I went for a hike today. “Big Deal” you’re probably thinking. But it was a pain free hike! It is a Big Deal. Last year at this time I was a week away from ankle fusion surgery. Long recovery. Today I am hiking the trails pain free! I remember looking at an oncoming hiker/walker/runner and longing for their ankle. Did they even know how lucky they were?! Today I have my very own pain free ankle. Why did I wait so long to have that surgery? Fear
I also have to mention the best thing that happened in 2013. My daughter Katie went through a harrowing pregnancy which included a trip to a fetal surgeon in Los Angeles. I now have one year old identical twin granddaughters, born early, and small but mighty. They are healthy, happy, normal babies! 
In spite of another grandchild, this time a boy born to my son and his wife, I am very happy to see 2013 in the rear view mirror. In 2014 I am going to:
Be More Organized…is on my list of New Year’s Resolutions every year. I looked at my list from last year (which I put in a document in order to be more organized) Yep, there it was. I added it to my new list because this year I really, really, mean it. But what does not being organized mean?
Piles! That’s what it means to me. Why does everything end up in a pile? And what you want is always on the bottom? Speaking of piles, I went to my piles of old magazines where I was vaguely sure that Real Simple magazine: www.realsimple.com did an issue in January on Organizing. The January 2014 issue is all about finding the “balance in your life”, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist and is not achievable if it does. However! The January 2013 issue was all about organizing!
And there it was. It jumped off the page at me. A solution for the biggest nemesis I have: the bathroom medicine cabinet. Maybe you don’t have a medicine cabinet, but we are currently renting a house and all rental houses come with small medicine cabinets. I have quite the pile in that cabinet. A pile of lipstick, gloss, brushes, mascara, eyeliner and pencils in my daily attempt to achieve “Informal Beauty.”
I am about to share with you this item that changed my daily life:
Just click on the picture to get to the site
Now I am going to share with you the before:
And the after! 
I was so excited about this, I bought two of the organizers for my husband. Here are his:
He just doesn’t get it.
If you purchase this item, please send me a picture! What is your best answer to an organizing problem? I’d like to hear about it!
Happy New Year! I will try to organize my thoughts this year also!
Stevie Writes 
Great idea Stevie!
Good advice is hard to come by and even harder to accept. Someone must have said this.
Their are several categories of things, new exciting things, old used things, things of memories, useless things and precious things. When you are old they mean less and less and are in effect baggage. Lighten your life – give away anything you can, recycle, donate and ask your children to indicate what they want – beyond that it will all be dumped eventually. Hard yes but it is what it is. Be free of possessions – you only own them for a little while anyway.
You write well Stevie. Put all your writings into a book, publish it and pass the books on to your children and friends as gifts. Have Tom write the introduction. Wished I saw more of you am Tom.
2014 will be a better year if we get some rain.
You should write a book, Stevie…..you are GOOD!!! Barbara
Thank you Barbara, you are too kind! Just getting a blog out once a month is a challenge. Hopefully after getting organized I will be able to do two a month.
My best answer is to throw things out. Seriously – with my hobbies – I have had to learn to be ruthless.
I am trying to learn ruthlessness, it’s hard!
Good advice Phil, thanks!