When my Gram passed away a few years ago, I grabbed all the little plastic containers that she kept all her costume jewelry organized in, out of the "donate" pile and was determined to do something with it. She never had her ears pierced so all the earrings were clip-ons. At one point, I looked into having them changed out for posts but either the earring wasn't a candidate based on size and shape or once I found out the cost for going the ones that could be sorted, it was exorbitant. So sadly, thev've sat in the plastic cases for awhile now. Well, until the other day, when I decided I needed to go back to the old fashioned wooden clipboard for taking to clients' homes. The plastic ones cracked easily. It dawned on me that I could dress up the plain brown board with a bit of contact paper and Gram's earrings. Now when I go on a job, it's like she's right there with me and just seeing my pretty board makes me smile. Maybe you've got jewelry like mine, taking up space someplace - waiting to be re-used? How about a hot glue gun and if not a clip board - then bedazzle an old frame or lamp base? You just might give life to 2 old things and love the result!
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Good Monday Morning! I had a busy weekend between a big event at the kids school, sports, and then the big game last night. I'm breathing easy today knowing this is in my crock for tonight since we've a dentist appointment for the boys this afternoon and will get home right at dinner time tonight. My college friend Jenni Gurney Hilton gave me this recipe awhile back and it's a keeper! As always, start with a lined crock. CROCK POT CHICKEN BREASTS 4 to 6 chicken breasts 1 can mushroom soup/ or "cream of" of choice based on what's in your pantry/tastes 1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream/ or sometimes I use an 8oz tub of the onion/chive cream cheese 1/2 c. white wine 1 c. mushrooms 1 c. sliced onion Salt, pepper, paprika, shakes of hot sauce to taste In a bowl, mix soup, sour cream, wine and mushrooms with salt, pepper and paprika. Lay chicken in pot. Pour mixture over - sprinkle with paprika. Cook low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or pasta. Do you feel like this is what's in your way at times when it comes to getting organized? Most jobs I work on do involve getting rid of some things - most often the client WANTS to let certain things go but just hasn't done it yet. MAIN REASON? They want to pass it along for a good cause as more often than not, it is something special/worth value to them and worthy of more than being tossed in a trash bag and dropped at Goodwill. This is where working with a Professional Organizer can help - I spend part of each week researching local events and causes so I can best inform clients on great places that NEED their things and often will pick them up for them! I found two great local North Atlanta causes this week alone. Let me help YOU remove your roadblocks! Prom with a Purpose: collecting new or those "once worn" formal dresses of all styles, types and sizes that will be sold for purse friendly prices on Feb 10th at the Windermere Lodge - benefits to proceed families with kids fighting cancer. Go to Facebook and use this link for full details. http://www.facebook.com/events/532401043451715/ HomeStretch Atlanta: needs furniture — lamps, end tables, coffee tables, dressers, chest of drawers, TV stands and dinette sets. If you have furniture that you can donate, please contact HomeStretch Facilities Manager Steve Watson (swatson@homestretch.org or 770-642-9185, ext. 112). HomeStretch helps families in Atlanta by providing temporary housing, life-skills training and mentoring. http://homestretch.org/ Why is it that all those important thoughts, ideas, and things to remember, flood us before bed or keep us awake at night? One idea I liked was keeping something by the bed to write it down on...Well, because I HATE to go out and buy anything before I re-use something else, this project was created. I bet you've got some old picture frames sitting around the house and with a quick coat of spray paint and insert of some decorative or plain white paper to fit now you've got a bedside dry erase board to keep notes and the random thought you don't want to forget in the morning. Add a pretty ribbon and dry erase marker and you are set! Just wipe off with kleenex and re-use forever! This is one I've made for a friend and I've done a larger one to hang on the wall for my niece. Trick for larger size/unusual size frames - use wrapping paper cut to fit so there are no visable paper seams under the glass! I have been reading a sales and marketing book called The 21 Laws of Sales Success. It hit on a topic that speaks loud and clear to me and is near and dear to my heart. Many people operate in the URGENT mode - dealing with things once they are "on fire" and not in a methodical manner using a priority and planning system. This goes for both at home and in the work place. The reality is and what I try to help clients with, is that "ONE HOUR OF PROPER PLANNING SAVES FIVE HOURS OF ACTUAL DOING." It truly is as simple as that - just a bit harder to put into practice at times. That is where I come in! Do you find that you are hitting drive thru or grocery store too often because there's not a dinner plan? Running out at the last minute to grab school/household supplies for a project since there's not a "supply" at home or you aren't sure what you have? Struggling to keep up with household chores let alone clean out/re-org projects? Paper piles taking over because there isn't a office filing/operating system? Have you found that you've ended up buying something only to find you already had it but didn't know since things weren't sorted and organized? Have lots of clothes in your closet but "nothing to wear"? Many of these issues can be solved and improved for the long run when you work with a professional organizer. Paying for one session with me can save untold $$ over the long run as I help you become more organized and productive! During one garage clean out job - we found so much of the same bug/lawn products becuase they kept buying more since not sure of what was at home - the cost of the extra buys would have paid for my 4 hours session! Let me help you from getting the fire hoses out and operate in the IMPORTANT mode with peace and calm! This is a take off I created based on the traditional Chicken Marsala dish I love to order out...As always, start with a large, lined crock... Add chicken to suit your family - I used 4 boneless/skinless breasts AND 5 chicken drumsticks since my boys like them. Then: 1 red onion sliced and scattered over chicken. In a small bowl combine the following: 1 c. Marsala wine (or port or other fortified wine) 1/4 c. water or chicken broth 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar 2 T good quality dijon mustard 2 T. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 c. sliced olives to suit 1 can artichoke hearts, drained 3/4 cloves garlic pressed or diced fine (I use pressed from tube to cheat) shakes of Tabasco to suit generous amount of ground pepper from grinder Pour over chicken & onion in crock - cook on low 6-7 hours. Remove chicken, it'll be fork tender and can be left as is or cut/pulled from bone. Add a cornstarch slurry to sauce in pot, stir, cover and cook on high for 10-15 mins until thickened. Serve chicken over pasta of choice and top with thickened sauce from crock. I can't take credit for this one - it belongs to my mother in law "Ninny" Ginny Payne but I'm going to pass it along becuase it's so darn good! Got small area rugs or chair pads on your kitchen chairs that are sliding around and won't stay in place? Our kitchen chair pads (even with the ties for the chair backs kept sliding around making us all nuts. Ninny hit the dollar store and bought some of the rubber shelf liner (the non-adhesive kind with the nubs on it) as an alternative to that expensive rug liner material you'd buy at a home improvement store. Worked like a charm!
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AuthorJen Payne, CPA, Professional Organizer and mom to two boys: Brendan (17) and Ryan (15). Archives
April 2015
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