New Year's Resolution

I make a resolution (or two) every year. Unfortunately, every year - like everyone else - I break it by February. This year I decided to make a resolution that I can't possibly break. It's simple, it straightforward, and it will benefit me and everyone around me.

DO IT BETTER!

That's it. Three simple words. Easy to remember, simple to do, and quick to embroider on a t-shirt (if I have the time). But think about the words: do it better...

I resolve, no matter what I'm doing, to do my best to find a way to do it better. Cooking? Find a way to make it more efficient or tasty, or just to focus on putting more "love" into it. Cleaning? Same thing - find a way to improve the process (even if it means blasting the music just so I have more fun). Talking to my kids? Make sure to listen more and not be as quick to solve their problems for them. Running errands? Perhaps I could be more patient with the people who park their carts diagonally and block the entire aisle while they debate the merits of Skippy versus Jif...

Each day I'm going to strive to find at least one thing upon which I can improve (see - I used the correct grammar in that sentence. I did it better!). With a resolution like that I know I can't possibly fail, and that means when the end of 2009 rolls around I will have succeeded at the ultimate goal: 2009 will, at least in some small way, be better than 2008. ...and if everyone did that, found one way to make one thing better every day, just think about what an amazing life this would be.

2009: DO IT BETTER!

Christmas Brilliance

In case you didn't know, I spend a LOT of time in my kitchen. One of the things I complain about often is that my funnels are too slow - things don't move through them fast enough, and I tend to overflow the tops (thus making a huge mess and wasting whatever I'm trying to pour). My darling husband, who always listens (even when I don't think he is), solved my problem for me. He got me a "radiator funnel" -- designed with a very large opening for filling the radiator in a car.

This morning I made juice and everything ran right through just the way I expected it to, with no juice-mess on the counter or the floor or the outside of the container. I also made a fresh batch of all-purpose cleaner and more wet wipes, and still no spills!

Brilliant! Every kitchen should have one!

Brilliant Idea #1

I've decided, since I haven't felt like WRITING in a while, to shift the focus of this blog for a bit. I'm going to try posting ideas, tips, products, etc. that I come upon that seem to be helpful - sort of like Oprah's "favorite things" without the price tag.

The best idea I've had recently: when I fold my sheet sets, I put the set inside one of the pillow cases. The entire set is together, it's easy to grab when it's time to change the bed, I never have to hunt for a stray pillow case to complete the set, and nobody will ever know that I can't really neatly fold a fitted sheet.

There. That's one...