Wall Hangings

In my opinion, photos of family and friends make the best art.    (That is in the Book of Jules.   When this blessed book is published, this sentiment will probably be worded as such: Use family photos and memorabilia while decorating in order to reduce clutter and enjoy and showcase your memories.)

Photos and memories personalize your home, make it look like you live there - instead of like you opened up the Pottery Barn catalog and dove in - and if you like your family and friends, your artwork will make you smile.   It's also rather inexpensive to order prints (or bother your mother and mother-in-law for theirs) and head to just about any store for some frames.   Especially when you compare your snapshots to a Picasso.  

As soon as you walk into our house, the stairs are to your right, and you see this collection climbing the railing and creeping on to the landing wall.   That's what I am talking about today.

Now, if you want to hang photos on a wall, in a grid or along the stairway, or in a haphazard fashion, there are many resources online to assist you.   The problem for me was none of them really showed me how to get exactly what I wanted.  

Thanks to my [at the time] new obsession with Pinterest, I had found examples of how I wanted to hang photos in my stairwell along the inclined stairs, but also on the landing.   My most favorite landing example featured many photos in various sizes, arranged in a sort of mirrored fashion left to right and top to bottom.  Exactly, to the millimeter, spaced apart.   Isn't it pretty?

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I wanted to duplicate it exactly, but the wall of our landing wasn't big enough, so I improvised and took out the middle section.  (In some house, at some point in my life, I will do this exactly.  With the S!)  But what made me LOVE this wall so much was the fact that the frames all complimented each other and they were pretty much exactly the same width apart and make straight lines all the way across.   

D-R-O-O-L

I was not sure how to tackle the project, so I did what seemed logical in this situation: I called my dad.

Dad can fix just about anything, and he can build just about anything, too.   Basically, if you don't have a widget, he can build you one.   If you have a widget and it's broken, he can fix it.   What I am try to illustrate here, is that  he is very handy to have around for household projects.  I showed him this photo and told him I wanted to replicate the arrangement.   Dad is also an engineer, and about as OCD as I am about things, so he is pretty much the ideal source.

Here's what I got back from my dad

Each picture frame probably has a different distance from the top of the frame to the  point where the nail will be installed.  If you do the template approach, you can mark the template with the location of the nail, and make the nail holes using the template.

The engineering approach is to utilize the laser to set the location of the horizontal and vertical edges of each picture, and then establish the nail location by measuring the off set from the top and vertical edges and moving the laser per the offsets.  The attached EXCEL file gives a step-by-step pictorial explanation 

Y'all.    It is amazing!   I followed it to a T (well, first I bought a laser level) and after much measuring and re-measuring and pencil marks on the backs of the frames, look at what I got!   The angle is a bit weird because it's a small landing in the stairwell, and I had to stand at the top of the stairs to include everything in the shot.   But I am happy with it!    

And in case you wondered, there are a couple photos of my dad in here!

Morals of the story:

• Family photos as artwork is still my favorite thing
• My Dad can fix and build anything 
• Including an OCD photo wall makes a house that much more Jules-like

What's your favorite way to personalize your space?

Sorted Spices

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Full disclosure: this idea did not come from me!   It comes from my germophobic sister.   Let me back up

Back in the mid 90s, Al decided to organize all of my mom's spices.  They were housed in an under-cabinet drawer that was an excellent use of space, but did not provide the chef (Mom) with a good view of the spice labels.   Well, the first row was fine, but the rest of the bottles were visible only from the top, and most lids look the same.   We should have known then that Alison was destined for a top-10 school.

What did she do?

She put small stickers on each lid, with the spice name clearly printed.  Pull out the drawer, and see many many rows of spices, arranged alphabetically, and easily retrieved when viewing from above.  Genius.   It kind of looked like this:

Flash forward to my pantry earlier this year.   I had been using a small Lazy Susan (one of my favorite organizational tools of all time, I know, NERD ALERT) to keep the bottle corralled.  The problem was our collection had outgrown the turntable and I had some spices there, and others sort of lumped on a shelf.   It was turning into a mess, and I had to figure out a new plan.   This actually spun out of control into a pantry overhaul which I will address at a later date.

