Organizing or Over Organizing? That is the Question!

ORGANIZING  

A Midsummer's Night Dream or a  Plain Nightmare?

Just a few thoughts on the subject

And if you want to skip to the bottom, there are some jewelry organizing solutions....

Do you get excited or depressed watching all those so called "experts" telling you how to get organized? Do you dream of having everything in its place? Do you drop hints to your significant other that the neighbor's garage  is sheetrocked, and tools, bikes and toys are all hung on those walls or by the rafters with care? If so I can relate!  I feel very disorganized most of the time. But then, when I do get the bug, I tend to Over Organize and can't remember where I put anything in my New System! Are 7 pockets in a purse REALLY helpful? I used to think so, when I could remember what each pocket was for! And it never stays organized anyway, so why bother?  Why can't I keep on top of things?  Am I lazy?  In agony with old age aches and pains?  Overwhelmed? ADHD? I drive myself nuts just thinking about getting organized! But, sometimes, one just has to do it! It does get a bit bothersome to have all that stuff fall out of the closet!

 I  decided lately that first I had to sort out my thinking. What has worked before? What do I need to accomplish each task now? Tubs? Boxes? Pill bottles?  Sometimes I've done a great job at organizing. My china inventory and silver ware business was neatly catagorized by company and by alphabet, boxed and shelved--in alpha order! Pieces were listed on index cards and attached to each box and a copy filed in an old recipe box. Packing orders was generally a breeze.   I have certain items that I always return to their "proper place". Why? Because dire consequences will result if I don't. Time is wasted, I can't do a job, I get frustrated, etc.   Early in life, I learned that if I misplaced my  favorite tweezers...OMG, I'd have unibrows! (Priorities) On Sunday nights, I always washed out my delicates for the next week. (Routines)

What changed and why?  I realized lately  that different periods of my life required various systems. Old age...well, not THAT OLD, has a way of making you look at things differently, When the kids were little, routines helped keep me organized. Moving every few years also helped me clear out the clutter. Now, in the same house for over 20 years, having several businesses, kids and others moving in and out, leaving the frozen tundra of Minnesota for 5 months at a time, (packing...unpacking), well I guess I just got overwhelmed and often too busy!   But, as I got older, I learned that if I misplaced my glasses, I couldn't use my tweezers anyway, so if they were lost, oh well!   Besides, is that a stray eyebrow or a new wrinkle? I don't think I really want to know.  I guess that's what my mom meant when she said, "God always compensates!" 

Lately, I've been trying to learn HOW to get more organized and ENTHUSED about it..again. This is how I used to  talk to myself about it. Some days, I still do, alas..old habits are hard to break. Does anyone relate?

Day 1. OMG this place is a disaster! Favorite excuses:  I don't care, my back hurts and if someone comes over, they can judge me all they want to! I'm 50 something and I am the boss of myself now!  It's too nice outside to stay in and clean! I rather be making jewelry! Gosh, when was the last time I played my piano?
Day 2. I can't stand it anymore! What's the matter with you, anyway, Terri, you're a slob!? Bummer, the kids are grown and gone and now I have to do it all myself.  Hubby is saying he's too ill. Well, he has been so I can't yell at him! You'd think it wouldn't be so bad anymore with just the two of us. Correction: Two to mess it up, one to clean it up.
Day 3. "Why" doesn't matter anymore just get to work. But, but, but, Hell's Bells, I don't even know where to start! Maybe tomorrow?
Day 4. Pick a room, any room and go!
Day 5.  Why is stuff from this room supposed to be in another room? Hmmm Run fast, put each article away as you find it. Note to self:  if I or whomever did that BEFORE I wouldn't be putting it back now! Why I do I remember my elders always putting everything away at the time? Reminder: Don't ride the Guilt train! 
Day 6. If we let the dog lick the plates good enough, can we just put 'em back in the cupboards? It's tempting somedays! LOL
Day 7. .End of week...a few things or many, are put away and the house in general is STILL a Disaster! What happened? I worked like a dog! While she slept! Dog...work? Yeah right! Where's that little magnet that said, "I'm too busy to get organized!"?



Just a Little Bit of Sugar ....

