Mission Organization: Week 52 - Keep a Sense of Humor

"Where do I start?"

That was the first thought I remember having when I began the Mission Organization 52 Week Challenge for 2012.

I didn't have to look far for something to do because it was right after the Christmas holiday, and it was time to take down the tree and deal with all the ornaments and decor. It just seemed to make sense that my first project would be organizing and labeling the Christmas decor for storage. After that first week, there seemed to be no end to the number of household projects needing attention.

Now, after an entire year of weekly projects in addition to the regular cleaning routines, one would think that there would be very little organizing left to do at my house. Oh, if only that were so. Even with all my projects and good intentions, I have not yet achieved that perfectly clean, uncluttered, serene household that I so longingly have desired.

In view of all my household missions for this year, my son found a cartoon that he thought applied to my efforts to get "in control of everything" at home. I have to agree, some days I have just wanted to take this route! Fortunately, this talented cartoonist can put those frustrations on paper and make me laugh at myself.

source: http://www.xkcd.com/1077/

My son has always been a reminder to me to keep a sense of humor. When he was very young, he loved to read joke books, and he would remember the jokes and retell them to me with delight. Now that he's older and away from home, sometimes I'll get a call during his commute to work. He often has a funny story to share about something he has read, heard on NPR, or just observed. I think the cartoon that he sent me about home organization is a good reminder that the home organization process should not take control over our lives. Organization is a tool that should make our lives easier. Taking the housework too seriously can be stressful for the whole family. One thing I noted during my year of organizing is that you can't organize other people. If the success of a project is dependent upon someone else's cooperation, then it just might fail.

My best advice after spending a year diligently working on home organization: declutter to make cleaning easier, set cleaning routines that fit your lifestyle and work for your family, utilize quality tools and cleaning supplies, and keep a sense of humor because things won't always be perfect.

I hope my Mission Organization for 2012 has been helpful to someone. Weeks 1 - 52 are indexed in the Thoughts and Mission Organization Page on the header bar above.

After looking back at the year, I realized that one of my favorite organizational projects of all is not even a part of Mission Organization. One of the most helpful projects that I have done has been to organize a spice drawer in my kitchen.

My solution for dealing with the many spice jars was to organize them into small baskets in a drawer. With the jars lying in the baskets, I can see the labels clearly. Before I put them in the drawer, I would spend too much time searching through the cabinet for the jar that I needed. This saves me time and looks so much neater than the jumble of jars I had in the upper cabinet.

It's now that time of year that many folks make some resolutions for the coming new year. Is one of yours to get your household organized? If so, good luck to you and happy organizing in 2013!

"Where do I start?"

That was the first thought I remember having when I began the Mission Organization 52 Week Challenge for 2012.

I didn't have to look far for something to do because it was right after the Christmas holiday, and it was time to take down the tree and deal with all the ornaments and decor. It just seemed to make sense that my first project would be organizing and labeling the Christmas decor for storage. After that first week, there seemed to be no end to the number of household projects needing attention.

Now, after an entire year of weekly projects in addition to the regular cleaning routines, one would think that there would be very little organizing left to do at my house. Oh, if only that were so. Even with all my projects and good intentions, I have not yet achieved that perfectly clean, uncluttered, serene household that I so longingly have desired.

In view of all my household missions for this year, my son found a cartoon that he thought applied to my efforts to get "in control of everything" at home. I have to agree, some days I have just wanted to take this route! Fortunately, this talented cartoonist can put those frustrations on paper and make me laugh at myself.

source: http://www.xkcd.com/1077/

My son has always been a reminder to me to keep a sense of humor. When he was very young, he loved to read joke books, and he would remember the jokes and retell them to me with delight. Now that he's older and away from home, sometimes I'll get a call during his commute to work. He often has a funny story to share about something he has read, heard on NPR, or just observed. I think the cartoon that he sent me about home organization is a good reminder that the home organization process should not take control over our lives. Organization is a tool that should make our lives easier. Taking the housework too seriously can be stressful for the whole family. One thing I noted during my year of organizing is that you can't organize other people. If the success of a project is dependent upon someone else's cooperation, then it just might fail.

My best advice after spending a year diligently working on home organization: declutter to make cleaning easier, set cleaning routines that fit your lifestyle and work for your family, utilize quality tools and cleaning supplies, and keep a sense of humor because things won't always be perfect.

I hope my Mission Organization for 2012 has been helpful to someone. Weeks 1 - 52 are indexed in the Thoughts and Mission Organization Page on the header bar above.

After looking back at the year, I realized that one of my favorite organizational projects of all is not even a part of Mission Organization. One of the most helpful projects that I have done has been to organize a spice drawer in my kitchen.

My solution for dealing with the many spice jars was to organize them into small baskets in a drawer. With the jars lying in the baskets, I can see the labels clearly. Before I put them in the drawer, I would spend too much time searching through the cabinet for the jar that I needed. This saves me time and looks so much neater than the jumble of jars I had in the upper cabinet.

It's now that time of year that many folks make some resolutions for the coming new year. Is one of yours to get your household organized? If so, good luck to you and happy organizing in 2013!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 51 - The Top Five Missions of 2012

This week for Mission Organization I am taking a look back at the posts readers viewed most frequently in 2012. These five were the reader favorites from the weekly household mission tips and were also popular on Pinterest.

