Let's get organized!

Happy Saturday! It's a cold one here in Upstate NY (36 Degrees!). I think it's Mother Nature's way of telling us winter is coming and we best get ready. We had our first accumulating snow yesterday. Nothing over the top but it was sticking to the ground for a few hours. It never seizes to amaze me when I see the first snow related accident into the ditch. It's like people forget what it's like to drive in snow from one year to the next. I mean come on, we only get around 5 to 6 months of non snow months. It can't be that hard to remember.

Anyways, now that it's going to be consistently cold outside, it's time to start getting organized. The summer months are much to precious to waste indoors cleaning, so now that I will be spending more time inside I want it to be clean and organized. I am not the biggest fan of winter, but I must admit I love to make my home feel warm and cozy this time of year. I like to pull out the seasonal candles and decor to make my home feel inviting. I however can't do that until I get cleaned up.


Today I want to share my tips for getting stuff organized in a smooth way. No chaos here. Once I am done writing this post this is how I am going to spend most of my weekend. I can't complain to much. I will be doing this in my pajamas with a hot cup of coffee just inches away at all times, and music jamming in the background. Cleaning and organizing doesn't have to be a bad thing :) Follow these tips and you will be on your way to less clutter and a happier living space:

  • Make a list of all of your rooms you want to tackle. List everything that needs to be accomplished in each room. Not all rooms will need major attention, so this will help give you a starting point.
  • Pick the rooms that need less attention first. This way you can whip through them and leave the biggest areas for last. For me the rooms that need the least attention are my dining room and bathroom.
  • Remove all clutter off of all surfaces first. For example if you are in your living room and your coffee table is cluttered with magazines or dishes, these can be eliminated quickly by putting the dishes in the kitchen and recycling the magazines/flyers.
  •  Now that you can see all of your surfaces, wipe down and dust everything. Don't forget to dust around the ceiling and in corners. Cobwebs can be hiding anywhere, and getting them cleaned up is the first step is getting that clean feeling in your space.
  • Next I will tackle any cabinets or closets. Pulling everything out if usually the best plan of attack. For example, in my bedroom closet I hang most of my work clothes and store my shoes, bags, coats, and any other little thing that doesn't have a place. Often it looks like a bomb went off in there any is very hard to find matching items. Pulling everything out makes this an easier job.
  •  Now that you have everything out, sort through things that you use and things that you don't. Bag up anything you haven't used in 6 months. Chances are if you had no use for it in 6 months you probably won't use it.
  • Once you have sorted and bagged up some stuff, take care of the rest of the clutter and things on the floor. Put everything away in its place. 
  • Now that you have wiped everything down, got rid of cobwebs, organized its closet/cabinet space, and cleaned up the floor you should be able to vacuum or sweep. You always want to save this to the end. 
 There you have it. A plan of attack to get clean and organized. And you did it all in your pajamas. Pretty sweet deal! I hope you get some things accomplished this winter!

What is your plan of action when it comes to cleaning and organizing?

Sweet dreams are make of these

Do you have a long work day? Do you have a lot of stress in your life? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you probably have a hard time relaxing AND drink a lot of wine.. If you have a hard time relaxing, you probably have a hard time getting to sleep or may wake up with a wine hangover. I can relate and have spent months trying to find things to help me relax. Thankfully I have found a few products that have come to the rescue.



After a long stressful day, I find I need to set the mood to relax. I love to light candles, especially ones with warm, comforting scents. Lately I have been burning my vanilla cupcake candle from Bath and Body Works. The vanilla scent makes me feel warm and safe, allowing me to relax. During the summer months I would follow up with drinking a glass of wine and taking in the comforting smells. Now that it has become colder out, I opt for a hot cup of tea.

After enjoying my beverage of choice, I like to take a hot shower. The hot water relaxes my body and allows me to further de-stress. I apply a generous amount of my Aqua Spa body creme in Relax. It is a combination of lavender and chamomile. The scent lingers a long time and smells amazing.

After my shower I like to read a book and have a glass of Tart Cherry juice. Tart Cherry juice is a natural source of the hormone melatonin, which helps with sleeping and insomnia. I notice when I drink the juice, I am less restless and get a better nights rest. Anything that isn't a man made chemical and helps me sleep is A-OK in my book!

Now that I have relaxed with my yummy smelling candle, slathered myself in calming body creme, drank my juice, it's time to head to bed. I already feel much better and less stressed. I add one more final touch to the routine, which is spritzing my pillow with Febreze Sleep Serenity in Lavender. Its the perfect ending to my long, stressful days. I also use Lavender oil which is not pictured, which is also great. Sometimes grabbing the spritz bottle is easier, but the oil is 100% more effective.

So there you have it. My relax routine for those crazy days.

 How do you deal with stressful days? Have you ever used any of these methods? Tell me below!

Linking up with  Treasure Tromp for Treat Yo Self Thursday and The Grits Blog for Little Friday :)


Treasure Tromp
The Grits Blog - Little Friday Linkup

Love me some goals!

