a public service announcement

In preparation of the 4 different people that will be staying at Chez "our house" at 3 different times during the next 7 days....I would like to thank them all for being good house guests in the past, and share some of the things that every house guest can do to receive an invitation to stay again in the future.   I think that some people have been "guests" only by the way they impose on your space and others are angels sent from heaven.  This covers guest that come over for dinner, an evening or day with guests, or overnight guests.  Even a simple gesture of kindness or help can go a long way.  As CEO of the house we are used to cleaning and picking up BUT when you have more people there is obviously more work.   When guests arrive it is wonderful!! However, your normal routine is put on the back burner and you need to entertain more, cook more, clean more, more laundry, more, more, more.   The more the merrier if you have good house guests... BUT NOT more the merrier when you have to clean up after everyone.  Of course you want to have company and of course you want your guests to feel welcome!!! OF COURSE!! I was raised in the south and brought up to be a good guest and a good host. The home is an extension of your"self."  I am also a Cancer sign and love having friends and family around.  I feel that some people are used to being a "guest" and not the host.  Of course there are exceptions to every rule but the basic remain the same.

Tips for making "more the merrier" when sharing the same space for a short amount of time...

1) First and foremost... the heads of the household should discuss, agree on the guests and outline the expectations of the guest(s).  How many meals will be prepared at home, what will they be doing while they are here, will the have transportation, will they need entertaining,  will they have already made other plans, and so on.  It is nice to have a "plan" and be on the same page... communication is key.
2) When you come to stay at someones house make it clear how long you will be there.  I personally like the 3 day rule.  Although if you are family or have traveled far... exceptions are made.  Three days usually gives you enough time to spend together and short enough that you still like each other at the end of the trip. 
3) Offer your help... but if the host has it handled respect that and get out of the way!!
4) Don't try to rearrange or redecorate.  If you don't know where something is or where something should go then...ASK!! 
5) Help set the table, clear the table and load the dishwasher. 
6) Pick up after yourself... keep the environment looking like it did when you arrived.
7) Respect sleeping hours
8) Make your bed in the morning.
9) Don't leave your towels and clothes on the floor.
10) When you leave strip the sheets, gather your towels and "place" them in the washing machine.  I say "place" because if you are OCD like me you have your own way of doing the laundry. 

Enjoy,  Laugh, Eat Well, Don't drink too much (or you will have another mess to clean :)).  If everyone in the house "chips in" with the basics then you will have much more time to spend together doing the things you enjoy with the people that you came to visit. 

skin

Your largest organ is skin so you should take care of it.  I am a product junkie... although I do not really wear make-up.  Call me crazy...I am a believer that SPF is what causes skin cancer and make-up causes wrinkles.  There are always exceptions of course!! For example, make-up is heavy and mostly toxic and you put globs of it on your face... weighing it down day after day.  Your skin needs oxygen and gravity is already pulling us down so stop piling on all that make-up all of the time... you are pretty without it and i think your partner would agree too!!  Don't even get me started on what I think about Botox... wake up and smell the botulism toxin people.  Besides when you get too much...you cant even express yourself.   Men do not wear make up and Voila... they have great skin.   Of course, we "need" it sometimes and there is a time and place that we would not leave home with out it... understood. 
Onto the SPF, you do not want to get burnt because that is not good BUT you should not put a man made chemical on your largest organ everyday to prevent something  you need... SUN.  You should get 20 minutes a day in the sun to get your daily dose of vitamin D.  If you work inside all day long, then get in your car, then go somewhere else inside you are probably not getting enough sun.  If you are putting SPF on every day then your skin is just soaking up more chemicals than our polluted environment feeds you anyway. You need vitamin D to prevent cancer and bone health, among many other things... and HELLO we need the SUN!! For what ever you believe in GOD or the Universe has put it there because we need it.  Enjoy being outside... do it with you partner!! go for a walk... have a nice chat... listen to each other and enjoy a minute together.  In order to be a good CEO you should listen to the people you work with :) Make time to comment on any concerns you may have and also listen to any concerns you partner may have.  We are not mind readers and we all have something to say.  It is nice to be heard and a lot can be learned from listening. 

And take care of your skin!!! Find whatever works for you... I can not recommend ARCONA products enough.  They have transformed my skin and they smell great!!! if you are on a small budget, dont have the time for a spa break or you just like to do things yourself... dont throw away any amount of fruit, yogurt, egg whites, tomatoes, avocado. Take and thrown it in a blender and put it on your face and relax at the end of your day!!  Make sure you cleanse and exfoliate first then apply mask. 

Banana-Avacado Mask

• 1/2 over-ripe banana
• 1/2 over-ripe avacado
• 2 Tbsp unflavored full-fat yogurt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Mash banana and avacado, combine with other ingredients, and mix well. Apply liberally to face and neck. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

are you looking for a "side business"...

