Helping with a Move

Moving into a new a home can be overwhelming.

Doing it by yourself, IS overwhelming.
(I know. Except for the furniture, I moved my home myself in 2005)

Today I helped a client, "Mary," unpack from her move over the Memorial Day Weekend.

We started packing toys, games, NERF guns and books.
Then Mary was starting to feel alittle overwhelmed. She has reached her saturation point with all the toys. We did accomplish a lot, maybe we should change tasks.

"Let's work on a different area of your home," I said.

On to the office where we put away some office supplies, photo albums and other items.

Then I helped her get her china unpacked and placed into her new china hutch.

Sometimes you may just need a little bit of help with a task.
I love my job because I help people feel better about their
Home. Office. Life.

What task could you use a little help with?

Water Fight!!!

I just had the greatest time!

Matthew, Jacob and I had a good old-fashion water fight.

They had no idea. I came running out of our home with two loaded DollarTree water cannons. (If you have not picked up your supply of these bad boys, better get them while they last.)

I was winning at first.

Then can you believe these two little monsters turned on me!

Both attacked me over, and over, and over.

"Oh Mom, you are so soaked!"

"Hah! We drenched you!"

That's OK. I will be back.

I'm going to Toys R Us tomorrow to see what massive, double barrel, backpack reserve water beast of a weapon I can buy.

Oh, and I WILL annihilate them!

When was the last time you laughed your butt of with your kids?

Free Hug Day Coming to Toledo

From my previous post:
C'mon, Everyone Needs A Hug.

Plans are in motion for
Toledo's First Free Hug Day.

It is going to be so much FUN!

Any suggestions where to carry out
this worthy cause?

Postage Change?

OK, I just found out that the US Postage rate changed to 41 cents,
on May 14th.

Yes, today is May 26th. Hello?!



I do not watch much TV or read the newspaper, but I have the radio on in my car (though I am a channel jumper. No tunes = change channel)

How did I miss this little fact?

My mom just laughed when I asked,
"Is the price of stamps changing?"

She promised to clue me in on any major events occuring in the future.

I just bought a roll of stamps, too.
Guess I need to go buy some of those 2 cents stamps.

What event has happened with out your knowledge?

Garage Spring Cleaning

Wheew! It was hot today and I was lovin' it.

Summer time is the best time for me.

It was a perfect day to clean out a garage.


Kim was tired of looking at her garage with all the stuff stacked,
"There is just too much stuff. I need to purge."








We did more than purge.
We set items aside for a garage sale, took a LOAD of items to Goodwill for donation, and found a few treasures. Even some items that had not been opened from the boxes delivered.
(they were lost in the stacks)









My car was loaded with items. After we unloaded everything, I took a picture of the items Kim was donating. It is a good idea to have a snapshot of items you donate. No need for every shirt, plate, and nick-nack donated.

We then returned and continued to dust off the shelves, sweep the floor, clean a garage closet and sort through boxes of Christmas items.








Kim was so excited she was going to be able to get her car into the garage without worry about banging into items.
Plus, she has all her garage sale items in one area ready to be sold.
AND, she can now make paninis with her griddle and fresh juice from her juicer. Items she purchased but the boxes were lost.

Great, fun HOT pre-summer day!!

What have you purchased but never used?

"It's OK not to be Perfect"

Well, that is what I was told today by a couple wonderful friends.
I don't think of myself as a perfectionist.
Perhaps I am.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Voltaire
(some really old French dude)

The point is more to know when to realize that any additional effort toward improvement would result in a negligible improvement, especially in comparison to the effort required.

In other words, pursuing the "best" solution may end up doing less actual good than accepting a solution that, while not perfect, is effective.

So I am going to chill out a bit.
R-E-L-A-X. Enjoy where I am at
(which is pretty damn good).


On a trip to New Orleans with my mom (my witness),
I was told by a parade participant:

"Oooh, you are perfect!"
WOW! To be actually called "Perfect!"
Of course I play it up to this day.
Besides, I don't have to work at being perfect, I already am.

What is the greatest compliment you have ever received?

Summer Songs

Summer time is approaching fast.

