Communication Station: Entryway

Since I seem to be on a mini-makeover thing this month, I decided that I really wanted to streamline and organize all of our cell phones, mail organizers, chargers etc.  So I thought I’d create a ‘communication station’ by the back door. 

We have an antique icebox that has a place of honor by the back door.  The compartments hold all sorts of things.  There are places to stash mittens, scarves, and the dog leash.  Because it’s a heavy metal unit, it also holds magnets and keeps the keys on the side. 

On the downside – the magnets also mean that it tends to get cluttery with papers held onto it by magnets.  The top of the icebox also tends to collect a lot of junk. It needs some help. 

1.    I’m putting two wooden dishes on the top of the icebox.  One is fairly good sized and round.  It will hold whatever comes out of my husband’s pockets.  He has that man-habit of emptying his pockets when he comes in the door.  The other is a long narrow dish with three dividers.  I think it was sold for serving appetizers or nuts or something. We’ve used it for parties, but not so much that we’ll miss it.  It can hold whatever else needs corralling.

2.    I’m putting the rattan basket that I use for recycling paper UNDER the icebox.  The icebox stands on legs and is fairly far off of the floor.  The space underneath currently amasses an assortment of boots, shoes, slippers and dog toys (no, Ginger, those are not all the same thing!!)  I’m thinking that by having the recycling bin right there by the door, the junk mail, newspapers etc can be corralled right away.  I’m also hoping that by being close to the door, they’ll go OUT the door more quickly.   Being underneath will keep it from being the eyesore that it currently is.

3.    We keep a portable shredder on top of a rectangular antique flour canister.  I’m thinking that can go on the floor beside the icebox.  I’m really serious about junk mail not invading the house.  I want it confined to the entry area.  This way we can shred and toss right at the door. 

4.    I’m going to hang a small magnetic basket on the far side of the icebox.  I’m not thrilled about how this will look, so I want it out of sight for the most part.  I’m looking for a simple plastic basket.  The kind that holds whiteboard markers and erasers where I work.  I’ll run the charger cords for the phones through the bottom and then the cell phones will have a charging home right by the door.  No more mad dashes up to the bedroom for a forgotten cell phone sitting on the dock on the nightstand.  

Shower Power

Some days I really long for a tub – you know, the old fashioned kind where you can sink down up to your chin without your knees popping out.  I crave a soak. 

Unfortunately, craving is all I’ll be doing.  We have a shower stall – a nice one, but a shower stall.  No tub.  No soaks. 

But I’m determined to make this a relaxing oasis for us.  Even if I can’t have a bubble bath, I’m going to relax, enjoy and be restored.  So I was jazzed about finding some ideas for making this happen.

1.    Towel warmers;  I grew up in an old Victorian house with radiators.  It was kind of a family habit that we draped our bath towels and our clothing over the radiator before stepping into the tub or shower.  I got accustomed to toasty warm towels.  Boy was it a shock when I moved out of my parents house and into more modern digs and had to endure cold towels.  I bought our first towel warmer off the clearance aisle at Marshalls about 6 or 7 years ago.  We’ll never go back. 

2.    A textured bathmat:  I saw one at Marshalls the other day that looks like stones in the garden, but I wasn’t too sure how that would feel underfoot.  There are quite a number that are made with reflexology in mind however.  I’m not liking the price tags all that much, but I’m loving the idea.  I have to figure out how I’m going to manage this one.

3.    Shower Bombs:  This didn’t sound so good on first hearing.  Apparently they make the equivalent of fizzy bath cubes in the form of shower bombs.  Its supposed to release a mist with relaxing aromas as the water from the shower hits it.  I ordered a package of Shower Fizzers from CameliaPureBeauty.com

4.    A New Shower Head:  I bought one of the shower heads that are supposed to feel like rain.  Its huge compared to my old shower head.  My husband has promised to install it this weekend, so we’ll see.  At the very least, its new and shiny.  And as long as the water pressure is still good coming out of the shower head, there’s no downside for us.  And maybe, just maybe we’ll love, love, love the rain feel of the shower.  Sounds like a tropical resort, doesn’t it?