1.  New Year's Resolution: Don't let the house get so bad! Clean up some every night before bed. Munchie wrappers and glasses used in the living room get taken to the kitchen or garbage can. Better yet, I got a pretty little wastebasket I could set next to my hubby's favorite lounge chair next to the wall. It helps!
2. Why am I yelling at myself? Oh, yeah, I don't have the kids to yell at anymore! Man I miss them!  Yelling at myself doesn't help!  Well sometimes it does if I promise myself a treat after the work is done! Oh yeah, remember that's how I did it with the kids.... Name calling is just a form of beating up on myself...and ghosts that I'd rather banish haunting me about how bad I was as a kid. Hey, I wasn't bad! They just had "perfectionism syndrome".  OOOH, I hope I didn't do that to MY kids! I'm sure they'd beg to differ though. It's amazing how an older family member can make you feel so bad about yourself.I know now that they had their own demons and I can "unfriend" them. Note to kids: PLEASE DON'T UNFRIEND ME!
3.  Pick a spot, not a whole room or whole house! Just a table to clear off, one set of windows to wash, one load of laundry to put away. EZ does it, but finish that ONE job (adhd?) and then look at it and pat myself on the back! Baby steps. Tomorrow I'll do 2 things, or 3 things. I think it's true that an object in motion tends to stay in motion but I do tend to steam ahead sometimes and end up exhausted. Careful!
4.   Either put it away right away...that seems to EZ or create some sort of portable organizer (multi-divided baskets?)  labeled with different rooms and put all the stuff in their little temporary place. Then when I'm done with that room, go put it away, one room at a time. It's a good theory anyway....  admire what got done and shut the heck up! Tomorrow, another project. Heck, it's been a whole house disaster for awhile, another day or two won't matter, unless your mother-in-law is coming over! Crap!
5.  You know....that dog causes me alot of extra work...hmmmmmmm. She doesn't wash out her Own dishes! But she's so cute! I just wish I could get her organized to pick up her own...stuff (toys of course, what'd you think I was talking about?). Let's see if I can dictate this to her and see if she understands! Now who's barking up the wrong tree?



  IDEAS FOR JEWELRY PARTS ORGANIZING

All those fancy organizing boxes are really expensive!

•   Whilst organizing my bathroom closet and putting similar items in baskets/boxes/organizers, I pulled out all the little shampoo, lotion, etc. bottles I'd collected from hotels and decided to use them up. What was I saving them for anyway?   I realized that many of those little empty bottles would work great as holders for little beads or findings.And because of the caps, I could easily get a couple out without using a scoop or my fingernail! And because most of them are clear - unlike pill bottles - I can see through them! Downside:  now I have to have an organization system..hmmm, by color, size, type? OH MY..my brain hurts!

•   I also have used those weekly pill reminder boxes too. I pick them up wherever, even free sometimes at the pharmacy. They're great for small amounts of things! Now they have those in monthly sizes too. A girl can't have too many beads, findings, charms...

• Oh darn! I knew I forgot something at Home Depot! Those tool hanging clips for all my mandrels and hammers! Well, there's always tomorrow, tomorrow, .......

Haa, you thought you'd see a picture of my work bench didn't you? Next week maybe!



I am very excited to find that indeed my nephew David Andersen is in possession of some precious family heirlooms, particularly important, the historical Conover Family Bible and also one of the Lowe family. He also has some pictures. We plan to meet next week. I will then be busy scanning these pictures probably 'till Christmas, if I recall how many there are. These were mostly the Lowe's, my great grandfather's family,  I believe. We'll see as my brother Chuck took some of these pictures back to San Jose with him about 20 years ago. We may not be able to ID the remaining ones, but I am excited to get them. I spent several hours today scanning other items, newsclippings, memorial cards, etc, relating to various sides of my family. Some have been added to the Rose page and others are coming for both that page and the Conover page.  So keep checking in if you're interested. Some really fun stuff in there!

Yesterday, I lunched at the Eden Ave. Grill where there are several old pictures on the walls, many of our Conover family. We were seated by the owner and I asked him if it would be possible to borrow them to make copies. He said he would, except that the frames were attached to the walls like iron. They may have been epoxied and he had a heck of a time removing some of them for repairs at some time. I will have to contact my cousin, Patty or my Aunt Janet regarding these. I hoped not to have to bother them to dig them up again, but alas, I guess I will. It will be great fun. We always say we have to keep in touch!

