That's all for now!

Thank you so much for following along on my blog! I've really enjoyed posting new updates and giving friends a place to find recipes I've tested, organizing tips I live by and general ideas about making a house a home. I think I'm going to focus on other things now, but will keep this site up for people to go back and review. Thanks again for the support!

Taking a Little Break

Hi Friends! I wanted to let you know I've decided to take a little break from blogging. I'm getting the kids geared up for school and am searching for a job. I figure it's a nice time to take a week or two off and recollect. Thank you for supporting me and I'll see you soon!

The Second Home/ The Weekend Home

A couple of years ago, one of my dear friends gave me a specialty magazine called "Weekend Homes" that has turned into my favorite publication. It's filled with over-the-top beach houses (mostly at the Cape and the Islands). It's the sort of magazine that I pick up and flip through to wake up my *muse*. As I'm looking through it, I daydream and ask myself, "how can our house have this sort of feel? (note, my house is a lovely small cape, no massive 6,000 square foot Martha's Vineyard mansion, no worries!) One day I was in the car talking to my husband and I went off on a very long tangent about wanting our house to have a "second house" feel. Let me explain what I mean by this.

When I think "second house" I think a house that has the following characteristics: uncluttered, comfortable, a place for reading, piles of magazines, puzzles, easy meals, nothing in it you don't like, a radio playing (rather than flat screen tvs), a small manageable garden, the home you go to get away-from-it-all.....I could go on and on. You know the feeling - you go on vacation and you sit in the beach house thinking "ahhhhh". THIS is what I'm going for in my own home. THIS is why I love paring things down, keeping everything in the house simple and streamlined. Not because I'm some drill seargent organizer who must have everything in it's perfect place (whatever that is?), but wanting to have our house feel like we're on vacation, while in it.

Does that make sense to anyone? My husband thinks I should write a book called "first house as second house", or something along those lines.

Where oh where do YOU live?

Good morning, dear readers. I was just sitting here thinking "I wonder who reads this blog, anyway??" and thought it would be fun to ask you to leave a comment letting me know where you live. Just click on "comment" and leave your first name and your town. I've heard rumors of people as far as Germany and as close as Boston. Some of you are Penn State alumn, right? Go ahead, reveal yourself!

Ziplock BIG BAGS!

I love using Ziplock big bags to store seasonal things around the house: beach toys, winter bedding, guest room pillows...endless uses. Have you seen them? Used them? Let us know how you use yours! What's particularly great is how inexpensive they are. You can find them at Target or most grocery stores.

If you go to their website, http://www.ziploc.com/, you can sign up to receive a coupon to buy one, get one free. That way, you can try one of their 3 large sizes.

Happy storage! Go clean out those closets!

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry." E. B. White

"Teach us delight in simple things..." R. Kipling

This is what this blog is ALL about!!

Time to Try on Fall Clothes

Yesterday I did one of my favorite things: pulling out the bins of fall/winter clothes and trying things on again. It's a really good idea to do this seasonally because 1. things sometimes have lost their appeal since last season (purge!!) and 2. it lets you know what the gaps are in your wardrobe. I pulled out my sweater bin and realized I didn't need 3 gray turtleneck wool sweaters, for instance. My kids thought it was hysterical that they were trying on foot pajamas and snow pants in August, but it's a great thing to do on a rainy summer afternoon. If you're really ambitious, you can buy up summer items for next season at a big discount this month. I was in Target yesterday and saw kids low-top Converse for $4.99. I bought 2 pair for my kids, in the next size up!

Attention Fellow Book Lovers!

I recently read about a cool website, www.whatshouldireadnext.com, which recommends books, based on what you just read.

"Enter a book you like and the site will analyse our database of real readers'
favorite books (over 47,000 and growing) to suggest what you could read next".

Isn't that a great idea? I tried it and am going to take their advice!

An amazing new snack food

Okay, so when we were on vacation I tried a snack food that drove me absolutely crazy. It's called Glad Corn: http://www.gladcorn.com. I usually only go for the sweets (not the crunchy/salty thing) but this stuff is simply incredible. You know when you eat popcorn and get to eat the best half-popped stuff at the bottom? This is exactly what this tastes like. I tried the original flavor and the jalapeno and liked them both. The problem is finding it. If you're lucky enough to live near Whole Foods, that's where I found it on vacation. Has anyone tried it??

Happy Sister's Day!

About 2 years ago, we started a little tradition in our family that every August 1st would be a new holiday called "Sister's Day" and September 1st would be "Brother's Day". It works well in our family since we have one boy and one girl. Usually what we do is give a tiny gift (I gave my daughter a small jewelry box) at breakfast and then we do a really fun family activity including taking the special kid out to lunch. This year we're going to Horseneck Beach and having lunch at a funky little restaurant overlooking the bay. It's a great excuse to celebrate each child with something other than a birthday.

I thought of Sister's and Brother's Day and timed them as I did because there were no real holidays in Aug. or Sept. that involved celebration...and we love celebrations in this house!

Organizing on my vacation

My mother was so excited to have me at their house for a week because she knew I'd be dying to help out around the house! I must say, if all the houses I worked on in MA were already as organized as my mom's, I'd have nothing to do! But there were a couple of small areas that we worked on.

The first was her kitchen cabinets. It's just her and my dad living there now, so when I asked her about sets of dishes she had upstairs in the kitchen and got answers like "oh those...I use them once a year when I have book club at my house", we moved those things out of the MAIN zone and into the STORAGE zone (i.e. shelves in the basement!) Then we thinned out the existing dishes, glasses, etc. This is one of the things I picked up at Target to give her more space in her primary dish cabinet:


It's what most of us probably need, right? For just $5 (or so) you can easily create more space. My mom had cereal bowls stacked on top of small salad plates and was having to move them each time we wanted to unload the dishwasher. No longer!

Her favorite thing we did was thin out the pantry a little (my relocating hardly-ever-used kitchen appliances to the basement) and then stacking up the canned goods on risers like these:

Fabulous, right? And just $8 at Target. We were able to get 3 and outfit the whole pantry!

Home Sweet Home!

It feels so good to be home after 16 days on the road, 5 states visited (!!) and seeing lots of loved ones. This was, by far, our best family vacation to date. And in this culture of flying, it feels good to have a good "old fashioned" road trip filled with fun surprises along the way. My kids were amazing.

