perfect holiday

so far so good. this thanksgiving holiday is great. lots of walks and yummy eats. fires cooking at various times in the day. various mixtures of music playing in the background. more eats. i am rocking thanksgiving.
yeah baby.
this is gal is thankful, blessed and thankful again.
namaste.

eric

it is thanksgiving time and we are in tahoe. this time of year and in this particular place, my mind goes to my friend eric. that time period is so clear to me. i can see eric looking through a piece of ice glass that he found by the frozen lake. i can not forget and will not gorget. it makes me happy that the time of year coincides with thanksgiving. i am thankful for eric. i won't get too into it but he was a pivotal person in my life.
thank you. i am grateful. you are missed.

grateful

hello turkey day. what will you bring us besides lots of food? for me, you remind me to focus on what i am grateful for in life. it is easy to see what we don't have, what doesn't work and basically all the things we consider negative. but today, thanksgiving day, i am reminded to be grateful and thankful.
the specifics...which is what i will share at the meal...
my amazing husband who is there for me unconditionally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. i am very lucky to be married to john. i can not imagine what my life would be like with out him in it.
my incredibly strong healthy wise mother who is a role model on how to live one's best life.
my two wonderful girlfriends rebecca and samantha. we of course don't get to spend nearly enough time together but what we have are real, solid supportive friendships and they are my family.
i am grateful that i am pursuing my passions and i know that it will continue to evolve, change and grow.
i am grateful that in the past year i have reconnected to health and fitness - yoga, walking, trx. a year ago i was on a road to fat and today i feel strong and healthy.
i am a blessed person for all of these reasons and oh so much more.
thank you.

day one success

so far i am keeping to my word about no work..ok that is a sort of. i did just check my email and saw someone inquire about organizing a garage. but hey, i read it. i saved it. i am moving on. i was going the email out loud to everyone that is sitting around the table with me right now but i realized that would constitute work. i don't want to do that.
today is a success. i walked down to the lake. i took a restorative yoga class with joy. i just ate a delicious salad and in a matter of minutes i am heading out to trx class.
yes, vacation game on.

holiday

as madonna would say - "holiday, celebrate.."
i just finished my last job before turkey day and it feels great. i have some errands to do before we head to the mountains but other than that i am on VACATION. i am ready todisconnect from work and reconnect to self. can i do it? i am going to try.
i am imagining it and boy does it look and feel good.
happy thanksgiving week everyone.
love, andrea

wondering

there are some jobs that i love. there are some jobs that i hate. one of my new year's resolutions is to learn how to kindly and respectively say no the jobs i hate. when you work for yourself, the stress is also ways about getting the next job. as a result you have a tendency to take any work that comes your way. in 2014 i want to practice just taking on the jobs that i love. not only do i enjoy the job but i do a job well done.
yep, i have a resolution ready to go in 37 days.

Giving Thanks

Well it is the Sunday before Thanksgiving and as all of us scurry around to buy groceries, prep food, clean the house...many of us are also stressing about all the food that is going to be eaten. I don't know about you but last year I literally stuffed myself. I think I ate and entire chocolate pie. The thought of all that food makes me feel sick. So here's some wise words to help handle the holiday chow down.

Give T.H.A.N.K.S

POSTED ON 11/13/13 BY ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION

As you sit down around the table and give thanks for your family and friends, be sure to give thanks for your health. Whether you have lifestyle changes you are struggling to make, you have successfully made a healthy transition, or you have not even considered the importance of healthy living, use this opportunity to appreciate yourself. The best way to appreciate yourself, your body, and your health, is to treat yourself right! And by modeling that behavior, your children or other family members will see that they can make healthier choices as well.

Here are six ways to give T.H.A.N.K.S this season:

T—Trade. If you are cooking for your family, trade fattening ingredients for healthier alternatives. Reduce the use of oil and butter in baked goods, and use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Olive oil has a lower content of unhealthy fats, is more natural, and even provides some health benefits.

