Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Perhaps if you’re like my mother – always organized, always together, the focused Energizer Bunny – you won’t understand this post, this post about why my house fell into complete disarray and stayed there for about 8 years. Well, perhaps not why it fell into disarray, but why it stayed that way, year after hateful year.

Our house was almost literally always under construction, with my husband and I as the main worker bees. I had two young children. I find housework boring. All those reasons are true. But plenty of people offered to dig me out of my hole, and I had a housekeeper every other week for several years. It would take me hours to “clean” before Ellie came to clean – mostly I was stacking things and tucking them away before her arrival so she could find the floor and the counters.

My reason, in part, why nothing stayed clean was anxiety, unease, discomfort. When I cleaned, I knew without a doubt, that the mess would come right back, right away. I felt uncomfortable and almost unhappy when the house surfaces were clean and the junk was piled up tidily. It was like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew, as sure as I know that water rolls downhill, that all that stuff was going to re-emerge, and sooner rather than later. It felt useless and hopeless to bother to tidy up – so why bother at all? I wasn’t working then, and once both of the kids were in school, I carried a secret fear that my husband might “fire” me as a homemaker and send me back to work because I was doing such a lousy job. Truth be told, I would have fired myself!

Besides my defeatist attitude, another thing that kept the house from being clean and staying clean was that I never organized or decluttered all the way. I would load the dishwasher but not wipe the counter. I would pay the bills but leave the stamps and envelopes out. We joked that no one in our house understood the word “away” as in “I’ll put that away.” 90% of the job done was 100% good enough for me. Why did I only go part of the way – laziness, habit, the feeling of wasted time I got from completing the job?

How did I overcome my cleaning anxiety? The kids getting older and the remodelling finally being finished both helped, that’s for sure. I became determined to know where everything was supposed to go. I decided that I wanted to be extremely familiar with the word “away.” And if I didn’t know where something’s “away” was, I would figure it out.

Although I was already on my way toward cleanliness and organization, I really started my decluttering on June 1, which is when I found 365lessthings. Since then, I have decluttered over 1,600 things. I could really see a difference after a couple of months, and so could the rest of the family. My husband, who had been secretly and not-so-secretly longing for a lovely home was praising. When one child’s room would look great, the other girl would ask for help with her room too. The ease of decluttering – and the reward – became exponential. Now when I look at the island (my black hole) and think, “That looks awful,” I know that it will take me 10 minutes to completely tidy it, and I remember that every surface in the house, plus half the furniture, used to look that way.

So remember there is hope for all of us no matter how deep in the quagmire of clutter we have sunk. You can claw your way out one item at a time, one day at a time one area at a time no matter how you got there. If I can do it so can you, you just have to get started. Good luck and happy decluttering.

Today’s Declutter Item

If I remember correctly this was a stocking filler one Christmas. Just the words stocking filler suggests that it is stuff you don’t need.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• I love it when a sentence comes together – Often when I write my posts I am a little too rushed to edit them to my satisfaction or the best of my ability. Not good enough I know. So I do love it when a sentence just comes together and sounds good from the first draft
• The string of cooler days and rain we are having. It is so nice to keep the covers on at night and today I even put my dressing gown on when I got up.
• Knowing I have an entire day at home today – I have quite a few tasks and some unfinished business I need to take care of around here.
• Birthdays that keep repeating themselves – Several of my family got my birthday card out too late to arrive on time while other cards arrived early. The result is that my birthday is lasting for a whole week. I love it!
• Being there for one of my friends when she needed a sanity break.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Last week in response to Cindy’s The Black Hole post Jo responded with this comment…

This is my black hole and so this might be a good place to ask my nagging question: if you don’t have an office or a desk, just a kitchen counter, how would you go about setting up an area of that counter for paperwork (bill-paying, notes, to-do list, business and personal correspondence, etc)? The telephone is accessible at the location I have in mind. I have yet to come up with a way to have an in-box, an out-box, and still store the mail, cheque book, and pile of papers that I have in progression at any one time. Any and all suggestions would be welcome – this has been a problem as long as I can remember.

I promised that I would address this issue and try to come up with a solution to the problem. The photo to the left depicts the kind of area Jo has to work with. She did send me a photo but I couldn’t get it to upload but you and she will get the idea.

