Silver Polishing, Anyone?

I have lots of clients with beautiful silver collections.  Frequently these pieces are family heirlooms. Every time a big party looms and I'm called to tune up the house I hear a lament about the silver.  It's beautiful but tarnished.  Polishing silver is a great job for older kids who'd like to earn some extra money.  But lacking a pre-teen in your household or a staff of servants, the task is likely to fall on your shoulders.  The above holder is a great way to keep your silver ever ready to dazzle.  You can even find large containers designed to hold a full service for 12.  You can also find covers for the large serving pieces.  You might have to noodle around the internet and check out sites like The Container Store or even E Bay but in the end it will be worth it.  Taking care of a task like this on a warm summer afternoon reaps huge dividends when Fall comes and the mad dash for the holidays starts.  Plan on feeling a bit smug about your organizing skills! 

Preserve the shape of your boots!

Every professional organizer will have tasks she loves to perform and items she's crazy about.  I happen to love boots and it makes me sad to see them tossed onto the floor of a closet like trash.  It doesn't have to cost a fortune to store them with respect and preserve their shape.  I've chosen two styles for you to choose from: a relatively inexpensive plastic model for short or tall boots and some cedar shapers that are top of the line.  Cedar of course repels closet pests so you're doing double duty. You have to have a walk-in closet with a lot of space to hang your boots but I've seen it done.

Now let's say you're on board with the idea but you just don't have the bucks. Go to a big box store like Costco and buy tissue paper. Don't want to spend that money?  Save tissue paper from every gift and purchase you make.  Over time you'll have a nice stash.  Stuff your boots with tissue paper.  It's a bit more of a pain if you wear several pairs of boots over the course of a week but in the end you'll have your boots for a longer period of time than if you just toss them onto the floor of the closet like orphans.  Why not make a little effort for a purchase that's usually well over $100?

Easy Dinner Recipe for Organizing Day!

After a busy day of organizing you'll want something hearty to sink your teeth into, But you'll also want something easy to whip up and tasty.  And let's not forget the family members you may be creating dinner for! What's a budding Zen Organizer to do?  Please don't utter the words 'fast food.'  It's full of empty calories, tons of salt and fat.  I want you to be nourished not filled up with crap. There's a big movement right now to promote fermented foods.  Enter tempeh!  It's fermented soy beans and a relative of tofu.  Not all such products are created equal!  Get the plain kind not something pre-packaged with a ton of sauce, calories, salt and additives.  I very often saute some tempe in a pan with butter and toss it into brown rice pasta and sauce for a quick hearty meal.  (I'm on a gluten free diet due to a sensitivity). It's my version of pasta and meat balls! This yummy recipe comes from the good folks at Vegetarian News Magazine.  A million years ago before I ever did my first book they let me write a few articles for them and gained my loyalty. I hope you enjoy tempeh and consider it for meatless Mondays. Vegetarians don't subsist on salads, fruit and peanut butter! Serves 6

What You Need: For the Garlic & Herb Marinade: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the sandwiches: 1/2 cup Garlic & Herb Marinade 1/4 cup tamari 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1-1/2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 3 8-ounce packages tempeh 1 green pepper, cut into quarters lengthwise 1 red pepper, cut into quarters lengthwise 1 orange or yellow pepper, cut into quarters lengthwise 2 red onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices 6 whole grain buns or rolls, split Mustard, vegan mayonnaise, or other condiments, for serving

What You Do: 1. For the Garlic & Herb Marinade, in a small bowl, place all ingredients and whisk well to combine. Add tamari, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, rosemary, thyme, fennel, and pepper flakes. Whisk again to combine and set aside. 2. Cut tempeh into 4-ounce portions, yielding 6 pieces. Place tempeh pieces in a large casserole dish. Place peppers and onion in a separate casserole dish. Drizzle 1/3 of the marinade over tempeh and 1/3 of marinade over vegetables. Place both casserole dishes in refrigerator and leave to marinate for several hours. 3. On a heated grill, place tempeh and vegetables and brush with remaining marinade. Grill tempeh until well-browned, about 5 to 7 minutes per side, and vegetables until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear. Using metal tongs or a spatula, transfer cooked tempeh and vegetables to a large platter for service. If desired, grill buns for 1 to 2 minutes. Assemble each sandwich with one portion of tempeh, a few slices of grilled peppers and onions, and desired condiments.  Chef's Tip: Use the Garlic & Herb Marinade to marinate vegetables, tofu, or faux meat; as a basting sauce during grilling; or as a base for other sauces and dressings. It will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Belly Up to the Portable Water Bowl!

