Think You Know How to Tie Your Shoes? Think Again! Shoe Tying 101

It's the little things in life that drive you crazy. Like tying your shoelaces, only to have to tie them again a few hours later.

Always drove me crazy.....until I discovered how to "beat" the shoelaces once and for all.

Now, this isn't an earth shattering blog post, but it does make your life just  a bit easier,,,,,and that's my goal.

shoe - regular laces

Problem: shoelaces that always untie like magic - especially those round ones that are on all athletic shoes nowadays.

Solution:

1.tie an overhand knot at the end of each lace.

see the knots?

2. tie the shoe like you normally would, but pull the laces all the way through until you reach the knots you just tied. Normally you would only pull about half way, but instead, just keep pulling. The knots will stop the laces from pulling all the way through and out. Hard to explain, easy to do.

pulled all the way to the ends

3. tie another knot with the laces, i.e. a double knot.

tied once and for all!

That's it - you're done!

The action of pulling the laces all the way through to the knots is what keeps the knot from untying.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. Won't save you a ton of time every day, but it will save you a ton of frustration.

And yes, that is a really large (men's size 12) blue sneaker with hippos on it. Anyone else have a teen boy who's really into pop culture? Anyone?


be organized......evelyn

P.S. - Hey - I'm starting something new! In addition to my once a week blog posts (leave your email in the box on the right next to the title if you want to get them automatically), I'm going to start sending out a quick happiness idea every Friday morning. Want to be in the club that gets them? Shoot me an email at: evelyn@organizingwithevelyn.com or leave a comment below.

My Biggest Timesaver

Feeling overwhelmed by all the places you have to be and all the things you have to do? Take a look at my video "How To Organize a Timetable for your Household". Hope you get some great ideas - they work for us!

be organized.....evelyn

Creative Storage 101

Something different today!
Presenting a special guest blog by blogger Lisa Kane - all about finding new places to store things. Enjoy!
And let me know what you think!

There comes a time in every organizer’s life when the space simply runs out. It happens slowly, but eventually the space is going to run out. If you’ve reached your organization threshold then consider these creative tips for making the most out of every space.

1. Deck the walls

One of the areas with the most potential in your home is the walls. Think about how much empty real estate you have, just ready for shelves so you can start utilizing the space. This type of storage strategy works best when you think of terms of what’s display-worthy. Your extra towels and cleaning supplies aren’t going to look that great on the wall, but your kids’ toys or your collection of hats might. Pick out things that would make a great display and put them up on the shelves instead of in the back of the closet.

An example from my house - our vitamins.  Evelyn

2. Look up

Another area that’s often overlooked is the top of high furniture. If you have a tall wardrobe or bookcase it’s unlikely that you’ve used the space on top for storage. The best furniture for this kind of application will be deep so the top has a lot of surface area. Remember that you don’t have to fill up all the space if you’re concerned about the appearance. You can put things near the wall and no one will be able to see them from below. Make sure you choose items that you don’t need often because getting them up and down can be a bit of a chore.

3. Go to the bathroom

The title might seem a little bit weird, but the bathroom is typically underused when it comes to storage. Take a look at your bathrooms to see what extra space could be converted into storage. Many showers have a ledge above the shower that can be converted into a shelf for decorative boxes. Depending on the layout of your bathroom, you can also create a corner nook to hold everything from extra bathroom supplies to last year’s Christmas decorations. You’ll be surprised at how much extra space you were ignoring in the bathroom.

4. Multipurpose when possible

One of the most interesting storage solutions I’ve seen was a living room chair that also served as a bookshelf. If you’re having trouble imagining how that would work, picture a large lounge chair with a hollowed out frame to hold books inside and the cushion on top. You might not be able to make your current furniture hollow, but there are certainly some areas where you can double up on usefulness. Take the drawers out of a side table and make it into a bookshelf, or go even further and create an entire entertainment system out of bookshelves. Whatever you do, make sure it serves at least two purposes.

These tips should get you started on thinking creatively about storage, but don’t forget your other options if you still don’t have enough space. Self-storage is a good solution for anyone who simply can’t squeeze out another inch of room.

Author’s bio: Lisa Lane is an expert on storage units and how to maximize usable space in your home. She got her start in organization when she managed storage units in Tallahassee but since then she moves and keeps her collection of rare books in storage units in Virginia Beach.

be organized.....evelyn

How To Stop Drowning in Paper!

So - how much paper comes into your house every day....every week? Where's it all ending up?

How about in here?

The famous Treasure Chest!

This short 4 minute video I did will give you a fool proof system to deal with it before it takes over your life.

Watch it, do it, be it. Hope it makes your life just a little bit easier!

Have a great day!

be organized.....evelyn

p.s. - new website on the horizon soon - check back often for updates!

Are There More Toys In Your House Than You Can Count? Here's What to Do About Them.....

Toys taking over your life? Get more done and have more fun with the ideas in this video.

And yes, that's me!

And my living room......

Hope you got at least one idea in the video to make your life & home the heaven you want it to be.


