Plan The Perfect ThanksgivingThanksgiving is the most celebrated American holiday of the year and absolutely my favorite. It brings our family together to share a fall harvest filled with tradition and family recipes that we all look forward to. This year more than ever, keep in mind that traditions, giving thanks and family and friends around the table are what will make for a Thanksgiving to remember.
It’s important to go back to basics this year and keep it simple. Delegate or graciously accept offers for guests to bring their favorite or specialty recipe. Whatever you decide your menu to be, the warmth of your home, good food, wine and conversation will give everyone something to be thankful for. Plan a family game this year as you enjoy each other over dessert. Sharing memories of past Thanksgiving dinners, funny stories about a “famous” relative, or finding out just how much everyone knows (or doesn’t!) about the story of Thanksgiving can be great fun. Being organized will help you to prepare and plan for a stress free holiday. To get you started, we’ve put together some of my tips to keep you on track along the way. Also check out this wonderful recipe from Martha Stewart for a Perfect Roasted Turkey with a chestnut stuffing. Maybe I’ll shake things up a bit this year and try a new one! 3 Weeks Before Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Halloween PumpkinsIf you are still looking for just the right Pumpkin Carving ideas and finishing touches for your Halloween bash, I found some of my favorites at marthastewartliving.com. For any entrance “Caught In The Web”, a brilliantly lit path to your haunted house and Spooky Silhouettes that will set the mood at your Halloween table, see these and more at Martha Stewart’s Halloween Central.
Carving a Pumpkin: Use the right tools. A long serrated knife or a Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin-carving knife with teeth is the best tool for carving the thick flesh of a pumpkin. If you are marking your pumpkin or using stencils, use a sawing motion and take your time for the best results. Cut the top at an angle, rather than straight down. This will stop the lid from falling straight in. While holding the pumpkin like a bowl in your arms, scoop out the seeds and pulp with a large spoon. This will give you the most leverage to scoop. For a simple face, draw eyes, a nose and mouth on a clean pumpkin. A felt tip pen works great. Cut out your features and push through from the inside out. Carve a small indentation in the bottom of the pumpkin to hold a candle. When you are happy with your pumpkin, add a votive candle to create a spooky Jack-O-Lantern.
Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Share Your Passion For Organization Here!We know you have a passion for organization too, so we’re reaching out to our readers since it’s all about sharing during the holiday season (and throughout the year). What’s your favorite Thanksgiving time-saving tip, savvy shortcut or traditional family recipe? Share it with us here and we’ll try to feature it in our Thanksgiving NEAT Idea Guide. It starts November 1st…so hurry! Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Gal To Gal Twitter Sitewarming Party!I’m so excited to participate in this sitewarming party! It’s such a great cause and everyone we know is donating time, resources and looking forward to what we know will be a successful event. I’m proud to be a part of it and hope you will join us tomorrow night.
Join us this Wednesday as we sitewarm the virtual walk site from 9 to 10 p.m. EDT on Twitter using the hashtag #galtogalwalk. For those new to Twitter parties, we suggest you go to http://tweetchat.com/ and put in the #galtogalwalk tag. Please keep an eye on the following Twitter users who will be helping out with the event: @designhergal – Jeanne Fitzmaurice from the Gal to Gal Foundation @Girlfriendology – Gal to Gal sponsor @kristacolvin – Gal to Gal sponsor @JessicaKnows – Gal to Gal sponsor @SugarJones – Gal to Gal sponsor @organizeddotcom – Gal to Gal sponsor @mrsOrganized – Gal to Gal sponsor @ResourcefulMom – co-host, crowd control, prize distributor, and Gal to Gal sponsor Prizes! Yes, this is all for a great cause, but the Gal to Gal Walk put together a fun list of prizes to be given away during the party. - The buzz-worthy new book by Beth Feldman, @rolemommy on Twitter. To Enter:
Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Go Pink!As you know, October is National Breast Cancer month and it does seem that the whole country turns pink! At Organize.com we are proud to offer an assortment of products that help give back to a well deserved community of fighters and survivors. A portion of the proceeds from our “Go Pink” products will be donated to Breast Cancer research all year round. This year we have decided to put our support behind a very special organization, the Gal to Gal Foundation – one of the few international non-profits who dedicate 100% of their resources to Stage IV breast cancer patients and their families. For those of you who are not familiar, Stage IV is the most critical stage of this disease and at this time is considered incurable.
