r u l y

My goal this month was to read and review Marcia Francois’ new book Live Organised and I am happy to report that I have succeeded!

I read the book yesterday despite an overfull schedule. The great thing about this book is that it suits its target audience perfectly. If you are an overwhelmed or disorganized person the last thing you want is a detailed tome with specific instructions and routines that will take a huge amount of time and effort to understand and implement. Marcia Francois’ book meets this audience perfectly. Her book reads very quickly and easily, packing in some insights about the psychology of organising as well as some organising tips.

Francois has a unique voice and is able to get to the high level importance of organization without getting buried in too many details. She also is very direct and honest. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book, made into cute little quote boxes a la the latest blogging trend. (I hope Marcia Francois isn’t too appalled! It wouldn’t be her style to do them herself but hope she can appreciate it when someone else does them.)

She also discusses two topics that are important to me personally about organising: perfectionism and environmentalism. Francois does not advocate a Martha-Stewart style approach and instead advocates a “just enough” organising strategy. Francois gives many creative suggestions for re-use of containers such as glass jars and cereal boxes in organising efforts.

At the end of the book, she also provides “15 Tools to Organise Your Home and Life,” in the form of several worksheets and checklist that help you do things such as set goals and create a travel checklist.

For American readers, there are some fun English language uses in this book. The first being the use of an “s” instead of a “z” in the word “organise.” Other word choices include “bin” (instead of garbage can or wastebasket), “costume” (instead of bathing suit), “plasters” (instead of Band Aids), and “lip ice” (lip balm?) but these in no way interfere with the comprehension of the overall message.

This book will appeal in particular to two groups of readers: those who are just getting started in their organising efforts and those who want a quick motivational reference to continue their own organising efforts. This book is truly a quick, accessible, not overwhelming, reference and packs a big punch for little reading effort. Watch Marcia Francois’ blog for details about giveaways and special offers to get extra value for your purchase.

Which is your favorite Francois quote? Please share in the comments.

Ruly entertaining: a drink wagon!

The economy is still terrible. And people more than ever long to congregate over great food. Luckily the two are not mutually exclusive. I wrote last year’s Ruly Ruth on what’s hot food-wise to share. So I think it’s a must that I update this annually!

6 Cookout Food Trends for 2012

1.  A Main Course

People are being asked to bring not just an “extra” food item, as in years past–but often parts of the main course. A friend recently brought a beautiful sausage roll baked in a puffed pastry and sliced for easy serving–lovely! We brought a sliced pork tenderloin marinated and cooked in an Asian sauce over rice with mixed veggies and a teriyaki sauce over the entire dish. You get the picture. Bring foods that are hearty, and can stand alone. These are huge hits these days.

2.  Ethnic Food

A beautiful Korean-style buffet

Ethnic food is HUGE HUGE HUGE! Follow your roots or your favorite cooking style! I LOVE Creole food–although we have zero Creole roots. I can make a mean gumbo (and now that I know a quick microwave roux I can cut the crazy cooking time in half) and blackened anything is fabulous! A Green Thai Curry stir-fry is always fabulous–I have to go to the Asian market to buy my favorite paste to fry up in coconut milk before adding the rest of the ingredients. Greek food/Mediterranean food is as always super desirable–lovely humus dips, fresh tomato and cucumber salads with feta cheese–loving it! Fondues are back in…I had a fondue party recently with cheese as the main course and of course the chocolates–both white and milk melted for dessert dipping. A friend from Nigeria made a mad noodle dish with a lovely sweet-potato and meat topping. Bring it on! I think what’s great about this food is that most of us love to try new things…so this is a way to contribute to a party and have a new tasting sensation at the same time. And also, if you love cooking it–you know it will taste fabulous!

3.  Homestyle Food

Some of North Carolina's best barbecue! You don't have to make it yourself. Take out from a great restaurant is wonderful too!

