I suspect that all of us who have been decluttering for a while have some small tidy zones that are very nice to inhabit at times. My pantry, the kitchen queen and cookbook shelves, the closet, my daughter's room that is becoming a sewing room, and various other spots. We just need to widen these zones until the meet and aren't isolated islands of organization. Your closet is now one of those zones, Kat! :)

I've been reading reviews of the movie Julie and Julia; despite the fact that Julia apparently didn't think much of Julie's approach to cooking and blogging, it still sounds like a lot of fun, if only to see Meryl Streep do Julia, at the hands of Nora Ephron. If anyone can take on such a role (and add 6 or 8 inches in height at the same time) it is Ms. Streep. And in the reviews I've seen several references to how Julia's Beef Bourguignon, pg. 315 convinced them that anything was possible when learning to cook. I've pulled out my mother's copy and I'll make that sometime in the next week.

"As in the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguingnon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certianly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated."

SRS