After about a week of being away from New England I start to get a little home sick for 1. donut shops 2. water 3. Red Sox 4. our wonderful accent. It seemed fitting when we passed an IKEA in CT with a massive (wicked massive!!) billboard reading "HOME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE WORLD". I couldn't agree more!

So I got to check out some fun stores while we were away and picked up a reuseable shopping bag I'm crazy about, www.envirosax.com. It's one of those that rolls into a little ball (about the size of a wallet) and opens into a full sized shopping bag. It's perfect if you're going into the city for the day and want to consolidate bags, or if you're simply running into the pharmacy and don't want to waste a bag. I got a really cute green one and plan to use it every day! Remember, it's the small changes that tend to get us into new fabulous habits!

It's your turn!

I'm going to be out of town with sporatic access to my site, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to ask you wise readers to take over! Email me YOUR favorite organizing trick and I'll post it on the site. What cool ideas do you have? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, because the folks who read this blog read it because it's NOT fancy advice! partridgeathome@yahoo.com.

Chore Cards, too cute!

I just received some "chore cards" I ordered for my kids from another mom on Etsy, which is that terrific website I recommended (home made things). They were a fantastic deal and are just too cute. I hung hooks on the fridge and the kids are totally on board with doing this. Example cards are "brush teeth", "homework", "reading", "clean your room". They were just $5 per pack (one for my daughter, one for my son). If you go to Etsy and type in "chore cards", she's the one called "Soap Star Mom".

Ask the Organizer/Decorator Time!

Okay faithful readers, it's your turn! I'm ready for some more questions...
What's bugging you around your house? Do you have a room/part of a room that you're not using because it's not functional? Not beautiful? What's happening in your house? Your apartment? Your office? Your car? Your kitchen cabinets? Let's get talking!

I'm going to Boston for an overnight, and when I return I'd love some good questions to go through. If you want it private, email me at partridgeathome@yahoo.com. Or, just simply leave your question in the comment section.

Take care!

What I found in my grandmother's closet

We just returned from a 3 day visit to my grandmother's house in Maine. There really is nothing like the 4th of July parade in a small New England town!

One of the perks of my visit is that I help my grandmother organize her really large really OLD (and not necessarily in the good way...) house. It's a multi-family with an apartment in the middle where we sleep (but otherwise serves as a storage area for old things from the family). For years I'd had my eye on emptying out the old walk-in closet. This closet is really narrow and very long. Probably about 12 feet long. So I grabbed a box of 20 lawn and leaf bags and went to it!

Almost everything I found was dusty and 100% polyester (those were the times!), so I tossed 8 bags of clothing to the local clothing collection place. I imagine some college-aged kid loving the stuff around Halloween :)

The most "classic" thing I found? On many levels? A 16 Magazine from July of 1971 featuring none other than THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY. I almost screamed. My last name? Partridge!!

C2 LOVO Paint

Are you familiar with C2 paint? It's called "one of the most innovative, high quality paints in the marketplace". I haven't used it, but I've been in houses that have and the colors are simply stunning.

This year (on Earth Day!) they launched a new line of paint called "LOVO" which is "non-toxic, Low-VOC (volatile organic compound) and available in 496 handcrafted, luxurious colors". They offer "smarter sampling" too, with 16 ounce LoVo samplers you can try before you commit.

You can check it out at www.c2color.com

And to you faithful readers, I'll be off line for a few days. We're heading up to Maine for the holiday. Happy 4th to you all!

Organizing the Fridge/Freezer

I've told you how much I love Organize Magazine, right? The most recent issue has a short but very informative article about keeping the fridge/freezer organized. I struggle with this a little with my freezer because we don't use a lot of frozen food (we're vegetarian, so it's mostly just veggie burgers, frozen fruit and ice cream!), so I forget what I have. In addition, we are lucky enough to have a nice new freezer, but a downside is that the drawer on the bottom is so large that you lose track of what's in the big drawer.

Organize Magazine had a great and cost effective idea for large areas like this - use a metal (or plastic) shower caddy (that is essentially a small basket). I'm going to do this, after measuring the drawer to see how many I can fit side by side (NOT stacked on top of each other, which defeats the point!). I'm thinking one for frozen berries, one for vegetables and one for random stuff (i.e. panko breadcrumbs...where do those go!)

Just when I thought I've read it all, something like this comes along and I think "ah ha!!"

Doing with less

One of the things I strive towards is living a life with less. Less clutter, less complication, less waste and more calm. It's something that matters to me more as I get older and especially as my children grow and have more things.

Something I'm working on now is truly having nothing in my home that I don't believe to be beautiful or believe to be useful (my favorite quote from W. Morris). Now for someone like me, who is constantly organizing (I would only admit that to you!!), I take this very literally and seriously. Why? Because I'm really prioritizing this! I want to have the calmest environment I can reasonably have (while still having a husband and 2 children to share a house with!!) A calm home nurtures my mood, my mind and my soul.

My project today is the basement. I'm going to pull out some old decorations and things and ask the tough questions, "does this define who I am? who I'm hoping to be? is it still functional?" and then I'll pass some things on (neighbors, Salvation Army, friends) I'm not taking on my whole house, just a room. Just today.

Where can YOU start? Maybe really small like your sock drawer or the area under your bathroom sink? Let me know what your struggles are and I'll gladly pass on some tips!

Garage Clean Up

It's not on the top of most of our to-do lists, but I think summer is a perfect time to spruce up the garage. And if you don't think a clean garage is important, you're wrong :) For a lot of you, it's the first place you start your day (on your way out the door) and the first sight of home when you return. I'll address all sorts of small things you can do to spruce up your garage over the next few weeks.

I use a lot of paint (surprise, surprise!) and am often left with a very small amount left in the can. The problem is it's too much left to just toss in the garbage, which is totally against the rules (!!!) An easy and environmentally kosher alternative? You can get a $2 bag of kitty litter and put some in the can. It dries the paint and makes it easy to toss.

Don't let things like old paint cans clutter up your life! Good luck.

Congrats!

quitecontrary1977, please email me at partridgeathome@yahoo.com with your full name and mailing address and I'll get your bags out to you! You won!!

Giveaway Time!

