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Simplicity Seekers Discussion Group |
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Join the Simplicity Seekers to discuss your organizing dilemmas, learn ways to live more simply, and know that you are NOT alone in your clutter struggles!
When: Monday 12/7
Time: 6:30p-7:30p at
Where: Schlow Library
Cost: $4
January Meeting will feature a presentation by
Peter Montminy on The Top 10 Challenges Busy Parents
Face and How to Overcome Them
Pre-Registration requested in order to attend the discussion.
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Testimonial |
"Lydia- (RTB Digital Diva)
I personally thank you for the time and effort and care and tender handling of these very precious memories. We will be doing more work together. T
Thank you for every little
drop of energy and sensitivity...the music was perfect. You made me proud and I didn't do a thing."
Sherry, State College
Sherry had a stack of film, slides, and digital photos of memories that Room
to Breathe converted to DVD for her family and friends.
What a great holiday gift!
Contact Lydia to talk about converting and preserving your old slides, VHS, 8mm, and many other formats.
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Motivation |
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"Clutter drains your energy - and you don't realize it till it's gone. Every item in your home has an energy to it. When items go a long time unused, unloved and uncared for, they become stuck, stagnant energy that actually physically drains you of your energy."
-Ariane Benefit
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| 3rd Annual Messy Desk Contest |
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Greetings!
Have you been naughty or nice? I like to think I've been a little bit of both this year. Life is just too short not to get into a smidge of trouble, don't you agree?! ;)
I hope that, despite your behaviour, you enjoy a wonderfully simplistic holiday season!
Simplify the holidays and enjoy the true beauty.
Simply Yours,
-Jessica
Bringer of Order
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Joy to the World |
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'Tis the season to be merry--and by accounts wasteful. Wrapping paper tossed in the trash. Trees clogging landfills. Lighting displays spiking energy bills. How can you make peace on earth without being pegged a scrooge? Start by making small changes and leading by example. It's about changing habits so the green changes seem like the norm next year.
Americans create an extra 25 million tons of waste from Thanksgiving to New Year's. How about trying to set limits on what you buy, send, and throw away this year?
- Avoid Over-Gifting.
Most people don't think of a gift as trash, but the packaging it comes in is instant garbage and a trendy gift could follow suit once the novelty wears off. Find out what people really need and purchase one or two really great gifts. Or better yet, find out which charities they would like to support and donate on their behalf.
- Reuse Trimmings.
Put out a tub or container to toss bows, ribbons, gift bags, tissue, and paper into as your family unwraps gifts. Not only will help conserve natural resources, you'll save $$$ too!
- Cut Back on Cards.
Many of the 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year end up in the garbage. Trim your card list or choose to send cards made from recycled paper. Cut up gift cards to use a great gift tags!
- Rethink Wrappings.
Use up your gift wrapping stash, then think of alternatives-fabric scraps, t-shirts, old maps, newspapers, etc. If every family in the US wrapped just three gifts in alternative wrappings, we could save enough paper cover 45,000 Beaver Stadiums! That's a lot of trees!
- Ship Light.
Think small and lightweight with gifts that need to be mailed. Fewer boxes take up less space on a mail truck so there's not as much petroleum wasted.
- Replant Instead of Disposing. Please.
A tree with a root ball intact can be planted when you are done with it or can be maintained indoors and used the following holiday season.
- Buy Organic.
It's healthier for your home and the environment if your tree hasn't been raised with synthetic fertilizers or sprayed with chemicals.
- Recycle Wisely.
Please recycle your tree...do not place in plastic which make the the unrecycable. Even artificial trees can be recycled by donating to a church or other charitable location.
- Trim the Tree Responsibly.
The holiday season is too short to justify all new decorations each year. Instead, change the look of your tree with compostable popcorn and cranberry garlands or pinecone ornaments. Or swap decorations with a friend or neighbor who is also looking for a change. Remember that some simple paint can modernize even the most rustic decorations.
- Amp Down.
Christmas lights left on 24hours can quadruple your energy bill. Put lights on a timer or when they have burned out, replace with LED ones.
- Choose Naturals.
Use locally grown items for tabletops and mantels. Snip a few branches from an evergreen bush or tree, gather pinecones, and tuck apples and citrus fruits into garlands. Ask the local tree farms for the the branches they cut from the bottoms of trees. Use to decorate beautifully and aromatically!
- Let it Glow.
The holidays are a natural time to go all out with candles. Use clean burning beeswax or soy candles, be sure they have lead-free wicks; and always use caution with lit candles.
I would love to answer any questions you may have so please don't hesitate to contact me at jessicadolan@roomtobreathe.us or 814.360.1063. |
| Readers Share Their Experiences... |
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"Wow, great article. I feel much better about not having a McMansion to invite my friends to dinner to now. Thanks to you helping me get organized, we had some people over for dinner the other night from Tim's work, and other than the shame of not having high ceilings and a (two car) garage, they were perfectly happy to eat off my mismatched dishes/placemats and drink out of my mismatched glasses, with not a table cloth or runner in sight. The house was cleanable. We didn't have to haul out boxes of junk to the sunroom (but if we did, there would have been a place to put them)!
Also, I realized that I am already mostly following your suggestions, and it helps to hear what you said when I do get that twinge of "my friends have xyz, why don't we?"
see you soon,
Jennifer
(Room to Breathe received this after last months issue about Affluenze was delivered.) |
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Want to provide someone with the gift of simpler living this holiday season? |
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Buy 4 hours and Get a 5th hour FREE!
What better gift than the gift of simplicity?
Gift Side Effects: Feelings of Joy, Happiness, Ear to Ear Smiling, Inner Calm, and Energy to spare!
Offer Expires: 12/23/09-May purchase up to 10 packages for a total of 10 free hours. Hours may be used for up to one year from date of purchase. | |
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