Beware of Vampires!

OK, It's Halloween and all, creepy stuff happens this time of year. This morning, though, I woke up with two dots on my neck.

.... I've been bitten by a VAMPIRE!!!
(Bela Lugosi best vampire, ever)

The look on my boys face when I showed them my neck was priceless. Probably set myself up for major cuddles tonight due to their creative minds conjuring up some freaky dreams. Oh well, it's worth it.

What have you been bit by?

10 Minute Organizing Tasks

Sometimes all you need is ten minutes.

I tell my boys often,"Just give mommy ten minutes, then we can play."
It is a great amount of time to get focused and complete a small task.

I found this great list of ten organizing tasks that
will take 10-minutes to complete each:


1. Clean out your medicine cabinet. Get rid of old makeup, expired medicine and toiletries you haven't used in months (umm ...... years?).


2. Weed out 10 file folders. Invest just one minute or less per file folder. Get rid of anything outdated or no longer useful.

3. Clear off your desk. Take everything off your desk and clear the surface, even if you have to temporarily put everything on the floor in categorized piles (i.e. paper, supplies, electronic media, etc.). Once you can see your desk, you'll have a surface on which to begin organizing everything you just removed from it.

4. Delete, delete, delete. For the next 10 minutes, delete as many messages as you can from your email inbox. This includes forwarded jokes, unsolicited messages and email you can simply read and chuck.

5. Organize a drawer. Whether it's your junk drawer, a drawer in your bedroom dresser or a desk drawer, spend 10 minutes emptying out the junk, and arranging it so that similar items are being stored together.

6. Make a task basket. Gather 20 index cards and write one 10-minute cleaning task on each. Put these cards in a basket. Each day, draw a card from the basket and perform the task.

7. Tidy up. It's OK if you don't have time for a deep cleaning session. But 10 minutes is plenty to do some light dusting, wipe off a surface or vacuum up some crumbs.

8. Hunt and gather. Walk around your house with an empty clothes basket in hand. Put anything that is not in its proper home, in the basket. Spend another 10 minutes today, or tomorrow, putting everything back where it belongs.

9. Make a Donation Box. Simply get a large cardboard box and label it 'Donation Box.' Every chance you get, place items that are in good condition, but you no longer use, inside the box. When it's full, call your local charity to come pick it up, or drop it off if they don't offer a pick-up service.

10. Make a chore chart. Everyone living in your home over the age of 2 should share the household chores (husbands included). Make a chart listing the chores and the family members responsible for each chore. Be sure young children are given age appropriate chores, and reward everyone at the end of the week to keep them motivated!

What did you get done in 10 minutes?

In Recovery Mode

I haven't posted anything lately.
Please be patient.

Just in a recovering mode from not feeling quite well, though I am on the mend.
Nothing but R & R for the weekend plans, and I should be back at it soon.

Just wanted to say "HI!"

Get out and enjoy yourself this weekend.

Here's me as a "Cereal Killer,"
three Halloweens ago.
(Pictures kinda blurry, not sure why?)

What is your favorite Halloween costume?

Rollin' Like a SEMI

The Women's Entrepreneurial Network (WEN)
is coming to Michigan!!





Meetings will be the 2nd Tuesday every month.
First meeting is January 8, 2008.
8:30-9:30 am
Location: Bedford Branch Library8575 Jackman Rd, Temperance MI
Meetings will start with Networking, Brief introductions for all and a Business Educational presentation. Then get out the door and make your business grow!
This is going to be huge!!
After all, we are WEN-SEMI (SouthEast MIchigan).

What are your thoughts of WEN-SEMI?

New Possibilities

The Center For Improved Living is a blog I visit nearly everyday. Starting the day with an odd question gets me thinking of something I just would not have thought about. These are really fun questions!

Invent a new Ramen Noodle Flavor
What are you very peculiarly particular about?
If you were a skunk what would be the first thing you would spray?
If you had to choose between a pirate, ninja, or viking for a roommate, who would you choose?

I believe it is important to DO and THINK about things differently.
You will feel a difference in yourself.
Don't order the same dish, at the same restaurant that you frequent. Yeah, it's your favorite, but your taste buds will thank you for the change in flavors.

Think about it.
If you are DOING and THINKING the same things all the time, don't you think you might become numb to new possibilities?

What have you got to lose?
Just try it. Pick something easy.


Me -- I'm gonna brush my teeth totally different today.