I wracked my brain and hopped onto Pinterest.    There are so many good ideas on that website!   But so many of them involved expensive systems that required me to decant all spices into identical jars, and/or attach a magnetic piece of metal on the door of a cabinet and stick magnets on the bottoms of the identical jars.

Don't get me wrong, I love identical jars.  But for me that was not practical and I am so not crafty, so there goes affixing anything to a cabinet door.   Then I remembered what my sister did many years ago for my mom.   I don't have a drawer deep enough to stand up all spice bottles, nor do I have a drawer in my pantry.    But I do have a Target nearby, and what does Target sell?   BASKETS!

Baskets are wonderful.   Do you know why?   They can usually be purchased at a reasonable price.   I have heard that even the Dollar Store has them!   They come in so many shapes and sizes and colors.   The crafty ones among us [my hand is not raised] can spray paint them or add liners or ... what else do you add to baskets?  My point is, you can dress them up for not too much money.  The selection is vast, and the item itself is practical and customizable.

What's not to love?

So, as you may have gathered from the above photo, I arranged all my spices on the counter to see how many I had so I could get the right size  (During this time I took inventory of other items and ended up buying several baskets of various sizes)   I also ordered these amazing labels from Amazon.   Alison used small square stickers that were probably originally intended for a garage sale, which she easily found at Drug Mart.   I am OCD so I wanted mine printed in a uniform font.  It is a sickness.

Once the labels arrived, I took my laptop into the kitchen and made labels for all my spices, printed them out, affixed them to the jars, and voila!   I have an easy way of taking inventory.

The most ironic part of all of this?   I don't cook.  Michael does.

What's your favorite way to organize spices?   Or a million similarly designed bottles?

Palmolive: It's Not Just For Dishes

Michael was out of town for a couple of days.  Coincidentally, during the exact days Isaac was supposed to hit Florida, but then took a last minute hook about 4 states to the west.   A series of text messages are below.    I love that he entertains me several states away.   Hear that, single ladies?   Marry a man who can make you laugh.


Setting: Monday morning, hotel restaurant.  Before Michael's business meeting

M:  So I ate bacon and somehow tons of bacon grease splattered all over my pants.  But I remembered the Book of Jules and it says to use dish soap.   I borrowed soapy dish water from kitchen.  Has vastly improved the situation

J: Good thinking!  Use a napkin on your lap next time


A couple hours later

M: I met [the CEO]!

J: Oh boy!  I hope he didn't notice the bacon


Disclaimer: This is not my own personal tip, but one I remembered reading years ago.  It was probably in Good Housekeeping.   The logic being that dish soap cuts through grease on dishes-- and on all other materials.  I'm telling you, it works!

Thinking of You: Part Two

Hospital stays aren't the only situation for which gift giving is appropriate.  One of my favorite gift-giving events is.... a new baby. Why?  Because everyone gets something different!

As I mentioned last week, flowers are never wrong.  But I try to be practical, and I figure new parents will appreciate anything you can send that makes their lives easier.  Flowers make it prettier, but the following items might make them happier

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For the parents

Home-cooked dinner

If you live nearby: 
Take them dinner.   Freezer meals are the best because Mom and Dad can eat it now or later.   If the fridge is full now, the dish will take care of them next month.  My favorite options are stuffed shells or lasagna.   Both can be made meatless if needed, and all you need is a disposable tray or tiptop back for storage. Write the contents and baking instructions on the dish and you're set.   Throw in a loaf of bread - or even frozen garlic toast to make it more substantial.    I also include a salad kit and a container of Parmesan cheese and a baked item for dessert.  Cookies, a pie, etc.   Doesn't have to be homemade.  Anything will be appreciated.   If the parents drink - and Mom is not nursing- a bottle of wine might be fun.
If I see them, I sometimes include festive napkins or a checkered table cloth.    REALLY want to go the extra mile?  Throw in disposable plates and forks so they don't even have to do the dishes.

If you live far away:
Send a spaghetti dinner.   Seriously, I do this all the time.   I buy a box of dry pasta in whatever shape I can find, a jar of sauce, a container of Parmesan, and a box of brownie mix.  Throw in the festive napkins if you have them.  Write a note to add a salad and enjoy.   I am telling you-  everyone loves this idea.    I do wrap the sauce in bubble wrap and stick it in a large ziptop just in case it breaks but I always use fill-air and packing materials and have had no issues so far.