A new month and new goals to be met. I love goals. They help me stay focused and motivate me to continue on. Octobers goals were really all rolled into one thing. I worked on interacting more and setting a schedule for blogging. I think I did a pretty good job with that. I have made some new friends, my numbers are up, I am sponsoring more blogs, I was accepted to Blog Her, and I overall feel like this blog has done some growing in just a months time. What more could a little blogger ask for?


Now for November I am going to set some more goals. Not just blogging goals. Life goals too! Lets see if I can do it!
  • "Operation Healthy"- getting my booty to the gym at least 4 days a week!
  • Set up sponsorships right through the holidays. Such a great gift for me and the blog I sponsor :)
  • Keep my Facebook fan page updated regularly.
  • Grow my Twitter followers to 550 (Currently at 459)
  • Prepare ahead and have a stress-less holiday season.
  • Get all of my Christmas shopping DONE :)
There you have it. My November goals. I know I can do it!

Today I am thankful for lunch hours. It is so nice to be able to step away from the office for an hour to destress and get yourself back in the game for the afternoon!

Make it a great Tueday!

Dia de los Muertos

November came in with a vengeance. Windy, cold, and grey. What better way to celebrate Día de los Muertos? (Day of the Dead). This is a celebration of the dead, a joyous time to remember and celebrate the lives of our loved ones that have passed on. It is often associated with the sugar skulls we tend to see around Halloween. Recently I have had a handful of friends lose their parents. It reminds us that life is precious and we need to cherish the ones we love because we never know what tomorrow will bring.  Dia de los Muertos is just what I needed to find comfort in tragedy.


A friend had a small gathering to remember the loved ones we have lost. It was hosted in her beautiful library in her home. A fire was cracking as the focal point and we all sat and talked and laughed, making the hard times easier to pass. We drank chicha morada, which is a corn based drink with sweet spices mixed in. It is served warm to symbolize blood. It sounds odd, but is a very tasty. We feasted on apples, carrots, hummus, olives and cookies.


I really enjoyed having a few hours to just remember and be happy. I don't like thinking that we are all getting older and these things start to happen more frequently.

Have you ever celebrated Dia de los Muertos? How did you do it?

As I mentioned in Saturday's post, I want to use this month to talk about the things in life I am thankful for. Since I did not post yesterday I will post 2 things.

Sunday: I am thankful for patience. Sometimes this is needed and if people can't be patient with you, it makes for a worse outcome.

Today: I am thankful for my job. Even though it is hard on Monday's to get up and get going, I am thankful I am able to support myself thanks to my job.

What are you thankful for today?



November=Blog-vember

Well hello there November 1st, AKA "buy all the leftover Halloween candy now that its 70% off" day! Now while we are out there ravishing all the Halloween bins, Christmas is being forced on us. That's right, as you're digging through a bin full of candy take a look around you. There's Santa mocking you. Or Frosty wiggling his ass in excitement. It's a little depressing to say the least. Some people even woke up today to a little winter snow. ICK! It's a sure sign that the magic of Fall is slowly diminishing and winter is creeping up on us.

If you're like me, winter is fun when we get up on Christmas morning and there is a nice coating of white on the ground. Then after that, it can go back to being in the 60's throughout winter. In a perfect world (or Florida?) this may happen. But sadly I live in Central NY, so that wish isn't coming true ANYTIME soon. Even as a child I was not a fan of snow. I blame this partially on being raised in the south and enjoying my mild winters. But as an adult there is no such thing as a "snow day". My job is open come hell or high water.

(Source)
Okay I do not want to turn this post into all the reason I do not like Winter, but it kind of went that way for a minute.. Following the breadcrumbs I laid for myself, I will get back on subject. November. November is a month of many things.I was surprised at how many great little quirky days November hosted. On top of having a month full of men (and some women) not shaving we also have:

National Vegan Month
National Novel Writing Month
American Diabetes Month
Aviation History Month
Peanut Butter Lovers Month ( I could get on board for this..)
Chemistry Week (First week of November)
Game and Puzzle Week (3rd week of November)
Book Lover's Day (November 1st)
Daylight's Saving Time (Don't forget to turn those clocks back tonight!)
Day of the Dead (November 2nd)
Marooned without a Compass Day (November 6th- For all your pirates out there!)
Chaos Never Dies Day (November 9th)
Sadie Hawkins Day (November 13th- Ladies ask those men out!)
Electronic Greeting Card Day (November 17)
World Hello Day (November 21)
Thanksgiving! (November 27th- Eat, Drink and Be Thankful!)

There you have it. Some fun days that are celebrated throughout November. I didn't list them all because there are tons of them, but these were some of my favorites. Now take a moment to think about something you are thankful for. I am going to list something everyday I am thankful for this month.

Today I am thankful for this blog. It gives me an outlet and lets me interact with all of you beautiful people. Make it a great Saturday!