My first advice is to get as many bills as possible digitised. Most companies out there give you the option of sending your account via email where you can pay by Direct Deposit or Credit Card. This also eliminates the need for a cheque book. I know this is possible because I do not have a cheque book and haven’t done so for almost four years. Most of our accounts arrive on-line and those that don’t are paid by credit card. If you have an aversion to credit cards it is possible to have a debit card that acts like a credit card but only uses the money in your account.

In order to have a centre for keeping track of everyday notes, list, appointment etc I have a special little calendar holder that I made to which I attach a printed copy of my google calendar page for the month. It has slots for pens, a note book and pockets for other slips of paperwork as well. Although mine is handmade I am sure there is an endless choice of commercially made options. Decide what it is that you need handy and purchase, make or re-purpose a system that best suits your needs. I took a quick look at some options available from Storables.com which proved to me that there is a system out there suitable for everyone.

I mentioned my Google calendar. For anyone out there who hasn’t tried this or a similar computer generated calendar I would suggest you give it a go. Whenever I book an appointment I input it into my Google calendar which also stores birthdays, my husbands schedule, vacation planning and (my favourite) my meal plan for the week. Each set of information is stored in a separate calendar category and you can display any number of them at the same time or just one if you like. I print the months calendar page off at the start of the month and each day gives me room to write more in if I need to. I attach this to the bottom of my calendar holder and then throw it in the recycling at the end of the month. Meanwhile the information is permanently stored on line so I can look back if need be. The added benefit is that I can set events to repeat such as birthday which of course repeat yearly and my meal plan which is set to a three week cycle then repeats so I never have to decide what is for dinner and grocery shopping is a breeze. (For the sake I privacy I have not included my Google calendar page in the photo).

The photo to the left depicts the mock up of the kind of set up that I feel Jo requires in the area she has to work with. As you can see it has an organiser for pens and  a notebook with a pocket for in-progress correspondence. It also has the calendar required to keep her appointments up to date. The space below has a three drawer organiser perfect for In and Out trays with one left over to store stationary etc. There was enough space left for the phone and answering machine that Jo wishes to be included in this space.

Naturally this area can be tweaked to suit Jo’s need even better. Her file box could be landscape facing with slots rather than drawers and the calendar set up could include a magnetic white board set up which can be very versatile.  With the handy products available on the market these days we are only ever limited by our imagination.

I hope Jo finds these ideas useful and that you may too. If any of my wonderful readers out there has an area in their homes that needs organising feel free to send me before shots and your requirements and I may be able to come up with a solution for you. Also if you are planning a project like this please take before and after shots to share with your fellow readers. Just email them to me through my Contact Colleen page.

Today’s Declutter Item

This was once our bills folder. Hubby changed some time back to a different system which is still quite compact but with a better arrangement to suit our needs. The new folder takes up a space that measures 9.5 x 7.5 x 2 inches and it has very little in it.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• Taking a different rode to avoid the traffic and seeing an area of town I hadn’t been to before.
• My hubby road his motorbike to work in the rain and left the car with me today – I would have been willing to drop him of as I really needed the car today but he made the sacrifice just for me.
• There is an old lady who lives around the corner from my house who has chickens. It makes me smile to see them when they are out of their coup a roaming free in the yard. It brings a little country to the city.
• Breaking the diet rules to share a chocolate bar on Valentines Day. – Keeping the celebration simple as usual.
• A little bit of rain to revive my parched garden.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Here I am again sharing the decluttering love on Valentines Day. We all love a clean house, space and less housework right and the more you declutter the easier all these goals become. Cleaning your home is only a matter of dusting, wiping and mopping when you don’t have to dig out the floors, benches and shelves every time cleaning day comes around. That alone makes decluttering worth the effort because the less stuff you have the less mess you can make with it. So once again I have set out a list of tasks for the week that will bring you closer to a decluttered home and easy maintenance. Who wouldn’t love that!

• Monday – If you decorate for valentines day now is the time to weed out any items among your decorations that have seen better days. Remember less is more so give some thought to a more minimalist look for next year. If you don’t decorate then take today off and spend more time with your loved ones. After all they are what is most important in your life.
  