Homestyle food is back in also. Last year I categorized this as “old fashioned”–times have changed–I swear if I threw a party and had everyone bring their own version of mac ‘n cheese right now it would be a huge hit! (There were years this concept wouldn’t have flown at all!) Truffle oil in mac ‘n cheese is very popular right now–so consider that as a deluxe addition. And the cheeses–white cheeses are making their appearance in this dish with huge avail. Some add meats to it, others keep it plain. Even Kraft’s deluxe version with the breaded topping is fabulously rich. Go figure! Fried chicken, if you’re here in the south, hush puppies–yum! And barbecue–with shows like “Pit Masters” that we can’t take our eyes off of–you know it’s going down! Once you’re in the south you learn of regional specialties with barbecue. In MD and VA you have a more tomato-sauced based barbecue sauce flavored with amazing things. Here in North Carolina, they use a vinegar-based sauce. Which was very interesting, but I’ve grown to love it! And sweet tea–when McDonald’s launched it you know the nation loves it!

4.  Cocktails, Mocktails and Punch

Drinks are still popular to bring along…especially cocktails that have taken time and special ingredients–or mocktails for those teetotalers out there. One friend made a martini with her own homemade blackberry syrup reduction. A lovely treat for all of us! And punches are huge again–you’d think the ’60s and ’70s had maxed those out–but they are back in a big way, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic alike. Presentation is everything–from dry ice to fancy glasses (yes, even guests who want it to look a certain way will bring their own glassware for serving).

5.  Kids

An adorable kids' table starring Ruly Ruth's daughter.

Here’s the deal–family-friendly is THE ONLY way to go nowadays. Even if you don’t have kids! Babysitters are expensive items most of us save for only once-in-a-whiles right now. And we are in an era where kids are to be kept involved and with us…that’s why we had them, after all. A cute little table set apart for kids food is a huge hit. Extra bonus points if you can make even a make-shift table at child-height! Chicken nuggets, the original Kraft Mac ‘N Cheese, carrots and dip and cut-up fruit (apple slices or orange slices or melon) and juice boxes is all you need—relatively inexpensive items that make picky eaters or little eaters very comfortable.

A surefire hit: Chik-Fil-A's chicken nugget tray.

6.  Diet Foods

Trifles are everywhere! Not sure this one is diet-friendly but it was delicious!

Diet is IN! Yes, even with homestyle, we love our “Skinny Girl Margaritas”–which taste even better thanks to my friend Martha’s discovery to mix half of that mix with Crystal Light Lemonade! Light whipping cream in desserts, please! (And trifles are back too–angel food cake, berries and light whipping cream and also light vanilla pudding layered is the first to go.) The ONLY caveat is make sure it tastes good. Life is short, and if it doesn’t taste good, believe it or not, we won’t eat it!

7.  Cake Balls

Desserts have a super popular theme this year: cake balls! Everyone is doing cake balls. It used to be a once-in-a-while thing, now it’s mandatory. I’m not a great decorator, so I am usually the trifle-bringer. But the friends that are make these look amazing! Doctored baked cake usually mixed with cream cheese rolled into balls and put individually on a lollipop stick, hardened in the fridge and then either spread with icing or dipped and often with toppings. Yum!

Another fresh dessert idea a friend brought was so delicious and beautiful in presentation–she bought waffle cones, filled them with mixed berries, arranged them in a circular pattern and put a bowl of whipped cream with a serving spoon in the middle. The first thing to go, that’s for sure! Lovely!

Note from Anne: One of my neighbors brought this gorgeous strawberry roll to a party and it was devoured in seconds. She claimed it was easy to make too.

I hope these ideas are helpful as we approach the 4th of July cookout season! Enjoy, be safe, and bon appetit!

Note from Anne: It has been interesting for me to see how many of Ruth’s trends from last year showed up on party tables throughout the year.  The only trend that may have changed is Ruth’s placing “Store-bought veggie trays” at the top of the “Do Not Bring” list.  Ruly Ruth herself served some Sam’s Club veggie trays at a recent party (below) and they were fantastic.  I served some Wal-Mart ones recently and they were fantastic too.  So, maybe we need to alter that warning to be “Un-fresh-looking store-bought veggie trays.” The one trend I am seeing at Fredericksburg parties is an increased emphasis on healthy, sugar-free food.  Store-bought fruit and vegetable trays are wonderful quick and easy things to bring!

