Happy Day After Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.

We were especially thankful for friends that fed us this weekend, which while leaving us leftoverless made us feel loved.

And speaking of leftovers....

Did you know that you can freeze turkey dinner?

It's true!

When the boys were little we used to cook an entire turkey just to split up into different containers to pop in the freezer to enjoy at a later date.

Time saving AND delicious.

And now here's a little eye candy for your Tuesday morning.

This pantry leaves me a little weak in the knees.

My pantry looks nothing like it.


It does inspire me to get at my pantry, wipe it down and get it cleaned up a little.

We challenge you to do a 15 minute clean up in the pantry and let us know after you are done!

pretty ponies, all in a row

How delicious does this look?



What a fun way to keep those cords labeled!

(source www.store.cordotz.com)

hello, my pretty

Are you in the middle of organizing something?

Check out this link at this inspirational blog for these CUTE printable organizing labels.



(photo source: www.justsomethingimade.blogspot.com)

Just Something I Made

Have a great day!

Dawn & Cheryl

Garage Sale Basics

Spring is almost over and hopefully your spring cleaning is almost done as well.

The good weather (that we almost have...can't you taste it?) always seems to motivate me to get at those things like the garage, the catch-all closets, the storage room and our bedrooms.

Weird but true.

It also brings things like robins, flowers and garage sales.



(photo source www.savingadvice.com)

I love a good garage sale.


It's kind of my version of going to the Casino. I start with $20 and see what happens.

If you are planning a garage sale this year, I have found a printable checklist online to help you on your way. As Dawn always says, checking off a box gives us great satisfaction. I hope it makes you feel the same way.




(checklist source www.organizedhome.com)

A couple of other quick tips to keep the kiddos busy:

• have them go through their rooms/playrooms with a box to fill of unused toys - depending on their ages they may be able to do this themselves, or may need a little help. I have found that if you let them keep the money from the proceeds of their items it is a great motivator. In fact, you may have to stop them from throwing TOO much stuff in the box depending on how much they like cash. Also, encourage them to donate a certain percentage to charity if that's something that works for your family, my son, the keeper, always is more willing to let go of "stuff" if it's going to a good cause.
• let them handle the "refreshment" side of things. Help them set up a lemonade stand or make rice krispie squares or some other inexpensive treat to give away or sell at your sale. A friend of mine used to help her kids make a huge batch of popcorn, bag it in brown lunch bags and sell that along with cans of cold pop at their annual street sale.
  
• let them help make the signs, then you can check off both "make signs" and "spent a bit of quality time with the rugrats"

Good luck!

Two for Tuesday

Here are a couple of quick and inexpensive tips for getting your baby's room organized.

A great way to add space to a closet, especially if you have children sharing a room, is to buy a tension bar (they are typically used as shower rods and can be found at Canadian Tire, Zellers, Walmart) and install it (tightly!) about 3 feet off the ground.

This gives you extra hanging space for those teeny-tiny baby clothes.

Another baby space tip, is to utilize one of those over the door shoe organizers, like this one:



Throw it over whatever door you have handy - whether it be the closet door or the door to the room and fill it will those little baby essentials that seem to get scattered about.

It's great for all those little toys, rattles, soothers, and even things like baby cream and baby powder (especially once those little ones are cruising - if you have experience a little one getting into a vat of vaseline or a large bottle of baby powder, you know what I'm talking about!)

everyone has one...

Some homes house more than one...

It usually lurks in the kitchen...

Martha Stewart's looks like this:



Yup, I'm talking about the junk drawer.

That insidious little spot in your house that seems to breed batteries and paperclips seemingly as quickly and furtively as the dryer eats your one sock.

The nice thing about the junk drawer is that it's usually smallish. Which makes it a great place to spend 10-15 minutes organizing, once a month or so, to give you that small feeling of accomplishment or perhaps a little bit of motivation to get going on a larger part of your house that needs attention.

