Space’d Out

Anyone who knows me well, knows that one of my breakthrough goals in my career is to someday appear on the Today Show as an organizing expert in an interview with Matt or Meredith.

Well this past Monday I took my first step toward media stardom as a guest on local radio station WENG 1530. They are a small, local AM station in Englewood, FL (closest city you might have heard of is Sarasota). They do a women’s hour every morning and the host, Paula Dumas, invited me to come on the show to talk about National Preparedness Month (September) and the importance of being organized.
Here we are in the studio (Paula’s in front):

It was really fun being on the show and Paula was GREAT about leading me through questions and helping me wrap up for each segment. I left on cloud 9 and continued to float there for a while as my friends and family members called me one by one to tell me how great it was and how proud they were. Matt Lauer, here I come!

My next foray into “stardom” is coming up in October. I was chosen by OnlineOrganizing.com as one of their weekly bloggers. Starting October 6ht, I will be writing every Monday on that site about paper at home. You might think there’s not that much you could say about the paper in your home, but stop for a moment to think about ALL the ways paper enters your home and affects your life. Yes, there’s the obvious: home office, medical files, personal files. But there’s also mail, junk mail, coupons, recipes, stationery/letter writing (yes, some people–like me–still do that!), books, magazines, kids’ artwork, invitations to other people’s parties, wrapping paper, photographs, to-do lists, business cards, printed emails, travel itineraries, tickets. . .the list is endless, really. Who doesn’t, have tons of paper in their home? So it will be fun. Hope you will check in and read it from time to time.

Well, I’m off. I think I see the papparazzi gathering outside my window now… (HA!!!)

Oh, and sticking with my theme of gratefulness, I wanted to note that both these opportunities (the radio show and the blog) were suggested by a dear organizer friend of mine, Kate Brown. I met her at the NAPO conference this year in Minneapolis, and she has been a wonderful mentor and supporter for me. We compliment each other in that she is the master of office organizing and business productivity, where I excel in matters at home. Check out her website: Impact Productivity. Thank you, Kate!

I can just hear that iconic ’70s song now. “Do the hustle!”

I am a member of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce and I’ve recently joined BNI (Business Networking International) which is a very structured networking group with weekly meetings and strongly-recommended one-on-one meetings with other members. I don’t do a lick of advertising for my business, so these kinds of groups are critical for me, as I get all of my work through referrals and word of mouth.

I have seen some returns on my time investment in these groups, but man is it hard work always being “on.” You know what I mean? Getting dressed up and putting on makeup and a bright smile and having my 15 second elevator speech ready to explain who I am and what I do, is really taxing day in and day out.

You’d be surprised how many people have never heard of a professional organizer. When people ask what I do and I say, “I’m a professional organizer,” I often get puzzled looks and then I get one of two responses:

1. “Do you organize people’s lives?” Meaning, am I a life coach? No.

2. “Oh, you’re like one of those TV shows where you go into people’s houses and make them throw out all their junk.” To this one I respond, “I don’t make people throw anything away that they don’t want to. I just help them with decision-making.”

P.S. Those shows take several weeks to complete (not just the one hour you watch on TV) and require a staff of about 22 people. I’m just one gal. A talented, efficient gal, I’ll give you that. But I’m just one person. So no, I cannot “fix” your house in 1 hour, or even in 1 session (usually).

This is a big thing for people to get; and it’s the one thing I hope to educate people about as I network. Still, the fact that people even know what an organizer is at all (greatly attributed to HGTV) shows the profession of organizing has come a loooooong way in the last 10 years.

I’ve always been an organized person and I’ve always enjoyed rearranging things to find the most economical use of space (it’s a sickness, the same way accountants like crunching numbers for fun). But the first time I met a professional organizer and saw that people can actually make money doing what I loved to do was in 1997. I was working as an Assistant Art Director at Miami Metro magazine (formerly South Florida magazine–both are now defunct) and my WAY messy Editor-in-Chief hired a woman to come in an organize the piles of paper in her office. She came in on a Friday afternoon and on Monday everyone in the office could not believe the transformation! The Editor was elated as well and I saw immediately the way you could help someone and change their life and their productivity at work and their general mood, just by getting them organized. I was hooked. But fresh out of college, I didn’t have the know-how or chutzpah to start my own business, so I kept on doing what I was doing.