Ruly Ruth's Sam's Club Veggie Tray. It was delicious!

A Sam's Club Fruit tray with cheese, apples and caramel dipping sauce. Lovely!

What food trends are showing up at your local cookouts? Please share in the comments.

As an overwhelmed woman this month, I was immediately drawn to the title of The Atlantic’s cover story this month: “Why Women Can’t Have it All” by Anne-Marie Slaughter, a Princeton University professor and former director of policy planning at the State Department.

Of course, this headline should be news to no one by now. We all know that the demands of modern life become ever more complex, and that when you add the responsibility of raising children to that mix, you get an instant recipe for overwhelmed women and something always has to give.

The article is definitely worth reading in full but I wanted to highlight some of her ideas.

Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Recommendations for more Family-Friendly Workplaces

1. Change default workplace hours and meeting times to the hours when children are in school.

2. Change default workplace leave policies to assume parents need to take time off to care for their children, such as after the birth of a child.

In this situation, you don’t need to “request” maternity leave, rather your employer and coworkers would assume you will take it and you would only request NOT to take maternity leave if you chose not to.

3. Remove any discriminatory barriers to entry for older women who are entering or returning to the workforce after many years off raising children.

Sadly, Slaughter notes:

“[M]any women still ask me about the best ‘on-ramps’ to careers in their mid-40s. Honestly, I’m not sure what to tell most of them. Unlike the pioneering women who entered the workforce after having children in the 1970s, these women are competing with their younger selves. Government and NGO jobs are an option, but many careers are effectively closed off. Personally, I have never seen a woman in her 40s enter the academic market successfully, or enter a law firm as a junior associate . . . .”

4. Allow for more telecommuting opportunities and less “face time” at the office.

5. Respect and value decisions to curtail work hours to participate in childrearing activities.

This article generated an interesting discussion between me and my husband. I can’t imagine any working mother who doesn’t shout “Amen!” to all of the above. If you don’t have children, however, all of this can seem like an extra benefit for those with children that those without children don’t really participate in.

Functionally, there are also some questions about how this would realistically play out. If everyone in the office takes off at 3:00 p.m. to meet the school bus at home, what happens if there is a business crisis at 3:30 p.m.? Does the business just wait until the next day? Do all the childless people take up the slack? Can the business survive? If gaining more time flexibility meant less pay or no benefits, would people accept the trade-off?

As a mother of two daughters, I would love to see a world where they enter the workforce with all of the above flexibilities built in. However, as someone who has been both a full-time childless working professional and a full-time stay-at-home mom, I also know that both professions require full focus and dedication to be done well. However you slice it, you still can’t “have it all” but things could always get better and Anne-Marie Slaughter’s suggestions provide a great discussion draft!

What policies are on your “life balance” wish list? Please share in the comments.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell being interviewed by LENS magazine, June 4, 2012. Photo by Michaele White. (c) Governor of Virginia. From the Flickr Creative Commons.

The news here in Virginia has been dominated by the drama at the University of Virginia (perhaps the most prestigious university in our state) regarding the ouster of President Teresa A. Sullivan. If you haven’t been following the story, members of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors met with President Sullivan and threatened to vote to oust her from her role. She then resigned. Now, an ongoing dispute questions why she was asked to resign so abruptly and questions the role of the Board in making this decision.

Virginia governor Bob McDonnell has now sent a stern letter to the Board requiring them to resolve the issue of the Presidency of the University of Virginia by this Wednesday, including a full explanation as to their actions. Should they fail to do so, Governor McDonnell indicates he will ask the entire board to resign!

Wow!

This has all been very fascinating to observe. Governor McDonnell’s letter gives us all a little to think about when we serve on any sort of leadership body, from corporate Boards to church or school committees.

