As I’ve touted many times before, focus is huge when it comes to order + getting best results. Whether you’re:

• writing a blog post {it’s 5:45 a.m. as I type this – quiet house = better & faster}
• making a to-do list {by doing this (IF it’s done right) you will greatly improve focus elsewhere}
• cooking a meal {many probably don’t require focus for this – me, for the sake of those eating it, yes!}
• working out {when really into it vs. just going through the motions, I swear you get at least twice the benefits}
• packing for a trip {when I’m completely zoned in here, I can pack in 10 minutes vs. 1 hour or more}

So where am I guilty of non-focus? Here’s a comment made yesterday after reading a wonderful post by Well Grounded Life’s Lisa Byrne {3 certain & specific ways love in action heals us from the inside out} :

In response to, Lisa’s question: “Which are hardest for you to put into action?”:

While I know it’s not possible to give complete focus 100% of the time, I’m really going to work harder at ensuring there are pockets of time in the morning afternoon and evening where I have complete focus on each of my biggest little loves in the world. And since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ll even add my other big love {my husband!} to my greater focus list.

Seriously, I can multi-task like no other when it comes to time around my kids. {When reading a book together, I can read out loud yet the entire time my mind is thinking about everything else other than where I am at the moment.} And as anyone with kids will tell you, those moments are fleeting.  

So instead of proofing + tweaking this post, I’m going to hit “publish” and snuggle with my boys while they’ll still let me : )

{…. As the title of this post says, it’s a Valentine’s Gift … to my boys – but really, for myself}

And, check out Facebook later today – will post pics of our Valentine’s Day morning : )

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!!! I’m thankful for each of you…

xoxo,

Angela

My current {traveling} spa

One of my all-time favorite things: beauty products. I’ve always had a lot of love for, but now that I’m a mom, I’m not able to spend as much time {or $} on these luxuries. However, I’m not about to let my favorite indulgence take a backseat. I keep them up front with me – literally.

Vera Bradley cosmetic bag {I wanted it to blend in nicely with my car's interior}

Here’s what’s in my {to-go} bag of tricks {TREATS} that I keep right at my fingertips. And only used when at a long stop light, safely parked or in carpool line, of course : )

• Sugar lip treatments {one with SPF + other with “natural” color}
• bareMinerals firming eye treatment
• boscia green tea blotting linens
• Essie polish in Mademoiselle {will often paint my nails before pulling out of driveway – in the car is often the longest my hands are “still”!}
• L’Occitane hand cream
• Josie Maran Argan Oil {for cuticles, skin, fine lines, split ends – you name it}
• Orbit gum … and last but certainly not least…
• * Perfume – this little purse spray currently holds my new favorite, The One, Dolce & Gabbana

{* I think every girl should have at least one perfume they love – THIS KIT from Sephora (which may just be my favorite place in the world) allows you to try several & then turn in voucher for your full size favorite.}

Surrounding yourself with what you love doesn’t just happen at home! For other ways to enjoy the ride, here are my 10 ways to turn your car into your HAVEN.

{P.S.  The WINNER of my Kitchen Command Center makeover has been selected… stay tuned for how this can help YOU!}

It's about taking all of those little things that you love and bringing them together... image courtesy of qthomasbower

Here at Angela Harris Design, I am officially declaring the month of February, Surround Yourself with What You LOVE month!

Q: Is this another holiday to add to my already packed calendar?

A: Before you dismiss, let me share a little more. It’s actually a month-long occasion that’s all about YOU! And don’t worry about feeling too self-centered. I’m a firm believer that when you take care of YOURself, it helps you be a better mom, spouse, friend, employee, volunteer, entrepreneur… whatever the roles are that make up your life.

Surround yourself with what you love is my mantra. With my home, my calendar, my business, my life, it helps me:

• ENHANCE: add more of what brings me joy, happiness, peace – all of that good stuff
• STREAMLINE: take out those things that don’t bring harmony {which the dictionary defines as: the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole}. What about what can’t be taken off your plate? Think outside the box to make it actually enjoyable – or at least tolerable until bigger changes can be made.

Q: What are some LOVE examples?

A: “Things you love” can come in a gagillion forms, including:

• happy mealtimes with meals you love {not just “filler food” – my term for food that you just aren’t wild about}
• that beautiful rug you’ve had your eye on
• a clean car that’s your haven when you’re in it
• respect from those you’re not getting it from {including “self”}
• a free of clutter {workspace / kitchen / family room / garage / etc } that doesn’t drain you each time you’re in it
• more time with those friends that make you feel happy {not drained} after you leave
• flowers {in your window boxes, at your desk}
• breathing time in your schedule {alone time!}
• reading out in your backyard
• this list is endless!

Q: What does this have to do with organizing?

A: Organizing to me isn’t about a neat looking desk or well-ordered linen closet.  Don’t get me wrong, aesthetics can absolutely play a beautiful {and fun!} role. It’s also not simply being able to find what you need when you need it. {Didn’t you love the kitchen fork analogy in my last post?} To me it those things but also organizing your life as a whole – getting to truly know what you love and being intentional about designing your life to capture those things.

Q: So… how can I better organize my life around what I love?

A: First, you need to know what you love – and what you aren’t crazy about – or flat out don’t like at all.

1. Get out a sheet of paper, make two columns {LOVE + DON’T LOVE} and spend this month getting to know what your unique list entails.
2. Write down what you can do this month to enhance or streamline, based on your list.
3. Make this a habit: Keep that list and add to it. Refer to it when you are making your schedule, making a purchase, wondering what you should do during your downtime. And today is the perfect day to do it because it’s Blank Slate Day {my 1st day of the month ritual}. Take a look at it daily – or at least weekly.  I keep mine on my clipboard.

Q: What are some of the things YOU {as in YOU reading this now!} would love more of?

A: Give me YOUR answers here in comment section or on FB! {I’ll be sharing some of my loves I want more of in Facebook – find me by clicking on FB icon on right – or look me up under: Angela Harris Design / Your Life Organizer : )

P.S. Thank you for your wonderful interest in the Kitchen Command Center makeover giveaway! I’m super excited and will be announcing the winner shortly!!!

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:

1. Forks are kept with forks.
2. They have single and consistent home.
3. Everyone in the house hold is in agreement about it.
4. 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!

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}

 For more of my finds, hook up with me on Pinterest! {READ THIS for a quick Pinterest 101.}

This week I chose one of the most common causes of everyday stress to tackle. We’ll look at 3 things:

1. Why emails – or should I say the accumulation of emails – can be so draining
2. How to make your inbox less stressful
3. 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!

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.”

Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

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

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 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

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!