1. Are the Dishes Clean or Dirty?

This is a question that can be answered with a simple DIY project. Scrabble game tiles are glued to a magnet that can be placed on the front of the dishwasher, then the magnet can be flipped over to indicate the answer to that oft repeated question.

2. The Ironing

This project was not only a favorite of the blog readers this year, it is also a favorite of mine. I made a dryer-top ironing board that is always in place. This eliminates the need for setting up my big ironing board that never seemed to be put away.

3. The Microwave Oven

All those splatters that are made when someone forgets to cover the food they are reheating just wipe away with this recipe for a vinegar and water steam cleaning. This makes the gunk wipe right off.

4. My Bakeware

Finding a better way to store my bakeware led to this project. I stood these corner shelving units on their sides so I could slide the various sheet pans and other baking pans into the slots.

My bakeware cabinet is so much better organized now, and I can find the pan I'm looking for without so much digging.

5. My Bathroom Countertop 

One of the hot spots in my house is the bathroom countertop. For this project a kitchen plate rack was repurposed to organize the bathroom. I used a plate rack and added some metal bowls to hold the items that I frequently use in the bathroom. This eliminates the clutter and makes wiping off the countertop so much easier.

So those are the top five projects of this year, and each one has helped me come a step closer in my quest for home organization. The remaining projects of 2012 are indexed and can be viewed in the Thoughts and Mission Organization tab in the header bar.

This week for Mission Organization I am taking a look back at the posts readers viewed most frequently in 2012. These five were the reader favorites from the weekly household mission tips and were also popular on Pinterest.

1. Are the Dishes Clean or Dirty?

This is a question that can be answered with a simple DIY project. Scrabble game tiles are glued to a magnet that can be placed on the front of the dishwasher, then the magnet can be flipped over to indicate the answer to that oft repeated question.

2. The Ironing

This project was not only a favorite of the blog readers this year, it is also a favorite of mine. I made a dryer-top ironing board that is always in place. This eliminates the need for setting up my big ironing board that never seemed to be put away.

3. The Microwave Oven

All those splatters that are made when someone forgets to cover the food they are reheating just wipe away with this recipe for a vinegar and water steam cleaning. This makes the gunk wipe right off.

4. My Bakeware

Finding a better way to store my bakeware led to this project. I stood these corner shelving units on their sides so I could slide the various sheet pans and other baking pans into the slots.

My bakeware cabinet is so much better organized now, and I can find the pan I'm looking for without so much digging.

5. My Bathroom Countertop 

One of the hot spots in my house is the bathroom countertop. For this project a kitchen plate rack was repurposed to organize the bathroom. I used a plate rack and added some metal bowls to hold the items that I frequently use in the bathroom. This eliminates the clutter and makes wiping off the countertop so much easier.

So those are the top five projects of this year, and each one has helped me come a step closer in my quest for home organization. The remaining projects of 2012 are indexed and can be viewed in the Thoughts and Mission Organization tab in the header bar.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 50 - The Missions That Failed

Mission Organization started for me way back in January of this year, and unbelievably, I am now at week 50 in the year. I have worked diligently to find a project each week that would not only be beneficial to me, but one that might be useful to others as well. In trying to find solutions for household problems, I have looked at many different resources. Household hint books, Pinterest, organizing blogs, and home magazines have been my main sources of help, but not all the hints I tried were good ones. In fact, some of my organization projects completely bombed. I think it might be time to do a little reporting on some of my failed home organization projects for the year.


1. DIY Color Catcher Sheets

This was an idea I was excited about because I purchase and love to use Color Catcher sheets for my laundry. Following another blogger's tip from Pinterest, I set out to make my own sheets to catch the dyes from clothing that are released in the wash.

According to the blogger, washing soda is supposed to be the magic ingredient.

I followed the directions, cutting up a whole batch of fabric the size of regular Color Catchers and had my tutorial all documented in photos. I soaked the fabric in the solution, then air dried according to the directions, but when I washed a new white wash cloth with my almost new dark blue denim jeans and one of my homemade color catchers, the wash cloth caught just as much blue dye as the treated fabric. FAIL

2. Wasp Trap

This is another DIY idea that came from Pinterest, and the source is a gardening blog. Landon and I worked on this project over his spring break, and I was so hopeful that this would be the answer to those red wasps that hang around my patio every summer. Landon was hopeful too, as he was the recipient of one of their nasty stings last year.

We cut the top off a two liter soda bottle and inverted it funnel-style into the bottle. We made a solution of vinegar, sugar, and salt to attract the wasps to the bottom of the bottle. The wasps are supposed to crawl down the funnel to get to the liquid and become trapped. We set our trap out on the patio and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. We freshened the solution in case it had gotten stale. We caught a few gnats. Weeks passed . . . were our wasps too smart or too dumb? We never did catch a wasp.  FAIL

3. Iron Cleaner

I had absolute confidence this project would work when I saw it listed on Pinterest. The source for this one is a nationally known magazine. The recommendation is to use dryer fabric softener sheets to remove built up gunk from an iron soleplate. Because I have successfully used fabric softener sheets in ways other than their intended purpose, I just knew this would be a great tip.

