How to eat an elephant.....

Did I get your attention? Good. I'm sure you've heard the riddle about how to eat an elephant. The answer is one bite at a time. Sitting down to a whole elephant in front of you would be overwhelming. Big tasks and goals are like that elephant.....daunting.

De-cluttering/organizing is one of those projects that is difficult to start for many reasons. Maybe there is no rhyme or reason to where everything is stored and it seems impossible to tackle. Or it could be that your home doesn't lend itself to a lot of storage areas. Whatever the reason, think about that big job in smaller steps. If you have a pantry that needs to be organized start with one shelf and empty it.  Is it your bureau? Empty a drawer. As you finish each step hopefully it'll inspire you to keep going until that elephant is gone.

OK, so you've emptied your shelf/drawer/box.....whatever. Do you have outdated food? A blouse with a stain that just won't come out? Pictures that are so blurry you can't tell if it's Great Uncle Harry or Grandma? These are the easy decisions. Get rid of them.

Now that you've done a small purge, put like things together. Say you're working on your closet.....once all of your black dress pants are all together you'll realize you have 6 pair and really only need 2. Pass the other 4 pair on to someone. If you're a visual person (like me) having your closet organized makes finding an outfit MUCH easier.



What's the elephant in your life?



"Don't agonize, organize."
  ~Florynce R. Kennedy

Mmmmmm....soups and casseroles

I’m hunkered down today on this chilly Sunday afternoon with a fire going reading my book, realizing how much I’m looking forward to making soups and casseroles. Is there anything better than coming inside after shoveling snow than a great big bowl of soup with some garlic bread on the side or maybe a piping hot casserole? I don’t think so either. Here are 2 of my favorite recipes…..

Kale Soup (my Dad’s favorite)

1 Tbsp butter

2-3 onions; chopped

1 lb. linguica

½ lb chourico

6 cups chopped Kale

2 quarts hot chicken stock

4 peeled and cubed potatoes

4 sliced carrots

1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed

Salt to taste

½ tsp pepper

In a deep pan sauté the onions in butter. Add meat that has been sliced and continue cooking until heated through. Slowly add hot stock. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Turkey Lasagna with Bechamel Cream Sauce

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

2 tsp minced garlic

2 large onions, chopped

3 cups of low-fat milk

¼ cup of white wine

1/3 cup of flour

¼ tsp white pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 16 oz pkg lasagna noodles, cooked

1 ½ lbs cottage cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

4 Tbsp grated parmesean cheese

In a large skillet heat olive oil…add turkey, garlic and onion and brown them. Heat milk, white wine, flour, pepper and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until flour has dissolved and the sauce thickens. Add turkey mixture. Mix well. Coat a 13x9 pan with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350. Lay cooked lasagna noodles in the pan and spoon turkey mixture on top. Place ½ cottage cheese on top and sprinkle with ½ the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30-35 minutes.

Magazine Mayhem

I don’t know about you, but the day my new issue of Oxygen hits my mailbox I can’t wait to read it cover to cover. It’s chock full of great workouts and yummy recipes that I want to try, but there is no way I can get to them all before my next issue hits.

So here is a great idea that Pete shared with me years ago. Tear out the articles that you want to keep and file them away. It will cut down on the space you’re using for storage and you’ll know exactly where to look when you want something specific.

I have filed away workouts for specific body parts so when I get in a rut I can change up my workouts quickly and without a lot of time wasted looking for “that fantastic leg workout that I saw a few months ago and I could’ve sworn it was in the July issue”.  

I’m always looking for new ideas to stay ahead of the clutter. What works for you?

Eating outside the box.....

I know what you’re thinking….”What does eating have to do with a cleaning, de-cluttering and organizing blog?”  It takes a lot of planning and preparation (organization) to cook meals for your family that are healthy. Pre-packaged boxed foods may save you some time, but it is definitely not a healthy alternative. Try shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. That is where you find food in its more natural state (meat, dairy and produce). Start thinking and eating outside the box.

Everything (in my mind at least) comes back to food and music….it’s the natural progression. I have Anderson blood in my veins….(we like to talk about food and music….a LOT).

Roasted Chicken Breast with Red Potatoes and Asparagus

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped

2 lbs of red potatoes, chopped

1 ½ cups Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped (broccoli can be substituted)

3 Tbsp of olive oil

¾ cups of fresh basil, minced

1 Tsp Rosemary, minced

Thinly sliced garlic to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add all the ingredients to the dish and stir well. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with fresh garlic bread and a salad.

Great title Steph....thank you!  

An easy way to save money!

Make your own laundry soap. I kid you not.....it's easy to make and it will save you so much money! Thank you to Tracey and Julie for sharing your recipes with me!

1/2 cup borax
1 cup of arm and hammer washing soda
1 bar of Fels Naptha bar soap

Chop up the soap in a food processor with the powdered ingredients. Mix until combined. Use 1 Tbsp per load or 2 Tbsp for heavily soiled loads.

What are your favorite ways to save money? 

So what IS for supper?

Some people think I'm a smidge over the top with meal planning and I'm okay with that....really I am. I have to say though having a plan in place when it comes to feeding my family is so freeing. It saves me from spending unnecessary money, it saves me from wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles waiting for "meal inspiration" to hit and it keeps me from missing that one crucial ingredient at 5 pm.

The first thing I do is comb my favorite stores' flyers and see what is on sale especially for things that we use often....coffee, cereal, laundry soap (unless you want to make your own...that will be another blog). Then I plan my meals for the week with the all-important leftovers night....we love leftovers in this house. I highlight the things I need to buy on my shopping list (Pete made me a list on the computer for each store I go to set up by aisle) gather my coupons and I'm good to go.

I'm sure a lot of you already have something like this in place and that's great, I'm glad it works for you too! If you dont...give it a whirl. 

 "You'll thank me later."  ~Monk

Are you stressed every day at 5:00pm because you're not sure what to make for supper?

Do you have a room or a closet that just seems to catch all the clutter?

Are you drowning in a sea of paperwork?

Is it difficult to find something in your closet to wear because it's just too full?



Close friends and family have always known me to be organized and I'm so excited to say I'm starting my own personal organizing business.

Helping people to better organize their homes and their time is a passion of mine. Being organized helps to decrease stress, stimulates creativity and most importantly saves time. Organizing gives back valuable time that could be better spent enjoying family and friends.

My intent with each client will be not just to organize/clean/de-clutter their life initially, but to teach along the way so it becomes a sustainable way of life. Unless of course someone is looking for continuous support, in which case I'm glad to help.

These are some of the areas that I would love to help people with:

Systems for meal planning and grocery shopping
Purging/organizing before a move
Collecting and organizing family photographs and other mementos
Room to room organization
Paperwork and filing systems
Organizing garages, basements and sheds
General housecleaning

My aim with this blog is too make it as fun and informative as I can. I'll be posting organizational tips, recipes and money saving ideas that have come across my path that will hopefully be helpful to you.

My contact information is below if you have any questions or are interested in a free initial consult for whatever your challenge may be.
chrissiesocd@gmail.com

"Don't agonize, organize."
  ~Florynce R. Kennedy