Usually, I start at the top left, work around to the right, then drop down to the bottom left, work around to the right, then a quick once around. Sounds complicated. Think about how YOU brush your teeth. Probably have done it the same way since you were 10 years old.

What are you going to do differently today?

Beautiful Sunday

I am having a wonderful day!
My boys spent the night with Gramma and I got some "me time."
(pictures are from my phone, so they are not that great)

After an energizing visit with a friend, I headed to Oak Openings. (my favorite Toledo Metro Park) After a fun bike ride through the fallen leaves, I grabbed my book and found this awesome spot to chill in the sunshine surrounded by these beautiful tall pines.


As I lay there I thought about how great life is for me. I am extremely thankful for where I am at right now. I watched the trees sway in the strong wind, though where I laid it was completely calm.


Look how these trees all grew up together, so straight and strong. They are all nearly the same age. I just find this spot filled with amazing energy. The pine needle covered floor was soft. I was far enough off the trail to not be bothered by those enjoying the park, too.

How did you enjoy the beautiful weekend?

Making a Home

Helping senior citizens is my target market.

And working with people like "Bob" is one reason why ... I love my job!



Bob happily lived in his home for over 30 years, then he got very sick earlier this summer. To the point of being in a coma for 4 months. He is recovering quite well now, though he can no longer live in his home. Bob's sister lives a few hours away and has a job. Getting away to help Bob with his home is very tough.
That is where I come in.

After a bit of friendly insistence, Bob agreed to meet me at his home and see how I can help him. Bob had not been in his home since May. I felt humbled that I was there to see him struggle to step into his home. He realized immediately that there was no way he could live there. Bob started pointing out pictures/paintings/nick knacks that he want me to bring to his apartment the next day.

I went back to Bob's home.
Collected all the items he wished.
Brought them to his new apartment.
And began to hang 20+ pictures for him.

"WOW! This feels like home!" Bob yelled.
Dang, that made me feel good.

Bob went from a person who had no interest in meeting me to hassling me while I hang pictures around his apartment.
(told him if he wasn't careful I was going to raise my rate)

I will be giving Bob a call next Friday, after his sister removes the items she wants from his home. He wants me to clean out the place, get it ready for sale. It's going to be a big project.
Look for future posts.

What client has reminded you of WHY you love your job?

Bugs, Spiders and Santas

No, I don't mean Bugs Bunny (though likely the coolest cartoon character--EVER!)


Or, the enchanting spider, Charlotte, from Charlotte's Web.


I'm talking the creepy, crawly bugs and spiders that live, and die, in the corners of your basements and garages.

Storing your holiday items can be tricky because of these little dudes.

This is the case of "Jill."

Jill had her christmas items stacked in her garage. Which wasn't too bad, until after she moved in and found out about all the bugs we have in this area. (I don't know what it is, but there are bugs everywhere at my home, too)

Jill also had some of her Christmas decorations stored in the basement which was bad because she cannot use the stairs very well, let alone move boxes up and down them.











Jill asked me to help her get her Christmas items all in one area--her garage. And get all her items stored to avoid damage from bugs and water. I suggested I purchase some GIANT plastic tubs; Pulled all of her items out and repacked them safely into the tubs.

Now, all her items are much safer from creepy crawlies and potential water damage. Everything Christmas is in one area, ready for her to use.

GEEZ! Christmas is just over 9 weeks away.
Now that is scary!

Do you have many bugs in your home?

155 Pairs of Shoes

Interesting.
This is my 155th post and today I organized 155 pairs of shoes.
If I was a gambling chick, perhaps I would play the lottery.

Today I helped "Penny" get her home organized from her move about 4 years ago. Yes... 4 years ago. She has injured herself right before the move, then never caught up on unpacking and dealing with, "what did my sister do with my [blank]?"

Penny loves her shoes. And the goal today was to get all of them in one closet. She had them in two closets and her garage. Her sister just didn't know what to do, so just stacked them in the garage for her to deal with later.












First things first: How to organize the shoes?
I removed everything from Penny's closet. Separating the shoes into similar color and style. Then brought in the shoes from a second closet and all the shoes from the garage. Whew! That's a lot of shoes.

Penny has a difficult time bending over, so I suggested a couple shoe shelves for her closet. These would be great to store her boots, plus it raises the height of her shoes on the floor.

She came in after all was sorted and began to help me decide which shoes stay and which ones go. If they never felt comfortable, worn out or she could no longer wear, they were gone.

