post off: are you as busy as you think?
A few weeks ago, an article making the Facebook rounds caught my eye. In it, author Laura Vanderkam asks “Are you as busy as you think?” Now. To hear me answer that the way I’d like to, you’d think I was giving the President a run for his money in the overburdened schedules department. I always feel busy, often without respite. And the truth is, I am busy. At least in recent years, I haven’t come face-to-face with a block of time I couldn’t fill, but it’s how we choose to use that time, and how we talk about it that matters. For starters, according to Vanderkam it’s our perception of what we’re busy with that could use some work. Most American sleep more and work less than they believe they do. And, we also fill those remaining hours with tasks that may not be in line with our true priorities. To get a better handle on what really fills our days, she suggest three simple things: keeping a time log to help really understand exactly where the time goes, to be honest about how we want to fill that time and to change the way we speak, reminding ourselves that our priorities should dictate our schedules, and not the other way around. For me, it all comes back to a quote by David Allen, (author of this insightful book on the subject): “You can do anything, but not everything.” We have to choose. It seems simple, but in reality proves difficult to put into practice. Do you agree? Do you feel like your days are packed with no escape? Let’s chat!
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bookmarkworthy: my fridge food
I call it Fridge Freeze. It’s that moment before meal time when you open the refrigerator and are stunned into a stupor, standing there in the cold glow of a bare light bulb starring at a yogurt, some chicken, half a bag of shredded cheese, and some suspicious looking leftovers with no earthly idea of what to cook for dinner. During extreme cases of Fridge Freeze, I’m driven to take out menus thanks to my indecision, impatience, and hunger. However, I recently found a cure for Fridge Freeze that does not include the Thai place down the street. At My Fridge Food, I can check off what ingredients I have at hand and be instantly supplied with yummy, easy, user supplied recipes. There is a simple ingredient list and, for you super stars who stock your pantry like Martha Stewart, a detailed kitchen list. Sort the recipe results by number of ingredients, cooking time, calories, carbs, fat, protein, or category and banish Fridge Freeze forever.
bread boxes: useful or space wasters?
Wondering through Tarjay the other day, I was distracted by some very cute bread boxes prominently on display. Do I need one of these, I thought? Our bread storage habits are kinda haphazard. We just toss them in a wire bin tucked under a counter (along with our potatoes, dog treats, and such). My grandma always used one but never told me: Does bread really last longer if stored in a bread basket? Should it be stored in the fridge? Why do some bread bins cost so much?
Some cute bread boxes that have me debating giving up valuable counter space:
Target’s Pin Jan White Bread Box, $18.
Colorful bread bins from Wesco, about $100
Retro Metal Bread Box on Ebay, starting at $19.
— Angela M.
Previous posts to read:
I Dig The Bread Bin, But Will It Save My Loaf?
are bookshelves becoming a thing of the past?
This week I saw two stories about bookshelves suggesting they are going the way of the record player and rotary telephones. It seems that in the dawning era of electronic books (and I am the first to confess: I LOVE my Kindle) that bookshelves are becoming obsolete. Both Time.com and The Economist wrote about Ikea’s plans to remake its famous Billy bookcases to contain all sorts things besides books. The shelves are becoming deeper and they’re getting optional doors – all the better to hold things that aren’t books, like tsotchkes (and I am the first to confess: I LOVE tsotchkes).
In our house, we still have a lot of novels and other assorted paper products, like magazines, kids books, cookbooks, photography books. But it’s true that they are not the only objects that live on our shelves. When we staged our apartment to sell, in the photo above, we cleaned up the bookshelves so they contained very few books. Our realtor thought this would be more appealing.
These days, I find myself drawn more and more to old books and first editions. Is it the nagging sense that classic printed matter is becoming more precious? On our mantel is a first edition of EB White’s This is New York, a must have and read. I’m not buying fewer books now that I own a Kindle. Rather, now I am buying books that I truly treasure and want to have and hold and display. And for those, I need bookshelves.
What about your home’s future? Will bookshelves still have a place there? — Angela M.
embracing power outages: what do you do in the dark?
As I write this, the east coast is preparing for a lashing of epic proportions thanks to hurricane Irene. By the time this gets to you, I very well may be without power in my little corner of New York City, but I’m still intrigued. We’ve stocked up on candles and matches, flashlights and batteries, and I’ve even got my camping headlamp (laugh all you want, it comes in handy!) at the ready, so we’re (hopefully) in good shape to ride out the storm, but I’d love to know your game plan when it comes to power outages. Do you have any go to games or traditions you turn to when the lights go out? Any helpful logistical tips to share? Special meals you prepare in advance of big storms? Share in comments! — Sarah C.
Related:
Making a home emergency kit
Do you have a household emergency plan?