5.    Essential Oils:  My yoga teacher suggested this one.  She dabs a bit of essential oil around the edges of the showerhead before a shower.  I tried it last night – and its wonderful.  I dabbed a few drops of lavender oil and spread it all along the outer edge of the shower head (the old one) before my bedtime shower.  As the hot water splashed out of the showerhead, the scent from the oil wafted all over the place.  Love it.

Baskets in the Fridge

I was kind of taken aback -- I didn't expect so many comments and questions about my baskets in the fridge as a part of my mini-makeover of my kitchen.  I thought everybody used baskets in the fridge and I was late to the party.  I guess not.
Putting baskets in my fridge is the single best fridge organization trick I've ever learned.  Its quick, cheap and easy.  And it makes the fridge super organized and easy to work with.
I bought a handful (I think 4-5) of these baskets --- they fit on the shelves in my fridge perfectly.  Each basket takes up the lion's share of half a shelf.
I designate each basket with a purpose.  One holds leftovers, one holds snacks and goodies.  Another one holds yogurt and breakfast stuff.  Whatever suits your needs as a family.
Everything that belongs in that basket goes in that basket and STAYS in that basket.  It makes it easy for me to know what needs to be replenished (or absolutely DOESN'T need restocking -- there is nothing worse than coming home with a ton of yogurt and discovering that no one has eaten the yogurt that is already in the fridge because it got pushed to the back of the shelf and forgotten about)  I can see at a quick glance what we have enough of -- and what we need.
Everyone else in the house can see at a quick glance what is available for eating (without having to locate me and ask me personally).  If its in the snack/munchie basket -- go ahead and munch.  If its in the leftover basket -- its available for lunch.  Eat it.
Packing lunches in the morning becomes easier and more streamlined with my baskets too.  I just grab a whole basket -- take it to the counter and start packing.  Everything I need is right there handy.  When I'm done, the basket goes back in the fridge -- no muss, no fuss.
I seriously LOVE my fridge baskets ---

Tax Organization: Give Away

Doing the drudge tasks is something that cannot be avoided for those of us without "help".  I don't have a personal organizer, nanny, chef, housekeeper, chauffeur, butler or any other staff.  I have to do it myself.  But making it organized and pretty sure makes the chores go down easier.  Mary Poppins was surely onto someone with that spoonful of sugar idea.....
So here's my spoonful of sugar for this week --- I have to begin collecting the documents I will need to do my taxes (psst --- so do you!!)
First off, I sat down with my beloved TurboTax from last year and make a list of every single piece of information that silly program will ask me for during the course of preparing my tax return.  I typed it all out in a WORD document using the check-box option in bullets.
Then I make folders and stuck them into a cute little expanding file.  I'll clip the checklist on the front (not shown in the photo -- too much information, I think) and check things off as they arrive and I put them in my file.
Its cute enough to sit out on the desk and not annoy me --- which means that I'll actually put the documents in the file quickly rather than lose them in the piles of mail and other stuff.  That alone will help make my taxes go more quickly.
I'll also know as soon as I have everything --- which means I can start my taxes as early as possible -- and get my  measly little refund as quickly as possible too.  I like that.
Now, since I've decided to get a little more serious with this blog this year --- and since one of my strategies for getting more serious is to do some giveaways --- You benefit.
I've made up one extra Tax Organizer (the photo has mine -- tipped open so you can see PLUS one to give away --- that one could be yours)  It has the expanding organizer, all of the folders, a set of blank labels (yours wouldn't be the same as mine anyway) and a generic checklist (mine is super personal for our situation).
Leave me a comment  on this post to enter.    I'll draw one name using the random integer generator to pick a winner.  Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you win!!
Give Away Ends Thursday 1/28 at 4:00 my time.
Best of luck!!

Christmas Comes to an End

We had our final hurrah for the Christmas season this weekend.  I know, its late, but its tradition.  The Christmas decorations around here stay up until Martin Luther King Day.  (We both have the day off and can do the work of un-decorating the house and get it all done and cleaned up at once.)