Fast foward 10 years and here I am. . .hustling. But I love what I do, so I’ll keep on doin’ the hustle.

Yesterday I did a presentation at Tampa Preparatory School for their incoming Freshmen. I talked to 110 students about the importance of being organized as you transition from middle school to upper school. They split the class in half so I spoke to 55 students in the first hour and then the other 55 students in the 2nd hour. I was pleased with the outcome, as this was my first time doing this presenation and I knew I’d have to get creative to hold the attention of 55 fourteen and 15-year-olds for an hour! I start out the talk w/ a skit (I have a student w/ an organized backpack vs. student w/ a disorganized backpack try to find homework. I had packed the “disorganized” backpack with everything from tennis shoes, sweatshirts, a happy meal, a skull, calculator, crumpled paper, etc.). Here’s my first group of actors, as I met with them before the first presentation to explain what they’re supposed to do with their backpacks (I’m on the far right):

One exercise in particular that got both groups talking is where I give them a mock calendar that is six weeks long and I tell them that a teacher may say a paper or project is 6 weeks away–which to them feels like a LOT of time to complete the work.
Then I have them fill in all the time they’re in school, all the time they’re doing extracurricular activities or sports/dance/music/drama practices, all the time they work at a part time job, etc. This is all time they are NOT available to work on this paper or project. What they find out is that 6 weeks of calendar time does NOT equate to 6 weeks of WORKABLE time. This is something most of them had never considered. So it’s great to reach them and open their eyes a little bit.

I taught high school journalism for 3 years, so I do know a thing or two about teaching and I do love the kids at this age. So much promise. I miss interacting with them! Teaching is a part of who I am. My father was a high school English teacher when I was growing up (now he has another job, but he still is a professor of Public Speaking at Barry University in Miami, FL). Mid-way through her professional life, my mother was also a professor at the University of Miami for a few years, then she became an author (a New York Times bestselling author, I might add!). So journalism, writing and public speaking are all familiar to me. Thank goodness, because it seems like all will be a recurring part of my career as a professional organizer!

BTW, most of my student presenation is based on Donna Goldberg’s book The Organized Student. I highly recommend it if you have a student that is even of middle school age. It really helps both student and parent deal with that ever-present child/parent battle over neatness and organization at home and in life.

My son started pre-kindergarten today.  Dropping him off at school is not new (for him or me) as he’s been in some sort of daycare since he was 12 weeks old.  Such is the plight of a working mother’s children.  But today was different.

He’s attending a private school that costs more than my tuition at the University of Florida when I attended (granted, that was 11 years ago, but still).  But it’s the not the money that has me in a tizzy.  It’s not the uniform he put on today or the giddy smile he wore all morning, as he got ready faster than I’ve ever seen him get ready on a morning.  It’s the fact that, as I stood there watching him flutter around the classroom bonding with all his new buddies, suddenly, it was all really real.

I’m a mother of a school-aged child. I am officially a grown-up.

I’m not just a mom of toddlers anymore.  He’s a <i>real</i> boy (like Pinocchio). And now I’m looking ahead to how quickly the year is going to fly by.  The lessons, the Halloween parties, and then we blink and it’s winter break.  And then it’s 2008 and the school year zips past and it’s summer and then he heads to Kindergarten. And then my DAUGHTER heads to Pre-K the year after that… AHHHHHH!

Then before I know it my son goes to Prom and then to college and then I’m officially old.  I’m not ready for this!  How did this happen already?

I have felt dizzy all morning.  My head is spinning and my mind is racing.  This is it; the proverbial ‘first day of school’.  All the life lessons they will learn, the fights they will have to fight for themselves, the pain of other children’s taunts that I can’t save them from, the fear of failure… I only hope I can provide the sense of love and security along with the self-esteem they will need to get through it all.

True, I’ve been a mom for a few years now, but so far it’s been more like daycare than anything else; just changing, feeding, and wiping up.  Now comes the tough stuff.  Now comes the reassurance, the discipline, instilling a love of learning, a respect for others, the importance of empathy and living up to potential, and so many other characteristics I find valuable in a human being that I can only hope my kids absorb through my lectures (and my role modeling).

