Do you have THIS in your kitchen? It can CHANGE the way your home runs
I’m on the lookout for a Kitchen Command Center in need of a makeover! Do you have one that could use a little help? Or are you in need of creating one from scratch?
What exactly IS a Kitchen Command Center {KCC}?
It’s a place {usually in or near the kitchen} where “everything home” is managed: from schedules and paperwork to meal planning and messages.
What can a KCC do for you and your family?
With all we have going on in our lives, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. While we have limited control over so much out there, we DO have much control over our home. I’m big on making our personal environments nurturing – they should welcome us home after a long day and simply feel good to be in – for visitors and family members. What role does a KCC play here? Quite a bit! It can:
- greatly improve communication among family members
- provide streamlined systems making things {from bill paying to home care} run much smoother
- make your role as home manager much more productive – and enjoyable!
I’m in the process of creating a workshop to help others create their own KCC and am looking for someone in big need of one. Currently I am not scheduling new clients but this is an opportunity to have me come into your home {in person or through Skype – doesn’t matter where you are geographically} and create a KCC or give your existing one an overhaul!
If you are interested, please send me an email {angela@AngelaHarrisDesign.com} with subject: KCC makeover and include {by 1/31/12}:
- photos of your kitchen
- reason why you’d like to be selected {organization struggles you are having, etc.}
Entries will be kept confidential {just seen by me : ) but if selected, we’ll showcase our work together in creating an amazing KCC – will be fun! {I’m giving mine an overhaul right now as well!}
And speaking of “kitchen”… This excerpt {entitled, Lessons from the Silverware Drawer} comes from one of my favorite organizing books. It’s a fabulous way to think about order. You’ve heard me say before how important it is to have a home for everything, to be able to easily find WHAT you need WHEN you need it – AND to easily put away what you have out. Our time and energy should not be wasted on searching for our things – or a place to put them each time. LOVE this analogy from Stacey Platt:
Lessons from the Silverware Drawer
“If I came to your house and asked you to show me your birth certificate, would you know where to find it? What about a safety pin? Your checkbook? The receipt for your computer? An extension cord? Your 2006 tax returns? Regardless of how many or how few of these you could produce without too much digging, I bet that if I were to ask you for a fork, you would know exactly where to go to get one. Why? Because the system for organizing your flatware demonstrates four organizing principles:
- Forks are kept with forks.
- They have single and consistent home.
- Everyone in the house hold is in agreement about it.
- Forks are put back there after being used {and washed!}.
These principles can – and should – be applied to organizing anything in your home. Keep like things together. Give everything a home. Get the whole household on board. Put things back when you are done. It’s really that simple.”
Stacey Platt {from her book, What’s a Disorganized Person to Do? {published by Artisan}
P.S. Feel free to share this post with friends / loved ones who may want a Kitchen Command Center makeover – it’s open to anyone!
How I organize my holiday decor + extra bonus it brings
My parents make holidays extra special and I hope to pass this “holiday special-ness” along to my family as well. Our anticipation would begin with the arrival of the holiday decor. While they don’t go overboard, Mom and Dad typically have some kind of seasonal something going on: from the table and mantel inside to the window boxes outside.
While I’m just starting my collection of seasonal stuff, I’ve seen how quickly it can get out of control. Here are a few tips on taming:
When organizing & storing:
- Pull holiday stuff from various locations and sort by holiday.
- Contain each holiday in its own labeled bin.
- Store in non-prime space {since you’ll only be using once a year}.
- A”fter Holiday” sales can be a good time to pick out a piece for your collection – but don’t buy solely based on discounted price. Buy because you love.
- And speaking of… when pulling out or putting away, only keep what you love. Just because it’s been a part of your holidays for years doesn’t mean it has to stay. Donate what you aren’t wild about.
This simple organizing idea not only has helped me find what I need without a second thought, the ritual of opening it up {**the extra bonus**} really has become a fun tradition our boys eagerly anticipate. {Now that they are a little older, I should say “mildly” anticipate. But I notice they’ll put their “too cool-ness” aside after a few and really start getting into.} A few ideas:
- Talk it up a few days prior to: “On Monday we’ll be pulling out the Valentine stuff!”