H— High Fiber. Start your Thanksgiving with a high fiber breakfast. Skipping breakfast in an attempt to “save room” will only lead to over indulgence. Eggs, whole grain items, and fruit will keep your body satisfied and your metabolism steady leading up to your Thanksgiving meal.

A—Add dessert. Eliminating your favorite dessert around the holidays is painful and unnecessary, so add some to your plate! What is important is portion control. Take a smaller serving and be sure to scout out the dessert table before choosing so you don’t go back for that 2nd dessert you didn’t see.

N—No excuses. Cold weather is no excuse for sitting on the couch after dinner. If it isn’t warm enough for a family football game or other outdoor activities, plan something indoors. Games such as Twister, charades, and Simon Says can be fun for the whole family and will get everyone moving!

K —Keep Moving. Keep the whole family up and moving by making table clean-up fun! Instead of immediately retreating to the television, turn off the TV and turn on some of your favorite music while you and your loved ones clear the table and clean dishes.

S— Stop stuffing. Stuff the turkey, not yourself! If you eat slowly and talk with other guests between bites, your food will fill you up before you get the chance to stuff yourself. It is important to acknowledge when you are full, there is no need to store up food for the winter!

cereal

want to know a secret?
i love cereal. to be more specific, i love kellogg's vanilla almond cereal. it is the combo of the crunch, the flavor and the cold milk that i just love. i can remember a variety of food loves over the years. once after having abdominal surgery i was addicted to cantaloupe. i was eating one a day. now it's cereal.  i think i have a friend or at least someone i know that said they can't have cereal in the house. they would eat the entire  box. i don't know. it could be worse. i could have an addiction to say...donuts, ice cream, beer. for now,  i am totally fine with cereal.
now i must go and...yep, fill up another bowl.

it's simple

I got an email from a web designer offering to work on my website because as she put it, "it's simple". What is wrong with simple? Sure there are things I can do to add to my website, photos, videos, testimonials. But simple to me is a-o-k. If I meet with a client and my response to "can you help organize my home" and I say "it's simple"...well you  know, they're thrilled and relieved. The systems of organization that I create\are simple. I believe that is the best way. So thank you web designer. I have a new business them. It's simple. Time to make some t-shirts.
Happy Friday.

goodwill part 2

so what's the deal? goodwill hires people with disabilities. many are paid below minimum wage. they are hired to work in a workshop environment and are paid based on productivity level. this is typically measured by a time component. for example, a blind person can hang clothes and will be timed to how many items are hung in a minute. there are probably many people that should have increased wages but for many goodwill provides them to be an opportunity to be a part of something. i worked as a job developer for many years ago and companies that employed the disabled are few and far between. i am all for better wages but i think goodwill has become a target. instead i think we should work with goodwill to revamp some of their older systems and...we should open the dialog for more corporations coming forward to higher from the disabled population. there's my two cents for the day.

goodwill

people are posting a news clip (http://www.upworthy.com/words-like-good-and-will-dont-belong-together-if-this-is-the-kind-of-thing-they-do-5) on Facebook today about how unfair goodwill industries is to the labor force. they position that the ceo makes a half million dollars and the disabled staff make less than minimum wage. there is a lot i can say about that and i will but first and foremost i wonder what the ratio is for many multi million dollar industries of ceos to staff.

1. disney corp ceo  - 40 million - what do you think the ticket taker makes?
2. ralph lauren ceo - 36 million - what do you think a retail clerk makes?
3. starbucks ceo - 39 million - what do you think a barrister makes?
4. mcdonald's ceo 28 million - what do you think the cashier makes?

sure, goodwill has to update it's payment policy but as a person who worked to get disabled jobs, there is more to the store than the ceo makes x and the staff makes y. if we do that, then we must look at all industries.

tomorrow, i will discuss the overall problem that is happening at goodwill. until then, don't knock it until you know the entire story.

a book?

at least once a week someone says to me either "you should be writing a book" or "you should have your own tv show". i haven't yet figured out a good response. this is what i do know. sure i have interesting stories from working as a professional organizer but i have no idea how that turns into a book. i also know that i have never been on tv and really don't know what kind of tv show they're thinking about. both suggestions feel like compliments. i just don't know how to respond. maybe i should explore this. thankfully that is not a goal set for 2013. hey, i can add that to the resolution list for 2014.