The directions are to turn the iron to a low setting and iron back and forth over a dryer sheet until the residue is removed from the iron, now doesn't that sound easy? I pushed the iron across the dryer sheet many times with absolutely no result except that the dryer sheet was nicely pressed. I gave it my best shot, but nothing happened.
FAIL

photo source Dissociated Press

While these tips may have worked for someone else, they just didn't work out for me. I can't say if the reason for the FAIL was user error or something else, as I only gave each project one trial, but I'm still on my quest for good home organization tips. Maybe a new Pinterest Board called "Projects that Failed" is what I need.

All opinions stated are my own. This post is non-sponsored.

This post was shared with:
Mix it up Monday
Arkansas Women Bloggers

Mission Organization started for me way back in January of this year, and unbelievably, I am now at week 50 in the year. I have worked diligently to find a project each week that would not only be beneficial to me, but one that might be useful to others as well. In trying to find solutions for household problems, I have looked at many different resources. Household hint books, Pinterest, organizing blogs, and home magazines have been my main sources of help, but not all the hints I tried were good ones. In fact, some of my organization projects completely bombed. I think it might be time to do a little reporting on some of my failed home organization projects for the year.


1. DIY Color Catcher Sheets

This was an idea I was excited about because I purchase and love to use Color Catcher sheets for my laundry. Following another blogger's tip from Pinterest, I set out to make my own sheets to catch the dyes from clothing that are released in the wash.

According to the blogger, washing soda is supposed to be the magic ingredient.

I followed the directions, cutting up a whole batch of fabric the size of regular Color Catchers and had my tutorial all documented in photos. I soaked the fabric in the solution, then air dried according to the directions, but when I washed a new white wash cloth with my almost new dark blue denim jeans and one of my homemade color catchers, the wash cloth caught just as much blue dye as the treated fabric. FAIL

2. Wasp Trap

This is another DIY idea that came from Pinterest, and the source is a gardening blog. Landon and I worked on this project over his spring break, and I was so hopeful that this would be the answer to those red wasps that hang around my patio every summer. Landon was hopeful too, as he was the recipient of one of their nasty stings last year.

We cut the top off a two liter soda bottle and inverted it funnel-style into the bottle. We made a solution of vinegar, sugar, and salt to attract the wasps to the bottom of the bottle. The wasps are supposed to crawl down the funnel to get to the liquid and become trapped. We set our trap out on the patio and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. We freshened the solution in case it had gotten stale. We caught a few gnats. Weeks passed . . . were our wasps too smart or too dumb? We never did catch a wasp.  FAIL

3. Iron Cleaner

I had absolute confidence this project would work when I saw it listed on Pinterest. The source for this one is a nationally known magazine. The recommendation is to use dryer fabric softener sheets to remove built up gunk from an iron soleplate. Because I have successfully used fabric softener sheets in ways other than their intended purpose, I just knew this would be a great tip.

The directions are to turn the iron to a low setting and iron back and forth over a dryer sheet until the residue is removed from the iron, now doesn't that sound easy? I pushed the iron across the dryer sheet many times with absolutely no result except that the dryer sheet was nicely pressed. I gave it my best shot, but nothing happened.
FAIL

photo source Dissociated Press

While these tips may have worked for someone else, they just didn't work out for me. I can't say if the reason for the FAIL was user error or something else, as I only gave each project one trial, but I'm still on my quest for good home organization tips. Maybe a new Pinterest Board called "Projects that Failed" is what I need.

All opinions stated are my own. This post is non-sponsored.

This post was shared with:
Mix it up Monday
Arkansas Women Bloggers

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 49 - Keeping the Knives Sharp

According to an article on kitchen safety found at the site The Kitchn, a sharp kitchen knife causes fewer injuries than a dull one. A sharp knife is more efficient and quicker to use than a dull knife. A dull knife requires you to make more cuts to finish a job and with greater risk of slippage than with a sharp knife.

With safety and efficiency being high on my list of priorities in the kitchen, I want to keep all my knives sharp. 

I used to ask my husband to sharpen my knives for me, but once I learned how easy it is to do, I now like to sharpen them myself.

When a knife starts to feel not quite as sharp as it should be, use a honing tool to put the sharp edge back.

Hold the honing tool perpendicular to hard surface like a cutting board with one hand, and with the other hand hold the knife at about a 15 degree angle to the honing tool and draw the edge of the blade across, first on one side and then the other. I didn't have enough hands to hold the tool, the knife, and the camera all at once, but there is a great demonstration video at thekitchn.com on honing your knife.


Honing will put a sharp edge back on your knife, but after a knife has been used a lot, if the honing steel seems not to be getting the knife back to its top condition, it is probably time to use a stone. 

Photo source Amazon.com

There are many different sizes and kinds of stones available for sharpening knives, but this is the kind of stone that I have on my wish list. It has a base with rubber feet to hold it in place and a reversible stone with a medium grit on one side and a finer grit on the opposite side. Thekitchn.com also has a second video to demo stoning your knife. You might want to practice with an older knife to get the hang of stoning, but it is very quick and easy once you have mastered the correct angle, pressure, and strokes.

Whether your knife is at the stage of needing to be honed or stoned, either process only takes a few minutes. By keeping your knife sharp, your chopping and slicing will go faster, and you will reduce your chances of a kitchen injury.





This post was shared with:
The Bulletin Board

According to an article on kitchen safety found at the site The Kitchn, a sharp kitchen knife causes fewer injuries than a dull one. A sharp knife is more efficient and quicker to use than a dull knife. A dull knife requires you to make more cuts to finish a job and with greater risk of slippage than with a sharp knife.

