It’s no secret, Southeasterners are procrastinators. I have no doubt there are people that live in my area of the country who are Johnny-on-the-spot prepared for hurricane season in March, but for the vast majority of us, that is just not so. I’ve weathered 7 hurricanes, three of them Category Four or Five, and STILL don’t get my stuff together until a storm is bearing down on me. I was without power for almost two months after the season of 2004, which saw four landfalling hurricanes in Florida (I was in all four), and yet…I still wait. Most of those of us who have been through it, grown up with them, know how to improvise when we haven’t braved the long lines at the stores when warnings go up.
For those of you that DO like to be prepared, here is a handy list of things you should have available in your house if you are in a storm path. This works for all manner of storms, even northern storms (you just have to add alternate heating sources and blankets to yours), and some of the things are handy to have around in the middle of the year as well.
- Flashlights (fun for scary stories as well)
- Spare batteries for all battery operated items in your home
- A car power converter/inverter – they make your car lighter or power outlet into a regular household outlet
- Non-perishable food for three to four days (canned meats, fruit, dry cereal, non-perishable milk, etc)
- Bottles and bottles of water (for drinking only. Fill up tubs and sinks for cleaning purposes). A rule of thumb is a gallon per person per day. Figure three to four days.
- A first aid kit, with prescription medications for illnesses.
- Extra gas for your car
- A generator. I really can’t stress this enough. Yes, they can be fairly expensive, and you may not even use it in a season, but I learned to appreciate mine when I was standing in a line at Grainger for 12 hours in 100 degree weather, waiting to purchase one after Hurricane Charlie.
- A portable fan. No, people in the south don’t always have portable fans. We always have ceiling fans.
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Tags: better safe than sorry, first aid kit, hurricane charlie, hurricanes, hurricanes in florida, landfalling hurricanes, medication, medicine, milk, non perishable food, Prepare, storm preparedness, storms, tropical storms, water
I remember growing up, my father always had the orange, gritty GoJo in his construction trailer. And at home on the sink, for that matter. Although he was a general contractor and not a mechanic, he learned from his mechanic friends how well the stuff worked, and it really did get the grime off. My mother loved that my dad no longer had grimy hands at the dining room table. Later, when I ran a horse barn, I used GoJo in the stable bathroom to clean up after riding or stall-cleaning.
GoJo has come a long way since then. In 1983, GoJo broke out of the heavy duty hand cleaner niche and created a new one- that of dispensers (which they originally patented in 1952) and sealed refill soaps for washrooms everywhere. From there, they set their sights on new markets and countries, and their products only got better as the years passed.
I was at the gym the other day (okay…maybe it was more like a year ago…) and in the locker room showers, I happened to notice that they had installed new soap and shampoo dispensers, which I thought was a nice touch. To my surprise, it was GoJo products. I say that because I had only known GoJo, up to that point, to manufacture hand-washing soaps and as the company behind Purell hand sanitizer. Lo and behold, they now had a line of luxury soaps for body wash and shampoo! AND IT WAS GOOD!
Since we sell them on the site, I figured I would try them at the house. Smart move! They last forever in a home, and the dispenser makes it so nice! I don’t have to worry about little slivers of soap getting underfoot in the shower and no more soapy residue under body wash bottles; hey, anything to make cleaning my house easier. AND they also manufacture body lotion too! And it’s just as great as any you get at the drugstore. It also comes with a dispenser, so it’s a cinch to apply! What are you waiting for? Go, get some GoJo and make life easier!
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Tags: body wash, cars, garage, gojo, gym, hand sanitizer, liquid hand soap, mechanic, orange pumice, purell, shampoo, transportation
See what I did there? For anyone that reads this blog, it’s apparent that I don’t do things normally. Well, normal for the average home owner. I pick up tips and ideas from businesses and incorporate them into our home. My Rubbermaid kitchen storage is straight out of the restaurant kitchen. My husband is a chef, and he uses the workhorses in the kitchen at work and swears by them!
