The Time Has Come

2008 is hours away from being at a close. This has been a very large year for many people. Some of us have experienced some very tragic times and some of us have skipped through yet another year without tragedy.

I would like to take this brief moment and say thank you to all of you. You have blessed my life in more ways than any of you can imagine. Through your blessings there has been much heart felt love and gratitude, along with this has come some very special lessons learned.

In reflecting over 2008, there are some special people that have made a tremendous impact on my life and I would like to take this time and thank you personally.

Alvada, I am so thankful for you coming into my life and the moments we have shared. Thank you for helping move toward my life long goal and helping me make it a reality. You and your family have blessed my family and I enormously. Congratulations on your new addition to the family.

Lisa, there are not enough words to explain the gratitude I have for you and your glowing personality. I am so thankful for our friendship and I look forward to many more years. May 2009 be full of love and prosperity for you and my it be a year for more of your beautiful paintings.

Marcia, you are such a special person to me. Your drive is contagious and I thank you for sharing it with all that will listen. You are truly an inspiration.

Etienne, today is your birthday and I hope your day was full of love and happiness. Thank you so much for your friendship and compassion for helping people be safe on line.

Mike, I hope 2009 is full of nothing but the best for you, Robin, and your family. Just by your willingness to share, I have learned so much.

Paul, "Roses on the Windshield" is so beautiful. I wish your family, most importantly, both you and Brenda a very special love filled 2009. I look forward to working with you in the months to come.

Harry, I have faith that you will obtain your goal of helping 1 million people. You have touched the lives of so many already. Thank you so much for your help with Jesse's Blanket of Love.

Jesse's Blanket, a special thank you to Anna and Johnathan Maxwell for the remarkable courage that you have. You have had a tough year and we have all shared in that. 2009 is going to be a very special year for you!

Chef Clive Berkman, "Creating Empty Bottle Moments", is truly a book that every family should own. You have blessed all that have read it and I feel very honored to have reviewed your book. 2009 is going to be a big year for you with your book going public in March. I look forward to "Creating Empty Bottle Moments Revisited".

Last but not least, a very special I Love You to my family, thank you so much for your love and support. I love you all, have a Happy New Year!

Touching lives one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....
Ria

Jesse's Blanket of Love

ICE

I C E- IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

It is not very often I share emails, however, with New Year's right around the corner and many people getting ready for their festive social gatherings, I felt this information was valuable and was very thankful that my friend Pam from Atlanta, Georgia, thought of me when she forwarded it to me.

I would like to take this time and thank the un-named Paramedic who thought of this and cared enough to start to spread the word. Hopefully, we can all do our part in making his/her dream come true.

"We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends".

"If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence; that is how 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign came to be."

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell (mobile) phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose e. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE.'

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!
Please help spread this information by sharing this blog with your friends and family. This is a small task that we all can do to help Emergency Workers do their job.

It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.

I am one of the world's worst about the thought process of, "that won't happen to me." I think we have all been there. The truth is however, "it could be me". Forget the concept of what your mother always told you about having clean underwear on, or in today's world, make sure you have some on. Let's make sure that we make just one simple change in our mobile phone address books, you just never know.

I am so passionate about this that if you email me at Ria's Collectables with the number of people (not names), that you share this blog with, than you will receive a 20% discount on your next purchase. Our way of saying thank you for helping spread the word. For more information regarding this project, please visit our Specials Page for more information

Have a safe and wonderful New Year's.

Ria

Help! I've Been Tagged

I have a very dear friend who is the "Organising Queen", I mean she is serious about it. As a matter of fact, I wish I knew how she did it. More importantly, I wish I was as talented as she is and it has given me the incentive to strive harder for 2009.

In August, there was a group of us who took a month long challenge to De-clutter every day for 30 days. At the end of those 30 days, I was amazed at how relieved I started feeling. We all know how that is, things pile up, we get overwhelmed, and life then becomes total chaos.

It appears that those of us who work full time and operate our own business after 5 and juggle a family, seem to know just how fast everything can become cluttered, overwhelming, and quite frankly, TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL.

Marcia hosts a Friday De-clutter Challenge every week, unfortunately, she tagged me when I was not looking. Therefore, I am over a week late to accepting her challenge but I gladly do.