Here are a few tips to get that mess straightened out:

• first, dump that baby out, when I organize, everything must first come out of the space, which seems like you're just making a mess, but it's the easiest way to make your three piles: give away, throw away and keep
• clean the drawer, I don't understand people (my husband) who organize stuff but don't bother cleaning it, I usually haul out the vacuum to get in all the little grooves of the drawer in addition to wiping it with a cloth
• make sure there is nothing in the drawer that has belongs in a different area of the house (ie. bills, receipts, pennies - all the pennies in my house seem to find their way here - too bad it wasn't all the toonies)
• dividing the drawer into compartments is the most efficient, check out the dollar store for inexpensive little trays/containers ***make sure you measure your drawer before you go shopping to ensure all the containers you find will fit, including the height!***
  
• ice cube trays are a great inexpensive corral for all those little things that fall to the bottom of the drawer
• group like items together and start putting them in the containers you have
• if you keep an extension cord in your junk drawer, wind it loosely and slide it in an empty paper towel tube

Here are a couple more drawers for inspiration!

I like the way they used these little tins in this one:



The next two, while not as pretty as the previous pictures, probably look just a tad more realistic.

Special Dates

This little organizer was made as a give-away at the Christmas event at Trinity Baptist Church we (Dawn, while I silently encouraged her from the front row) spoke at in December.

The left side is little folders with the months of the year on them that can hold receipts, lists, cards, etc. The right side is a perpetual calendar for important dates.

A perpetual calendar is a fantastic tool to have on hand - once you get all those special dates saved there is no scramble in January (or March for some of us) to copy everything over from last year's calendar.

If anyone wants instructions on how to make it leave a comment with your email address and I will get them to you!

Without further ado...

Here is a pictorial account of our latest draw for a free 2 hour organizing session....

1. print names from all the lovely readers who entered their names in our draw














2. Find lovely assistant to make the draw...
(if lovely assistant is unavailable, find small disheveled boy to act as assistant)













3. Show the lucky winner's name...













Congratulations Karen - contact us at your earliest convenience to schedule an appointment!

I hope everyone had an excellent "first weekend of spring break" and happy organizing!

I'll leave you with this photo that I saved off of the internet a couple of years ago, I thought it was such a cute and inexpensive way to store extra towels, etc in a bathroom.

Sunday Planning Ritual

It's one of the little moments I look forward to on a weekend. (Maybe be I should get out more.)

A comfy spot on the couch,

A leisurely stroll through the grocery store flyers,

A fresh page in my note book

A big cuppa English Breakfast Tea, sweet and creamy.

I go through each store's flyer, jot down any super deals on stuff we need/use, and try to plan my meals accordingly. (I recently went on a mission to "eat through" our freezer so that I could defrost it and start over in the shopping/meals department. It's kinda nice to have a clean slate!)

I'm finding it's a good way to save money (who's with me on the small victories??), add a little variety to our menu, and plan ahead so I can cut down on the trips to the grocery store.

For example, this week, this is what I found on sale...

I only write down what I know we need or go through a lot of. (Personally, I only REALLY stockpile if it's an AMAZING deal.) And then see how I can work those deals into the menu...so I know this week we'll have:

-Pork Roast w/ cauliflower side (cheese sauce, of course--the cauliflower is just a means to an end.)

-Pasta Carbonara (Love it when bacon is on sale... I cook a whole package on a pampered chef bar pan and freeze it to use when we need it. One mess, lots of baconny possibilities

-Soup and BLTs (Does anyone else have childhood flashbacks to Habitant Pea Soup?)

Might be worth a try if you're trying to cut down on the grocery bill and get a bit of a nerdy high from list making :-)

One bookshelf, two ways

I don't have a contemporary style home, but absolutely appreciate the aesthetic of modern decor.

I've seen this shelf at various times in various places and love how it acts as both storage and in a way art.


Fun, right?

And then the other day, whilst surfing I saw it used in another way in a bathroom.

Pretty clever, huh?

Is enough to make me rethink my entire home decor?

No.

Well, maybe just for a minute...

I need.

this space.

in my house.

This is from Martha Stewart Living, the September issue.




And "need" might be a little dramatic, maybe I should change that to want.