Hot August Days

Hi Everyone,

Since it's been so blasted hot here or raining lately, I've spent the better part of the last week going to town on the Rose geneology page, nary going outside to check on the garden. But oh, the tomatoes are yummy. I hadn't had any homegrown ones for a few years. Can anyone tell me when I dig up my sweet pataters? The pole beans are tall, taller, taller, oops, fell down and wrapped around the trellis somemore...but where are the beans?

Anyway,  If you look at the Rose genealogy now, you'll see some unfinished notes, to myself, and some blanks____ and ???. I am working long distance with Chuck to fill in these areas. I have to get some pictures I have scanned in and get some from Chuck and my nephew, David, who says he has some too! I also need to either contact my Aunt Janet for copies of some great pictures she provided for a restaurant near my home of my Conover family. My cousin, Patty used to work there and decorated the Eden Avenue Grill with neat old black and whites of her mom & dad and my grandparents. We don't have any of those. When my mother passed away, I gave my uncles back their pictures along with some other great stuff. Too bad we didn't have scanners then!

Well, tomorrow is another day. See ya!

A Family Genealogy Overview

In Monmouth County, NJ, there stands the ancestral home of Jan Covenhoven. I believe this Jan would have been a cousin to me. Names get used over and over and sometimes it gets a bit confusing. This homestead, listed in the National Register of Historic Buildings was taken? over and used by the British as General Clinton's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. The Covenhoven House is maintained by the MCHA. Click on the blue link and it'll take you to the historical association.  I hope to visit there soon. There is so much to see and do there if you're into geneology or early American history or Dutch history.

A brief synopsis of one my direct lineages and the DAR, SAR eligibility.

Founding Fathers...and Mothers

Click on any blue word for a link out to the site.

The Van Kouwenhoven family arrived in America (New Amsterdam aka NY) with the Dutch East India Company in 1625! If your name is Conover (the final spelling) or any derivation of Van Kouwenhoven, we are related. And because we can track our ancestory back that far - and actually back decades more to Holland, any girl in America with this pedigree may be elegible to join the Daughters of the American Revolution organization (DAR) and boys can join the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Soon, my brother, Chuck aka Charlie, will have the final one or two pieces of documentation needed to finish our submission so that we can officially join. I think it will be wonderful. So, contemporaries of mine--if you are a direct descendant of (my grandfather) William Clinton Conover of Minneapolis, who had five children, Clinton, Mildred (married name, Rose), Elmer, Wiley or William, Jr, you can join with just your parental documentation when Chuck is finished. Any other Conover relation can also join if you can prove that the ancestor you directly descend from helped the RW effort. Our "patriot" ancestor is Abraham Couwenhoven.   There are others that we could use also on at least one other side of our family too! I think it was a Woodard. However, someone on our Secor side fought with the British to keep us from grabbing Canada!  Eventually they all made up, intermingled and here we are.   Referring to the statement about name confusion (above)...they weren't a very creative bunch in those days. And as so many families intermarried, it gets crazy further down the lines.  So, naming rituals are important to understand when studying genealogy.

I am also aware that there may still be an active Van Kowenhoven/Conover Family Association out East. I have in my possession a copy of a Minneapolis Star Tribune article, announcing the travels of some of the MN Conovers to the yearly reunion in, I think, 1955.  The date was scribbled in in pencil. Included was a little history of the family, too. If I can figure out how to get scans to show up in the blog, I'll post it if anyone is interested in reading it. Maybe I just have to save them as JPG's? Anyone know? Hello former computer management son of mine! Otherwise, I can email you a copy.

Here are but a few of the better links to our ancestry. Much work has been done by many family members and others. Just follow the directions, usually you'll insert a family name or location or other searches. You'll probably find many of your other families-good luck Andersen's :-) - on some of these.

If you have questions or want to correct me or add to this, contact me either on Facebook or my  email address.  You can also leave comments here.

A great source is The U.S. Genweb Project. It's free too. You'll find much information here posted by my brother, Charles Rose.

A terrific source for the Secor, (sometimes spelled Secord or Sicard) family (that's Grandma Ella M. Secor Conover) can be found on Mr Francois Marchi's wonderful website out of Quebec, Canada. (insert the link)There is a translate button at the top of the page to read everything in English. Just to inspire you, remember when I asked if you might be a princess, or a prince? Brooke Shields has nothing on us! (From the new show "Who Am I " Check out how far we can go back on the Secor family here. Once there click the first bullet point for this crazy, cool family history of the Sicard de Carufels and hold on to your seat! Go enjoy! More later.