- Make it a point to open holiday bin when all family members are present {at least the kids}.
- Have fun – and if the kids want to help, great! {And if this makes you cringe, just know you can always re-arrange when they aren’t around : )
Not only will you be making happy holiday memories {BONUS #1}, you’ll be passing along some good organizing skills that your kids will gradually pick up on {BONUS #2}. Now that’s a fabulous habit to share!
And speaking of fabulous + holidays, here are a couple of Valentine finds {I heart Pinterest!}:
Beautiful table - gets me in the {Valentine's Day} mood! {Image from www.lovelyliving.com}
Cute idea for valentine for your valentines {image from Martha Stewart.com}
- Sweet dreams with this homemade heart garland {image from www.bhg.com}
For more of my finds, hook up with me on Pinterest! {READ THIS for a quick Pinterest 101.}
Do emails drive you crazy? Are yours driving others crazy?
“Yes” and “yes” to both questions. {At least for me – and probably 90% of others!}
This week I chose one of the most common causes of everyday stress to tackle. We’ll look at 3 things:
- Why emails – or should I say the accumulation of emails – can be so draining
- How to make your inbox less stressful
- How to make YOUR emails less stressful for others {and more effective for you}
WHY EMAILS DRIVE US #$%&# CRAZY
Most of us get a ton of stuff dumped into our inbox everyday. Unlike regular mail that takes someone $, time and a bit more thought to send, emails {while fabulous in some ways} enable anybody and any business to email away. And even when you take out the “non-necessities” pawing for your attention, your box is left with emails that require:
- decisions to be made {from easy to difficult}
- actions to add to your to-do list {some that, at this point, may be past due}
And with each passing day, the incoming messages – along with our stress levels – accumulate.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR INBOX less STRESSFUL
These are some things I’ve done recently to help with my own:
STEP 1: CLEAN UP: Having an empty inbox feels incredible. This past weekend, mine got to that point. This is how I did it {in about two FOCUSED hours}:
- Delete what you can. DO IT QUICKER: Sort inbox by “From” {“sender} and go from there. By grouping this way, it’s much quicker to get rid of stuff.
- As you are doing the above, unsubscribe from anything you don’t really need or love {hopefully this newsletter is NOT one of them!}. And increase your spam filter if needed.
- Go through the remaining emails and handle each:2 Minutes or less: do right now; More Time Needed: move to relevant {or “active”} folder and note action to take in calendar or to-do list; Reference: move to “archive” or other relevant folder; Reading: move to reading folder. {Tip: Weekly, use specified down time to read through – starting with most appealing. When time is up, re-evaluate anything left: keep for next time or trash.}
Of course, my in-box didn’t stay that way. My plan to keep it minimally filled:
STEP 2: MAINTAIN: my plan moving forward:
- Check AND handle emails only during set times during {not throughout} the day.
- Turn OFF the email in box alert. Those little distractions add up.
- Streamline email folders: I want to be able to: keep only what I really need {and can’t easily find on web}, archive it easily, and find it easily.
- Use a separate email for on-line shopping / registrations.
If you’d like more in-depth info, check out this article I found at www.whenihavetime.com.
Now, let’s turn the tables:
HOW TO KEEP YOUR EMAILS FROM DRIVING OTHERS CRAZY
I know I’ve been in this category so this isn’t just outwardly directed! Here are some things to make our emails more user friendly – and effective:
- Keep as brief as possible. Before clicking “send”, read back through to see what can be taken out.
- Use “subject” line to sum up email. Or just use the subject for message period.
- Make message scannable. Use bullets, bold the bottom line question/point so recipients can quickly know what you’d like them to do.
- Consider breaking one long, complex message into several shorter emails each with specific subject heading. Or pick up the phone and call instead.
- When sending to more than one person, specify who needs to see what if whole message isn’t applicable to all. And when CC-ing, make sure it’s really necessary.
If you have other tips to add, I’d love to hear!
8 things I’ve learned about order
If getting more organized at home, work – and life – is something you wish for in 2012, follow along with me!
EACH WEEK: We’ll tackle a small piece. Some things I already have down and will tell you how I did it. Other areas I’ll be searching for solutions {for myself!} and will share what I have found.