Penny probably got rid of about 25-30 pairs.
Plus, she found shoes that she has not even worn yet and they still look great and fit.
What a difference!

Now, Penny knows what shoes she does have and where they are at. She feels so much better now that this task is completed.

I have 29 pairs of shoes.

How many pairs of shoes do you have?

Who Am I?

I'm not sure where I came across this list. It is very interesting and showed me a little bit about myself.

I challenge you to complete these questions for yourself.
-Copy and paste it to your favorite wordprocessing software.
-Delete my answers and fill in your own.
-Post it somewhere in your home.


These are great little reminders of who YOU are.

For now, this is who I am:

I know ~ I will accomplish ANYTHING I put my mind to.

I believe ~ happiness trumps all.

I fought ~ so damn hard to get where I am today.

I am angered ~ by doctors and government systems almost equally.

I love ~ my boys, my family, my friends.

I need ~ to laugh everyday.

I take ~ nothing for granted.

I hear ~ music. "Don't do me like that. Don't do me like that."

I drink ~ water all the time.

I hate ~ cauliflower and brussel sprouts.

I use ~ my cellphone to see in the dark.
(wanna join the facebook group?)

I want ~ a convertible.

I decided ~ life is too short to do boring things.

I like ~ me.

I am ~ honest.

I feel ~ lonely at times.

I left ~ a bad relationship for freedom.

I do ~ love to dance!

I hope ~ my boys treasure their creativity.

I dream ~ of franchising Organized Solutions.

I drive ~ a Buick Rendevous.

I listen ~ to music constantly.

I type ~ pretty good.

I think ~ mean people are great.

I wish ~ for romance.

I compensate ~ for no one.

I regret ~ nothing.

I care ~ .

I should ~ workout more.

I am not always ~ good at keeping my mouth shut.

I said ~ "I'll try anything once. Twice, if I don't get hurt the first time."

I wonder ~ what the world will be like in 10 years.

I changed ~ for someone else. Never again.

I cry ~ when I need to.

I am ~ an amazing mother!

I am not ~ a liar.

I lose ~ battles that are not important.

I leave ~ later than I should.

Who are you?

Basket Bath

I was helping a client the other day sort out some items from a recent move. Well, she moved about a year ago and is still working at unpacking and finding homes for all her stuff.

She has a large collections of baskets that have collected dust for sometime. I shared with her a Basket Tip:
Rinse them off with a little soapy water.


You can see how dull the baskets are to the left.
Then after their little bath, the baskets are bright and shiny.

If it is a good wood basket, you should let the basket soak in water at least once a year so it doesn't dry out.

I rinse off my houseplants by hosing them down outside then letting them dry in the sunshine. No more dusty leaves.

I even take the chairs my boys sit on at our kitchen counter and hose them off a couple times a year. (gets all the crumbs out of the cracks)

Next time you're trying to dust a houseplant, clean a chair or dust a basket, think about just getting them a little wet.

What housecleaning tip do you have?

Brain Dump

Ever just feel not in a workin' mood?
It's been awhile since I have published some random thoughts. Let's see what comes out of my cute little head.

1. OK, how many days until summer returns?

2. Happiness can be found in a piece of chocolate.

3. My desk is getting messy. Really my whole office.
(see ... it does happen to us organized people)

4. Last week Matthew's pants fit him.
Today, they are all short.

5. I still haven't seen a cartoon that can match Hong Kong Phooey.

6. We bought a hot tub!!
My boys and I can't wait.

7. I have met some amazing business women this week.
Thank you WEN.

8. Purdue 33 vs. University Michigan 24.
Just my prediction for Saturday's game.
GO BOILERS!!!!


9. "Treat a problem like a dog. If you can't eat it or piss on it, then walk away."
(thank you Leasa for the fun phone call. No problems today. I'll keep this in mind.)


10. Girls Nite Out tomorrow night!!
Avenue Bistro, Sylvania, Ohio, @ 7pm
All fun, happy chicks invited!!

Well, gotta run.

What are your three random thoughts at this moment?

Get It Out of My Head

Ever since my last post, I cannot get Rod Stewart's "Infatuation" out of my head. (I'm not even a big Rod Stewart fan?)

It's just from the whole Procrastination and Infatuation rhyming. Nonetheless ...
It's driving me CRAZY !!!


You might think my question today would be:
"What song is stuck in your head?"
It is not.

