Marilyn Bohn | Creative Organizer

In the U.S., Memorial Day is always observed on the last Monday in May. It used to be called Decoration Day. The holiday honors members of the military who died in service to their country. To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence. The holiday has been extended to remember all of our loved ones who have died.
I remember Memorial Day as a day we would go around to my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who had died and put flowers on their graves. I remember my mother saving plastic milk jugs or tall tin cans to put the flowers in. These containers would be wrapped with tin foil. They never bought flowers but used snowballs, peonies, roses, lilacs and other flowers from their yards. My mother told me never to buy flowers for her grave, that if flowers weren’t out then to wait until some were blooming. (She was a Scot). But I do what I want and if I need to buy flowers for her grave I am happy to do it. But I never put Iris on her grave as she did not like that flower.
I hope you and your family will have a peaceful and beautiful Memorial Day.

Do you have a gift closet? My daughters used to ask, “Mom do you have a present I can give to…..” Even when they went to college they would sometimes come home and ask me. You probably know how poor college students are. It was nice that I had a little stash of gifts so I could help them out. (They still had to buy them, but I would give them a good deal).
When I teach others how to organize I encourage them to have a designated place in their home for gifts, whether it is a closet, under the bed in a rolling bin, in a container in the garage or in a cupboard. As a professional organizer I recommend having a gift ‘closet’ for four reasons:
•You know where to find gifts you’ve purchased when you need them.
•By keeping gifts on hand you can save money as you can buy gifts ahead that are on sale.
•You have a gift on hand when you need it.
•Because they are contained in one place you can take a quick inventory of what you have.
Keep wrapping paper, tape; gift and all occasion cards on hand. Have them conveniently located to make gift wrapping fast and fun.
Where is the most unique place you have kept extra gifts?

“Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence”.—Anne Wilson Schaef By this definition I must be very honest and very intelligence as I am constantly asking for help.

Do you need to reclaim your office space? Help has come in the form of an eBook written by my friend Adriane Benefit of Neat and Simple. She wrote this book to help people achieve a LASTING change by using a cognitive-behavioral approach to getting organized.

She has a ton of advice and practical solutions for organizing offices. She has several different systems depending on your organizational style. The entire book is a treasure of organizing ideas; here are a few of the gems:

•Different organizational styles are explained in depth.
•A Self-check list: How do you know when you have too much clutter?
•Explaining the payoffs of clearing clutter, it’s not magic…it’s energy.
•She explains how to let go of clutter and creating spaces you love.
•There are plans to make clearing clutter more fun. (How awesome is that)?
•There are pages of references: how to get rid of the things you want to sell or donate; how and where to recycle computers & electronics; how to protect your passwords and how to set up a productive and efficient work space.

She has left out nothing; this is a comprehensive hands on guide to organizing an office. This book is for everyone.

What is your biggest challenge in your office?

Click here to view more details

I came home from walking the other morning and I was starving. I thought eggs in a blanket sounded good but I need cornbread to make them.

When I got my container down with my measuring cups I found I was avoiding the green measuring cups. I even picked up the 1/3 of a cup which I needed and put it back in the container. Bam, the light came on just like in the comics. I was avoiding the green cups because I don’t like them anymore. I realized it was time to get rid of them because:

1.I didn’t like them anymore
2.They didn’t make me happy to use them
3.I avoided using them
4.They were just taking up space which was clutter in my cupboard

This is a good rule of thumb to follow if you have things you are keeping that you don’t like, don’t use, and it doesn’t light you up; donate the item to charity or toss if it is not fit to be used anymore.

Quick Recipe for Eggs in a Blanket:
In a frying pan (spray with a non stick vegetable spray or add 1 to 1½ T. olive oil)
Put in ½ cup salsa (no need to measure, use as much as you like) and with a spoon make a little nest
Crack 2 eggs (more if you want) into the center of the nest
Crumble cornbread all around on top (I make my cornbread in muffin tins and freeze them so I can take one out at a time to use).
Sprinkle on top 2 T cheese of choice
Put a lid on the pan and cook on medium until done.

Yummy and quick. There is a ‘real’ recipe for this but it involves cutting up tomatoes, peppers and onions so I do it the fast way. Do you have a quick breakfast recipe you would like to share?

Did you know there are U.V. clothes to protect you from the sun? The Good Housekeeping Institute has some advice on clothes claiming to offer U.V. protection to guard the wearer from dangerous ultraviolet rays. Some do provide protection from the sun while others don’t.

From personal experience the clothes not only look good and feel good but they keep me cooler in the sun.

The Institute has some good advice for all consumers. “The key to purchasing a garment that meets its actual UPF claim is to look closely at the fiber content and weave. Do the simple light test: If you hold the garment up to a light source and can’t see through it, the clothes will have a good chance of blocking U.V. rays.

Most garments made from synthetic fibers (nylon and polyester) and in a tight weave will give you good protection. Lightweight cotton knits and wovens, however, will not give good, consistent protection.”

With skin cancer on the rise it pays for all of us to pay attention to what we wear when we are out in the sun, don’tchathink?