nov. 18, 2013

hello Monday.
well it is officially the middle of november and we are zooming in on the end of the year. some of us (me) set goals for ourselves and it is usually right about now that that old thought enters into the head. "it's almost the end of the year. i am not going to reach my goals. i should just try again next year." sound familiar? i am going to try something new.  i am going to take advice from this little mouse. i am putting on my helmet. i am digging my heals into 2013. i am not giving up. there are 44 days are left in 2013 and i am going to go for it.
are you?

stress

for the most part i would say i am a pretty independent person who tackles stressful situations head on. i have been that way my entire life. in fact it is a rarity for me to ask for help. my mom used to get annoyed with me quite often about this very topic. her line was "it's not that we don't think you can do it. it is that sometimes people would like to just give you help".what she really didn't understand was why i chose to do things on myself.  i took care of my problems because quite honestly i did not want to burden anyone else. i am learning as i get older that sometimes it is just nice to ask for help. i can vent about the stresses of life and get support from the people that love me.
so today i dedicate this post to my husband who can calm me down and to my friend samantha who gave me some very helpful and supportive words today. as a result of her supportive words, i am able to close my eyes and go to sleep. goodbye stress.
amen.

don't sweat the small stuff

working as a professional organizer...each job is different, each client is different. the only thing that is the same is little old me. each time i meet with a new client i have to assess the situation and come up with a plan on the spot and then make that plan happen. so as you can imagine, each time i go in to a new job i am eaten up by nerves. the questions i constantly have running in my head are - can i do this? will the client be pleased with what i do? am i in over my head? sometimes the night before a new job i have trouble sleeping. i toss and turn. i picture the physical spaces that i got to see in the initial consultation weeks prior. i visualize the space and attempt to plan out what i will do, where things will go, and how i will do it. what should be a restful sleep often turns into an exhausting marathon. so how do i deal with this?
i have thought a lot about this. i am trying not to anticipate too much. i am also working on my thought process about upcoming jobs. these are just some of my thoughts.

there's nothing you can do while you are in bed
stop the whirling thoughts going around in your head and go to sleep
know that you will do your best
anything is better than the current situation
there is only so much you can do.
take each job as they come and live in the present moment
when you leave, it's over
do not rehash what you did

i think this practice is working. i seem to focus on the job when i show up, not for 24 hours prior. when i leave, once i cash the check, the job is done. that's progress. sure there is going to be slip ups but i am figuring out how to handle it.

it's cold season

in the last month, i have been hit with two colds. i came across this article today. hope it works for you.  believe me, you don't want to to get sick.

Y ELISSA GOODMAN
OCTOBER 28, 2013 5:00 AM EDT

The dreaded cold and flu season is coming up fast! As a holistic nutritionist, and true warrior against sickness, I’ve researched the best cold-killing remedies that are natural, gentle on the body and work FAST! The truth is that the only way to go fast is to go naturally. You’ll recover way quicker using holistic methods than if you take toxic over-the-counter medications. So, to make sure you stave off a cold, or heal one in no time at all, here are my top eight holistic secrets!

1. Immunity juice

At first sign of a sniffle, I start drinking an “Immunity Juice.” I crafted this one for Erewhon Natural Foods Market in Los Angeles. It’s chock full of powerful, illness-fighting foods like parsley (combats infection), horseradish (great for clearing the sinuses) and garlic (major antiviral!). It’s guaranteed to get you back to tip-top shape faster than you can say, “Achoo!”

To make it at home, just juice the following:

• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 lemons
• 1 inch-thick round horseradish root
• 1 orange
• 5 inch knob of ginger
• 2 inch knob of turmeric
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 cucumber
• 2 stalks celery

2. Immunity soup

This recipe from Dr. Andrew Weil is a great alternative to comforting chicken soup! It’s a savoryand nutritionally sophisticated medley of some of the top antiviral foods, including mushrooms and broccoli. Use the recipe below to slurp your sickness goodbye!

