Organize the Whole Shebang

Holiday Inspiration...

cute lil' sugar snails from Martha... so i pinned them!

We're a few days into Winter Break and the kidlets want to do 'stuff'. Today we knocked out a load of Christmas cookies... and I'm still cleaning up the mess :) #worthit

So I headed over to my Pinterest board, the one I titled "Winter".

By now some of you may be addicted to Pinterest...

Others may have heard about it over cocktails the past week...

And some of you just might be saying to yourself... 'what in the heck is she talking about now?'.

Here you go take a peek for yourself: Krista's Winter Pinterest Board It's an incredible organizing tool for all things fabulous + clever... and dreamy.

*you may find it addicting *fair warning

A Few of My Favorite Things Giveaway... as seen on AM Northwest

I'm so excited to share my
FAVORITE THINGS
with you! I'm even more excited that I'll be able
to give away some of them!!!!

Here's how it'll work...

Each day this week I'll feature one of my favorite things on my blog and give you details on how you can enter to win it. Easy Peasy.

You can get a sneek peek of all the items by watching my AM Northwest segment below.

Check back daily to see + enter each new giveaway or click here to Get "Organize the Whole Shebang" delivered by email.

I'll be Facebooking + Tweeting... so stop on over to like + follow me for up-to-the-second updates about the giveaway!

Cheers to a super fun week! I'm looking forward to playing with all of you... it's been a long while~  Krista

Creating a Guest Room... as seen on AM Northwest

Seriously, who really has a room completely dedicated to the occasional guest? Unless you still own your McMansion... you may be like the 99% (couldn't resist that timely political pun) that have to put grandma and grandpa up in the kid's room for Christmas or occupy the den/office.

You needn't completely stress out... nor should your guests feel like second fiddle. When you say "Make yourself at home" that doesn't mean fend for yourself ;) Take a peek at my AM Northwest segment on creating a Guest Room... it will help you work with the space you've got.

PS
I hope you find my tips helpful...I can't take full credit... several of the tips were new ideas given to me by my facebook page fans and twitter followers. #muchappreciated ... and if you have some ideas we missed, please add a comment!

 

The BIG Christmas Un-Do

 

 Oh me oh my-O.... How do such beautiful decorations turn into such dread? Seriously... it all looked so festive + merry and now it seems to be SO chaotic + messy.

I feel this way every year.... so mark my own words here's how I deal with it. The following was a lil' diddy I wrote in December '07. Cheers!

OK.. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.  I've poured myself a cup of coffee, farmed out one kid to a neighbor, garnered two more to play with one in her room and I have just settled in to write out my to do list. 

You see, I've been spinning my wheels all morning feeling anxious about the toys everywhere-and I mean everywhere, the holiday decorations are bugging me, and the dishes and treats are all over the kitchen island.  Then I paused, sipped a cup of joe, and got back to my roots.  I'm a list maker.  I am in control when I've got a list to follow.  A plan, a simple little plan.  Here goes...

1. farm out kids
2. put on some music
3. pick up trash + recycling throughout house
4. start in the kitchen: wash + put away all dishes + holiday dishes + holiday place mats
5. tackle holiday wrap- gather ribbons to save for next year, flatten boxes, store away
6. put away my gifts + my husbands (kids have to do their own tonight)
7. grab a shopping bag or box and place "replaced" items in box to donate- (like my old blow dryer and sheets)
8. Bring the holiday totes inside, place one in each room.  Gather up keepers.  Place cast-offs in the donation bag.  Return to garage + await husband's return to put backup on shelving.
9. Tempt the little girls with a treat if they help take down the ornaments and place in the boxes.
10. When girls get bored, join them for a treat then return to the tree project.
11. Get bored working on the tree project and call husband to find out when he'll be home.
12. Call husband and ask him how to make that great little holiday cocktail he poured me while wrapping all the presents.
13. Make cocktail, call girlfriend to tempt with holiday cocktail if she'll help finish the tree project or watch me finish the tree project

Monday on AMNW: Organizing your Holiday Projects [aka Christmas clutter]

 

 

I hope you can join me live on AM Northwest as I share my tips for organizing all your holiday clutter. From Gift Wrap to Cookie Sprinkles... I've got you covered + in control! 

