Relaxing on a Sunday Afternoon....

I want this! Relaxing on a Sunday Afternoon....

I really enjoy spending Sunday afternoon at home just relaxing. I know this sounds crazy, but for me relaxing is all about organizing, shopping, and reading. Here are 3 things to do to make the most of your peaceful Sunday....

1. Organize your pantry: Dive into your pantry or kitchen cabinet and organize it. Get rid of the items that have expired or you haven’t used in years, and arrange the ones you have left. You'll feel pleased with yourself and ready for cooking next week.

Read: How to Organize Your Pantry by The Maids

2. Go online shopping: I’ve recently cleaned out my closet; I need to fill the newly cleaned space with a few new outfits (I’ve lost some weight recently). Sundays are the best day to online shop from the comfort of my favorite cozy chair.

Read: How To Shop Like A Pro Online by Camille Styles

3. Catch up on your favorite blogs: Check out all the blogs you didn't have time to during the week. You might even get an extra dose of inspiration for the new week ahead.

Read: How to Organize the Blogs You Read using Bloglovin’ by The Order Expert

Happy Sunday!

Cheers,

Lori

Christmas Catalogs on Halloween?

Yesterday our mailbox was stuffed full of Holiday catalogs…really... on Halloween! I’m curious; do you start your Christmas shopping/decorating on Halloween?  This morning the coffee shop was promoting their newest coffee flavor “Christmas Cookie”.   What happened to the “Autumn Brew”?  While some shoppers may welcome early holidays, I’m not one of them. I believe the fun-size candy bars in the little plastic pumpkin should be gone before candy canes hit the shelves.

It's a phenomenon called Christmas creep or in the project management world scope creep. It’s when holiday sales, shopping and decorations show up earlier and earlier each year. This year, it's more evident than ever. Starting well before Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), which is the traditional start of the holiday shopping spree.

Thankfully there are still holdouts. Nordstrom is adhering to its long-standing policy of no holiday decorations until Black Friday, I just love that policy!

Here are my two firm rules:

First, and this goes for all holidays, no celebrating until the previous holiday has passed. This means you should wait until at least Nov. 23 to put up the tree, but feel free to give yourself a couple more days to digest all that cranberry sauce.

Second, Christmas evokes thoughts of snow, ice skating and ugly sweaters. If it’s too warm for all those; then it’s too warm for Christmas.

The first rule is the most important, but if a warm December is a possibility (like here in Atlanta), at least wait for all the leaves to fall.

I hope you don’t think I’m a Scrooge. I really do love Christmas! I don’t want to take away Christmas; I just want to make the preparation a bit shorter. Besides, you don’t need more than a day to shop anymore, go to Amazon, they’ll even wrap it for you (wink). Happy Holidays!

I Need Cookies Stat....

Do you ever get a craving that you just can’t let go of?  I had a craving for those mini gingerbread cookies that are served on airlines (i.e. Delta).  I’d had this craving for weeks. Since I wasn't going to be flying the friendly skies anytime soon, I turned on the computer and started the search.   

It turns out they are made in Belgium and distributed in the US by a company in San Francisco. There is even a retail store on Pier 39 that sells the little two packs of gingerbread goodness. Little did I know, Biscoff cookies come in all shapes and sizes and there is even a gingerbread spread that got rave reviews on their website.

I’m a long way away from San Francisco so this discovery was fabulous, but it didn’t help me with my craving.  Looking at pictures of the packaging actually made the situation worse.  My mouth started to water like pavlov’s dog.  I had to find a Biscoff cookie stat!

UPDATE: Well guess what my sweetie found; Biscoff cookies at the local Publix grocery store.  Hallelujah!  Life has returned to an even keel and I’m ready to face the trick-or-treaters!

Cheers!

But it doesn't have pockets.....

Yesterday I noticed that my purse is starting to look shabby, not just a little shabby, it is way past what could be called “shabby chic”. The straps are fraying, the seams are coming loose, the leather is worn, and one zipper refuses to zip.

To me there is not a more excruciating chore than having to switch my purse, and I really can’t comprehend how some gals do it every day. I literally spend hours shopping for just the right purse. It can’t be flimsy, floppy, or refuse to stand solidly. It must have pockets, and dividers, and compartments, and zippers, and... you get the picture. For me, successfully using a purse involves close supervision of its contents. I tend to forget where I’ve put things so compartmentalizing is the key to my sanity. I work hard to be organized, but even then the multi-pocket idea is not fool-proof. I have to remember which pocket I put stuff in. Maybe voice-activated software would be useful—I could open my purse, say “chapstick”, and the correct pocket will vibrate, blink, or talk back to me.

So, today I started my search for a new handbag on Etsy. I always try to support small businesses and my fellow Etsy handmade artists, but I just wasn’t finding what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, there were beautiful handbags in every color, texture, and shape, but I couldn’t find the perfect fit for me.

Then I stumbled upon these…..problem solved!



Organizer by Divide and Conquer

A purse organizer insert with pockets galore and stand-up sides so it doesn't go all flimsy inside the purse.

Organizer by Divide and Conquer

It has pockets inside and out and some have dividers and zippers too!

Organizer by Divide and Conquer

The organizers come in many different colors and styles; with or without handles.

Example Photos by PurseSitter.com

Just look how everything fits neatly inside this purse!

Organizer by: It's All in the Bag

There's even a mini organizer for your formal clutch bag.

Keeping my purse organized just got a whole lot easier! No more digging around in the dark corners of my purse for cell phone, keys, check book, etc. Best of all, if I do decide to swap my handbag to match an outfit, I can simply lift the Organizer out of my everyday purse and the entire contents can be easily transferred to a cute trendy bag with NO pockets. It will be simple, quick and easy, no need to unload all the pockets to change bags. Yippeee!