I love watching the Olympics and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver have been no exception. When one of the experienced cross country skiers fell and slipped into a ravine and hurt herself the commentator said he “just couldn’t write this stuff”. It was the first time I have ever seen such a fall. I ... Views: 2047
It has been many years ago but I still remember it as though it was only last month. I was in the sixth grade and we were told by our teachers that we were going to sell magazine subscriptions. This excited me and I was raring to get out and start selling because of the promised prizes we could ... Views: 1392
In the book Alice in Wonderland Alice falls down a hole. The first time I read this I felt so closed in I never finished reading the book. I know this is silly but that’s the way it was. Do you ever have fears about how to declutter your home and it seems silly but that is just the way it ... Views: 1444
The sky was over cast and the day was cold. But I was warm inside the home of
a delightful, intelligent, interesting, busy mom who also has the role of
being a wife, counselor to her family, chef, and chauffer just to name a few
of her jobs that she does every day. Oh and she works as a ... Views: 1411
It was summer, it was hot and we had an exchange student from France. We wanted to show her as many places as we could in our state and have her experience everything like hiking, camping and water sports. We have a reservoir about 45 minutes away where people water ski. We didn’t have a boat so ... Views: 1186
Are you thinking about downsizing to move to a smaller home? You can downsize even if you don’t plan on moving. Reducing the amount of possessions on a regular basis will help avoid the physical exertion and emotional trauma of doing it all at once.
Are you living in a home that has become ... Views: 2045
Have you ever watched a television program where the people on a beautiful boat are deep sea fishing? They are all decked out in “boat attire” with their white shorts and colorful shirts holding very long fishing poles. When someone gets a bite the pole dips down into the ocean and everyone ... Views: 1206
Greek mythology is fascinating and the story of Pandora’s box is a spell binding myth.
Prometheus was a Titan who was a champion of human-kind and was known for his wily intelligence. He stole the secret of fire from the God Zeus and gave it to mortals. But the theft of fire angered Zeus and ... Views: 1131
I like the song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. It is upbeat and happy and something I can sing along with. Santa makes a list and checks it twice. If you have ever sewed this is the advice given to sewers—“measure twice, cut once”. When you leave your house I bet you check to make sure you ... Views: 1279
“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads”. Ahh… such sweet dreams. When you have guests coming to stay at your home during the ... Views: 1299
Every December it is with great anticipation that we watch the mail for our invitation to the open house at the governor’s mansion. Our mailman becomes our new best friend for a few weeks as he delivers Christmas cards and packages. But we only get one invitation where we get to dress up and ... Views: 1356
My $35,000 turkey started out as a bargain. My daughter was shopping and she called to tell me the store had turkeys for 40 cents a pound. Wow! What a savings. Last year I paid 89 cents a pound so this sale would save me big bucks. Now, we only have a fridge with a freezer on top and I thought ... Views: 1156
As a child I loved dolls. I had endless tea parties with them sitting with me around the kitchen table. I dressed and re-dressed them in the clothes my mother made for them. She was an expert seamstress and I had wonderful outfits for each doll. I never remember my mother staying up until 2:00 ... Views: 1194
Let’s face it; holidays can be a pain in the neck. I know there are those out there who love everything about the holidays, the hustle and bustle, the frantic preparations, sleepless nights, meal preparation, shopping and tucking gifts away only to forget where they are hidden. But some of us ... Views: 1556
We were out and about in the car the other day buying supplies to make the cutest bags that will we are giving for gifts. We wanted to check with some other stores before driving all over town to see if they had the supplies we needed. Fortunately I had my planner with me that includes my ... Views: 1171
One Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. I was looking out my kitchen window watching a fireman dressed who was dressed in his blue uniform carrying what looked like a heavy back pack on his back walking up the steep street in front of our home. I wondered where he was going and why he would be in ... Views: 1929
An aunt visited us a few years ago just after we had our living room carpet replaced with blue carpeting. As we visited she said she didn’t like the color blue. I was amazed that anyone could not like the color blue. After all the sky is blue and the ocean is blue.
