So and So is Dropping By (PART ONE): How to Make Your Home Halfway Presentable

I recently was interviewed by a magazine reporter who wanted some ideas for those days when you get a phone call from someone who plans to stop by in the next few minutes. Before freaking out that everything is a mess, here are a few things you can do...

1. Absolute Basics - You have 5 minutes to straighten up!

A. Keep a large, empty Rubbermaid box on hand for moments like these. You can quickly toss all toys and stuffed animals into it, and then put the lid on--instantly clutter free, and all together when you need to put everything back in its proper place later.

B. Get some glass cleaner and wipe down the faucets in the kitchen and guest bathroom, to give them the illusion of 'clean.' Your guests will wonder how you ever have the time to keep these two rooms this sparkly!

C. Close bedroom doors, bathroom doors, etc., blocking off the view of these rooms. Your guests won't have a chance to see you haven't even had time to make the bed today!

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2. Slightly More Ambitious - Your guests will arrive in an hour!

A. Give your kitchen a quick once over. Wipe down the table and counter, removing all food stains--so your guests can actually sit down and have a cup of coffee.

B. Focus only on those areas your guests will be in-- likely the living room, kitchen and guest bathroom. Wipe down the counters, run a Swiffer mop across the floors to pick up stray hair and dirt and clean the mirrors.

C. Do a quick dusting. Then, using Murphy's Oil Soap, clean the woodwork. Everything will smell fresh.

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3. Catalog Worthy (These tasks don't take much time, but will impress the heck out of your guests.)

A. Dim the lights. The dimmer it is, the less the dust will be seen. Light a scented candle for ambiance--up high of course, so the kids can't get into it.

B. Roll the baby swing and anything else on wheels to another room where your guests won't be, and close the door. Just freeing up some space in the room will help your guests feel more at ease.

C. Tidy open bookcases and CD/DVD/VHS cabinets. Align the books in a straight line towards the front of each of the shelves.

Latest Book Read and Picks for 2009

A week or so ago, I completed the latest book for my monthly book chat. Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer.

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Irene Spencer grew up in a a fundamentalist Mormon family--the thirteenth of thirty-one children--so it was no surprise that she found herself, at sixteen years of age, in a plural marriage, sharing her husband with a half sister.

Enduring abject poverty, living in isolation, and suffering the neglect of a husband with divided loyalties created unbearable conditions. Yet, Irene managed to overcome these obstacles to seek a life that she believed would be better for her and her children. She made the bold step into the 'outside world' and into a freedom she never knew existed.

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Although this wasn't my favorite book all year, I did find parts of it very interesting. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being 'I loved it!', I rated it a 3.5. This book generated lots of conversation and views at our recent book chat. Most of the ladies present rated it a 4.

If definitely gives you a good look at a lifestyle that exists, but is foreign to most people.

In 2009, I'm the Book Chat Coordinator for my book club. For those of you who are interested, and enjoy reading the same books we're reading, here are our picks for 2009:

JAN - Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters

FEB - Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

MAR - In An Instant by Lee and Bob Woodruff

APR - She Flew The Coup by Michael Lee West

MAY - Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

JUN - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

JUL - In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

AUG - The Darkest Night by Maria Sakry

SEP - The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs

OCT - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

NOV - Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

DEC - Love Story by Erich Segal

Getting Magazines in the Rack to Stand Up

Recently, I purchased a very nice wrought iron magazine rack for our current magazines. It's in our master bedroom and generally holds 7-10 issues of various titles.

However, something has been driving me absolutely bonkers. I stand a fresh, new magazine in the magazine rack in it's upright position, just to find it a few days later curled and conforming to the shape of the magazine rack.

Yesterday, I cut up pieces of thick cardboard, the size of my magazines. I put each sheet behind each of the magazines, and then clipped the middle-top of each magazine to the cardboard using a binder clip.

Problem solved! Because the cardboard is so strong, the magazines will look fresh and new serving as temporary accessories in my decor AND they won't be curled when I'm ready to read them.

To some readers, this may sound silly. But in my strong opinion, it's often the little things that make your day a touch better that count!

One House, 18 Ladies, Mega-Scrapbooking and Lots of Fun!

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This past weekend was so wonderful. I went on a ladies only scrapbooking retreat at the Magnolia Ridge Hideaway Crafter's Retreat House in the Wisconsin Dells.

Eighteen of us got together for a weekend of scrapbooking, food and fun. The weather was gorgeous, the views were beautiful and, being an avid scrapbooker, I got tons of layouts done!

