Preparing for the Holidays

I love the holiday season.  I love the music, the time spent with loved ones, the food, and the traditions.  However, there are parts of the holidays that I could definitely do without; the expense, the crowds, lack of parking spaces, the stress etc.

This Christmas Eve will mark my 10th year of hosting a family holiday celebration.  Over the years, I have developed a plan of attack that makes this time of year much more jolly.  I hope that you will take away at least one or two tips from this post.

 Once the Halloween decorations have been put away, it is time for me to plan the holiday season.  Here's what I did this past weekend:

• Found the dates of area activities that I want to attend.  I included concerts, plays, parades, light displays, craft fairs, parties, etc.
• Wrote these date specific events on a calendar.  I printed off a blank December calendar and wrote down the events with red and green ink.  Simple but festive.
• Made a "bucket" list of activities that I want to do this year, but aren't date specific.  I included movies to watch, books to read, decorating, baking, viewing light displays, etc.
• Posted the list and calendar for my family to see.  

This really started to get me excited for the holidays.  It motivated me to then:

• Make a list of the people that I'd like to give gifts to.  If you have ideas on what to get them and/or already purchased them a gift, write that down.  
• Make a wish list for myself.  My family wants ideas on what to get me, and I want ideas on what to get them.  It prevents me from buying stuff on the list and allows me to give them ideas when they ask.
• View my Christmas ideas board(s) on Pinterest.  
• Design and order this year's holiday card.
• Sketch my outdoor decorating plan.  

I already feel like I have a head start.  My feelings about the holidays are of excitement and anticipation.  I am not feeling stressed about it...yet.

There are several things that I need to accomplish before Thanksgiving.  (I have tried waiting until after turkey day, but I have been way too stressed cramming shopping, decorating, baking, partying, mailing cards, meal planning, etc. into about 4 weeks.)  

• Draft my holiday form letter.
• Decorate the outside of my house.  (In Wisconsin, waiting until after Thanksgiving results in bitter cold, snow, and frozen pumpkins.)  I will wait to turn the lights on, but I will have them ready to go.
• Complete my in-store Christmas shopping.  I avoid stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Shoppers tend to be stressed out and workers seem annoyed.  Plus finding a parking place is difficult.  After Thanksgiving, I shop online and order from direct sale companies.  I check to see if Black Friday deals are available online.  I look up coupon codes and often get free shipping.  I think that I spend less money, since I don't keep adding the "good deals" to loved ones gifts and then needing to buy more for others to keep the gift giving "even".  
• Create invitations for our family celebration.  I include a menu on it with suggestions of what people can bring.  
• Purchase two frozen pumpkin pies and one frozen Dutch apple pie to bake on Thanksgiving day.  People love that it is "fresh baked", and it so much easier than messing up my kitchen to make pies that may or may not turn out.  I may also find a Pinterest recipe to share with my family.
• Add a Christmas music playlist to my iPod.

Please notice that I do not host both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I am extremely thankful that my mom still hosts the feasting.

My nieces, nephews, and I have developed a tradition of decorating the inside of my home and wrapping presents on Black Friday.  They are all such great elves!  My oldest niece loves to wrap presents and has gotten to be an expert at it over the years.  My nephews are great at going to the back of the closet and getting out the decorations.  Every one pitches in and it is done in a couple of hours.  They also help me address, stamp, and stuff my holiday cards to be placed in the mail.  

After Thanksgiving is when I work on completing the items on the "bucket" list and attend events that I have on my calendar and enjoy them.  I will also need to:

• Personalize ornaments.
• Have a baking and candy making weekend at my house.
• Purchase ingredients from the grocery store to prepare the menu items for our holiday celebration.  
• Prepare the holiday menu.
• Complete other odds and ends as they arise.

I have a lot to accomplish before Thanksgiving, so I better get busy.  Season's Greeting!

Until next time,

Aimee

Behind Closed Doors

At the beginning of the new year, I had decided to keep up with my blog.  As you may notice by the dates, I didn't succeed with that resolution.  My only excuse is that life got in the way.  :)

In the previous post, I said that I would share with you how I organized my kitchen.  Well, here's part I.  Better late than never, right?

The following photos are of the inside of my pantry.

 Here's where we keep miscellaneous items:  crackers, tortillas, drink packets, granola bars, baking mixes, dried fruit, etc.  The shelves are deeper than they are wide, so I store the boxed items on their sides.

