering and simplifying in an effort to live a more purposeful life for self, family, others and the environment when you can’t walk through the hallway without tripping over the accumulated clutter!)

I’m getting some wonderful books to read, my Christmas present to myself,  that have been on my wish list since as early as February ~ Of course, the topics are all about inspiration and purposeful intent, moments of obligation and life choices ~ Putting Time Well Spent in the back of my mind might just be the biggest challenge of the holiday vacation.

So, until next time, I hope your holidays, whatever they may be, are time well spent. N.

Indoor flea market and holiday shopping Sunday 9 to 2 @ Camp Denison in Georgetown

(NOTE: If you’ve come here via an online search, fyi, the flea market at Camp Denison won’t be taking place until further notice due to the snow and the parking situation.)

On the run today trying to decorate for Christmas around the house (never been so late doing it but it’s just as well as I’ve been working on Time Well Spent which is, well, time well spent!). So, a hastily-put-together email-turned-blog-post:

This info is relevant to those on the North Shore who:

 1.  like old things and the idea that going to a flea market is a bit of a treasure hunt.

2. like the idea of keeping things local for their holiday purchasing.

 3. have a small business, art or craft they would like to promote at the flea market by renting a table, selling their products and joining in the local holiday merriment…

There’s a new indoor flea market on Sunday mornings from 9 to 2 right in Georgetown (route 97 to Nelson Street to the Camp Denison Lodge)…It’s described as having a great atmosphere with great views of the woods and water and a welcoming fireplace to warm your fingers and toes by!

It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys!

I attended the Massachusetts Conference For Women along with 5000 other women from all walks of business life and was so impressed with the time they gave to issues of social responsibility and living a life of purpose…Very promising for the future of  these concepts that will bring increased happiness to all and, ultimately,  a better life for those in need. There were some great women leaders there and rather than spend time listing them on my blog, here’s the link to the list of speakers and you can navigate through the site from that page.  Also, here’s an excerpt from the press release of the event, specifically the portion announcing the winner of the Be The Change Award, an incredibly deserving doctor working with the homeless on a daily basis, truly walking the walk…

Jessie M. Gaeta, M.D. was honored with the Conference’s Be the Change Award.The award recognizes a woman who rises above and beyond in the realm of service by shining light on an unmet need in her community.

Dr. Gaeta dedicates her life to caring for the homeless. As a practicing internist at Boston University Medical Centerand Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, she treats homeless patients on the streets and in shelters. Dr. Gaeta also leads policy advocacy at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. By raising awareness of the public health implications of homelessness and the cost-effectiveness of a Housing First approach, she has successfully influenced lawmakers to create social changethrough the institution of new approaches to ending homelessness.

The Be the Change Award was created in conjunction with renowned wellness facility Canyon Ranch. Dr. Gaeta will receive an all-inclusive, one-week stay for two at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass.

Bottom Line: Mark your calendar for next year’s event on Thursday, Dec 10, 2009… No, I’m not kidding, mark your calendar right on your computer. If you don’t use Google calendar yet or another computer calendar program, I really encourage you to give it a whirl. I’m hooked on the Google version myself where I can actually put color-coded entries in for each member of the family and even make a personal and a business calendar for myself using two different colors… You can choose and easily change which calendars you show at any given time. Updating and moving events is easy and you can decide whether to view by month or week or 7 day… Check it out!

Back to the conference… While the breakout sessions I attended were all worthwhile, my favorite had to be Marilyn Paul’s presentation inspired her book It’s Hard to Mske a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. Marilyn used humor and humility to share her own struggles with chronic disorganization along with some great insights on the topic and strategies for truly breaking the cycle of disorganization. I only have one question: When did Marilyn get into my house and see the disorganized “situation” within the home of the very person hoping to DeClutter For Good and offer a peaceful yet inspiring space for personal mindfulness and creativity and social and environmental stewardship???!!!!

I could go on but will instead get to my neon 3×5 index card of MUST-DO items that I made, along with the several hundred other women, as part of the active session led by Marilyn. Marilyn’s site includes the complete text of the first chapter of her book along with a great article about “Stepping off the Treadmill.”  I highly recommend both.

Off to my MUST-DO list. N.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Local Christmas

Just a quick entry to share this great site BuyFresh.org

Your source for finding locally grown, fresh, crisp and delicious food in Essex County and the Merrimack Valley.

• If you’re in a hurry, here are all the farms.
• If you have a moment, here’s our Top Ten Reasons to Buy Local Food.
• If you want to really learn and help, here’s our Local Farming Challenges and How You Can Help.