Oh, the pressure!!!  OK, I’m going to chill out now.  It’s going to be fine.  I’ve managed to get through this parenting thing so far.  I’ll just learn as I go, the same as they do.  Every little thing, is gonna be alright…

I apologize. When I switched hosts, I lost all my blog posts so I had to recreate them. Just like most things in life, it’s never as good as the first time. . . but here’s what I could recall from the original post:

I’m back from three and a half days of junkin’. That’s what the folks in Tennessee call antiquing, though I think “junkin’” better sums it up.

I arrived in Nashville two hours late because my plane was delayed in Tampa due to bad weather. I flew Southwest, which, anyone who has ever flown Southwest knows, is the equivalent of living in the Old West; meaning, you have to pull out your six-shooter to get a good seat. I’m speaking metaphorically of course. If you really pulled out your six-shooter, you’d never get past security. I had to take off my belt and throw away a bottle of makeup remover just to get through. I could go on for pages about the ridiculousness of the liquid rules for airline travel (What? They don’t think 1.5 fluid oz. of nitro glycerin could do some damage?). Don’t get me started.

After arriving in Nashville, my mother and I had a two-hour drive to Jamestown, TN, where we checked into a B&B and fell into bed. We set two alarms, but still didn’t make it up for the 7am breakfast call, so one of the British ladies who runs the joint had to knock on our door and send us downstairs sans makeup (yikes!) to get our breaky. Breakfast was divine all three mornings. I don’t know why people say the British don’t have fine cuisine–they sure know how to make French toast!

DAY 1:
We spoke with a couple people at breakfast who had been working the World’s Longest Yard Sale for several days to try to feel out the best way to go on Highway 127, North or South? Some said, “we found nothing up North,” while others said, “there’s nothing but junk down South.” I thought this was so interesting because the thing about yard sales is, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I don’t particularly think old fishing lures or 1920s tobacco pouches are valuable, but the fella from South Carolina sitting next to me did. I’m sure he wouldn’t value the gold sequin disco shoes I found and loved to pieces, so you really can’t take anyone’s advice. So we hopped in our rental and headed North.

As you drive along Hwy 127, there are little “pockets” of tables and booths and tents with antiques, old cars, random things for sale, like this:

I particularly have a fondness for vintage wooden and tin toys. I love the way toys used to force kids to use their imaginations, instead of spelling their fun out for them with flashing lights and recorded sounds the way today’s toys do. Here are some of the treasures I found:

I also have an affinity for glass and ceramics—of which there was plenty! My mom was on a duck hunt. She lives in the West, so I suppose it’s apropos for her to have a country kitchen, but I’m not personally keen on cow butter dishes and duck measuring spoons.

We did find some amazingly ODD items along the way and we decided that the people in Hollywood, CA, who own prop companies, are missing the boat by not coming to this sale! We found a lamp with an orange “fur” shade that was only $10 and could have easily appeared in Pulp Fiction (or any of Quentin’s movies).

There were gads of old appliances and televisions and cars for CHEAP.

I love how this car questions: Delivery available? Will it start or won’t it???

One man was selling a gorgeous round bed that he swore once belonged to Marilyn Monroe (he even said he had the papers to prove it).

Also found a necklace and earring set with Conway Twitty on it. Where else on earth would you find such a thing?!

I took about 150 pictures on this trip, mostly of the items I would have bought if money (and luggage space) were no object. I have learned, as an organizer, that sometimes it’s better to have a small, flat, 4×6 photo of an object of desire, rather than the actual object, which can take up space and collect dust. I really reveled in the collections of junk that looked like art to me (matchsticks, planters, gold tees, rusty keys, hose nozzles), and the people who were selling it all.

I think this picture of some rusty keys is my absolute favorite. Seriously, it looks like one of those photographs you find at an art fair that’s sold for $650. I’m mighty proud of this shot. A friend of mine suggested I submit it to a puzzle manufacturer as it would make a great puzzle. May do that someday.

We came across some young ladies who were “beginning whittlers” (at least, that’s what the sign above them said) who were whittling away at some wood pieces.

I saw more Dale Earnhardt commemorative pocket knives than I cared to, and I saw more than one rifle and gun sold, with no mention of licenses or waiting periods. One of the pictures that I took that I love is of a beautiful baby in a stroller being pushed past a table with ammunition for sale. Gotta love the South!