My biggest challenge actually was in preparation of the trip. Normally, you just bring your clothes and toiletries and you're done. This time, I also needed to bring food (we all brought food to cook and share), my scrapbooking tools and all the layouts I planned to work on.

Since I haven't done this before, this took a little bit of extra thinking. Luckily, I started planning early enough to avoid any last-minute stress.

For my clothes and toiletries, I simply used my regular travel packing list--so I knew nothing would be forgotten. To make my suitcase light, I determined exactly what I would be wearing each day and only packed those items. Since we were in the Dells, which is a popular tourist spot, I figured if something spilled on the clothes I had and it was bad enough, I could always stop at a store and pick up an extra T-shirt if necessary. It wasn't necessary, and I wore everything I brought.

Instead of my regular slippers, which are a bit heavy, I just tossed in slipper socks.

Of course, instead of large bottles of shampoo, deodorant and the like, I just brought along travel-sized products.

For the weekend, I was able to put these things, including my camera, into one small, rolling suitcase.

For the food I needed to bring, I grabbed our rolling cooler and put everything inside. I even included a can opener and small strainer right in the cooler.

As far as scrapbooking tools went, I only brought the essentials--a trimmer, a pair of scissors, a tape runner, Glue Dots, and a hole punch/eyelet setter.

The pages I worked on took the most preparation of everything. I actually digitally formatted all my layouts in Publisher exactly how I wanted them to look when I scrapbooked them. I then printed out the layout in black and white so I would have a guide to follow.

I then printed all the photos, and my journaling, using my color printer. I gathered appropriate paper and cardstock for each layout. As far as my embellishments, I have one Crop N'Style zippered case filled with them, so I brought them along to pick and choose as needed. All the layout projects went into a 13 inch x 13 inch box. separated by a piece of cardboard.

Whew! It was a lot, but I had it all organized a few days before the weekend. Because of this, my mini-vacation was not only fun, but super productive!

Just goes to prove that a little bit of planning can go a long way!

Make a List and Check it Twice

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Don't hate me, but I'm about ninety percent done with my Christmas shopping. It will feel great, when Thanksgiving rolls around, to be done! Then I could just concentrate on the things I really love--riding around to enjoy the holiday lights, sitting with my family in front of the fireplace making a craft or looking at photos, baking with my friends, watching holiday favorites on DVD and window shopping.

But how do I keep it all organized? Easy! I just make a simple spreadsheet to keep track of it all. The spreadsheet includes the gift recipient's name, the gift I purchased or made, whether it is wrapped and if I shipped it yet, if applicable.

The example I've included from last year will illustrate what it looks like. Just click open and you can even use this file for yourself if you'd like! It was done in Excel 97 for Windows. If you have Excel on your computer, you should be able to open it.

This spreadsheet has been a lifesaver. Plus, it acts as a reference for future years, in case I want to go back and see what gifts I've given to a particular person in the past.

Functioning on Just a Few Hours of Sleep

So, I've had this cold for the past few days, and last night I just couldn't get to sleep. The coughing, even with a suppressant, just wouldn't stop. I got into bed at 11:00pm and finally dozed off about 2:30am.

To my dismay, I was awoken at 3:30am to the sound of my daughter screaming from her bedroom. I jumped out of bed, ran into her room and asked her what was wrong. She replied, 'My ear hurts.' I thought, 'Ugh, an ear infection.'

This caught us totally off guard because Joe and I were both playing Lincoln Logs with her before bed. She was perfectly happy and content, with no complaints whatsoever.

Oh, and did I mention that Joe has a bad cold too? When it rains, it pours.

I gave her some Tylenol and stayed with her in her bed for awhile. Then, being quite uncomfortable on her full size bed, we piled in with Joe on our queen size bed.

This doesn't sound so bad, right?

It was awful. Amanda was crying through the night, twisting and turning, not getting any sleep and just feeling awful. Of course, my husband and I didn't sleep a wink.

I watched our digital clock minute by minute until it hit 7:30am and I was on the phone with the pediatrician that instant. I managed to get Amanda an 8:45am appointment.

Of course, it did turn out to be an ear infection, and very severe at that. The eardrum was almost to the point of bursting.

The doctor sent us to the pharmacy for ibuprofen and amoxicillin. Thankfully, they already seem to be working. Amanda has been resting comfortably since.

Now, here it is 3:52pm and I haven't accomplished anything on my To Do list. But, I'm OK with that. My daughter's health came first and that took priority over everything else.

How am I functioning now? Well, I'm writing this blog. If there are any spelling errors, I'll at least have an excuse.