• Tuesday – Did you get flowers on Valentines day? How often does this happen and how many vases does one household need? Weed out the ones you know you never use and donate them to charity.
• Wednesday – Have you written any love letters lately or even just an actual letter on paper. I know I haven’t written a real letter in years so I probably don’t need those three pads of writing paper in the stationary drawer. Do you have notepaper you never use? Older folks still use snail maid maybe someone you know would find it more useful so pass it on.
• Thursday – Making things for others is a nice way to show your affection but do you have a collection on unfinished projects floating around your home. We have talked about the burden of aspiration clutter before and now is a good time to remove one of those items. Finish it and pass it on or wipe your hands of it either way you will feel better for it.
• Friday – Did your loved one take you out to dine on Valentines day? If so did you wear something sexy or are your sexy items stashed in the back of a draw somewhere never seen but not forgotten. Use it or loose it I say or better still just love me the way I am. If you have items like this that you know are never going to be used do yourself a favour and remove them. They are the worst type of aspiration clutter. I wouldn’t normally say this but if you do feel the need for an item of this kind in the future just buy yourself something new that suits the current you.
• Saturday – Closets are the go to hiding place for clutter. Pick one closet in your home and assess what is on the floor of it. I imagine there is at least one thing there that can be decluttered.
• Sunday – There is usually one room in our homes that are more cluttered than others. Go to your clutter room and contemplate where the problem lies. Why is this room a collection point for clutter? Pick an small area of this room and declutter it now. While you are doing this have a note book and pen handy and jot down ideas on what else you can do to unclutter this area.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Just another storage item that now has nothing to store in it. Another donation to the thrift store.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy since my last post.

• All the lovely birthday wishes I received from friends and family. That includes my wonderful friends here at 365lessthings. Thank you all!
• The funny banter my husband and I enter into at times. Most people don’t realise he can be a funny guy.
• The birthday gift my son gave me. – It was amusing because he knew it was something I wanted but I was too cheap to by it myself. So he went back to the store where we had seen it and bought it for me. It was an odd gift but much appreciated.
• How much thought went into the creation of the dishes that I enjoyed at my birthday dinner. – Some chefs just go that extra mile.
• How close my children are – They don’t always see eye to eye but their bond is special and plain to see.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

These are pictures from Audra’s room (7 years old then). Her room had gotten so bad, that I felt overwhelmed by the sight of it. I’m sure she did to. The room was decluttered and cleaned in 3 hours by myself and a decluttering professional. (Yes, I was so afraid, I had to call in the big guns.) Since then, Audra and I have decluttered much, much more; it’s a lot easier when everything can be seen.

The Before Shots of Audra’s Room

The After Shots of Audra’s Room

It is easy to see from these shots the advantages to decluttering. It is now much easier for Audra and Cindy to keep things under control in this room simply because there is less to control.

Jo in response to Friday’s Favourite Five – …I love reading the grateful lists. I started making my own lists… Read more

Gail in response to The Black Hole – What has helped me the most in eliminating (nearly) “black holes” is a superficial study of feng shui… Read more.

Patricia – Dear Colleen, This blog came into my life at the perfect time… Read more

Deb J in response to Too Much Clutter, Too Little Time – One thing I am learning is that I have too many things on my list of things to do so… Read more

Anne in response to Creating Enthusiasm by Changing your Thinking – Another important issue with decluttering is the support from others…Read more

Five favourite links for this week

About.com – Feng shui basics The link was inspired by Gail who’s comment appears above.

Miss Minimalist – The-minsumer-movement-a-quiet-revolution

Guy Named Dave – Honesty-and-bravery-are-almost-the-same-word

Daily Disciplines – Meditation- The benefits of slow

The Slow Movement

Today’s Declutter Item

The kids have graduated high school now so they won’t be needing graph paper any more.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• Getting my Craft Robo cutter to do what I wanted it to – It took a lot of coaxing and the odd swear word but we got there eventually.
• Figs heated for twenty seconds in the microwave with a drizzle of honey and served with a dollop of cream – The simple things in life are often the best.
• A trip to the art store – It is fun having an art student in the house I could browse in that store for hours yet resist temptation.
• The morning kiss from my husband before he leaves for work – It is a nice way to start each day.
• After a week of 40°C  plus temperatures today’s 33 seems almost cool in comparison.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

For those of you overwhelmed by the decluttering task ahead of you I would like to give you hope. I am going to ask you to do five simple things, and I want you to focus on the effect those things have on your mood. It is important that you carry out these tasks in one short period of time in the order given. Please do not read ahead to the next task until you have completed the previous step.