By the end of Day 1, I had bought several items I simply adore, one being a very old and beautiful leather autograph book that I bought for $2. It had the word “Autographs” embossed in gold on the front and the pages were gold-edged and slightly yellowed. I don’t intend to take it to the character breakfast at Disney World to get Goofy’s John Hancock, but I am a journaler and it seemed like the perfect new journal for me to write in–full of history, ready for a future. I also got a ceramic pitcher and 5 glasses with a tiny pineapple on each and those gold sequined disco heels (also for $2) that I mentioned earlier and that I fully intend to wear on my next Girls Night Out.

The best thing about the first day was that I learned how to bargain (I NEVER offered the posted price) and how to hunt out the unique items. Believe it or not, you start seeing the same items repeatedly, and you come to realize that there was more than one set of cookie jars and napkin holders with sienna-colored mushrooms made in the 1970s.

DAY 2:
On the morning of day two, my mom and I popped out of bed and were the first ones at breakfast. I asked our South Carolina friend if he’d had any luck the day before and he said–in the thickest Southern accent you can fathom–, “You know, I can’t believe I drove 600 miles to buy a $2 cooler. We must’a passed nine Super Wal Marts on the way down here and surely I coulda got a cooler in any one of ‘em. But no, I had to drive all this way for my wife to buy THIS cooler.” I was in stitches. Then he added, “I’m not here as a hunter. I’m a toter. I just tote the things and the money.” Well said, my friend, well said.

We headed South on Day 2, and though there were more tents and tables of fill-in-the-blank, we didn’t find there were as many unique items as we’d seen the day before. We did have some kickin’ BBQ (wouldn’t have left without some),

we did run into the HGTV crew filming the event, and we did run into some beautiful people who, to me, represent the best kind of folks this country has to offer, like this fella. THAT’S America, to me:

I also found an old wooden Fisher Price Jalopy EXACTLY like the one my husband had as a kid (that he still has). It was in mint condition and was $19—I had to laugh.

In the end I only spent $4 total on Day 2. I think my restraint on the second day had a lot to do with my husband’s pleading of “Please don’t bring home a bunch of junk, honey,” ringing in my ears.

DAY 3:
Day three we ate another delicious British breakfast (chocolate/macadamia nut pancakes!) and headed out early back toward the Nashville airport to head home. I know it seems like a quick trip, but my mom and I are firm believers in the saying, “Fish and family go bad after three days.” I think it’s because we stick to this that we have such a functional relationship.

Besides the thrill of the hunt, the bonding with my mom, and the beauty of Americana, I think the thing I’ll take with me is the idea that some of the best treasures at The World’s Longest Yard Sale are the stories vendors told about the history of their items or the people they’ve met over the years at these sales.

I think I’m pretty much done junkin’ for now though.

My mother is big into setting personal goals.  One of her goals for this year was to institute an annual  mother/daughter trip for the two of us.  She allowed me to pick the first place we went together and said it could be anywhere: a vinyard in Sonoma, a spa in Arizona, horseback riding in Wyoming, New York to see some Broadway… whatever I like.  While all of those options were/are tempting (may do some another year), this year I chose to live out one of my dreams and attend “The World’s Longest Yard Sale”: http://www.127sale.com/ .  Yes, there really is such a thing.

I have wanted to do this since I worked for a good friend of mine who used to own an online vintage clothing store: Caroline’s Closets.  Caroline has since become a yoga instructor, but she is still an inspiration to me and a fun, fun gal.  Caroline took an actual Airstream motor coach (can it be called a coach??) down Highway 127 and shopped and sorted through miles and miles of people’s used stuff.  The thing she bought that she was most proud of and excited about was a taxidermied beaver.  Yes, an actual stuffed Beaver.  She loved that thing, named it and took pictures of herself with it along the trip.  Hilarious!

Now you might think this is exactly the kind of event a professional organizer would want to stay <i>away</i> from (why would an organizer want other people’s clutter and dust catchers?), but it’s not.  Well, not for me anyway. I loves me some vintage crap. :)  OK, that might be a little harsh.  What I mean to say is, I appreciate the history and stories behind other people’s belongings.  I’m not one who collects things, so I won’t be searching for Hummel figurines on our trip.  But I will be looking for first edition books, vintage jewelry and other myriad retro items.

