Danielle's Homemade Products....Movie Clutter Cleanup Tip

I am sure that many people who read this, especially friends that know me well and have come to my house, will giggle a little at the title...the reason is that I am the queen of clutter

Have I mentioned that my place is small? I have no closets, none at all not in either of the two bedrooms or the bathroom, so I have to make due with what little space I can and that usually means things are every where. Well, I am working on remedying that so I thought I would pass along one thing I did that helped clear up a lot of my "piles" that were seeming to take over the living room: my movies.

First thing I should explain...I do not have cable. Out here where I am at, antennas do not pick up anything so other than movies we do not have any other kind of television (yes we have TV's, but watch movies only). So I have about 768 movies. Ok, so that is really only an about number because I have a few more I need to add to my system, but it is pretty close.

This can be done in a day, depending on how many movies you have, but it is less tedious if you break it up. First thing I did was to get a bunch of these:



These, I believe, were originally sold for CD's, but hey DVD's and Blue Ray's are the same size so I made good use of them. Each of the boxes hold 80 disks. I think I have 9 boxes/bins right now total, though the last one is not completely full....yet. Each of the boxes comes with 40 sleeves, and each sleeve holds 2 disks (one on each side, just in case you were having a blond moment like I did when I first got them). The sleeves are also numbered and have a little stick along the top where you can label them. Here is a picture to make that a bit easier to understand.



Now, I am not so OCD that I felt all the movies had to be in alphabetical order (yes, I really did but I also knew that when I got more movies I wasn't redoing it 20 million times, so give me some credit lol). I did try to make sure series movies were together when possible (I didn't always buy them together so sometimes this didn't work). For example, I have Transformers 1, 2, & 3, so these movies are right behind one another in my boxes. There are also times when I have duplicate movies, sometimes because it came with a set of other movies (I love those multiple movies in a box) or sometimes it was because I just couldn't remember if I had it, or I was replacing a disk I thought was too scratched to play. These also received a new bin/box number and a slot so they may be on my list twice. The movies that were multiples on one disk, I would list the movie name and the same bin/box number for the number of movies on that particular disk.

Here is what I did.

I started out by taking a group of movies cases off the shelf and putting them in the sleeves. As I filled the sleeves, I also wrote the movie names on the tags of the sleeves. Some of my movies have more than one on a disk (as you can see in my picture above) so I would write the name of the first movie and then + however many more was on there. After I had so many of these done (usually I did a box at a time), then I would go back through the box and write down all of the movies in that box and list the number they were at in that particular box. Once I had all of the boxes done, I then went to my computer. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing thing, I did not do all 700 movies at one time. I started it almost 2 years ago and every so often, as I get more movies, I go back and add them to the boxes and update my list. I usually wait until I have about 20 or so movies to add so I have updated the list 2 or 3 times since I started it in March of 2013, my latest update was done just after Christmas 2014. I have also put a group in the cases, written them down, then put the list aside (somewhere I wouldn't lose it) and then updated my list the next time I was on my computer...yes I said computer....keep reading that part is coming up next.

Back to the subject at hand....I started up an excel file. Here are the first page and last page of my file (picture of the computer screen so please forgive the quality).



I do realize that my excel sheet says bin and my "bins" are actually labeled with a box number...so sue me...or consider it a blonde moment again. I made the labels for the bins when I did the last update because the little pieces of paper I had stuck inside the label area on the bin itself had gone missing on the majority of the bins (actually they were only missing on the ones my daughter could reach...hmmm think she may be the missing label culprit).

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I wanted to keep it simple, and to fit nicely on a single piece of paper width wise, so I used three columns. I checked it once I started, using print preview, to make sure it would fit on one piece because it didn't originally, then adjusted my column width accordingly. The last time I updated the listed, I added a line at the bottom with the date I updated it. This served two purposes, letting me know when I updated it and making it possible with a glance to see that I had the most up to date movie list when I printed it later. Once I had all the movies listed, I highlighted the three columns and sorted it in alphabetical order (ok, so I am compulsive to a point, but it makes it easier to find a movie later).

I printed it out on purple paper, mainly because it was what I had and to make it stand out from the typical white paper sitting around the house for craft or printing purposes. Now, take a look at that first picture again of the box and realize that there are 80 disks inside....can you imagine how much space the same number of cases took up...yep the reason for the decluttering...it wasn't the invasion of the body snatchers or invasion of the blob...it was invasion of the movie cases lol



I stapled the pages together and I keep it near the boxes. Like I said, it can be done in a day, depending on the number of movies you have, but I did mine over time and just reprinted the list when I added more movies. If you would love to do this, live close by, but don't have time, let me know I would be happy to come over and organize your movies for you....but I do charge lol

I am sure you could only imagine what it would be like to have that many movie cases all over the place though so it was very much worth it to me. I am working one area at a time to declutter and release excess objects from the house...slow process but I will update you on what I do as I go (if the blond in me remembers that is)..

