Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

creativity

Can We All Downsize In Place?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

I’m reading a book about getting organized titled, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” by Marie Kondo. She has two rules of getting organized and the first one is the hardest; discard what doesn’t give you joy. This includes sorting everything in your entire house.

Goldmine! Not that I need these, but I had to bring a few home! For decorating. Really!
Goldmine! Not that I need these, but I had to bring a few home! For decorating. Really!

It sounds simple, but she recommends a six-month process to make this happen. I think I’ve been trying to do this for sixteen years myself. Truly, I have a collection of decluttering books! Case in point.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is realizing our lives and activities have changed but we hang onto the clothes or sports equipment or artwork from the past.

Another favorite organizing book had some powerful advice; “storage is sorrow.” Whether past triumphs or tragedies or both, if we don’t love the items or display them as keepsakes, storage is not honoring the role of those items now, so set them free!

Easier said than done. Lately I’ve been shopping my clothes closet. While pretty organized, I have more stuff than I can remember. Found some shoes I’d forgotten about which are just the right sandals for this summer. Breaking in one pair of them today.

I’ve also been watching a lot of style tv shows, a favorite is “Love, Lust or Run” with Stacy London and “Dare to Wear” on TLC. Think I must be craving a change in fashion. Part of it comes from getting used to my thinner bod and wearing clothes that actually fit. New experience.

So today I boxed up some clothes to donate that I truly loved but am not willing to pay the cost of tailoring. I’m going to set them free so someone else can enjoy them and I have a cleaner closet. Now, I have drawn some lines so far; beads, yarn and books. Yes, I will sort them, but I’m not going to be brutal about it. Luckily they don’t take up much space. Okay, if I’m truthful I’m not going to get rid of beads – period. But the books and yarn are smaller than a bass boat! I think.

Of course, my fun trips to my favorite antique mall are not stopping either, but I’m trying to be very careful what I bring home. Last visit I came across a basket of 45 RPM records and sorted through. Pounced on one by Elvis and several made in Hawaii with the label in a red and white floral print. Plan on using them as wall decorations in the Maui/Elvis in Hawaii bathroom. Now if I can just find where I put them …..

P.S. For those of you keeping track, I finally switched out my cable tv modem this past weekend. With cussing and lots of chocolate, I made it work. Then I downgraded my tv package, kept football of course, and they sent me a new DVR to switch out. Sigh. Now I have to actually watch the shows on my old DVR. Stop the insanity!

Beads, Bling, Coloring And Shell Casings?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Creativity is everywhere. Opening our eyes and senses is the first requirement to seeing it. Spent a quick visit Saturday at the Gem Faire, one of my favorite things to do. The show only comes twice a year so I can’t do too much damage to my wallet.

I hadn’t been for quite a while so the thrill of exploring energized me. Due to a competing appointment I had 70 minutes to power shop through the show. Did it! Got some pretties I couldn’t live without and saw some items which made my muse happy and curious.

Sounds like a Ginsu knife commercial - but wait there's more! Shell casing earrings and pendants!
Sounds like a Ginsu knife commercial – but wait there’s more! Shell casing earrings and pendants!

Take the shell casing pendants and earrings. Now, I have some leftover shell casings from my Dad’s workshop I’ve kept for a future project like a draft pick; not sure what they will become or accomplish but I’ve got the stuff. Had to take a picture and share with you this creative use of ammo.

Now, I might shine the casings with Brasso, although I thought I got enough of Brasso in the Army, but shiny is in my blood after basic training. Then I might add crystals, sparkly bling, a pink quartz rock and flashier earring findings and that is how I end up with tons of “project stuff.”

Recently a new Ace Hardware opened up in my area and I was beside myself exploring the aisles and all the fun new toys, er tools. They even had a “Hobby” aisle! Can you say more accessories for my Dremel? Yes, I bought the 80-piece accessory pack when I got my Dremel but I’m sure Ace must have more by now.

Then last Sunday the “Parade” magazine had a great article about coloring for adults. While I admit I buy Disney color books and have a fabulous supply of colored pens, Crayons and pencils to use, now there are big kid coloring books! They even have a couple of pages you can download free from the article.

Here is the link to get to the article and the free coloring pages.

http://parade.com/409702/hdowdle/50-shades-of-happy-the-new-joy-of-coloring/

Life is good! New beads, new bling, recycling shell casings and getting to color? It must be summer!

www.gemfaire.com

PDX Carpet Selfies And Parade Hijinks!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

It is definitely catch-up time. So many fun things have been happening! Our favorite airport carpet was featured as the Grand Marshall at the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade. “PeeDee” rode in a fabulous red Cadillac and made quite the entrance.

PDX carpet shoe and toe selfie arriving home from Maui!
PDX carpet shoes and toes selfie arriving home from Maui!

Since we are ga-ga over our old teal carpet currently being replaced by new green carpet we haven’t bonded with yet, there is an entire industry of shoes, ties, mugs, you name it with the old carpet pattern. Even the pace truck for Saturday’s Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade was wrapped in the pattern.

SO, of course you can imagine that I had a shoe selfie taken when we arrived back from Maui last month, so here is my photo complete with sparkly toes! This is not considered odd behavior by the way, shoe selfies with the old PDX carpet is the thing to do here while we all race to get pics taken before all the carpet is replaced.

Worthy of a “Portlandia” episode, we love our old carpet and it has risen to great heights; including a limited edition shoe from Trailblazer Damian Lillard. Only in Oregon, I guess. We take Keep Portland Weird to the MAX (Also the name of our lightrail train).