Some of the blogs I like to read will occasionally have a giveaway to reward regular readers. In the spirit of kitchen/fridge organization, I'm giving away 5 of the Debbie Meyer GREEN Bags. First my disclosure: I'm always very skeptical about anything I can buy on a infomercial...however, I love these bags! I had seen the infomercial at the gym and then picked them up at my local grocery store for $9.95 for 20 reusable bags. Here's what they offer:

Saves you money by wasting less food Each bag is reusable up to 10 times Fruits & vegetables stay fresh 3 to 10 times longer Reduces vitamin loss by up to 50% Active ingredient is a natural mineral So a lucky Bird's Nest Interiors reader will have a small sampling of 5 bags mailed to their house to test them out. Here's all you have to do: leave a comment telling me what you like about the blog. That's all! Your deadline is Friday June 20th at 9pm. Good luck!

Frozen Key Lime Pie - Divine!!!!

You probably know by now I absolutely love Barefoot Contessa recipes. They are real food, rustic and not difficult. I recently had a party for friends and made her frozen keylime pie. It's fantastic!

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

For the decoration:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pyrex pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Note: If you have concerns about raw eggs, combine the yolks with 1/2 cup of the lime juice used in the recipe in a double boiler. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees. Use in place of the raw egg yolks, remembering to add the remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice to the filling mixture along with the condensed milk and zest.

*RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Planet Green

I recently decided I am going to gradually switch over to all natural beauty products (deodorant, lotions, shampoo, etc.) A dear friend recommended the site Planet Green and it's a very resourceful website. It's worth checking out! There are articles pertaining to all areas of *green*, including gardening, cooking, health and beauty....

Has anyone ever used the crystal deodorants? I'm very skeptical (and so is the person next to me on the eliptical...) Let me know!

Cleaning, one room at a time...

Hello Friends! I apologize for the delay between postings, my computer is being serviced and I'm depending on my husband's laptop after work.

So, I've started cleaning my house in a new way. In the past, I've cleaned all over without much of a plan. If something looked messy, I'd pick it up. If something needed dusting, I'd do it. This week, it occurred to me that I'd have to clean less if I cleaned more thoroughly, one room at a time.

Let me elaborate...Monday, I cleaned the heck out of the kids' bathroom. Beyond the normal toilet and counter top cleaning, I washed the shower liner, dusted the light fixtures, organized the towel closet, etc. If you combine cleaning and organizing and approach it in all all-encompassing way, it feels a lot more satisfying when you're done. Each day I tackled a new room. Nothing over the top, but really really thorough. Try it. Don't take on the whole house one day over the weekend, take on just one room and DO IT REALLY WELL!! And yes, when I say cleaning, I mean organizing as well. The two really go hand in hand :)

Good luck! Tomorrow I'm on to the living room! Time to finally dust the top of the light fixture and dust some bookshelves!

The Story of Stuff

A dear friend/reader sent me this link to a video called, "The Story of Stuff"

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

It's a very interesting look at the life cycle of *things*. It takes a little time to watch, but it's worth it, especially for those of us who are re-evaluating our relationship to clutter/consumerism, etc. Check it out and let me know what you think. I can tell you, it had my full attention!

Let the Gardening Begin!

You have to love New England. Yesterday I was sleeping under a down blanket and today it's going to be 90 degrees! Personally, I'm thrilled because my plants are craving some serious sunlight. My son and I put together our SQUARE FOOT GARDENS last week, and since these pictures were taken, planted several things. The garden on the right is our "cutting garden", filled almost entirely with Zinnias. The garden on the left has the following:

Beets, Summer Squash, Dill, Basil, Sage and Tomatoes (a whole row of them!) I'll occasionally take pictures to keep you informed of the progress.

Happy Summer, friend.

Etsy, I love it!

Okay, let's file this one under "how the heck did I not already know about this!". I was poking around on one of my favorite blogs tonight and a website "Etsy" was referenced. It's fantastic! It's a place where people and buy (and sell) hand made items. Check it out - you'll see some of the most artistic and interesting hand made products: baby clothes, office organizers, amazing bags, etc.

http://www.etsy.com/index.php

Let me know. And Sandra and Laurel, you need to sell some of your handiwork!

Paper Back Swap

I came across an interesting website for people who are interested in swapping books on line:

http://www.paperbackswap.com

From what I can see, it's a pretty simple, and very good concept. You have a book you've read and are ready to pass on. Others do the same. Then, you simply mail your book to your new virtual buddy (and pay the shipping, which is around $2) and they do the same (mail you their book and pay the shipping). I love this. I love to read, but don't like to have books cluttering up my bedroom (unless they're absolute re-reads or reference books, of course). This is a great concept!

Healthy Living from the Inside Out

I'm a bit of a health nut (minus all the chocolate I eat and baking I sample, but I think that's very important for your soul!) I'd like to think I'm fairly well read in the "health" book department.
One of the best books I've read, and re-read is Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out. Yes, Mariel Hemingway the actress/yogi/grand daughter of Ernest....

What's special about this book is her focus on the big picture. It's not a diet book or an exercise book, per se. What she does is focus on four interconnected things: Food, Exercise, Silence and Home. Most people are really caught up in the Food and Exercise stuff and forget about the important of Silence and Home.

Here's a quote from the Home section that I love:

"When your home is a haven, it is not only a place that encourages your creativity, it is also a healing place. By that I mean a place where every day you can shed your fatigue or stress, feed and care for your body in a positive way, and lift your spirits so that you experience sustained well-being".

THAT is what I've been trying to preach with organizing :)

So if you're on the look out for a new health book, this comes highly recommended by yours truly!

Aluminum Foil Trick - who knew?

Have you seen the email going around about the tabs on the sides on aluminum foil? Thanks to Tanna at www.completeorganizingsolutions.com for the great tip!

"I’ve been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember. Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.

Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, “Press here to lock end”. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can’t count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up."

New Favorite Frozen Treat

I'd seen the ads in some magazines, and today I finally picked up a pint of Hagan Daazs' Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with Granola. One word - fantastic. It's loaded with sugar, but sometimes you just have to enjoy the good stuff!

