I’ve always believed that being organized leads to motivation, and tones down stress in a person. When you know where all of your things are, your laundry and dishes are clean, the floor is vacuumed (ok, these have to do with being clean) but it’s also a huge part of feeling motivated, because you spent the time cleaning up, and can now go conquer the world! I want to help you conquer the world. For real.

One way you can get organized is to pull everything out of your closets, and only put back what you use on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis. Go ahead and donate or throw away the rest. This closet is a shining example of what we all dream a closet should look like. It’s labeled. There are towel bars INSIDE the door. Baskets for products that are used daily. It’s not a dream, it’s easy to do.

In school area like this were referred to as “Landing Zones.” It’s the place you come through the door into your home, where you set your purse, your coat, your boots. If this area is clean and organized, your morning routine will be cut down by minutes. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but when you are rushing, minutes are valuable.

Is this a dream? No. You aren’t dreaming. You can have an office like this, and for little money too. The white bookcase can be found at Ikea for under $200. You can store all of your papers, books, and little accessories in it to keep your desk clean, and clutter out of sight. Floating shelves are easy to find at any home decor store, and you can get an adorable lamp at Target or TJ Max for under $50. So go for it, turn that spare room into the office you’ve always wanted!

I love this little painting area. I am a huge fan of crafting, sewing, painting, and other fun DIY projects. My craft area at home is a little… cramped. If it were only clean, things were organized and easy to get to. Maybe I would craft more. Hence my theory that being organized leads to motivation.

Happy Organizing!

So I’ve been a restaurant worker for about 4 1/2 years now. I love working in the restaurant industry, it’s actually quite relaxing for me. Most would say it’s hard, it’s stressful, it’s frustrating. You have to learn a menu, be able to sell that menu, take the table’s order precisely, not mess anything up, time the dishes to come out at the right time, not spill anything, learn an extensive wine and or cocktail list, and pour a bottle of wine without poking anyone in the eye or breaking a cork in the bottle, wait on many tables at once and be nice to ALL of them. It’s a whole lot of memorization, skill, acting (yes, acting), multitasking, and professionalism, wrapped into one. Plus, I work with friends, so it’s a little of social time mixed in. So when I wait on tables, I get to just focus on just the tables. I can’t start to think too much about other life related troubles or I’ll get distracted. That’s why I like to wait on tables, it’s very zen for me, and there’s a free drink at the end of my shift. (Doesn’t hurt!)

Now for the soapbox. I’ve heard from new co-workers a lot lately that they aren’t getting tipped properly. I don’t complain because I understand people, and why they tip the way they do. I know I’m doing the best I can, so If I get a bad tip, I chalk it up to some of the reasons i’ve listed below. Yet some servers work their butts off, waiting on multiple tables at a time, only to get left 5% on a $100+ bill. Why is this?

One thing could be that the people are cheap. They have never worked in the restaurant industry a day in their life, and they think our hourly wage is more than a fraction of minimum wage. They think all we do is write down what they want and boop-boop it into the system and bring the magically prepared food to the table. And they think that we don’t deserve much of a tip, because we “didn’t do much”. We didn’t cook the food, buy the food, prepare the food, or plate the food. In that case, please, don’t tip me at all, go into the kitchen and leave the money in the food window. I’m sure the cooks would appreciate that. If you can afford to go out to eat, you can afford to tip. And if you can’t, STAY HOME.

Then there’s the people that think we shouldn’t get tipped for opening a bottle of wine. You order $50 in food and $40 in wine, so you think it’s ok to just tip on the food. Hey, all we did was bring you some wine, right? Well what do you think happens with the food? All I did was take an order for food, and bring it to you. Do I not deserve a tip on that? I work just as hard to memorize the wine, wine flavors, names, what foods they will go well with as I do the ingredients in the food menu. Only when I brink you wine, I actually have to show it to you, open it carefully, stand there while you taste it, and pour it, and bring you a wine chiller if need be, so I in fact, put just as much effort into the wine as I do the food. Again I say, if you can’t afford to tip a server, STAY HOME.

Not as easy as it looks sometimes. Image credit to Grape Squeeze.