Ingredients:

• ¾ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• ½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 ¼ pieces astragalus root (about 15 inches total)
• 5 cups mushroom stock
• 1 tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• Salt
• 1 cups broccoli florets,
• ¼ cup chopped scallions

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until soft and translucent.

Add shiitakes, carrots, astragalus root and mushroom stock. Bring to low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add tamari and adjust seasoning if needed.Add broccoli florets and cook 2 minutes. Remove astragalus root pieces. Garnish with scallions before serving.

3. Probiotics

Any time you get sick, you need to up your intake of good intestinal bacteria! Friendly flora helps to produce virus-fighting antibodies and aids in vitamin absorption. So, improving your intake of probiotics is a must. You can get your probiotics by supplement or by eating probiotic-rich foods such as miso, kimchi, sauerkraut or kefir. See my raw coconut kefir yogurt posted previously on MindBodyGreen!

4.Grapefruit seed extract

Grapefruit seed extract has been found to be an effective antimicrobial, and is a true miracle supplement. Whenever I feel sick, I put 40 drops in an empty capsule and take one capsule two times a day. Within hours, the difference is unbelievable!

5. Nix sugar

Sugar dramatically decreases your immune function, so if you’re starting to feel ill, don’t go for anything sweet.

6. Sleep more

When you’re under the weather, shoot for a minimum of eight hours of sleep. If it’s really bad, take the day off. I know work is calling you, but your body only heals while you rest. Give yourself permission to catch some zzz’s!

7. Reduce stress

Illness thrives in a stressed body. So to stave off sickness, make relaxing activities part of your weekly routine. Try getting a reflexology foot massage, making time for that yoga class, or taking a 30-minute walk!

8. Sunshine for vitamin D

Your body needs vitamin D to activate pathogen fighting T-cells. And the best way to get your D is to soak up the sun! Try some sunscreen-free exposure for 20 minutes between 8 am and 10 am or between 4 pm and 6 m, when the sun isn't too harsh. And lose those sunglasses, because a great way to synthesize vitamin D is through your eyes!

Bookmark this article so you can take action at the first symptom, and let me know some of your favorite natural healing remedies in the comments below!

assembly required

assembly required...the two words my mom said she would dread at christmas time. for me, i love it. of course my assembly required needs are usually pretty simple but gosh i get tremendous satisfaction out of building products. tonight's task...laundry sorter. i already love this product but now i feel an even closer connection to it. yep, i just built one and i love it. i love it so much that i may not want my husband to put his dirty clothes in it. oh well for now i will just sit back and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.
ahhhh...

dirty, really?

i get that life gets busy and so the home can suffer. that means it becomes a crazy cluttered place. i can understand that. what i don't understand is dirty. i just could not live in filth. the other day i came home from a super filthy dirty job. within and hour of getting home, not only did i shower once in an hour but instead i showered two times. the first time was to scrub off the filth and the second shower was just to get that nice relaxed feeling before bed. so if you are thinking you need to organize your place, maybe you should also ask yourself...do i need to clean it as well!

doing the right thing

on my way home from teaching yoga last night, i saw a messenger bag on the ground next to a car. for some reason i thought, huh, that does not look right. so i looped around and came back to the bag. there were no people around. the bag was on it side and slightly open. i got the bag and brought it back to my car. in it were many files - some looked like patient files. i was able to deduce the person's name and found a phone number. unfortunately that number was for ucsf medical center. by now i was thinking the owner's a doctor. so rather than standing in the dark trying to figure this out i put the bag in my car and headed home. when i got home i just went through the bag paper by paper and voila within 5 minutes i found a resume. score. this is what followed...
me: hi, is this victor long?
him:  (long pause) ahhhh, yes
me: hi victor. my name is andrea wait and i just found your bag.
him: oh my god, thank you so much (sounded like it was said through tears)
me: did you have a computer in the bag?
victor: yes
me: i am sorry but that is not there, just the charger and your files
victor: it doesn't matter. the papers are so much more important. thank you. thank you. thank you.