Now I have no room to talk ... Views: 1501
Let’s face it, there are some things that we don’t like to do either because we think they are hard or we don’t know where to begin or how to do them. A few years ago I was making one of my daughters her freedom quilt (this is a red, white and blue quilt I give them on their 21st birthday). I ... Views: 1285
When I opened Google today there were these pretty little circles at the top of the screen and I clicked on it to find out what they were. I found out they are crop circles. These are patterns created by the flattening of crops such as wheat, barley, rye, or corn.
Many people think these ... Views: 1419
I heard a commercial on television asking “how will you be remembered”. I started thinking about that and things I remember about certain people in my life.
From the time I was about 6 years old until I was 12 we would pick raspberries every hot summer in my uncle’s berry patch. The adults ... Views: 1340
Summer is winding down—although you won’t know it by the unseasonably high temperatures outside but the calendar says it is. And State Fairs are blooming all over America. Fairs are so much fun. We just attended the first day of our state fair. We were eating our chicken in a pocket for lunch at ... Views: 802
Do you consider yourself a failure when it comes to organizing? Do you feel like giving up (or have you given up) trying to clear clutter in your home? As soon as you get a space cleared on a book case or on top of a flat surface does someone in your home come along and fill it up?
Fill it up ... Views: 837
Wouldn’t you love to have the paper contract for your child’s school? You would be rich. Our kids bring home so much paper every day from school and we wonder what should we keep and where do we put it all? Here are wonderful tips from a mother of five who is a professional organizer.
The ... Views: 1373
Children are a lot of work! For the last week I have been taking care of my grandchildren who are visiting from out of state. What a delight they have been and what a challenge it is to keep up with them. My 3 ½ year old grandson said to me “grandma, I love you”. I told him I loved him too and ... Views: 826
I have a friend who avoided going home after work because it was just too depressing. Her home was cluttered and disorganized in every room. She had fast food wrappers everywhere. Drinks had spilled on the couch and carpet that made a sticky mess. She couldn’t find her DVD’s because they were ... Views: 1118
We all only have so many hours in the day to do everything we want to do. Have you ever said, “Where did the day go, I didn’t get anything done”? Here are 8 tips on how to get more done in a day and maybe you can push that snooze button one more time.
1. When you can, multi-task to save time. ... Views: 627
Clearing clutter is always a priority in my life as a professional organizer. Sometimes I go room to room and look at everything and think, “If I was moving would I take this with me”? Sometimes I think “why on earth would I want to take it with me, I don’t even like it any more or it has been ... Views: 821
Have you ever forgotten an appointment or an important date? Do you think of things you need to do later but don’t remember to do them because you have no place to write them down? Do you have one place to write your most frequently used phone numbers and addresses? How would you like a memory ... Views: 612
Do you feel like your home is bursting at the seams and you need to clear the clutter to breathe? Do you have a limited amount of space so your things look cluttered but you need everything you have? Here are 6 ideas on how to declutter your home so you can breathe easier and utilize “hidden” ... Views: 1123
Long before people came to the Americas and took over the land the Indians lived in beautiful harmony with the land. They “lived light on the land”. Many tribes traveled from place to place depending on the food sources, weather and other conditions. They traveled with their homes and all of ... Views: 754
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true.
I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper ... Views: 1008
Vacationing with kids in a car is no vacation. Or another way of saying this is “being cooped up with the kids in the car is the pits”. If you don’t plan on popping in a DVD and letting the kids watch endless movies here are sanity saving ideas for your car trip.
Long trips can be boring for ... Views: 1062
In the summer are you frazzled and tired of your kids at the end of every day? Are you counting the days until school starts? Summer can be a time to help spark your creativity and your child’s creativity as well.