On a personal note, Marcia, although I have been busy and not keeping up with my weekly reading of the blog, I am proud to share that I have de-cluttered the following over the last several weeks. You see, I have gone back and reviewed all of my material from your ECourses and I am very glad that I took your Course, it is more than worth it's weight in gold to me.

Now for the drum roll........

3,251 emails - DELETED
Computer is now being backed up once a week to a separate drive - OH YEAH
Pictures are being ORGANIZED so that I can find them and I have started to take them to get them printed.
I have un-subscribed to MANY newsletters some successfully, others may have to be reported.
Plus, I have made room for 3 additional household members.

So, my dear friend, I am late to the game but I am working away very hard at all of it thanks to you and all of the support and encouragement you give me.

Now, I get to tag 3 people.....or should I tag more????

So, I am going to tag some people who are very dear to me and have also challenged me in ways that I am grateful for.

Etienne A. Gibbs
Lisa Ann Bonfiglio
Mike Malachefski
Paul Flood
Chef Clive Berkman

May everyone have a wonder Christmas and a great start to the new year!

Touching lives, one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....

Ria

Salvation Army Red Kettle

Have you ever wondered just how the tradition of the Salvation Army's Red Kettle came about?

courtesy of TSA - DFW Metroplex

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the project.
Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake nights, worrying, thinking, praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city's poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot" into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.
The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling." He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.
Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the west coast to the Boston area. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists more than four-and-a-half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.
Everywhere, public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.

Bookmark this on Delicious

Creating Empty Bottle Moments

Review of Creating Empty Bottle Moments

October 25, 2008 @ 11:39 AM- Written by Ria Wallace

Creating Empty Bottle Moments

Clive Berkman
http://www.cookingwithclive.com/

Baxter Press, March 2009
Hardcover 256 pp
ISBN: 1888237716ISBN-13: 978-1-888237-71-9

I purchased a copy of Creating Empty Bottle Moments after stumbling upon Clive Berkman's blog Cooking with Clive, reading through the archives, and thinking to myself that this is not only a cookbook, this is a man who has taken the opportunity to share his life with all that will listen. I knew just from some of the reference pages, that this was not only a book worth reading, but one worth sharing. Focusing on family, friends, the kitchen and life lessons, this is a book for all ages. After receiving my copy in the mail, I started reading it and I am glad I did.
Creating Empty Bottle Moments is basically a cookbook guide written for families on how to take life's moments to the kitchen and teach simple moments that will last a life time. By focusing on actual life circumstances from every age, it provides a lot of very specific and useful advice for families on how to make meal time the focus of family togetherness, from the day's happenings to the preparation of the actual meal. It also shows how life has those moments that we can take to the kitchen and cook up a different outcome. I feel that Creating Empty Bottle Moments is quite useful and applicable for all families that would like to make changes within their lives and learn from every moment, it also has wonderful recipes to help guide a new idea for meals. What's inside that makes it an interesting read for all families? Let's take a stroll through the book and find out.
Inside Creating Empty Bottle Moments
Creating Empty Bottle Moments is broken into two distinct parts. Chapter one makes up the first part, entitled Making Great Memories; it focuses primarily on gaining insight from life's moments, coupled with actual recipes allowing you to put them into a recipe of your own and make your own rich, life time meal. The second part, Life's Richest Lessons from the Restaurant Business, makes up the rest of the book and discusses a lot of the issues that arise from the "Sandpaper Moments" of everyday life. While the division is clear, the individual sub-topics all flow together well enough that the division probably isn't necessary - if one part sounds interesting, the other part is well worth reading and serves as a nice complement.

