Got Leftovers?

How many times have you eaten turkey in the past 72 hours?

I don't cook the turkey but for the past bunch of years my cousin hands me the turkey carcass at the end of the night. I can pick a good two pounds of meat off the bones so when I'm looking to do something creative to it, I turn to the Food Network website.

If you still have some leftovers and need a new recipe, check out Food Network's Thanksgiving 2010 Leftovers page. My personal favorite use of turkey leftovers is Rachael Ray's Turkey Corn Chili recipe. Try it over brown rice for a change of pace from the usual flavors of Thanksgiving.

Let's make sure none of those leftovers are left to languish in the back of the fridge. Clear containers are best--no tin foil surprises at the end of the week.

Get ready to purge your fridge anyway...Hannukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are just a few weeks away.

Gobble, gobble...

I'm on Facebook!

OK--so it took me a while and I still need to tweak it a bit but Organized Artistry finally has a Facebook Fan Page!

Come on over and add yourself to the growing list of people who 'LIKE' it. I'll be offering holiday organizing tips through the end of the year--who can't use a few of those?

See you on Facebook...

Organizing for the Holidays

Have you eaten all of your kids' Halloween candy yet? Make way for chocolate turkeys and Russell Stover Santas--it's holiday time! I know you're busy just thinking bout the holidays and for those celebrating Hannukah, it's an 'eat-turkey-then-quickly-fry-latkes' kinda year.

To help make this holiday season less stressful, run, don't walk over to my website to read, 'Tools and Tips for Keeping the Holidays Organized.'

I'd love to hear if any of the tips worked for you.

Still working on that Facebook Fan Page. I'll let you know when I'm up and running!

The Container Store's New Stocking Stuffers!

It must be holiday time! I just got an email from The Container Store with their 'Top Picks' for Stocking Stuffers.

I love to see what gadgets they sell for the holidays. One year I saw a rubber duckie shower cap that looked adorable (I had really long hair at the time). No matter how many times I stopped into The Container Store near me in Paramus, I could not get one--all sold out!

I've since cut my hair and am no longer in need of a shower cap but there's lot's of other unique items for sale. Check out the list--it's 10 pages long with lots of goodies for any sized stocking regardless of what holiday you celebrate.

Facebook Fan Page?

In my anniversary post, I talked about goals I had and had not met during my first year as a blogger. One goal I forgot to add to the 'still-need-to-do' list is to create a Facebook Fan Page for my business. In light of the popularity of social media, I think it's important to have a presence for my business and my book on Facebook.

So, in the next few days/weeks/months--however long it takes me--I'm going to create a Facebook Fan Page for my business, Organized Artistry and my book 7 Steps to an Organized Wedding Thank You Note. If anyone has any tips or helpful hints to offer I'd be most appreciative.

I'll keep ya posted!

Anniversary Post

I can’t believe it, but this month marks the one year anniversary of my blog. I had taken a class in blogging at the NAPO Conference in Orlando in Spring 2009 and got to create it last October on a day when my then 3 year old started preschool. At the time, I was also not quite 3 months pregnant with my second child and still feeling well enough to ‘give birth’ to another extension of my business.

I had set some goals for myself—some I met and some I didn’t…

The ones I met…

• Create interesting content for my blog

• Post at least 2x a month

• Offer great ideas for readers wanting to get organized

Goals I still have to meet…

• Talk about my 7 Steps to an Organized Wedding Thank you Note Book

• Discuss process of writing a full-length manuscript on the same topic (or not getting to write because you have an infant and a preschooler at home)

• Offer organizing tips to brides and grooms

• Post more pictures with blog posts

• Post 3x a month or more

• Post more entries on unique organizing products

I tell my clients not to be too hard on themselves and I’m going to take my own advice. I’m not going to be too hard on myself for not meeting those goals. I had a tough pregnancy and I’ve been sleep deprived since last Spring. There are only so many hours in a day to accomplish what you want to when you have two kids under the age of four!

I’ve loved writing this blog and I’m looking forward to writing more and providing my readers with interesting and helpful content.

Thanks again for droppin’ by…

Helpful Organizing Tips - Back to School

So, school has been is session for over a month for some students. How's everyone doing?

In case you didn't get off to the most organized start, not to worry. Here are some tips for getting an A+ in organization for the rest of the school year...

Create a home for library books

A great way to NOT get them mixed up with other 'like' books in your home

and while you're at it...

Make a note on your calendar the day the books are due back to the library. No surprises means no need to pay a library fine.

Designate a home for school papers

Doesn't it seems like schools are the reason so many trees are chopped down each year? The amount of papers sent home is staggering and when you're not looking, they multiply like bunnies on your kitchen counter or dining room table.

An easy system to adopt is to have a spot for papers parents need to see/deal with and a spot for each child. This could be a drawer or shoebox--whatever works for your space and budget. Have each child place papers from school in the parent 'spot' and when the parent is done processing the papers (trip slips/lunch money/) it is returned to the child 'spot.' The child then places the papers in their book bag.

For papers that need to be referred to often, consider placing them in a binder or folder for quick reference (holiday schedule, class lists, etc.).

Designate a home for artwork

First it's 'scribbles' on a page, then finger paints and leaf rubbings come home. Soon, the artwork becomes 3-D and it's living on your dining room table. Before it takes over your home, determine where your children's artwork will live in your home. A folder? A box? Your child's room? Make your child responsible for their creations. They may surprise you with how well they take care of their works of art.

Have supplies on hand

Take advantage of back-to-school sales to save you time, money an stress throughout the school year. I remember when I was an elementary school teacher, Staples would sell mini bottles of Elmer's Glue for .10 cents a bottle in August. I would stock up for my class because inevitable by February, everyone's bottle tips were clogged. Another example--paying .59 cents for a pack of looseleaf paper in the summer is easier on the pocket than $2.49 a pack mid-year.

Know what fits (clothes)

As the seasons change, have a try-on session with your kids. No child wants to go to school in pants that are too short or wear shirts with buttons that pop open and be laughed at by their peers. Write down their needs on a post-it and put it in your wallet for the next time you're at the mall. For my son. I take inventory of all of his shirts to determine what color bottoms he needs. Right now I'm looking for navy blue and gray pants and I have his waist size and pant length written on that same post it. (Yes, I carry a tape measure in my purse! Did you doubt it?)

Prepare the night before

This is probably the most important back-to-school tip I can give you. If there's one thing you can do to stay organized, its to get ready for the next day, the day before. Make school lunches when you're making dinner. Before bedtime, have your kids place their packed knapsacks by your home's point of exit so all they have to do in the morning is put their lunch inside (as well as a last minute item or two) and they're ready to leave. A less stressful morning often leads to a less stressful day. Who doesn't want that?

Wishing you an organized school year!