And then there’s bad servers. I’m guilty of not tipping well if I go out to a restaurant because the server was bad. I know that the server is the one that gets the tip, not the cook, the hostess, or the wine maker in California. If you forget something and don’t bring it out at all, if you have a bad attitude, if your hygiene is bad, if you took FOREVER getting me a simple glass of water, or a many other plethora of reasons you have a bad server, I say to those servers, it’s just a serving job. If you don’t like it, go work somewhere else. I once went to a diner where the servers were watching an episode of Dr.Oz about bowel movements and poop on the TV in the dining room. And didn’t see a problem with it. When I asked her to change the station she replied “it’s not as bad as yesterday’s episode.” Um. WHAT WAS ON YESTERDAY?!

In the end this little article is written not only as a little rant, but it gives a little insight into the job of a restaurant worker and why they do- or don’t deserve a tip. But if you have a good server, they were well informed, dressed nice, and have a pleasant attitude, and nothing was screwed up at the table that was the server’s responsibility, that’s all you can really ask for while dining out. So if you can’t afford to leave AT LEAST a %15 – %18 tip for them, please just STAY HOME. It’s just insulting, and makes you look bad. Plus, if you tip well, and I see you for a second time, guess who’s getting the BEST service ever. You.

Happy dining out!

I’m sitting here in a house that i’m watching for some clients (it comes equipt with 2 teenagers!) and I’m daydreaming about selling all of my things, (minus the new car) and packing it full of just the things I love and moving to a warmer location, where life is simple, I can live in a 500 sq ft studio, loving my job, my neighbors, my local farmer’s market, with great friends and having my family visit. Is that odd? That i’m 29 and willing to scrap everything for a re-do? My mother did it every year, and I hated it. She would up and move us to a new house, new neighborhood, new friends, and new school. Making my total 13 schools by High School graduation. Granted I don’t have children, and wouldn’t do that to my kids. But while I DON’T have kids, everyone is always telling me to move somewhere warm, leave Green Bay, do what you love. Why not?

I just dream of a simple life. Somewhere warm where I can take a bike to work, help people with their organizational problems, hit the flea market and eat lunch outside more than 4 months out of the year and be… happy. You know, the point of life. Where is this place, you ask? I don’t know. But when I find it, i’ll be blogging to you in the sun, in February.

This is my new car. I love it! It belongs with a surf board. Why would I deny my car what it belongs with?

Is it the San Francisco area I belong in? Maybe. Although I would have to work my buns off just to live in a studio apartment. A closet rents for $900 there. Yikes. Although it would be gorgeous, and there would be tons to do.

Is it Portland? Who knows. They aren’t as warm as California, but they have a very laid back lifestyle that I also have. Very liberal, lots of culture (in a good way) and close to the coast.

Is it Charleston, South Carolina? Maybe. I love the historic nature of the city, and it seems like the less sweaty version of Savannah, Georgia, where I’ve always wanted to visit. It has a population of 115K, which is good, but a higher crime rate than the national average, which is bad. The humidity levels are kind of high, but the winters stay around 40 degrees, and I can handle that.

What do you think? What is your ideal city? Happy day dreaming!

My eco-friendly purchase of the day. Tag reads “Dishwasher safe. Because nobody likes to clean” Ha ha. 

Turn off the lights. I know this is a simple one, but turning off the lights when you leave a room, the house, etc is a good energy saver. Don’t forget that little one above the stove.

Don’t worry too much about night lights. Try to get one with an LED light, which costs about 7 cents a year to run, where an older style bulbed one costs about $2 a year.

Take your own bags to the store. If you can remember, take your own bags to the grocery store, convenient store, or pharmacy. If you are a girl and have a big purse, this helps too. Then you don’t end up with a stockpile of plastic bags. Sure you can recycle them if you have too many, but why start that collection? We use them for little trash cans and whatnot so they can come in handy. And some grocery stores give you a discount for bringing your own bags.

Save toilet water. Did you know that by putting a 1 liter (full) bottle of rocks (for weight) and water in your toilet tank actually reduces the amount of water your toilet uses with each flush, and doesn’t affect the performance of the toilet? Give it a try.

Get an LED TV instead of a LCD. The Light Emitting Diodes are actually more energy efficient than Liquid Crystals.

Re-useable water bottles and coffee cups. I noticed that when I drink something out of a straw, I tend to drink more. (This explains a lot when I go to bars and get a cocktail vs beer…) But it’s good when I’m at work, I drink more water. You save the planet a little plastic, and save money every time you use your own cup at Starbucks. Most coffee shops will even give you a discount when you bring your own cup. Just ask.