What is your decluttering tip? Comment below.

Danielle's Homemade Product...this one is a little different Continued

Yes, I realize...two posts in one week...you guys probably don't know what to think....

But I looked back over my post about my story and realized that I did what everyone does...

I told the details of the story, but not how it affected me or my loved ones. So I had to go back and think about that time and remember how everything felt....all I can say is I went through a range of emotions including


Anger, Betrayal, Heartbreak, Sadness and Frustration...just to name a few


I am not even sure if anger is the right word to use. I was angry with myself and with everyone who had children. Why were they able to have kids, no problem (or so it appeared) while I couldn't. I was in my early 20's, didn't smoke, didn't do any drugs other than what my doctor prescribed (which at the time wasn't really anything), I didn't drink (not even on my 21st birthday since I was trying to get pregnant), and why wasn't I able to STAY pregnant. Obviously, I could get pregnant, but going the long hall was the problem. I was also angry at all the woman that had kids with seemed like no problem. It just didn't seem fair.

I felt betrayed...by my own body. Here the one thing a woman is suppose to do and has done since the dawn of time and my body just didn't cooperate. It hurt, bone deep. Hurt more than I can ever explain to anyone. The frustration went along with this feeling of betrayal because I was frustrated again that my body wouldn't cooperate.

I was heartbroken. These were my babies, my little girls, that I would never see grow up. That would never learn to talk or walk. That would never start school, or find a boyfriend (or girlfriend), or getting married, or even have kids of their own that I would one day watch grow up again. This was my (then) husband's little girl, who would never have to worry how daddy would react to her first kiss or her first date. My family was heartbroken. This was the first grandbaby (and great grandbaby for some) that they were watching buried in a small white coffin instead of hearing about them getting ready for their first dance recital or first father/daughter dance. Sadness goes along with this just because of the things that I knew both babies were never going to get to do.

The worst part of it all was that I hid these feelings, bottled them up, and allowed them to ferment badly inside because I didn't know how to express them or thought others didn't want to hear about it because they were trying to move on. This just seemed to trigger my anger more. How could they move on when I was stuck in limbo? How could they pretend the day was normal and fine when I didn't want to even get out of bed in the morning? Don't get me wrong...I was good at pretending and many people didn't even realize how dark of a deep whole I had fallen into.

My (then) husband knew, to an extent, even though he didn't understand it, but then again I can't tell you how many bags of Doritos he watched me devour like they were going to be my saving grace. He watched as I steadily gained at least 30 pounds. I got up every morning and went to work, but beyond that, it took a fight to get me to get off the couch or to step away from my Doritos bag. I was miserable, unhappy, and depressed and turned to the one thing I could control...food. Not a good idea that is for sure, but it was a comfort at the time. It finally took him threatening to leave me for me to talk to my doctor about the depression. Unfortunately, in the end our problems, and my depression, was too much of a strain on the marriage and a few months after the second daughter died he did file for divorce.

Now, before you shake your head at his selfish, uncompassionate, and insensitive behavior, just stop. Losing the babies affected him too. Neither of us were equipped to handle the situation and we were both daily reminders of the loss...to each other. We didn't know how to talk to each other or be there for each other because we were both focused on our own world of pain (I know I was). He has since remarried, has a lovely wife and 2 beautiful daughters. All three of us are friends on Facebook and I wish him well and all the happiness he deserves. I will never know how losing the babies hurt him because I was too focused on my own pain to ask. I do know that we couldn't go back to who we were before the babies and that hurt both of us.

It's been 11 1/2 years since Kara was born, and 11 years since the second baby was born, but it still hurts today. Even now, as I write this, I find myself in tears remembering that time. I have tried to find ways to honor their memories of the years. I have a tattoo on my lower back (called it a tramp stamp if you want, but that isn't want it is for me) in memory of my girls.




Sorry about the picture, this is an old picture, and you don't realize how difficult it is to take a picture of your own lower back until you actually try.