Leadership Lessons from Governor Bob McDonnell’s letter.

1. “[E]liminate . . . uncertainty . . . immediately.”

If you are involved in a hugely controversial decision, your best course is to act as quickly as you can with a firm decision. If the decision is communicated in a firm and final manner, people will adjust to it, move on and make other plans. When people believe there is a chance to change the decision, the uncertainty lingers and causes unnecessary distraction from the organization’s critical mission, in this case, the education of some of the brightest minds our state has to offer.

2. “Board actions on major personnel or policy decisions should have a clear explanation of the decision.”

Much like a legal opinion, a controversial decision requires a rational explanation as to what alternatives were considered and why one course was chosen over another. Simply hiding behind the authority of the Board to do whatever it likes for any reason is unprofessional and undermines the Board’s authority.

3. “Make objective decisions without regard to any outside political, personal or media pressure.”

Commonsense advice but today we usually see the opposite.

4. “Act as a unified board when your deliberations are done. While no one expects unanimous votes on this or other major issues, the Board must speak with one, united voice once decisions are made.”

Reading this from a legal background, my first instinct was to think of the Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court issues a final decision, the justices who disagree with the decision can publish their dissenting opinion explaining why they would have decided otherwise. Bob McDonnell’s advice indicates that you should think more in a business all-or-nothing way for most Board service. When you commit to serving on a Board, you are responsible for the final decisions of that Board. If you fundamentally disagree with a Board action, your best option is to resign.

What I find most fascinating about Governor McDonnell’s letter is that if you extend its logic to disputes such as those occurring in the U.S. Congress over the budget, it is a refreshing reminder that leaders in both political parties need to be bold and courageous. A Senator or Representative needs to consider the views of his or her constituents and political party, but in the end needs to act according to his or her own conscience and bear the consequences of that decision.

Is Governor McDonnell’s letter the first firm expression for politics in general to change or will this type of decisive action result in even greater polarity of opinions? How do you see this situation resolving? Please share in the comments.

On my to do list this month was to listen to and review Marcia Francois’ eCourse: “Break Out of Overwhelm,” which was provided as a gift with purchase of her new book, Live Organised.

My month has continued to be jam-packed with critical tasks and the feeling of “overwhelm” is definitely there. It was even a bit overwhelming to think about listening to a seminar on coping with being overwhelmed! I knew that the seminar would likely require me to do something and I just wasn’t sure I even had the energy to do that.

However, since I committed in writing on this blog that this was one of my goals, I decided to just get started. It was late one evening and I thought I would just put the audio on and replay it later if necessary.

To my great surprise, this audio course was not overwhelming, was easy to comprehend, had a lot of interesting things to say and had easy steps to start the de-stressing process. It is just over an hour long.

While I won’t go into detail about what is in the seminar, here are the topics I found most interesting:

• 3 organizing personalities (how to tell which one you are, what to do to focus yourself for each type)
• The first super-simple thing you should do when you are feeling overwhelmed
• How to decide which expert sources you should consult for organization, time management, etc.

I started following her advice and I have to say it is working already. No, things are not perfect and I still have far too much to do but I do feel more control over my life and more calm.

A few things I learned from this experience that are not actually in the seminar are:

1) If you are seeking meaningful change in your life/organization/productivity, etc., get in the habit of reacting to good information (making a plan, asking a question, etc.) rather than just passively reading or listening. I am guilty of this too. If you subscribe to Ramit Sethi’s emails for example, he is always asking you to do something with his information. I believe that is really the key to seeing change. It doesn’t matter whether you “know” the information; what matters is whether you “use” it.

2) Marcia Francois is a fearless delegator, which makes her quite unique. I am curious to learn more about her delegating methods.

3) Professional/life coaching is something we should all think about doing. Today’s workplace simply doesn’t have time to help us become better at our jobs, move up to better things, identify knowledge gaps or help us plan for upcoming employment shifts. But just because the workplace doesn’t give it to us doesn’t mean we don’t need it. If you don’t take the time or have the skills yourself to sit down and think about your goals and talents once or twice a year, hiring someone to help you do it is a great idea.