WHAT WILL ADDING MORE ORDER TO YOUR LIFE DO? A more organized space can bring an immediate sense of calm. It makes things {including what you see in the mirror!} look better. And work better. A better managed calendar can bring more balance, more fun, more control. It has a ripple effect – affecting everyone from our kids to our co-workers. {And even our pets – have you ever noticed that?!}
Another benefit: an increased level of happiness! Literally an hour ago I sat in the dentist office reading this month’s Good Housekeeping and ran across this quote from one of my favorite authors:
The Happiness Project's Gretchen Rubin {photo credit: Bjorn Wallender / Good Housekeeping}
” ‘Order is Heaven’s first law,’ wrote the poet Alexander Pope, and one of the things that has surprised me most is the inverse relationship between clutter and happiness. In the context of a happy life, maintaining a roomy coat closet or a bare kitchen counter may seem like a trivial accomplishment, but somehow it can have a grand effect on your level of happiness.”
THIS WEEK: I’ll share my personal philosophy on order: 8 things I’ve learned - so far. As with life, it’s a work in progress.
MY PHILOSOPHY ON ORDER – WHAT I’VE LEARNED
1. My mantra: surround yourself with what you love. Many of us are bogged down in excess – from our cabinets to our calendars. For me, order is about having a vision (knowing, keeping and adding what you DO love) and streamlining (purging: taking out what you DON’T love).
2. Each of us defines order differently – and we each need a personalized approach.
3. Bringing more order into your life is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you work on it little by little, you will begin to feel that “shift” from chaos to control.
4. Building systems is vital to keeping the order you create. Strive to keep these systems as simple as possible!
5. Evaluate and tweak when necessary.
6. If you are completely overwhelmed, want quicker results, or simply need another viewpoint, enlist the help of a trusted friend or professional organizer.
7. LET GO of perfection.
8. Infusing order into life brings tremendous benefits: from less stress to more control … which positively impacts our attitude, health and loved ones … and translates into one thing we DO need in excess: PEACE.
DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO’D LIKE TO JOIN ALONG EACH WEEK? If so, please share – the buttons on bottom of this post make it easy! And if interested, they can join my address book by CLICKING HERE {my blog page} and entering email address at top, right.
WANT A LITTLE EXTRA? Would love for you to join me on Facebook {you can find me under both Angela Harris Design AND Your Life Organizer} and Twitter {AngelaDesign}.
NEXT WEEK: We’ll get started!
Wishing you each a Happy {+ more organized} New Year!!
All the best,
Angela
Wrapping up Christmas in our home + thinking ahead to 2012
As the holidays wind down, I wanted to share a few things we love to do in our home that bring a bit of joy now – and to holidays to come…
Keeping a little Christmas at my dressing table
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree … we will miss you! To keep a little bit of that special part of Christmas, I’ll cut a tiny bit of a branch, put in bud vases and place in bedrooms. {My boys think this is neat!}
Holiday decor: Do you really love? You don’t have to display {keep} everything! If you aren’t in love with what you’re taking down, put in donate box instead of a storage box.
Make writing thank-you's more fun: these are notecards my 8-year old loves! {Papyrus brand at Target}
Merci! I’m a big believer in the thank you note. It’s just a nice thing to do. And a good habit pass on to your children. A few ways to make it fun / easier:
- Before getting started, make a list of all the thank you’s to write. And get your stationary supplies together.
- Write notes together as a family. Sit down together in front of the fire, put on some background music…
- Do an all-in-one: Have each member write on one card. {If you want to get creative, use family’s thumb prints to make little reindeer or a Christmas tree. This is a great way to get even the tiny ones involved.}
- Use stationary you love: for example, when my little one turned eight, we found these that he loved! {See pic above}
- Schedule a block of time to do – and stick to it. You may not love doing but you WILL be glad when it’s done. And the recipient will appreciate : )
A few things to do now for NEXT Christmas:
- Have your child’s stocking hand-made: Our cousin, Missy, knitted beautiful ones for our boys – having a personalized stocking made with love – soooo special!