So -- MLK weekend is traditionally the last holiday party at our house.  Always with the same friends -- and its always wonderful.  There was snow on the ground, a fire in the fireplace, and laughter throughout the house.  We rocked the Christmas CD collection one last time.  And we ate and talked and ate some more.
I wasn't feeling all that energetic (been fighting off some kind of respiratory thing) -- so I wanted a menu that was festive, simple, and that I could make in stages throughout the day.  Thank you Pioneer Woman!!  Seriously -- this lady ROCKS.
I used her Pork Loin menu here --- I even made the homemade cranberry sauce (I may never eat canned again!!)  This was the most amazing cranberry sauce I have ever tasted (and I made it myself!!).  The second part of the recipe -- where you take the cranberry sauce and jazz it up more --- I could have skipped.  I didn't skip it -- I made it..... but truly the cranberry sauce itself was so amazing, that the jazzed up version just paled.
So -- here was my lazy cooking plan (with a couple of menu adjustments from Pioneer Woman's menu)
Saturday --- make an Apple Pie --- these are seriously easy --- I got the apples from the orchard down the road (yep, they still had apples --- Got to love them -- I sent my husband to the shop.  He tells them "My wife is making an apple pie".  They pack a bag for him with a mix of apples perfect for pie.  All I do is peel and assemble the pie --- Easy, peasy)
Sunday after church --- make the mashed potatoes --- I used Pioneer Woman's recipe to the T.  Then I piled them all into my crockpot, set it to warm and left it sitting on the counter until dinner time.  I made the Cranberry Sauce at the same time.  Let it sit in a glass dish -- with the measure pulled out that I needed for the jazzed up sauce.
Took a nap (I told you I didn't feel like myself)
Around 2:00 Threw some greens and other veggies in the salad bowl and set it in the fridge.  Salad -- done.
Around 4:00 --- cranked up the Christmas music --- started the Pork Loin.  Mixed up a batch of popover batter (another tradition for this party) and let it sit on the counter.  Pork Loin and Popovers went into the oven together --- my pork loin took a lot longer than Pioneer Woman's --- that was good, because it worked out perfectly with the popovers.  Yay.
Around 4:30 (by now all of the guests are in the door and the wine is flowing)  Zapped some spinach in the microwave while we ate a salad.  Dinner is served.
Mine didn't look as pretty as Pioneer Woman's ---- but it tasted pretty darn good.

Kitchen Mini-Makeover

I don’t have the time or the money for a full kitchen makeover – but I’d love one!! (that was just in case any fairy godmothers were listening!!)

So – I’m going to do a fake-over – I’m going to spruce up my kitchen on a budget of $50.  Here’s my plan:

1.    Completely clear the countertops --- Most of the stuff just isn’t going back.  It will need to find another home --- in my home or at the Goodwill Store – but not on my countertop!!.  Once they’re cleared, I’m sure they’ll need a good cleaning – and then the gleam will look and feel terrific.

2.    Clean up the sink area --- this is something I learned from the FlyLady.  Shine your sink!!  I need to get rid of the old, moldy Brillo pad, the skanky sponge, and the nasty, drippy soap dispenser that I don’t use because it leaks (which is how it became nasty and drippy in the first place)  I need new sponges (I want the cute ones with the colors and the patterns. I saw some striped ones at the Odd Lot store that I adore) I’ll look for a new soap dispenser at Home Goods (I abhor the ugly plastic bottles that dish soap comes in)

3.    Sweep the floor, mop the floor and put down new throw rugs.  Some of mine are looking a little sad (especially the one Ginger has been pulling at the edges of --- silly dog).  Although the kitchen is blue and yellow (very French Country), I’m thinking that a splash of Cranberry Red might brighten it up for the long cold winter (not to mention not showing the slushy, muddy boot prints and paw-prints all winter). 

4.    Clean out the fridge and put in new baskets and a new can dispenser.  Seriously, these are the best fridge tricks I ever learned.  I keep the seltzer cans in a rolling can dispenser (we’re not real soda or beer drinkers – but seltzer – that’s a different story).  And I keep plastic baskets on the lower shelves.  Each basket contains a different category of item.  There’s a salad basket – with all of the bags of pre-washed lettuce, baby carrots, bottles of salad dressing, and other veggies for salads. Want to make a salad?  Just pull out the basket and you’re ready to go.  There’s a condiment basket – it corrals all of the odd bottles of ketchup, mayo, mustard etc that seem to wander around the fridge and get in the way.  All of the various fruit juices go in another basket for easy grab-and-go in the morning.  Right now I need new baskets (or a serious trip through the dishwasher for the ones I have!) 