What is the first thing you do when you feel overwhelmed? Have you benefitted from coaching? Please share in the comments.

My son's first suit. Wonder if T.M. Lewin would approve?

Since Father’s Day was yesterday, perhaps the tie-giving holiday of the year, I wanted to pass along a tip I learned just recently about choosing good ties.  In the past, I have professed my ignorance about choosing and styling ties.

In the United States, formal wear is something that becomes less and less popular each year.  Even in most workplaces, ties are becoming rare and especially so in the summer months.  So, for advice about ties, it should not be altogether surprising that the answer needed to come from a British source.

Enter T.M. Lewin, a British company which began producing shirts on Jermyn (pronounced “German”) Street in London in 1898.  According to their historical video, Jermyn is the “shirt street” of the world just as Saville Row is known for suits.

T.M. Lewin has a very simple rule for matching ties and shirts that anyone can understand.  You can watch it below.

The T.M. Lewin YouTube channel is so much fun to watch.  If you are a fan of British television, you will love this!

Here they are making over a young college graduate, showing how to choose a suit, shirt and tie,

Here they go to a private school to teach how to tie the “schoolboy knot.”

And here they are teaching us the finer points of menswear, showing some of the collar styles for formalwear shirts.  As with all menswear styling, the differences are pretty subtle.

There are a lot of gems here to learn how to select and maintain your formalwear wardrobe, including:

Know Your Size: Suits

How to Iron a Shirt

How to Press Trousers

This summer, while your suits may be taking a breather, it is a good opportunity to do some closet organization to review your formal wardrobe, clean and press it and refresh it for the fall.

*I have no affiliation with T.M. Lewin.

A lovely ballet stage face!

When you are a mom, you wear a lot of hats all the time.  This week, in addition to my role as a teacher Santa, I also had to moonlight as a makeup artist for my daughter’s ballet recital!

I went searching online for ballet makeup tutorials and found a few but none that showed the style our studio uses.  So, in case it helps any other stage moms out there, here is our regimen:

Makeup Shopping List:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Powder
• Blush (bright pink)
• Blue eyeshadow
• Brown eyeshadow (or appropriate color eyebrow pencil)
• Black eyeliner
• Eyelash curler
• Mascara
• Red lip pencil
• Bright red lipstick

Before:

Before - no makeup

While it may seem silly or even inappropriate to put makeup on a young child, their faces do get washed out under the harsh stage lights and the makeup does not look nearly as overwhelming from a distance. My daughter is fortunate to have large eyes and lips that don’t really need a lot of makeup but for ballet we did the full regimen anyway.

1. Apply foundation.

Applying the air foam foundation.

I have very fair-skinned children and used the lightest shade of foundation available (and it still was a smidge darker than their skin tone!). While mineral foundation is lovely, for this purpose, I tried the Maybelline New York airfoam foundation and it was very easy to apply and seemed long-wearing and smudgeproof, which was nice.

2. Apply concealer (if needed).

After foundation and concealer.

Small children usually have flawless skin so concealer seems silly. Rather than dark circles or blemishes, you might need to cover up scratches or random injuries from the wear and tear of little girl life. It also gives a nice highlight to put some concealer under the eyes, in the corners where the eye meets the nose and below the browbone. My concealer was not quite light enough for my children (since I just used some of my own makeup for this purpose) but it did the job.

3. Powder

Applying powder to set the foundation.

Set the foundation and concealer with a coordinating powder. This one is by Urban Decay and can be a foundation when wet and a powder when dry. It looks like they don’t make this exact formula any more.

4. Eye Shadow and Brows

Ballet blue eye shadow and darkened brows.

Only in the world of ballet are they still wearing bright blue eye shadow! It takes a little hunting to find blue eye shadow in the cosmetics aisle these days but yes, they do still make it. The best compact we found was by Wet ‘N Wild and included two shades of blue, dark and light, and a brown shadow.