Here is how it works: Click on the following link Gal To Gal Walk
You can find me by clicking “Search for Friends” under Organize.com. Let’s make a big difference this month! I will be looking for you. Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Fall is Here and Halloween is in the AirDid you happen to see Martha Stewart and Meredith Viera yesterday morning on the Today Show? Martha was sharing (and cooking) a pumpkin soup that looked delish. The maple roasted pumpkin salad sounded great but, pumpkin seed brittle and pumpkin ice cream sandwiches? Oh my. I’ll make it easy and link to the recipes. Along with some great menu ideas, there were some great table decorating ideas. There was a fabulous Black Glittered Chandelier piece that stood tall on the counter and would be perfect on the buffet table. We found these chandeliers that we thought would be great for Halloween and the Holiday season. It’s official, fall is here and Halloween is in the air. Enjoy and Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Halloween Greetings At Your DoorCreating a fun and festive entrance is so easy. Fresh pumpkins in all sizes are a great and inexpensive way These couple of items and some great pumpkins got me off to a good start with my Halloween decorating and took only about 30 minutes. Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
Spooky Soap BonesWhen I first saw these Soap Bones, I thought they were really creepy and wasn’t going to add them to our assortment. Then I realized, oh..that’s what they are supposed to be. We laughed and added “The Bones”.
These soap bones were featured in Country Living Magazine this month. If you haven’t picked up the issue yet, it’s filled with some great Halloween ideas. Check it out. Happy Organizing, Mrs. O
Ghost String Lights Make Decorating EasyThe kids are back to school and homework, while Moms are back to preparing lunches and managing busy schedules. Vacations, camp and those lazy days of summer are gone for this Halloween will be here before you know it, so start your planning and decorating. Don’t forget that tradition is what kids remember most about their childhood and they love to be involved. We have some great ideas for making Halloween decorating easy. One of my favorites this year are these Ghost String Lights. These are the perfect final touch to any Halloween party. The string contains 10 glowing ghosts that make decorating a cinch. After decorating our fireplace mantles, I “scalloped” the strings across the mantle and down each side. You can easily “tuck” them into place and secure them with other decorations on the ledge. These little ghosts turn any space to spooky in minutes and look great as they glow in the dark at night. Be creative this year to stretch your budget. Take inventory of all your Halloween decorations. Toss or donate the ones you no longer use and make a list of the items you want to add. Try to stick to your list when shopping. Good decorations will last for years. Check out your craft material for black, orange and purple items that can be used in different ways. Scrapbook paper, embellishments and paper shred can take on many uses (more ideas to follow!) . The real fun of any holiday is sharing it with your family. Plan an afternoon or night with the kids to create some “Spooky Fun” to make hand made Halloween decorations, decorate the house, yard or to carve pumpkins. They’ll remember these times forever. Happy Organizing! Mrs. Organized
Make time for yourself on vacation!Taking the lead in organizing the family schedule doesn’t seem to change for Mom while on vacation. We’re still the ‘leader of the pack’. Questions like what’s for breakfast, what kind of sandwiches are for lunch, what time are we headed to the beach and where are we going for dinner tonight still come our way. Oh…we are so needed! Most of us wouldn’t have it any other way, so we learn to enjoy it, try to make it more special than at home and create the memories they will remember forever. Continue to create those memories, but don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Everyone will survive if you take a couple of hours for a mani/pedi, to get a massage or even do a little shopping all by yourself. “Alone time” is healthy and you come back to your family feeling refreshed and recharged. Another idea is to make time for you and your husband to be alone. Don’t forget that it’s your vacation too! Since our kids are grown, we have a few days alone at the end of our time at the beach house. Terry and I usually spend the last night having a quiet dinner at one of our favorite restaurants at the beach. This year, we spent our last night having a wonderful dinner with our cousin Nancy and her husband, David. I really felt like Terry and I had a date that night that included conversation about things of interest to ‘couples’. It was a great evening and way to end our vaca. Speaking of our cousin Nancy…every time I see her, I remember why I love her and being around her so much. She is like a breath of fresh air and so very European. I feel like I need to be speaking French or something when I am with her. She will love this! Hope your summer ends up great! Enjoy these last few weeks. Happy Organizing! Mrs. O
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As with any entertaining or party planning, the preparation time should be organized and done in advance in order to enjoy the event itself. With the right plan and checklists, you will be able to enjoy your guests and join in the holiday celebration and have fun.
Also be sure to see one of my Halloween favorites for fall baking. I love this 
During October we will be inviting you to join the Organize.com Team on a “virtual walk” across America. Our efforts will help grant over 100 wishes this holiday season. These wishes include trips for the family, off-setting medical expenses, special beds, and even video cameras. It only takes a few minutes to join and it is fun! That’s our team in the picture!
Inspired by the ornate scroll chandelier, this ornament looks fantastic when added in groups at different height levels. They will dazzle any party.
to decorate for Halloween. Mixing shapes and sizes make a great look. Once you have the pumpkins down, add a wreath and welcome mat to complete the look. A cute welcome mat can put a smile on someone’s face any time, and this 
From there, I added several sets of 
Make your guest bathroom a little creepier with these Bone Soaps by Design Ideas! These frightful phalanges will make fun party favors or eerie accents for your Halloween party guests. Soap Bones are mixed according to an honored Thai formula and hand poured into the shapes of spooky skeleton fingers. I’m planning on scattering these around the dinner table and buffet bar as I would glass pebbles. I know they will look great on the black tablecloth with purple and orange overlays and the great spiders I found at Michaels.