New Year's Eve

The new year is nearly upon us --- again.
New Year's Eve is a holiday that we celebrate in our household -- more than usual.  Its our anniversary!!  Yes, you heard that right.  We got married on New Year's Eve.  We figured it was a fun date, we'd never forget it, and we'd always have something special to do on that date.  We were right!
This year we have the privilege of spending it in Seoul Korea with my husband's daughter (she lives here --- and yes, you read that part right too --- I'm sitting on the floor in Seoul, posting on my blog.  Crazy eh??)  So this year, the celebration is a little bit different.  We spent the day touring a palace (in the freezing cold) and having our first taste of BiBimBap (wonderful!) and tonight we're snuggled up enjoying Korean home cooking and the grandson's attempt to fly his new remote control helicopter.
Usually we spend the early part of the evening with friends --- hors d'oeuvres are the standard.  Then we all head out to a black tie gala with our ballroom dance group.  Its an elegant and fun evening --- and quite the way to celebrate both the New Year and our anniversary.
Our standard contribution to the hors d'oeuvre menu is beef and pepper dip.
I know some of you (Shaw's shoppers!!) have a ton of free sour cream and cream cheese you're dying to use up --- here's the way to go.

Beef and Pepper Dip 

1 package cream cheese
1 container sour cream
1 jar of dried beef (in the tuna aisle, please)
1 bell pepper (pick your favorite color)
paprika

Take the dried beef out of the jar and snip it into tiny little strips using kitchen shears.
Cut the bell pepper into thin strips.  Cut each strip into half or thirds to make dipping easier.
Mix the sour cream and cream cheese together in a small casserole or small crockpot (the easier method)
Mix in the beef and the pepper.
Heat until bubbly
Sprinkle the top with paprika (until it looks terrific)
Serve with Triscuits or some other substantial cracker.

Christmas Outside

The amount of work that goes into decorating outside the house is enormous  --- and never do I appreciate my sweet, willing husband more than when we're knee deep in snow, hanging lights and greens and he is still whistling Christmas tunes.  He is one amazing man.  

All of this work was done AFTER we had driven up to the mountains in Vermont to pick out the perfect Christmas trees for OUR house --- and trees for my mom and my sister's houses too.  

What a great guy!

Christmas in the Kitchen and Dining Room

I'll just admit it:  I have way too much Christmas and holiday stuff in the form of dishes, glassware, and the like.  But don't go signing me up for Holiday Dishware Anonymous --- I love it.  I change out all of the dishes, the candles, the glasses.  For the two months of Christmas at our house the whole atmosphere is festive from Breakfast to Bedtime Snack ----
Dishware is cheap --- and its fun, festive and fancy.  No one ever needs to know what you did or didn't pay for holiday dishes and glasses.  They always look more impressive than they are.
Now the Coattails Way means searching out classy, chic dishes and glasses --- cute is fine -- CUTESY is not.  I don't do teddybears, geese or silly things.... I do DO whimsical, wistful, and wonderful!!
My dishes are an old CVS find --- during the 90% off clearance after Christmas one year (and that was before I learned to CVS like a pro)  Most of my glassware is either freebies from Arby's (or somewhere like that) or from Dollar Tree.  The rest are gifts and clearance finds ---- they still look wonderful and make the holiday merry and bright
See what you think

Christmas Mantle

Christmas gets a little nutty around here.  We go all out with the decorating.  Two trees enter the house (confuses the heck out of the dog).  The fireplace mantle gets a full makeover.  Dishes get switched out in the kitchen, the dining room gets new linens, candles etc --- even the bathroom gets holiday towels and and a holiday candle.

But first  -- our mantle.  I've been collecting things for many years --- they all get switched around and used in some different way every year.  This is the mantle this year.  

I created a forest of little trees along the line of the mantle.  One end is anchored by my adorable Snowman and an old Norwegian horse that I love.

The center of the mantle is two giant pinecone ornaments that I found a few years ago.  I love these things. They're dramatic and wonderful and showy and Christmassy --- and I love them in the center of the mantle.

