How to get salt stains off your leather boots!

Good Afternoon! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed the snowstorm! I love the snow but after about a day of having a snow storm in NYC-it is one big mess! One thing that bugs me the most is there is salt everywhere! A big killer for shoes! Yesterday, I was having lunch with a friend of mine and wore leather boots instead of rain boots which was a huge mistake since there was puddles of water, snow, and salt everywhere. We also ended up at the same restaurant but in different locations. Yes there is two Cafe Gitanes in NYC! It is so delicious (definitely try it out, one in Soho and one in the West Village). After about a day of city wandering, I woke up to gross salt stained boots! I was so disappointed but tried this trick!

Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with one cup of water. Dip a clean soft rag in the liquid and wipe the salt stains. Allow to dry and they should look as good as new. If you want to add some shine take a banana peel and rub all over boot, to get the banana out of zipper take a tooth brush. I then spray my boots again with leather protector (obviously let dry over night!)

Gifts Galore

Wow, it has been way too long since I have posted anything, but things have been so busy around here! The holidays are here and I am loving it! This is by far, my favorite time of the year (minus the NYC weather). I love the smell of Christmas trees, family gatherings, the sparkling decor, buying gifts for loved one, and searching for the best deals! This year most of my Christmas shopping was done via Amazon. One minus about online shopping is that you can not see the actual product in person. However, I usually go into stores and search for what I am looking for and than I will go on Amazon and order it on there. Another tip is do not wait till the week before Christmas to make purchases on Amazon, because all of their deals disappear, they up all the prices on the products the week before. In fact, I went back to look at all the gifts I had purchased and they had ALL gone up in price. If purchasing gifts at a clothing store, I would recommend just getting a gift card because we all know the best deals come after Christmas. Also I find that unless you know the person's clothing style, gift cards can be a safe bet. Some think its not personal, but I disagree...you still went out of your way to find a store they like and purchased the card.

If you are a guest at someones house this year, please do yourself a favor and order these as a gift to bring!! These William-Sonoma croissants taste exactly like the ones you get in a bakery in Paris (if not better). They are a bit pricey for $39 a box (but for 12 x-large croissants that taste out of this world, it's worth every penny). Another nice gift is Veniero's Cheesecake, a bakery in New York City. This is hands down the tastiest cheesecake I have ever had! And best of all the price is unbeatable for this amazing quality. I love the fact that both of these 2 gift items can be delivered right to your door!

Now, once all your gifts are purchased- PLEASE wrap them nicely and put some fancy trimming on it. I always find that nice gifts make a tree look even prettier. Presentation is everything, at least to me. I love big red bows and name tags that sparkle. I also love the natural look (brown bag wrapping) with a gold glitter ribbon. Get creative.

Making Plans for a Friend's Visit

I can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday! Isn't time flying fast these days? Well my friend, Rachel, arrives tomorrow. Super excited! I thought I would share our plans with you, so when some of you have friends visiting you could get ideas of what to do in this great city. As I mentioned in a previous posting, I think organizing plans for your guest's arrival is critical in that it makes it stress free, therefore giving you more time to spend with your guest!

Thursday: I am working, so I have made a list for Rachel to take along with her. At night I am hosting a game night with my friends (dorky I know, but trust me it is so much fun!). I am making appetizers and I told everyone to bring a bottle of wine (ha yes you need wine to make the competition in people come out!) We will be playing Cranium Wow which is a blast if you have never played before.

Friday: Again I am working and Rachel may tag along for a bit, but the list I am sure will keep her busy. At night we are going to Lime Jungle in Hells Kitchen. Their margaritas are organic and so tasty! I think so many restaurants make their margaritas wrong, but this place has perfected them. They even opened another restaurant with the same name 5 blocks down (that has got to say something about the food!) Afterwards we will head down towards the West/East Village for some dancing?

Saturday: If it is a nice day I would love to take Rachel down to the Brooklyn Bridge and walk across it. This is my favorite bridge, as the views are spectacular. Once you cross the bridge and stay towards your right you land in a place called Dumbo (sounds so disney). There is this amazing bakery called New Almondine. Usually I just grab something from here and sit outside by the park (may be too cold for that, we'll see). We will probably spend the rest of the day shopping in Brooklyn and Manhattan. At night we are going to see a 9PM showing at Broadway Comedy. I got a great deal on tickets by going to nytix.com. $5 cover charge plus a 2 drink minimum, which is pretty standard at most comedy clubs in the nyc.