5. Eyeliner

Dramatic ballet eyeliner.

This was the most difficult step in this makeup regimen. For maximum eye appearance on stage, we were instructed to draw a horizontal black line below the eyes with the top of the line hitting the lower eye crease. (For most people this is probably about 1/4″ below the bottom of your eye). Using the same black liner, you draw a line on the top of the eye and curve it upward a bit at the end.

The easiest tool to use for this is a really soft eye pencil. Maybelline eye pencils are pretty common for this purpose. They are easy to use and wipe off easily which is a plus and minus. It’s a plus when you are redrawing the line for the 4th time because your hand was too shaky or your daughter flinched during the application! It’s a minus when your daughter rubs her eye and all your hard work comes undone!

The most difficult tool but the most defined appearance on stage is liquid liner. The minus of this is that unless you have a waterproof brand it will run with any tears or moisture of any kind.

6. Mascara

Mascara makes such a huge difference in making eyes look . . . well, huge! Often you read tutorials about doing makeup in 5 minutes and often they say to just skip the eyeshadow and just put on mascara. If your eyelashes don’t naturally curl upward, use an eyelash curler first. Then add on lots of mascara to the top lashes only. Some advise false eyelashes but this was beyond the patience of small children (and their mother!).

7. Blush

The last time I received makeup instruction for myself, I was told to put the blush underneath the cheekbone to give more definition to the face. On small children this is almost impossible. I thought it looked better to ask the child to smile, put a big dab of blush on the apple of the cheek and blend upward from there on the cheekbone. Mixing light and dark pink tones showed up the best.

8. Lips

Red red lips.

We were instructed that the lipstick must be “RED.” We found a shade of fire engine red in a lip pencil and lipstick. For the rehearsal, we didn’t use the lip pencil and the lipstick line smeared all over so the lip pencil is pretty important. Line the outside of the lips then color them in with the lip pencil. Add the lipstick over top. For an older child, tell them to rub their lips together gently. For young children, blend it yourself with your finger or they will smudge the lipstick all over the place.

Done! 

You can add in a few more highlights of white eye shadow between the eye liner lines for an even more dramatic effect.

Below are two before and after shots showing the effect of all this makeup on small children.  Close up it is a lot of makeup but it really does look pretty good from at least 10 feet away.

Naturally, this experience sparks an interest in makeup for girls. Both daughters have since experimented with the makeup to paint their own faces with hilarious results.

Do you have any ballet makeup tips? Please share in the comments.

Bearing gifts for teacher on the last day of school.

This week was the end of the school year which means one of my top priority tasks was to organize thank you’s for my daughters teachers.

For this year’s teacher gifts, we went the entertaining route. I was a bit stumped for ideas but received a timely email from Pier1 Imports reminding me of their super-chic Tasting Party collection.

While realistically it might be hard for the average person to make little tiny hors d’ouevres to go on these beautiful serveware pieces, they will make even simple things like store-bought cookies or cut fruit look beautiful. We eat with our eyes “they” say.

If the teachers don’t cook or entertain they could also use them for:

• Bathroom caddy for toiletries like cotton balls, Q-tips and air fresheners
• Entryway caddy for spare change, cell phone charging, keys gloves and other pocket gear
• Stylish desk caddy for paper clips, tape, stapler, stamps, etc.
• Small craft supplies caddy for spools of ribbon, beads, stickers, etc.
• Modern Flower vase

Best of all, I got them for about the same tiny budget I spent last year.

I also saved a little time on the card this year without skimping on the style. Instead of hand glittering and gluing on a photo, I just used a pre-made photo card for teachers.

For this post, I blurred out the identifying info and faces to protect privacy (and yes, my daughter’s teachers are beautiful women). The card had the desired effect and the teachers really loved it, particularly my daughter’s hilarious expression.

Any other creative teacher gifts this year?  Can you think of another use for the serving dishes?  Please share in the comments.