Remember: dinner is clutter free!

Babysitting services

Again, if you live nearby, offer to sit with the baby for an hour while Mom showers or runs an errand.   Offer to treat the new parents to a movie night at the theater and watch the baby while they're out.  Make this a rain check.  They might not need you on day 4, but a few weeks later, when the dust has settled, it will be an a-ma-zing gift.

Gifts for baby

Shop the registry if you must.  Or if you know they need certain items.   But add something 'extra' to the gift.

My favorite extra is a CD of children's songs played on the piano.   I came across the CD years ago, but anything soft and relaxing will work for bedtime or nap time.   Classic songs without singing tend to grate on the nerves less than the typical 'kid' stuff.  (At least in my opinion!)

Consider including your favorite childhood book [with gift receipt in case they already have it!]   If you're close to the family, and/or are a bit of a ham, consider recording your voice reading the book.

Choose clothing or diapers in larger sizes.   The kid will be maxed out in tiny stuff to start.   No one buys baby stuff for the second 6 months of life.   See what you can find for 'later' which will come sooner than they think.  If baby is born in January, buy a clearance rack Christmas outfit for 12-18 months.   It will be adorable.

Gifts mostly for Mom

Anything that makes her feel pampered!

• Babysitting services so she has time to do whatever she needs or wants to do during the day.  
• Stop by for a visit so she has a grown up to talk to (especially nice if she's alone all day with the baby)
• A day out [whenever she is ready] where you treat her to lunch and a pedicure
• Comfy robe/socks/etc.
• Audio book/download she can listen to at all hours.  Headphones = hands free and can take care of the baby
• Fancy cosmetics or beauty items (lotion, shower gel, etc) she won't splurge on herself at this point!

What do you give to new babies and their parents?

Thinking of You: Part One

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Friends and family often come to me for advice on life's inevitable events.  Family triumphs, sadness, celebrations, etc.   In general, gifts should be practical and functional and clutter-free.

I don't claim to have all the answers but I can share what has worked for me in the past.  And by 'worked' I mean I have gotten positive feedback from these gifts.

Hospital Stay or Recovery

These folks will be trying to rest quietly either at the hospital or back at home

Flowers are a safe choice almost every time and also clutter free.   But flowers do not meet my practical and functional requirement.  And chances are, the patient will have received plenty of flowers from other well-wishers.  In my experience, thinking outside the box means a lot.    Your relationship with the person determines what type of gift you might give them.   You might know your sister's literary tastes more than your neighbor, but would still like to let your neighbor know you care.  I live far away from those I love, so I have to mail items, but if you are close by and can deliver it in person?  Even better!   And of course the gift of your time and friendship stopping by to visit is the most important.   Instead of flowers, consider:

• Hand cream -if you live nearby, even offer to give her a manicure!
• Audio book
• Recording of a show - (My late aunt loved the Capital Steps so when she was ill I sent her a recording of their latest skits, available on amazon.   Sometimes being able to laugh a little bit makes a world of difference.)
• Funny movies 
• iPod loaded with music or podcasts
• If you're on a tight budget, even a portable radio will be appreciated
• Crossword puzzle book -and pencil!
• Fluffy socks
• Comfy PJ pants or robe [depending on the surgery] 
• Food treat - homemade cookies, their favorite candy, etc. [depending on the surgery]

What are your favorite gift items for recovering patients?

Loyalty Cards

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Besides clutter in dressers and closets, I am strangely annoyed by all the membership and customer cards that seem to pile up in various places.    Every store wants you to be a loyal customer.  In turn, they want to put you on an email list and give you a plastic card for your wallet and two more mini plastic cards.  Presumably so each person in your household can add the card to his or her key ring, and the lucky one gets to put an extra in his/her wallet too!   

In theory this is a good idea, but if you visit more than about 3 places with such a card, your keyring soon holds many more cards than keys, the cards get beat up because they slam against your keys while you drive, you can't find what you need, etc.   Drives me bananas.   (I realize that many places allow you to look up your account with a phone number or zip code, but I have moved many times and quite frankly cannot keep track of that.  The only numbers I know for sure - that do not change- are my Social Security and birthday)

So?  How do I deal with my loyalty cards? 