Really, really, really want.

Virtual Clutter and How to Sweep it Under the Carpet

With the arrival of digital cameras many of us have traded in our shoe boxes filled with photos for virtual files full of photos. And because we take more digital photos than we used to take with film, these photos can quickly become a mountain of virtual clutter.

Here are a few basic tips for keeping your digital photos organized and easily accessible.

First of all, you have to figure out what works for you. Our minds all work differently and what might be the best set up for me may not work effectively for you.

I think one of the most important things to do is to remember to upload your photos every time you take a sequence of photos from a certain event.

That way you can ensure that you have a file with a clear name that will trigger the memory of exactly what resides in that particular photo. Then you won't waste time searching through hundreds of photos to find that one that you want to have printed to send to Aunt Sophie.

The way I categorize my photos is as follows:

I have a main folder for the year we are in.

example: My Photos for 2008

Then within this folder, I have sub files with the months of the year.

example: My Photos for 2008
January

Then each of the months have the photos shot within that month uploaded and named accordingly (I generally take a lot of photos so also put the date in front numerically which causes them to come up in order of date within the folder.)

example:
My Photos for 2008
January
Sledding at Crystal

or

January
01.24 Sledding at Crystal

Please don't forget how important it is to back up your photos on cds or on an external hard drive on a regular basis.

Christmas Countdown - One Month Out

Did anyone notice it's November 24 today?
That basically means that if it ain't done one month from today, it's not going to happen.

Do you need to lie down?

I (Dawn) have to admit, I'm off the hook this year as we're heading to Thailand for Christmas. Being gone for 25 days over the holidays kinda give me a pass on decorating, shopping, and a whole bunch of holiday hullabaloo! (I'll try to get in a little hullabaloo before we leave in 3 weeks!)

For those of you who are not fleeing the country and are looking forward to enjoying a white Christmas with friends and family, you know the mixed bag of the month ahead. Lots of great memories are about to be made, along with a nice thick layer of business, expense, expectation and chaos.

If you're looking for ways to keep things as simple as possible so that you can put more energy into the things that really matter, we're cheering for you!

This Saturday, Cheryl and I will be doing a little feature for the women of Trinity Baptist Church at their Women's Christmas Event! We'll post the ideas we share there in a couple of days and hope you find them practical and helpful.

As for today...

How's that Christmas card list coming?

We know a lot of our friends and blog readers like to make their own cards, which is a really special way to let the people in your lives know how much they mean to you. Just please learn from my mistake last year... I made my cards a little "too special" (read THICK) and had the privilege of spending several dollars on EACH card just to mail them!
Plan well, crafters, plan well.

Homemade or store bought, if you plan to send cards, there is no time like the present.
1) Make a list
2) Check it twice. As you look at the names, ask yourself who would really appreciate a card in the mail, and who would be just as happy with an e-mail update?
3) Aaaannnndddd.... GO! No procrastinating, just get it done before all the hullabaloo begins for you :-)

Closet Crazy

WE'RE BACK!

We had such a great 2 days at Stor-X... it is such a smart product, great look, unlimited layout options, endless accessories, great Canadian quality, really nice staff, excellent reputation and experience---we're so proud to be working with this product and have started dreaming up closet designs for our own homes! We are already having fun walking through brand new homes, talking to owners, and designing their "closet furniture"--we'll be sure to post some pics of our finished jobs.

Looking to spruce up your own closet space?

Here's a few steps to get you on your way:

1) Purge... if you haven't worn it in the last year, let it go to someone who might benefit from it. Same goes for linen closets that might have old towels you wouldn't dare use but haven't gotten rid of... an overabundance of sheet sets, games no one plays, cleaning supplies that have 1/2 inch of liquid left in them... give your self permission to say farewell!
2) Sort... get your "like items" together... hanging all your pants, long sleeve, short sleeve, jackets in sections is such a fast way to make your closet feel a lot more inviting.
3) Handy Hangers... if you're short on space, try some of the hanger options that are out there that can hold several pairs of pant/skirts with one unit--it really cuts down on the amout of rod space several pairs will take up if hung individually.