I had the most incredible conversation last night.
My face is still sore from smiling and giggling with excitement.
To be approached for an interview is ridiculously sensational.
Should it come to be ... well, I will be speechless.
(those that know me, realize how huge that is)
Should it pass ... I am truly thankful for the interest and creating excitement in my boys and I that kept me from sleeping last night.

Simple Yes or No:
Would you read an article about me in a magazine published throughout our world?

Procrastination Tips

Procrastination, noun:
1. To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
transitive verb:1. To postpone or delay needlessly.



Everyone procrastinates at some level, on some thing,
..... Yes, even me.
Though I do not let it last, drives me NUTS if stuff doesn't get done.

Here are seven quick tips that can help you get your stuff done:

1. Start your day with a lemon. Look at today's To Do list and choose the most sour (least desirable) thing you must do today, and do it first thing--before you do anything else. Once it's out of the way, the rest of your day will be sweet.

2. Set a limit. Work on a task you've been procrastinating on for a mere 15 minutes. At the end of the 15 minutes, if you then wish to keep going, keep at it. But if you wish to stop, that's fine too. Just set another 15 minute limit for this project tomorrow, the next day, and so on until it's done.

3. Fling it. Is the thing you're procrastinating on even worth doing in the first place? If not, fling it off your list and move on with your life.

4. Toss a coin. Procrastinating because you're not sure what decision to make? If you've looked at the situation or choices from all angles, and you still can't make up your mind, toss a coin and leave the decision up to fate.

5. Give it away. See if you can swap a task you don't want to do, with a task a spouse or friend doesn't want to do. Perhaps the opposite person's task will be much more enjoyable for you to accomplish--or at least tolerable.

6. Make it more fun. If you're procrastinating because the task ahead seems very dull and uninviting, make it more fun to do. Put on your favorite music, do it while enjoying your favorite tea, invite a friend over to help, do it outdoors in the fresh air and/or reward yourself for every 15 minutes you spend working on it. (I don't do anything unless it's fun)

7. Hook up with a non-procrastinator. Whether it's a spouse, co-worker, relative or friend, ask a non-procrastinator to help you get started on those things you're procrastinating on. Choose someone who has some backbone, and who will not give up on bugging you until your tasks are completed. In return, be sure to thank this person with a special dinner, a thoughtful gift or a task done in exchange.

OK, You've read the list.
Pick one task.
Get it done.
You will feel MUCH better!

What task are you procrastinating?

Closet Challenge

Megan was at the WEN Luncheon last February when during my commercial I mentioned a survey from IKEA (original post):

31% of their customers were more satisfied after cleaning out their closets than they were with sex.
She has been anxiously awaiting my help with a closet in her home.


My challenge: A Utility Closet

Items stacked on the floor,
Brooms and mops leaning against a wall,
A single, small shelf with a hanging rod,
And a coat rack for her kids.




After meeting with Megan, we decided to remove the small shelf and rod.
Then install (4) "L" shaped shelves, a new utility rack, and (3) coat/hat racks.

Megan loved the finished project!!

I had some extra time so I helped hang some other hooks and racks around her home. We had a wonderful lunch and chat about life.
I left feeling happy and energized.

I really don't see how getting organized is better than sex.
Perhaps I should just stop down this path.

..... Anyway, The project was successful.

What is the most interesting statistic you've heard?

Office Dust Bunnies

It's just a mess.
Hopeless.
I don't even no where to begin.
Look, I know I have a problem.
This is so embarassing.
I have heard all kinds of lines from clients.

"I am proud of 'Marty' for taking this step to call you,"
stated the wife of Marty to me.

Marty and his wife run a couple businesses out of their home. Needless to say, it becomes a bit tricky keeping the office in order. Throw in a move a couple years ago, business doesn't stop, and the place gets out of control quickly.



Stacks of papers on the floor, covering the desk, piles on the chairs. Leaving no place to work. It was getting quite frustrating for Marty. And he was starting to get depressed about the mess because he felt terrible about their office area.

When I started working with Marty, I noticed he knew where everything was. There was some order to the mess. He was able to put away many of the needed papers and receipts quickly. Two large bags were taken to the dumpster. And, another 4-5 large plastic containers of papers were ready to be taken to a local shredding company, probably close to 200 lbs (91 kg).



6.5 hours later ... A clean desk top, no more dust bunnies!

Marty felt better about the office area.
He had a desk again and a plan to keep it organized.

Like Marty's wife, I am proud of him for tackling this project.
I am confident he WILL keep it organized.

When helping your clients,
what statements have they made to you?