My Grandmother's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie, one of my favorite flavor combinations. Today, I'm sharing with you a taste that brings me back to childhood: my Memme's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. I made my first batch the other day and after realizing how AMAZING it tastes (with very little effort), I made a second batch!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
5 cups rhubarb, cut up into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups sugar
1 cup drained crushed pineapple

Mix and let sit 30 min. Bring to boil on stovetop for approximately 15 minutes or until rhubarb is cooked. Add 1 large package strawberry jello.

Now, take (half pint canning jars) about 4 of the jars (without the lids on!!) and microwave them for 2 minutes to heat up the jars (instead of doing a tiresome water bath). Get them out of the micro. while they're hot and pour in the hot jam almost to the top. Tightly seal it up with the lid and then immediately turn it upside down for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stand it right side up and you're done! You'll hear the lid "pop" after a while.

As good as this is on toast, it's heavenly on vanilla ice cream - trust me!!

You can find the canning jars just about anywhere - the grocery store, craft store, hardware store, etc.

Reader Decorating Question

Reader Question:

I need to refinish my night stand. It is currently a country green. the walls of the room are a pale yellow, the furniture is a very dark brown and the bed coverings are a metallic gray. Any suggestions? I can either paint it or stain to match the bed and dressers.

Great Question!

The reason I like this question is because so many of us have pieces around the house (or in the basement or garage) that could work in the house if only they fit into the room. Since you're working with a small night stand I think you can do this project in about 2 hours and for very little cost.

I recommend painting it to give a little pop of interest to the room. You'll want to start by priming it (Bulls Eye works great, just one small pint/quart) 2 coats. Once that's dry, paint 2 coats of semi gloss. I pulled out my trusty Ben Moore color wheel and, based on the colors in your room, recommend something very neutral. I'm thinking a tan with some gray undertones:

Benjamin Moore: "Sparkling White" or "Natural Wicker". If you goto Home Depot they can match the color with their store brand paint at no extra cost.

Thanks for the question!

ASK THE ORGANIZER/DECORATOR DAY!

It's that time again! Time to email me your decorating/organizing questions. Don't be shy and don't feel like your question isn't worthy!! I'd like to start 2 new weekly postings, to keep things interesting, "Ask the organizer/decorator" and "A peak in my house", where I'll share personal tips and pictures with you. So go ahead and drop me an email and challenge me!

Getting stains out of teacups

Believe it or not, this life-long coffee drinker has converted to tea! Of course, I couldn't just drink normal tea like everyone else, I had to become addicted to the hard to find African Redbush tea, which is the fabulous red (and always caffeine-free) variety. With added milk, it tastes wonderful. I like the fact that I'm no longer filling half my drink with cream and sugar!

I recently figured out an easy (and cheap) way to knock the tough tea stains out of my nice white tea mugs. I picked up some Oxi-based cleaner (powder) at the local dollar store (it's called "LA's Totally Awesome", I swear I'm not making this up!! As a child of the 80's, I love the Valley Girl reference). I filled the cups with a little scoop of the cleaner, hot water and let them soak. 15 minutes later, I wiped them clean and they looked perfectly new again.

Enjoy the tip and let me know if you've tried this!

Low Cost Organizing Ideas

Okay, I sort of feel like this post is "cheating" a little, since I'm pointing you to someone else's organizing tips :) Real Simple Magazine's June issue arrived yesterday with a terrific cover story called "Easy Organizing: 99 affordable ideas", see link below:

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1738886,00.html

It's a terrific quick-read listing of organizing solutions and products. Some under $2! But I must stress, and can't stress this enough, don't buy the product and THEN organize. You must organize (sort, purge, organize) first and THEN go shopping! Don't eat your dessert before dinner, my friends! It almost never works!

A lot of the things I'd seen before, but some of my favorite products were featured:

1. The Corner Dinnerware Cabinet Organizer, $9, www.organize.com
2. The Rationell Variera Rack, $3, www.ikea.com

Organize.com and the Containerstore.com are excellent sources, once you're ready for solutions.

Enjoy this month's Real Simple's tips and let me know which ones you're going to try!

My "famous" Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I found this pie recipe in Woman's Day Magazine about 4 years ago and it's one of the most-requested recipes I have! Nothing says Spring like rhubarb in New England. When I was a kid, my Peppe (Grandfather) had a beautiful patch of rhubarb in his garden and made strawberry rhubarb jam every summer. It brings me back to a simpler time in life!

Strawberry Rhurbarb Pie
1 refrid. ready-to-use crust

Crumb:
1 c. flour
3/4 c. oats
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Pie:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
4 2/3 cup 1/2 in pieces rhubarb
24 ou. strawberries, halved
1 T grated orange peel

Heat oven to 400. Fit pie into 9 in deep plate. Flute edges. Line baking sheet with foil.
Topping: mix 1st 4 ingred. in med. bowl. Add butter. Toss with fork to form crumbs.
Mix together sugar and cornstarch in med. saucepan. Stir in rhubarb. Bring to simmer over med. heat and stir often until juices thickened. Add strawberry and orange peel. Toss to coat. Pour into crust. Gather crumbs, handful at a time and gently squeeze into clump. Break in small pieces, sprinkle over pie. Bake 50-60 min. until fruit bubbles at edges and top is golden. Cover with foil if browning too much. Serve with vanilla ice cream!!

Scout Boxes/Totes

This weekend we visited family in Maine for Mother's Day. It's always nice to stop and take a break (on the way up) in my absolute favorite little coastal town, Portsmouth, NH. As I was walking by a Hallmark store, I noticed these fabulous totes in the window. The company is Bungalow (www.bungalowco.com) and they make these cool totes and boxes called "Scout". I love the choice of fabric and am a sucker for anything that has multiple storage capabilities. Check them out!

Great Kid Dessert for Parties!

This is one of my favorite "kid" desserts. I made it today for my son's last day of preschool (!!!). It was an emotional day and the sweets helped all the mothers get through it! I can't believe this chapter of our lives is over!

SAND RECIPE

2 boxes Nilla wafers, ground in food processor to look like sand
1 8 ou. cream cheese, room temp
1 stick butter, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
3 small boxes French Vanilla instant pudding
3 1/2 cup milk
1 12 ou. Cool Whip
8 inch plastic bucket with shovel

Mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Set aside.
Mix pudding and milk. Fold in the Cool Whip and the cream cheese mixture. Mix well.

