A Picture is Worth A Thousand Piles

Really quick I just had to share a Pinterest tip that has actually improved my life in the real world. Let's face it, there are a ton of really stupid ideas on Pinterest.  (Inflating balloons with air from a water bottle filled with vinegar and baking soda, anyone? Yeah, that is way easier than using my mouth.) But every once in a while you find something that is actually really useful. (Okay, magnetic strip in the vanity drawer that holds all your bobbie pins, you win.)  But here is one tip I think we all can use. I have been very overwhelmed lately by the amount of sentimental clutter that I have. (Oddly enough, my latest freak out came right after Jacob watched an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive. But I digress...) I am a sentimental weirdo and that makes it very hard for me to throw certain things away. Ever. Things like birthday cards, notes from the kids, school work, report cards, Christmas photo cards, etc.  The guilt I have about throwing things away is ridiculous. So I was researching how other guilty people deal with this issue and wouldn't you know that if I just take a picture of it, I can throw it away???  No, no, my friend, not scan it.  That is WAY too much work.  I just snap a digital photo of said clutter, put it on my external hard drive in a big file called "Sentimental Journey," and voila! The clutter is gone and I don't have to keep finding a new home every other day for the letter to Santa from Cindy when she was 4. I just can't stand how easy it is! You're welcome, you're welcome and you're welcome.

Thank you note from Grandma Donna Bingham, circa 2008