I’ve given myself a spending limit, so I’ll have to be choosey.  And mostly, I’m looking forward to talking with my mom on the long car rides, staying at a quiet bed and breakfast (sans children) and reading a book, and eating at little diners on the side of the road in Tennessee.  I’m thinking specifically about all the homemade pie.

Can’t wait! Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to post and some braggin’ rights in next week’s blog…

Two weeks ago I went on a weeklong vacation to Trinidad and Tobago (where my husband is from) and I’m only now getting settled back in and caught up on my “in” box. Yes, even organizers get backed up with their “to do” lists. That should make you all feel good. That’s the thing about vacations–you really pay for them when you get home! That being said, we had an amazing time down there. The food, the people, the island… it’s home to me now too and I love it.

I heard from a couple people after we got back that the Travel Channel’s show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern went to Trinidad and the host ate at one of the many places we did: Richard’s Shark and Bake. He said it was one of the top 3 sandwiches he’s EVER eaten–not on this show, not on this series… in his life. I have to agree. If you ever visit Trinidad do NOT leave without going to Maracas beach and getting a shark and bake. It’s DIVINE. It’s basically fresh shark fried right in front of you and put in a fried “bake” (which is like a donut) which is also cooked fresh right there in front of you. Then you load it up with a boatload of toppings: garlic sauce, tamarind, pineapple, shadow benny (cilantro), pepper sauce… yuuuuuuum. He also ate doubles, which is a breakfast favorite of ours too. This episode is replaying this Sunday (7/22) at 10:00pm if you’re interested–I already have it set to DVR.

One thing to note about T&T (Trinidad and Tobago): it’s a third world country. Every time I visit there I am struck with how simply the people live and how much America is a society of consumerism. It’s not that people in Trinidad don’t like to have nice things–they do. But they don’t buy to excess the way we do. They fill their homes with laughter (and rum!)–not with tchotchkes. They decorate with plants from the yard rather than plastic dust catchers. It’s really a good lesson for me every time I go. It makes me reevaluate the things I NEED in my house vs. the things I WANT in my house. I come home and immediately collect a bag for Goodwill. I encourage all of you to do this as well. Go through your home and think about what things really make you smile every time you see them and what things are just <i>there</i>. Now think about getting rid of the things that are just there.

Sorry guys.  I recently switched hosts and for some reason, my old blog disappeared into cyberspace.  So I’m having to re-enter all my entries.  I put the date they were originally entered in the title so they make sense.

I’m going to start my first blog with some “big ups” for my peeps.  Gratitude, people, I’m talking about gratitude.  What a great way to start every day!

I’d first and foremost like to thank my husband for all his help and support as I’ve gotten this website up and running.  It has been no small feat and has taken me several 28-hour days, leaving him like a single parent, solely responsible for our two little darlings. Now I love my kids more than life itself, but they are not easy.  One of them is a 2-year-old we’ve nicknamed “The Hurricane” for the paths of destruction she leaves throughout the house, and the other is a 4-year-old who needs constant protection from the hair-pulling hurricane.  This is not the life my fun-loving husband signed up for, I’m sure.  But he does it with minimal complaining.

He is understanding of my exhaustion at the end of the day, of my butt being glued in front of my laptop at all hours, and my constant networking events that leave me feeling like I’m more of a Professional Luncher than a Professional Organizer some days.

So for that and so much more, babe, I AM GREATFUL FOR YOU!

Next, I’d like to thank my ever-supportive friends, who are there for me on the days when my husband has had enough, and cannot muster his happy face.  Honestly, Amy and Britta of NotFromABox.com are the ones who inspired me to be a business owner in the first place.  They have offered guidance and countless, valuable “what NOT to do”s.  To boot, Amy has been my personal technical support when it came to creating this website (which I designed myself, thank you very much).  It would not be here without her.

So again, I want to shout from the mountaintops (or from this teeny little blog): I AM SO GREATFUL FOR YOU, MY FRIENDS!

OK, that should do it for now.  I’m heading out of the country tomorrow for a much-needed weeklong vacation.  So until then…

I’ll be making changes to this blog on a regular basis, sharing news, views, experiences, photos…whatever occurs to me. So please, check back often!