Unsurprisingly, with a binder (of course!) as well as a separate key ring that lives in my car.

Binder

I use a standard 3-ring binder and these magnificent sheet protectors sized for business cards.  I can easily slip all the wallet-sized club cards in the sleeves in whatever order I'd like.   In this case, I don't alphabetize but rather, categorize.   It lives in my desk, but keeping this in the car would also make sense to me.

• TRAVEL-  All frequent flyer cards and our Parking Spot card, which we use when we fly, are kept together.  That's the page you see above.  
• PHOTO IDs- Anything with a photo is kept together: my employee ID (yes I have one even though I am a remote employee!), membership cards, club membership cards for the amenities in our neighborhood, etc.
• MALL STORE LOYALTY CARDS- Cards for retail establishments at the mall are kept together, so if I am making a trip over there, I can determine what card I might need in an instant.  Sephora loyalty card, this means you!  There are also a couple of eateries that are only at the mall, so I stick their Buy 9 sandwiches and get the 10th Free cards in this spot.  Personally, I don't go to the mall on a whim, so I don't need these extra cards in my wallet all the time.
• STORE CREDIT CARDS- This includes mall credit cards - I do have a couple- as well as any gift cards we might have to spend!  

Key ring

The key ring is a cheap-o one that was part of a multiple package.   No fancy equipment here. Why do I use the key ring?  Some stops are less predictable than those listed above.  Namely, CVS or food destinations.  These cards are kept on the key ring and live in a cup holder in my car.  This way I can swing by and always have what I need.

• CVS
• Hallmark (I am a dork and would swing by any Hallmark for any reason, so it's in the car) 
• Panera
• Menchie's Yogurt
• Library Card

*Note: Publix [grocery] does not have a shopper card but if they did, it would be in the car!

How do you organize your loyalty cards? 

Back to School

August means one thing: Back to school sales!   Truth be told, it starts in July with newspaper inserts, which is a little bit crazy.   I don't have kids, and this time of year is no different in my own personal day-today.   But boy do I remember this time of year when I was a student- I was pumped!

I am not a shopper in general and never have been.  But drop me off in a Staples - specifically in the office supply section- and I will have a field day.  It started in middle school.   I looked forward to going in to the store and picking out [among other things] binders (one per course, different colors), a pack of rainbow sharpies, and my day planner.   You see, this was before everyone had digital gadgets in every pocket.   We had to write down all of our homework assignments on paper!  With a pen!   I feel old.

Once I found my planner, (which had many many requirements, mind you....  it took forever to find exactly what I wanted) I sat home and waited for our schedules to be mailed out.

When I initially found out which classes I was taking, I assigned each course a color.    That color corresponded to the binder in which I housed all papers and notes for that particular class.   The color also corresponded to the sharpie color I used when marking any and all assignments and tests for that course.   Finally, all highlights made within the planner (and within the text book) would be made in the same color.   Biology = green binder, green highlighter, green sharpie.

As soon as the schedule arrived, I spread out at the kitchen table with binders, sharpies, highlighters, and my DayPlanner and filled in every possible bit of information I could.   The schedule on the first page of the planner was color coded.  I could see at a glance where the 5 green Biology boxes were located and immediately knew when to head to the lab.   Science classes had final exams the first day of exam weeks.   Marked that on the calendar.   It was liberating!    I think my mother knew even when I was 12 years old, that I was a special organization case.

For the record, my color coding organizational ways continued in college, where I kept these same color schemes.   College may have been even more exciting because each class provided a semester long syllabus with each and every possible even included.  I honestly believe that my crazy methods helped me be a successful student for years.   When I publish The Book of Jules, there will be a chapter about schoolwork and organization.    They might not be the 'right' way to do things but they sure worked for me!

Despite not having anything to do with the typical back to school calendar, my heart still goes pitter-pat when I see the back to school ads.   My current batch of sharpies are still work just fine, and I have a few spare binders in the closet, but I really want to go to Staples.   Surely I should stop in and see what they have on sale this month.... maybe some post-its?  Can you ever have enough?

