Sweet Friends, Duke’s Mixture, 01.2020…what’s this post about, you ask? When I was a little girl, my mom would have a clean out the frig day a couple times a month. Our dinner on those days would be what she called a “Duke’s Mixture.” A little of this and a little of that. As I started writing this post, I wondered where in the world my mom learned that expression. Turns out it goes back to our Appalachian ancestry and a brand of tobacco created by a thrifty North Carolina farmer who created a “stew of tobacco odds and ends, and this led early on to the phrase duke’s mixture we sometimes still hear used today, to mean a hodge-podge of something.” [source]
While our dinners on that night included little or no tobacco, they were an assortment of leftovers that didn’t necessarily go together. But created a filling smorgasbord of a meal.
Which brings us back to this post, Duke’s Mixture 01.2020. Can you guess what it is? Yup, some blogging odds and ends I am putting together. Joining Lauren for “Glossies Made Me Do It,” Shay and Erika for “Let’s Look At…” and whatever else I need to catch up on. So let’s get to it.
Duke’s Mixture 01.2020
I am labeling this Duke’s Mixture 01.2020 because, despite all my efforts to the contrary, I know every month there will be a handful of posts I struggle to get to. One of my winter goals is to get organized on my blog. And I am trying. I’m trying.
Glossies Made Me Do It
This series asks what has a magazine inspired you to do lately – think about something, read something, try something, etc.?
Discovered this ‘glossy,’ “Small Space Organizing,” while standing in line at the register in Dollar Tree. With my goal of decluttering and better organizing our home fresh on my mind, decided to pick it up. I am following along with Home-Storage-Solutions “52 Week Organized Home Challenge.” And the first weeks of the challenge have us working in the kitchen. Cami’s arrival slowed me down a bit but I am going to get real busy in my kitchen next week.
Organized Kitchen
This edition of the magazine had a 4-page spread with tips and tricks for organizing the cooking and eating zones. They listed the following steps to an organized kitchen.
- Analyze and plan: What works and doesn’t work in these areas.
- Pull everything out: I am dreading this but need to do it. Next week. My cabinets are pretty well organized with like things together but I may find some surprises.
- Categorize: Sort items into five groups – keep, give away, donate, sell, recycle/pitch. Probably won’t sell anything but will donate. Find new place for all small appliances together.
- Toss or giveaway: Expired food and broken or no longer used appliances. Take directly to trash cans. Don’t pass GO.
- Rezone: Organize and store items where they make the most sense. I have done this already, when we first bought our home. Take photos to inspire me to keep things that way (usually not a problem) and to share with YOU.
Food Storage
The article also suggests using clear plastic containers to store and keep certain foods fresh. Because it is so dry here, we don’t have much trouble with cereal or pasta, chips or crackers getting moisty. Poor choice of words…damp? Stale? But I do like the idea of moving my pasta into clear acrylic canisters. How do you store such things? Right now I just keep everything in their original boxes.
Let’s Look At…
your bedside table.
On Top
So thankful that I regularly clean out my nightstand! There weren’t too many surprises lurking inside the drawers. And the top of my nightstand is truly just as you see it here. Ok, well, I did line things up. But didn’t remove anything!!
From left to right:
- Samsung Gear Fit charger
- Kleenex
- Tin basket of assorted lotions and linen sprays
- Smaller tin basket with sleep aromatherapy lotion and Intensive Care lotion
- Mercury glass lamp
- Photo from our marriage blessing ceremony
- Control for our knock-off Sleep Number bed
- Alarm clock
- Cady-drawn ceramic tile/coaster
- Kindle in yellow cover
- Readers in green glasses case
That’s a whole lotta lotion. But I like different fragrances. And have been using some of the Bath and Body Works wintry scents this season.
First Drawer
Again, didn’t remove anything but just kind of lined things up so you can see them better. And moved the Astro-glide and Equate personal lubrication liquid toward the back. But here I am, keeping things real, and calling attention to both! What can I say? We live in a desert so there is considerable dryness going on over here. My legs, arms, feet.
- Zig zag bag of more lotions and potions
- Aqua umbrella in case we get too lubricated
- Black arm band and pouch for iPod
- Eye glass cleaning cloth in tulle bag
- Pink My Little Pony comb
- Love note from Cady
- Thumb drive
- A Mother’s Heart journal completed by my mom
- Under her journal is my journal
- Underneath mine is a manila envelope with hand-written entries to the journal prompts my mom didn’t have room to respond to in the journal
- Tums
- More Tums in the orange medicine bottle
- Assorted gels including Voltarin in a box for relieving muscle pain
- Jar of essential oil for encouraging better sleep
Middle Drawer
This drawer is less packed. You’re welcome!
