Laundry Piling Up? Organize It Today!

By Sinea Pies

Are you busy?  Unbelievably busy?  Busy people’s lives can cross the fine line between order and chaos in no time.  

If you are tightly scheduled, it doesn't take much to tip the scales to the messy side of life!  An interruption of your regular schedule, such as a bout of illness or having your car in the shop, can do it. 


There are a couple of areas in a home that become cluttered faster-than-fast, if you don’t keep on top of them.  One is the kitchen and the other is the laundry.  When life is on track, you can easily keep up with it.  Off track?  It all piles up.

So, what do you do to dig out from under piles of laundry to regain peace and order?  

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Make a decision that you can do it. Create a strategy and then follow through.

Decide:

Will you take it on in one day, one weekend or a whole week?

Plan:

You can multi-task other projects at the same time but you MUST:

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• Wash a load
• Dry it
• Fold it
• Move it …to it’s destination
• Put it all away. 

Be Consistent:

Whether you will do it all at once or over a period of days, stick with the plan.

Maintain:

After you’ve made it all the way through, continue this good habit every couple of days so that you don’t get behind again.  If life takes over, and sometimes it will, you’ve succeeded in the laundry room once before and you can do it again.

Your Tools:

The right tools make a job so much easier. How to you handle your laundry?

Do you use laundry hampers, laundry baskets, or both?  How many laundry baskets do you use for the process? If you are using them exclusively, at least three would be the most efficient.  

1. One to put the dirty clothes in. 
2. A second empty one to replace that full one of dirty clothes that just left the bedroom.  
3. And a third to put clean clothes in after they come out of the dryer.  

CHECK THIS OUT:  

A laundry organizer that fits right between your dryer and washer!  Sweet! 

What's your system? Got any laundry tips? Do you have a favorite laundry product that you use? I'd love to hear your ideas! Please share in the comments portion below!

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Photo Credit: Is My Laundry Following Me Again? Devoradesign

Think Like a Caterer!

By Sinea Pies

Catering: the art/business of preparing a meal for a group of people, transporting it to the destination where they will convene and serving that meal on behalf of the host(s). 

You may recall that I have the pleasure of serving a family dinner at my dad's every Wednesday night. It's fun but takes a new way of thinking as I transport the meal to serve in another location. That's where my inspiration came to "Think like a caterer"!

How Caterers Work:

• Some caterers are mobile: serving prepared food from their vehicle. 
• Some caterers are on-the-spot: serving that food on the street, cooked right on site. 
• Other caterers travel to the location of the party, cooked food in tow, ready to set up upon arrival. 
• And, other caterers cook on site, such as chicken bbq cooked at a cabin or park. 

Excellent Caterers: 

• Make great food 
• Use high food safety standards 
• Transport well 
• Display the food beautifully
• Set up and clean up well 
• Are good planners --- and are prompt!
• Care about the recipients of their hard work-customers and guests, alike.

How many times have you operated like a caterer and didn't know it?

You:

• Planned a birthday party?
• Hosted a bridal or baby shower?
• Arranged a family reunion?
• Put together a food-based fundraising event (bake sale, spaghetti dinner)?
• Organized a graduation party or wedding reception?
• Provided meals for a friend in need?

You were doing the job of a caterer! So, what wisdom can we pick up from professional caterers to help us do it better?

Catering Is Much About Planning!

Evaluate: how many people will be attending? Any special dietary needs? (Consider guests with severe food allergies or dietary needs.)

Prepare Schedules: there are several types of schedules you will need.

• Calendar- the calendar is to mark what happens on what day, all leading up to the event. It may include when to shop, creating decorations, make-ahead parts of the meal, pulling together non-perishables.

• Cooking Schedule- whether working solo or with a team, it's important to know what to cook when. If you will be baking desserts, preparing them the day before will free up your oven for main dishes & sides on the day of. 

• "Make an appointment" with your refrigerator and stove. There is only so much you can fit in one refrigerator or freezer and there is only so much you can cook or bake at the same time. Schedule the use of these appliances as you would make any other appointment. Make sure they will be free when you want them.

How early should you be on the road?

Transporting- what time should your car be packed and ready to go? 

• Tip: A good way to determine this is to plan backward. Guests arrive at the event at 5:00 pm?  You need to be there long before that. How much time ahead of them should you be there in order to have everything comfortably ready? (i.e. No hasty last-minute rushing around. That makes everyone, including you, uncomfortable.) 
• Are you the host or hostess? Include time for yourself to get dressed and be fresh for entertaining.