Happy Travelers

It's Thursday which means... it's time for another installment of The Book of Jules.   You know, the post where I share my opinions with everyone else, whether on not they care about them.   This is the beauty of a blog to which only I post! 

Today's topic: TRAVELING

More specifically, air travel.   If you have traveled on an airplane any time in the past 10 years I can only assume you will agree with my sentiments that the traveling public, in general, is ignorant.   Frequent business travelers (hi Dad!) are likely exempt from the term traveling public, but I have seen a lot of crazy things.   Keep in mind I live in the most visited travel destination in the world.   Technically, no I do not live in Disney World, but we do share Orlando's airport.   When I fly, I fly with non-business travelers.   Large families with multiple generations results in strollers and balloons and Grandma not knowing she has to take off her coat and her shoes and God knows what else.

Here are some tips I am sure these kind people could benefit from knowing.  It goes without saying that it is not comprehensive, but speaks to commonly seen 'situations' here near The Mouse.

Wear comfortable clothing that is meant to be worn in public

I did not say pajamas or sweat pants.  Comfortable, public-appropriate clothing does exist, I promise.  I don't know when this happened, but as a culture, Americans seem to not give a hoot about their appearance, especially when traveling.  Comfort reigns.   I am all about being comfortable during long trips, but most of you are on a plane for 3-4 hours.  We are not flying to Beijing; we are flying from Chicago to Orlando.

Do not wear copious amounts of jewelry

There will be metal detectors at security.   You will forget about the 84 bracelets on your arm and waltz right through, and have to come back and take everything off.   Don't bother wearing them in the first place.   Trust me, they do not go with your sweatsuit anyway.

Know your group number

Many airlines board by zone or group number.   Familiarize yourself with this designation so you are not clogging up the works lingering at the jet way door while others go before you.  Relatedly, do not assume you are more important than everyone else and charge ahead to take your seat.   You will inevitably put your suitcase in the overhead bin above MY seat, which would have been vacant had you waited your turn.
If you are a family traveling with small children - and I swear I am often the only person who is NOT - do your homework.   Get the special family with kids boarding card so you can get settled.   Do not wait until you are at the gate and junior is hungry or covered in Chik-Fil-A sauce and crying for his Mickey balloon.

Do not walk down the aisle while dragging your [too wide] carry-on bag behind you

You will bump into everyone on both sides of the aisle.   Pick up the bag and carry it in front of you.  If it is too heavy to pick up, you have no business carrying it on and should just check it.  We all know you have checked other bags and the double jogging stroller even though everyone in your party is at best overweight and at worst asking for the seat belt extender (I am sorry but I see this all the time and it boggles the mind)

Do not pull on the back of my seat.  Ever.

But especially when you are getting up or sitting down or adjusting your iPad cover or assisting your child with his Nintendo DS or whatever the kids are using these days.

Stand back from the luggage carousel

Do not stand against the carousel with everyone in your family.  Take a few steps back, allow yourself, and others, a wider field of vision so we can all see what is coming 'round the bend.  When you see your suitcase with the Christmas ribbon on the handle, you may step forward to claim it.   Until that happens, send one parent with the kiddos to get an ice cream or something.  They are super excited that they are in Florida, but it does not take 8 people to get suitcases.

So- what drives you bananas when you travel?

How to: Maximize Drawer Space

Messiness makes me twitch.  I color code, I organize, I try to keep things clean and orderly.  This is not news to anyone.

One area where chaos really bugs me is in drawers and closets.   Figuring out what to wear can be hard enough on a good day.  Throw in a messy drawer or wrinkled shirts and you are setting yourself up for trouble.

My issue with shelves and drawers is stacking.  I used to keep my tank tops in a stack in my closet.  The problem with that is the maintenance.   If I wanted a tank top halfway down the stack, I made a mess trying to get to it.  And if I was not not careful, the entire stack fell down.  A similar issue arrises with shirts are stacked in a drawer.  You can't see what you have and start rummaging.  Your drawer turns into a disaster, you have to refold your shirts and put them back.   Consequently, when I was living with stacks, I kept wearing the same few shirts living on the top of each pile.  That's dumb.