- White basket of phone charging cables
- Blue bag with charger for my complexion brush
- Rectangular silver bag with my nose hair trimmer
- Purple and white plastic container with electric nail file
- Paisley iPad cover
- Kindle screen protector
- Blue waterproof bag for my Kindle/Nook when I read in the pool
Bottom Drawer
Aren’t you glad there are only 3 drawers?
- Video conversion kit – never opened, wanted to convert VHS tapes from my TV show to DVDs for my grandbabies
- Black case for my .38 Special which is stored in our gun safe
- Striped softy socks
- Candle warmer
- Several picture frames
- Zales jewelry box in which I have a favorite necklace Lauren gave me when she was little, need to have it repaired
- More body lotion, a fragrance for every season
Could probably clean out these drawers a bit more – might not need all of that lotion. Ha!! But there’s no hurry. We don’t get to the master bedroom in the “52 Week Organized Home Challenge” until mid-July!!
10 on the 10th
One of the link-up series I have enjoyed participating in over the last couple of years has been 10 on the 10th. The series has been passed along from one blogger to the next but no one is hosting it this year. And I am thinking about adopting and adapting it into a Q&A kind of thing. Ten questions on the 10th that other bloggers can respond to. Kind of like the Blended Blog Asks series from a few years ago. Still thinking about this. But if you blog, would you be interested in joining me?
Your Turn
Do you subscribe to any magazines? When I was in high school, I was very sick with a sinus infection (more than once), and I remember my mom buying my first “Seventeen” magazine to read as I recuperated. I read that thing from cover to cover and back again. Then started subscribing to “Seventeen” and did the same thing with every issue. Graduated to “Glamour” and finally, in my college and young adult days, to “Cosmopolitan.”
You can join Lauren for her “Glossies” series the second Friday of the month. Join Shay and Erika for the “Let’s Look At…” series on what I think is probably the second Wednesday of the month. But don’t hold me to that.
This was a red letter week at our house. PC started his new job and Cami was born. Next week, I will be helping with Cia and Cami in the mornings. Francisco has to return to work already! Hope to continue blogging, though, and making progress on my winter goals.
Thank you for joining me, girlsies!!
Hugs and kisses,
Juhli
You did have a busy and joyous week! How is big sister taking the arrival of a baby sister? No matter their age they need extra hugs and attention for a bit I think.
I might join you in the 10 for the 10th as it sounds fun and I’m running short of blogging ideas myself.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I am so tickled at how well Cia has adjusted. She seems to adore Cami and is so gentle with her. Thank goodness. Little do these babies know that they have a built in, life long friend in one another. Cia wanted to come home with us on Sunday when we stopped by but I really thought she needed to be with mom and dad. Next weekend, after Cami has been around a while longer, we will be glad to have her for a day. She doesn’t like to spend the night so we do everything – bath, book, cookie and milk and then she goes home to bed.
Yay!! Glad to have you consider joining up for 10 on the 10th. I got the all-clear to take it over so I will start in February!! Thinking of making it a combination of Q & As that are fun to answer and read. And lists of 10 things…10 ways you are grateful, 10 items in your pantry, 10 songs on your playlist, etc.
Gale
CONGRATULATIONS on the arrival of your new granddaughter! How exciting!
I think I would be interested in the 10 on the 10th idea. Sounds intriguing.
Good on you for cleaning out your nightstand on a regular basis! You should see my two drawers now. Only 3 things in the top drawer, and the bottom drawer is empty.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
So glad you would be interested in 10 on the 10th. Now let me get myself together and figure it out. Thinking it could be a combo of questions, like ham or turkey on Easter, Easter dress yes or no?, etc. And then maybe something like what are 10 things you pack for vacation. That kind of thing.
Thank you for the congratulations on Cami. We are so glad she is here, safe and sound. And my daughter is doing well. We are so blessed.
Deb
2020 has certainly started off well for you – long may that last!
After seeing how neat and tidy your bedside cabinet is I feel a deep sense of shame – oh Leslie, thank goodness you cannot see mine! The top is ok, but if you open the door and look inside it is a whole different story. In fact, I rarely do open it, so maybe most of what is in there could easily go … I shall take a look …
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha! You made me laugh about your bedside table. I truly doubt that you have a drop of clutter or anything out of place anywhere. Come do this series…Let’s Look At…it will be fun to see more of your home and life!
