Grateful for Routines

Once again I am grateful for having routines. I am writing this blog post from the waiting room at St. Vincent's hospital in Beaverton, Oregon. My father-in-law came in yesterday for what was supposed to have been routine tests and possibly stents down the road. It turns out that his heart blockage is more serious and he was scheduled for quaduple by-pass surgery today.

I am grateful that I have wonderful clients that didn't mind being rescheduled for later in the week so I could be with my husband and his family today.

I am grateful that I have routines so we have clean laundry, a car full of gas, the bills paid and a fridge & pantry full of food so we can just drop everything and be here for Dad.

I am grateful for my husband that has allowed me and my organizing ways into his life and loves every minute of it. Well, most of them anyway.

I am grateful to be a part of two loving families...mine and his.'

I am grateful for routines so that I have clean sheets to fall in between tonight after this very tiring day.

I am grateful.

Getting Ready for Winter

Brrrr! Get ready for the cold, winter season before it hits. Here is a checklist of things to do to be organized and ready for Old Man Winter:

__ Schedule a heating system maintenance call. A technician can clean the burners and fan, lubricate moving parts, and change the filter.

__ If you have a humidifier, clean & check it and replace the filter.

__ If you use a pellet stove, order pellets to be delivered now.

__ Have the car serviced before winter. Check the tire treads and pressure, the battery and all fluid levels. Replace windshield wipers.

__ Clean and store summer clothing, if you haven’t already.

__ Check windows and doors for any cracks and gaps and seal with weatherstripping and caulk. According to the Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on your heating bill by doing this.

__ Clean out your entry closet and make sure you have hangers for winter coats. Take winter coats and accessories out of storage. Check to see if anything needs to be cleaned.

Trick or Treat? Organizing Tricks for Halloween

Halloween has changed dramatically since I was a little girl. Then, Halloween was asking Mom for an old sheet or raiding her fabric stash and then fashioning my own costume with lots of imagination. Then I got to visit a few of the neighbors (most of whom were relatives) for treats and that was pretty much it. Fun, but not the production that Halloween has become these days.

Now, stores have two or three aisles of costumes, another two or three of various candies, and yet another two or three of decorations and even orange lights. Grocery stores have huge piles of pumpkins to be carved. There are Halloween parties for kids and adults alike. Adults have theme parties and dinners.

With more Halloween “stuff” and activities comes scheduling, time management and storage issues. Here are some tricks for making your Halloween preparations a treat:

Decorating. Early in the month is the time to take out your autumn decorations and decorate your house.

Start planning what your children will need of Halloween costumes. The earlier you shop for costumes, the better the selection.

Candy and treats are displayed and on sale now for Halloween. Go ahead and stock up.

Choose a pumpkin for dual purposes. Carving a pumpkin has become a fun family tradition. Start a new Halloween tradition and use the meat of the pumpkin and bake a pumpkin pie as a family project.

RSVP for any parties for you and/or your children now. Note the commitments on your calendar so as not to over schedule.

Remember the key to being organized for Halloween: Take down your decorations promptly, store them in a container in long term storage. Label the storage container for easy retrieval next year.

Shop for new Halloween decorations the next day or two after Halloween, when prices are slashed. Think about where you are going to store decorations before shopping. Purge old decorations. Store and label the new decorations right away.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Fall Organizing Projects

Fall is a time of new beginnings…the beginning of the school year, the beginning of the fourth business quarter and changing weather. Fall can be a good time to start new organizing projects, too.

Here are some suggestions for projects to help you get organized this fall season:

Change out your wardrobe. Go through last year’s fall and winter clothes. See what you want to keep and what you want to donate. Put the clothes to donate in a box or bag and take immediately to the car to be dropped off. Don’t clutter your closet with the donations. Do it now instead of later. Once you have determined what clothes you have left, then you can see what pieces you need to make your fall wardrobe complete.

Wash outside windows. Fall is a great time to wash the dust of summer off your windows. You want them to be as sparkling clean as possible to bring in the fall and winter light.

Sort toys: Sort through children’s toys before the holiday season. Have your children help you put the ones they no longer play with in a large box to be donated. Explain to them how they are blessing other children that won’t be getting new toys for the holidays. Praise them for being kind and giving.

Landscaping: Fall is the time to prune back perennials, plant bulbs and mulch flower beds to be ready for next spring.

Hose it. Drag out bikes, lawn mowers, plastic garbage bins and any other items that can be washed into your driveway on a sunny fall day. Hose them down, let them dry and then store back in the garage.

Sweep it. While the stuff from your garage is drying in the driveway is a great time to sweep out the garage.

Holiday shopping: Do your holiday shopping now so you can enjoy the holiday season in November and December with your family instead of rushing to the crowded stores.