Round vs. square

Whenever you have the option, choose square or rectangular containers over round ones. Round containers waste space in cabinets, drawers and the refrig. Square or rectangular containers stack well and you can fit more of them on a shelf.

Tablecloths

Last week I was asked to visit a home going on the market to check on the staging which the homeowner had done themselves. The house looked quite nice until we got to the dining room. The large dining table was covered with a solid white lace table cloth and a small vase with flowers sat on top. I suggested that either the tablecloth be removed or the table be completely set. When a table is covered in a solid cloth it forces you to focus directly on it and completely stops the flow of the room.




The homeowner did not want to remove the cloth, which she had kept on that table for years, so we went about setting a very elegant table. It made a huge difference in the way the room looked and felt.

If given a choice, I would prefer a table runner to a full table cloth for everyday use. Table cloths work best for specific occasions, dinner parties and outdoor dining tables.

Put a label on it

Label it, label it, label it! Organizers swear by labeling for a good reason - it works. Everyone in the house knows where things go or can be found when containers, shelves, drawers, etc. are labeled. We learned this lesson when we went off to school and mom sewed our names on our jacket or marked our undies for camp.

I use a Brother P-Touch labeler from Office Depot.

Am I my stuff?

Like many of you, I am reading Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth". Of course, the passages that get the most attention from me are about the ego and its identification with "stuff". "The unconscious compulsion to enhance one's identity through association with an object is built into the very structure of the egoic mind." This explains how we have become the most consumer driven society that has ever existed. The questions I will now add to my client questionnaire are: How do you identify with your "stuff"? Will it diminish you to let go of your stuff?

A rose by any other name

Who says you can't have silk flowers in your house that look real? I know that Nate Berkus doesn't like fake flowers, but I do.

As I've said before, I can't have real flowers and plants in my house because of the cats. But I like the look of greenery and flowers in a home, so the next best thing has been to use the fakes. I am careful to choose the most attractive silks and paper that I can find. The good ones are somewhat expensive, but when you compare them to the real thing, which you will not get to use year after year, then it's definitely worth the investment.

My week in Santa Rosa

I just returned from a week in Santa Rosa. I was invited to speak at 4 senior moving seminars given by the new senior community at Fountaingrove called Varenna. They are almost finished and ready for the first move ins. I spoke about the joys of downsizing and the moving process.

But no matter how much we talk about downsizing, it seems that everyone wants to bring more than their new apartments will hold. The hottest discussion at all four sessions revolved around renting extra garages to store stuff in.

House warming quotes

My list of housewarming quotes is growing... thanks to all of you who have contributed your favorites.

Irish House Toast:

May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door;
And happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore.

Irish House Blessing:

We believe in living deeply,
Laughing often and loving always.
We believe we were brought together
To support and care for each other.
We believe that everyone's feelings count,
And that the uniqueness of each of us
Strengthens all of us.
We believe in the power of Forgiving to heal
And the power of love to carry us through.
We believe in one another,
In this family,
In this house.
Failte!

GOD BLESS THE CORNERS OF THIS HOUSE AND BE THE LINTEL BLESSED.
AND BLESS THE HEARTH AND BLESS THE BOARD AND BLESS EACH PLACE OF REST.
BLESS EACH DOOR THAT OPENS WIDE TO STRANGERS AND TO KIN.
AND BLESS EACH CRYSTAL WINDOWPANE THAT LETS THE SUNSHINE IN.
AND BLESS THE ROOFTREE OVERHEAD AND EVERY STURDY WALL.
THE PEACE OF MAN, THE PEACE OF GOD, THE PEACE OF LOVE TO ALL.
Irish Home Blessing


May your troubles be less,
May your blessings be more,
May nothing but happiness come through your door.
~Author Unknown

The universe is merely a fleeting idea in God's mind - a pretty uncomfortable thought, particularly if you've just made a down payment on a house. ~Woody Allen

It's really the cat's house - we just pay the mortgage. ~Author Unknown

Where thou art - that - is Home.  ~Emily Dickinson

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.  ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
~Henry Van Dyke


People are living longer than ever before, a phenomenon undoubtedly made necessary by the 30-year mortgage.  ~Doug Larson


There's nothing to match curling up with a good book when there's a repair job to be done around the house.  ~Joe Ryan

The fellow that owns his own home is always just coming out of a hardware store.  ~Frank McKinney Hubbard


One only needs two tools in life:  WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop.  ~G.M. Weilacher


A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.  ~James Dent

I am grateful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and floors that need waxing because it means I have a home.  ~Author Unknown

A Traditional Housewarming

Bread - So you never go hungry.
Wine - So your life is always sweet.
Salt - So there is always spice in your life.
And a Candle - So you always have light.