Tag Archives: Home

Back to Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks

17 Aug

If you are a parent, or an experienced student, you know that paperwork is a key part of the back to school process.

Fortunately, most schools have the important information online, so if you misplace those important papers (or never receive them in the first place), you can still have access to much of the information you need. Later, you can even check your students’ grades online.

We never received the promised back-to-school information packet in the mail, but thanks to the internet, it all worked out.

I spent an entire morning at a middle school orientation, and it was no more pleasant for me than it was for my children. This is saying a lot, because I made them wear their uniforms for orientation day, only to find that virtually all of the other students wore their street clothes. There is nothing like standing out on your first day at a new school district where you don’t know anyone. Bless their hearts for not complaining about my error.

I made my way through crowds. Why am I waiting in line while others inexplicably step ahead?

I became flustered. What do you mean you don’t have my son’s schedule in the stack?

I ignored the standard fundraising promotions. No, I don’t want to join the PTA, can I go home now?

Frankly, I think being a middle school parent is nearly as bad as being a middle school student!

“Montreal” Spicy Potatoes and Onions

3 Aug

I like short recipes with very few ingredients. I own a cookbook called “The Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook” but I rarely use it, because I often make up my own recipes.

One of my simplest personal recipes is a potato and onion dish. It has four ingredients.

Before it cooks, it looks like this:

“Montreal” Spicy Potatoes and Onions

potatoes (unpeeled)

onions (any color)

olive oil

Spicy Montreal Steak seasoning (by McCormick ‘Grill Mates’)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the potatoes and onions in slices or chunks. (Thickness of the potatoes will determine the cooking time. Leave the onions thicker than the potatoes because they cook faster and you don’t want them to burn.) I like a mix of approximately 3/4 potatoes and 1/4 onion. Use a baking dish large enough to allow for stirring without overflow.

Mix the potatoes and onions in the baking dish with enough olive oil to coat them. Sprinkle generously with the Spicy Montreal Steak seasoning and mix well.

Bake, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes. The time depends on the thickness of the potato pieces and the size of the baking dish. I have found that a convection oven works well and takes about 40 minutes, but the potatoes are less browned than they would be in a traditional oven.

Before & After How to Recover a Chair in 5 minutes | The Art of Doing Stuff

30 Jul

Before & After How to Recover a Chair in 5 minutes | The Art of Doing Stuff.

I had to share this simple and gorgeous idea from Karen of The Art of Doing Stuff.

If you are one of those individuals who “shop” at the side of the road or haunt local thrift stores, this how-to plan is perfect for you!

10 Ways to Make Space When There Just Isn’t Enough of It

20 Jul

Are you living in a compact space?  Do you want your home to look and feel more open?  Here are some quick tips for increasing the amount of usable and/or visual space in your home…

1-Turn shelves into “drawers”.  Measure the depth, height and width of your shelves and look for some woven or plastic bins just under those measurements. The look is clean, and a bin generally holds more than a shelf.  If you can’t find the perfect measurements, feel free to mix and match.

2-Use fuzzy space-saving hangers. (The Real Simple variety is my favorite.) They really work, and in spite of their narrowness, they won’t stretch the fabric.  A stretched out shoulder “bump” happens when garments slide to one side, leaving all the weight on one corner of the hanger.  Hangers with a no-slip fuzzy texture will not allow sliding, and can often be used vertically, saving even more space. As a bonus, the similarity of the hangers will make your closet look neater.   Avoid the plastic hangers with the evil swiveling tops, commonly used in clothing stores.  The swiveling leads to annoying tangling, not to mention clanking noises.

3-Look for furniture with storage options, like seating benches and ottomans with removable lids.  Consider replacing end tables and night tables with small cabinets or dressers.

4-Use hooks in closets, on the backs of doors and anywhere else you think a hook can work for you.  Some hooks fit over the tops of doors, some require screws, and some stick on with adhesive.  If you want to hang something heavy, screw a hook into wood, not drywall, to prevent damage to the wall.

5-Before you buy, consider whether something you already own can serve the same function!  For example,  a firm ottoman can work as a serving table (and as storage: see #3), a sturdy drinking glass can hold flowers, and a vase can also function as a candle holder.  Some hangers can double as outfit planners, holding scarves, belts, or jewelry.