the thank yous went on for a good 5 minutes before we hung up and i texted him my address. within 10 minutes victor was at my door. his car had been broken into at best buy and his bag was stolen. yes, he is a doctor. he was super concerned because he has patient files in the bag as well as employment info on residents interviewing for a job. he told me that it would have not been good for him if that bag was not found. anyway, he was incredibly thankful - lots of hugs, thank your and i wish i could give you something gestures. for me that was unnecessary. i truly just enjoyed being able to help someone out.

it's fun to be the good samaritan.

coco

This post is dedicated to my friend Cisco. He just moved into a new home in Houston. He had his little dog Coco outside in the backyard while he and his brother worked on the house. Unfortunately Coco got out. Cisco posted to Facebook that she was missing and included a picture of her in the new backyard. Everyone re posted the picture to other people's pages in the Houston area in hopes of finding her. I kept refreshing my page over the next couple hours hoping to see the word Found. At about 8pm the word came up but it was followed by "Coco was hit by a car. We are on the way to the emergency vet and she has a broken leg". Ok, I thought well at least she was found and they can put her in a cast and she will be fine. But then more posts came up from Cisco expressing that decisions had to be made and it didn't seem good. Ugh. I met Coco years ago on a trip to Houston and we became fast friends. She was just a little love bug. Cisco even named the new house Chalet Coco and had designed a Chanel like C-C logo.  Finally at 9 pm we heard the news that Coco had died. He wrote "The only soul that has loved me unconditionally, that has always always always made me smile and giggle (even if I was fuming mad) has left this Earth tonight. I've never cried so much. My heart is breaking. My precious puppy angel, Coco Patches, I love you more than you know... But I know you know....."My heart breaks for my dear friend. So sad. So I dedicate this post to friend Cisco and his little dog Coco...I love you both.

good day sunday quote

what i really wanted to say

i gotta vent...
i had a consultation meeting yesterday with a potential client. talk about unrealistic and stubborn...oh my!  have you ever met had the experience of listening to someone about their problems and trying to be empathetic to their struggles but in your mind you just want to say "lady, get a fricken clue"!?
so this what i wanted to say...
yes, the toys are a disaster. why? because they are the floor all over the house. go get a bin and throw all the plastic crap in it. while you are at it, get a garbage bag and throw 50 percent of it away. oh and the laundry, doing it all on friday night is not working for you. buy some laundry bins for your spouse, your kids and start doing a load of wash a day. your system is not working. how about try something new? yes, i hear that the kids are busy and they have homework but really i think you can do some of the laundry while they do their homework. i understand why your husband hates being in the house and maybe he is on to something with his system of "he just throws things away". you got stuff everywhere. it might help.
ok enough of the rant. i feel better. now back to my nice calm, cool, collected self. "yes, that must be challenging keeping your house organized"!
cheers and happy saturday.
1. got get yourself a bin or a

just show up

I just read this post on Facebook...always go the funeral. To this day I remember the people who were at my Dad's funeral. It was one of the worst days of my life and the most life changing at the same time.  I know many people don't want to go but sometimes we gotta do what we don't want to do. Having been on the other side I know how grateful I was for those people who were there for me and my family.

Always Go to the Funeral

by DEIRDRE SULLIVAN

I believe in always going to the funeral. My father taught me that.The first time he said it directly to me, I was 16 and trying to get out of going to calling hours for Miss Emerson, my old fifth grade math teacher. I did not want to go. My father was unequivocal. "Dee," he said, "you're going. Always go to the funeral. Do it for the family."So my dad waited outside while I went in. It was worse than I thought it would be: I was the only kid there. When the condolence line deposited me in front of Miss Emerson's shell-shocked parents, I stammered out, "Sorry about all this," and stalked away. But, for that deeply weird expression of sympathy delivered 20 years ago, Miss Emerson's mother still remembers my name and always says hello with tearing eyes.That was the first time I went un-chaperoned, but my parents had been taking us kids to funerals and calling hours as a matter of course for years. By the time I was 16, I had been to five or six funerals. I remember two things from the funeral circuit: bottomless dishes of free mints and my father saying on the ride home, "You can't come in without going out, kids. Always go to the funeral."Sounds simple — when someone dies, get in your car and go to calling hours or the funeral. That, I can do. But I think a personal philosophy of going to funerals means more than that."Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during happy hour. The Shiva call for one of my ex's uncles. In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.In going to funerals, I've come to believe that while I wait to make a grand heroic gesture, I should just stick to the small inconveniences that let me share in life's inevitable, occasional calamity.On a cold April night three years ago, my father died a quiet death from cancer. His funeral was on a Wednesday, middle of the workweek. I had been numb for days when, for some reason, during the funeral, I turned and looked back at the folks in the church. The memory of it still takes my breath away. The most human, powerful and humbling thing I've ever seen was a church at 3:00 on a Wednesday full of inconvenienced people who believe in going to the funeral.

