back on track...simplify

little by little i'm getting this holiday house turned back into our home...still vacuuming up confetti and fake pine needles...still drinking starbucks holiday blend coffee...still writing christmas thank you notes...on the flip side, i'm really looking at things in a new perspective this year...my goal is to simplify some things around here...for example - when i want to jot a quick thank you note to someone - i keep the notes in a drawer in the hall closet, the return address labels in our desk drawer in our bedroom, stamps in my filofax, which could be just about anywhere in the house and pens in the kitchen drawer...how about just a "note" basket with a pen, a book of stamps, several sheets of return address labels and a couple packets of thank you notes all in one place...another crazy place i need to simplify, my makeup bag...my morning routine is pretty simple but finding the mascara in the bottom of the bag is a huge challenge - i have to make my way past bottles of nail polish, tubes of unused lipstick, compacts of eye shadow (hello? when have i EVER worn eyeshadow?), bottles of foundation (the colors appear to be ghost-like...) and travel toothpaste...hummm, i could probably save 5 minutes every morning if i just rethink this bag approach a little...well, you get the idea - now lets see if i can do some simplifying around here...going to start with a page or two of these labels - i've got this freezer that needs to be simplified since i spent 5 minutes tonight looking for a bag of frozen corn...hope you can find an extra 5 minutes in your day today!