Conquer the Mountain

If you have kids in school - particularly elementary and primary - then you probably have a pile of:

artwork
memos
newsletters
fieldtrip stuff
PAC news
scholastic book orders
and
so
on......

Here are a couple of quick tips that help me keep that mountain of paper under control.

Artwork:

Please believe me when I say you DO NOT have to keep EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY piece of paper your child has scribbled/drawn/written on.

It's true!

If you did keep every single solitary piece you would soon be swimming in a mountain of paper. And while I'm sure little Johnny is a very talented artist/doodler/scholar he will not have to go to therapy when he's older because his mom chucked some of the stuff he brought home from school.

It's true! (No, really. I'm not joking!)

• Tip #1: Have a box or folder in your office or the place in your home that you keep paperwork. Every day, throw the artwork/etc in this file. At the end of the month sort through it and limit yourself to keeping one or two of the best pieces - you can have your child help you choose (or if they are a packrat, like my youngest, you might be better off doing this alone)
• Tip #2: Sometimes kids do projects at school that are LARGE - if your child has a super special something like that - take a photo of him with the project and then junk it!
• Tip #3: At the end of the school year gather up all the pieces you've chosen to keep, have another look through to see if you *must* keep them all and then put them in a file with the year on it and store them in a box labeled "Johnny's School Artwork")

Memos, Newsletters, Fieldtrip Stuff, PAC News, Scholastic Book Orders, Etc, Etc, Etc:

I found last year that my computer desk was becoming a catch-all for all the kids' school papers. So I decided to assign a binder for this task, which I keep close to my desk.

I made 3 dividers:

• general school stuff (pertaining to both my kids, stuff like the newsletters)
• and then one for each boy for stuff specific to each one of them
  

Every pertinent paper is three hole punched and put in the binder behind it's respective divider.

The Old Fall Switcharoo

My kid just put on long pants for the first time since last February. Which is my veeeerrryyyy sketchy segue into the question of the day:

Still have flip-flops in your main shoe closet?

Hate to break it to you, but the time has come to switch over from summer sandles and unearth the jackets, mits, hats and, sadly, boots. Save yourself that first REALLY-cold-morning-panic of trying to find the appropriate articles for the upcoming weather.

Make it easy to do your seasonal switchovers by keeping a bin or two labeled "OFF SEASON" to store away hibernating items until their time comes again. When you're packing up this summer's stuff, look at each piece and ask yourself a few questions...

"Are these in good enough shape to keep?"

"Did these get worn this year?"

"Will these fit anyone next summer"

If the answer is no, it's time to chuck/donate/consign! See if you can't load up a box of summer items to remove from your home this week... let us know if you had sucess. There's something in it for anyone who reports back by next Monday!

Also, as you break into your fall/winter stash... make sure everyone's stuff still fits before the day comes that they really need to wear it. If things are a little more snug than they should be, make a list and check those consignment stores if you want to save a few bucks. Winter stuff is out and about and there are some great deals to be had with a little bit of snooping around.

Happy simplifying!

Not Your Grandma's Jewelry Box

From Martha Stewart's website:


Cute and stylish way to reuse and organize!

Chores in 10 minute chunks.

Got a job to do that you can not get motivated to start?

Try setting your timer for 10 minutes, attack the undesirable chore and see how far you get. When the buzzer goes, set it for another 10 minutes and do something fun... like blog-stalking or painting your toenails. or a little on-line Sudoku (that's for you, Cheryl!) When the buzzer goes again, set it for 10 more and get back to that chore... lather, rinse, repeat. You get the idea.

Give it a shot next time you need to clean your stove or go through the paperwork in the office--whatever your least favorite cleaning/organizing activities are. Anything is tolerable for 10 minutes at a time.

So what's your least favorite chore around the house?
Are you willing to give it a shot?
We dare you!
Let us know how it goes!

Bye-Bye Unsightly Paper Towel Roll...

Cheryl found this... I think it's really cool.

http://www.healthyshelf.com/

I want several.