With safety and efficiency being high on my list of priorities in the kitchen, I want to keep all my knives sharp. 

I used to ask my husband to sharpen my knives for me, but once I learned how easy it is to do, I now like to sharpen them myself.

When a knife starts to feel not quite as sharp as it should be, use a honing tool to put the sharp edge back.

Hold the honing tool perpendicular to hard surface like a cutting board with one hand, and with the other hand hold the knife at about a 15 degree angle to the honing tool and draw the edge of the blade across, first on one side and then the other. I didn't have enough hands to hold the tool, the knife, and the camera all at once, but there is a great demonstration video at thekitchn.com on honing your knife.


Honing will put a sharp edge back on your knife, but after a knife has been used a lot, if the honing steel seems not to be getting the knife back to its top condition, it is probably time to use a stone. 

Photo source Amazon.com

There are many different sizes and kinds of stones available for sharpening knives, but this is the kind of stone that I have on my wish list. It has a base with rubber feet to hold it in place and a reversible stone with a medium grit on one side and a finer grit on the opposite side. Thekitchn.com also has a second video to demo stoning your knife. You might want to practice with an older knife to get the hang of stoning, but it is very quick and easy once you have mastered the correct angle, pressure, and strokes.

Whether your knife is at the stage of needing to be honed or stoned, either process only takes a few minutes. By keeping your knife sharp, your chopping and slicing will go faster, and you will reduce your chances of a kitchen injury.





This post was shared with:
The Bulletin Board

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 48 - Storing Those Plastic Shopping Bags

At my house a couple of shopping trips equals a huge pile of plastic shopping bags. I typically save the bags and reuse them, but they sure can multiply in a hurry! I have tried different methods of dealing with them, some better than others. I once had a small plastic tote that I would put the bags in, but because it did not have a lid, the bags would spill out the top. I have also tried the method of stuffing them into a cabinet and closing the door really fast. This works until the bags multiply to the point of organizing a surprise break out when you open the cabinet.

Do your shopping trips yield a pile of plastic like this?

An empty baby wipes box is the solution to storing all those plastic bags. 

I made a storage container out of an empty baby wipes box by adding a label that I printed on scrapbook paper. I used spray adhesive to attach the label to the box. I think it is important to add the label so that no one picks up the box expecting to find baby wipes inside!

I have my whole pile of plastic bags stashed in this little wipes box. The size makes it handy to fit into a drawer or cabinet, and all those plastic bags are under control!




This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday

At my house a couple of shopping trips equals a huge pile of plastic shopping bags. I typically save the bags and reuse them, but they sure can multiply in a hurry! I have tried different methods of dealing with them, some better than others. I once had a small plastic tote that I would put the bags in, but because it did not have a lid, the bags would spill out the top. I have also tried the method of stuffing them into a cabinet and closing the door really fast. This works until the bags multiply to the point of organizing a surprise break out when you open the cabinet.

Do your shopping trips yield a pile of plastic like this?

An empty baby wipes box is the solution to storing all those plastic bags. 

I made a storage container out of an empty baby wipes box by adding a label that I printed on scrapbook paper. I used spray adhesive to attach the label to the box. I think it is important to add the label so that no one picks up the box expecting to find baby wipes inside!

I have my whole pile of plastic bags stashed in this little wipes box. The size makes it handy to fit into a drawer or cabinet, and all those plastic bags are under control!




This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 47 - Cleaning the Oven Door

We had a great Thanksgiving at our house this year with all the children and grandchildren and some family friends. I did my best to use mise en place in the preparations so that I could get it all together a little easier this year. The usual family favorites were on the menu, as well as one new recipe that I tried. I made a Southern Living Sweet Potato Casserole, and it will now be a regular Thanksgiving dish. Too bad I didn't get pictures of it for a post, but I'll have my camera ready next time. If you have ever been the "designated cook" for a holiday meal, then you already know how much planning has to go into efficiently rotating the various dishes through the oven. It's kind of like a relay event because the casseroles have to be grouped by oven temperature, then various timers set, then the oven temperature adjusted for the next round, and more timers set, and on and on until the last pie is baked. Amazingly, everything turned out great. There were no disasters this year unless you count the oven door.

By Friday this was the look my glass oven door was sporting! It wasn't only the Thanksgiving meal preparation that caused it to look this bad, because it's a rare day that my oven is not used. But man, did it ever need to be cleaned now! I really hate using oven cleaners, so I took the advice at DIY Home Sweet Home and let baking soda do the work for me.

I used to only buy baking soda in small boxes for baking purposes, but I have found it to be it so useful I now also buy the large size for cleaning purposes.

For the oven door project, I used about a half cup of baking soda mixed with enough water to make a paste about the consistency of pancake batter. 

Using one of my kitchen brushes, I spread the paste all over the dirty glass of the oven door.

Once I had it all covered well, I set the timer for 20 minutes, then went to play on Pinterest while the baking soda did the work. If you have more pinning to do, you might want to leave it as long as 30 minutes.

After 20 minutes I used a warm wet cloth to wipe away the paste and the mess! 

Rinse the cloth out several times until everything is wiped away, then use a dry cloth or paper towels to dry the glass.

I now have a nice clean oven door ready for more baking, and baking soda made it such an easy, fuss-free cleaning method!