 Here's where we have shelves for the bread and candy jar, popcorn, nuts, and seeds, cereal, dog treats, and several for salty snacks.  These baskets are great for putting snacks in.  They pull out so you can see what you have.  I chose plastic so they are easy to clean.

 The baking supplies are located above the TV.  Notice my use of a Lazy Susan.  I did a previous post about how useful they are.  The basket holds ground nuts and various flavors of baking chips.  The narrow shelf holds sprinkles, pudding mixes, and bagged items.  The top shelf is where I have the sugars and flour.  I use the canisters to keep the items fresh.

 This is where we keep shelves for the pasta, bread crumbs and mixing packets, oils and vinegars, peanut butter and oatmeal, sauces, and rice and stuffing.  I love the glass jars for keeping the pasta.

 Canned goods, soups, condiments, and unopened rubs and spices are stored here.  I do like the tiered shelves so you can see more of what you have.  My husband found a sale on soup.  We usually don't have this many cans.  

 Lastly in the pantry, we have storage for disposable items and vitamins.  The empty shelf is where my husband stores his work backpack.  The plastic wraps and foil are in a magazine holder.

Onto the storage in the island...

 I use deep plastic baskets and a tool turn-about for storage.  They hold a lot of stuff and are easy to clean.  Here's what I keep in each:

 Things that are used for measuring; the jar holds miscellaneous measuring spoons.

 Things that slice and/or chop

 My personal blender and its accessories

 Lids for my pots and pans, since they don't have holes to hang.

Specialty baking items

While each basket isn't that neat, it is easy for me to pull the basket out and find what I need.  The standing pantry and the island have allowed us to double our storage space in our kitchen.  I recently met someone that lived in my house about thirty years ago.  He said that the cabinets are original to the house.

Pigging Out in the Kitchen

Before I go into how I have organized my kitchen, I thought that you'd might like to know the back story of how it is decorated.  Since most people are in a bit of shock when they see it for the first time.

Pigs, pigs, and more pigs!
I have quite the pig collection.  I have been receiving pig things for gifts since I was a little girl.  Loved ones have thought of me when they have seen these items, so they are extra special to me.  When we moved into our home, I figured that the kitchen was the most appropriate room to display them.

Why pigs?
My love of pigs began as a very young girl watching the Muppets and admiring Miss Piggy.  She was beautiful, smart, and had no problem sharing her emotions.  When you think about role models geared towards young girls in the late 1970's, she was a pretty good one.  In early elementary school, I fell in love with Wilbur from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web.  (That book is probably why spiders do not bother me.)  Then Babe and Babe: Pig in the City reaffirmed my love these lovable and intelligent creatures.  I even had a pet pot-bellied pig named Gus when I was in high school.

Wall of Pigs
The photos of the pigs are from wall calendars.  I had some students that needed a shop project make them for me.  I paid them for the materials and their hard work.  The "When Pigs Fly" sign was a gift from a good friend.  The matching of the bead board paint and the this sign wasn't planned, but turned out great.  I receive the wall calendar for a birthday or Christmas gift every year.     
 

While this kitchen is not my ideal kitchen, I have done my best to make it functional and fun.  I pondered the idea of have my cabinets refaced, but after learning the cost, I decided to have just them painted and change the hardware.

Furniture
The kitchen island is from IKEA.  I used to have a table and chairs there, but we rarely ate there and it was too low for food prep.  I chose this particular island, since it allows me to have stools underneath it on one side and storage on the other.

The baker's rack is a recent purchase from Kmart.  I wanted to be able to hang my pots and pans, but I don't have room on the ceiling for a pot rack.  I chose a ceiling fan, since we don't have central air.    The baker's rack was cheaper than a pot rack and offered more storage, so I thought that was a no-brainer.  As you can see, I also use it to store potatoes, onions and garlic, a food scale, the microwave, my Keurig, and recycling bins.  (Which need to be emptied.)

The wall of free standing cupboards was in the house when we purchased it.  We use them as our pantry.  My husband mentioned that he wanted to be able to watch TV in the kitchen.  Thankfully, the cable was already there for our small TV.  

Appliances
The very first change we made to our home was adding a dishwasher.  We lost one cupboard and drawer, but it is so worth it!  I love to store my dirty dishes in there until it is full enough to run a load.  My husband purchased the stove and refrigerator.  Absolutely love having the double oven!  Great for holiday baking and entertaining.  We use the smaller oven more often, since it heats up more quickly.  We went with a refrigerator that fit in our space.  We do have a stand up freezer in our garage.  I do like the freezer being below the refrigerator and that the freezer has a drawer.  However, the drawer can be a challenge to organize, hence the extra freezer.