6-Use more vertical space to preserve horizontal space.  A narrow table lamp with a high shade leaves more usable surface space than a short and broad lamp.  Better yet, use hanging light fixtures suspended with ceiling hooks — you don’t even need an electrician for those!  (Not that there is anything wrong with electricians; I happen to be married to one.)  A loft bed can allow space for a desk underneath. Mounted shelving eliminates the need for bookcases.  A hanging pot rack can open up new cupboard space.

7-Decorate on the floor or walls, instead of furniture surfaces. Vases and candles can cover up a table and leave no room for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, magazines, or mail.  If you have a small sofa, the last thing you want to do is cover it with “accent pillows”, no matter how great they may look on HGTV.  Pillows reduce seating space and will also make a tiny sofa look that much tinier.  If you want to add accents of color to a room, try a bright patterned rug, new curtains, a hanging mobile, or a bold shade of paint.

8-Use under-bed storage.  Some bed frames come with drawers.  If you want to use storage bags under a plain frame, be sure to measure the height of your bed-frame first.  There are bed risers available if you want to increase this space.

9-Use collapsible items.  They do the same work, and they can squeeze into limited storage space.  I have seen collapsible or fold-able dish drainers, vegetable strainers, tables, chairs, storage bins, laundry baskets, hampers…

10-Get creative!  I was looking for a place to hang an over-door shoe hanger in an apartment with no doors, and found it worked well as a “curtain” hanging from the closet rod, with a shelf of shoes fitting nicely behind it. (These are not my shoes.  I own a total of twelve pairs, including my rubber rain boots, so shoe storage is not an issue for me.)

14 Tips for Designing a Highly Productive Home Office (GTD Friendly) | The Couch Manager

13 Jul

I am awarding a special Clean Surface Gold Star to The Couch Manager for this inspirational post about a stunningly efficient home office.  I have never had a home office, but were I to create one for myself, I would want it to look something like this.

(A note to my WordPress readers: I found this through Freshly Pressed, so if it sounds familiar you have probably seen it on FP.)

14 Tips for Designing a Highly Productive Home Office (GTD Friendly) | The Couch Manager.

Organizing is Like Doing Algebra With Everything You Own

6 Jul

(x+3) – (x-2) = 5

Is this correct?

Yes.  You can verify this equation without knowing what the variable is.  In fact, the variable may have ANY value.  I think algebra is fun!  Organizing is fun, too.

What happens when you take a disorganized, overfull apartment and try to squeeze the contents into a smaller apartment?  This is not as much fun, but it can be done with some planning and some sacrifice (in other words, you will need to sacrifice some possessions).

I am currently working on a “Downsize and Organize” project for a client, and the T-shirts are one of the most troubling variables in the equation.

Organizing a space is very much like doing algebra.  The more things you own, the more complex the equation becomes.  I enjoy solving problems by rearranging numbers — or objects — until they fit, and in fact, the first paying job I had was as an Algebra Tutor.  Many students struggle with this subject.  I wonder if there is a correlation between struggling with algebra and struggling with clutter.

[(x+1)(x+6)] – [(x-1)(x-6)] = ?

Does this give you a headache?  The equation is much simpler than it looks.  (The answer is 14x in case you were wondering.)

Organizing is a little bit trickier.

For example, if a sock drawer becomes a T-shirt drawer, where will the socks go?

T-shirts = T, Drawer = D, Socks = S.

D+S = (D+S)

(D+S) – S + T = (D+T).

S cannot equal zero.  Write a new equation for S.

If you figure that one out, let me know.  I’m still working on it.

I think I need to add another D to the equation.

Food Waste: Why We Do It and How We Can Stop « The Frugal Goddess

28 May

Simplify your refrigerator, your grocery cart, and your trash bin — and save money!

Food waste is a common problem in many homes.  I recommend this post by The Frugal Goddess for those of you struggling with “mystery meat” and slimy lettuce.

Food Waste: Why We Do It and How We Can Stop « The Frugal Goddess.

Be a Guest In Your Own Home

11 May

Sometimes we become so accustomed to the sights, smells, and sounds of our homes that we don’t notice them anymore.

Today, imagine that you are a house guest or a potential buyer entering your home for the very first time.

Notice that the plant on the front porch is a musty, dry, shriveled thing, like something The Addams Family would keep.

Notice the the creaking door hinges, the loose drawer, and that sour smell emanating from the refrigerator.

Notice how the tall bookshelf blocks the soft morning light from the window, and how the color of the paint makes the room look smaller than it really is.

Now remember that this is your home.