Faux Jewelry

I’m gearing up for the holiday party whirlwind (it starts next week for us).  I love getting dressed up and feeling glamorous --- its very much part of the “on the coattails” thing.  But I’m not spending a fortune doing it.  Part of what takes a simple classy outfit (like my tuxedo) up the notch to positively glamorous is the jewelry.  Nearly all of my jewelry is costume stuff from high-end stores like Claires, Target, and the Icing (yeah – high end!!)  So I got some advice from a friend of ours who runs a jewelry store (the real kind – the kind I can’t afford) on choosing costume stuff that doesn’t scream “cheap”. 

·       Watch the stones.  Cheap costume jewelry often has brightly colored stones that simply could never occur in nature.  Go for the flatter, duller stones when you’re looking at colored “gems”.

·       Buy something big enough to be impressive, but small enough that no one looks at it and “knows” that you could NEVER possibly afford a real stone that size.  My faux diamond earrings do this terrifically for me.  Where I work, a lot of the women have much, much larger (gaudy, almost) diamond studs in their ears.  Mine are large enough to look great.  But if I had studs as large as some of the ones I see, everyone would instantly know they were fake. 

·       Watch the setting.  You want to see prongs around the “gem”.  A lot of cheap jewelry is glued together and that’s it.  Good jewelry is held into the setting using prongs to hold the stone. No prongs announces FAKE, FAKE, FAKE from 10 feet away.  (or however close you can see the missing prongs)

·       Shiny fake gold looks fake.  Brushed fake gold and matte fake gold can often pull it off.  Watch the super shiny stuff.

·       Take super good care of it.  The fake stuff scratches like crazy which is a dead giveaway that its cheap.  Watch that it doesn’t wear away over time and show the base that’s underneath the coating of fake gold.  

Countdown to Thanksgiving: The End

Last week --- If you’re working alongside me, hopefully you’re experiencing a deeper awareness of why we celebrate this holiday  (no, its not about the turkey!!) 

As I move this close to Thanksgiving, its time for me to explain about a quirky holiday tradition in our household.  Each Thanksgiivng, I select a couple of people for whom I am especially grateful this year.  It can be for any reason --- just people who have made that quiet difference for me – and who deserve to know that – and to feel my appreciation.  I spend some quiet time – with a pen and some nice stationary --- and write them a letter explaining why I am so grateful for them in my life right now.  I generally mail them right before Thanksgiving. 

So the first item on my to-do list this week is to write my Thanksgiving letters.  My first one is going to our dog school teacher – without her, our dog would still be a complete and total wild child – she and we would be much less happy together.  Without Leea and her work with us, this  might not have been a successful rescue of a beautiful animal.  Whether Ginger knows it or not, she owes Leea her life --- she’s one happy dog because of the work that Leea does. 

My second Thanksgiving letter this year is going to a colleague at work.  She is the person who checks on me when things are stressy.  She leaves me little notes to cheer me up.  She always has something positive to say – even after an awful meeting.  She just makes life at work better.  And she’s not even aware of how much she does this – and how huge a difference it makes for everyone (not just me).  So she gets a letter this year. 

The rest of my list for the week looks like this:

·       Finish up the shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

·       Pick up a bouquet from Double Decker Farm --- I so love their vegetables and flowers – there won’t be all that much left – the season is really over – but Deb does such a terrific job with bouquet wrangling that it will be beautiful – and certainly more elegant and lovely than anything from the supermarket or florist. 

·       Pick up a bag of ice --- I want cold drinks for Thanksgiving!!

·       Set up the timeline for cooking --- if I don’t plan this out like a military operation, we’ll be eating Thanksgiving dinner in six courses – based on what’s done when.  Not fun.  I take the time to back everything up from T-Time to know when to start what.

·       Set out all of the necessary pots and pans with sticky notes about what gets cooked in each one.  There’s nothing more frustrating than going to cook the potatoes and realizing that you already used the only pot they’ll fit in --- Plan ahead and label everything.

·       Set out and label all of the serving dishes --- Need I repeat?  It also makes it so someone else can actually be helpful in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day – not just in the kitchen and in the way.

·       Tuesday, I’ll do the baking – all the pies and quick breads.  The bread can wait until Thursday itself since it bakes in the bread machine and doesn’t tie up my oven.

·       Wednesday night, I’ll set the table.  Its nice to get up in the morning and be greeted by a lovely table all ready for Thanksgiving.  We’ll eat breakfast at the kitchen counter….. that’s why I got those stools anyway, isn’t it??