P.S.  I have no affiliation with Pier 1 Imports.

"Children from school No. 2 in the Italian district Terrace nr. GeneSt. Many of these children spend their summer vacations in the canning and fruit picking settlements where their parents go to work during the season." Feb. 8, 1910, Buffalo, N.Y. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

As you may have noticed, I missed posting entirely last week! I have not yet recapped April and May nor given you a theme for June.

I don’t know if that has ever happened before in my 2 years of blogging. There is nothing wrong just overly busy. Our home remodeling project has required more of my time than I was planning for and we then had to add on top of that several birthday parties, ballet rehearsals and life in general. It was just too much.

At this time of year, I imagine many parents are in the same boat. While one might imagine that having a summer “off” would be great and relaxing, in practice I don’t think very many parents have time to think in summer, much less relax. Why is it so busy?

For some parents it could be the adjustment to a new schedule. During the school year, things are certainly always busy but there is a predictable routine to it all. Now that school is out (or nearly out), simple things are about to change for many parents. For example, you might be used to making a quick grocery run sans kids in about 20 minutes. The same trip with children might take an hour. It takes more effort to clean and tidy the house when more people are about and more time needs to be spent preparing meals, doing laundry, and driving to activities. Summer vacations consume a lot of time, money and effort. Summer camps and classes do too.

In our homeschooling household, summer isn’t really time off but rather an important part of our academic year. It is one of the few times of year when homeschooled students have the opportunity to mix in with other children so for us that means extra effort to socialize and drive to activities and classes. It is also time to start planning curriculum for the fall.

So, after you tally up all the extra demands on your life, it’s no wonder things are busy in summer.

How can you reduce your stress in this situation?

Honestly, all I can answer here is that I don’t know and that if you find out, please tell me! Organization certainly helps but sometimes there isn’t even time to organize. On this point, I am turning to a professional for help, namely Marcia Francois, whose new book Live Organised just came out.

This is on my June reading list. I bought Marcia’s book when she was offering a special promotion where you could get a copy of her eCourse “Break out of overhwhelm.” (If you didn’t know, Marcia is South African and I love her use of the English language.) If anyone needs to “Break out of overwhelm” right now, it is me!

So for June, on my blog I am going to cut myself a bit of slack. My blogging goals are to:

• Post random odds and ends about things I am organizing in our life lately.
• Finish up my gardening and summarize the garden-related posts from the last two months.
• Read and review Marcia Francois’ book and eCourse.

Thank you for reading and sticking with me. Curiously, I think it might be helpful both to myself and to you to keep blogging during the busiest times of my life as that is the time when we really need to put our organizational strategies to the test.

Do you forecast a hectic or relaxed summer for yourself and/or your family? Please share in the comments.

As I mentioned before, we share our garden space with numerous visitors.  For some people (and usually me) this can be the icky part of gardening.

Is this a mole beneath my daughter’s earlobe?

Nope.  It’s a tick!

Yes, ticks are back.  We have pulled several off already this year.  Time to consult my tick suggestions from last year.  While ticks are creepy, I at least take comfort in the fact that most of them do not carry disease.  We are now very careful to examine all scalps and earlobes in our household after coming in from outside.  For some reason, we are always finding tick bites in the areas closest to the head.

My husband’s skill as a tick surgeon is improving.

I added a pair of small tweezers to our car emergency kit to address ticks. While I was at it, I also added a pair of nail scissors.

Covering up from head to toe while gardening at this time of year is great prevention for tick bites.  My go-to gardening outfit is the supremely unfashionable combination of jeans tucked into my socks, a turtleneck, tennis shoes and gardening gloves.  Yes, it is hot at first. After hours of gardening, however, the only places I was bitten (by mosquitoes and spiders) were the small space between the uncovered part of my neck and face and the spots between my gardening gloves and long sleeves.

Tick fashion . . . so lovely!

Are ticks or other insects bothering you this year? What do you do to prevent tick bites? Please share in the comments.