 "Working without a list is like skydiving without checking your chute. Maybe you'll make it, maybe you won't!" Sinea Pies  

 Check your chute: make a list!

LISTS:

• Menu: plan hors d'oeuvres, breads, sides, entrees, desserts, beverages. Build your grocery list from the menu and plan your cooking schedule as well.
• Tools: consider the largest to the smallest item that you will need. Potato peelers, grater, carving knives, blender, mixer, bowls, trays, etc. Some are tools for preparation of food, others will be involved in transporting, serving and cleanup. The event location may or may not have some items. Call ahead and verify what you can count on. 
• Personnel: can this be done easily yourself, or will you need help? If so, arrange for quality assistance well in advance and confirm their availability soon as you get close to the first day of preparation.

Transporting: things to remember!
Baskets or Boxes: sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic laundry baskets are great for carting non-food items. Paper goods, silver or plastic ware, table cloths, decorations, lists, candles, lighter, carafes, coffee makers, etc. Whatever needs to be moved.
Coolers: keep cold dishes COLD in a traveling cooler. Available in numerous types and sizes.
Insulated Casserole Totes: nestle your casserole in a plush covering designed for easy travel and to keep the heat in your dish while you are enroute to your event.
Insulated Casseroles: Cello has a very neat casserole set on the market that is guaranteed to keep the dish to temperature up to 4 hours. 
Food Warmers and Buffet Servers: depending on how often you will be directing large gatherings, you may want to invest in warmers and servers. If it is a one-time deal, find a friend that you can borrow them from!

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Above all, enjoy what you do. Enjoy the preparation. Enjoy the company. Enjoy the experience!

So, how about you? Have you ever played the role of a caterer? What did you learn? What would you change? What went great? Share your experiences in the comments!  We'd love to know.

More Posts by Sinea

• Mulch--Beautify Your Gardens
• How to Train a Puppy or Two
• Jello Salad Recipe

Photo Credits: 
Restaurant Kitchen by Simon Howden on freedigitalphotos.net
Female Showing Berries by stockimages
Happy Birthday by cornnius on sxc.hu
Nissan Pathfinder by ipwild240 on sxc.hu
Dish by gotham23 on sxc.hu

Featured on The Happy Home Blog

I've been a long-time blogging friend of Emily Steers--creator of The Happy Home. In fact, I've had the pleasure of guest posting for her twice. It was an honor.

Well, now she has featured my Menu Plan for Grandpa post on her blog! Just wanted to say "Thank you Emily"!  Be sure to drop by her site  and check it out....leave a message in the comments telling her where you found her, too!

Coming Attractions--Moms, feel like a caterer?  Guess what...you are!

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Free Personalized School Calendar Offer

Vista Print is making an introductory offer where you can get a

Free School Calendar!

-Personalize it with family photos.

-Pick a really cool, eye-catching background.

-Fill in the important details of life for the coming school year!

And with school coming soon, so do fall clothes, warm and yummy comfort foods, fall sports, gearing up for (yes, I said it) the Holidays, and lots of  
autumn fun. 


Welcome to the 
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!

Rules? No Rules! Add your favorite post or FB page.
Be sure to visit others...leave nice comments and "like" their pages, too.

Let's Cook!

• Jello Salad Recipe
• Easy Recipes That Kids Will Love
• Ice Cream Cakes
• Quick 'n Easy Stuffed Peppers
• Chocolate Cheesecake Recipes

Menu Plan For Grandpa

By Sinea Pies

Are you the event planner in your family? Personally, I love it. It is a pleasure to host special meals and parties for family and friends. 

My organizational skills are now being put to the test with a fun project: meals with Grandpa! The "test part" is that I can't host the dinners in my own home...I've gone mobile! 

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My dad, 86 years young, now lives with my brother and his wonderful wife. This is no easy task for them. Dad has Parkinson's Disease and requires round the clock nursing care. Thankfully, he is still well enough to know us, communicate and enjoy meals with us. 

Unfortunately, my house is not handicap-friendly. No wheelchair access. No first floor rest rooms. I want so much to help but having him come here for dinner is pretty much out of the question. 

So, for a little change of pace for Grandpa-- and some much needed relief for the rest of my family--Wednesday nights are now Family Dinner Nights with Grandpa and I bring it to him!

We started two weeks ago with one of his favorites: Stuffed Peppers. To save time, I made them "boat style". It cooks faster and yet you get the same great flavor. This recipe does not require par-boiling the green peppers. I like that. One less step!