Awhile ago I decided I need to re-think my top folding situation and came up with the following.   I did not invent this method; it simply works for me.  By folding the shirts into squares and lining them up like file folders, I can easily see what I have.   They are still organized, but are arranged in such a way that I can see a logo or pattern on the shirt easily.   (You eagle eyes will notice in the top photo that tank tops on the left side are organized by color, but t-shirts are not.  They are organized by neck shape and print vs. solid.   Just because that works for me and how I get dressed!)  Incidentally, I find I can fit more shirts in each drawer using this method!  Very efficient.

Here's how to do it!

Start with an unfolded shirt

 Fold the shirt in half vertically (sleeve to sleeve and shoulder to shoulder) and if there's a print on one side, keep that visible.  If the print is allover or centered this won't be an issue.

 

Tuck the arms in so you have a nice neat rectangle

Fold the shirt in half top to bottom

Fold in half again to form a nice neat smaller rectangle

Put the shirt away!

Note: When I stick a shirt in the drawer, I put it in with the collar side down and facing the back of the drawer.   This way, the print on the front of the shirt is visible.   Less important with this design, but helpful for traditional shirts with centered logos, as you can see from the row of shirts on the far right.   I can easily see what the patterns are on all of these shirts and they are not in a stack!   So easy

How do you keep your clothing organized?

How to: Write the perfect thank you note

After spending time last week talking about gift giving, thank you notes seemed to be an appropriate follow up topic

I am a big believer in thank you notes.   (My sister would joke that their importance is discussed in the Book of Jules, and she would be right if such a book existed)  Thank yous do not have to be fancy or long and flowery.  Simply thank the person who gave you the gift, and do so sincerely.   That is all that matters.

Perhaps most importantly, send a personalized note.   Do not use a generic message, or use a card that has been printed off the computer 50 times with the exact same sentiment.   It's pretty simple when you think about it : mention the gift and the giver, actually say "Thank you" and explain how you'll use the gift.  Also, try not to repeat yourself.   No need to say thank you in each paragraph and sign off "Thanks again"   They get the point :)

A sample of how I structure my notes is below.   It's not particularly original, but it fits all my criteria above.  I find that when I keep it simple, it's much more likely to get done!   The thought of writing 25 unique thank you notes would send Emily Post herself for the rum bottle.  Knowing you have a template you can follow while you knock these babies out makes it seem attainable, and keeps the rum bottle full(er). No one is literally going to 'compare notes.' If it follows the same structure, a note can easily be personalized with a sentence or two.

Thank You Trifecta

I - Appreciate the people (if possible, before you appreciate the item)
II- Highlight a personal detail.  This is not a photocopied note, even though I use the same format!
III- Thank them, and specify how you will use the gift

Dear Bill and Linda,
(I) Our wedding made us realize not just how lucky we are to have each other, but also how fortunate we are to have such loving family and friends.  We are so glad that you were able to come to our wedding and be a part of our special day.   (II) It makes us laugh to see you dancing up a storm (Linda wearing heels, of course!) in our wedding photos.  
(III) Thank you so much for the Kitchen Aid Mixer.  You know how much we love to cook and bake, so it will definitely be used frequently.
Love,  Michael & Jules


Here's another example if that's not your style... or if you want to mix and match!

Dear Bill and Linda,

(III) What a beautiful vase!   Right now it's doing a great job showing off a bouquet of daisies.  You know that Michael and I always keep fresh flowers in our kitchen, so it will be used regularly.   

(II) We were both sorry that you couldn't come to the wedding, but I know your Mediterranean Cruise was fantastic. We plan on being in Chicago this Christmas and would love to see you and hear about your travels.

(I) Again, thank you for the vase and lovely note you sent.  

Love from both of us,

Jules

What do you think? 

Am I smart to have an easily modified template?   Crazy for caring so much about thank you notes?

How to: Give the Perfect Wedding Gift

To continue my unsolicited advice posts for a second week, I will focus on a common theme for this time of year.   WEDDINGS!   I feel like I have been involved in a wedding in some capacity every summer for the past 5 years and assume this will continue for the foreseeable future.  I am an expert, I tell you!   (Not really)

Anyway- when you are invited to a wedding, you are supposed to give a gift.   Even if you can't make it, proper etiquette -which is admittedly ignored frequently- states that a gift should be sent.

What to give?   That depends.