We use three different types at our house; round, square, and rectangular. All are heavy duty, and all keep our food so fresh! The square containers are my favorites, and I use them for flours (of which we have five different types), baking powder, corn meal, coffee, etc. Not only does it eliminate messy, bulky bags, but keeps the critters away. Unfortunately in Florida, weevils are a big issue. Also, they have convenient measurements on the sides, so I can pull out how much I need accordingly, with minimal fuss.
The round containers I use for pastas. Like flours, we have a lot of pasta in the house. I’m Italian, so it’s what I do best and because of these fantastic containers, I buy a lot of pasta! Plus, I’ve used them for cereals, granola, flax seed and things like that, and they keep everything from going stale. I’m also keeping all of the Halloween candy that was left over in a spare. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.
The last one that I use is rectangular ones, and these are really my all-purpose containers. I store marshmallows (in the bag, air removed), granola bars, energy bars, Pop-Tarts…any kind of boxed item that is packaged separately. I just empty the packages into the containers and voila! instant organization. I’m all about organization, if you haven’t read some of my other blogs. I highly recommend, especially for you organizational brothers and sisters of mine, to purchase some of these gems for your house as well!
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Tags: convenient, cooking, corn meal, flax seed, food, Food storage containers, halloween candy, kitchen accessories, kitchen storage, minimal fuss, organized, purpose containers, restaurant kitchen, restaurants, rubbermaid, storage, weevils, workhorses
When you have a business, you have a place for your employees to gather on breaks, even if it’s the size of a half bath. Somewhere where a coffee pot sits, maybe a microwave is crowded onto a shelf, and possibly a mini-fridge where your employees can put their meals. No matter where I’ve worked, there has been some kind of set-up, whether it was grand or…not-so-grand.
We have a pretty nice break room here at ReStockIt, and tons of coffee. That’s the important thing. We also have the basics like a full-size fridge, two microwaves, two toasters, a toaster oven, and this hot water thingy that the tea lovers use. Frankly, it scares me, but I don’t drink tea. We also have comfy chairs, a TV, an air hockey table…you get the picture.
Most employers usually provide disposables, and personally I like knowing I don’t have to bring in my own plate, utensils, and coffee mug to get broken or, let’s face it, stolen. Not that we have cup thieves here, but it happens. Opening a cupboard in the break room and having a full complement of plates, bowls, utensils and napkins is a blessing!
Some employers also provide food, which I think is fabulous but not in every businesses budget. I worked for a company that had a full cafeteria and that was amazing! There, the food was provided for us, but a friend of mine works for a company where they pay for their food at a deep discount and use their time badge to pay for it (it gets taken out of their paychecks), which I find very convenient. Cereal, chips, cookies, soups…even sandwiches and salads were provided! No matter what type of break room you have for your employees, take it from me, they appreciate the space! Check out http://www.restockit.com today for breakroom deals and discounts!
Photo Credits:
foodservicewarehouse.com
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Tags: air hockey table, Break rooms, cereal, chips, coffee, coffee pot, comfy chairs, creamer, discount, drink tea, drinks, employers, feeding, food, full complement, granola bars, happy employees, mini fridge, mug theives, restaurants, size fridge, sugar, tea lovers, toaster oven, water
Monday is Earth Day, a day to raise social consciousness about our lovely and bountiful home planet. I could go into the politics about Earth Day, but I really don’t want to ruin anyone’s day. I’m not the best environmentally conscious person out there, but I do try to be cognizant of my and my family’s impact on our world.
What better way to celebrate Earth than to have a picnic, surrounded by her beauty? Spend a day outdoors, reading, playing football, walking on trails, maybe getting a jump on Arbor Day and planting a tree, put in some new flowers…man, makes me want to head out now!
I’m sure you may be thinking to yourself how to have a picnic and still honor Earth Day, a traditional “green” holiday? Easy, with recyclable plates and cups! Many manufacturers’ offer recycled products or products made from renewable resources like sugar cane, so that we can shrink our carbon footprint.
No matter how you celebrate Earth Day, or even if you don’t, just keep in mind that if we all recycle, and try to use as many recyclable products, products made from recycled materials and renewable resources, we’ll be able to celebrate a healthy Earth for many millennia’s to come! Happy Earth Day!