What will be my summer theme song this year?

Carrie Underwood has a killer song, "Before He Cheats." Perhaps three years ago, that would have been my song. Now I just laugh when I think about my former's Corvette and a muddy dirt road.


(You have no idea how well Corvettes handle in the mud.
I cannot find my picture of it, but this one is damn close).

I found this list of summer songs from the New York Post.
Pretty cool to look back and see the all the great songs.

50 Years Of Summer Songs
1955: "Rock Around the Clock," Bill Haley & His Comets
1956: "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley
1957: "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone
1958: "Summertime Blues," Eddie Cochran
1959: "See You in September," the Tempos
1960: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini," Brian Hyland
1961: "Runaway," Del Shannon
1962: "The Loco-Motion," Little Eva
1963: "Surf City," Jan & Dean
1964: "I Get Around," the Beach Boys
1965: "California Girls," the Beach Boys
1966: "Summer in the City," the Lovin' Spoonful
1967: "Groovin,' " the Rascals
1968: "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the Rolling Stones
1969: "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly and the Family Stone
1970: "In the Summertime," Mungo Jerry
1971: "Brown Sugar," the Rolling Stones
1972: "School's Out," Alice Cooper
1973: "My Love," Wings
1974: "Rock the Boat," the Hues Corporation
1975: "One of These Nights," Eagles
1976: "Shake Your Booty," KC and the Sunshine Band
1977: "Margaritaville," Jimmy Buffett
1978: "Hot Blooded," Foreigner
1979: "My Sharona," the Knack
1980: "Funkytown," Lipps, Inc.
1981: "Jessie's Girl," Rick Springfield
1982: "Jack and Diane," John Cougar Mellencamp
1983: "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats
1984: "The Reflex," Duran Duran
1985: "The Power of Love," Huey Lewis and the News
1986: "Venus," Banarama
1987: "Here I Go Again," Whitesnake
1988: "Pour Some Sugar on Me," Def Leppard
1989: "Good Thing," Fine Young Cannibals
1990: "Vogue," Madonna
1991: "Unbelievable," EMF
1992: "Jump," Kris Kross
1993: "Whoomp! There It Is," Tag Team
1994: "All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow
1995: "Fantastic Voyage," Coolio
1996: "The Macarena," Los Del Rio
1997: "Walking on the Sun," Smash Mouth
1998: "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It," Will Smith
1999: "Livin' La Vida Loca," Ricky Martin
2000: "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Baha Men
2001: "Bootylicious," Destiny's Child
2002: "Hot in Here," Nelly
2003: "Crazy in Love," Beyoncé
2004: "Yeah," Usher
2005: "Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani
2006: "Aint No Other Man," Christina Aguilera

I LOVE SUMMER!!

Soon I will have my swim suit, bike, golf clubs, towel and change of clothes always in my car. Ready for any opportunity to capitalize on the sunshine.

What song will be burning the airways this summer?

Papers, Software and Manuals.....Oh My!

When an employee leaves a professional business, generally the desk is left "as is." The business has the task of sorting through the desk filled with papers. Rather than the owner or his staff dealing with this time consuming task, I was asked to help.

I met "Brian" at Barry's Bagels a few weeks ago during a rainstorm. I was getting ready to head home, he noticed my logo on my car, I asked him to hop in and chat. He stated he has seen my ad in the Toledo Free Press and always thought about calling me. Seeing me in my car, he thought it was a sign to approach me and find out if I could help him. Brian was delighted to hear I have an engineering degree.

And today I did help Brian.

I started sorting through the 3+ boxes of papers and literature from a former employee. And ended up removing 3 boxes of papers for recycling/garbage (The guy had a bit of a 'I need to print out everything' problem).

I did find some invoices and business papers, so not everything was tossed.


Next task: Coming up with a method to organizing the business software. This is company that uses a lot of software, so this was quite a task. I went with the ever popular alphabetical method (keep things simple).

Brian felt good getting this task behind him. He was delighted at that work I had done for him, and asked me to return to help him prepare for a business location move.