First Task

If you haven’t completed all the mini missions for this week I would like you to choose two but only carry out one of them for now. If you have completed all the mini missions I set for this week please devise two of your own and carry out  one now. Make sure this mission only takes about ten minutes or so.

Second Task

Now that you have completed your mini mission I just want you to  take one or two minutes to think quietly about how good it feels to get that one small task accomplished. It only took a short length of time but you are one step closer to a decluttered home. This is one less area that you need to work on in the future. I bet you feel enthusiastic to start on your next decluttering task.

Third Task

Now I want you to think about the entirety of the decluttering mission you have ahead of you. Consider how immense the task seems when you focus on it’s entirety. Think of the size of your home, and all the little nooks and crannies where stuff could be hiding. Dwell on those thoughts for a minute of two. I bet you aren’t feeling so smug now, right!

Forth Task

Now I want you to take five deep breaths and clear your mind of the nasty thoughts you were just thinking. I want you  to forget about the big picture and simply focus on the next task I ask you to do. Now that you are calm I want you to carry out the second mini mission you chose in step one. Once again stick to something simple that will only take about ten minutes

Fifth Task

Your final task is much the same as the second. Focus on the task you just completed. How quick and easy was it to accomplish, and how satisfying it felt to be finished yet another decluttering mission? That is one small step towards your decluttering goal. It feels good doesn’t it? The task was simple but you feel you have achieved something. What could be more satisfying than that?

The point of this exercise

I am sure by now you understand the what I was trying to help you see here. Decluttering your home doesn’t have to be a scary prospect that you don’t think you want to deal with, it is simply a series of small tasks that are easy to accomplish with little effort. All you have to do is change your way of thinking and create a little enthusiasm for each task. Everyday find one little area to declutter, spend ten minutes or even a half an hour on it if you have the time. Before you know it the weight of your clutter will start to lift off your mind. That is where it is sitting at the moment – on your mind. It has quietly multiplied over the years without you giving it much thought. So what if it takes a while to physically remove it. So long as you chip away at it one small task at a time and do not add to it, you will get there in the end with minimal effort.

I suppose I could have called today’s post..

How to make a mole hill out of a mountain

Today’s Declutter Item

This was an unneeded gift that fetched $30.00 on eBay.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• Finding hanging space for two pieces of framed art that I didn’t want to declutter but also didn’t have a home.
• My friend Liz – Every conversation with her is fresh and interesting. We connect on so many levels and yet we are both so different.
• Remembering the other grocery item I needed before I gave up and went home.
• That first cup of tea in the morning.
• Manipulating and decluttering enough craft supplies to clear one drawer in my craft area – Now a little fine tuning is in order I feel.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Today’s column is an answer to an email I received from my friend Jennifer:

As I look around and see stuff just overwhelming me, I am working on paring down what I own.  My question is that much of the stuff becomes clutter because I am interrupted and do not get to complete a project (or I under estimate how long it will take me to complete said project).  How are you managing not to continue to have things out of place?  I have gone through and organized things only to find 6 months or a year later that they are disorganized again.

Although Jennifer has posed this as one question, I see two problems here 1) she is interrupted while decluttering or underestimates the commitment, so the project is not completed and 2) things fall back into disorder.

Problem 1: Biting off more than you can chew

Any large-scale decluttering and organizing adventure can fall into this category. When you pull everything out of a closet, you’ve just made a commitment. Here at 365lessthings, we advocate decluttering one thing at a time, one day at time, because it’s a lot harder to get overwhelmed and in over your head that way, but I know that reality isn’t so simple. I often declutter a large amount one day, and “credit” myself for the rest of the week. In fact, in my 8 months of decluttering, I have eliminated more than 1600 things, clearly more than one item a day.