When I had my first Golden Retriever portable water bowls weren't all the rage.  At first I carried a water bottle and a small bowl in a backpack but that proved a cumbersome solution.  Katie was an athlete who walked 3 miles a day and wanted more! I developed a rather clever way of keeping her hydrated.  I'd take out a large plastic bag and fill it with water from a neighbor's water hose.  It was down home rather than stylish but it did the trick.  Today the marketplace is flooded with choices.  I hope you have something for your pooch especially during the long hot summer month. I found the solution shown above at Amazon.

Remember too that hot pavement can burn delicate paw pads.  Take your exercise breaks in the cooler early morning hours or in the evening.  It seems self evident and unnecessary to say but in my neighborhood when the temperature hovers close to 100 degrees I very often see people riding bikes with their dog running beside them in the middle of the day! Your dog adores you and wants to please.  Return the favor.

Avoid Negative People

It’s a proven fact: You become like the people you spend time with. So pick and choose very carefully who you have around you. Their effect can be either positive or negative. Choose the positive people to spend time with. Life is too short to spend it around negative, small thinkers who are dangerous to your dreams.

Charles J. Lewis

Many years ago I was helping an executive get her work space and files organized.  She shared her office with one other person who was organized.  The company policy dictated that office doors had to be open at all times.  Throughout the day there was a parade of people making negative comments. "You're getting organized? Seriously?  Why bother?"  "Oh I see what you're doing, Regina, just moving things around the room." "Hey, Regina, come back in two weeks and it will all be just the way it was when you started!" There was in fact an office pool as to how many days the new order would last.  

It was early in my career and I had no clue this scenario would repeat often.  It happened in homes as often as it did in offices.  At home the comments were in fact more open and cruel.  We're so free with our words in intimate situations, aren't we?  If you have negative people in your life and you can't avoid them because they sign your pay check or you are married to them, here's my organizing advice.  Don't talk about how you are going to change your ways or get the environment in shape.  Just do it.  And then keep it going.  No one can argue with visible results.  They can only trample dreams.

The image above is an iconic one in Eastern philosophy.  The lotus flower can bloom in the filthiest water.  It's beauty and grace rise above the muck.  The metaphor is that no matter where you are you too can blossom and thrive. Remember the lotus when you doubt your organizing efforts because of the critics in your life or the ones that live in your head. 

Need extra space? Help is at Hand!

There are any number of reasons you might find yourself lacking closet space or in fact lack a closet. There are homes around the country that were built at a time when people never dreamed of anyone having or needing as many clothing items as most of us have today.  Sometimes we can repurpose a room into a bedroom but realize a bit late in the game it lacks a dedicated closet space.  What's an organized person to do?

A beautiful solution of course is an exquisite armoire.  These can add a touch of elegance to any room as well as provide hanging space and storage.  They work really well in a room without any closet space.  You can also call a professional closet design company to have the existing closets tricked out no matter how minimal they are. If you're a do it yourself kind of person you can take the measurements of your closet to a free service like the one at The Container Store.  They can space plan and offer you the system and tools you need to maximize the space.   

Sometimes we need a down and dirty solution that's quick, economical and utilitarian. Voila! The second photo on this page presents a great choice for the right situation.  You might even pop one of these in the garage if that's where you store out of season clothing.  That's not my favorite solution for off season storage but I understand sometimes you have no choice.  At least with something like this the items are protected from dust and dirt. All of these solutions allow us to get clothing items out of boxes, off the floor or a chair and onto a hangar where they can be found, treasured and used.

The Magic Formula: How to Organize Every Project with Ease

The first three years I worked with clients I was sleepless the night before I met with someone new.'What if they ask me to do something I have no clue how to organize?' I fretted.  I lost sleep.  I prayed.  And I breathed a sigh of relief each time I was shown a project and knew exactly what to do. One day I realized that all projects followed the same three steps.  What changed were the types of items I had to organize.  The steps were guaranteed to bring success so I called them The Magic Formula.  What are they?  Eliminate.  Categorize.  Organize. I write about the process extensively in all the books in my One Year to ... series.

I haven't posted in a few days and I wanted to share why.  I had to unpack two families in their homes in two weeks.  While this is my favorite task it's difficult to do two homes without a break.  I had to eliminate some things from my regular schedule and blogging was one of the items.  Yes, it's true.  You can use The Magic Formula to organize your literal life not just the physical projects that will bring order to your physical spaces.

I'm back on track and hope you'll stick with me!