Natural Love🍁🍃🍁🌳❤

Have I ever told any of you just how much I love trail running?  To be out there with nature is one of my favourite things in the world to do.  I am also so fortunate to be blessed to live in a country where we get 4 different seasons and the incredible beauty that comes along with this!

Getting out there in the spring and watching the snow melt, and the trees budding their fresh leaves.  Seeing the trilliums bloom and bring the forest floor to life makes me smile.  Feeling the warm wind and the sun on your face.  Spring runs are gorgeous and invigorating.

Then there is summer, oh the warm and hot summer days on the trail.  The trail looks stunningly beautiful with all the different greens of the deciduous and coniferous trees, and all the various bushes and ground cover!  Beautiful!  You are forced to take more breaks, which is fine, because the heat can exhaust you!  Luckily the trails are in the forest, so you are likely to be cooler here in the shade  than doing a road run.

Then we have the beauty of the fall.  Sometimes the scenery is so breath-taking that I find myself making lots of picture-taking stops! Fine with me!  Life is too short to not stop and admire the beauty in nature!   In the fall, it is the time of year when the trees are all changing into their fall colours, and if you are blessed to live in an environment where this happens every year you are very fortunate!    I just love the smell of the fallen leaves and the much-awaited cooler air. Fall runs are spectacular!

Then we have winter trail runs.  These are actually my most favourite which many people feel is very strange!!  I love getting all bundled up in layers and getting out there on a cold winter’s day.  The leafless trees allow you to see the beautiful rolling hills covered in snow.  The challenging trail takes you up and down those hills and you get warm with all that extra effort of running through snow and ice. I love the challenge!

I truly love my trail runs and even more-so because it is something I am blessed to be able to do with my loving husband!

Have I sparked interest in any of you to give trail running a try?
I sure hope so!

Your Simply Susan fitness inspiration  of the day!😆

Dining in? Now you can!

It’s funny, when I originally started this blog, my plan was to alternate organizing and fitness tips.  I was going to go through every room in the house and write a blog on how to best organize it! As you see, if you have been following me, I have strayed a little!😄😄  Lots of other ideas and suggestions have been made to me which I’ve loved, and used, but today I’ll flashback to the original plan. 

Your dining room…….This is likely one of the less used rooms in your house (unless of course you are one of those people who do work on your dining room table because every other room in your house is too cluttered, and your dining room table is your only free space!!!)  I truly hope you are not one of those people but if you are…..never fear….I can help!!!

I will write this with the assumption that this is a less frequently used area that just needs to be kept organized after being used as it is meant to be used.  Ideally, this space is just used for dining, so therefore only dining supplies need to be kept in it.  If you have invested in a buffet and hutch (or one or the other) use the cupboards and shelves to group items accordingly.  Keep all dinner ware together in one cupboard or shelf.  Keep serving dishes all grouped together.  Group stemware together:  beer, wine, scotch, brandy, champagne glasses etc. all in rows.If you keep only things that you use, you will now have room to keep table cloths, placemats, trivets, dinner napkins, and serving utensils here as well, that way all your supplies for setting the table are close at hand.  Keep large serving dishes here and the candles you use as well.  Having everything all in one place saves time; that way you’re not desperately searching for those items each time.

Don’t have enough space in your hutch to  put things away? Get rid of or donate anything you don’t actually use, such as those brandy glasses or those novelty wine glasses you keep getting for your birthday. Are you still keeping those ugly cloth napkins someone gave you as a wedding gift?  Donate them!

Keep the dining table free of clutter so dusting etc. is easier, or cover it with a table cloth when not in use.  Then, remove and use placemats when dining.

Last note…..In my personal opinion, if you have fancy China use it every time you dine in the dining room.  I find most people always save it for the most special occasions; feeling almost afraid to use it. I use my Nana’s Royal Doulton China all the time. I even wash it in my dishwasher when I’m done! Don’t save it, use it.😆

Okay, now that your dining room is organized, why not make a plan to have a dinner party or even just a regular family dinner in this beautifully organized space!

But, if you’re having friends over, don’t forget me!

Your Simply Susan organizational tip of the day. 😆