This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday
The Bulletin Board

We had a great Thanksgiving at our house this year with all the children and grandchildren and some family friends. I did my best to use mise en place in the preparations so that I could get it all together a little easier this year. The usual family favorites were on the menu, as well as one new recipe that I tried. I made a Southern Living Sweet Potato Casserole, and it will now be a regular Thanksgiving dish. Too bad I didn't get pictures of it for a post, but I'll have my camera ready next time. If you have ever been the "designated cook" for a holiday meal, then you already know how much planning has to go into efficiently rotating the various dishes through the oven. It's kind of like a relay event because the casseroles have to be grouped by oven temperature, then various timers set, then the oven temperature adjusted for the next round, and more timers set, and on and on until the last pie is baked. Amazingly, everything turned out great. There were no disasters this year unless you count the oven door.

By Friday this was the look my glass oven door was sporting! It wasn't only the Thanksgiving meal preparation that caused it to look this bad, because it's a rare day that my oven is not used. But man, did it ever need to be cleaned now! I really hate using oven cleaners, so I took the advice at DIY Home Sweet Home and let baking soda do the work for me.

I used to only buy baking soda in small boxes for baking purposes, but I have found it to be it so useful I now also buy the large size for cleaning purposes.

For the oven door project, I used about a half cup of baking soda mixed with enough water to make a paste about the consistency of pancake batter. 

Using one of my kitchen brushes, I spread the paste all over the dirty glass of the oven door.

Once I had it all covered well, I set the timer for 20 minutes, then went to play on Pinterest while the baking soda did the work. If you have more pinning to do, you might want to leave it as long as 30 minutes.

After 20 minutes I used a warm wet cloth to wipe away the paste and the mess! 

Rinse the cloth out several times until everything is wiped away, then use a dry cloth or paper towels to dry the glass.

I now have a nice clean oven door ready for more baking, and baking soda made it such an easy, fuss-free cleaning method!



This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday
The Bulletin Board

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 46 - A DIY Jewelry Rack

Most of my jewelry stays neatly organized in its jewelry box or stashed away in dresser drawers, but some of my jewelry always seems to be tossed on the bathroom counter. I don't know why I have the bad habit of taking off the jewelry that I frequently wear and laying it aside so carelessly. It makes my bathroom counter look cluttered, and the jewelry is put in the dangerous and precarious position of getting knocked in the sink and down the drain! The logical solution to this problem would be to always put the pieces of jewelry back where they belong when I take them off, but somehow I know that I most likely won't always follow through with the logical solution. I decided to make myself an alternative place for those commonly worn pieces of jewelry to "hang out" when I took them off at night.

I've seen jewelry racks made from a wide range of items including rakes and kitchen graters. Since don't have a spare rake or grater, I looked for something else that I could repurpose.

Far, far back in a cabinet I found this mug tree that hadn't been used in a very long time. I think this mug tree could be just as useful for holding jewelry as it once was for holding coffee mugs.

I dusted it off and used some leftover hammered copper spray paint to give it a new look.

I like the metallic effect of the hammered copper paint. This project was complete as soon as the paint was dry. I rescued the items from my countertop and hung them on the arms, and I must say it works quite well. Maybe I need to look again in that cabinet and see what else I have stashed there that I can repurpose.

And don't forget, there's only a few more days left to enter the giveaway for the P. Allen Smith Christmas wreath! Last day to enter is November 22, 2012.

Most of my jewelry stays neatly organized in its jewelry box or stashed away in dresser drawers, but some of my jewelry always seems to be tossed on the bathroom counter. I don't know why I have the bad habit of taking off the jewelry that I frequently wear and laying it aside so carelessly. It makes my bathroom counter look cluttered, and the jewelry is put in the dangerous and precarious position of getting knocked in the sink and down the drain! The logical solution to this problem would be to always put the pieces of jewelry back where they belong when I take them off, but somehow I know that I most likely won't always follow through with the logical solution. I decided to make myself an alternative place for those commonly worn pieces of jewelry to "hang out" when I took them off at night.

I've seen jewelry racks made from a wide range of items including rakes and kitchen graters. Since don't have a spare rake or grater, I looked for something else that I could repurpose.

Far, far back in a cabinet I found this mug tree that hadn't been used in a very long time. I think this mug tree could be just as useful for holding jewelry as it once was for holding coffee mugs.

I dusted it off and used some leftover hammered copper spray paint to give it a new look.

I like the metallic effect of the hammered copper paint. This project was complete as soon as the paint was dry. I rescued the items from my countertop and hung them on the arms, and I must say it works quite well. Maybe I need to look again in that cabinet and see what else I have stashed there that I can repurpose.

And don't forget, there's only a few more days left to enter the giveaway for the P. Allen Smith Christmas wreath! Last day to enter is November 22, 2012.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 45 - An Emergency Disaster Kit for the Home

Wow, after seeing the devastation that Superstorm Sandy caused recently for so many, I have been thinking about what would happen at our house in a similar emergency. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have an emergency kit put together for a situation such as that, and it's high time that I got one assembled. The area I live in does not have a high risk factor for a disaster just like Hurricane Sandy, but we do have a high risk of disaster from tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods, and we have seen ice storms that shut down power for weeks, so disaster preparedness is important wherever you live.

photo source: Emergency preparedness depot

I wasn't sure I knew exactly what needed to go in an emergency disaster kit, so I did some research on the subject. Probably the most essential item in a home kit would be a supply of water and food to last for at least a 72 hour period. Some of the other suggested items include flashlights with extra batteries, first aid supplies, a hand-crank or battery powered NOAA weather radio, dust masks, wrenches to turn off utilities, moist wipes, and garbage bags.