- And speaking of stockings, pick up neat little things throughout the year to help Santa stuff them. And not just for the little ones. Santa brings ME one {thank you, sweetheart – maybe he’ll remember you next year??!}. And one year my mom made special stockings for my grandmother and her sister. What a thrill it was to wake Christmas morning and find stockings filled just for them!!
- My parents planted a cutting garden – fabulous for holiday decor. Love, love!
Cutting garden - my parents planted a few years ago
My mom & dad - trimming for Christmas!
This year's table: the greens came from the cutting garden + Mom's special ornaments for us were at each place setting
Candlelight makes everything magical... And they used battery operated lights in the greenery on mantel.
What would YOU do differently next year to make holidays more meaningful / enjoyable? Make those photo book gifts earlier so it’s enjoyable and they arrive on time? DVR those cute Christmas shows in November so your kids don’t miss every single one? Wait, those are a few of mine. As for you… at least make a mental note for next year.
I think it’s so important to reflect from time to time on how are days are playing out – and what we can do a bit different to make them align to more of what we value / need / love…One thing that will help at least 90% of us? See box below:
If you’re like most people I know, there’s at least a little bit of “relief” now that Christmas is over. The holidays can feel like a full-time job in itself. And when we put that on top of everything else on our plates, it’s bound to make us {more than} a little frazzled.
Something that can help? You guessed it – ORDER. This helps bring more of the peace we wish for during the holiday season – and those other days of our year.
If you are wanting to have a more organized {FILL IN THE BLANK: home, workspace, calendar, life – or all of the above} in 2012, there are two ways I can help:
#1: As a professional organizer, I can come into your home or office {OR for overall time / life organizing – over the phone or Skype} and we can work together to create the organized surroundings you wish for. {For lots more info on how I can help, please just send me an email requesting more info and I’ll get it to you! angela@AngelaHarrisDesign.com}
#2: Starting next week {next year : ), follow along with me as I share a weekly organizing idea that you can implement on your own.
Option #1 is for those wanting an order overhaul – and a partner / confidante to help develop and put into action a personalized plan. I use a combination of skills learned through my training with Julie at Julie Morgenstern Enterprise in NYC {you’ve probably seen her on Oprah, Good Morning America and on NYTimes best-seller list} AND what I’ve personally used / developed as I bring more order into my own life.
Option #2 is for anyone wanting to add a little order, bit by bit, throughout the year. I know not everyone has the ability to hire an organizer. So this is a way for me to share ideas that anyone can do on their own. I promise that by taking action a week at a time, you WILL see a big difference.
Again, I wanted to wrap up by thanking each and every one of you for reading, and for you kind words you’ve shared with me throughout this past year. There’s lots of good stuff in store for 2012 – for all of us!
xoxo,
Angela
My favorite Christmas treat + more
My grandmother's peanut butter balls: my favorite treat - then & now
Every Christmas my grandmother would make peanut butter balls and would keep them in little tins around her home. Throughout the day I’d “sneak” a few, but magically the tins would replenish themselves. {Grandmom must have made countless batches.} I’m even eating one as I type this at 6:30 a.m. – goes great with coffee!!! Here’s the recipe + a few other yummy alternatives + a few keeping order tips at the end:
Ingredients for peanut butter balls {can use your favorite melting chocolate}
INGREDIENTS: {Makes about 24 balls: I’ll often double the recipe}
- 2 c graham cracker crumbs
- 1 box {16 oz} powdered sugar
- 2 sticks butter, melted
- 1 c peanut butter
- Melting chocolate {this time, I just used a package of semisweet chocolate chips}
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix graham cracker crumbs & sugar well {I use my electric mixer for this}
- Mix in melted butter
I melted the two sticks of butter in the microwave: 1 minute
- Then, mix in peanut butter
I mix everything for this using my KitchenAid mixer {accidentally, I mixed the first 3 ingredients in "wrong order" this time but it turned out just fine : )
- Roll into balls, place on wax paper & store in fridge for a bit {30 min – 1 hr}
I had a little help from my little one with the rolling balls part {And, yes, he DID wash his hands - very well for this!!!}
- Melt chocolate {my grandmother would melt a bar of paraffin wax with the chocolate but I’m not sure if that’s okay to do these days?!}
There are different ways to dip the balls: I've used toothpicks {you can quickly "cover up" the hole the toothpick makes by gently going over hole with toothpick}; this time I used two forks - would let excess chocolate drip off - worked pretty well.
- Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate, place back on wax paper & store in fridge. {Can also freeze or store at room temperature in tin / container.}
VARIATIONS: Instead of peanut butter balls, try:
OREO BALLS {my husband’s favorite!}: 1 pkg Oreos + 1 pkg cream cheese: Crush {cold} Oreos {I did in food processor – made it super easy} then mix in the cream cheese {again, food processor}; make balls & dip in chocolate.
COOKIE DOUGH BALLS {haven’t tried these yet – just saw on Pinterest – look fabulous!!} Click HERE for recipe
Cookie dough balls - how incredible do these look?!! {image + recipe courtesy of www.LoveandOliveOil.com}
I’m wrapping up with a few quick tips on bringing a bit more order and peace to your holiday season…
- Take a few moments of quiet {lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to!} and jot down everything you need to do for the day – and days ahead. {Make sure you have ONE place to dump all those “to do’s” – get them out of your head into a reliable place!}
- Figure out the one thing you MOST want during each of the upcoming days and make sure you at least do that ONE thing.
- Cross off {even if you DON’T do it!} or adapt what you can. {For example, instead of getting Christmas treats, my neighbors will (probably) be getting New Years treats.}
I thank you so very much for being a part of my blog... and wish you all a Merry Christmas + wonderful rest of the holiday season!
xoxo,
Angela
Make your Christmas tree magical with this tradition
Christmas Eve Dinner at my parents' house: this is when we receive our special ornaments!
Several years ago, my mom started a tradition with our family that has filled our Christmas tree with memories that literally s*p*a*r*k*l*e…
The year of the BIG fish: my husband's ornament in 2003
While we know what’s inside the beautifully wrapped gifts that adorn the table, we can’t wait to see exactly what ornament Mom selected for us this time. Each represents something special from our past year: baby’s first Christmas, the BIG fish {when my husband caught a 13 lb large mouth in the pond down the road}, Nutcracker ornaments {one of my favorite holiday traditions}, gingerbread man {inside joke}, Nemo {my littlest ones’ favorite movie that year… + many more.
Each year when we pull out our holiday decorations, these become even more special. The memories the ornaments represent are priceless!
5 Fabulously Festive Finds: Take a quick break & enjoy!
Dress up your gifts! {image courtesy of www.EddieRoss.com}
Wanted to share a few neat {holiday} finds…
Starting with this beautifully wrapped gift {above}. Check out THIS VIDEO {I am just mesmerized watching a gift being wrapped – at least when it’s by someone like Eddie. Watching my kids or husband, not so much : )
A {FREE!} customized message to your child from Santa - LOVE!
Santa is back again this year via your computer with a special message for each child! This was just the coolest thing we did last year and from what I hear, Santa will be returning with a new message to each of our boys… It’s EASY + FREE. And if you can set up the video cam to record your children {or grandchildren!} watching – priceless! Click HERE to do.
Yummy and festive looking! {Courtesy of www.KarasPartyIdeas.com}
Just think these are wonderful! {Visit Kara’s website to see how these were used + check out the tons of other great party theme ideas/pics}
Image courtesy of www.BlossomBunkhouse.com
We are lucky ours moves each night but for those that are mischievous, here are more than enough ideas for him before he heads back to the North Pole.
Photo courtesy of www.FancyRoadHouse.com
Love this way of displaying holiday cards – it brings in a little nature, cards are visible {vs. stacked somewhere} and it doesn’t take up a ton of space {just vertical space which is good}.
What are your favorite finds of the season? Would love to hear!
How I stayed UNDER holiday budget the last 2 years
This is how I stayed UNDER holiday budget the past two years. Once you’ve established a budget, create a simple spreadsheet in Excel. {You can also do with pencil, paper and calculator but the spreadsheet makes it easier to sort + add.}
STEP 1: I created a spreadsheet with these columns:
- store {where I made purchase}
- $ {amount spent}
- item {what I bought}
- for {who gift is for}
- debit card {place an “x” in column if I paid with this}
- cash {or an “x” in this column if I paid cash}
- reimburse {or the person’s name who’ll reimburse me for purchase if I bought gift on another’s behalf}
STEP 2: I keep all of my Christmas receipts in my holiday organizer. {And the ones I receive via email, I keep in a folder called Holiday 2011.} Every few days, I’ll enter the new receipt info into spreadsheet.