It was a tedious day sorting through all the papers and CDs. It felt good to exercise my brain in that way. Guess at times I do miss the technical details of engineering work.

When was your last BRAIN workout?

Happy Funky Toes

Business is getting to me.
Business is good, very good.
I just need a little pick me up.

Well, a little pampering goes a long way.
Time for a pedicure.....with sparkly, funky blue toes!
There was other pampering, too, but you'll have to ask me about it.

I had a speaking engagement today with The Compass Club of Toledo. The presentation went well. It is a great group of people. In the end, we were talking about the importance of taking care of yourself. I mentioned our house rule which my boys know and understand:

"If momma is not happy, no one is happy."
You have to take care of yourself. They even tell you this on airplanes: "Place your mask on yourself before helping others."

So why do we forget this in our lives?
Get out there and do something for yourself.
Be selfish if you must. It's OK.

How are you taking care of yourself today?

Customer Service

I received a call last night from a client.
One of the shelves I installed a couple months ago crashed down.

Oops! That was NOT suppose to happen.



I have installed numerous shelving systems, first time one fell.
Guess there is a first for everything?

My client thought she may have overloaded it with weight.
Regardless, I needed to fix this ASAP!

So, I checked it out today in between business meetings.

I reinstalled the shelf with new brackets
(I got to use my hammer drill dressed in heels--beat that Bob Vila!). Also, came up with a game plan for hanging the heavy clothing.

My client tried to pay me for this work. NO WAY!

Do the right thing is a perfect customer service policy.

What is your customer service policy?

All in a Day's Work

I had a great day yesterday.

Though by the end, I was quite hoarse (I haven't quite kicked the laryngitis, maybe I should stop talking so much?)

I worked with one of my favorite clients, "Sara." I have helped get her kids' playroom organized, installed basement shelves, sort out her clothes and hang pictures around her home. I always have fun with Sara, she is "crazy."

Well, it was another fun day with Sara.

-Placing screens into windows

-Cleaning bugs out of the garage

-Installing a shelf in the laundry room

-Holding a ladder on a bed so my client can climb up and hang her daughter's canopy.

About that last task: Hysterical. A step ladder, balanced on a bed, Sara climbing up (If it was my home, I would have been up on the ladder. My boys know how to call 911).

Sara and I had a fun time together.
And no one got hurt.

How did you have fun with one of your favorite clients?

Focus

"What matters is where you want to go.
Focus in the right direction!"
Donald Trump



Staying focused is tough.

There are a lot of distractions out there to throw you off course: the phone rings, the kids start to argue, the frustration of the task itself.

If you do get thrown off course, you have to keep bringing yourself back to what you want to accomplish.

Stay Focused
When you decide to clean a room, don’t leave the room until finished. Set items at the door that need to go elsewhere. Put those items away when you are done in the room.

You will accomplish your goal in a reasonable time.

What do you want to accomplish today?

Rosemarisms

My mom has been amazing to me in so many ways. Her support and encouragement is unwavering.
She has always believed in me.
She has been there to pull me out of my holes.
Now, she is an integral part of my success.


I love my mom!
My mom has taught me many things.
We were close, then pulled apart, now we are close again.
She has some great phrases.
Here are a few famous quotes I recall today:

1. Making a mistake is no reason for living a mistake.
It's OK to screw up, acknowledge it and start again.

2. Don't get in a pissing contest with a skunk.
Skunks will burn you everytime, just smile & walk away

3. You need to cleanse yourself.
Find yourself again, she recommends 6 months.

4. It's either love or money.
Relationships are about love or money. Period.
Figure out why you are in yours.

5. You can't talk to a dead man.
Stop talking to those that aggravate you.

6. Remember to use the "Monroe High School" smile.
You smile but inside you are saying #%*@ you.
Maintain the smile until they turn & walk away.

7. Everybody meets Lucy.
Lucy is her dog. If Lucy doesn't like them, we have a problem.

8. I don't think so.
It's gentle. It's polite.
It prevents you from slipping into Toxic Niceness.

9. I don't do triangles.
Stay out of a battle between two people.

Happy Mothers Day!!
"Rosemarisms" is what a girlfriend and I have deemed my mom's words of advice to us. There are more, this is the list I came up with today.

