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!

(Click photo to enlarge.)
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!