What's a Nice Jewish Boy like You doing in the Kitchen? Most people spend their life flailing. In fact, I would venture to say that not many people are willing to look at every aspect of their life with humility and take that lesson to improve the quality of not only their life, but the lives of their family as well. As a matter of fact, more often than not, we only want to lay blame and not take responsibility, it would be far to easy to give someone else the credit as to why we can not accomplish our life's passion instead of living life with passion.
People come from all walks of life, yet we all get dressed the same way. Secretly, we all wish things were different, whether it is the relationship with our parents, children, co-workers, spouses, or just plain life in general. I feel there are changes we can all incorporate within our life to make these changes and by doing so; we are creating new, hopeful happier memories.
Reading this book, allowed me to look within myself and be proud of the challenges that life has to bring and affirm the gratitude that I have for simple things in life. Reaffirm that the riches in life only come from life moments because it is these moments that no one can buy. For instance, a millionaire can only provide the finances to have an elaborate meal. It takes all the intricate phases of this meal to make it grand. From purchasing the food, how the table is set to the preparation of the food. It is however, the heartfelt experience that makes it phenomenal. That only comes from within us; no one can buy that because it can not be bought. This is the same principle of family, regardless of the financial status of your family, you are the richest person in the world if you can create moments that only your family can have, and by doing so, share those experiences with others so that they can add to their riches.
Clive Berkman clearly captivates his audiences with flavor and a uniqueness all of his own. His experience as a son, Brother, Father, and Chef to name a few of his accomplishments, brought experiences in life that he could have made other choices with. Instead it is obvious he has a passion for cooking and for sharing his humble insight to help make one's life richer. This book is filled with such gratitude that is leaves you thirsty for more and longing to be a part of the pie.
The Recipes:
While not for everyone, there are well over 50 rich recipes surely to please even the pickiest person. The best part of them is the life stories that come along with them.
Life's richest lessons are given names such as "Sandpaper Moment's ", "Lagniappe", "Oops!", "Before It's Time", "Only the Best", and "Don't Lose Your Lunch Money", all share a very unique, humble, life example incorporated with planning a meal.
Buy or Don't Buy?I personally have several cook books, some of which remind me of my childhood years and others because the recipes just sounded good. None of them however incorporate a true life story or lesson to be learned. This cookbook is in my opinion definitely one to add to any family's collection to pass through to the next generation. This would also make a perfect gift and one to be treasured.
In short, buy this book if you are looking for a new way to bring the family back to the table. The stories are tremendously useful and it shows how a cookbook can be rewarding outside of the kitchen. It is not however, a book to buy if you are not ready to make memorable changes within your life.
Currently this is on pre-sale through http://www.cookingwithclive.com/ as well as various book stores within the Houston, Texas area and is scheduled to go public through Barnes & Noble in March 2009.

Potato Salad

Superb Potato Salad

Created by The MDM Team, Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Like the title says, this potato salad is one of the best! Put this traditional recipe to the test and it's sure to beat out those pre-packaged potato salads.

Ingredients

3 lb. red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
8 tsp. white wine vinegar, (used incrementally)
3 hard-cooked large eggs
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped sweet pickles
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (approx. 2 bunches)
6 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed, blanched, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Methods/steps

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until tender; drain. Put potatoes in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, and toss gently. Cool completely. Chop egg whites (do not need yolks); set aside. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, mustard, black pepper, and kosher salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add in vinegar mixture, egg whites, red onion, red bell pepper, sweet pickles, green onion, and sugar snap peas to potato mixture, stirring gently to coat. Allow to chill before serving

September 27, 2008

This weeks Pay it Forward goes to

Lisa Ann Bonfiglio
Author-Illustrator-Business Owner
Dynamic Art House
http://dynamicarthouse.com/

Her smile is contagious and illuminating, but not as much as her spirit of giving. Lisa is a true inspiration in all that she does. From her paintings, writings, talents as a jeweler, to her personal commitment of giving of herself.

Through her own self expression, she challenges us to look further within ourselves and give when we truly do not feel there is anything left to possibly share.
The cover of her book, "Illumination Divine Inspiration from my heart to your heart" ISBN 978-1-4259-7200-4, reminds you of her personal angelic spirit and leaves you with the desire to move forward and pass it on.

Beeswax

For almost as long as we have been collecting honey from bees, we have also been gathering and using beeswax. It is used in many forms, to make art, candles and medicines, and many of these practices continue today.

The source of Beeswax

It's the honeybee that produces beeswax – in particular the worker bees that use the wax to build their honeycomb. They have special glands on the underside of the abdomen that secrete the wax, which emerges as a transparent liquid that the bees then chew and mould into the cells of their comb. When the wax dries it turns into a hard, white substance, though because of the presence of pollen it is often yellowish, or even red. It's because of this process that beeswax retains a faint smell of honey, one of its best-loved properties.