Butter the sides of the bucket. Alternate layers of pudding mixture and "sand". End with about a one inch layer of sand on the top. I topped the thing off with some chocolate seashells, which really made it special! I had my made just for the occasion from the local chocolate shop, but I believe Lindt sells them by the box.

Refrigerate and enjoy!!

Spring found my new shrub!

You have to picture the scene. I walked out to the front yard Saturday morning to stake the arborvite shrub my husband and I planted (about 2 weeks ago). My plan was to wrap a strong piece of twine around the trunk before tying it to the stake. I reached into the center of the shrub with the twine and almost jumped when I saw a beautifully crafted robin's nest filled with the most beautiful Tiffany box blue eggs! Saturday there were 2 eggs and yesterday there were 3. I told my son about the nest and when we went to take a peek the mother bird was sitting on the eggs! I was so excited. I love the whole cycle of it all. I planted ornamental grass in my perennial garden last fall, they died, and this robin used parts of the dead grass to build her nest. I'm in awe by this little nest! As you can guess by the name of my business, Bird's Nest Interiors, I love nests. I have a couple faux nests in my house tucked away on bookshelves. When I first saw this one, I actually thought my husband took one of my faux nests and put it in the shrub as a joke! Happy Spring! Finally finding it's way to Southern New England!!!

The Latest Yard Sale Piece

Here is a picture of last Saturday's yard sale find: a hutch with bookshelf on top that I somehow fit in my car (in 2 pieces) and painted a high gloss white. I'm crazy about this and it was $5! The guy selling it was thrilled to get it out of his garage and I was thrilled to give it a new life. I've been saying this for years, but yard sales are simply the best way to find furniture you want to experiment with. When I picked it out, I figured it would end up in my daughter's room or somewhere in my living room...but the master closet it where it landed! I love not knowing where, but knowing "Yes!!" And for $5, if it didn't work I knew it wasn't any big loss. Okay, I have to run...it's Saturday morning. Any idea where I'm off to?

New WRAPPING Product from Hallmark

I'm about to jump into my car and go get a roll of some of the new self adhesive wrapping paper from our friends at Hallmark. It's apparently like one huge sticky note: easy to use, easy to make a mistake and reposition....you get the idea. I'm considering using it as a shelf liner for a great new bookcase I bought at at yard sale Saturday and (yes, you guessed it) painted glossy white. It's very cute in my master closet, holding my summer bags and sandals. I'll let you know if I get some of the paper and discover all sorts of wacky ways to use it! Enjoy!

The Chip of All Chips!

Anyone who knows me well (or simply reads my blog, for that matter!) knows I have a very big sweet tooth. Those around me usually benefit from this in the form of various cookies recipes, cakes, etc. That said, I've discovered a new chip that is driving me all sorts of crazy (i.e. eating half the bag without blinking...) I never get excited about things that crunch....

It's Terra Chips' "Mediterranean" chip.
It's PERFECT. Try it and let me know!

A mop I really like...

Okay, so we won't file this posting under the most glamorous of postings, but here goes. I love this little mop made by the Libman people. I bought it at Target for something like $9 and it's perfect for weekly light mopping of the powder room and upstairs bathroom floors. The reason I love it is that you can simply pop off the mop head, wash it in the washing machine and the funky smell of floor cleaner is gone! In the past, I've gotten sponge mop heads and replaced them regularly. Now, I just pop off the head and reuse it. I love that! Has anyone else used this mop? Let me know!

Car Organizer

I was just flipping through "Health" magazine and came across a cool little car organizer: the "Swing Away Organizer", $15.95 from AutoSport catalog. I use an L.L.Bean medium sized open tote on the passenger side floor of my car for similar uses: it holds baby wipes, Purell, a magazine or two, water bottles and suntan lotion. There's no need to have your items sprawled all over the floor of your car (who know who you are!!) when products exist for under $20. Happy car organizing!

Junk Mail and Telemarketers

Since many of you showed excitement about the post where I explained how to stop unwanted catalogs, I wanted to share something I recently did to stop junk mail and unsolicited phone calls. If I get mail, I want it to be letters from friends and decorating magazines (and, um...the occasional inflated credit card bill....!)

To reduce the amount of unsolicited mail or telemarketing calls you receive, send a postcard or letter requesting removal from lists. Include your name, address and phone number:

Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Telephone Preference Service
P.O. Box 1559
Carmel, NY 10512

Organizing Tip: Spice Drawer

There are lots of jokes aimed at organized people like, "oh yes, I spent my Saturday organizing my spice drawer!" Well, I'm one of those people and I take pride in the little areas of my house, like my spice drawer!

I love to cook and insist on a simple, well set-up kitchen, free of clutter and free of the items I rarely use (those are stored in the basement on a shelf).

Have you ever considered using a drawer to store your spices? It's a lot easier to find what you need (and know what you have so you don't double up) if they're lined up in a drawer. If you currently use a cupboard, how about making the switch? If you're happy with your cupboard and don't want to change, how about going to Target or www.stacksandstacks.com and getting some item risers (your spices will be lined up like they are attending a high school pep rally in the gym!).

And have you ever wondered how long spices last? Not as long as you'd think: herbs? 1-3 years. Others? 2-3 years. You really ought to upgrade while you're organizing. I love the "Simply Organic" line. Another great store/catalog is Penzey's Spice.

Go get spicy :)!

Gardening Catalogs

Because Spring arrives in New England at a turtle's pace, it's a lot of fun to spend early Spring browsing seed and bulb catalogs. Today I got a fantastic one from the people at Seeds of Change, which is all certified organic.

Here are my favorites:
Seeds of Change: www. seedsofchange.com
Brent and Becky's Bulbs: www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com
Burpee Seed: www.burpee.com/public/index.aspx

This year we are going to build ourselves raised garden boxes, based on the book "All New Square Foot Gardening", by Mel Bartholomew. There are many advantages to this method, including bringing in really good organic, composted soil, being able to walk around the box (for weeding and picking) and because they look really pretty! I'm not interested in digging up the yard, so we can place these on the edge of the property. I love the idea of an organized garden (go figure!!)

We're going to build 3 boxes (to start!) and plant:

Box 1: Giant Heirloom Zinnia, for late summer cuttings
Box 2: Herbs and Tomatoes
Box 3: Kids Box! Either sunflowers or pumpkins

I'll take pictures for the blog once we've built the boxes and set them up.

