Sunday, August 10, 2008

Housekeeping 101 in Less Than 800 Pages


I am darting back and forth from computer to TV (Olympics, my friend, Olympics...I am a junkie to such programming), attempting to type out a post between gymnastics and swimming. Oh the stress. Such darting should be considered its own Olympic sport.

This afternoon I found myself at the library, gloriously alone, rummaging through the shelves. My goal was to pick up a few home organization books to use for research on a piece I am writing. It was during this search I stumbled across Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook that was published a few years ago. This "handbook" is 752 pages long. What on earth? How can one possibly manage to "keep their home" if they have 700+ pages to read in order to learn how to do so? I had textbooks in grad school shorter than that. I was over the whole Martha Stewart thing when I once heard her recommend that an audience member of her talk show solve their pantry space issues by remodeling the pantry. Really...a remodel was her best answer as opposed to purchasing some simple organizational bins and keeping only the necessary culinary tools around? That Martha might be crafty, but she is a bit separated from reality at times. (I now have ruined any chance of ever being contacted by her people for any contest/giveaway on this blog.)

Anyway, as I searched for books on home organization, weeding through the impractical (752 pages) and the whimsical ("Stuff all the junk in the closet and then pour yourself a glass of wine...life is too short to clean."), I began to wonder if any of you had a good book/website dealing with home organization that you would recommend. Such sharing would be greatly appreciated
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In slightly unrelated news, Kinda (rhymes with "Linda") over at http://www.mykindacard.com/ has a new website up and it is fabulous. When I needed birth announcements for Evelyn, a friend kindly pointed me to Kinda and her business. I was hooked after that. Check out her new user-friendly website and her super-cute designs. Besides having great products, her prices are much lower than other speciality card shops. Also, the baby on the far left of her homepage looks strangely familiar. Let her know I sent you...Christmas card season is rapidly approaching!

2 comments:

GPaty said...

Hey girl...you crack me up. The funny thing is, I DO have a great home organizing/cleaning book. My college roomate gave it to me the year I got married (for my birthday) because she knew what a clean freak I was from living with me. I haven't come across it in awhile, but I will look for it. There's a good chance that it is packed in a box...have you checked out Amazon.com? I know that's where she got it. Just a thought.
Also, I used Kinda and her amazing talent with Meredith's birth announcement thanks to you...oh yea, you got one. Anyway, we LOVED her and you are right, she was alot more reasonably priced than the others I had looked at. Thanks for the tip!
P.S. I am so proud of you for the Household Notebook, but I'm not even kidding when I say the thought of making one of those for this family makes all of the air in my lungs begin to disappear...yikes.

Shanta said...

We used Kinda for Campbell's announcement too! I think you should write a book on home organizing...