I also wanted a tattoo to honor my surviving daughter...this one is for her



For the last three years, I have also found another way to honor all three of my daughters. I participate in the March for Babies held in Chicago. I am part of a friend's team, they also lost a daughter who was born too early, and we walk together to help raise money to prevent premature births like we have experienced. The next walk is this coming May and I am already signed up to participate in the walk. If you have lost a baby, or know someone that has, I encourage you to participate in the walk as well, or at least donate toward such a good cause. If you want to donate, you can do so here at my link: http://www.marchforbabies.org/daniandskye.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment below and to share this story and any of my other posts with your friends and loved ones.

Danielle's Homemade Products.....PTSD

I am overwhelmed with the replies that I have received to my story posted in December. Many people have shared their own stories with me and have opened up about their own previous experiences. I am touched and can not begin to express how this has touched my heart. My heart aches for those that have their own experiences with miscarriage. It has been heartwarming to see the support that has come in after posting this and shows me how not alone I am in my loss, even if the situations are not identical. Because of this, I thought I would write a little about another issue that so many people experience, and many close to me have experienced: PTSD.

What is PTSD? PTSD, also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event.

Here are some facts (based on the U.S. population):

About 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.

About 5.2 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.

About 10 of every 100 (or 10%) of women develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 (or 4%)
of men.(http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp)

Not everyone that experiences a traumatic event with end up with PTSD, but the numbers are still staggering. The hardest part about PTSD is that there are no set rules as to who will get it, what kind of events will trigger it, every person's symptoms can be different as well, and every person with PTSD may respond differently to it. What do I mean by that, you ask?

Let me explain. I know 4 people that have been diagnosed with PTSD. Each of those 4 people experienced different traumas that caused their PTSD, and each of them have handled the situation differently and show different symptoms to it. I will not give names and will try to keep some of this vague to protect their identities, but I do feel PTSD needs to be discussed and understood.

Because I have people in my life diagnosed with this disorder, I have done some research and have read up on the subject to better understand it myself. One thing I know is that no one person responds the same way to PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD often are grouped into three main categories, including:

Reliving: People with PTSD repeatedly relive the ordeal through thoughts and memories of the trauma. These may include flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares. They also may feel great distress when certain things remind them of the trauma, such as the anniversary date of the event.

Avoiding: The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind him or her of the trauma. This can lead to feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends, as well as a loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed.

Increased arousal: These include excessive emotions; problems relating to others, including feeling or showing affection; difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability; outbursts of anger; difficulty concentrating; and being "jumpy" or easily startled. The person may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea. (http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder)

Because everyone responds differently, the levels they respond to can also be different. For example, one person may experience high levels of anxiety leaving their home while others may experience high anxiety when meeting new people. Some may experience withdraw from sex and physical touch while others become promiscuous and seek out touch as a way of forgetting or dealing with the trauma. The four people I know all have some form of flashbacks and nightmares, though only a few have hallucinations associated with their traumas.

I also know a number of people, including myself, that have some form of anxiety issue without having been diagnosed with PTSD. I personally have difficult time in crowds of people I do not know. Let me tell you that most of the time my Christmas shopping consists of my Homemade Products or shopping online because being in a crowded store around the holidays is difficult, especially if I can not leave quickly. I do not have many problems meeting new people, as long as it is only a few people at one time, large groups I can not handle well. I also struggle with sleeping most days of the week. My brain either won't stop running through items that have to be done, or should be done, or with memories of past days. My original post on my miscarriages occurred because of one of these occasions where my brain would not let go of that time and before I could sleep at all, I had to write about my experience.

There are different ways to help with PTSD, but there is no cure for it that I am aware of in all my research. One way to help is with medication. Medication can be used to help with the anxiety attacks and depression. Tranquilizers such as Ativan and Klonopin; mood stabilizers such as Depakote and Lamictal; and neuroleptics such as Seroquel and Abilify are sometimes used. Certain blood pressure medicines are also sometimes used to control particular symptoms. For example prazosin may be used for nightmares, or propranolol may be used to help minimize the formation of traumatic memories (http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder?page=3). There are also a number of different types of therapy that can help with PTSD as well. Counseling can help a person with PTSD discuss the issues they are facing and bring them to the surface so they can be dealt with. Many people with PTSD have blocked out the events and until facing and dealing with them, can not move forward in their lives. Therapy can also help a person with PTSD find ways of coping with the anxiety they feel.