take the trash out

i don't know if it is a by-product of my organizing job or if i have always been like this but i love it when all the garbage cans including recycling and compost have been emptied. weird rich? i absolutely love thursday night because my neighbors bring out their garbage cans on thursday night in anticipation of friday morning pick up. i get giddy knowing i just have to walk out my front door to empty the cans instead of getting out the keys to go downstairs to our trash room. and hold on to your hats, i just recently discovered my neighbors to the left get picked up a day early so their cans go out wednesday night.  woo hoo. two nights of garbage out makes me just thrilled. i also like the idea that my garbage men don't have to work as hard picking up my garbage if i put it in the neighbors cans located on street level. yep, i am an odd duck and i just love that about myself!

check the ego at the door

i met with a woman who i think has emotional and mental health problems. she lives in a studio and has been there for over 20 years. with that studio she has 4 storage spaces that are filled to capacity. unfortunately the apartment building has been sold and she is not sure about her living status. she contacted me for help. at first glance of everything i thought "oh my god, this is just too much". but me being me, i want to help. our first organizing session was a painfully slow process. she got emotional,  upset, distressed and had a mixtures of manic highs and lows. when the session ended i took her items away for donation. as extra free help i also researched movers and potential jobs in sf. now at the end of the session we did not set a follow up appointment. basically what we did was a drop in the bucket and there is so much more to do but i didn't push the issue. yesterday i got a not so happy e-mail from her. she basically ripped into me for a variety of things. of course she ended the email with "i really enjoyed meeting you". so what's my point?
i hate the fact that there is someone out there who is not 100 percent satisfied with the work i did. i know - ego, ego, ego. basically i want every one's stamp of approval.  i gotta let it go and stop trying to make it right. in this situation it aint gonna happen.

here's my lesson for the day -

You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time.” Abraham Lincoln

sick brain

not much to say. came across this quote...enjoy!

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
author unknown

sick again

i felt that little twitchy feeling in the back of my throat and thought, please don't be a cold germ. it was. two days later i have the full on head cold. i am seriously annoyed. how can i possibly have another cold? this is flashbacks of growing up in the east coast. i so wish i could just turn over in bed now and go back to sleep. you remember...sick days from school. but i an not a kid and i don't go to school. i'm a big girl with big girl responsibilities. so, i am going to squeeze in a 20 minute nap and then i am off to sonoma for a day of work.
happy monday.

i am a little scared

so in the next 72 hours, i have three huge organizing jobs and a birthday party to throw for my husband. that thought really got me stressing. so i just bit the bullet and looked at my entire month's calendar. yes, it is full every day but i am ok. i visualized in my mind what i have to do and i suddenly feel rather calm. there are a couple jobs that i am a little unsure of but i reminded myself once again that there is no work manual for what i do and i will just do the very best that i can. that is all i can do.
ahhh, i can breath.
have a great weekend.

what smells?

don't you hate it when you notice a bad smell in your house? what is it? where is it coming from? i got that going on right now. i have looked and smelled everywhere...storage room, closets, under the sink. i can't identify what it is or where it is coming from. so that means i have also cleaned out all those places as well. sure they probably could have used a cleaning but still i haven't found the source.
screw it. i am tired. time to take a shower and go to bed. please what ever is stinking up the place, please go away. thank you.