Use a dishwasher, when you can. I know washing the dishes by hand can be cathartic, but using a dishwasher saves you more water (37% on average) than when you wash a load by hand, leaving the water running. And try to run the dishwasher when it’s full, not half full.

Look for a dishwasher with the energy star logo, and one with a built in garbage disposal. Less rinsing before hand.

Take a short shower. When I can, I like to take a shower to music, and get out before the third song is done. This way, I save water, and don’t stand there contemplating the universe for 30 minutes, wasting time and money. A 4 minute shower uses 20-40 gallons of water.

Use a paper bag for paper recyclables. We line a can with a plastic bag for bottles and cans, because they can be messy. But we use a paper bag for cardboard and paper recyclables. Hey, you’re recycling the bag with the cardboard, and using one less plastic bag. Remember NOT to recycle pizza boxes with cheese in them though, the cheese jams machines used to break down cardboard.

Un-Plug electronics not in use. Did you know most chargers keep pulling energy from the wall even if nothing is plugged into them? Be sure to unplug phone, computer, and other electronic chargers when not in use. Better yet, keep them on a surge protector, and shut the whole thing off.

Buy Soy Candles. Soy candles not only smell cleaner and burn cleaner, they also burn longer. Soy wax doesn’t emit parrafin (black smokey stuff) into the air like regular candles. Hey, cleaner walls! They may cost a little more, but they last way longer, so it’s a win in the long run.

Soy candles usually come in neat decorative jars. I love the Wood Wick candles, they crackle like a fireplace when they burn.

Daily Shopping Common Sense. Try to buy items made in the United states, because that item most likely used less energy to produce, with less distance to ship. Look for items with less/ and or recycled packaging. Look for items where you can recycle the packaging. Think about impulse items long before you buy them. If you don’t need them, (3 for the price of 2!), save the money, and the waste of packaging by not buying them. Look for items like cleaners and paint that are “organic” or “good for the planet” because they will emit less Volatile Organic Compounds into the air, and into your lungs.

Be a vegetarian! That’s right. I’m saving the animals, AND saving the planet. The meat production industry leads the nation in polution. I don’t want to contribute to that. Plus, I don’t like eating animals.

Walk, don’t drive. We purposly moved into a downtown area so we could walk to restaurants, the gas station for quick items, and the local Shopko for stuff like cat food and dish soap. We are close to a budget theater, mexican restaurant that we frequent, and a few bars for late night entertainment. Walking is good for the body, and good for the planet.

I took this while apartment hunting a year ago. I knew right then I wanted to live in this little downtown neighborhood. This pic is of a historical Hotel that has a restaurant and bar.

Learn to craft & cook. I love to sew, paint, cook, and craft in general. If you can adapt these skills, you can make blankets out of fabric scraps, stitch socks with little holes so you don’t have to throw them out and get new ones, paint a piece of art for the wall, alter a shirt that’s too big, fix the lining of your pocket that has come undone, cook a meal with ingredients from the farmer’s market, and fix broken items with your awesome super glue skills.

Shop at the Thrift store. I shop at thrift stores for clothes, books, home accessories, and furniture. It’s stuff that’s already been loved and around for a while, and keeps me from buying brand new when I don’t have to. I love to treasure hunt at Goodwill and find an awesome new coat or broken in jeans. Plus, that money goes to a good cause.

See! There are SO many things you can do to help the planet. Most of you are probably already doing them, and don’t even realize it! Pat yourself on the back for being a green machine. I don’t know about you, but I want to leave this earth in better shape for my (future) children and teach them about the importance of being earth friendly.

What do you do to help the planet?

Happy tiny footprint leaving!

You can dilute paints with water to still show the cork grain while creating a little design like this. You can glue them to a canvas to hang them up.

My cork HERO Anthropologie has re used, well, I can’t begin to imagine how many corks in their displays.

You can create this adorable trivet with glue, and a metal clamp.

You can paint corks to the color of your liking to create a giant letter. You can cut a template in plywood and glue as you collect.

I love the idea for a giant cork board like this! I would have to collect A LOT more corks…

I think these cork letters would be great for a bookcase, top of cabinets, or hanging on a wall. It’s a great christmas present idea, you can give them to family, with your last initial.

Cheap wedding idea: Cork Placeholders. Carefully cut in half, then slice slot for place card.

I love this idea! I would be careful carving them though, so they don’t crack…

These cork coasters would be easy to make, just chop in half, glue together, and bind with fabric strip of your choice.

Happy Upcycling! (And responsible wine drinking!)