The bottom line is that this is a real disorder that real people face, an alarming number of people. No one event can cause PTSD as this is usually dependent on the person themselves and their personal trauma. It is important that we do not diminish a person because they have issues. My own traumatic experience with my miscarriages did cause depression, anxiety, and insomnia so technically I could have a form of PTSD as well that went undiagnosed. The important part is to recognize that every person is different and handles situations differently. We do not know what they went through during their life since so many things we keep silent about. Maybe that is the solution. Maybe we should no longer keep silent.

Danielle's Homemade Product....Nice Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Self confidence, self image, and self esteem are large words that have a large impact on how we view ourselves and view others. These issues are not exclusive to women. Men suffer from self image and self esteem issues just as much as women do. When I noticed a lack of confidence in a buddy of mine, I did a little research....

I found this article from Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jessica-lovejoy/body-image-issues-in-men_b_5514957.html) and they noted that 26% of the men they surveyed had issues with their body image because of their weight and that more men are less confident in their body than they appear to be. I was somewhat surprised, but not extremely so.

So...back to this buddy of mine. He is a wonderful guy. I have known him since high school (again, women do not discuss their ages so lets just say...a long while lol). Lets give the basics first. He has a job, has a group of friends that would bend over backwards for him, he would bend over backwards for his friends too, he is a single father and just an all around NICE guy. Sorry ladies, he does have a women and I am not publishing his name to avoid Facebook stalking lol. Stop cringing at the NICE guy comment...I know he did. Why is being a nice guy such a problem?

Here is the problem as I see it. He doesn't realize what an amazing catch he is for any woman or for that right women. As a joke, he sent me a picture of himself without a shirt. Poor guy. He should have known better. I told him if he keeps that up, I was going to make a calender of his pictures and sell them. He laughed and said no one would buy them. Challenge accepted.

Ladies, this is where you come into play. I have done a rough draft of the calender, which still needs some tweaking on the pictures and the picture placements. Can you help me out here? I have attached one of the mock ups that I have created for this calender. Please let me know what you think.

If you know a NICE guy, and he is willing to take some photos for me to add to the calender, please let me know this as well. I realize these photos are what some people would consider racy, so please don't feel these are all I am looking for. I want to create a calender of guys, everyday guys, hot guys, short guys, average Joes....bottom line is my criteria has nothing to do with looks, body shape, body size, weight, height, or any traditional "model" type. I am looking for a well rounded group of guys, ones you would see walking down the street not featured in a "Magic Mike" style video. Those are welcome too, don't get me wrong, but I know that every women is attracted to something different. It could be those killer blue eyes, or that sweet smile, or even his charming personality.

Let me know ladies....

Here is your mock up....I added the front cover and one of the calender days....comments welcome and please let me know if you think someone would be interested in being included....

I for one...think my man is hot, spicy, and sexy....and that is regardless of his size or body type

Danielle's Homemade Products...Candle Warmer Hack

I love candles. Absolutely love them. What isn't to love? They make your house smell yummy (without actually having to make those cinnamon rolls). They also are a source of light during a power outage, which when I was in high school seemed to happen every time it snowed, and I lived in the suburbs of Chicago and not the country where I am now.

But let's face it. There are times when leaving a candle burning just isn't safe or smart. Young kids or pets around can make them bad business and fire hazards. So....I cheated.

My hack, you ask? Haha...you will laugh

Remember that mini crock pot that they use to give away when you bought a big one...I think it was suppose to be used for hot dips or something like that...yep you guessed it.



Remember that little guy...

Well there are two ways that you can use that little baby...

First, if your candle is small enough you can place the whole thing inside the crock pot like so...



Or..if you have those nifty candle melts (which I do but I do not have a nifty candle melts warmer), then you can also put the melts directly inside...like so



Since I just got a big bag of jars from my aunt (woo hoo) some of which still had candle wax in them, I decided to use a candle in a jar...that way I could warm up the wax for removal at the same time as I made the house smell yummy...

I did add a bit of water into the crock because the jar does have a paper label on the bottom and I was worried that would scorch or burn without the water as a buffer (not a good smell)..



It doesn't take much water, I added about an inch or so. Keep an eye on it though as the water will evaporate as the candle melts...it started out as a solid candle and as it started warming...



You can see the liquid around the outside of the still set center...after a while it will completely liquefy



At this point, the candle is completely liquid and smells yummy. I went ahead and used the tray from the melts I just got to pour some of the liquid candle into it for later candle melts warming. You can choose to continue to let it yummy up your house or turn it off at this point (boo the little guy doesn't have a power button, so I had to unplug it). Again, if you choose to keep it going for a while, make sure to check the water level as mine was almost out of water at this point. Now you can enjoy yummy smells without the worry of a burning candle. What scent will you use tonight?