Happy Spring!

Yard Sale Furniture!

Anyone who has been to my house knows I've gotten some of my favorite pieces of furniture at yard sales. The coffee table in my den? $7. The queen sized solid maple bed in my son's room? $10. The list goes on and on! When people visit the house and compliment something I have to stop myself from giving a tacky play by play of where I've found my finds!

Now that yard sale season is upon us, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share some very easy tips for refinishing yard sale furniture.

First of all, you want something with good "bones", i.e. it doesn't matter how ugly it looks on the surface, if it's made of nice solid wood (not vaneer), pick it up. What's the risk? $10? Who cares?

If the wood needs it, give it a light sanding with a medium sand paper and then work your way to the finest paper. Wipe clean and PRIME (do NOT skip this!) with either KILZ or BULLSEYE primer. I usually do 2-3 coats of primer. Next? Paint your find! I like taking my Benjamin Moore paint wheel to the store and having something mixed custom, since I like to really customize the colors. A semi-gloss is nice. You'll want 2 coats of the paint.

To the right are pictures of my favorite find to date. I got this table at the local Salvation Army for $10. It's a late 19th century dining room table. I sawed the base down, reattached it, painted it white and made a coffee table. Love it! Do you know how hard it is to find a table big enough for the whole family to play games and make puzzles?

Happy Hunting! See you at the yard sales! p.s. don't forget to keep bungee cords in your trunk, ladies!

Cherry Almond Cake

Here's another fool-proof amazing dessert. Sounds ordinary, but tastes extraordinary!

Cherry Almond Cake
1 cup flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 stick butter, room temp
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t almond extract
15 ounce jar pitted cherries (I use ones in a glass jar)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-11 inch springform pan. (I like butter flavored Crisco)

Beat sugar and butter about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Add almond extract. Sift flour and baking powder and add to butter mix. Mix until incorporated. Scrape into pan. Top with drained cherries. Bake 65 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on rack and remove sides of pan. Top with powdered sugar.

Do you need my help?

I just returned from a very satisfying closet organizing job. I loved the work, the client was very pleased and my kids got to play with her kids while I worked. What a life I lead! She told me she's a regular reader of the blog (thank you!) and encouraged me to remind my lovely readers that, although I love to blog, my primary job is an organizer/decorator. I'm here for the hiring, friends!

My current rate is $50 an hour. Most jobs require at least a 2-4 hour window. It's best to book me at least a week in advance.

The great news for you is that next year I'll be childless during the day! That's 9-3 of un-interrupted organizing time! Please treat yourself to the space you deserve. Organization is not a one-time quick fix. It's a process. It's thinking about your space/life with new eyes.

Hire an organizer today!

Twistie Ties

Remember the days when toys came in simple packaging? Or little packaging at all? Now, it seems every toy is tied down in its box by about 10 silver colored "twisty ties". It's a comedy of errors Christmas morning when parents are trying desperately to rescue a toy from it's restraints, isn't it? I can't remember which of my talented friends gave me this idea, but it's one I love:

Use the twisty ties in your garden to stake plants/flowers/tomatoes, etc. They are especially good because unlike the ties you get with trash bags, they are really really strong. I collect them after holidays and keep them in a clear jar in the garage.

Happy gardening!

Too Many Catalogs?

Are you overwhelmed by all the catalogs that arrive in your mailbox? Do they remain unread? Clog up your recycling bin? I found a fantastic site to help!

www.catalogchoice.org

I just visited the site and was very easily able to opt-out of many catalogs we receive, and never use. Most of the shopping I do is from companies websites anyway (hello Lands End! Ha, ha)

Start with little ways to live deliberately, responsibly and simple.

Let me know how it goes!

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

There are 2 recipes I make that get the most requests for recipe: White Chocolate Raspberry Bars and Cherry Almond Cake. I'll be posting both over the next week.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 c. butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. flour
2 eggs
18 oz. jar red raspberry preserves
1 cup vanilla chips

Heat oven to 350. Combine sugar, butter, salt and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until well mixed (about 2 min.). Reduce speed to low. Beat, adding flour 1 cup at a time until mixture is crumbly (2 min.) Remove 1 cup of mixture and set aside. Add eggs to remaining crumb mixture. Beat until mixture forms a dough (2 min). Press evenly into 13 x 9 pan lined with parchment (not wax!) paper. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Spread preserves over hot, partially baked bars. Sprinkle with vanilla chips and then with reserved crumb mix. Continue baking for 20 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into bars. makes about 48 bars.

Ask the Organizer Question: Mom Papers

Ask the Organizer Question:

"My biggest and most frustrating problem is the paper pile that accumulates on my kitchen countertop. The pile of paper consists of invites that I need to reply to, registration forms for the kids, anything that needs follow up! The pile spreads...I thin it out...but it never seems to go away. The problem is that we're quite tight on space, so I really don't know how or where to organize these various papers so that they are out of sight, but not out of mind!"

Reader, I'm so glad you asked this question! Those of us with school-aged children (and of course, anyone with a mailbox..) can relate and share your frustration. I'll share with you what I've done and you might be able to adjust it to your needs.

I've broken it down into 2 storage areas for "mom" paperwork: "deep storage" and "active file" (see picture to the right). What's in the "deep storage"? It's a stand up hanging file box ($10 at Target) with the following files, "sports", "preschool", "scouts" and "kindergarten". What I keep here are items that are important (school handbook, old sport team info., scout phone lists, etc.) BUT don't need to be in my main area of operation. So it's things I need, but not right away, or not in the near future.

The ACTIVE file: Mine is a $3 plastic notebook (you might want to get one that can stand upright, with a cute binder (Target!)) In this notebook are ACTIVE invites, sports schedules, permission slips, etc. It's in my main area of operation (near the phone and near my computer) and it's something I peak in every few days. Not EVERY day, but every couple of days. It's out of site, it's orderly, it was cheap to throw together and it works. And since it's papers you're dealing with, there is no need to have them out of the notebook. They'll fit neatly, put away.

Good luck, dear reader and remember, you don't need to have every last piece of paper in your active area - break it down, girl!

