30 December 2011

Organizing Your Magazine Clutter

Photo: jdorganizer.blogspot.com
By Sinea Pies

Overrun with PAPER? Here are some magazine solutions!


We buy magazines because we like them. We like the content. We like the look. We like the feel of the glossy paper and enjoy reading it that way, not on a computer screen. But magazines can take over! They take over the kitchen counter, dining room table, living room couch. Face it, get enough of them and they can overrun your house!


Here are some simple suggestions on how to win over magazine clutter and organize your house:


Maintain the pages you like, and toss the rest.


Don’t keep the whole magazine, just keep the pages you like the best. Either scan the articles you want into your computer or cut them out, put them in a protective sleeve, and store them in a 3 ring binder. Be sure to label for quick reference. You’ll be glad you did as the binder grows.


If you aren’t a binder person, you can keep the article in a labeled manila folder and place it in a file.


Store them in upright magazine holders
To keep entire issues of your favorite magazine, keep them in an upright magazine holder. Again, keeping an index of the most important articles and what issue they're in will save you lots of time later.


Use them to enhance your living room décor
Most of us have kept magazines on our coffee tables. The beautiful covers can add to the look of the room. However, they can also get to be too much and problematic every time you need to dust.


HGTV’s design expert Vern Yip came up with a novel idea for those living room magazines in a previous appearance on Regis & Kellie. Why not use a decorative tray, preferably one with handles, to store your magazines and display them? He demonstrated placing them on the shelf beneath a glass-top coffee table. That way they are easily removed --just pick up the tray and go. What a great idea!


Another decorating idea is to keep them in a home magazine rack next to your reading chair, or in the bathroom! Sometimes the bathroom is the only place to find some time and solitude. It IS the "Reading Room" in some homes. Keep them there and recycle when new magazines arrive at your home.


Read and recycle quickly! Treat them like a pest and don’t let them sit any place for long!



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28 December 2011

Wonderful Wednesday Year in Review

We've come to the end of a year and our final Wonderful Wednesday!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a faithful friend of Ducks 'n a Row.
Happy New Year
2012 is going to be GREAT!
Photo by Kitisak   freedigitalphotos.net
I was thinking about the various topics we've covered this year and was surprised to see what the top 5 posts were ... and how many times they were viewed!


Number One      Simple Summers                       1,322 views
Number Two     How Big Is Your Mountain of Undone Stuff?  939 views
Number Three  How to Speed Clean a Room   698 views
Number Four    Amazing Hallway Organizer     337 views
Number Five     Puppies                                      322 Views


We went from a humble 11 followers in January to today's 84, and growing.
Facebook was even more amazing. 32 fans in January to today's 256!


Our most popular featured site in 2011 for Wonderful Wednesday was, by far, was "The How to Mommy".  
And the most active in responses on our Facebook Fanpage has to be "A Dime at a Time" 87 of their fans became our fans, too!


So, let's hop some blogs! Please share your links in this, our last Blog Hop of the season. Choose anything from your own blog or even your Facebook fanpage. Please visit a few of the other sites and leave a nice comment. Tell 'em that Ducks 'n a Row sent you!
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23 December 2011

Fabulous Finds

Instant replay post from September that you may have missed!
Don't you just wish you had time to read all the beautiful magazines, cruise through the best of the best websites, and visit your favorite stores in person each time something great and new is put on display?  
Well, if you're anything like me, that almost never happens.  Life tugs at you one way and then another.  We all get 24 hours in a day but wherever does it all go?  Some days just whiz by and you wonder what you have to show for it.

At Ducks 'n a Row we share ideas that can help us plan smarter, streamline operations and get more out of each and every day--and that includes doing some of the hunting for you.  

Photo:  Fabulous Find Vase on Table by sxc.hu
Starting this week, we will be regularly sharing those finds and ask you to do the same.  Let us know when you see a wonderful website, great organizer, craft ideas that make the grade, recipes that will wow the fans at your dinner table-- (especially quick 'n easy ones) .  You know, the really good stuff!  


