Consider Fall Leaf Color When Choosing Your Next Plantings By Deborah Clark NABBW’s Gardening Associate Close your eyes and imagine a bed of tulips – translucent reds, saturated yellows, crayon bright oranges. Imagine the sun shining through these tulips, making them appear as  colored lights. Imagine these tulips 40, 50, 100 feet tall, a woods of tulips lining the road and you’re in a car driving through them on a beautiful, clear autumn day. What you’re driving through is an Eastern forest of oak and maple, ash and beech, tulip poplars and sycamores in the fall. Fall leaves are like... Read More

Holidays on the Horizon! By Regina Leeds, NABBW’s Organizational Skills Expert As a nation we’re all feeling the pinch financially.  It’s difficult to find the line between all out celebration and being responsible, isn’t it?  I don’t think we have to have an either/or situation. We can celebrate this festive time of year and keep a lid on spending.  How?  With an organized plan of attack and a well crafted budget. Are you ready to begin? I have a few questions for you. Why not grab your Zen Organizing Journal or just a few sheets of 8 ½ by 11 paper, your writing tool of choice... Read More

The Guest Room By Regina Leeds If you’re lucky enough to have a guest room, you’ll want to take some time to make your guests feel welcome. Now that seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? You’d be surprised!  Here’s what I find in most guest rooms I’m asked to organize: The room has become a dumping ground for items no one in the family uses but can’t seem to part with like outdated office equipment, toys and clothing. Someone had the brilliant idea of a multi-purpose room and now gym equipment all bur crowds out the bed. Family members have been interested in ... Read More

The Adaptable, Dependable Chrysanthemum By Deborah Clark In my inaugural garden post, I thought I’d start by talking about one of the most reliable late-blooming perennials in much of the United States, the garden mum (whose botanical name is chrysanthemum morifolium).  Its yellows, oranges, reds, rusts and purples echo the colors of autumn leaves and have come to symbolize fall. The plant is so reliable, so ubiquitous, and so easy to grow that we often overlook its long and distinguished heritage. Besides being good exercise and good therapy, gardening is also way to learn about the world... Read More

The Adaptable, Dependable Chrysanthemum By Deborah Clark In my inaugural garden post, I thought I’d start by talking about one of the most reliable late-blooming perennials in much of the United States, the garden mum (whose botanical name is chrysanthemum morifolium). Its yellows, oranges, reds, rusts and purples echo the colors of autumn leaves and have come to symbolize fall. The plant is so reliable, so ubiquitous, and so easy to grow that we often overlook its long and distinguished heritage. Besides being good exercise and good therapy, gardening is also way to learn about the world both... Read More

No matter what stage of life you’re in, the end of summer is a time of transition. During the month of August parents will be getting children ready for the new school year. Many folks will be on vacation thinking about the return to home, work and ‘real’ life. Lots of teens will be leaving home and heading off to college. And still other folks may be dreaming about how to use retirement to enrich their lives come fall. What do they all have in common? An organized plan will make all these transitions a bit easier. Let me ask you a few questions: Is your environment chock... Read More

I\’ve spent more than twenty years helping people eliminate the \’excess stuff\’ they\’ve accumulated. But it isn\’t just \’stuff\’ that needs to go from the physical environment. From time to time it\’s also people, places or jobs. We sometimes hold onto relationships for years after they have ended. We all know one sided friendships or marriages that are dead. We witness destructive relationships that seem to go on forever. What\’s the old saying? \’The devil you know is better than the one you don\’t.\’ I think someone... Read More

For too many of us throwing a party is just that … throwing a number of elements against the proverbial wall and hoping enough of them stick to make the party a success. Let\’s not, as they say, go there. Take a few minutes to answer some questions in your Zen Organizing Journal. Do you like to entertain? If the response is ‘yes,\’ when was the last time you gave a party? Was it a success? What were the key elements that made it successful? If the answer is ‘no,\’ where did you fall down? Are these correctable mistakes? We all learn through trial and error. Do you do... Read More

As beautiful as spring, Easter and Passover are with their messages of renewal and hope, in the back of your mind is one date: April 15th. Remember you have to pay by the 15th but you can file an extension if you simply can’t make time to tally up those columns for your tax preparer. The secret to an easy tax time is to have a Cracker Jack file system. There must be a place for every tax-deductible receipt that comes your way. Yes, I know, your mother told you that when you were 5. She was probably talking about your toys but the advice holds true for all the ‘stuff’ in your life. (Next... Read More

Nothing I have to share is going to make your date with Uncle Sam on April 15th pleasurable. There is something about preparing for one\’s taxes that is the emotional equivalent of being called to the principal\’s office when you are in grammar school. (I presume you let a pro do the actual return.) Let\’s take some of the sting out of the process. If you have all of your receipts and papers organized, the process is reduced to a few hours of mechanical arithmetic. Let\’s get started with these easy to follow steps. You will find detailed instructions in all of my One... Read More