My personal choice is to send everyone the same type of gift and not worry about registries.   Registries kind of bug me.    They are a great option for those who need some guidance, or for couples that need a lot of stuff.   But I do not like stuff.  Or clutter.   (I have a sign on my fridge: Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.    I try to live with that in mind; less is more!   (In case you're curious, we did have a registry when we got engaged because our guests would have been confused without one.  We included only items we needed and did not yet have.   Such as a complete set of dishes.  We did not have a quesadilla maker, but who needs that, really?))  I also don't really like sifting through other people's wish lists.  For me, it's easier to do my own thing, so I tend to not shop registries.

Now, if you are a registry person, I do have a bit of advice.    Take a look at the couple's registry.   If they have received 10 out of 12 sets of dishes, and the remaining 2 sets is the amount you were wanting to spend anyway, go ahead and complete that item.   Or find something that is, by itself, a wonderful gift.   A beautiful vase.   A fluffy blanket.  A board game.    A set of nesting mixing bowls.  For the love of all things holy, do not decide to be the first guest to give them the first silverware place setting and leave the other 11 on the list.  Especially if it's the week before the wedding.   Upon returning from their honeymoon, the newlyweds will end up running to the store to complete the dishes and wonder what the hell they're going to do with only 1 salad fork.  Don't be that person.

Speaking of what not to do.    Please do not look at the couple's registry and find an item they like, and then go somewhere else to buy a similar item.  I was going to share this story in detail but it takes too long.   I got 3 immersion blenders at my bridal shower.  Why?  Because 2 people noticed the on the registry but did not buy it from the registry.  They found a similar item elsewhere  So no one else knew an immersion blender had been purchased.   At least I got the one I wanted, but of course the 2 others were superfluous to me, and did not contain gift receipts.  I am not trying to seem ungrateful, really I am not.  But if you are going to use the registry.... use the registry.

For those of you wondering, my go-to wedding gift is a set of spices from Penzey's.    It is clutter free in that the spices will, in theory, get used up.   I don't have to know a couple's personal style of decorating,  nor do I have to worry that Aunt Mae bought all the wine glasses I was going to send and now I have to create a hodgepodge gift out of measuring cups, coasters and barware so I won't look stingy.

Everyone has to eat.   Even people who don't cook (I am raising my hand) still have to eat.   A set of basic spices is often a welcome gift.   Even if you have cumin in your pantry, who knows when you bought it?  Penzey's offers gift boxes and crates in a variety of price points as well as a wide selection of spices.   The grill box!   The baking box!   The starter kit!  The wedding crate!   If you know a little something about the happy couple, you can adjust your box.   Totally clueless?  The wedding boxes are all pretty great.  Wouldn't it be nice to start off your life together with potent, fragrant flavorings and aromas?  I think so.

So, full disclosure.   If you invite me to your wedding, you will probably get some nice spices.

How to: Organize Recipes

I am testing out a new theme.   A "World According to Jules" theme, if you will.   You see, I have a lot of opinions about a lot of topics.    Michael calls it The Book of Jules.   My sister says I am bossy.   I do not deny any of it.   But!   When people know you have opinions they often come to you for advice.   They must think I know something, right?

I have gotten all sorts of questions from all sorts of people in all sorts of situations.   (General gift giving, how to pack a suitcase, when to send a thank you note, how to organize one's shoes, etc.)   Inquiries come from coworkers, friends, extended family, my mother in law, my sister, my husband, and my own mother!   Don't Moms know everything?!    I thought it would be kind of fun to share my thoughts on this here blog.  If anyone has a pressing question, please let me know.    This is an equal opportunity space and we aim to serve.   The other day I got an email from my mother, which is serving as the catalyst today.

Big surprise, I have waaay too many recipes that I've saved from magazines.  I am now

weeding through them, but have quite a few I'd like to keep.  Any organization/storage

suggestions?  I had given some thought to typing and/or scanning them into my computer

but that would be too labor intensive.

What's funny about this particular scenario is that my mom is a fairly prolific cook.  She doesn't even always need recipes.   She is one of those people who can look in the pantry/fridge and find a box of pasta, a can of beans, half a bag of cheese, and two bananas and make you a delicious dinner.   I don't even like bananas and I would probably like her creation.  It's miraculous and I did not inherit the cooking gene.   If all I had was beans and bananas, I would call for pizza.   Or invite Mom over to make dinner.

