Paper Towel Cooking

I'm making creole style red beans and rice.  Yes, I know it's not Monday.  Just because I live in Louisiana does not mean I have to cook on Mondays!  Stop with your stereotypes.  I'm not doing laundry, either!  (It's hot.  And I am wearing a tank top and bare feet and have my hair up in a bun.  Oh, and some country music might be playing in the background.  There is a watermelon on my counter and some tomatoes ripening on my windowsill.  But don't stereotype, people.)

I used to cut my veggies for my meals and then try to clean up all the little flecks of garlic, thin onion skins, and tear-inducing onion juice.  One day, it occurred to me - use a paper towel for the part you are throwing away.

(Okay, this probably occurred to you ages ago.  Or you use a scrap bowl.  Whatever.  I'm SHARING in case someone else needs to know!  :))

Clean up is so much quicker and easier.

Yes, the arm in this picture is hairy.  Shush.  I'm Cajun.

A damp paper towel under the salt and pepper shakers during refill is also a miracle worker.  (Dampen it so the salt sticks to it and doesn't fall off.)

Yes, I am a 1/2 sheet paper towel chick.  If you reuse/recycle, a huge bowl or plate or a large kitchen towel can catch the scraps.

Oh, and when you are about to run out of something, like salt, put it on next week's grocery list right away when you figure out you are low on supplies.  If your planner has a set spot in your kitchen, it's always available for list making.

Etcetera.

The Everyday

The hardest part of staying organized is the everyday.  Today, for example, was full of surprises.  We got ready to go to free summer movie.  (By the way. Legends of the Guardians is too violent for a 3 year old.  And a 37 year old.  Oops.)  I had feed the kids breakfast and supervised the getting dressed, hair, shoes, and teeth.  I had a back packed, complete with mints for me and gummy somethings for the kids, so that we didn't have to buy popcorn.  (Popcorn that the 3 year old is ALLERGIC to, which is oh-so-much-fun.  {rolls eyes})   We were meeting someone, but no problem.  Easy peasy!

And then my coffee spilled.

Spectacularly.

All over the island, on the paperwork, and creeping towards my new Nook, the 3DS, and the library books.

I cleaned it up, but was 15 minutes late for meeting our friends at the movies.  Also, I am still finding coffee that dripped into odd little spots.

Then, once we got home, ate and cleaned up after lunch, and put the preschooler to bed, it was only two hours before my husband gets home from work.  Everyday this moment arrives - the one where I stop and think that I need to put laundry away and clean the kitchen and start supper, because this is my job.  But it happens, everyday, at the same time that I want nothing more than to watch tv (damn Oprah for giving up her talk show right as I decided to stay home) and read a good book.  Also, the 3 year old naps in my bedroom, which really makes it hard to clean in the dirtiest part of the house without waking him.  And I know I am going grocery shopping and cooking supper after husband gets home to watch the kids, so I know my day isn't ending.

The everyday.  That is the hardest part about this being organized thing.  My planner has appointments all day long, a checklist of daily goals that never get reached, and no room for down time.  I need to get a handle on this.  And I'm kind of clueless as to how.

Etcetera.

How to Purge

I'm attached to my stuff.  Really attached.  Get your slimy hands off my netbook, my planner, my Nook, and my purse!  Do not touch my scarf collection.  I don't have much stuff, but I really value what I do have, more than I like to admit.  So when my friend said she would turn to me to purge her stuff before her big move (to her new house with her new husband!!!), I laughed.  Me, purge?  Ha ha!

Really, though, I purge on the way into the house.  I try not to buy something until I've wished (at home) that I had it at least three times.  (For example, if I put on the same dress three times, but never wear it out of the house, because I need brown shoes with it, I buy brown shoes.  And I have this FABULOUS casual purse that is cross body, but I can't wear it with dressier outfits.  I constantly wish I had a purse like it, but in a dressier material.  If I ever find that, I'm buying it.)

When I bring something home, I try to get rid of something that I never use.  New purse?  Get rid of one that I never use.  New shirt?  Get rid of the t-shirt that has shrunk enough that it doesn't cover my belly.

I have two places to get rid of things.  One is the trash.  If the shirt is shrunken, it goes there.  I have a permanent goodwill box (in the form of a lined trashcan in my laundry closet) that I put goodwill items in.  When the trashcan gets full, I put the trash bag in the trunk of my car and deliver it to goodwill and reline the can.  Having a permanent, convenient spot for give away items really helps.

I used to save stuff for certain people.  I no longer do that unless it is VERY special, like my kid's homemade Baptism outfit.  If you save stuff for certain people, it halts the purging process to much.  After going through the long process of contacting someone, getting the goods to them, and holding it until I saw them, I gave up.  Now it goes to trash or goodwill.  That's it.

Gifts go to goodwill immediately if I'm never going to use them.  I figure that someone will really appreciate "buying" a gift still in the box from the goodwill store.