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Tags: awareness, carbon footprint, climate, conservation, Earth Day, environment, flowers, football, happy earth day, hiking, nature, outdoors, picnic, products made from renewable resources, Recycling, renewable resource, science, trails, trees, walking
We all know how to finish that sentence. Even though its been around a long time, most of us equate it with a smirking Jack Nicholson with crazy eyes, and frankly that’s not a look I’m going for. Its been proven that a little bit of “play” during the work day makes for a more productive employee. You get some break away time, take a fifteen minute break and put a puzzle together, or surf the internet for a new pair of shoes (a woman’s way of playing, for the most part). No matter what it is, outside of illegal activities, people need some play.
Even if you love your job, you reach a point where you need a non-work related distraction. Something to clear the mind, turn your focus to something besides the spreadsheet or document that you’ve been staring at for two hours. A lot of companies have a no Internet policy, so you can’t do that, but you can have a desk toy!
For the longest time, I have wanted a desk toy. A mini billiards table, that obnoxious ball clacker thingy, even a zen garden would work! But I keep procrastinating, and still haven’t bought one. Seeing as though I don’t want the Jack Torrence look of insanity, I decided to finally look for something, and I came across tons of toys I can use at my desk. Now I just have to choose one…
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Tags: breaks, documents, play, relaxation, shopping, spreadsheets, The Shining, toys, work, zen garden
For once, I’ve already done my taxes for the year, and the money is long gone already. However, I am usually a tax procrastinator, waiting until the very last possible minute to do them, and that usually involved waiting in line at H&R Block for, well, forever.
Then I started doing my own taxes, first using the myriad forms and mailing them in, and now I’ve moved on to online tax preparation that pairs with my accounting software, of which I use Quickbooks at home. SO much easier than the old days of waiting in line.
If you’re like I used to be (and still sometimes am), you wait until the absolute last minute to do your taxes, and are scrambling to get that appropriate time stamp on the envelope. Or you request an extension. Trust me, you are not alone.
Are you still using paper forms? We can help! We have a full complement of tax forms, envelopes, ledgers and even your favorite pen to write it all out! Don’t forget to check out our selection of financial software to help whip your bookkeeping into shape and make next year’s tax time a breeze.
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Tags: accounting software, April 16th, finances, financial software, IRS, ledgers, Quickbooks, Quicken, tax preparation, tax time, Taxes, waiting in line
Ah, spring. Days of warming, and nights of mildness, with flowers and trees starting to bud. No doubt about it, Spring is a beautiful season! Seedlings are being planted in the north, and down here in the south, they are being transplanted into the outdoors, reading to spread cheer to all.
I love gardens and gardening, but I can’t keep anything not food alive. I can grow vegetables and herbs with no problem, but flowers? Uh-uh, not happening. No matter how little or how much I water them, it’s futile. Even when I start them in a cold frame or greenhouse, they look great until about two weeks after I put them in the ground.
I feed my plants, I talk to them, I make sure to rake away the leaves and other things that would hinder nutrients getting to them, and use other tools of the trade to keep them weed free and healthy. As long as they’re vegetable plants and herbs, that is. There’s nothing like a mild Spring morning out in the garden!
Gardens are a source of happiness and calmness for a lot of people. Whether you have a planter box outside your window or a massive garden that takes more effort to care for than you have space in your tool shed, gardens are spectacular! Do you garden? What’s your favorite garden style?
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Tags: ah spring, cold frame, farmer's markets, flowers, fresh vegetables, gardening, Gardens, greenhouse, herbs, massive garden, mild spring, nature, plants, potting soil, seedlings, tilling, tool shed, vegetable plants, vegetables
Ah, pens. Nothing in the office supply world quite engenders a heated debate like pens. People are serious about them, okay? And don’t get me wrong, I’m not condemning. I have been in more debates about the merits of Papermate versus Pilot than you can shake a stick at! I love my pens. I have favorites. I get angry when they go missing. I don’t even like it when my husband takes a pen off my desk at home. I’m sure my expression resembles something like a wolf’s does when another animal approaches its kill. That’s my theory anyway, because he usually backs away slowly, his hands stretched out in front of him in submission.
