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Apartment Makeover Before & After
I recently gave one of my rental apartments a makeover to make it habitable for a new tenant. My long-time tenant moved out and the massive job of cleaning and “renovating” it began. We did repairs due to water damage and uncleanliness, and general “wear and tear”, as well as minor updates and paint. You may be faced with a…
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Organizing for the Holidays to Minimize Stress
Do you have your holiday plans organized yet? The gifts, the food, the events, the decorations, and card sending (if you do that)? I know some people put their tree and decorations up right after Halloween. Some people, not naming any names, leave all their gift-buying until December 24th and end up over-spending. The more organized you can be for…
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Budget Shed Makeover Before & After
Do you have a shed in need of a makeover? My shed was long overdue for some repairs and a facelift. It was a dilapidated, ugly brown eyesore with worn shingles, some rotten wood and damaged doors. Wanting to keep it budget-friendly, the repairs were done over time, some salvaged materials were used and a lot of DIY. Before Shed…
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More Travel Tips – What I Learned on My First Trip in Years
Looking for more travel tips? As many of you know I recently flew on my first trip in several years to Vancouver Island and learned some new things. What worked and what didn’t? Even with doing extensive research into an area you are going to, there are bound to be surprises. Some nice, and some not so nice. For the…
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Stress-free Trip Planning (Airline & Budget-friendly)
If travel is back on your agenda, you might be looking for some tips to make it as stress-free as possible. It’s been a number of years since I went anywhere on a plane and there have been some changes since then. Trip planning research…Step One First – where are you going? And will it be for business, pleasure or…
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Extreme Decluttering Shared Spaces – Sheds – Part Two
If you are extreme decluttering your shed or other shared space, you may have a challenge on your hands. It’s not bad enough that you have all of your own crap to sort out, but you have to wait for others to do their part. You can’t declutter anyone else’s stuff, but you can set limits and offer help. Son…
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How to Extreme Declutter – Garage – Part One
Do you have a space that needs an extreme declutter and organization? Maybe a garage, shed, basement or junk room? Anyone who does any renovations or DIY, can relate to the mess that ends up in my workshop/garage, I’m sure. No matter what the space though, the process is the same. Where to start with your extreme declutter… There are…
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How to Deal with Different Clutter Types
There are many different clutter types and understanding what they are can help you decide how to deal with them. We can get very attached to our stuff and have trouble letting things go even if they are no longer serving us. Our emotions sometimes get in the way of having good sense. Why are you keeping things that no…
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Pre-Teen Boy’s Room Reset – Game On!
After doing his sibling’s back-to-school room resets, we finally got to my oldest grandson’s room. As a pre-teen young man, he is all about gaming and basketball. (He is a huge Raptor’s fan.) Closet cleanout already started. Room Reset Step One…Decluttering of course… It always looks worse before it gets better. The decluttering had already been well under way when…
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Get Organized with a Parent School Binder
With kids going back to school, a parent school binder can help you stay organized. When my boys were growing up they were notorious for, at the last minute, springing something on me. Permission forms needing to be signed, money needed for pizza day or supplies needed for a special project. I’ve made some free printables that you can use…
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Boy’s Room Refresh – Less is More
After doing his sister’s room, my grandson was eager to get his room refreshed before going back to school. His room was twice the size, but he had some massive furniture and a MASSIVE Lego collection. To say it was a little overwhelming was an understatement. After scratching my head about what to do, where to start, we finally came…
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Decorate & Organize a Tiny Girl’s Room – Top Tips
With back to school just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to help decorate and organize my grandchildren’s rooms. We started with my granddaughter’s tiny room which had already been painted in her favorite pink and purple. Organizing and decorating small spaces can be particularly challenging. Left side of room – Before Right side of…
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Back Patio Refresh 2022 (Budget-Friendly)
This year I finally got around to doing a refresh on my back patio for my guest suite #2. Everyone likes to have a nice place to sit and enjoy the sunset. What can you do to make a special outdoor area for yourself? Even small areas can be transformed to make your own special oasis and be budget-friendly. Back…
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Favorite Recipes – Eggplant Parmigiana
Eggplant parmigiana is one of my favorite dishes. If you like lasagna there’s a good chance you will like this too. It’s similar to lasagna without the pasta and a little twist with the unique flavor of eggplant. I hope you will enjoy it too. Eggplant Parmigiana Ingredients… I like to make a double batch with two eggplants, but if…
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How to Make a DIY Planter Patio Umbrella Stand
I came across this idea to make a patio umbrella stand with a large plant pot on You Tube. My backyard gets unbearably hot in the afternoon and my middle patio area really needed some shade. I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on it and wanted to re-use things I already had. Waste not, want not. Planter Patio…
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Car Emergency Organization Update
You never know when you are going to have an emergency when you are out in your car. An emergency is by definition an unexpected state or event that requires immediate action. Having a flat tire or mechanical breakdown or getting in an accident are a couple of possible scenarios. Getting caught in bad weather or some other reason that…
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Looking for ADHD-Friendly Organizing Tips?-Part 2-Organizing
ADHD-friendly organizing tips will help the chronically disorganized. After the decluttering of unwanted and unnecessary items is done you can get things put away where they belong. *Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This article is based on my personal experience and research in regard to home organizing and time management. It is not meant to diagnose anyone. If you…
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Favorite Recipe – Rhubarb Meringue Pie
June is the month for my favorite rhubarb meringue pies. With my first crop of rhubarb, I made my first couple of pies and thought I’d share my recipe with you. Almost thirty-five years ago I got this recipe from my employer’s mother, Frieda Wright, a minister’s wife. I’ve tweaked it a little (I don’t think she used frozen pie…
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Looking for ADHD-Friendly Tips to Get Organized?-Part 1-Decluttering
Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the clutter and disorganization in their lives can probably relate to someone with ADHD, or ADD, even if they don’t have it. Whether you are just crazy busy at the stage of life you are in or have been diagnosed with it or not, the ADHD-friendly organizing tips I am sharing with you…
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Airbnb Guest Suite #2 Updates Before and After
My Airbnb guest suite #2 had the biggest transformation over the last couple of years. From little repairs, to some new furniture and accessories, to a major kitchen renovation. As you enter my Airbnb guest suite #2… First the entrance door was replaced and I got a new screen door. Unfortunately, a windstorm wrecked the hinges on the screen door…