But what do I tell my friend?  She already has the stuff and she is ready to move.  How do you do purge stuff you already own and didn't intend to get rid off?

I suggest that she and her daughter each get a large box to use as their special boxes.  They can even decorate them!  If they love something that they haven't used in the last year, it goes in the special box.  Otherwise, they should use the one year test.  If they haven't used it in the last year, it goes.  The ONLY exception, other than whatever they can fit in the special box, is anything that is used regularly, but that hasn't been used in a year.  (I have a black dress that I wear to funerals, for example.  I only use it when someone dies, but I ALWAYS use it when someone dies.  I also have a couple of serving platters that I only use when I host Thanksgiving, about every third year.  But I ALWAYS use them when I host Thanksgiving.)

Everything else goes to goodwill (if it's in perfect condition) or the trash!

Also, and I'm probably an awful friend for saying this, but I'm glad I'm not moving right now!  :)

Etcetera.

Why I Write It Down

My apologies if this post is a little disjointed.  I am recovering from a minor surgery and not sure all the drugs are out of my system yet.  Funny how drugs can affect someone's thinking.  Just say no.  :) Now, on to today's topic.

The blogger at Simple Organized Living wrote a fantastic post about why she writes everything down.  Go read it when you get a chance.  :)  http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2012/06/04/why-i-write-everything-down-and-how-i-do-it/. She makes good points.

My reason for writing things down is simple (and not the same as the Simple Organized Living blogger).  I forget everything.

My ACT score is amazing, I made good grades in school, and I never forgot my homework.  I show up, on time, for play dates - and bring a packed healthy snack and enough change to pay for admission.  I am considered by most people to be hyper responsible.  In reality, my brain is one of those big silver colanders that lets everything just slip right through.  Spaghetti all over the sink.  (Dammit.  Now I have to write down "clean the sink.")  I have a really bad memory.  I don't encode things that I think or hear very well.  However, I encode things that I write down.  Once I write a fact down, I remember it.  And if I don't, it's in my planner.  So writing down is mandatory for me.  My ACT score?  Mostly a component of actually taking notes, even in math class.  Oh, and I read REALLY fast.

So I write down my daily chores, so that I don't have to think about it.  I write a list of all the errands that I need to run, another of things that need to be done on a computer, another of general to dos, and another of things that can only be done at home.  I write food on the shopping list when we are close to running out.  I write down appointments and notes from doctor visits and writing ideas and steps to job applications.  I write down gift ideas and what gifts I've given.  I write down bills due and bills paid.  About the only thing I don't write down is the stuff that I am going to do instantly.

Archival information of stuff that already happened is a major part of my write-it-down philosophy.  For some, this sounds like a huge waste of time.  But it has saved me so many times and is such a good habit that I truly encourage everyone to start writing things down.  For me, the hardest is writing down things that already happened.  I never used to keep old task lists, calendars, or doctor's notes, but now that I do, it is such valuable information.  I find that I have to look back in my calendar all the time.  Did the insomnia start when a new med started?  I can check.  When did I last see the dentist?  I can check.  What did the teacher say to work on with my kid this summer?  See notes from our last parent/teacher conference.  Archival writing in a planner is something many people don't do (although the blogger Laurie at http://www.plannerisms.com once explained that it's quite a trend in Europe), but it really helps me keep track of things and remember them, and it only takes a minute in each instance.

Dedicate one day to writing down not just what you have to do/attend/buy, but also make notes about your day.  Check off that you paid the mortgage and jot the check number right next to it, right there on the task list.  Note the call to your sister where you discussed that you would buy dad's Father's Day gift, along with the budget for the gift and an errand task to buy the gift.  Later, when you buy exactly what you discussed, there won't be any misunderstandings.  Log how much you spend each day.  That's a big one for giving you perspective.  When you call the insurance about the wreck (into an old ladies air conditioner...shut up, that a/c jumped right out in front of my car!), jot notes of who you talked to and when.

You don't need a fancy filing system for most of this.  Just jot it right on your weekly calendar.  (I am making a separate page for a spending journal and for the car accident.)  You don't need to log every single thing, but make logs of the easy stuff to log or particularly important and I bet you will use at least one of those log entries in the next month.  If you rely on just one log a day in the future, it'll be worth the effort 365 times in the next year!

Etcetera.

The Elusive Perfect Purse Setup

I preach and preach about simplifying.  Get rid of things you don't use.  Only keep as many of each thing as your family actually needs.  Reuse towels by hanging them up.  Don't carry anything you don't need.

And then I dump my purse out on the counter.

Wow.

Confession:  I have no right to preach.  I carry a lot of stuff.

Basically, I have four types of purses.

1.  Tiny decorative purses for formal events (weddings and such).  I have a red and a silver and that pretty much covers all the fancy outfits that I own.