You'll notice that I don't put much stuff on the front of the refrigerator.  The note pad is a shopping list, and the magnet holds important stuff.  I'll show you the sides of it later.  The towel hanging on the stove is a compromise that I made with my husband.

My kitchen is rather small, but it is functional.  I have tried to have as much counter space as possible.  I am probably one of the few people that doesn't want an open concept.

Auer Gallery Walls

Owning a house has its ups and downs.  There is no calling a landlord when something is not working and needs to be fixed.  Just this week, we had a frozen hot water pipe.  Thankfully, my husband took care of it with a hairdryer.  Auer house is old, so anytime we do a home improvement project there are surprises.  However, I believe that the pros of home ownership outweigh the cons, at least for the current stage of our lives.  One of the pros is being able to decorate and put as many holes in the walls as you'd like.  Which leads me to the theme of today's post...Gallery Walls.  

I may have gone a bit overboard with gallery walls in my house.  I had lots of photos and signs that I wanted to hang.  So, I sought some "pinspiration" from Pinterest, and away I went.  Displaying things that make you happy help make a house a home.  I want each room to celebrate a piece of me and/or my family.  Welcome into Auer House:

This gallery wall is behind the couch in my living room.  My mom bought me the sign that reads, "My Goal in Life is to Become the Person My Dog Thinks I Am" from Kirkland's.  Many of the frames and metal decor are from Hobby Lobby.  All of the other stuff, I've had for so long, I can't recall where I got them from.  I personalized the big red square frames with a stencil and stickers.  I hardly had any pictures of my mini American Eskimo dog, so I met a photographer at the dog park for a photo session.  (Keep in mind, these dogs are my "kids".)  I laid out all the frames and decor out on my dining room table before lifting a hammer to help me visualize the final product.  The couch was pulled away for this project, which leads to what I would change about this display...I would center the photos above the couch and not center them on the wall.  However, looking at the photos of my fur babies makes me happy, which is the goal.  

Another wall in my living room-I found the sign at Hobby Lobby.  It reads, "If I had my life to do over again...I'd find you sooner so I could love you longer".  This inspired me to hang photos of my husband and me when we were in high school (not at the same time-he's 10 years older than me), a couple of us taken before we were married, and a wedding photo.  I plan on adding a couple more photos to the shelf as the years go on, hence some empty space.  

Yet another wall in my living room-I found the sign at Hobby Lobby with the quote, "To the world you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world".  Such a great daily reminder!  I centered it and placed photos on either side of it.  The bad thing about gallery walls, is that you can often tell when something is crooked.  :)  

My mother-in-law moved into assisted living in June, so we acquired a few items from her house.  Several of those items, were photos.  This wall celebrates my husband.  It includes photos of his parents, children, and photos of him as a kid.  

Here's a family portrait that we had taken about ten years ago and photos of my step-children when they were little.  Some of these photos used to be behind my couch.   

A couple of months ago, I hired a painter to paint over the outdated 1970's paneling that was in my stairway.  Once I had it painted, it seemed so bare.  I went on a mission to decorate it for very little money.  I searched clearance and sales at World Market, Hobby Lobby, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Target, Gordman's, Michael's and Home Good's.  Here's how it turned out:

 Still not sure about the A in the open frame so close to the R in Auer.  I think of a pirate saying "Arrrrrrrrrrr" when I see it.  I had the frame empty, but I didn't like it.  I may need to search for something different.

    
In the rustic looking frames, I typed up song lyrics from songs that are special to me and my husband.  I printed them onto scrapbook paper.  Here's a few of them up close:

Can you identify the songs?  I hope that you enjoyed today's post and its photos.  Go ahead and decorate your house to make it a home where you celebrate you and your family!

H-APP-y New Year!

Whether or not you made getting more organized one of your New Year's resolutions, getting more organized can make your life more enjoyable.  Today I want to share with you my favorite 6 apps that assist me on a regular basis with my quest for organization.  All of these are available for iPhone and Android, and best of all they are all FREE.  Many of these apps I have been using for years, so you've probably already heard of some or all of them.      