Nonetheless, if you’re feeling unsuccessful after repeated starts and stop, I recommend trying just one or two things a day. When there’s less to dig through and make decisions about, it will be easier. And go ahead and get it out of your house. Jennifer, like a lot of people, lives in the country and does a lot of errands at once when she sets out. Putting the now-decluttered items directly into the car allows them to be dropped at the thrift store while erranding and eliminates the possibility of them being reincorporated into the household mix.

Another technique for the overwhelmed is to do just one shelf, drawer, or basket at a time. If you’re working on the bathroom towels and you find things that don’t belong there, drop them in the corner, and finish the towels. Then put all other items where they belong (or where you best estimate that they should belong) and leave them there. Do not feel obligated to tidy these areas too. Remember, for this day, keep your eyes on the prize of the towels. Run out of time even to put the misplaced items away today? Fine, make that your chore for the following day.

When you’ve completed every shelf in the bathroom closet, go back through the whole thing and refine it. Now that the obviously misplaced and no longer needed items are gone, you can see what remains more clearly. Maybe you have too many towels or duplicates of useful items. The second time through is when you’ll really get the cabinet into shape.

Problem #2) Falling to disorder

The fewer things you have, the less disorder there will be. I’ve definitely seen this in my own home. In addition, the most important rule for keeping your home clutter free is to give serious consideration before you buy something new. The less you bring into the house, the easier it is to keep it from being junked up. This is Colleen’s Key #4 to successful decluttering:

Decluttering is a complete waste of time if there is as much stuff entering your house as there is going out. Limit your purchases to the things you really have put a lot of thought into, whether you will get good use out of it, or if it really suits your needs. Don’t wonder aimlessly through the stores looking for stuff you didn’t know you wanted. And try to convince your friends and family not to buy you gifts unless they are consumable in some way -  Fresh flowers, chocolates, beauty treatments and the like.

Finally, it’s important to realize that no decluttering job lasts forever. Like housekeeping and tidying, it’s an on-going process. The children grow, hobbies change, people knock things over when they reach for something else, duplicates are accidentally purchased or discovered. Maintenance is inevitable, but remember, the less you have, the easier it is.

Today’s Declutter Item

I am making headway with natural decluttering of the paper craft supplies. Slowly but surely the myriad of adhesives are starting to dwindle down to a manageable few.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• Joining the last fragment of soap to the new cake – I love to use things up completely.
• A day out with the kids – I think we took in about 500,000 calories between the Max Brenner Chocolate  Bar and the fish and ship shop.
• My daughters plane was on time.
• I went for a brisk early morning walk with a friend and her dog Max.
• That it was cool enough again today to enjoy a warm shower after my walk.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

As you know I don’t talk much about organising here at 365lessthings. I have said before that once you declutter your home, the organising almost takes care of itself. However, a little imagination can make things more organised than you expected.

Over the last few years of decluttering and especially over the last 13 months there have been a lot of storage containers that have become redundant because there is nothing left to store in them. Or is there? :idea:  I have since discovered that if you look “outside the box” it is amazing what you can put inside the box.

The images above show a piece of genius my husband came up with to make it easy to access my small plastic kitchen storage items, pots and pans. He knows I hate deep cupboards because they are difficult to access and to keep tidy. The plastic coated metal basket drawers actually belong in our closet but were excess to our needs, they are perfect for holding pots and pans. While the plastic drawer set up had been used for craft storage is now an excellent  way to keep my plastics  organised.

These plastic drawers that once stored copy paper and stationery in our office are now coming in very useful to organise all the little bits and pieces that get stored under my kitchen sink. The top drawer stores cleaning items that are in use the second holds spare cleaning items and the third, a fire blanket and shopping bag. This set up is far more functional than when they were stored in open baskets or stacked on the shelf. Easy access to that fire blanket may be crucial one day.

I found another use for a set of three drawers in the pantry. This is just an experiment at the moment because there could be smell transfer issues with medicines in the top drawer, tea, coffee and bits and pieces in the middle drawer while onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes and garlic reside in the bottom drawer. It has tidied things up a bit so I hope it works.