ORGANIZE MAGAZINE

Where have I been? Just today I learned of a magazine just for me: Organize Magazine!
http://www.organizemag.com/index. Check out their site and go get yourself an issue. Love it!

Reader Question #1: Storing Summer Stuff!

This is the first question I received in my "ask the organizer" series.

"Any ideas on how to store all the little (summer) stuff like the sidewalk chalks, ball mitts, butterfly-catchers, jump ropes, sun block, water toys....I could go on"

The first thing I have to say is, "wow, I want to be a kid in THAT house!" Sounds like a lot of fun. I actually have a great, cheap, tried and true idea for the smaller items (sunblock, sunglasses, hats, etc.): an over-the-door shoe organizer (see the picture to the right). The nice thing about this is you can keep it in your mudroom (on the back of your kitchen door, dear reader?) and change the items out per season (gloves and hats in the winter). Kids can easily grab at the lower items and mom and dad can monitor the less than kid-friendly items (like bug spray) up top. You can get plastic shoe organizers for about $10 and canvas for a little more money. These are also great to hold craft supplies, hair accessories, toy cars, etc.

For the larger items like ball mitts, I recommend buying a big old galvanized tub (Target) that can be used as a catch-all. And if you're entertaining, you can throw a bag of ice in the tub and fill it with beer :) Perhaps after a day of sidewalk chalk, baseball and bug catching? :)

Thanks for the question and if you need more specific advice, please email me again.

Ask the organizer!

Friends, please forward me your current organizing dilemma (partridgeathome@yahoo.com) and I'll post some advice to the site. Chances are, the things you're frustrated by will be shared by my readers! Lets get talking!

Organizing tip: Linen Closet

If you want to store extra bedding in a neat and handy way, fold the fitted and top sheets and then store them inside the matching pillowcase, all folded neatly. When you have a guest, you'll just take out that one pouch of bedding and won't hunt for matching pillow cases! And while we're talking about linen closets, why don't you go ahead and toss those 10-year-old bath towels that have been taking up your precious space? There are only so many towels a family needs and they take up a lot of room!

Hummingbird Cake, my new favorite!

Since I worked as a Southern Living at Home consultant for so long, I thought it would be fun to give you "the most requested recipe in Southern Living magazine history". I tried the cake out on a friend and it was moist, dangerously good and beautiful!

Hummingbird Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup veg. oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas
Cream Cheese frosting
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; and eggs and oil, sirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (do not beat). Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans and bananas.

Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round cakepans. Bake at 350 for 25/30 minutes until center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes' remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread cream cheese frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator to set the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 16 ounce pkg. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Fun Tub Idea!

If you want to thrill your child, place a small action figure in a plastic bowl, fill the bowl with water, and freeze it! The next night, place the frozen figure in the tub and play with it until it melts. Fantastic!

Great Organizing Website

I'm a big fan of success by baby steps. When I'm working with clients, we usually start small (one drawer, one section of a closet, etc.) Once you see you CAN do something small, and stick to it (!!) it's a lot more rewarding.

I want to challenge my readers to finally organize that underwear or sock drawer. A terrific product (that I use, one for my socks, one for my underwear) can be found at:

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/44103_drawer-organizer-cubicles.htm

Stacks and Stacks is a site that offers storage and organization for just about any challenge. Poke around their site, you'll have fun. But be sure you don't just buy a bunch of stuff with developing a PLAN!

Ladies, you've heard it many times, but most of us are wearing the wrong size bra. Do yourself a favor and take a trip to Victoria's Secret, where they will not only measure you, but will give you a box that has a trial of every bra they sell in your size. Then, you're free to shop easily.

Happy spring cleaning! Email me your challenges and success! And p.s. don't forget to measure your drawer before your buy the sock organizer!!

Nutrition Time!

I think of myself as a relatively smart woman when it comes to nutrition. I've been a vegetarian and regular exerciser for years. I walk, I run, I practice yoga, blah, blah, blah. But it wasn't until I saw Dr. Oz recently on Oprah that I realized I was missing the boat in the vitamin department. Since I take a multivitamin for women, I assumed I was getting what I needed. Not so! Here is what we all need, simply put:

• 1200 mg. calcium
  
• 600 mg. magnesium (to make the calcium work, who new?)
• a good all-around womens multi vitamin
• fish oil (I take 3 a day, with each meal)

The best way to stay on top of this is to get one of those weekly pill dispensers (get one large enough!) and keep it near your toothbrush. That way you'll remember to space things out throughout the day. As a woman in my mid 30's, I realize NOW is the time to really take care of my bones through vitamins and strength training.

One more bit: only 25% of Americans get enough fiber, which is 25 grams a day. Want to knock this out in one meal? 1 cup of FIBER ONE cereal gives you 24 grams! One bowl! I eat one daily with fruit. It's so much better than the bran and fiber cereals of the past. Give it a try!

If you're reading this, you're someone I care about, so start taking the best care of yourself today!

Clothes, clothes, clothes....

As an organizer, one of my favorite challenges are master closets. Here are a couple tips I give clients to "rethink" the amount of clothes they keep. Of course I could write a book about this, but I'll just touch upon some of my favorite things....

• Did you know most of us wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time?
  (TIP: once you wear something, turn the hanger around. After a few months, you'll notice which things never get worn. Donate those things)
• Wooden hangers make clothes look SO much neater and make you appreciate what you have. Invest in a pack of 20 from a place like Bed Bath and Beyond for as little as $10.
  
• I encourage people to only keep their current season in their closet. Getting dressed is easier and transitioning from one season to the next gives you an opportunity to re-evaluate what you're holding on to. Store off-season clothes in clear lidded bins. If you can't, you have too many clothes. Also keep off-season bags and shoes in a separate space.
  
• Do you have business attire you're no longer using? You can donate it to DRESS FOR SUCCESS (www.dressforsuccess.org). They distribute career clothes to economically disadvantaged women looking for jobs. Who wouldn't feel good about that?

That's all for you. Please email me and ask me your specific closet organizing questions and I'll post them on the blog. Happy Donating!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, analyzed!

Many of you know that one of my favorite rainy/snowy day activities is baking. This year, I got tired of mediocre homemade chocolate chip cookies (does such a thing exist?) and decided to make it my mission to figure out what separates a good cookie from a GREAT cookie. After several batches (and I mean, several....)