If you have a blog or a website, you may be our Fabulous Find. We invite you to add your favorite posts to the linky list below and contribute to the comments, as well. You could be our best discovery of the week! Check these out:
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21 December 2011

Sweet Rolls for Christmas

By Sinea Pies

Does your family wake up to sweets on Christmas morning? We do. To save time, I often pre-order from a bakery but, of course, homemade is the very best! Here is a great recipe for Cinnamon Sticky Buns from one of my favorite websites: Simply Recipes


Photo Wikipedia Commons

INGREDIENTS
Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter, plus more for greasing
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
1 1/4 teaspoon. salt
4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you'll need a little more for dusting)

Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

How to:
Make the dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. 

Add: milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes. 


Form the dough into a ball and put it in a large, buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl to coat with the butter from the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, bowl and all. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in a warm place). After the dough rises, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let it sit another 20 minutes.
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19 December 2011

Christmas Countdown - Is Everything Ready?

By Sinea Pies
Christmas and Hanukkah are just days away. Is everything ready for your family festivities? Especially if you are actually hosting a holiday celebration, there is much to do. 
Photo credit: christ-pictures-images.blogspot.com
Take a quick look at this Christmas Countdown Checklist to prompt your memory. Is everything done? This is a list of various items that could get overlooked. (Free printable checklist link below.)

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 Christmas Countdown Checklist
Entertainment
Christmas DVD
Christmas Music

Food
Appetizers
Beverages
Coffee
Egg Nog
Punch
Soda Pop
Desserts
Dinner Rolls

Gifts
Wrapped yet?
Gift Cards
Greeting Cards
Stocking Stuffers
White Elephant Grab Bag Gifts

Miscellaneous
Batteries
Coffee Maker
Ice Bucket
Ice Cubes
Matches
Punch Bowl
Scotch Tape
Shopping Bags to transport gifts

Pets &Toddlers
Dog Toys -- to keep ‘em busy
Toddler Toys – to keep ‘em busy

Table Decorations
Candles
Candy Dish with Candies
Centerpiece
Colorful Napkins
Special Dinnerware
Bread Basket
Butter Dish
Gravy Boat
Salt & Pepper
Serving Trays
Serving Utensils
Sugar Bowl
Table Cloth and/or Runner

Free Printable Version


Hope this is a help! See you again on Wonderful Wednesday!

With Love,
Sinea

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18 December 2011

Christmas Cookies

By Sinea Pies


What would Christmas be without Christmas cookies!  After all, Santa expects them when he stops by. Yes, it makes sense: Christmas cookies and Christmas go together ... like peanut butter and jelly!
Photo credit: countrymusichalloffame.org 
But there are so many kinds of Christmas Cookies.
What is your favorite?


Mine is the "Snowball Cookie".  OK, Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, to be exact ... but they look like snowballs to me! LOL
I love the buttery flavor with just a hint of walnut-crunch all covered in a snowy powdered sugar wrap! Yum!
Snowball Cookies 
Photo credit: mieleovens.net


My husband's favorite it the classic Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookie. He wants some ungarnished for dunking in his coffee and some covered with sweet, colorful frosting.
Cookies from Smiley Cookie
As a little girl, before I'd ever had a snowball cookie, Spritzes were my fave. Mom and I would get out the cookie press and make hundreds of them. Little did she know just how many we DIDN'T make because I was scooping the raw dough for a taste when she wasn't looking! 
Cookie Press Cookies
Photo by piyato on freedigitalphotos.net

My grandson, Sean, just loves Peanut Blossoms. When we put out a tray, he really needs one of his own! That's how much he loves them. 
Photo credit: Simple Delights
As you're checking the links you may be catching on that these recipes can all be found on one site: Christmas-Cookies.com  You want lots of cookie ideas for the holidays? This is great one-stop shopping!


Here is a classic sugar cookie recipe for you called "Mary's Sugar Cookies".  The rest you can get right from their site.


I've never made this particular kind of Christmas cookie-cutter cookie with cream of tartar before but the recommendations are so high that I think we'll have to trust the experts. I'll be testing it out next weekend and I'll get back to you with my opinion!  
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Granulated sugar
Directions
Mix together sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix well. Blend in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 375° F. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on edges.