You deserve better!  Oil those hinges.  Clean out that refrigerator.  Get a new plant.  Consider repainting.  If you can’t afford needed repairs, try to barter with someone who can help.

Take more pride in your home, and you will feel more pride in your life!

Skipping Through Life (quick potato soup)

4 May

I have set a new goal for myself.

Each week, I want to find at least one way to simplify my life — by skipping something.

I might skip an entire task, or just one step from a complicated one.  I might skip an ingredient in a recipe, if I don’t have it and I don’t feel like driving to the store.  Frankly, sometimes I find that a recipe is better without the missing ingredient!

I already thought of something to skip this week, but I promptly forgot it again.  Forgetfulness doesn’t count as simplification, in case you were wondering.  Now I need to think of something else to skip…

In the meantime, I will share an example from the past.

I love potato soup; my mother made some great soups, and that was one of her specialties.

Please note:  My mother is alive and well, but she doesn’t cook as much these days, which is why I am speaking of her in the past tense in this particular context.

My mother used a fairly long process to make her potato soup, including using an old hand cranked food mill to break down the potato pieces.  This food mill was some kind of antique; as an adult I combed antique stores until I found one like hers.  I believed that this device was somehow key to the potato soup making process.

In recent years, it occurred to me that my food mill took too long to use, and far too long to clean.  I got rid of the food mill.  First, I switched to my modern electric food processor… now I use only a spoon! 

What could be easier to clean than a spoon?

I skip a step in the potato soup making process, thus making a spoon as useful as a food processor.  I cook the potatoes directly in the chicken stock, instead of combining the two after cooking the potatoes, as my mother did.

I slice the potatoes, chop some onions, and dump them all into a pot with some chicken broth, salt, pepper, and whatever other seasoning I may be craving on that day.  Then I boil until the potatoes are just soft enough to crush and crumble with a wooden stirring spoon.  I add a little bit of half-and-half  for creaminess (if this ingredient is not handy, I might skip it!  Who needs the fat?) and serve the soup with a topping of cut chives.  Sometimes, I substitute green onions for chives, but chives are really the best for potato soup.

My methods can alter the texture of the soup, leaving it a little starchier, but it tastes just as good.

By skipping steps, I can make a quick batch of soup for one or two people, in only one small pot, using only a vegetable peeler, a knife, a cutting board, and a wooden spoon.  The clean up is a breeze.

The cold, hard truth is that if I had to make the soup the way my mother made it, I probably would not make it at all. 

I would skip it.

No wonder my mother doesn’t cook as much as she once did…she’s skipping it, too.

Conservative?

10 Apr

THE EVIDENCE: That is me on the right, with the pink slacks.

Almost a year ago, I wrote a post called My Zen Closet.  I have not written on the topic of clothing since then, but I feel compelled to address it once again.  Sometimes, I lose that Zen Closet feeling and I need to shop.

Recently, while standing in a dressing room trying on Far Too Many Shirts (none of which I bought), I happened to overhear a stranger in the next dressing room speaking to her shopping companion.

She mentioned a particular designer name that I happen to like, and described the clothes of that brand as “conservative”.  She meant it in a negative way.

Coincidentally, while listening to this assessment, I was trying on something by that very brand.

The brand actually occupies at least four hangers in my closet, a significant number considering how few clothes I actually own.

I started to think about the word conservative.

Are the designs of that brand conservative?  They are simple, they are solid… unique, yes, but probably also conservative.  Navy blue merino wool.  Olive linen.  White cotton.

I wondered to myself, Do I look conservative?  Do I dress conservatively?  If so, how do I feel about being judged as conservative?

These are pretty introspective questions to consider while trying on Far Too Many Shirts, or even one shirt, really.  Having missed lunch, I was not prepared to delve too deeply into my sense of identity.

There was a time when my closet held things like shiny, stretchy, hot pink pants.

That time has passed.

My clothes are more conservative these days.  It’s true.

I believe my hair would be considered conservative, with its touches of gray.

Some of my conservative clothing. The two items on the right are from the brand in question.

Am I conservative?

You might say that my politics are a little on the conservative side.  I try to conserve money, when I can.  I conserve natural resources.  I definitely try to conserve space.

Sometimes my blog posts are short, because I like to conserve words.

I like classic styles.  I like to buy clothing that I will still want to wear in ten or fifteen years.  Whether I can still fit into the clothing after that time is another matter…

So, go ahead, call my clothes conservative. Call me conservative.

I don’t mind.

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