For a more complete list of supplies and information, these are a few of the sites that can help:

ready.gov

redcross.org

weather.com

Disaster Preparedness - YouTube

An emergency disaster kit may be quite expensive to put together if you tackle it all at once. I plan to make a list of the supplies needed using the resources above, and put mine together a few items at a time. Of course, no pre-made list is exactly right for everyone. The kit should be personalized for your family. If you have an infant you will want to include formula and diapers, or if someone in the family needs prescription medications those need to be included in the emergency kit.

After my emergency disaster kit list is made, I'll want to prioritize the supplies in order of importance for the kit. Every week when shopping I'll add another item from the list until I have everything that is needed.

photo source: Get a kit

My emergency disaster kit will need to start with water and non-perishable food. One of the first extra purchases that I want to make for my kit is a NOAA weather radio that has a hand crank and the capability to charge cell phones.

My heart goes out to all those who have struggled with the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Some have not yet found needed relief. Disaster is no respecter of persons; you never know where it will happen next. All one has to do is turn on the news any day of the week to see people somewhere in the world in need of emergency assistance from a disaster. Because I know that emergencies can strike anywhere, anytime, I'm going to try to get some important things together that might help out when the unthinkable comes calling at my house.



This post was shared with:
Mop it Up Mondays
Arkansas Women Bloggers

Wow, after seeing the devastation that Superstorm Sandy caused recently for so many, I have been thinking about what would happen at our house in a similar emergency. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have an emergency kit put together for a situation such as that, and it's high time that I got one assembled. The area I live in does not have a high risk factor for a disaster just like Hurricane Sandy, but we do have a high risk of disaster from tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods, and we have seen ice storms that shut down power for weeks, so disaster preparedness is important wherever you live.

photo source: Emergency preparedness depot

I wasn't sure I knew exactly what needed to go in an emergency disaster kit, so I did some research on the subject. Probably the most essential item in a home kit would be a supply of water and food to last for at least a 72 hour period. Some of the other suggested items include flashlights with extra batteries, first aid supplies, a hand-crank or battery powered NOAA weather radio, dust masks, wrenches to turn off utilities, moist wipes, and garbage bags.

For a more complete list of supplies and information, these are a few of the sites that can help:

ready.gov

redcross.org

weather.com

Disaster Preparedness - YouTube

An emergency disaster kit may be quite expensive to put together if you tackle it all at once. I plan to make a list of the supplies needed using the resources above, and put mine together a few items at a time. Of course, no pre-made list is exactly right for everyone. The kit should be personalized for your family. If you have an infant you will want to include formula and diapers, or if someone in the family needs prescription medications those need to be included in the emergency kit.

After my emergency disaster kit list is made, I'll want to prioritize the supplies in order of importance for the kit. Every week when shopping I'll add another item from the list until I have everything that is needed.

photo source: Get a kit

My emergency disaster kit will need to start with water and non-perishable food. One of the first extra purchases that I want to make for my kit is a NOAA weather radio that has a hand crank and the capability to charge cell phones.

My heart goes out to all those who have struggled with the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Some have not yet found needed relief. Disaster is no respecter of persons; you never know where it will happen next. All one has to do is turn on the news any day of the week to see people somewhere in the world in need of emergency assistance from a disaster. Because I know that emergencies can strike anywhere, anytime, I'm going to try to get some important things together that might help out when the unthinkable comes calling at my house.



This post was shared with:
Mop it Up Mondays
Arkansas Women Bloggers

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 44 - Mise en Place

Who among us has not been frustrated in our own kitchens by disorganization? At the very least a lack of organization might cause a meal to be served late, but more often it causes more serious problems. Maybe your recipe says to heat the oil, then add chopped onion. A disorganized cook will heat the oil, then start chopping the onion, a recipe for disaster.

The French have a term for organization in the kitchen called "mise en place," which in translation means "to put in place." For the organized cook this would mean that all the ingredients need to be prepared and ready to use before you start cooking.

As an example of cooking with mise en place, an organized cook would refer to the recipe for a list of ingredients and assemble those first. Raise your hand if you have ever started stirring up a recipe only to find that you were out of a needed ingredient or even two. (My hand is up.) No, your neighbor does not want to loan you a cup of sugar or a stick of butter, don't ask. Also, if there is chopping, dicing, or other preparation that needs to be done in advance, take note and get those chores done before beginning the recipe.

When I am blogging I usually show a photo of ingredients that I will use in the recipe. This has helped my cooking habits because now I routinely assemble all ingredients before starting any recipe. I'm getting better at mise en place.

Measuring out needed quantities of ingredients before starting to put a recipe together is another example of mise en place. This not only saves time when preparing food, it can help with the accuracy of measurements. Think of how much better it is to measure out 6 cups of flour and set those aside when baking bread than to try to measure one cup at a time from your canister and keep an accurate count as you mix. If you're like me, you'll lose count after about three cups.

In the process of getting all your ingredients assembled before you start to cook you can use a lot of prep bowls to have your supplies ready. That can translate into lots of dirty dishes for the cook. You can apply a little mise en place to this situation as well. One way is to always have some hot sudsy water ready in your sink while cooking so that you can keep utensils and bowls washed as they are used.