Tune in Monday, December 7th 9am, KATU2

For those of you outside of the Portland area I'll most definitely post a link right here on my blog as soon as it's up. And voila here it is.... click here to view the segment

In the mean time... you may need this tip: 

THE BEST hiding place for Christmas presents! click here

Thanksgiving.... tips to keep it simple + sane

This Post is from Last year... I hope it inspires you to create a simple + sane Thanksgiving! Cheers~

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday as she really seems to have her priorities straight ;). Keeping it simple helps keep the focus on what's important. This morning on AMNW I shared my favorite tips. Take a peek!

WATCH THE SEGMENT NOW! click here

 

The Menu

• keep it simple- stick to the tried + true favorites!
• create a section for holiday recipes in your recipe binder
• try one new dish each year, but get the post-meal review..thumbs up or down?

The Table

• Set table the night or days before
• use beverage tags on glasses
• have serving dishes ready to go (make a post-it for what goes in each dish)

 

Lose Control! I double dog dare you ;)

• accept help
• create a "why yes you can help me" bowl (see above pic)

   

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus on Family

• Photo albums (have grandkids/kids place current year pics in album for you)

• Get out the family movies

• "I'm Thankful for..." Have everyone write + share their thoughts during the meal.

Holiday Planning Checklist

Yes, it's only a couple weeks til Thanksgiving... and then WAM! Christmas is in full swing. Recently I was interviewed by Kimberly Fusaro for a Women's Day article- here's what I found online today!  click here to read the article.

AND I Love it! My girl Aby Garvey + I are both in the article titled "Your Holiday Planning Checklist... Keep stress at bay with this six-week plan". 

Truth be told I don't print out a list + follow it... I look at them, ponder them + then do my thing as it happens. But I'm thinking this list is a bit different as it's broken down into major categories which is how I think. Take a peek + be inspired!

Cheers! Krista

Creating a Personalized Holiday Guidebook... as seen on AMNW

 
to view the segment click here

Create your own HOLIDAY GUIDEBOOK- it's easy + will help keep you a bit more sane this holiday season.

You'll need a Binder + tab pocket dividers. Create categories that fit your needs. Here are mine to get you started:

• The Festivities [invites + fun things to do]
• The Meal [recipes, coupons, your meal plan]
• The Decor [all the fabulous ideas you pull out of magazines, notes + pictures of how you decorated last year]
• The Gifts [your budget, receipts, notes/wish lists, ideas for hostess gifts etc]
• The Cards [address lists, labels, list of addresses to update + add to the list]

*plus keep a section in the front for note taking + other lists

The worksheets shown in the segment are from The Organized Life Guide to Less Stressful Holidays. Emily Wilska's e-book is fabulous! click here to check it out and a BIG thank you to Emily of The Organized Life for allowing me to share her tips.

Summer Delights... fruit-a-dips

Fruit Salad.... Yummy Yummy

Oh no, I'm not subjecting you to the color-coded Wiggles...it's my seven year old turning her fruit salad into fruit kabobs... or as she's fondly named them: fruit-a-dips!

Here's how she did it... I promise you I only added some helpful hints~

 

We cut up the fruit into small pieces...

Tip: Firm fruits like blueberries, apples, grapes work best-the bananas didn't fair well.
Tip: Cut the apples into manageable slices, then lay them flat before kids do the slicing.

 

Making the Kabobs

My daughter recommended creating a pattern (might as well reinforce what she learned this year in math!)

Annie's Tip:
Place the blueberry on first + last to hold the fruit in place.

 

The Dip Ingredients

Plain or vanilla yogurt, then sugar/honey to taste.
The Star Wars spoon to mix is optional ;)

 

 
Adding a little something special.

Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the dip,
then use a toothpick to create a design.

 

More Tips...

Notice I double plated... the bottom plate makes it look cuter (well i think so ;0 ) + provides a place to drop the used toothpicks.

We also added a little rosemary from our herb garden and Annie suggested we place fruit pieces on the plate. ta-da!

Time to Soak it All in...

Summer is officially here in the Pacific Northwest! I love this picture of my daughter as she so innocently soaks it all in...

The big girl in me sees that she's embracing all life has to offer. Her toes slightly sinking in the sand- keeping her grounded and safe from the oncoming waves. Her arms wide open to explore what is near + far.

I'm going to soak it all in as well. I only have so many summers to be with the kids... they are already 9 + 7 so I'm lucky if they'll hang out with me for another 4 years. I'm sure you'll forgive me if my posts are more sporadic, less "how to" and more "why bother".  I'll be sharing old posts, my favorite blogs, and reading my magazines that have been piling up ;).

Cheers to you and Cheers to a fabulous Summer! Krista