I wish that there were more people following me because I have some very important questions. In light of recent events with Sandra and husband, and also many other wives and husbands... At what point did anyone decide that it is "OK" for the committed man to go to a strip club.  It seems that there are affairs with strippers all of the time and affairs in general (committed women too).  It is one thing for a man to look at pictures or watch videos... but to have a tangible women with all of her stuff rubbing up on him and the choice to go to a private room?!?! WHAT? I guess there are women at anytime that could seduce a man... or a man could find someone to cheat with at any given time AND vice versa.   How do some cultures (like polygamists) disregard the social stigma of cheating?  Why is there such a gray area with cheating... why are you with the person you are with if you desire other people? Why don't more people talk about this? Who is really to blame? Are you both at fault?  I consider myself to be a realist and I guess I never really cared because I always thought that I was just dating someone... and if they found someone else or I found someone else then it was not meant to be and move on.  Now, I have found the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with... and we are making a commitment to be together forever.  At the end of the day,  I guess my old philosophy is still in play but the stakes are higher.   The lady and the man of the house have to become partners... this is a lifelong business deal filled with high risk and security.  CEO of my house and CEO of his business must merge and have a confident partnership involving, but not limited to, communication, respect, loyalty, meetings (quality time), compromise,  appreciation, deadlines, responsibilities, expectations, contracts, heated argument that generate productive outcomes, deal breakers, growth, the bottom line, and "fringe benefits."  These attributes of business are the same for any relationship.  Relationships are work.... and in this case lets hope that you really "like" your "work"!! That you would only go into business with someone that you trusted in the first place and that you didn't settle for something because it was comfortable and had great benefits.  If you are partners in making your dreams reality then you will not be looking for a "side business." 

do you hear what I hear?!?

Communication is so important and so amazing. With so many cultures, so many languages, so many backgrounds, so many definitions, so many generations, so many feelings, and so many different ways to perceive a situation... it is a wonder we can get a long at all!!! When you have that moment when you can look in someones eyes, communicate and "get it" it is truly an amazing experience. 

a little bit of this and a litle bit of that...

"Organized Chaos" best describes my every day life.  I have a place for everything so everything is put back in its place and also makes things easier to find.  However, I can never seem to find my keys... that could be a blog all on its own.  I have a routine for the "basics"... making the bed, picking up towels and clothes off the floor, sweeping, dishes, laundry, breakfast, clean kitchen, lunch, clean kitchen, clean a room, dinner, clean kitchen,  pick up things and return to its "place"... repeat.  you all know what I am saying when I say these are the "basics" because there are many more things :) And I don't even have a child yet... my appreciation to you mothers!!! This is the organized part... the rest of the day is chaos!! I am not just CEO of my house but I am also a producer, help my fiance with his "home run" business AND work at a spa 2 days a week.  This may sound like a lot but it is just chaos!! I only produce when I have something to produce... and since the recession, TV is not how the company I work for prefers to spend their marketing budget.  For example,  we have not filmed this year.  I help my fiance with his work and really enjoy it... until i mess up and feel like I let him down :( So i try not to mess up!!! Helping with his work and running the house fulfills any doubt I had about earning my keep!!  "paying your part when your not the breadwinner" or "how to calculate your "worth" when you do not get a paycheck" would be good topics!! Of course I think that my contributions are priceless ;) Back on the subject... working at the spa is sporadic because I am on call and may or may not go in on those 2 days.  "Organized Chaos"... I shall get back to it now :)

Have a beautiful day!!

home improvements...our little sanctuary

Spring has sprung and luckily we both love to be with friends and BBQ.   This year we have a new house with a huge patio/garden so let the entertaining begin.  We had a small budget and most was spent on the grill... so DYI on a shoestring :)  The table with four chairs and a fire pit is already there and the rest is a blank canvas.  The two major problems... limited seating and no light after sunset.  So I went to Target :) I found a string of lights for outdoor use and I used them to line the perimeter of the garden.   I neatly tucked them behind the foliage or brick so they would not show.  At $11.69 a strand this was a great idea and I only needed two strands!! Result... relaxing, dimly lit, romantic, everyone looks good, lighting!! There is a pile of bricks that line the wall and create a nice foundation on their own so I decided to turn this into a seating area. I bought a chair cushion and garden pillows and there you have it... a lovely bench seating area!! My fiance has a green thumb and when he added the finishing touches of an orchid, some side tables from storage and green moss... Voila! It is our little sanctuary.  Not only do we BBQ and entertain but we enjoy breakfast and/or lunch here practically every day. 

Notice the lighting in the bottom of the plants in the first two pictures...

Bringing it to the table...