Some of these handy storage containers were sitting out in the garage unused, looking down the barrel of being sent to the thrift store with my other donations. I couldn’t justify keeping them unless I could find a use for them, and I am so glad I made the effort because my house is all the more organised for it. Do you have any containers that you have freed up while decluttering that you could utilise in another area of your home. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

Today’s Declutter Item

A lovely lady gave these puzzle books to Liam when he was in hospital but he already had a good supply that I had given him with so we donated these to charity. People aren’t going to care if they don’t have covers.

Things I am grateful for today

• Coming up with a new card design.
• The joy I get from helping others.
• A cool day at last.
  
• Having a lazy day.
  
• Having Bridget here to chauffeur Liam around.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

I hope you enjoyed that catchy little tune and that it had you bopping along. I just know that you guys don’t share the sentiment in this song because  with a list of mini missions to brighten up your day you are ready and raring to go., right! Your Mondays are like her Sundays – It’s my fun day, my I don’t have to run day… So with that thought in mind grab a coffee, sit back and read my post and then when your done you can accomplish today’s mission at your leisure.

• Monday – If  you have a pantry full of open packets of food and at the same time a cupboard full of unused tupperware containers it is time to tidy up this wasted space. Transfer the food into the containers, recycle what you can of the packaging and you will have a nice tidy pantry and a half empty cupboard where the containers used to be. There is a good chance that the food will stay fresher longer also.
  
• Tuesday – It is time again to go through your make-up and delete all items that you never use or are likely to be out of date. I know we have done this more than once over the last twelve months but being as the rule of thumb is to throw your mascara away after three months I would think we should have a good clean out at least quarter yearly. If you keep your make-up in a bag it would also be a good practice to clean that our while you are at it.
  
• Wednesday – In honour of Ginger, for today’s mini mission we will tackle the kitchen junk drawer. Not only is it time to clean it out but also to think -  “Why do we need a junk drawer anyway?”. Surely all the things we put in there have a home elsewhere but we are just to lazy to put them away properly. Maybe once it is emptied we should remover the drawer for a week and attempt to learn to live without it. 😯
• Thursday –Remeber Cindy’s post last week about The Black Hole if you didn’t take care of yours then it is time to do it now. Clean off or out that black hole and devise a way to avoid using it until you break the habit. My advice to Marnie may give you a clue as to how to go about this. Its a little drastic but drastic time call for drastic measures.
• Friday – Mini Mission – If you have a shoe care kit now is the time to give it the once over. Remove the perished items and tidy the rest.
• Saturday – Pick one hanging file in your filing cabinet and give it a good clean out. Just one file not the whole drawer unless you get enthusiastic of course.
• Extra Credit for Saturday 12th Feb – Send me a happy birthday wish because today I turn 46. Happy Birthday to Me!
• Sunday – Last week we cleaned out our handbags, this week it is time to weed out the handbags we never use. These can be one of those “I might use it one day” kind of items but when it comes to fashion if we don’t like it enough to use it now it is unlikely that we are going to suddenly find a use for it later.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

This is an example of painstaking natural progression decluttering. It was my trusty notebook and it took forever to use up. Its remains went into the recycling.

Things I am grateful for today

• A storm at last, alleluia!
• Mango and Macadamia nut ice cream bars – If I didn’t know better they sound almost like a health food.
• My Family all together for the weekend.
• Friends coming for dinner – It is always a joy to share a meal with friends.
• The lamb that gave it’s life for my dinner – When I put it like that I almost feel guilty but if it is any consolation I will savour every bite.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

As you know one of the benefits of living a life with less is the reduced impact on supply and demand which in turn has a positive effect on the environment. In light of that I received the following email yesterday which I decided to share with you on the chance that you may wish to participate. It is worth taking a look at the link just to appreciate the beauty of nature captured by the amazing talent of the photographers featured. Here is the email…

From now until noon on Monday, February 7th, you and your readers have a great opportunity to choose the winner of  The Nature Conservancy’s 5th Annual Digital Photo Contest. We need your votes to make sure the best photo wins.

Please help us gather as many votes as we can by posting this link to where your readers can pick their favorite. Every vote counts!

http://support.nature.org/site/PageNavigator/vote_xx

Great nature photography inspires people to go out and appreciate wild places or to just take a closer look at what’s right in their own backyards.

For more details, please see below and feel free to contact me with your questions.

Thank you for your participation,

Midori Matsuyama, Online Outreach,  www.nature.org