I will post my NYC list of things to do for Rachel tomorrow! Sleep tight.

2 Ways to Make Delicata Squash!

I love the Fall for many reasons, but one is the yummy harvest of vegetables that mother nature gives to us. My mom brought me a ton of squash this past weekend from upstate NY (farmers market). So as I came home from my day, I though it was time to bust out the squash. I chose the delicata squash because technically you can eat the skin on any squash but many are rough and this one once cooked really is easy to eat with skin. The size of this squash is about the size of a large russet potato. And like all winter squash, it is a great source of beta carotene-the same compound the body converts to vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin, good vision, and boosts the immune system.

Delicata Squash with Orange & Pistachios

MAKES: 4 servings, about 1 cup each

TIME : 35 minutes

1 pound of delicata squash (1 large)

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or olive oil

2 shallots, sliced into tiny strips

1/2 cup of orange juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped salted pistachios

1) Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds. Thinly slice crosswise (making moon shapes)

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly light brown.

3) Add orange juice, salt, fresh ground pepper, and delicata squash. Over med-low heat, cover for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally until the squash is tender (12-15 more minutes).

5) Serve with sprinkled pistachios

*I made mine with brown rice penne pasta (Trader Joes Brand) and it mixed very well and I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on it!! So yummy. You can add some more orange juice if is not juicy.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Maple Syrup covered Onions

MAKES: 4 servings, about 1 cup each

TIME: 45 minutes

2 pounds delicata squash (about 2 large)

1 medium red onion, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1) Preheat over to 425F degrees.

2) Cut Squash half lengthwise (long way). Scoop out seeds. Cut lengthwise (long way) into 1/2 inch thick wedges. Each half should make about 4 pieces. Toss with sliced up onion, 1 tablespoon oil and salt in a large bowl. Spread on a baking sheet.

3) Roast for 30 minutes at 435F degrees, stirring twice through duration.

4) Mix 1 tablespoon oil, rosemary, syrup and mustard into bowl. Toss the squash and onions with this mixture.

*Serve with baked chicken or chicken cutlets!

Both of these recipes are super easy and do not require obscure ingredients! Enjoy this wonderful fall vegetable! Let me know how it turns out =)

Have a happy Tuesday and enjoy the blue skies. Stay tuned for itineraries for the arrival of my guest!

A Guest Comes to Visit

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! I am having a great friend from college come visit me this weekend! Very exciting I wanted to share with you how I prepare for a guest's stay.

Having a guest stay with you means a couple of different things. Time to get your place organized, get your errands done in advance (more time to spend with your guest) and of course being flexible to their needs.

I have made a 5 Step Checklist that I will use this week...

1) Grocery list: Ask your guest for any special items they made need (ex: what they like for breakfast) I just make sure I am stocked up on basics (OJ, oatmeal, eggs, cereal, some snacks, water bottles, wine, beer)

2) Offer transportation: If you can pick them up from the airport, do it. If like me, you live in the city, search transportation options for them.

3) Make itinerary for their stay (ask your guest what she/he would like to do) Sometimes your guest will just say spending time with you is great, but I like to be prepared with options and plans rather than wasting hours on deciding what to do next.

4) Figure out where they are going to sleep. Make sure you have extra clean sheets, pillows, towels, ect. If you do not have a guest room or pullout sofa, you may want to invest in a air mattress. I like the Aerobed collection. The best component of air mattresses is that they are easy to store!

5) If you are working and your guest will be alone for some of the trip, offer points of interest for your guest to visit (get a map and circle the areas you think she/he may enjoy!)

I will write up my itinerary and points of interest this week to share with you for NYC.

Happy Monday! Bundle up today!

Organize your LOVE.

The definition of organizing is the act of rearranging elements following one or more rules. Anything is commonly considered organized when it looks like everything has a correct order or placement. Seeing a space organized is easy, because it is visible. But how is a relationship organized and more importantly how do we organize ourselves to prepare for a relationship?

I think that we must organize ourselves before we even think about leaping into a relationship. I think we need to be happy, proud of who we are, and to love ourselves. It is almost impossible to love someone else if we do not love ourselves. Because if we do not love ourselves, we think that we are not worthy of being loved. So let’s start by giving love to ourselves, smiling at who we are. Of course there are always elements that we want to change about ourselves and those are great to help us set future goals. Organize your goals by setting short term and long term goals. The short term goals are the ones that help us get to our long term goals. (Write these down, it helps! It is also a neat way to see your progress and growth.)