Another way is to re-purpose some paper cupcake liners from the pantry to use as disposable prep bowls. I always keep a supply of paper liners on hand, and they come in handy when measuring out quantities of nuts, dried fruits, and spices. Most cooks I hear from love baking and cooking for their families, but hate the clean-up afterward. Mise en place can make the clean-up so much easier.

Thanksgiving is a short three weeks away, and many of us are planning meals for a crowd. A little mise en place will help tremendously with holiday preparations. Even though I love to cook and entertain guests, I can no longer physically stand in the kitchen for long periods of time. I plan to take my own advice and let mise en place help me out with my cooking. I think mise en place is simply working smarter, not harder.



This post was shared with:
Mop it Up Mondays
The Bulletin Board

Who among us has not been frustrated in our own kitchens by disorganization? At the very least a lack of organization might cause a meal to be served late, but more often it causes more serious problems. Maybe your recipe says to heat the oil, then add chopped onion. A disorganized cook will heat the oil, then start chopping the onion, a recipe for disaster.

The French have a term for organization in the kitchen called "mise en place," which in translation means "to put in place." For the organized cook this would mean that all the ingredients need to be prepared and ready to use before you start cooking.

As an example of cooking with mise en place, an organized cook would refer to the recipe for a list of ingredients and assemble those first. Raise your hand if you have ever started stirring up a recipe only to find that you were out of a needed ingredient or even two. (My hand is up.) No, your neighbor does not want to loan you a cup of sugar or a stick of butter, don't ask. Also, if there is chopping, dicing, or other preparation that needs to be done in advance, take note and get those chores done before beginning the recipe.

When I am blogging I usually show a photo of ingredients that I will use in the recipe. This has helped my cooking habits because now I routinely assemble all ingredients before starting any recipe. I'm getting better at mise en place.

Measuring out needed quantities of ingredients before starting to put a recipe together is another example of mise en place. This not only saves time when preparing food, it can help with the accuracy of measurements. Think of how much better it is to measure out 6 cups of flour and set those aside when baking bread than to try to measure one cup at a time from your canister and keep an accurate count as you mix. If you're like me, you'll lose count after about three cups.

In the process of getting all your ingredients assembled before you start to cook you can use a lot of prep bowls to have your supplies ready. That can translate into lots of dirty dishes for the cook. You can apply a little mise en place to this situation as well. One way is to always have some hot sudsy water ready in your sink while cooking so that you can keep utensils and bowls washed as they are used.

Another way is to re-purpose some paper cupcake liners from the pantry to use as disposable prep bowls. I always keep a supply of paper liners on hand, and they come in handy when measuring out quantities of nuts, dried fruits, and spices. Most cooks I hear from love baking and cooking for their families, but hate the clean-up afterward. Mise en place can make the clean-up so much easier.

Thanksgiving is a short three weeks away, and many of us are planning meals for a crowd. A little mise en place will help tremendously with holiday preparations. Even though I love to cook and entertain guests, I can no longer physically stand in the kitchen for long periods of time. I plan to take my own advice and let mise en place help me out with my cooking. I think mise en place is simply working smarter, not harder.



This post was shared with:
Mop it Up Mondays
The Bulletin Board

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 43 - Reusable DIY Swiffer Dusters

After making the switch from my disposable-pad mop to my new Rubbermaid Reveal mop with its washable and reusable microfiber cleaning pads, I have been rethinking my dusting methods. I love using my Swiffer duster, and I have always been happy with the cleaning results. The only problem I have with this type of duster is the waste produced from throwing away the soiled dusting cloths and the cost of replacing them. My reusable mopping pads gave me the idea that maybe there was a way to make the dusters reusable too. I started looking around to see if there was any information on how to make a washable Swiffer dusting cloth, and I found just what I was looking for from Abby at Sew Much Ado. She came up with a great design for a flannel duster that fits perfectly on my Swiffer duster arm.

To make a washable and reusable Swiffer duster you will need:

4 pieces of flannel 7" x 7"
4 pieces of flannel 4" x 7"
Pinking shears or scissors
Thread
Swiffer duster handle

Flannel is inexpensive to buy at a fabric store, but you also might want to consider recycling something that you already have around the house. Outgrown flannel pajamas would work well, as would any soft flannel receiving blankets. In Abby's post she said that she had tried some other fabrics, but prefers the flannel over microfiber or fleece.

Cut four pieces of flannel 7" x 7" and four pieces 4" x 7".

Place two pieces of the 4" x 7" flannel on top of two of the 7" x 7" squares, centering the smaller pieces. Repeat with the remaining flannel pieces.

Then sandwich all the pieces together with the 4" x 7" pieces on the top and the bottom of the stack. Machine stitch down the center through all the pieces.

The next step is to make a casing for the Swiffer handle to slide into. Fold the smaller pieces to one side and lay the center of the handle over the center of the fabric where the seam was stitched. Now mark a line for the casing along the edge of the prong, being sure to allow room for the curved edges.

Now fold the smaller pieces to the other side and mark a casing for the other prong in the same way. Machine stitch along each of the marked lines to form a casing for the prongs.

The prongs will slip right into the casings.

Now trim about 1" off the edges of the top large square and the top small piece so that the layers are graduated. Turn the cloth over and trim the other side in the same way.