What is your favorite quote from your Mom?

Office Hammock

"Mary" has a hammock in her office.

How SWEET is that!

I'm thinking maybe I should get one for my office. Chillin' in my hammock pretending I am under some palm trees near the ocean (aahh, peaceful). Though likely my boys would end up swinging in the hammock, not peaceful.

Back to Mary.

She has a great office that was not making her feel good, not to mention a hammock she could not use. So, she called me to come help her out.

When I came to start the project, Mary had got a head start in the room (I love inspiring my clients). She had put some items away--yeah! Mary had to run to the store, so I just went to work and began organizing her office. When she returned, we had a small pile of papers that needed to be sorted which most ended up in the recycle bin (good job Mary!).

What a difference in the way the room felt.
And we had some extra time to organize Mary's recipes that were stuffed in an envelope: appetizers, main dishes & desserts. We placed them in an extra 3-ring binder, ready for use in her kitchen.

Mary's office looked great, hammock was ready for use, but I think she was most pleased with getting her recipes organized.

mmmm....I may still consider a hammock in my office.


What unusual item do you have in your office?

Deep Breaths

Today, I helped "Maggie."

Maggie wanted to regain her own space again in her home which she had seem to lose to her children and grandchildren.

As I walked through Maggie's home, we entered her bedroom. She became visibly upset. This is where we needed to start. She was upset, nervous & felt overwhelmed, but as I left she had thanked me and told me she felt like there was hope. And she felt better!

This is how Maggie's bedroom looked when we started (BEFORE).

We sorted out her dresser drawers and cleared the piles.

In the end, we had a large bag for the trash and several bags & boxes for donation.







"I can Breathe!"
Maggie was smiling.
(yeah!)

We were also able to get Maggie's closet cleaned up in our 4 hours of time together, too.

Clients like Maggie remind me why I love my job.

Helping people feel better about their home is fantastic!

What client has reminded you why you do what you do?

(Yes, my voice is still shot. Though I have moved passed whispering, to the "I smoke 4-packs of cigarettes/day" rasp.)

Sweet Silence

OK, I admit this is funny.

I have laryngitis. (please take a moment to indulge yourself with laughter)

I started the morning writing notes for Matthew to read to Jacob.

I can whisper, so now the boys have been whispering all day.


"It's like we live in a library Mom."

I had a bit of a cold earlier this week.

Now, I feel fine, just my voice is gone.

Tomorrow should be interesting. I have a couple phone calls to return from the weekend, but I don't want to creep people out by whispering to them on the phone.

How long does laryngitis last? Any quick cures out there?

Sweet Card Mom!

Hey, if that is the response I get from my boys, it must be cool.

Thank You Maxx Grafx for cleaning up my logo and new business card design.

Website revision coming soon!!

Time to kick this business up a notch.

Oooh weee, I am so pumped up.

I LOVE MY JOB!!

Please, gimme your thoughts about my new business card.

Matthew's Storytime

My oldest son, Matthew, went to the Young Author's Conference, representing the 2nd grade from Smith Rd Elementary.

I am so proud of him. I have to share!

You can check out his book reading on YouTube.

I went to (2) Young Author's Conferences in grade school. One book was about me playing with some friendly monsters. The other book was about two girls building a rocketship and flying into space.

What book(s) did you write as a child?

How Do You Appear?

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."
Mark Twain

I came across this quote while helping Leasa get her basement organized. We found a small stack of papers with this quote printed across the entire page. It struck me funny because I started out this year with the idea of trying to keep my mouth shut a little bit more.

Not that I am some obnoxious, babbling chick (uh oh, maybe I am. Go ahead and comment, I can handle it). And I do not get into many heated discussions, just not my thing. Rather, when I am in a situation now, I will take a pause before verbally addressing the person.

I had a bunch of stuff written, then I read it and it just sounded like a bunch of bs. (whew! glad I did go to print)

I love this quote!

You can substitute any negative emotion or action for "stupid" and it rings true.

So, rather than appear stupid..........

What do you think about this quote?