Hold a family meeting where kids can choose an activity they are interested in. ... Views: 1735
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true.
I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper ... Views: 848
With the temperature heating up outside now is the time to sell your guilt by clearing the clutter in your home. The saying is “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. You can start organizing clutter and make money at the same time. The way to do this is to have a Sizzling summer garage ... Views: 745
I was teaching an adult education class to some very bright, very busy adults and we were playing a game I called “Why I can’t get organized”. All ten students said their biggest problem in clearing the clutter was they didn’t have time. Fortunately I have 9 tips that will help you find the time ... Views: 808
If my friends could see me now! I had a friend who used to tell me how cluttered my fridge looked on the inside. Have you ever saved food and then it molded so you had to toss it out? Me too. It’s hard to throw it out even if we probably won’t use that last ¼ of a cup but we don’t want to be ... Views: 1042
As a professional organizer I frequently work with people who have been the victims of Internet fraud and I bet you probably know someone or have heard of someone who has also been a victim. Become proactive and protect your identify so you won’t become a statistic of Internet fraud.
We live in ... Views: 1464
There are days when we just feel scattered and don’t know where to start with all the tasks and things we need to do. Do you ever think “the faster I go the further behind I get”? I think we all have days like this. Let’s put first things first which means let’s prioritize what we need to do ... Views: 1740
People often ask me how they can find more time in their day to do all the things they want or need to do. Do you have time to do fun things with your family and friends? Do you have time to do all the things you have scheduled to do every day? As a professional organizer I suggest it may be as ... Views: 928
Is your home larger than it was 30 years ago and yet you still don’t have a place for everything you own? Do you struggle to find a place for all the things you have to keep? Could it be you have too much stuff? My philosophy is to surround yourself with things you like, you love, you use and ... Views: 778
As a professional organizer, when I speak to women’s group I am often asked, “how can I get my children to pick up after themselves” or “how can I get my husband to put his tools away or pick up his socks and put them in the hamper”? I have suggestions on how to motivate children but when it ... Views: 887
Are you a great procrastinator? Do you say “I’ll just do it tomorrow?” And then tomorrow never comes and before you know it you are in the position that clutter is taking over your space? Well you are not alone! Clearing clutter can become a thing of the past by stopping clutter before it ... Views: 827
How many times have you said to yourself I wish I could stay organized? I am a professional organizer and I tell the women I work with it is possible to keep organized but I don’t think it is possible to stay organized. The word stay gives the impression that once a task is done it is done for ... Views: 842
We all have a lot of paper coming into our homes constantly; either from the mail, work paper, children’s paper and other sources. In order to conquer the paper problem that many of us experience in our homes and to reduce clutter we need to have a working filing system where we can find ... Views: 1525
As a professional organizer I work with women and seniors clearing clutter in their kitchens. This is a problem room for many people. Clearing clutter can be done pretty easy if it is done a little at a time and isn’t allowed to get out of control.
One great idea that works well in clearing ... Views: 974
Anytime is a good time to be organized. But now it may be more important than ever. Even if you aren’t facing any greater financial challenges than you did last year here are some reasons being organized can save you money and time.
I am a professional organizer and I had a woman call me and ... Views: 944
Wouldn’t it be great to have a clutter control wand that was magic and you could wave it over your closet, drawers, shelf’s, filing cabinet, book cases and other places that were cluttered and it would whisk away the clutter so you didn’t have to deal with it? The problem with that is what you ... Views: 1167
I worked with a client a few weeks ago and we set up a filing system in her home office. Then we organized every other room in her home. She called me to say she felt free because of all the organizing we had done. She could now find everything and by putting things away where they belonged she ... Views: 807
Is your kitchen a place you enjoy being in or is a place you go to because you have to be there to prepare meals? Because it serves a variety of purposes it needs to be organized to meet the needs of everyone in the family. A variety of storage solutions will help keep it organized and save time ... Views: 795