Then starting at the narrowest layer, clip the flannel into a row of "fringe" at about 1/2" intervals. Repeat for each layer, then turn the duster over and repeat on the opposite side. You'll want to wash and dry the duster to fluff it up before using it. I cut mine with pinking shears to avoid a lot of fraying, but you may want to trim a few threads after it is washed the first time.

So how well does a homemade Swiffer duster work? Here's the comparison of a used and an unused one. The flannel is soft and does a great job of picking up dust, and I'm glad to be living a little greener with one less thing to throw in the garbage.

After making the switch from my disposable-pad mop to my new Rubbermaid Reveal mop with its washable and reusable microfiber cleaning pads, I have been rethinking my dusting methods. I love using my Swiffer duster, and I have always been happy with the cleaning results. The only problem I have with this type of duster is the waste produced from throwing away the soiled dusting cloths and the cost of replacing them. My reusable mopping pads gave me the idea that maybe there was a way to make the dusters reusable too. I started looking around to see if there was any information on how to make a washable Swiffer dusting cloth, and I found just what I was looking for from Abby at Sew Much Ado. She came up with a great design for a flannel duster that fits perfectly on my Swiffer duster arm.

To make a washable and reusable Swiffer duster you will need:

4 pieces of flannel 7" x 7"
4 pieces of flannel 4" x 7"
Pinking shears or scissors
Thread
Swiffer duster handle

Flannel is inexpensive to buy at a fabric store, but you also might want to consider recycling something that you already have around the house. Outgrown flannel pajamas would work well, as would any soft flannel receiving blankets. In Abby's post she said that she had tried some other fabrics, but prefers the flannel over microfiber or fleece.

Cut four pieces of flannel 7" x 7" and four pieces 4" x 7".

Place two pieces of the 4" x 7" flannel on top of two of the 7" x 7" squares, centering the smaller pieces. Repeat with the remaining flannel pieces.

Then sandwich all the pieces together with the 4" x 7" pieces on the top and the bottom of the stack. Machine stitch down the center through all the pieces.

The next step is to make a casing for the Swiffer handle to slide into. Fold the smaller pieces to one side and lay the center of the handle over the center of the fabric where the seam was stitched. Now mark a line for the casing along the edge of the prong, being sure to allow room for the curved edges.

Now fold the smaller pieces to the other side and mark a casing for the other prong in the same way. Machine stitch along each of the marked lines to form a casing for the prongs.

The prongs will slip right into the casings.

Now trim about 1" off the edges of the top large square and the top small piece so that the layers are graduated. Turn the cloth over and trim the other side in the same way.

Then starting at the narrowest layer, clip the flannel into a row of "fringe" at about 1/2" intervals. Repeat for each layer, then turn the duster over and repeat on the opposite side. You'll want to wash and dry the duster to fluff it up before using it. I cut mine with pinking shears to avoid a lot of fraying, but you may want to trim a few threads after it is washed the first time.

So how well does a homemade Swiffer duster work? Here's the comparison of a used and an unused one. The flannel is soft and does a great job of picking up dust, and I'm glad to be living a little greener with one less thing to throw in the garbage.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mission Organization: Week 42 - DIY Non-slip Rugs

Small decorator rugs are found in almost every room of my house, and most of them need skid-proof pads underneath. I usually use those mesh-looking pads that can be cut to fit the rug, but I don't particularly like them because it seems these small rugs can easily get moved a little and the mesh starts peeking out from underneath, not pretty. Enter, Martha Stewart. Her tip is to apply thin strips of acrylic latex caulk to the back of the rug to make the rug non-slip.

I had several rugs similar to this one that I wanted to use to test Martha's idea.

For this project I used a tube of acrylic latex caulk and a caulk gun, both of which I already had on hand.

Flip the rug over to the back and apply thin lines of caulk every 6 inches or so. My caulking technique is a little lacking as evidenced by the squiggly lines, but that should just give the rug a little more "grip"!

Let the caulk dry thoroughly before turning the rug back over to use.

After the caulk is dry the latex lines will grip the floor and keep the rug from slipping. It should eliminate the need for buying these expensive and troublesome pads to put under every small rug. In my opinion, the caulk should only be used on rugs that are not the washable kind. I haven't tried it, but I don't think the caulk would stay adhered to the rug during washing.



This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday

Small decorator rugs are found in almost every room of my house, and most of them need skid-proof pads underneath. I usually use those mesh-looking pads that can be cut to fit the rug, but I don't particularly like them because it seems these small rugs can easily get moved a little and the mesh starts peeking out from underneath, not pretty. Enter, Martha Stewart. Her tip is to apply thin strips of acrylic latex caulk to the back of the rug to make the rug non-slip.

I had several rugs similar to this one that I wanted to use to test Martha's idea.

For this project I used a tube of acrylic latex caulk and a caulk gun, both of which I already had on hand.

Flip the rug over to the back and apply thin lines of caulk every 6 inches or so. My caulking technique is a little lacking as evidenced by the squiggly lines, but that should just give the rug a little more "grip"!

Let the caulk dry thoroughly before turning the rug back over to use.

After the caulk is dry the latex lines will grip the floor and keep the rug from slipping. It should eliminate the need for buying these expensive and troublesome pads to put under every small rug. In my opinion, the caulk should only be used on rugs that are not the washable kind. I haven't tried it, but I don't think the caulk would stay adhered to the rug during washing.



This post was shared with:
Creative Juice Thursday

reade more... Résuméabuiyad