Beekeepers have gathered beeswax since ancient history – it's still a laborious process compared to synthetic or petroleum based waxes. The wax is collected from the hive, melted down and then fashioned into 'cakes'. These cakes are very durable, and have been traded for centuries as a long-lasting commodity. In some parts of the world beeswax is still the most readily available type of wax, and is used for many different purposes from healthcare to gardening. It can be used to graft plants onto new stems, as it is pliable and weatherproof.

History

Beeswax was used in Ancient Egypt around 2 millennia ago – mixed into pigment it was applied to canvasses when painting with the 'encaustic' method. These pictures are some of the best-preserved examples of Egyptian art, demonstrating the resilience of beeswax. The wax was heated and used as the 'carrier' for the powdered pigment – before being baked in the heat of the sun to seal it.

In mediaeval times most candles were made of tallow – usually from animal fats. However, these candles tended to sputter and give off foul odors, and in the middle Ages the Catholic Church decreed that only pure beeswax candles should be burned in their churches. Traditional church candles today are still made from beeswax. Because of beeswax's superior quality, it was very expensive, however, and only the richest could afford beeswax candles for their home.

There is mention of beeswax being used as a skin softener in Roman times, and the wings of Icarus were reputedly fixed with the substance. Cosmetic products today, particularly of the 'luxury' type, sometimes contain beeswax. It is also mixed with linseed oil and turpentine to produce an excellent furniture polish.

A substance with so many varied and beneficial uses has understandably always been regarded as very precious – for this reason beeswax is quite valuable, and in fact used to be a form of currency. In Europe several governments called for payment in beeswax – for rent, taxes or fines. No wonder it's always been so highly prized!

With the rich history of beeswax and the valuable properties, it's no wonder Ria's Collectables has chosen this wax to be a part of their Natural Hand Poured Wax Candles

September 20th, 2008

Ria's Pay it Forward

September 20th, 2008

Etienne A. Gibbs

Internet Safety Advocate & Educator

http://www.saynotohackersandspyware.com/

This weeks pick is Etienne Gibbs. I first met Etienne several months ago during a class we were both taking. His passion for on-line safety is remarkable! From his blog radio show, to his on-line presence, he is always educating someone about the safety issues surrounding the Internet.

Born on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, he was known as Mr. Maximizing Your Potential. Since his move to San Antonio, he is now known as The Master Blog Builder for his work with small businesses. He has created blogs for travel at Executive And Group Travel blog as well.

Ria's Collectables has had the pleasure of being interviewed on Etienne's Show and I must say, his enthusiasm is highly contagious.

As an on-line business owner, I encourage not only on line safety but to also be aware of your personal safety as well. Etienne will help guide you in keeping one of your most valuable possessions, your computer, safe.

Thank you Etienne for you work in helping educate people regarding online safety.

September 13, 2008

At Ria's Collectables, we are recognizing one person per week until the end

of 2008 starting September 6th, 2008.

This weeks Pay it Forward:

Marcia Francois- The Organising Queen
Johannesburg, South Africa
http://www.takechargesolutions.org/

When I first met Marcia, it was during one of those life moments of chaos and stress. I was taking some online courses, working all day at the full time job, coming home to work on the remodel project, working on my website to be accredited through the BBB, and filling orders all before calling it a day.
One day before I decided to turn the computer off, I just sat there and thought, there has to be a better way of keeping it all organized, one that not only comes from the heart but is personal, easy to read, and most importantly, easy to follow. I signed up for Marcia's e-course and have enjoyed my relationship with her since.
She has always been there with encouragement and enthusiasm, which must come from her natural ability to coach from the heart. She has shared my struggles as a Woman Owned Online Business and has been fantastic in her efforts to help with her honesty and willingness to share.
I hope you set some time aside and get to know her. She is an avid blogger and is a published e-zine author. With her infectious personality, she encourages everyone that comes in contact with her to take charge and "Organise". Everything she writes helps to organize the chaos and reduce the stress of everyday life which in return, helps to plant the seed of helping make our world a better place.
Please join us in our effort to keep this act of kindness going. Have a great week and look forward to our next Pay it Forward Spotlight.
Touching lives, one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....