There are certain things that we love to do and some things that become chores.  Even the things we love can seem like a chore sometimes!! I love laundry and have a very "special" way of doing laundry.  I have also always loved cooking and now it is new in so many different ways.  Before, I loved to occasionally cook for friends.  I would make big pots of spaghetti (homemade sauce of course), pot roast with veggies,  homemade beef & veggie soup, or taco night.  This was about it!! I can make these dishes blindfolded.  When I became CEO of my house i had to cut my portion sizes, cook three meals a day and add variety... it is the spice of life :) Luckily I got a head start... before I became CEO of my house I went to the gym every morning and watched Rachael Ray. I love the Rachael Ray show that is on in the morning and although I did not do a lot of cooking at home for myself I loved the show.  She taught me lots of tricks and that you don't have to be a "chef" to be inspired by food and make really great dishes.  My fiance likes to eat really good food and so I am challenged everyday to bring something good to the table... literally.  After trying fancy cookbooks, cooking shows and wasting to much food... I feel that I have a great system... I buy what I need for what I am making.  I start by going through and marking the recipes that I would like to cook (which is almost everything).  Then I start to create my menu for the next 3 days.  You can create yours for as long as you want.  Buy frozen shrimp, have veggie dishes for the later days.  I like to go to the grocery store every 3 days so that the veggies I pick up are fresh.  I write the day and B, L , D below each day.  I fill in the blanks... this also makes my shopping list (please see picture).  The magazines that work best for me are Cooking Light and Every Day with Racheal Ray. I can easily follow the instructions and have a tasty meal in about 30-45 minutes.  We have enjoyed every meal from these magazines and with monthly issues... I get variety.   If I write my list and prepare then I feel that cooking is enjoyable and not a chore.  If I am not prepared dinner is not very inspiring.

Have a beautiful day

Lemon"aid"

Raised by a single mom in Georgia is probably not the most "cookie cutter" environment for learning how to take care of a husband/household.  What she did teach me is that giving equals love.  I was raised by such a giving mom who sacrificed so much and gave me everything (mostly love, friendship and support... we did not have a lot of money).  And giving is exactly what you do when you are CEO of the household... you give a lot of your"self".  Being in a small town in Georgia taught family values... and I grew up with friends that had great "mom & dad" families.   Everything else I learned from the Brady Bunch, Flintstones and the Jetsons?!? Make sure the house is clean and cook and the husband will love you... I thought this sounded great.  As I got older, I did not see this lifestyle being an option.   I am motivated, somewhat independent and craved the 9-5 "suit" job where you get respect because you worked hard.  I have worked really hard, worked with really great people and because of my own choices I now get to do what I do best...Take care of the person I love.  Being CEO of this house requires a lot of work and patience (not quite as easy as TV made it look LOL) and at the end of the day it is rewarding.  Have I mentioned that he works from home too???  Getting engaged after knowing each other a month, moving into HIS house soon after, jumping into the role of CEO of this house, and learning how to work together as a couple that spends practically every minute together IS BLISSFUL INSANITY... and also creates a lot of material for me to blog about!!   I would not trade it for anything!! We are fortunate to be able to live the lifestyle that we live and still enjoy each others companionship 95% of the time :) Meeting new couples in this new city with similar situations, helps me to realize that hiccups are pretty normal and with a little humor life is good.  So when life gives you lemons... make lemonade, relax and enjoy it!!!

Ginger Mint Lemonade

juice of 4 large lemons

1-2 tbsp of fresh ginger grated (ginger is great if you get sea sick and to settle your tummy)

12 mint leaves (muddle to release essential oils)

1/2 cup sugar or honey 

fill the rest of the pitcher up with water

Simple Surprises

Set up blog, registered domain names and now have writers block... Murphy's law and the story of my life. 

Simple Surprises...
Yesterday we went to cooking class at Sur la Table.  May I recommend this to anyone.  You get to cook, interact with great people and eat!! When I first became CEO of this house, I did not know how to poach an egg... or really make breakfast unless it was a bowl of cereal (still my favorite).  My fiance loves breakfast and his favorite thing... poached egg on a muffin.  Scared of failure and the egg, I said "I am not going to poach an egg... you can make your own breakfast."  A few days later he was in the kitchen teaching me how to poach an egg and it is not scary at all!!! It is surprisingly easy.  So yesterday... we made crab Benedict with lime infused hollandaise and most of the people in my class did not know how to poach an egg. While watching my fiance teach our classmates as he taught me... It reminded me of how much I have learned and how much more there is to learn about running this household.  I do make breakfast, lunch and dinner almost everyday and I enjoy breakfast most of all. 

Poaching an Egg

Fill a shallow frying pan with water and over high heat bring to a boil
Once you see bubbles turn heat to medium high
add tbsp of white vinegar
crack an egg into a bowl and pour gently into pan (repeat if you want... i usually put 2 eggs in at a time)
set clock for 3 minutes (for runny)
take out with a slotted spoon and absorb water from underneath the spoon with towel or paper towel (so you do not have a soggy English muffin)