Dara
Yes I would love if you took over 10 on the 10th and did something fun with it! Fun to see your bedside table. I did not participate in that link up because I thought mine was too boring, but seeing others made me think I should have shared mine, lol!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, yay!! I asked permission to take over 10 on the 10th and Whitney said YES! I think I am going to do it as a combination of questions about some subject…Valentine’s or summer vacation, or anniversaries or birthdays or whatever and maybe also do a theme similar to what Whitney was doing…10 things to pack for summer vacation, 10 things in your medicine cabinet, etc. I think none of us had terribly exciting nightstands! I was surprised that some girls have clothes in theirs. Now I have a new place to put more clothes!!
Nancy Dobbins
Hi Leslie,
My mom called those “clean out the fridge” nights “Grab it and Growl.” LOL. I can still hear her saying that…and I call it that as well. 🙂
I have a big organization project coming up…a free-standing pantry is coming to our little house in FL and I can’t wait. Maybe I’ll take your cue and document my kitchen cupboards’ transformation from disaster to organized.
Hope my attempt at organization goes as well as yours seemed to!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha, grab it and growl!! That is priceless. We usually have Duke’s mixture or grab it and growl on Thursdays so I can clean out the frig before the weekend. I have worked the live long day on my kitchen…drawers, pantry, cabinets. I am worn slick. Will be glad to move on to another room. This trying to be all organized and uncluttered is hard work, girl. Will be anxious to see your kitchen transformation.
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I’ve never heard of the Duke’s Mixture phrase, how interesting!! And, I saw that bedside table collab and I wish I had joined in on it… altho, I would have had to clean out my nightstand drawers first! Lol! I like how yours is organized and what you have in it! Very nice!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Come do “Let’s take a look at…” next time. I love little posts like it. You don’t have to think too hard!!
Jo
I’ve never heard that expression before – Duke’s Mixture…but love it. It really suits what I’d call a fridge forage and also is a perfect title for this post.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Fridge forage…that is great!!
Jill
I remember looking forward to the day my Seventeen magazine would arrive in the mail! I don’t have any subscriptions anymore and read everything online! So fun to see what’s on your bedside table! Such a fun prompt! Our side tables don’t have drawers so it’s just an alarm clock and photo on the surface. Hope your PC is enjoying his new job!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Laura Bambrick
My bedside table looks much worse than that! You are doing a great job getting your home organized bit by bit! I love the name of the post too. I’ve never heard of that term and it was fun to learn about the history behind it.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Do you have a special name for leftovers night? I am learning some interesting ones!!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Congrats on the new grandbaby! Although I have Appalachian ancestry and I’m a born and bred hillbilly, I’ve never heard of the Duke’s Mixture phrase.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha! Do you have a special name for leftovers night? Where is your family from in the Appalachians?
Laurie
I have never heard of the term “Duke’s mixture”, but I love it! Oh, man…my nightstand? On top, not too bad because it’s on my hubby’s side of the bed. In the drawers? That’s a different story. I’m almost afraid to look in there! 🙂
Kellyann Rohr
I thought Duke’s mixture had something to do with Duke’s Mayonnaise! Ha! I love this post Leslie, all the goodness of this and that with the sweetness of a fond memory.
I’m in the process of trying to find just the right bins for my pantry – the top part anyway. It’s tall and deep. I need to scour Amazon because I reuse to pay the prices at the Container Store if I can help it. We have so much moisture in the air that everything has to be stored in a container or it gets ruined, darned FL!
You are the best Leslie!!!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Sweet friend, My BFF is trying to stay away from the Container Store, too, in her updating of her pantry storage. I guess I should be glad we don’t have a Container Store…or at least that I don’t know about if we do. My friend, Sharon, told me that she’s found the cheapest clear plastic containers for food at Walmart. So I bought mine there. Couldn’t afford many but I have a start!
Thank you for the sweet words. Never heard of Duke’s mayo but got a chuckle from that.
ShootingStarsMag
I know a few people that do one post for a bunch of link-ups – it works! And thanks for joining my Glossies link-up. That magazine definitely sounds interesting. I like that there are various tips for sections in your house. And surprisingly, I don’t have a beside table, so I wouldn’t be able to share mine. LOL I would totally do 10 on the 10th though!!!
Congratulations on the birth of your newest granddaughter!!!
-Lauren