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!

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.

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?

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.

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?

I’ve been following Nashville-based blogger ModFruGal for quite a while now. I really love her home, her stylish DIY tutorials, and her way with polished brass — this self-proclaimed “budget minded modernist” is worth a regular visit. Even a recipe post contains brilliant ideas I want to use in my own home, like using chalkboard contact paper labels on her food storage containers. That way, when you change out your item, the label can be easily changed too. It’s the kind of simple genius that makes me smack my head and say, “why didn’t I think of that?” Functional, simple, and attractive: that means this is my next organizational project! What do you think? — Megan B.

Update: ModFruGal, in response to our linky love, has given us the full tutorial on how she made these! Click here to see how.

It’s been a couple months since we moved into our new place, and despite a hectic work schedule, it’s finally beginning to feel like home. Yes, I have a few photos to get printed and framed, but for the most part, we’re lookin’ good. Well, except for our microscopic kitchen. Our most major pain point to date, sometimes it feels like there’s no way to make this narrow space with minimal counter tops usable for all the cooking we’d like to do, and it’s a factor that’s keeping my stand mixer dream firmly planted in the future. We’ve traded our dish track and tray combo for this handy dish drying mat, which has helped to clear up counter space, but other than that the next step seems to require the installation of some strategic shelving, but the space is so narrow that I’d love to crowd-source an answer on this one. The ceilings in our apartment are very high, so there’s potential for elevated shelving, but some other complications include that the oven is flush to the wall, so any sort of table or narrow storage console along that wall would prevent the door from opening, which is a deal-breaker. Parallel to the views above is an empty wall, but the walkway is so narrow than any possible shelving would have to be far above our heads. Any helpful tips for me? Care to commiserate? — Sarah C.

I can’t believe I hadn’t come up with this one before — using loaf pans to corral the utensils in my kitchen drawers. I stole the idea from the teaching kitchen I worked at last year, which had dozens of drawers filled with every kind of tool imaginable, all sorted in loaf pans of varying sizes. I already had two pans just loafing (sorry, I had to) around my cupboards, so I put them to use. My utility drawer has never been happier! Now, I keep on the lookout for as many as I can find at garage sales, thrift stores, where they’re usually available for a song; much more affordable than regular organizing bins. And I’m set if I ever need to make a huge batch of poundcake! — Megan B.

Perhaps we should expect some grainy, provocative pictures of pencils and desk lamps in the near future because American Apparel has just launched an office and stationery line. In all seriousness, the products are pretty cute! From tiny erasers shaped like teeth and fruit to crayon rocks, the new stationery line is quirky with plenty of colorful Sharpies and sturdy notebooks thrown in for practicality’s sake. If your office supply list includes gold lame leggings and post-its, consider American Apparel for your one-stop shopping needs. –- Katie D.

Okay, it’s official — the winners have been picked! THREE lucky readers have won their choice (limited to stock on hand) of beautiful drawer liners from the impossibly generous Hammocks and High Tea! Cue the drum roll…

Winner #1: Brett, who digs these drawer liners so much they plan to “remove everything from (my) drawers, place it on the bed, line the drawers and keep them open to admire them.” And now that dream can come true!

Winner # 2: Lynne, who plans on spending all Summer in shorts — AND last but not least–

Winner #3: Carolyn, whose collection of skirts and dresses will be resting pretty!

Congrats, guys! You’ll be hearing from us soon. And if you can, please let us all know your choices in the comments. Thanks to all who entered — and to the lovely Becki S. for wrangling up this wonderful giveaway for us. Be on the lookout for more soon!