It was a very hot and toasty weekend and yesterday hit 91 degrees, so even though you might think the hot weather explains all the PDX carpet-mania, it doesn’t. I think what it really explains is that I was born in the right city, Quirky Portland, Oregon.  Because if everybody is a little odd, we all fit in!

P.S. I just registered to get in line for some used PDX airport carpet. Keep your fingers crossed!

www.pdxcarpetstore.com

www.twitter.com/pdxcarpet

Are You Ready For Some “Big Magic” This Fall?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Few things get me more excited than word of a new book by a favorite author. Double that when the book is about creativity and I’d only heard rumors about it until recently. So, while I am marking my calendar for September 22nd this year, I wanted to share the info with those of you like-minded creative types. The new book was announced Jan. 12th, but I’ve been oblivious I guess.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book is “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.” I’m figuring out whether to take vacation time from the day job to hit the bookstore first thing that morning and/or pre-order it from her “Two Buttons” store so I can get an autographed copy. I’m thinking both. Why deny myself?

I’ve come to realize I prefer getting a paperback or hard copy of non-fiction books because highlighting on my ereader makes a mess; kidding, but not quite. Physically underlining words on a page reinforces the learning process of the brain and I can use all the education help I can get. Plus, I’m addicted to those Post-It Note Flags.

So for all of us creative types, and that is pretty much everybody on the planet, more book fun to come. Plus the cover is partly pink! Living the dream!

P.S. The Portland Rose Festival is in grand swing now and Fleet Week starts on Wednesday. Check out the link to see which ships are coming for a visit. Too fun! Brings back high school days memories; seeing sexy U.S. and Canadian Navy uniforms. But I can’t swim for beans or chocolate so into the Army and Air Force I went!  http://www.rosefestival.org/event/fleet-week-4-3

Time For New Dreams And Adventures?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to the day job after a nice vacation between Christmas and New Years. Had a calm and fun-filled time with lots of cleaning and rearranging and moving stuff. Made me glad to go back to the day job to get away from doing more.

First squirrel sighting of 2015! Notice Spec Ops Cat reflection in the window.
First squirrel sighting of 2015! Notice Spec Ops Cat reflection in the window. And his ear!

Took some time to read and watch movies too, plus football of course. Made big strides in my office rearranging my office closet and organizing writing projects. Put together another cubie divider to store the piles of projects which seem to get larger with research.

Some observations about trying to sort and purge items:

1. Sorting paper is an activity which can suck your soul. Since I keep all kinds of things for reference, research and sentimental reasons, the paper is the biggest challenge. It really does breed in the dark like rabbits.

2. I love my hardback and paperback books, but I still have too many. However, sorting them feels like choosing among favorite children. The upside is ones I can’t sell I donate to our Friends of the Library and they make money and the books go to new homes. Makes me happy.

3. Organizing and streamlining my office space is freeing up my mind space. And I can use all of that I can get! I’ve read clutter causes stress and that seems so true in my home.

4. Been reading “Plain and Simple – A Woman’s Journey to the Amish” by Sue Bender. It jumped out at me when I was looking for another book in my office. (See, I can’t get that serendipity book discovery on my ereader.) It is nourishing my mind and my sense of cleaning out. Great read.

Game on stare down between squirrel and Spec Ops Cat. Both think they are super heroes with two panes of glass in between!
Squirrel advances in the stare down game with Spec Ops Cat. Both think they are super heroes with two panes of glass in between!

5. New calendars, new checkbook register, whole new year to make magic and dreams come true. Yeah!

“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, something to give, and something to hope for,” by After Allan Chalmers from Susan Branch’s 2015 Heart of the Home Calendar.

Have You Taken A Pumpkin Photo Break?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

This time of year I dread the coming of the dark season. To distract myself, besides imagining writing I can get done on rainy days and baking tons of cookies, taking pictures with Fall light becomes my passion. Trying to catch the last rays of the year and the amber light is an exercise in patience and quick draw with a camera.

Since I always have a camera with me, besides my cell phone camera with no zoom, it becomes a game to see where and when I can capture the waning golden light of the season.

A herd of pumpkins waiting at sunset to be taken home and carved.
A herd of pumpkins waiting at sunset to be taken home and carved.

This first picture I had to take last week while grocery shopping. I’d only stopped for a few things, but I couldn’t resist the golden light on the pile of pumpkins outside the grocery store.

Since I long ago got over what anyone thought who might see me taking pictures of produce, life is good. Lately I’ve even taken pics of some great displays inside retail stores, since many are works of art.

So if it’s not pumpkins, then leaves are a big deal this time of year. This next picture I snapped after work at the day job. In the parking lot! One does not have to be in exotic locations to get great photos. There are several malls and one post office where I’m always watching the trees and plants because they are great for close-ups.

Sun slipping into the night - over the parking lot.
Sun slipping into the night – over the parking lot.

So, if it were not for the dratted cross walk sign you can barely see in the bottom right corner, people might think this blissful scene was way out in the woods, not surrounded by asphalt. Look around for big and small details this season. For Pete’s sake look UP too.

We have the first big rain storm coming in today after a summer of high temperatures. So while we all huddle inside and work on our creative projects, clean things out and plan the killer list of fun baking projects for the holidays, remember to take some great pictures.

You never know what you might want to send on a holiday card or in a family newsletter. Try something out of the ordinary. Let’s all celebrate the season of photography!

 

Isn't he cute? Happy Halloween photo hunting!
Isn’t he cute? Happy Halloween photo hunting!