We are heading out to get the Christmas tree as it’s Rob’s birthday and an annual tradition… The local tree farm is Ingraham’s in Georgetown and you can link to the details by clicking here. FYI, buying from a local tree farm is a green thing to do as there’s no transporting of the the tree but from the ground onto our car and straight to the house (about 3 miles) AND we are not talking about cutting endangered trees in the forest. These trees were planted in a tree farm, added some good clean air to the atmosphere over the last several years and now being cut down in lieu of our buying a tree delivered all the way from Canada… As far as disposing of said tree, that’s a post for another day because we have to beat the rain to the tree farm!

Keeping it merry, Nancy

DeClutter The Holidays For Good – November Results AND Plan B

The results of the DeClutter Your Holidays For Good donation drive are a bit mixed. And, that’s okay! Part of my action-while-planning approach is to give ideas a try and see what works, what doesn’t and what to do about it. First, the results…

RESULTS From November DeClutter For Good:

• 8 bags of clothes to Cradles to Crayons
  
• 6 boxes of holiday clutter to Salvation Army
  
• Still accepting holiday wrapping and gift bags for Ipswich Caring – I’ll update this post when completed
  
• 6 boxes of children’s books – still determining where need is greatest for these – I’ll update this post when completed
  

Thanks to all who made donations. I have C2C tax donation receipts to give to you for your year-end records.

Special thanks to Nancy Black for referring a friend who dropped off bags of clothes for C2C ~ Great to meet you, Karen. 10 Clutter Credits for Nancy! Nancy has owned Organization Plus for 25 years – since before getting organized and decluttering was ‘IN’! Happy Anniversary, Nancy

In addition, when Julie Finn dropped by with a winter coat and boots for C2C, she also brought a few things for Time Well Spent:

• a great old hassock with wonderful chunky ‘feet’ in need of a fresh upholstering for a fresh new look at life
  
• old drapes with plenty of wear (oh, gosh, reminds me of another Jule…Julie Andrews and the play clothes she made for the Von Trapp kids… while I don’t see play clothes in the drapes future, they might just be able to cover that hassock Julie brought, Julie Finn, that is…)
  
• old costume jewelry for repurposing in the Workshop
  

Thanks Julie, Clutter Credits for You!

The Analysis

While many love the idea of getting rid of holiday clutter, you know, those ornaments and decorations that you take out year after year but don’t actually use, most folks just aren’t ready to declutter their old holiday decorations and such by late November. Yet, it is the time to donate them to places like Salvation Army to sell at their second-hand store. Congrats to fellow Ipswich mom Jean Swenson for DeCluttering her Holidays For Good. I dropped boxes and boxes of holiday decorating and serving treasures from Jean at The Salvation Army in time for them to get them out to their second-hand store before the holidays…

So, here’s Plan B:

This year, when you drag out the boxes of decorations, set aside one box to fill with those decorations, holiday dishes, holiday books, videos and the like that you don’t use… If you haven’t used it in 2 Christmases, chances are you won’t use it in holidays to come, either. Of course, all the salvage places like Salvation Army can’t possibly hold all those DeCluttered Holiday Treasures after January, as their whole system is based on moving things along! So, mark the box Christmas DeClutter or Time Well Spent, something that will catch your attention. Then, put it in the attic/cellar/back of the closet (you know all the hiding spots in your house). Next fall, we’ll break it all out early and get it to local service organizations where needs exist. This will allow us the possibility of getting it directly in the hands of the needy, though having them sold at second-hand shops that offer social services isn’t a bad idea either!

Make Your Christmas a Little Greener ~ Yankee ReGifting Swap

Seinfeld fans will recall the ReGifting Episode all about the only-too-true topic of what folks do with gifts that don’t quite suit them for one reason or another… I believe it was about Elaine and a label maker…

I’m not exactly sure where I first got the idea to use ReGifting as the basis for a grab, but it’s a keeper!

Anyway, it’s pretty self-explanatory… Instead of a gag grab or some other theme-based grab that leads to more expense and more buying of new products that we don’t need, just have a Yankee ReGifting Swap. The only rule ~ no newly-purchased items allowed!

I can personally attest to the fun that can be had… We did it at Irish Dance (the parents’ booster group - good times, good times) a couple of times and my side of the family gave it a whirl last year.

Here’s are a few pics from last year’s First Annual Darcy Family Regifting Swap with my family:

Story behind those is that, a few years back, I ordered them for Rob from Disney online and they sent me the wrong size. THey told me to keep them rather than return them. I was going to give to charity but kept thinking I might give them as a gift, begging the question, how do you give size XXXL jammies without offending the recipient??

My eldest tries on the pajama pants ~ Don't get too comfy! Actually I am just including this to determine whether my 18 year old ever reads my blog...

 

Cousin Maura and her son Oscar celebrate the Nuns Having Fun Year-Old Calendar they scored during the ReGifting Grab 2007

 

And the winners are...My sister Terri and her husband Bob had the final choice and opted for the giant jammies - Room for 2 in there? Ho Ho Ho! Now, the question, what items from last year will make it into this year's grab???

