Kitchen safety

I've organized several kitchens lately that have suffered from the same problem - unsafe food prep utensils. And we're not talking about kitchens that are not clean, we are talking about things that people just don't notice or think of as a hazard in their kitchen. My list looks like this:

1. Rusty tools - wire whisks that are made of an inexpensive material and have rusted from use with liquids. They are also collecting food particles between the wound wire. I make a point of tossing these particular types of whisks whenever I can and replacing it with a safer variety.

2. Crudy can openers - food collects around wheels of the opener and cakes on until the opener isn't even sharp anymore. I toss my can opener into the dishwasher everytime I use it.

3. Old wooden spoons and cutting boards - Wood cooking spoons and cutting boards should be bleached regularly to keep them from collecting bacteria. Better yet, trade in your wooden utensils for some of the newer materials that can be tossed into the dishwasher.

4. Things in the kitchen that shouldn't be - hate to bring this up, but.... cat litter boxes should not be in the kitchen. Neither should insect sprays or any other poisons.

An office makes an appearance

This tiny office had all but disappeared. Our client got fed up trying to find his files, his phone or even a flat surface, so on a Saturday we went in search of his desktop...and we found it!


What we did to save the day? First, Gayle removed the cabinet doors from the overhead. This exposed the shelves so that he can actually use them without bumping his head on the doors.

Gayle also reconfigured the CPU connections so his computer could be moved to the center of the desk and he no longer has to be sitting at an uncomfortable angle to work.

Then we sifted through the piles of paper and archived the old stuff and made a filing system for the current work. And we shopped for organizing tools that would keep his desktop in order. Now, he's a happy camper in his small, but very usable space.

Toni Berry, throwing the throw

We're asking our friend Toni Berry, of Marie Anthoinette Custom Home Interiors, how do you get a "throw" to look like they do in the photos...

"There is indeed an art to throwing a Throw, and nothing warms a chair, bed or sofa like an artfully arranged cozy throw. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to make your throw look just right....

Don't fold a throw in half--it looks far too formal and proper. A throw is a popular, updated dash of color and texture and should look casual and vibrant.
The art of a throw is in the actual motion of throwing. Unfold the throw, ridding it of any folds and wrinkles, and find a point just off-center.
Do hold the throw, allowing it to hang, and just flick the wrist, tossing the throw on a sofa or chair. Leave the throw just as it landed.
Do use a throw to cover mars, rips, or other imperfections in fabric. A throw can be a marvelous decoration and covers a multitude of shortcomings."

No more fumbling now, just throw that Throw!

You can contact Toni at: email: berrys@gloryworks.com or phone: 925.862.9064

My own office reorg

Well, okay! A number of you have asked about the insides of the office armoire clean out and yes, indeed, I did go through the same process with the drawers.


I took everything out of the drawer, sorted, purged and then returned the drawer divider back into place. However, I decided to turn the divider in the other direction, giving me more space in the back of the drawer.



So there you go!

My own office make over

Every January I like to take my house apart, one room at a time, and clear out what is no longer working and clean up the rest. This year I started with my "office" which is housed in a specially built armoire.

I live in a small space, so I need my office to be as efficient as possible. As the year goes on, things get out of sorts - even for me, so before I can embark on the coming years jobs, I need to take care of my own space. I thought I would share the process with you.

The process of organizing a space is always the same. Julia Morgenstern named this process SPACE, which stands for Sorting/Purging/Assigning a home/Containerizing/Equalizing. I have adapted this to suit my own process, SPACED. Adding the D = Decorating.


The first step - Sorting, began with my taking everything out of the armoire and cleaning it. I used a vacuum, a swiffer duster, a bottle of spray cleaner and rags to go over every surface. The computer and phone were turned off, but left in place, as I knew they would be staying in those positions.


Next I sorted through everything I took off of the shelves and decided what would stay and what I did not need any longer. Its been years since I had to use a three-hold punch, so there is no need for that to be taking up valuable real estate in my desk. Last year I bought an IPHONE, so the charger needed to be added to the phone area and the cord neatly tucked into place.


After Sorting/Purging, I began to Assign a home to the returning items. Rebuilding the desk by putting things back in the order of their importance to my use. Obviously, the computer and phone are the first things to be placed. Then my client folders and my activity files (more on these in my next post) needed to go in next.


I just kept adding in the next level of important items. Adjusting the shelving as I built upwards. In my case, I was able to Containerize as I went along. I had already decided that I wanted to bring in some color to my space, so I purchased some new holders and boxes from Ikea and the Container Store.


After everything that I want back in the space was placed, I spend a bit of time making sure that everything looked, felt and worked where I had put it (Equalizing).


Finally, I hung my calendar, my favorite poem and added my ivy (Decorating) and I am ready to get down to business.

Caution is the word of the day

I want to remind everyone to be especially careful during the current economic downturn. I am hearing from my fellow professionals that new scams and schemes are popping up all over the country at an alarming rate. Pay special attention to:

Craig's List - this is a free internet service for selling items, renting apartments, finding jobs, etc. However, reports of robbery and theft involving using Craig's List are disturbing. Everything from being robbed in the home or at so called safe public locations to having checks copied and used to buy expensive goods or empty checking accounts.

Phone and Mail - Never, never, ever give personal information to strangers calling over the phone! Don't answer mail ads.

Internet and Email - Never click on links for things you don't know and never click or respond to an email that looks as though it's from your bank or credit card company. Always build your own direct link to the companies you work with regularly and use that link to contact them.

On This New Day

Inaugural Poem

Maya Angelou
20 January 1993

A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.

I will give you no more hiding place down here.

You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.

Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.

The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.

Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.

Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.

Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,

Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the stone were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your
Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.

The River sings and sings on.

There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.

Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.

Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.

Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.

You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers--desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ...
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.

I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours--your Passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.

Give birth again
To the dream.

Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.

Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.

Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.