Sometimes I think we try to find something in a relationship that is missing in ourselves. We seek another companion because that makes it easier to focus less on ourselves. But that is not healthy, and you and I both know it will never last if it starts out like this. So go on, get yourself organized, reach your goals, be proud of who you have become. Your happiness will be contagious and it will not only bring yourself love but will help you find love.

HOW TO REORGANIZE YOUR FRIDGE!

Every time I open my fridge I shriek! From as far back as I could remember this is the one spot that just needs constant maintenance.

Why do fridges ALWAYS get so disorganized?

1. Always buying new groceries.

2. Everyone in household grabbing and throwing items back in (and not always in its proper place).

3. Simply gets overloaded because we forget what is in it. (For example: my boyfriend was starving one morning and grabbed a string cheese that was more than rancid (let's just say it was over a year old and this is so not typical of how I keep my fridge, but hey....it can happen to anyone!)

4. We do not have the right tools to keep it organized.

So yes our refrigerators do need constant maintenance but there are ways we can make it easier for us.

Follow the steps below for a ORGANIZING & CLEAN looking fridge (it will make you feel good I promise!)

1. Take every SINGLE item out of your fridge.

2. Clean the fridge with the green rough side of a Scotch-Brite 3M Heavy duty scrub sponge and some hot soapy water. I also used a clorox wipe to disinfect the fridge and than wiped it down with paper towels.

3. Next I went to the Container Store and bought this great product called Fridge Binz. They come in all different sizes, but I prefer the deep tray bins. I purchased two 14-3/4x8x4 ($14.99 each) and one 14-3/4x4x4 ($10.99). These may seem a bit pricey but trust me I searched for the best quality, because you want something unbreakable and sturdy in your fridge.

4. I used the Fridge Binz to organize the items that looked messy in my fridge (Remember that while you are placing items back in Fridge to look for expired dates and toss those out!)

5. One Fridge Binz was used for sandwich toppings (mustard, mayo, pickles, peppers, pesto, ect). I used another to organize my breakfast goods (peanut butter, jelly, yogurt). The last one was used to organize misc cooking items (tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, olives, ect). I LOVE the way these bins look and they really make everything look so much more organized.

5. I never know what to do with cans (beer/soda). Those boxes with the one end that opens are great, but not all of the cans we buy come like that. So I bought the Fridge Monkey ($5.99) at the Container Store and it holds up to ten bottles.

6. I have three drawers in my fridge. I used one for cheese, one for produce and one for meat/sandwich meats.

You are all done! Enjoy your clean fridge and this beautiful Fall day! Stayed tuned for more...

Organize your closet.

Closets are made to hide our clutter. Correct? Yes and No...I would say closets are a great way to hide your vacuum or your yellow poncho from the 1980's that not everybody needs to see you still have. But closets should be ACCESSIBLE. Honestly, if it is organized and you can take items in and out, well thats the key to great closet space! If you are thinking well I just need to hide items and not get to them, than my suggestion to you is: toss it out, sell it, or give the items to Salvation Army (http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/).

I tackled my living room closet today (1 of 3 closets in my NYC apartment).

Items I tossed:

-Extra shopping bags (great to have on hand, but you don't need 50, especially when nowadays we have the reusable bags) (RECYCLE THESE!!)

-winter jacket

-boxes of items I had bought (When the time comes to move you can figure it out, but why waste space with empty boxes especially when space is limited)

-broken lamp

-paint cans (Just log the name of the paint somewhere)

-left over wood from bookshelf

Key Ideas*

-Hangers should all be the same. It looks neater in my opinion and keep some extras for when guests come over.

-I got 1 tin can that I had laying around my apartment and threw all my odd items in it (iron, flash lights, extension cord, extra light bulbs, ect.)

stay tuned for organizing a fridge!

Organize me. you. and the whole world.

We all know that life can get messy and so my inspiration is simple: to help heal the soul through organization. There is a lot of messiness in our lives that we can control and that is where I come in to help. At a young age I started organizing my life, whether it was physical or mental-it has been a constant process in my life. I am applying all that I know to organizing to help you free up time, space, and energy to allow you to follow your dreams and passions.

So read on, organize your life and enjoy!