1.  Wunderlist

If you like using "to do" lists, then you need this app.  You set up an account so you can log in and sync the lists on your PC and/or mobile devices.  You can even share your lists with others.  There is a paid version of the app, but I find the free version perfect for what I need it for.  I don't need to worry about forgetting my lists at home any more.  For more information visit www.wunderlist.com  

2.  Dropbox

I learned about Dropbox at a conference.  I started using it, because I was tired of emailing myself documents or carrying a flash drive so that I could update work documents at home.  Sometimes, I would send/save the wrong file or not save the updated file when I got back to work.  Dropbox allows you to access your files on your PC and mobile devices and syncs them.  You can even access previous versions of the file in case you change your mind about updates that you made.  I also save all of my photos from my phone on Dropbox.  No more needing to worry about losing all of your files, because you lose or damage a device.  Plus there is no clutter with DVD's, flash drives, or paper backups.  You can even share files and/or folders with others that you give permission to.    For more information visit www.dropbox.com  

3.  E-Reader Apps - Nook, Kindle, iBooks

I bought myself a Nook Simple Touch before a trip.  I wanted to bring a few books, but I didn't want to carry the weight of them.  I fell in love my Nook, and I even upgraded to the Simple Glow-light Touch.  I read more books now, since my next book is just a click away.  Barnes and Noble also offers a Free Friday Nook Book every week.  However, you do not need a special e-reader to read e-books; you just need an e-reader app.  This allows me to purchase or check out books, without them causing clutter in my house or having to pay library fines.  E-books are also cheaper than their paper version.  Having the Nook app also allows me to read from where I left off on my iPhone and pick up at the new spot on my Nook.  I am not as familiar with other e-readers or their apps, so I can't testify as to how good they are. I just know that I love the convenience of my e-reader.         

4.   TripIt - Travel Organizer

You know those confirmation emails that you get when booking hotels, cruises, flights, etc?  Forward them to plans@tripit.com and the details of your trip will be all in one place.  I love having the dates and times of the details of my trip all in one place.  Traveling with others or need to share your itinerary with your emergency contact?  You can sync and share it.  For more information visit www.tripit.com

5.   To-Do Checklist - Daily, Weekly, Monthly (Lite)

I just recently started using this app for my chore check list.  What I like about this app is that it is FREE and easy to use.  You can upgrade it, but I am content with free features.  I have entered in my daily chores, weekly chores, and monthly chores to help me keep up with my household.  I make the items all day events, so I don't need to select a specific time.  You can enter your chore checklist into your calendar, but I like keeping my chore check list separate.  

6.  Pinterest

This app needs no explanation.  I use it for "pinspiration" on organizing, decorating, recipes, etc.  I do make an effort to delete pins that I no longer need, such as recipes that I've tried and didn't like.  Try to check out the webpages that link to the pins to see if they are in fact useful.  If my boards get too full, I break them down in more specific ones.  For more information visit www.pinterest.com or follow me at www.pinterest.com/all50by30/

I hope that you found at least one thing on today's post helpful.  Please feel free to share any apps that have assisted you in your quest to become more organized.  

I'm Baaaack!

Last March, I started this blog with good intentions of keeping it up and running.  I managed to do 9 posts before I needed to put it on the back burner.  So, you may be wondering, "what happened?"  As people sometimes say, "life got in the way".

During that time, I was unhappy at my job.  The pay was low, the commute was long (especially in the Wisconsin winter weather), and I was indifferent about what I was doing.  My husband didn't like me being away from home so much.  So, we decided that I would become a full-time homemaker with part-time jobs.  During the commute to my job, I had lots of time to think, so I came up with my C.H.A.M.P.S. plan.  Which stands for:

C - Child Care Giver- I set up an account on care.com to allow parents to find me.  I have a child that I watch regularly, and I absolutely adore him.
H - Home Organizer - Currently, I do jobs for friends and family, but I would love to expand.
A - Aimee Time - I want to make sure that I take time for myself.
M - Math Tutor - There are times that I miss teaching.  Tutoring is a great way for me to share my passion for math, kids, and learning.
P - Pampered Chef Consultant - I love their quality products, it's a great way to meet people, and I love trying new recipes.
S - Substitute Teacher - Subbing is a lot less stressful than I thought that it would be.  I love getting to work with students of all ages.  

With getting all of those jobs up and running, this blog had to fall to the wayside for awhile...a looooooong while.  I needed to take time to get my life reorganized.  It was well worth it.  I average more money per week now, than I did at the job I was working in March, and that is with putting in half the hours.  Plus, I am way happier.  I have time to spend with my family, take care of my home, and I have control over my schedule.

