America's Got Talent!

Last night we had the opportunity to go to dinner and a show at Yoshi's in San Francisco. The dinner was delicious and the show was fantastic. I hope you take the time to watch this video...Lawrence Beamen is the singer and last night I saw him in person, his voice was one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.

What is interesting to me is the amazing range of talented individuals we have in this world. Lawrence was a boy growing up in Mississippi when it was recognized that his wonderful voice was something that should be showcased. His singing was mostly done in his church, but eventually grew into a career. How many people start with just a hint of talent and are able to develop it fully? It seems like we get so caught up in life, that often our God-given gifts go unrealized.

If you have something special that you love to do, by all means follow that path. It may be later in life or it may be right now, but whenever your passion shows up, make sure you follow it.

By the way, what do you love to do?

Getting organized: Make use of vertical space

Free up drawer space and keep lots of doo-dads handy by making better use of your wall space.

I installed this set of magnetic spice tins above the countertop beside my desk. You can find these tins in lots of different home stores for a reasonable price...but I had coupons, of course! The clear lids fit snugly and show the contents inside.

I took apart an old combo magnet/dry-erase board and cut the thin metal surface into two narrow strips (be careful, the edges are sharp). I nailed the strips flush against the wall right underneath a row of shelves, so the tins are at eye-level and arm's reach when I'm sitting at my desk.

It's a great use of what would typically be dead space below a shelf and it's easy to see exactly what I need and remove the tin to take it out.

I store sewing and craft supplies in my set of tins...buttons, brads, charms, pins. They're also great for office supplies or all that stuff floating around in that one crazy kitchen drawer we all have.

There is nothing like a newborn baby!

Looking like the grandma that I am, I treasured the moment when I held a new grandbaby in my arms.

Less than a week old, he slept warmly and soundly as I had the opportunity to cuddle and kiss. How quickly time has flown! He is now a bouncing 27-month-old with so much to say and so much to do. We visit him every week and treasure the time we spend with him.

But time has simply flown by. Our other two grandbabies, who I also held and kissed and cuddled, are now 11 and 9. We get to visit with them when they are not busy with their sports and friends....which is not too often. It is always a treat and makes us realize how very important family is to us.

One thing that we want to do for our family is make sure that we have everything in order for them when they need it most. A simple solution is to get organized...just like with your pantry in the post below. Think about it...and do it. For your family.

Getting organized: The chaos of cans in the cupboard

This is the first in a weekly series of tips and inspiration for your home and family that we'll post each Wednesday.

Getting and keeping your home organized can be challenging at first...but we're here to help you with quick, easy and affordable ways to tame the clutter and make life a little easier for you and your family.

Your home can be both a calm sanctuary and a hub of activity when you put that old adage to the test:  a place for everything, and everything in its place. Keeping things organized in your home can save you time and money, reduce your daily stress, and give you a sense of calm even when you're busy.

I used to think that organizing every little thing was either a waste of time or just way too anal-retentive.  I've never personally reached "hoarder" status, but I have learned that having too much stuff in too many places was a significant trigger for anxiety and stress. It has a cumulative effect...you don't notice it at first. Not being able to find what you need, buying more of what you forgot you already have, staring at so much stuff on any given surface or in any given cabinet...it just becomes your new normal.

I started realizing just how stressed and annoyed I was, just how out of balance I was, and just how overwhelming it felt when things were not in order. I needed some zen anywhere I could find it, even in someplace as mundane as my kitchen pantry.

So that's where we begin. I have a small kitchen with a tiny pantry cupboard that I like to keep as full as possible so when I want to avoid grocery shopping for a while, I can. But it was always messy in there, and hard to tell what I had versus what I need, and hard to find just the right snack when I was feeling peckish.

Ahhh...doesn't the right side look so much better than the left side? It only took me about 20 minutes to make this transformation...all I needed to do was raise the top shelf one notch to make better use of the vertical space with two sets of adjustable tri-level risers from Bed, Bath & Beyond (I had a coupon burning a hole in my pocket!).

I put all the snacky foods on the bottom shelf and gathered all the individual snack bars and such into a large plastic container. Everything else is grouped together on the other two shelves...all the soups on the right, all the pasta with the sauces, etc. The only things I took out were the oil and vinegar bottles - I found a nicer home for them on a shelf above the stove.

Now I can see exactly everything I have at a glance, which makes meal planning and grocery shopping go so much faster...no more guesswork, and no more digging in the back to figure out what that mystery can is.

Why end-of-life planning is so important

We'd like to share some excerpts of letters that Terry has received over the years from people who have bought her workbook...their stories might be your story, too.

"My sister and I are caring for our 89-year-old mother who's losing her memory, and we need to know what affairs to get in order. What a blessing to have a real check-list, instead of just floundering around from one crisis to another!"

"My middle-aged children, who think they will live forever, especially need your book. Several of them will fall in line to settle estates and perhaps with your book we'll see some things we've missed."

"I know I have waited too long to take care of these important matters and I feel your book will be a great place to start catching up. I have taken care of several issues, but need to be more diligent in tucking in the loose ends. My husband passed away very unexpectedly twenty years ago, and I found out too late that we had failed to cover all the matters. I don't want my children to be faced with this dilemma when I pass on."

"I lost my 42-year-old son three years ago and the things I went through will forever be in my mind. He had no will and lots of debt with his business. Fortunately I got referred to a good estate attorney who helped me take care of everything, so that I know in my heart that he didn't owe anything to anyone...which was what I needed to do for my son's memory."

"People must prepare. Our own tragedy is that our adult son thought he was too young at 43 to make a will and share all the financial details with his wife. When he was killed in an accident, she was left without a clue and could not find all the documents needed to be secure. Since he was a computer wizard, everything was kept there, but he didn't leave a trail of passwords so a lot of information is lost."

Making a splash!

www.poolandspa.com

Every day I try to make a splash. Not in the conventional way you might think. I do not go on stage and sing Broadway songs. I do not usually cook a fantastic gourmet meal for dinner. I do not dress in evening attire and greet my husband at the door.

Nope. Not me.

I go to the pool. All winter long to an outside pool. It is cold in the air but the pool is 82 degrees. Sometimes I go to water aerobic classes and sometimes I go to swim laps.The water classes are lots of fun with dancing, music and many friends.They last an hour and by the time we are done I am feeling pretty peppy. For an old gal.

I find the whole thing relaxing and it sure does help me move my joints. Even the artificial ones!

What kind of exercise do you do for yourself?

Do you allow yourself to start over each day?

My husband Jeff, in front of some people who inspire him

After watching the Inauguration of President Obama today, it occurred to me that we, as individuals, are always "starting over." I don't know about you, but when it comes to the New Year I have a feeling of freshness and a skip in my step.

I will go to the gym almost every day (although not today because I have laundry to do); I will make sure that I remember everyone's birthday (thank goodness Facebook is there to remind me of many); I will challenge myself to make all the exciting and new ideas that I have envisioned come true.

I do not know how I plan to accomplish any or all of the above. I do know that I feel the renewed sense of mission and will somehow find the will to do my best to succeed.

My children are independent and doing just fine. My grandchildren are flourishing and happy with their lives. My husband is retired and deserves to refresh and renew his interests as much as I do. We travel to places near and far and we enjoy the trips and the time we spend together.

We started as a married couple 45-1/2 years ago. Every day we got to start anew. Each day brought different thoughts and ideas to my mind and I tried to give them my energy and attention. It is not always possible, but I tried.

So today I am starting over again. Now I look to new and inspiring stories to guide me on my way. I think I can do this. How about you?