Changes are in the air! Exciting things coming up in the next few weeks...busy launching my book to best seller status and jumping in to write a new one! Stay tuned......

be efficient & organized.....evelyn

Bake Life More Easy

No - that's not a misprint.

I'm spearheading a campaign to get more home baked goods back into the lives of everyday people. Back to the cookies and milk after school. Back to homemade dessert.

Why?  Lots of reasons.

1. When you go to the store, the prices of muffins, cookies & cakes are astounding.
2. The first ingredient in many store bought goods is sugar.(How can that be? I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that has more sugar then flour in it -so how can it be possible for store bought goods? A question to ponder another time....)
3. Most baked items you buy at the store are full of junk. 'nuff said.
4. Memories are made of cookies baking in the oven - not sitting in a package on the counter.

I'm here to tell you it's simple and easy to do your own baking. A few short recipes, click here for a super easy cake  and here for a really easy muffin,
and you're good to go.

But you do need to set your kitchen up to make it easy.

Here's my idea for the day.

Store your flour, sugar and other baking supplies in glass canisters on display in your kitchen

Why?

1. It's easier to bake something when you don't have to dig the flour out from behind the mountain of cereal in the closet.
2. You can see when you're running low and it's time to restock.
3. The canisters add to the "homeyness" of your home.

Here's mine:

It's big canister - over a foot tall. Holds a five pound bag of flour with ease. I especially recommend Trader Joe's or King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour - all the nutrition of whole wheat without the heavy taste. Bakes just like white flour too! (Yes, I know I sound like Lucy in the Vitameatavegimin skit).

I keep sugar in another -

The sugar is in a smaller canister. I think I got all of these at Pier One over 20 years ago!

And they are simply stored on triangle wire shelves we put up in an unused corner. Works like a bakers rack - remember those? - but takes up lots less space. Also been there over 20 years. And those are the coffee pods for the Nespresso coffee maker behind the sugar. Love, love, love that coffee maker!

So - that's it. A simple idea - but one that works really well. Now go try it. And go bake the muffins. They're really good!

And anyone in the Madison, NJ area - I'm  speaking at the Madison Library this Wednesday night - March 14th, 2012. Come on out and say hi - and get even more ideas on how to Get More Done While Having More Fun - my new motto.

be organized....evelyn

PS - Changes are-a-coming. Stay tuned for announcements and all sorts of new stuff!

P. P.S. - Speaking of new stuff - In addition to my once a week blog posts (leave your email in the box on the right next to the title if you want to get them automatically), I'm going to start sending out a quick happiness idea every Friday morning. Want to be in the club that gets them? Shoot me an email at: evelyn@organizingwithevelyn.com or leave a comment below.

The Little Green Pill That Makes Life Easy Again.

So every once in awhile you come across a product that you would take with you to a deserted island.

This is one of those products.

Possible again!

It smooths out one of the biggest bumps in life.

Time for a story!

Once upon a time, there was a dairy family.  No, they didn't raise cows - they ate a lot of dairy products. Especially ice cream. (Like you may remember from a previous blog. http://bit.ly/xyo9fA)

And cheese.

But there was a problem. And it wasn't a lack of calcium intake.

The problem was that one of the youngest family members also had frequent tummy aches. To the point where the family would often find themselves racing around looking for a restroom. The average person would have made the connection sooner rather then later.

This is no average family.

Fast forward a few more years. Still eating dairy, still having tummy aches.

One day the light bulb lit up! Maybe, possibly, could it be that the young family member was lactose intolerant? Eureka! Turned out the family member WAS lactose intolerant! And those big chewable pills you take before every meal are the answer!

Well, not quite. Not so fast. Not for this family. What seemed like a perfect answer was really more of a nuisance. The family never seemed to remember the pill. It was home while they were out, it was out while they were home. And the young child didn't like the pill. Any missing it just once meant another search for the restroom. RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!!!

Again, the average family would have just given up dairy. Again, this is no average family. This is a family that regularly attends an ice cream festival and knows where every good ice cream parlor is in the state.

And then one day a new pill was found! A pill that only gets taken once a day - like a vitamin!
A pill that simply gives the body the enzyme it needs to process lactose!
And the enzyme builds up in the body so if you forget it one day it makes no difference!
And the pill is tiny and easy to swallow!

That pill is Digestive Advantage Lactose Defense Formula!

It really is magic. I know because we are that family.
Since this over the counter pill came into our lives it's like the lactose intolerance has disappeared!

You have got to try this. If you or anyone you know has a problem with lactose, get some of these pills. A month supply costs less then $10.00. Get more info here: http://www.schiffvitamins.com/product_detail.asp?id=206

Now I know this isn't an organizing tool, but it is a Life Made Better Tool, hence the reason I'm talking about it. I'm all for anything that makes life simpler, better, calmer happier. Just easier all around!

be organized.....evelyn cucchiara

P.S. - Hey - I'm starting something new! In addition to my once a week blog posts (leave your email in the box on the right next to the title if you want to get them automatically), I'm going to start sending out a quick happiness idea every Friday morning. Want to be in the club that gets them? Shoot me an email at: evelyn@organizingwithevelyn.com or leave a comment below.