Note: Source: This recipe was contributed by a reader in 1999. We were later told that this is an old Betty Crocker recipe, and we found it (in slightly altered form) in an out-of-print cookbook called "Betty Crocker's Cooky Book," printed in 1963. A similar recipe is also on Betty Crocker's website.
Our note: This recipe is reprinted directly from Christmas-Cookies.com.


Just HAD to add this one! DATE PINWHEEL COOKIES from "Best Cookie Recipes" on the Southern Cooking Website. Aren't they beautiful?
Date Pinwheel Cookies 
Photo Credit: Southern Living


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13 December 2011

A Festival of Holiday Wreaths

By Sinea Pies

Ever go driving with your family to admire the beautiful holiday lights and Christmas decorations? Sometimes you've just got to stop and stare to take it all in; it's all so breathtaking.  


This Wonderful Wednesday we are sharing images from a variety of sites--holiday wreaths for us to admire and enjoy before moving on with our busy days.
Christmas Wreath made by Sinea Pies
I am a great admirer of the talents of so many others who create such lovely crafts, gifts and home decor. It is seldom that I share anything of my own. Why? Because, truly, theirs is so much better. And, I want to offer you the very best here at Ducks 'n a Row.  

All that to say, I like this wreath and I made it.  It came about one year when I had just had it with our decorations! All my stuff was old--really old! Money was scarce and I wasn't going to be buying designer decorations anytime soon. 

So, I fought back. I took a pre-enjoyed green wreath, removed the old wrinkled bows and added these new shiny purple, orange and gold balls all over it. I don't know if I was inspired or simply irritated by the circumstances but when it was done, I liked it--and I felt lots better. Hope you like it, too!

Here are some other great wreaths and links to sites with many more! 

Forest Floor Wreath from Martha Stewart 

All Dressed in Blue by Furniture and Design '09
Pretty as a Peacock--Furniture and Design

Wreaths

Now, back to reality! We've got to get ready. Our days are busy so....save tons of time here! 

Use the quick-links list from Monday's post for easy online shopping!



Photo of gifts by zirconicusso fredigitalphotos.net


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12 December 2011

Shopper's Fatigue? Help is on the way!

By Sinea Pies
Tired of shopping? Or, just tired of THINKING about shopping? Whether your shopping is complete, almost so, or hasn't even started,  mid-December can bring with it a little sigh and a "how will I ever make it through all this and still ENJOY it" weariness.
So much shopping yet to do!
photo credit: Michal Marcol Freedigitalphotos.net
Pace yourself. Perhaps what you think has to get done doesn't really have to be done at all. Do you truly have to bake every kind of Christmas cookie that your family loves? 
If you'll be visiting households who also bake for the holidays, bake a little less and enjoy theirs! Better yet, give them a call and ask if they'd like to do a cookie swap. (Or, even more daring...don't bake at all! Buy 'em!)


My point is: prioritize and plan so that you really can enjoy the time with family and friends.
So, then, what about all that shopping?  How can you save energy and still have nice things for everyone on your list? 


If your very favorite part of the season is going out to the stores, then do it. Get out there and shop till you're satisfied. 
Shop till you drop!
Photo by photostock freedigitalphotos.net

But, if you dread the thought of driving there, finding that elusive parking space, squeezing into over-occupied aisles, standing in line waiting patiently for your turn at the cashier and then reversing the process to get home again, then the obvious solution is don't do it!  


You can DIY and make some lovely gifts at home or call for the gifts come to you. Shop online!


At Ducks 'n a Row we have introduced a couple of possibilities of great baby and kid toys that can be ordered online. We also have created several avenues for you to access Amazon on our homepage for you to search for that perfect gift yourself, in the convenience of your own home or office.


Plus, anything that you by from Amazon using the Ducks 'n a Row website blesses me, too. Yes, I earn a humble commission on Amazon purchases made through our site and little bits can add up! Note: they have speedy delivery, so it's not too late! 

If you are a proficient Amazon shopper, you know that you can get access to just about anything from any store imaginable. Prices remain the same--sometimes less. Orders over $25 usually qualify for free shipping, too. My personal experience with Amazon has been that the products come swiftly, in perfect condition. 
So, what do you have left to do?  
Here are some clickable "departments" to help you get started. 

Shopping List To "Click" On 
Holidays and entertaining...


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