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Villarreal’s big break

15. May, 2012 0 Comments

Kelly Villarreal thought her golf career was over when she finished up her fourth year on the women’s golf team at Samford University in the spring of 2004.

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Features

A primer on paint

15. May, 2012 0 Comments

A new coat of paint is a fun way to punch up a room’s personality.

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At Home, Features

Why I Love Shelby County: Sen. Cam Ward

15. May, 2012 0 Comments

Drawn to public service after working for other elected officials, Sen. Cam Ward has served Shelby County in the Alabama Senate since 2010.

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Features

Life as a canvas

18. Jan, 2012 0 Comments

North Shelby folk artist She-She has been through her share of challenges over the years.

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Features

Oak Mountain Mission makes a difference

18. Jan, 2012 0 Comments

Walter Robinson served in the military but life after was met with its trials. He found himself without a home and battling a drug addiction. He felt unworthy of help.

The Simple Life

Powerful pockets of time

By Lisa Phillips

Those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” are here along with high humidity, no school bus traffic and endless hours of sunshine. When you heap all of that together, you get long hours that need our energy in many places other than behind a desk or dishwasher. We yearn to be outside pulling weeds, pulling for the home team, or pulling skiers during an afternoon on the water. Family members demand and deserve more of our head, heart, and wallet, so it is important for you to get a grip on what can be done in “powerful pockets of time.” Here are a few ways to simplify your daily routines. Although they may sound very simple, ask yourself how many of these things did you did today.

Grocery list:

: Keep an on-going list where all family members can add to it.

Cleanup:

Load the dishes in the dishwasher as soon as you are done cooking and eating.

Laundry:

Fold each piece as it comes out of the dryer. This one tip can save you a ton on time versus heaping clean clothes in a pile to be dealt with later. Have a basket for each person and put the folded clothes in there for one trip to be put away.

Never go empty-handed:

Take something with you on your trips to the basement or up the stairs. Unload a car the same way.

Buy a Ninja:

This one appliance does everything from kneading pizza dough to making soft serve ice cream. (The infomercial is amazing!)

Mail:

Open the mail in the same spot every day, preferably over a trash can or shredder. Think iRAFT. Make a decision on each piece of paper: Deal with it Immediately (within five minutes), have a place for things you need to Read, Action (bills, RSVPs, etc.), File and Toss.

Email:

Check and respond three times a day. You will process it faster than checking it every time a message appears.

“Do it now, later is already booked.” What a great concept to remember when you are feeling like “I’ll do it later.” Work in the moment. When you take the time to do it now, you will have used those “powerful pockets of time” that you didn’t even know you had. It’s that simple.

Lisa Phillips in the owner of SimpleWorks. She can be reached at lisa_phillips@bellsouth.net or 981-7733.

Villarreal’s big break

A primer on paint

Why I Love Shelby County: Sen. Cam Ward

Life as a canvas

Oak Mountain Mission makes a difference

Shelby Living magazine

The Simple Life