Wednesday #2= Baked Lasagna

It was so much fun to get dad to the table and enjoy a meal with him. Dad, his aid Linda, my sister-in-law Sue, my husband Steve and I all ate together that night. My brother, Seth, joined us later when he got home from work. He ate his dinner while we ate dessert. 

I started making the meal at 3:30 pm. Much to my dismay, a couple of the green peppers had started to spoil so I had to make a fast trip to the store to buy more. It made for a hectic, high-speed production to get everything ready to hit the road by 4:30 pm.  

I loaded up the car for the 25 minute drive and left the house saying with glee "I feel like a caterer!" Everything went so well. 

This menu plan that we will have for the next five Wednesdays is:

• Wednesday #1 Baked Lasagna with tossed salad, Italian bread 
• Wednesday #2 Chicken Divan with rice pilaf and blueberry muffins
• Wednesday #3 Sweet 'n Sour Pork (Polynesian style) on rice
• Wednesday #4 Chili and Hot Dogs
• Wednesday #5 Little Cheddar Loaves with mashed potatoes and corn

We all had such a nice time and Dad said he'd like to do it again...and we will, every Wednesday!

Got any ideas?  How can I make this work even better? What recipes would you recommend? How about food-transporting styles?  Please share in the comments!

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What Sinea's Been Writing About...

• How To Train a Puppy or Two - training one puppy is challenging, but TWO? Wow!
• Martha Stewart - There's No One Like Her - she's amazing!
• Lyme Disease in Dogs, Cats and Humans - learn the facts and keep your family safe.
• Calculating Weight Watchers Points - Weight Watchers is one plan that actually works!
• Jell-O Salad Recipe - want to be the star at your next party? Bring this!

Photo Credit: Meat & Cheese Lasagna by piyato on Free Digital Photos 

Getting Things Done

By Sinea Pies


What are the important things in your life that never get done?  You know--the things that get pushed aside for "another time"?  Things that you regularly remark about saying "I don't have time for that", "I'll get to that later" or "not now."

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Over the years, I've had a few. 

One of them was changing the oil in my car. 

That was in my younger years. Oh, how I wish I'd been smarter! That procrastination eventually cost me a good car. Hard lesson to learn. The oil has definitely been changed REGULARLY on my vehicles ever since. 

So, what are your important things that you "just can't fit in"? 

How about VITAMINS! 

Years ago I sold a diet plan that was largely dependent on vitamins. It worked well. Most of those who tried it lost weight and all of them felt better...lots better! But you should have heard the excuses from those inquiring about it.  "I can't swallow that many pills." and the big one was "I don't have time for this." 

Truly, I do understand that taking several of kinds of vitamins daily takes time  and lots of swallowing. But how valuable is your health? If you are convinced that vitamins, minerals and herbs are important to your health, and that of your family, you have the time.  

Here's how you do it:
Prepare each day's vitamins the night before.. or,better yet, assemble several days' doses at one time. 


REMINDER: if you have children at home, keep vitamins safely out of reach.

Cup Method: I use a simple paper-cup process.  All it takes is putting out a few paper cups to cover the days you are preparing. 

I usually do three days at a time. This photo shows four. I immediately took that day's vitamins from one cup and saved the others for upcoming days. 

Vitamin tablets do go bad after a while (that is why they are sold in dark colored bottles, to block out the light) so I don't prepare too many days ahead. 


After putting the right number of each vitamin in the paper cups, I nest them inside each other and put them in a kitchen cupboard.  

Each morning, I take all of the vitamins from one cup. 

What do I take? A multi-vitamin, Lysine, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, B-complex, Glucosamine with MSM, Omega 3 and Silica (Horsetail). I feel good and have lots of energy. I assume it has something to do with it.


Learn a little about vitamins and minerals for yourself before deciding what you will take but do something. For some, a good multi-vitamin every day will be a big start!

Pill keepers are another method for organizing your vitamins. You can purchase them at any pharmacy or vitamin store. They have daily, weekly and even monthly styles to choose from.


Point is, some things that you haven't been doing and NEED to, must make the "I did it" list. Health is one thing that should take priority status.  
And that is what getting things done is all about.

Good Read:  Best seller Getting Things Done by David Allen

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Latest Posts:
Quick 'n Easy Stuffed Peppers
How To Train A Puppy or Two
Lyme Disease in Dogs Cats and Humans
Mulch - Beautify Your Gardens 

Vitamin Keepers Work Great!

Photo credit: Automobile Car Repair by supakitmod at Freedigitalphotos.net