But I'm only doing some light straightening up until Amanda wakes up. Once she does, I just plan on cuddling with her. The To Do list, when interrupted by something important, can always wait until tomorrow.

A Walk in the Woods

A few days ago, I finished reading, 'A Walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson. Categorized as non-fiction, in this fun book Bryson decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. The Trail, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, stretches from Georgia to Maine. Bryson leads you through the woods, providing both the history and ecology of the trail along the way. Part of the way, he walks through with a partner--coupled together, they provide lots of comic relief.

Although I can't even imagine making it a weekend on the trail, it was enjoyable to read about someone else doing it.

Although this wasn't my favorite book of all time, I found myself wanting to keep getting to the next page. I even had a few 'laugh out loud' moments.

Definitely worth it. Most people at the book chat this weekend, including me, rated it a 4 out of 5 (5 being highest).

As a matter of fact, instead of our regular indoors book chat, we held our chat out in a park. The weather was beautiful, and we had a lovely picnic. Afterwards, we went for a walk in the woods--actually, it was a short park trail, but it felt like the woods for the 30 minutes or so we walked.

We didn't run into any bears, but we did have to swat at some pretty annoying Asian Lady Beetles. Nonetheless, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Fire Safety 101

Yesterday, I chaperoned my 4-year old daughter's preschool field trip to the local fire station. The kids were well-behaved and just adorable, and the firefighters showing the movie and giving the tour were just great with the kids.

Simple things that we take for granted, such as leaving the house if there's a fire, or performing the Stop, Drop and Roll system if your clothes are on fire, are excellent points to review with your kids. Another helpful point was the importance of having an emergency fire escape plan, and a specific place for everyone to meet outside if the need ever arises.

When one of the firefighters put on all his gear, about 3 of the children were very frightened. He, and the teachers, were able to calm them down. This is a good reminder that it's important to allow your kids the opportunity to see firemen in their gear, and to teach them not to be afraid of them. In case of a fire, you'd want them to find comfort when they see a firefighter, and not to run and hide.

I did a quick search on the web and thought the following link, offered by New York State, was a good one to review with your children:

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/kidsroom/firesafe/lessons.html

Thinking 'this could never happen to me' can be deadly. Hopefully, you'll never have to experience a fire that affects you in your lifetime, but being prepared will help ensure that everyone knows what to do in the case of a fire and stays safe.

Brrrrrrr . . . It's Getting Cold Outside!

It's this time of year that I'm a bit jealous of all the wonderful folks that live in warmer climates. Upon taking my daughter to school this morning, I immediately felt a cold rush of air on my face as I opened the garage door. Brrrrrr. We honestly went from summer-like 80 degree weather, down to the 50's in like one day!

Have you ever noticed that 50 degrees seems so warm, AFTER winter, but never before winter.

Anyway, I had to dash back inside before we departed to get Amanda a warm sweatshirt with a hood, just in case the kids were to play on the playground today.

Once I dropped her off and returned home, I gathered a cozy blanket and put it in the back seat of the car. This will provide Amanda with a bit of extra warmth when she needs it.

I also took inventory of our outerwear to be sure we're all up-to-date with appropriate gear when we wake up on those chilly days.

Finally, I went online to Land's End and ordered Amanda a new down-filled coat and snowpants. It's not winter yet, but living in Wisconsin we always have to be prepared for Jack Frost's early arrival.

If it's getting colder where you live, now is a great time to get organized for the fall and winter seasons. Do what you can ahead of time to stay warm and comfortable, no matter how low the temperature drops.

Lose 10 Pounds . . . of Clutter, That Is

My goal this past weekend was to get rid of exactly ten pounds of clutter--things that I no longer needed and/or wanted. I did just this, and my husband dropped them off at my favorite charity this afternoon.

To achieve this, I began with my daughter's closet. Any items from last year that no longer fit, went into the large plastic bag. This included all clothing items, shoes, boots and outerwear that fit the 'clutter criteria.'

I then moved on to the closet my husband and I share. The bag continued to get heavier. A pair of knee-high boots nudged me much closer to my goal.

Next stop: the toy area. That made the bag heavy pretty quickly--especially with those colorful, but bulky, toys that Amanda no longer plays with was added!

We weighed the two full bags on the scale--9 pounds. Ok, one more pound to go.

That was easy. I moved on to our home library and dropped a few books in the bag that I knew I no longer wanted-- you know, those books that you start, but are not interesting enough to you to complete.

10 pounds in less than a few hours time. It always feels super to lighten up!