2. Large purses, like the everyday one I am using in the pictures, that are big enough to hold my planner.  Almost all of them have cross-body straps, because I noticed that without those straps, I don't carry the purse.  Then I need my planner and don't have it with me.  I usually carry these types of purses.

3. A couple of "slip in" purses with accompanying totes.  There are times when I need a tote full of errand stuff and my planner, so I have a couple of small purses for basics that slip into a tote bag.  Usually, I use these for something like chaperoning the school field trip.  You can't bring a huge purse to the zoo, but you need your planner for driving directions.

4. I have some business bags that I use for work, when I work, or for taking a bunch of paperwork to go through to a coffee shop.

I really do carry a lot of stuff.  I almost always have my planner and my Nook with me.  Also, I need prescription glasses and sunglasses for driving.  Obviously, I bring my keys and my wallet.  The red pouch that you see in the picture is for my inhaler and emergency meds.

I don't carry much in terms of extras.  A couple of lip glosses, a powder compact, and some sugar-free and sugared candies and gums to deal with hunger and blood sugar issues.

This particular purse has two exterior pockets.  One holds the glasses and lip gloss, since I almost always use those items in the car.

The other pocket holds keys, wallet, and cell phone.

I don't put anything in the single internal zipper compartment, but I do use it if I am taking a long trip to zip jewelry into.

You can see the outside pockets in the picture below.

 The lining is not black.  Black linings make your crap disappear.  Never use a black lining.

For space maximization, load planner and Nook upright!  Also, for medical bag and snack bag, I use colored bags that do not match the liner on purpose.  Really helps my bag stay organized.

Finally, I clean out my bag whenever I return home.  That way, it does not get filled with crap.  You know, other than my crap.

What's in your bag?

Etcetera.

Suitcases Are Never Big Enough

I am currently packing for my 20 year class reunion.  I attended a residential high school, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, so I am really close to my classmates.  For two years, they were my roommates, suitemates, and extended family.  Some people call us "Gifties," hence the name of my blog.  I plan to maximize my time away, spending as much time with friends and as little time in my hotel room as possible.  Also, I'm riding with a friend, so I'm trying not to over pack.  And, of course, I want to look HOT all weekend, even though it's going to be humid and 99 degrees outside.

Here are my tips for packing for a trip efficiently.

Long before any trip, make sure you have appropriate suitcases.  Luggage doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be the right size.  If it's hard to carry at all, get something with wheels.

Also, have a Master Packing List in your planner.  To make a master list, either google for a template or just use the last jotted list.  I keep a couple of jotted lists, typed them into a planner page, and printed several copies for my planner.

Two days before the trip, or whenever I plan a trip, I grab and master list, cross out stuff I don't need (tent for a noncamping trip, for example), and add anything special to the list.  I make this Trip Specific List and put it in the front of my planner.  I did two list this time - one for me and one for the kids, since they are spending the weekend with the grandparents and aunts.  Note that my list is divided into things that go in my handbag/tote/on my person, things that go in the car, things that go in my suitcase, and any extras (like a swim tote or briefcase).

Plan to complete washing any clothes that must be packed 2 days before the trip.  If not, you will be stuck without the clothes that you plan to wear.  Much like my weekly dinner menu, I generally sketch out what clothes I plan to wear in advance on my packing list.

One day before the trip, pack your suitcase.

I like to use a suitcase with a mesh part for shoes and other hard items.  Note below that I pack socks inside of shoes and nest the shoes against each other, in opposite directions, for maximum use of space.

I roll items that I want to keep somewhat unwrinkled, like my khaki shirts.

I also keep a separate tote bag for special supplies, like my umbrella, camera, and an empty dirty clothes mesh bag.  I fold my workout clothes flat.  They WILL wrinkle, but they don't take up a bunch of space that way.

 Since I am going to a class reunion, I'm bringing my cheat sheets yearbooks.

For jewelry, I simply throw it in a dressy bag that I was packing for the trip anyway.  That way, I don't take up extra space in the suitcase.

Finally, I go to bed with the suitcase open, planner open to my packing list, for two reasons.  First, I won't forget to check my planner in the morning.  Second, the planner holds a space in the suitcase for my toiletries bag in the morning.

I always keep my bathing suit tote case packed.  After all, anytime I swim, I'll need swimsuit, sunscreen, cheap sunglasses, cover-up, and a towel.  I'm packing this tote separately because I might not swim and, if I don't, it can stay in the car.

While packing, I create a list of things to take care of the day of the trip.  (I use a post-it on the packing list.)  For example, I pack my toothbrush the morning that I leave and I don't hide a key until I am actually leaving town.  Don't forget to turn down the air/heat.

Also, set up your clothing and jewelry for the next day, along with daily toiletries that also have to be packed, in a designated area.  I just leave my dresses on hangers and hang them in the car.

Either pack the car the night before, or put everything in one spot for easy packing the next day.

The day of the trip, just get dressed, check your post-it for last minute stuff, toss everything in the car, and go!

Etcetera.