Ria

Tough Times Never Last

This is one of my all time favorites. Great book to read when we feel overwhelmed with life in general.
Hope you enjoy
Ria

Pay it Forward-September 6th, 2008

Welcome to Ria's Collectables Pay It Forward Page. This is our way of saying thank you to the people we come in contact with that are helping make our world and communities a better place.
Pay it Forward
This Week’s thank you goes to

Alvada Stanley
Coldwell Banker Heritage
Dayton, Ohio
http://www.astanleyrealtor.com/





When David and I decided to look at properties in Ohio, Alvada was truly put to the test. Her years of the areas knowledge and acceptance of our "looking" has been great and we look forward to years of not only working together to help make a dream a reality, but to also share the steps of the restoration of our new home.

She has been wonderful not only as a Realtor, but is a refreshing addition to our family as well.

Alvada is truly an inspiration of the spirit of giving back to the community with all she does; By helping her clients achieve their goals she is helping the community.





The Honorable Frank Geiger Home

Built 1886 as it sits today awaiting the restoration.

Located within the South Fountain Avenue Historic District of Clark County, Ohio.




If you are looking for a home or investment property in or out of the State of Ohio, please give Alvada a call. I am more than sure she can help.

August Challenge Week 4

I totally missed week 4 of Marcia's challenge. For a good reason however, we took a family trip to Springfield, Ohio to start the renovation of our 1886 Historical Home.
Wow, what a challenge that is going to be, traveling 8 hours and working all week-end. It was fun however and we were able to get the house clean, pull off all of the parquet flooring, and lay the logistics of the new bathroom out.

I have to admit, this past month has been fun and a reaffirmation of just how important organization truly is.
While we have been under a remodel project here for over a year, working full time, running a business, school for the kids and just plain life, organization is important. Not only for my sanity but for everyone Else's as well.

I can not say how much of a pleasure it has been working with Marcia via the Internet to get this done. A Million thank yous for the support!
Now I can get back to my e-course and finish all the other areas that need attention.

Marcia, your right, I loved the candles!

Coupons

I have found a wonderful website that you can actually print your own coupons! Using coupons with the rising cost of gas and essential food items helps to offset the impact.

Do you want to make the boring chore of cutting coupons fun? Play a game with your children and also teach them the value of a dollar by using this method, for every coupon your children find for products you actually use, add the coupon amount up and give that to them for their bank account.

Let them watch their efforts grow by showing them just how much money they are working to save the family.

August Challenge Week 3

Before

I started week 3 to completely change the office.
With this being Marcia's favorite place to organize, I am going to be anxious to see if I get a "job well done" (just kidding)
All joking aside, the office had to change. There was no flow nor was there a logical place for everything to work without STRESS!
With limited space and on a tight budget the office not only had to be completely transformed, but items need to be purchased in order to make a positive flow for work and display area to blend together.
So, I helped an elderly neighbor de-clutter by purchasing some things that they needed to get rid of and I needed in the office. I was able to transform the office for $60.00.

Desk had to be moved
Extra desk needed to be in the office
Furniture had to be organized
Baskets had to go to the garage
File Cabinets needed to be placed for good flow and storage
Storage shelf organized
Stacks of paperwork needed to be gone through organized and shredded
Most importantly, a place had to be found to display some of the custom work we do

Baskets were taken to the garage and put with the others
The bookcase now has become a display area for pillar candles and will transform even more over time.

Wall shelving unit was purchased for $20.00. Now there is a cubby for some of the candle boxes that can not go into the garage. These boxes are the white ones that I place our taper candles in. The boxes give the tapers such an elegant finish.
I also have room for my plastic envelopes that I have my projects in so that all I have to do is pull one down and go.
The wall unit was put where the desk used to be. I will be placing another file cabinet at the end of it for additional storage. That file cabinet was purchased for $20.00 and has locks on it. It does however need to painted. Marcia loves bright colors whereas I like neutral. None the less, the color can be fixed for a couple of dollars
I gave my work area some additional natural lighting by moving it in front of the window. I also place a shorter file cabinet that I also purchased for $10.00 from my neighbor, and am using it for the printer and to lock up confidential information.
I am right handed so everything goes from left to right for me. See the color of the file cabinet? It is yelling Marcia's name.
Found 2 antique chairs for the boys desk's. They work perfect and I paid $10.00 for the both of them.

