Donating Our Time and Visiting Loved Ones

The weekend was a busy one for us. John was donating his time to his Lion’s club fundraiser, at their annual crab feed and Joan was visiting her mother in Auburn, California. The weather was foggy and overcast for most of the time. Yet that did not stop either one of us from enjoying the weekend. In fact, on her way home, Joan went to a very enjoyable breakfast with her mother and a family friend at High-Hand Conservatory and Restaurant which is located in Loomis California. If you are ever in Loomis, it’s a fabulous place to stop by for a meal, a visit to their art gallery or to wander through their nursery. It inspires anyone who visits with the desire to add color, live plants, art or other outdoor energy to their home.

The High-Hand nursery was not as colorful this time of year, yet it was still lovely even in winter. It reminds us that that very soon springtime will be upon us and with that comes the urge to plant flowers, spruce up the yard and do spring cleaning indoors. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about storage ideas, such as shelving, in preparation of the spring to come? Begin now to set up space to organize your garage, closets, laundry room or other storage areas.

Enjoy this week’s Fix-It Tip on Storage. It’s a great time to get going on that!

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Quick Ideas for an Organized Life … or Where the Heck Did I Put It?

The parking lots at the stores a week AFTER Christmas were packed. All I wanted to do was to buy a small gift as a thank you and I found myself going round and round the lot looking for a place to park. I was shocked to see so many people shopping already, so soon after the Christmas holiday and wondered what the draw to shopping was that people were back in the stores so quickly. After all, it wasn’t Black Friday! Before I ventured out, I should have looked up the statistics on after holiday shopping where 47% of consumers said they’d be shopping in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day!

It did make me feel hopeful that a positive shift is happening in our shaky economy; for individuals as well as the nation. People spent more this Christmas than they have in years. In fact, several million more than in pre-recession times.

With that in mind, I know that this year will be a great year to make some changes. Whether that is to organize things in your home or garage, replace old, tired out stuff, tackle delayed maintenance or simply perk things up, I can see where we Americans are wanting to enjoy our holidays, as well as our homes!

If you are one of the hopeful this year, let us know if we can help you. We have weekly quick tips to assist you do it yourself OR monthly specials, offers and discounts if you want us to do it for you!

Enjoy this week’s Fix-It Tip on Organizing. It’s a great time to get going on that!

Here’s wishing you a joyous 2011.

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Happy New Year!

The new year has begun … are you ready? Here it comes, ready or not, and along with it, the changes in weather that may require more of us ~ home maintenance-wise that is! As of late, we’ve been having some pretty harsh weather. Certainly here in Northern California, for sure! The temperatures have dropped, the fog has rolled in, the wind has whistled and the rain has poured.

Even the boats were not on the water, staying docked where it was safe and dry. Much to Everest’s disappointment, there were none to be seen during his visit on New Year’s Day. Although Papa and he looked and looked, there were none to be found!

That should be a sign to us all to be sure our homes stay watertight. As we often say, “Water out, Heat In!” Is that true for your home? If not, take advantage of our special below to help you out! (Click here for our specials.)

Here’s wishing you a joyous 2011.

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