Tips:
- Create a row for each item {i.e., Don’t group together everything you purchased from Target together; have a different row for each item.}
- But keep the rest as simple as possible: I do lots of abbreviating!
- KEEP ALL RECEIPTS in same place and know return policies.
STEP 3: Add an auto filter to each column you wish to sort: highlight column, go to “Data” & click “Auto Filter.” {So if I want to see the gifts purchased / how much I’ve spent on my oldest child, I can pull up just his stuff.}
STEP 4: Add an Auto Sum to $ column to see how much has been spent so far.
STEP 5: Keep track on on-going basis and use to prioritize / determine what can be taken back if needed. {I look at both this and the budget / ideas list every few days to keep me on top of things.}
After the holidays, this spreadsheet makes a great reference for future planning – and even becomes a nice keepsake. Just make sure to keep it hidden during the holidays : )
Family Favorite Dessert for Holidays + Keeping Merry
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas? Hopefully our will be just that! This WAS going to be a post on our favorite dessert for the holidays, but due to a technical glitch {I’m not able to load additional photos at the moment} I decided to focus on a few things to keep in mind during the holidays to make them a little merrier.
- LET GO of perfection! This is what I’m doing right now. I could spend all morning trying to figure out this picture thing but I’m going to postpone until I can get some technical help.
- Be open to change if things do not {and, chances are, they probably will not} go exactly as planned. Roll with – and enjoy – it.
- Use extreme focus when possible. Whether you’re getting your thoughts together before shopping or packing for a trip, it’s so important to find some uninterrupted time to FOCUS. You’ll get it done much quicker and results will be better.
- Know what your holiday priorities are and literally schedule these things into your calendar. {Even if it’s just to sit in front of your *s*p*a*r*k*l*i*n*g* Christmas tree and enjoy the peace. This is one of mine.}
- If you’re feeling like you just can’t fit it all in, figure out how / what you can reduce, minimize, delete. For instance, do you really have to make that homemade pecan pie? If so, check out my easy recipe below – without the pics. If not, just buy one. My mom will purchase her stuffing – my husband is just beside himself when this happens… but the rest of us are just fine with it : )
Now for the recipes {Since I can’t get pics on blog at the moment, I’ll just post them on my Facebook Page: Angela Harris Design – check them out!}:
These are two variations of a favorite dessert our family has each Thanksgiving – and sometimes Christmas: Pecan Pie + Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie. {The latter one is my favorite!}
Ingredients for 2 {large} pies {will make 3 small ones – using the kind of frozen, store brand crust I did}
- pie crusts {2}
- 1 3/4 c white sugar
- 1 c brown sugar *
- 1 stick butter {softened}
- 5 eggs
- 1 c. Karo syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 c pecans {I prefer chopped}
optional add-ins:
- 12 oz chocolate chips {or 6 oz if you do one of each version}
- Tbsp bourbon
- ice cream or whipped cream {on side}
Directions:
- Prepare pie crust. {I slightly thaw the frozen ones I use, prick with a fork on sides and bottom and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Most recipes I’ve seen don’t pre-bake crust. To me, this extra step is worth it.}
- Mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, Karo syrup, vanilla.
- Stir in pecans {AND bourbon and chocolate chips, if desired}.
- Pour into prepared pie crusts {being careful not to make it go all the way to top}.
- Cut a few strips of tin foil and carefully wrap around crust so it won’t get too toasted.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 – 50 minutes, or until firm. {You can insert a knife in center and if it comes out clean, it’s ready.}
- Cool on wire wrap. Cover and chill to store.
Serving suggestion: We like to serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream!
Check out some of my other recipes great for the holidays:
Marinated Cheese Appetizer {this one is beautiful – very holiday looking! – and has to made ahead of time – also beautiful!}
Party Pizzas {you can prepare and freeze these – when wanting to serve, just pop them in over for a bit}
