Letting Go --- Getting Organized

Today I started a new project. It's something I can work on a few minutes at a time, whenever I get a spare moment or two. Basically, I am making two super-organized binders --- one for my recipes and another for interesting craft projects.

I have piles of Canadian Living and Martha Stewart magazines gathering dust on my bookshelf. Yesterday a friend also blessed me with a delicious stack of Everyday Food. I've dog-eared many of the magazine pages, but the truth is, I rarely look at them (or remember what's on the pages I was interested in). Therefore, I've finally decided to defile my sacred magazines and (gasp) tear out the pages I like. I'll recycle or give away the old magazines and gain valuable new shelf space!

Somewhere around here I have a big box of plastic page protectors. (I just have to find it!) I also have another box of old, but still good, binders. I found a stack of binder tabs in my office supplies drawer. I plan to protect and categorize every recipe and craft page I've saved. Hopefully, I'll end up with a couple of terrific, functional new home-management binders.

Some of the categories I plan to use for the crafts binder:
knitting
crochet
quilting
sewing
paper crafts
crafts for kids
gifts

Some of the categories I plan to use for the recipes binder:
main dishes (I will likely break this down further: chicken, beef, fish, casseroles, etc.)
cookies
muffins
desserts
appetizers
preserves
breakfast
salads

I'm sure the categories I require will become self-evident as I sort through my mess of recipes. I love doing this kind of stuff. Here's to some happy organizing!