Here is what I found:

• Best taste? Butter flavored Crisco (it's sort of gross, but tastes the best!)
• Eggs must be at room temperature (who knew?)
  
• Get the good chips! My favorite are Guittard (I always use Semi or Bittersweet chips (b.s. are darker and deeper in flavor)
• I always bake on a Silpat or parchment paper
• I like to add a little pinch of cinnamon (it adds a little coconut taste - weird, huh?)
  
• Chill your dough for at least 30 min.
• Put the scoops of batter onto a room temp cookie sheet (You can run cold water onto a used sheet)
  

My recipe!
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t soda
1 t salt (I use kosher)
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c. butter flavored Crisco
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 1/2 t vanilla (I use more than most people)
12 ou. good quality chips
1 c. walnuts

Mix flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in bowl. In separate bowl, cream Crisco, sugars and then eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the dry to the wet and then add your nuts and chips. Mix until well combined, but don't over beat things. I like to do it all by hand. I like to scoop batter balls with an ice cream scoop that has the handle that pushes the scoop out. Make sure to allow room for them to spread!

Bake for about 8-10 min in a 375 oven. You'll want to move your oven rack to the center.
Cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes and then let them totally cool on wire racks. Enjoy!

Two little things to note: you can make your cookie dough into a log (like Tollhouse slice and bake) and then wrap it in Saran and Tinfoil and freeze the batter. You may also freeze baked cookies. When it's time to eat, just zap in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Heaven!

Wrap-N-Mat, the greatest thing!

I don't remember where I first read about this, but one of my favorite things is a re-usable sandwich wrap and place mat in one called the Wrap-N-Mat. It's made of cute, wipe-able material (many different fabric choices, from sports to holidays). It's 13x13 when it's opened and closes with a piece of Velcro. It's definately one of those things I saw and thought, "now, why didn't I invent that!!!". They start at $4.99 each. I'm definately getting one for each kid when they're in full time school. You can visit the site at www.wrapnmat.com. Let me know if you've ever seen these.

Irish Soda Bread

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, my friends! You'd never know it looking at me, but I am 1/4 Irish, so I try to honor ye ol' heritage with some traditional Irish baking. Here's the best soda bread recipe I've found!

1/2 c. white sugar
4 c. flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 cups raisins
1 T caraway seed (optional, I love it)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c. buttermilk (don't substitute)
1 c. sour cream

350 oven. Grease 9 inch round cake pan. Mix flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt, raisins and caraway. In small bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, sour cream. Stir liquid into the flour until moist. Knead dough about 12 strokes in bowl. Will be very sticky! Place in the pan and pat it. Cut a 4 in deed slip into the top (I do an "x"). Dust the top with a little flour. Bake 65-75 minutes. Cool and turn it into a wire rack.

Splurge and pat with delicious whipped butter!

Decorating End Tables

One of the questions I get a lot from clients is "how do I decorate an end table". Most of us put a lamp and maybe a framed picture, but what comes next? Here is a general formula I've noticed in most of my decorating books and magazines. Once I tell you about it, you'll notice it everywhere!

First, you have a lamp (reading if you're in a den or something softer in the bedroom). Then, the trick is usually grouping the following: lamp, framed picture, books, vase of flowers and some interesting object. By interesting object, I mean something like a cool little wooden box, statue, an interesting small bowl, etc. Go on, flip through some magazines and you'll see it!

If you have a decorating dilemma, please email me at partridgeathome@yahoo.com and I will post your question on the site and do my best to give you some ideas!

Organizing Tip! KIDS ART

I think most moms will say 2 things about their kid's art: they love it, and there is TOO MUCH OF IT! Here is something I've done to manage the paper-flow a little. I save only the most special things (not including all the flimsy-papered math sheets!), about 10 favorite pieces per kid/per year. Then, go to your postoffice/Target, etc. and buy a $3 white mailing tube. Write your child's name and school year on the side, roll up the art and you're done! You can collect many years upright in a closet, attic, etc. Simple and affordable!

POPCORN!

I decided to go retro last night and make hot aired popcorn. With everything I've read about the evils of microwave corn, I figured it was worth giving air popped corn another chance. As a kid, we had one of those hideous looking yellow plug-in kinds (remember them? the gross little butter melter tray? they turn up at yard sales all the time!).

My latest trick? Put 1/4 cup of kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold the bag over 3 times and pop it for about 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave! The result? Fluffy, white, super low-cal, whole grain treat...in it's own cute bag :) The kids loved it.

Wash those Windows!

We all hate to clean, right? But since it's a necessary evil, why not make the most of it by buying/making yourself the best (environmentally safe) cleaning products. I know, I know, you're rolling your eyes by the idea of making your own cleaning products. I promise it's painless! And it's much better on the environment and your wallet!

Here is the best window-washing formula I've found:

1/2 cup ammonia
1 pint 70% rubbing alcohol
1 tsp. dishwashing liquid (I used lavendar)

Combine in a bucket and add enough hot water to make a gallon of washing liquid. I filled a 99 cent spray bottle from Target and used a squeggee to wipe the window and a microfiber cloth to wipe up excess spots.

I just learned about the massive power of the microfiber cloth! Did you know you can wet it, ring it out and wipe down all your stainless steel to make it shine? No nasty cleaning product necessary. I bought a pack of 6 and rotate them in and out of the wash. It's a great way to save on paper towel expense and waste! They are also great for dusting tv and computer screens, ceiling fans, lampshades....

Chocolate Birds Nest, an Easter delight!

2 cups butterscotch chips
2 cups chocolate chips
3 cups chow-mein noodles
M&M speckled eggs (I use the robin's egg blue ones in the package)

Melt chips in microwave about 2 minutes and mix until melted and smooth. Stir in noodles. Drop little balls of the mix on wax paper and make a space in the middle to place the eggs (about 2). Chill in fridge about half and hour. Crazy good!

Welcome to Bird's Nest Interiors!

Hello Friends! I've been wanting to do a blog to support Bird's Nest Interiors (my decorating and organizing business) for some time now. You can visit here to get great lifestyle ideas: decorating, organizing, baking, health & wellness and gardening. Please check back frequently, as I hope to post on a regular basis. And please leave comments to let me know what I should be doing more (or less!) of. Thank you and have fun with it!