But, what I lack in cooking skills I make up for in organizing.   Of course I had storage suggestions!  Here is how I would approach the 'too many recipes' situation, and how I organize my stash

• Go through all the magazine recipes.   If they are still in magazines, rip out the ones you want to try and make a big fat pile of recipes
• Start weeding through the pile.   Ask yourself: 
• Do I typically eat this type of food?
• Do I like this type of food?
• Would I like to try this new type of food?
• Are the ingredients accessible to me?
• Does it require too much prep/too many fancy tools/too much chopping?
• Does it make enough for my family at this time?   (if it's just you and hubby, dishes that serve 8 are going to get old fast)
• You will now have a hopefully smaller pile that you can sort into sub-groups.   Figure out what type of categories you need by thinking of how you cook
• Do you decide what to make based on the main ingredient?
• Do you decide what to make based on the amount of time you have on hand?
• Do you decide what to make based on the type of cuisine (Italian, Mexican, Chinese)?
• Do you decide what to make based on the type of meal you're thinking of (crock pot, sandwich, casserole, grill)?
• Once you know how your brain thinks, you will have an idea of how to sort your recipes for easy access.   If you can't find it, you can't make it!

A quick note about the internet.   In order to keep things in check, I try not to print a recipe from the web until I am ready to make it.   I tape it to the cupboard door and if I like the recipe, I keep the recipe and file it.   If not, I toss it.

I keep my recipes in 3-ring binders.   It used to be one binder, it has grown to two because I keep ripping out dessert recipes.   I need to make dessert like I need a hole in the head.  I find magazine pages to be extremely flimsy and prone to tears.  I also spill a lot.  For these reasons, I slip each recipe into a protective sleeve.  I get recipes on both sides, don't have to 3-hold punch everything, and can wipe of food if it spills.   You can buy them by the ton at Staples or Wal-Mart or Target, etc.   I buy whatever is cheapest.  A plastic sleeve is a plastic sleeve in this case.

In addition to being easy to clean, with sleeve protectors I can also take out the one page I need and stick the binder back in its spot in my cupboard next to the stove with the COOKTOP CLEANER.  Can you tell I don't have little ones?

Who needs a big bulky binder on the counter?  Not me.  One page is easier to handle, and I can hang it on the fridge or even tape it to the cabinet so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle of bowls and knives and food stuffs on the counter.

My binders aren't pretty.   But they work!    I sort their contents in these general categories, but since the recipes are in sleeves, I can move them around as needed.   These work for me, they might not work for you.   For example, in my mind, breakfast includes quick breads, cinnamon rolls, fritatas, and quiche.   You might never eat quiche for breakfast or brunch.   If Wednesday = quiche for dinner in your house, by all means, put it in the dinner section.  Or the Main ingredient EGG section.  Or whatever.

BINDER 1 (orange)

• General food info (serving and portion sizes, how long to freeze certain types of food, etc)
• Appetizers, Dips & Party foods
• Drinks - they are not all alcoholic!
• Breakfast & Brunch
• Soups & Salad, Sandwiches & packed lunch ideas
• Pasta & Sides (we don't eat pasta as a main dish anymore so it made sense here in my mind)
• Main Course
• Chicken
• Beef
• Pork
• Fish
• Cook for a day / freezer meals (haven't tried these yet but since everything is listed on one page I couldn't put in one of the above categories, so I stuck them here)

BINDER 2 -aka heaven  (purple)

• Pie & Cobbler 
• Cheesecake & Tarts
• Cakes (birthday, cup, and otherwise)
• Brownies & Bars
• Coooooookies
• Holiday (Halloween spider cookies, the mint brownies you only make on Christmas Eve, etc

I do periodically try to look through my binders to see if there are recipes that have been in there awhile that I have not made yet.  Sometimes tastes change, or you get sick of a certain type of cuisine.  If you only add to the collection, it will become unmanageable.   Be sure to verify that what you are holding on to is a collection of recipes that you want to make, or regularly enjoy.    Don't keep a binder full of Martha Stewart dinner party ideas if you're more of a cheeseburger and corn on the cob person.