 

Couple of things:

• Anything goes, the gifts don’t have to be horrible or wonderful, just stuff that folks got once upon a time and, for one reason or another, never used.
• Use whichever swap rules you like. Does #1 get the final choice? Does each person swap with the previous right after they open their gift? Up to you and your group’s preferences (If you are asking me, “heck YES” to both).
• Swap, swap, swap… It’s part of the fun and you won’t offend anybody because it’s all regifted stuff in the first place!
• Bring along an extra regifting swap if you have one. There’s sure to be someone who doesn’t bring along a grab for whatever reason. The more the merrier…
• Not enough grabs for everyone? Have couples share a number (and therefore a grab choice). This adds a whole ‘nother layer of squabbling as the couples “discuss” whether to keep their gift or swap it, and, for what?!!!

One Last Tip: Not sure what to bring to regift? Look in your holiday storage boxes as you are decorating… Chances are that you tucked some “what am I going to do with this?” presents away last year in your haste to clean up from the holidays and get on with the new year…
Any Questions? Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Toys For Tots Drop-Off at Massachusetts State Police Barracks and Lots of Other Places, Too!

UPDATE TO THIS POST: Well, good news is that lots of folks are looking for places to drop their donations for Toys for Tots… I think everyone saw the same news story I did about the State Police accepting them at their barracks which is a nice reason to visit our men in blue and say Happy Holidays at the same time… That said, there are lots of other locations that may be more convenient for you… There’s a page on Toys For Tot’s site that can be searched even by county to see the entire list and figure out what spot is most convenient for you to drop off toys.  The link is in the original post…

Original Post:

I just saw on the news that Toys For Tots donations are way down this year. Not surprising, I suppose given the tough financial times. Keeping in mind that while Toys For Tots only accepts new toys, it’s common to have toys in your house that are literally unopened and basically “new” for all intents and purposes. Certainly DeCluttering For Good…  In Ipswich, drop-off locations include the Fire Station, Tedford and Martin and Ipswich Ford…

I noticed a lot of folks are reading this post after a search for drop off locations, so… first, Hi and Welcome to my personal site tracking my journey through my start-up phase of my new mission-driven business. Read all about it if you have time by clicking on the page links above. Regarding the Toys For Tots drop-off locations, click here to get to the Toys For Tots locate a drop off location (by state and city) page.

Also, here’s a quote from the MSP post about Toys For Tots on their site:

For over 20 years, the Massachusetts State Police has partnered with the United States Marine Corps in providing drop-off areas for toys donated to Toys for Tots.  As in years past, this year people can drop-off new, unwrapped toys at any State Police Barracks through Friday, December 19^th.   This holiday season there is a specific need for toys designed for children under 2-years-old and for non-violent toys for children ages 9-12.

Toys for Tots needs help more than ever to achieve its goal of delivering, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy children that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive and patriotic citizens.  Last year, in a healthy economy, the Toys for Tots program fell short of its donation goals by a significant amount.  Unfortunately, the current economic downturn has simultaneously left more Massachusetts families in need of toys for their children, and has resulted in a 50 percent decrease in toy donations from this time last year.  The State Police and the Marine Corps encourage those with the means to donate to this very worthy program and help ensure a happy holiday season for a disadvantaged Massachusetts child.

 

Second Hand Shop with Proceeds to Help Abused Women and Children

Click here to link directly to the HAWC Website and learn about the good work being done right here on the North Shore.

Pardon the messy spacing… I’m on the run but wanted to share this worthwhile opportunity for good: Need something glitzy for the holidays AND want to help women and children in crisis? Or, have like-new holiday outfits you no longer wear…  I met Karen Carone from the ReRun for HWAC Boutique at the NSWIB showcase event which I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Their consignment shop has all sorts of stuff for women and teen girls with a tendancy toward the higher-end resale clothes. So, a great place to know about whether you have some extra outfits gathering dust in the closet or are looking to spruce up your wardrobe, particularly with the holidays marching on, tough economy and all… HAWC Boutique

To learn more about HAWC’s services on the North Shore, visit oHereur

 

 

Holiday Open House
Thursday December 4, 2008
4-8pm

Stop by ReRun for HAWC on Thursday December 4 for a special Holiday Open House. Find a deal on a dress for all those holiday parties, or get started on your holiday shopping with bargains for a good cause!! All proceeds to benefit HAWC’s domestic violence programs on the North Shore.

Here’s the location info:

ReRun for HAWC Boutique
Owned & operated by HAWC*

330 Rantoul Street

Beverly, MA 01915

978-922-5422

 

*All proceeds benefit HAWC’s Domestic Violence Programs & Services 

A guilt-free way to get yourself something nice to wear for the holidays, knowing you are support the good work at HAWC. Happy Shopping! Definitely time well spent…