One of the shelves on the wall unit is displaying some custom work. This is a wall hanging with tea lights that we made. This actually hangs on the wall in the hallway however, that is the next remodel project so it had to come off the wall so that it did not get broken during the remodel.




Before pictures of the desk area.


Stress is gone now. Well at least for this room

Alex is a happy girl, she can finally lay down in her favorite spot without all of the paper.

The final touch to this room will be putting up a ceiling fan and painting.


The last and final week to the challenge will be working on the kitchen. Making extra room on the counters for when the candles and soap are made. I will be deciding on not only the flow but drawing out the kitchen remodel.
Have a great week!

August Challenge Week 2

This weeks de-clutter list:

1. Take drawers that belong under the bed in the boys room and empty them.

Place dressers back into boys room under the bed where they belong

More tools out side.

Straighten out necessary items to complete the hallway remodel.

Place dresser's back into boy's room.


Sheet rock dusts gets every where!








This is a cord that had to be cleaned










Drawers back in place

Ahhh, I have a new place to hide.













Week 3's Challenge, the office

End of First Week

This is a picture of the first thing of the August Mission. Finish the boy's room. Do you know how disorganized things get when you are in the middle of a remodel project?

Almost everything is in the garage that does not belong in this room. Yes, I am putting it neatly into it's space.

The garage is going to take a month in itself to organize.

What a relief it was to get this room back to where it is now. This week end I will be placing the dressers back into the room. But that is part of next week's challenge.

Blinds still need to go up and the drawers need to under the bed. Still a HUGE accomplishment

I spent 5 hours on my office Monday. I was up until 1:00 a.m. working on this project. 4 years of paper, and any where I could put the kids things while their room was under construction went into my office. I am proud to say that at least I have started my binders and project envelopes. Thanks Marcia for the idea. Here is the problem. While working on the office, I have misplaced my Organizing e-course files. No kidding. I decided not to stress over it and just finish what I was working on. The big reveal for the finished rooms will be posted near the end of the month.

Guess what I found? Yes, I found my folders! Nothing like stressing out. Thank goodness I decided to work on something else.

Guess where they were? I took them to my reading area. This is week 6 for Organizing e-course so I have scheduled time in to work on that.

This has been a family effort. Just like our business, everyone gets to participate.
Even Sammi has gotten involved! She loves my office chair.

Closets have started to be cleaned out. Way too many clothes, you know how that works, you buy a dress on sale thinking you are going to wear it and never do so it just hangs there. Needless to say, I am working on getting things listed on ebay. Will let everyone know when they are they.

Our ebay store belongs to the kids, so you know they are excited to have more things to post in their store. It teaches them good business skills and how to earn and save money.

This dress is beautiful. I never wore it and I am ashamed to say, the tags are still on it.

Week 2

This is what will be accomplished at the end of week 2. Gosh it is going to be great to get my dining room back.

This has been a fun week. Thanks for the challenge!

Touching lives one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....

Ria

August Declutter Challenge

On August 1st, 2008 we accepted a challenge from the Organizing Queen, to declutter at least one thing every day. Although I will not post everyday, we have embraced this challenge with open arms.

We have been remodeling for a year and if there is one thing for sure, during the remodeling phase, everything gets cluttered and totally out of hand.

The goals for this month is to not only declutter, but to re-organize as well. We will be re-organizing the following:

Office
Web Site
Garage
Kitchen
Bedrooms

We will also show you how just simple changes can make a big difference in our daily lives. Changes such as adding hand made soap to your bathroom and candle collections to areas that need that simple little touch.

Happy Decluttering

We Finally Made It

Finally, we have managed to get through another goal for this year! That was setting up our blog.



We are adding taper candles to our web site so we will be busy adding our new pictures once testing is completed.



We are starting to choose holiday scents for this year. Our customer's favorite holiday fragrances for 2007 were:


1. Wassail

our own custom fragrance

2. Galveston Sunrise

3. Brandy Carmelized Pear



Christmas will be here before we know it so we are putting together ideas for this years sample gift box.