What's Your Clutter Personality Type?

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 26, 2019

It's silent. It's sneaky. It creeps about in corners: clutter! When the state of the house aggravates you to your last nerve, it's tempting to launch an all-out battle in the war against clutter.

First, though, know your enemy!

There are as many reasons for household clutter as there are clutterers. As Pogo says, "We have seen the enemy, and he is us!" Read More >>

Welcome to the Back-to-School Countdown

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 24, 2019

A new school year is on the horizon! Time to prepare for back to school, with the Organized Home Back-to-School Countdown.

Beginning Monday, July 29, we'll take two weeks to get organized, gear up and get ready to send the children back to school from an organized home. Read More >>

Fun BBQ Recipe: Beer Can Chicken

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 16, 2019

In the Ewer household, it's a "can-do" barbeque treat: a whole chicken cooked on a hot seat. Grilled upright. while seated on a half-full can of beer, soda or stock, Beer Can Chicken is steam-basted from within, grilled smoky golden-brown without.

The unusual cooking method, combined with a spicy rub and aroma from smoker chips, creates a tender meat, dripping with tangy juices. Beer Can Chicken is a late-summer favorite paired with potato salad and a platter of homegrown tomatoes. Happy grilling!

Cash In! Save Money Now For Christmas

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 15, 2019

Think "Christmas" ... in July? Sure, if you want to make it an all-cash holiday!

Holiday spending can be hard on the pocketbook--and bought on credit, "Christmas Day" can stretch into the new year for weeks or months. Read More >>

Find It Fast: Make A Plan for Household Storage

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on July 10, 2019

It's here ... somewhere.

Living in close proximity with our possessions means we can't always find the things we need, when we need them. Disorganized, crowded storage spaces make it hard to decorate for holidays, make up a guest bedroom, or find the right tool for the job. Read More >>

Declutter 101: Strategies To Cut Clutter

Taking aim on the household clutter problem, you've resolved to work slowly and steadily, and you've carved out blocks of time to declutter.

Now what? And how?

Time to consider weigh in with specific methods and strategies for decluttering.

These tried-and-tested methods bring different strengths to the fight against clutter. Choose the one that's right for you and your family. Read More >>

Declutter 101: Staying Clutter-Free

There's a bedrock belief among the clutter-afflicted that if they could only get rid of all the clutter, just once, the clutter problem could be solved.

It's not quite so simple. True, it's easier to maintain a decluttered environment than it is to achieve it, but there's more to the problem than the mere absence or presence of clutter.

Once clutter has been banished, the real work of change begins. To conquer clutter once and for all, focus on these clutter prevention ideas: Read More >>

Summer Cooking Tips: Cool Off in the Kitchen!

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on May 22, 2019

Who can imagine summer without summer food?

Steaming corn-on-the-cob, each kernel bursting with sweet flavor.

Burgers and barbecue. Ice cream sundaes.

The crisp red smile of a watermelon wedge, dripping with sweet juice.

There's a darker side to summer meals. Food budgets groan under the strain of substituting quick-cook steaks and chicken breasts for thrifty stove-top casseroles. Read More >>

School's Out! Summer Survival for Busy Families

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on May 11, 2019

They're here! Tumbling from the school bus, fresh from Field Day, with papers and projects and petrified sandwiches spilling in their wake: your children.

Summer vacation is wonderful, no doubt about it.

Damp heads and wet bathing suits, backyard tents and fireflies in canning jars.

"Look, Mom!" rings out a hundred times a day, from the top of the pool slide to the bug-dotted bottom of an upturned rock. Read More >>