A Reader Inspired Post: Painted Antlers

Shortly after receiving a photo of a deer antler from a reader who found one while taking a winter's beach walk, I stumbled upon these painted antlers on the internet.  Artist Cassandra Smith uses metallic and flat acrylic paints to express herself on these natural animal adornments.  I have to admit that I do love them.  They mesh the boundaries between what's natural and what's clearly not.  I'm curious what our reader friend will say about them...

So what would you do?  Go the natural route or opt for bold and showy?!

What's Your Scent?

After almost 12 years of wearing the same fragrance, I may have to find another one because my favorite is no longer available. I was first introduced to Fresh's Geranium Pepper  while working at Filamento's in San Francisco, the first ever (in my opinion) life style store.  As I was leaving one night, I sprayed a bit on, thinking it would be nice to  find a scent of my very own.  When I awoke the following morning to the spicy and earthy aromas of Geranium Pepper,  I immediately knew it was IT and I've worn it ever since.

What am I to do now?  After a speaking with someone at Fresh, I found out that their fragrance bar features nostalgic scents (geranium pepper not being one of them [yet]).  I was told to begin a campaign requesting it.  So this post is the start of just that, my campaign to bring back my very own beloved scent.

Do you have a favorite scent? If so, what is it?

What should I do in the mean time, should I find another scent or go without one hoping that Fresh will offer 'nostalgic' Geranium Pepper real soon?

You can help bring back my favorite scent by tweeting the founder of Fresh or mentioning the message below on Fresh's Facebook page.  Just copy and paste:

Twitter @FreshFounder I'd love to help out my friend get her signature scent back:  Geranium Pepper.

Keeping It Together: 7 Organizational Tips and Tools

In order for me to keep it together, and that means not losing my mind,  I need to have things in their place and places for all things.  Here are a few tools and some rules that help me organize school papers, artwork, outerwear and toys.

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1. Magnetic Clips:  each child has his/her  magnetic clip on the refrigerator.   The clip allows for a few papers to be hung at the same time so they can easily be rotated and featured.   There's a fourth clip for school notices (i.e. lunch menus).

2. Sofa Cushions:   extra artwork is stored under sofa cushions.   There, it's kept flat and out of sight until we're ready to exhibit it.

3. Drawers:  in our living area, inside a credenza, each child has his/her own drawer for smaller items such as journals, legos, little figurines or anything else they prefer to keep from one another.   About once a month, we dump the contents on the floor, sort them out and clean them.

4. Totes:  there are totes for small cars, for big cars, for stuffed animals, for plastic animals and even one for games.  They don't always stay that compartmentalized, but it makes it easier for the children to clean up after playing or to find their toys again.  I keep two empty totes nearby to act as a catchall for items that need to be brought upstairs to the bedrooms.

5.  Hooks:  I'm a huge fan.  Again, each child has his/her own,  this way they know where to hang and find their coats, backpacks and hats.

6.  Clipboards:  can't live without them.  I use a large one for client files and a smaller one for general "to do" lists.  The small one fits perfectly in my handbag and secures a place for anything that needs addressing on a particular day (i.e. parking tickets [argh!], coupons, letters).

7. Personal Space:  I have one drawer that I call my own.  It's in the kitchen and acts somewhat like a mini-desk.  Finding a space that is yours alone is very helpful in feeling organized.

RECAP:

1.  Use office supplies to organize family papers and artwork.

2. Create routines for your children (i.e. hanging up their coats up and removing lunch boxes from their backpacks).

3. Give each child a storage place of his/her own.

4. Create a space for yourself.

How do you keep organized?

Our First Snow Day!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the snow.  It's hard to believe that after last winter's record snowfall we've had none thus far.  Hence, my first virtual snow day....

Is anyone else missing the serene beauty of snow (before the city plows, salt and sand get to it)?!

Images:

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Winter Vignette

May peace and love be with you this holiday season.