Day Two-Learning to refer and link with genealogy info.

Good morning or well now it's evening,

I have spent most of today learning how to set and post to the pages I was talking about. I wrote quite a bit on my family genealogy I also created a basic page for my jewelry. Now lets hope we can access it.  I'm pretty sure, even if the page doesn't show in a box on the side of the posts, if you want to see what I've written, click on a label. Those are used to refer any article containing those words, so they should pop up for you.

My cousin Michelle, who is (aaarrrrggg, I'm so jealous) in France right now. She is teaching a little class in felt flower making, a very popular class at her store in Stillwater, MN called Rose Mille. She has a beautiful blog on her website. If you like crafting as much as we do, go visit! I think she has a few pieces of my jewelry left in her shop too with more to come. I'd better get busy! Anyway, I'm sure I'll pick up plenty of ideas for this blog from her.

Upcoming events

Next week, I'm off to share a few days with my son and his family at a lovely home in northern lower Michigan. I just can't wait to hug those little ones, give a refresher lesson on the famous Rose Potato Salad to my daughter-in-law and dangle a fishing line with my son, Roger. Hmm. I'll have to get someone to take a new picture of the two of us fishing. I was the first one to put a pole in his little hands. But I wonder why the pole in this picture is in My Hand? He probably got bored or was saying, "Hey look Dad, I got Mom to hold it for me!" A mother's work is never done! He was a born negotiator, so it should not surprise me that he became an attorney! It was either that or he was going to be an interpreter. He could always talk, talk, talk! Love ya, Son! See you soon.

Welcome to My First Blog!

Hello Friends!

I guess it's time to get with it in the Blogosphere. Since I don't as yet have an official website for my line of jewelry, named of course, Spoons To The Moon --Jewelry Designs by Terri Berg . Here I hope I can connect with other enthusiasts of handmade crafts, jewellery addicts, and especially those who like "green" artforms. I didn't start out easy..I had never opened or closed a jump ring before I started making my jewelry out of silver plated spoons. I'm still trepidatious about those jump rings. My stuff is pretty heavy weight and strength is absolutely necessary! Ease of putting on jewelery, especially for us arthritics or just as we get older is a design nightmare/concern of mine.


Problem solving: I am slowing getting the hang of working with metal, silver, soldering and bending, beading and Patience! It takes alot of that! (Note) Be careful what you pray for, God does answer prayers and patience is always at the top of this girl's list! He's providing me with lots of opportunities to learn this characteristic! I've heard other jewelers say that too, so I guess I'm in good company.

So, I hope we'l l have lots of fun here. I am sincerely looking to connect with other creatives and their businesses, too. Maybe we can share orders too. I mean do I really need 5 lbs of borax or 144 doodads all at once? You can sure get alot of money tied up in this biz--cause it's all so yummy! I'd rather look at a bowl of pretty beads than M & M's... well, sometimes. It keeps me slimmer though :-).

Other Interests/Hobbies

I also have a love for photography, gardening and my dog, Meggie - a lovable, 6 year old Old English Sheepdog/lab mix. She's so adorable and funny and smart and...well, my kids are grown up so I have to have a little one in the house to brag about. " Little"? , any of you who know her will say. All 75lbs of her!

My two children, Angie and Roger have also blessed me with 3 grandkids, whom I adore. You may see things from time to time about them too. I also have several wonderful step-grandkids and even great grandkids. I don't like the term step, but folks always get this weird look on their face when I say I'm a great grandma. (I was the youngest grandma on my honeymoon cruise :-) .

Gardening is another passion of mine! Oh my aching back! So welcome to my garden pages! I always need advice of some sort and I think I have shared a little along the way. Those will be the "dirty pages". While you're here, pick a weed would ya?

Geneology anyone? There may be a huge page on that. My brother, Charlie, of San Jose has been working his tail off for about 20 years on our families. He took off from a 3 page geneology project I did in 10th grade in Bloomington, MN. If you are a Rose of german descent/Conover/Van Couwenhoven, Lowe, Woodard or Secor, Welcome!

Well, that about sums up my ideas for now. Please let me know how you are doing and if you have tips to share, links to your blogs to share with me and all visitors. I'll need some help with this project too! Let's Dish!

Hugs!
Terri
Chief Disher and Spoon Washer