As many of us do, I have been reflecting on the past year, and deciding what changes I want to make going forward.  One thing on that list is the return of my blog.  My goal is one post per week.  You'll need to keep following me for other things that I have in store.

Thanks for reading.  Happy New Year!!

Reduce, Reuse, Recyle!

With Earth Day just around the corner, I thought that I'd talk about the 3 R's:  reduce, reuse, recycle from an organizer's perspective.

Reduce
I like to watch HGTV and other home improvement programs.  I am often amazed at people that think they need to move because they don't have enough space, yet every room in the house is cluttered.  Before going through the stress of house hunting, getting a mortgage, and moving, I think that they should try to organize their things and get rid of things that they can't even use in their clutter.  Sometimes, simply bringing in an organizer can help you tackle your things and find storage solutions for the items that you still want.  Doing this solves the need for more livable space and can save you money.  Here's some other advice:

• Being organized allows you to reduce the amount of items that you bring into your home, because you'll be more aware of the items that you actually own.  I'll admit that I like to stock up on certain things, especially if they are on sale.  However, if I don't have the space for it, it stays in the store.
• To help me remember what extras I have already purchased, I keep a shelf in my bathroom for all of the extra health and beauty aids.  If I have an extra on the shelf, I definitely do not need to purchase another.  
• Keeping cleaning products in a common location also prevents me from buying more when I don't need it.  
• My ready made grocery list allows me to check my current inventory and only mark the items in which we need.  It also can save money since we won't buy things that we don't have time to eat before they expire.  
• When I buy non-consumable things, I donate or throw the old ones away depending on the condition.   Twice a year, we go through our clothes and donate what we no longer want to wear.  This prevents our closets from getting out of control.
• Yesterday, I blogged about mail and how you reduce your mail by using online bill pay and canceling magazine subscriptions.

Reuse
Just because something is designed for one use doesn't mean that it can't be used for something else.  Again, referring to yesterday's post, I made mail sorters out of cereal boxes.  Re-purposing items is easier on the environment, but can also make things easier on your wallet.  Here's a brief list of ideas:

• Reuse paper or plastic bags when you go to the store if you don't have reusable bags.  Some stores will even reduce your total by a few cents per bag.  The small plastic bags also work great for garbage liners for trash cans in your bathroom.  Bread bags can be used to clean up pet waste.  Keeping an extra plastic bag in the car can also come in handy for various things that occur. 
• My husband loves to reuse plastic jars that held food for things, such as hardware, in the garage.  If you drop them on the ground, they don't shatter, and you can easily see what is in them.  They can also be reused for food or craft supply storage.  I store my measuring spoons in one in the cupboard and keep it next to the measuring cups.
• Scrap paper is great for writing notes to members of the family or for to do lists.  I like to use the back of envelops that held my mail.  We then like to save some of the paper to start fires in our fire pit during the summer.  
• Newspapers can be used to wrap gifts.  I use stamps to dress them up a bit and add color.
• Spray bottles can be cleaned and reused to make homemade bug repellent, window wash, fabric spray, etc.  You might like to put water in one to spray yourself on those hot summer days. You'll not only save money on bottles, you'll save money on what you make to put in them. 
•  Old toothbrushes work great when cleaning small hard to reach places.
• Mint tins come in handy to hold small items like paper clips, tacks, and bobby pins.  

Also, don't forget that you don't need to be the one to reuse the items.  Donate the items to a school or charity, such as a women's shelter or a community member in need.  Or you can try to sell the items in a rummage sale or online.  We have a sign that we sometimes stick in the yard to advertise that things are free.  After all, "one man's trash is another man's treasure". 

Recycling
While recycling saves room in our landfills, it tends to take up quite a bit of room in our homes.  My house was built way before recycling was conceived, so finding space for it can be a challenge.  The containers designed for recyclables are often large and come in loud colors.  I would recommend keeping the larger containers outside or in the garage unless you have the space.  I would love to have the cupboard space to have pull out containers, but I don't.  I decided to think outside the box and find something that wouldn't scream recycling.  Here's what I found:

What I like about it is that the drawers pull out completely and can be returned with ease, it has wheels, and it comes in black.  It is meant to be used in a closet and/or bedroom.  Assembly was required, but took me less than 10 minutes and included the tools needed.  I have labels on the handles of metals, plastics, and papers.  I also have it near my garbage can, so it is easy to sort what needs to be recycled.  Once they get full, the drawers are pulled out and put in their containers that will go out to our curb on recycling day.