People take pens so seriously that I have witnessed a meltdown when one they’ve ordered online came in incorrectly. Whether it’s the wrong color, the wrong thickness, the wrong barrel color…it’s not a pretty sight. Oddly enough, I find myself almost rooting for the outlandish response. I would be so miffed if I ordered a pen and it was incorrect! I have ordered clothes that were sent incorrectly and not been so mad. Pen addicts, or connoisseurs if you prefer (I do. The other way makes me feel dirty), take their writing instruments very seriously. Whether its ball point ink or gel, fine or broad tip, comfort soft grip or straight barrel, there is a method to the madness.
Strangely enough, and I don’t know how many people are out there like me, I buy pens just to buy them. I have my favorite, the brand that I have bought for years in the ink color and tip size that makes me happy every time I write with it, but I still buy “other” pens. Most I don’t even use more than once, but try and borrow the thing from me. I’ll need a copy of your photo I.D. please. My desk drawers have pens rolling around, all capped, all waiting for me, in more colors than a rainbow. When I see a new pen I haven’t seen before, I buy it. I don’t need it, but…it’s a pen! I have to have it!
What puts us on this path to find ink perfection? Are we all closet perfectionists or have massive cases of OCD? Who knows? I’m not spending money in therapy to find out. One of my favorite movies even highlights the love a lot of people have for pens. It illustrates that if we have something worthwhile to write about, we want to have our favorite pen (and the best writing paper-but that’s another blog) to do so. In Roxanne, Rick Rossovich is coercing Steve Martin into writing a letter to Daryl Hannah, and he tells him “Get your favorite pen”, because even a moose like Rick Rossovich (his character, not him per se) knows that to do the work properly, you have to have your favorite pen.
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Tags: Bic, black barrel, black ink, blue barrel, blue ink, fountain pens, Gel pens, ink, Papermate, pen addict, pens, Pilot, rollerball
Is your garage more of a storage unit than, well, a garage? Is it full of boxes and furniture instead of a car or two? Are your shelves bowing under the considerable weight of memories past? Do you ever wonder what’s buried in that dark corner under the canvas tarp? Do you WANT to know what’s under there?
If your garage is anything like mine, then no, you really don’t. I’ve talked on this blog about how organized I am (or have deluded myself into thinking I am), but my garage is scary with a capital S. The only part that makes any sense is my laundry area. Other than that, I could have a whole colony of gnomes living amongst the leaning boxes and humped piles of storage bags.
My big spring cleaning project is garage organization, and frankly I’m terrified of what I’m going to find. I’m trying to psych myself up to it by treating it as an archaeological dig and we’re looking for the Ark of the Covenant or a crystal skull, but I haven’t made progress with that. What I have made progress with is starting to purchase the tools we’ll need to get it organized and hopefully stay organized! After I talk myself into NOT saving everything.
I’ve taken the liberty of listing a few of the things that I’m picking up to get the garage in shape, so hopefully they’ll benefit you as well. Happy organizing!
Shelving – sturdy shelving, preferable with doors, is the first step in successful garage organization. It can take the weight, and instead of seeing paint cans strewn everywhere, you see nice, neat doors.
Organizers - Specifically wall mounted ones. They are perfect for hanging mops, brooms, rakes, etc. Most have latches AND hooks, so you can hang rope and extension cords as well.
Work spaces - We’re purchasing a mobile work station instead of building one. Its more convenient for us, as neither one of us plays with power tools to build things, and we can move it around the garage for more space.
Garbage Cans – Heavy duty and not prone to breaking. We bought two of the Rubbermaid Brute garbage cans and they contain all of our refuse until garbage pickup.
Storage – Bins and boxes. Perfect for everything from books and albums to nails and screws. You can’t go wrong with a hefty supply of both. Plus, you can use them up in your attic and turn that room into scary hoarding storage space.
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Tags: Ark of the Covenant, Brute, cleaning, containers, garage, garbage cans, Indiana Jones, organizing, racks, rolling carts, spring cleaning, storage, trash cans
