Thank You to Our Chaos Organizing Family
Do you find yourself thinking about all of the things you are grateful for this time of year? Here’s a few things we’re thankful for this year.
Dear Chaos Organizing Family,
Do you find yourself thinking about all of the things you are grateful for this time of year? It’s one of my favorite seasons for that reason alone but pair with it a break from the Louisiana heat, add a little football, holiday lights and music, and you can see why I love fall and all that comes with it. And the eggnog…there’s that too! As we head into our 9th year in business, I want you to know how thankful I am for each and every one of you who believe in our abilities to bring peace to your home. 9 years of clients becoming friends, less clutter, more family and fun, and so many people loving their homes! Chaos Organizing has far exceeded the small dream I had in 2013. We now are a team of 7 amazing women who know how to make your home function so you can enjoy it. I truly can’t wait to see what opportunities (and families) lie ahead! Thank you for joining us on this adventure. Don’t forget to get on the calendar for 2022 to help get your year started on the right foot. We have a few January spots left.
Kindly,
Your Chaos Organizing Team
Martha-Carol, Melanie, Junita, Lydia, Megan, Julianne and Mary Catherine
How to Prepare Your Home for Guests: Southern Hospitality
Are you excited to open your houses and have guests for the holidays again? We sure are! It’s been a while so here are some great reminders about bringing a little Southern Hospitality into your home. This year will be exciting as guests finally get to come to visit so let’s get ready!
Are you excited to open your houses and have guests for the holidays again? We sure are! It’s been a while so here are some great reminders about bringing a little Southern Hospitality into your home. This year will be exciting as guests finally get to come to visit so let’s get ready!
We hope you enjoy our two latest blogs on preparing your home for guests this holiday season. You can let us know by clicking the like button at the bottom left corner of this blog or, even better, forwarding it to a friend to enjoy! We appreciate your feedback!
Southern hospitality is definitely a thing down here in Louisiana! We relish in being “extra” as my daughter would say. So, no matter if you are having family or just a few friends, here are some extra special touches to making them feel welcome.
"There are no strangers, just friends we haven't met yet."
A small vase of flowers in the guest bath or just around your home in general.
A small gift bag with local, trial size products. I love to give a trial size Tabasco sauce, small Community coffee and a locally made praline. What can you get locally that they might not be able to get where they live?
Be aware of their food likes and dislikes, or allergies. (Not everyone can tolerate our seafood.) Sure hope they like Community Coffee because there is no compromising on that!
Don’t forget to offer them something to drink! Nothing says welcome like a glass of sweet tea or a mimosa!
Be sure to greet your guests and put them at ease. This year, this may include, having masks available in case they forgot theirs. It also might include having hand sanitizers spread around your home.
Anticipate their special needs and be accommodating to them. Do they need a place to make bottles or prefer privacy to nurse a baby? Will they need a place for a baby to nap? Will they need the Wi-Fi password?
Let them know it’s an honor for you to have them as your guest, not a burden, by having a beautiful tablescape and using your finest dishes and glassware (Grandmother’s china and crystal is always a welcome sight for the holidays!). Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a tablescape!
Need help getting your home ready for guests? We would love to help!
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How to Prepare Your Home for Guests
Are you as excited as I am to be celebrating the holidays in person again? What really struck me is this is the first time many of us have had guests in 2 years! Let me give you a quick refresher on tips for having guests!
Are you as excited as I am to be celebrating the holidays in person again?
I’m currently in the airport waiting to board a plane to Austin for an organizing convention but on the way, I forewarned my hubby that when I get back….game on for Holiday decor! I can be thankful and joyful at the same time!!!
What really struck me is this is the first time many of us have had guests in 2 years! Let me give you a quick refresher on tips for having guests!
Guest bedrooms –Southern Style
YOU WILL NEED CLEAN AND COMFORTABLE BEDDING FOR THE GUEST BEDROOM.
Clean being the more important of the two! Make sure all bedding is washed and the bed is made neatly. Yes, they might mind the Louisiana Catahoula hound hair on the pillow! Make sure to have enough pillows and an extra blanket if needed. Here is a link to “How to Make a Bed,” in case you need some help.
CLUTTER FREE SPACE IS IMPORTANT.
Of course, they want to see the 72 photos of you and your kids at the Saints game displayed on the nightstand, but they’d also like a space to rest their own personal items. Make sure the bedside table is clear enough for them to have space for their phones, ipads, laptops or other personal items. Be sure to have a spot for their luggage. Maybe just 1 photo of Drew Brees hanging on the wall will suffice? Having a little hanging space in the closet is considerate too. Move the debutante dresses to the other closet!
HELP ENTERTAIN YOUR GUESTS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT SLEEPING HABITS THAN YOUR FAMILY BY PROVIDING SOFT LIGHTING, WATER, SNACKS AND ENTERTAINMENT.
Lamps, books, Southern Living, Garden and Gun magazines, local brochures for nearby attractions as well as a Wi-Fi password provided for late night or early morning reading are a just few nice touches. Water and snacks like pralines, Satsuma’s or Zapp’s chips help a guest feel cozy and may make them forget that it’s 90% humidity outside on Thanksgiving Day. Did I mention they might need hair ties? Do they need space for a C-Pap machine, medications, baby to sleep or nurse?
Guest Bathrooms
PLACE A CLEAN BATH TOWEL, FACE TOWEL, AND WASHCLOTH ON THE GUEST’S BED SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO GO SEARCHING FOR WHAT THEY CAN USE.
In my house, I like to designate certain towels as guest towels so that my family members don’t use them to wash the dog or clean up the mud on the floor (Can you relate?) My guest towels don’t look like the others. They are actually white, for one (not dingy white and well loved). I have put these in baskets, tied them with a ribbon or just stacked them nicely. Any of those options makes the guest feel welcome.
A NICE BASKET OR CONTAINER OF TRAVEL SIZE TOILETRIES IS HELPFUL IF YOUR GUEST FORGOT AN IMPORTANT ITEM.
This basket can include but is not limited to shampoo, body wash, conditioner, toothbrush, razor, mouthwash, toothpaste, dental floss, comb, hair ties or bug spray (mosquitos are like hawks, y’all). If your guests have small children, include toiletries geared for children as well.
MAKE SURE THAT THE BATHROOM IS CLEAN.
This is especially important if your guests share the bathroom with my children. Uhm, I mean children. Any children.
All of these tips can help your guests feel relaxed and pass a good time while staying in your home. They let your guests feel that they are wanted and welcome. But be careful, if you are too kind, they might not leave. And as my Mother-in-law likes to say, company and fish stink after about 3 days!
Most importantly, y’all have a good time, cher! Laisses Bon Temps Rouler!
DOES PREPARING YOUR GUEST ROOM FOR COMPANY SEEM OVERWHELMING? LET US GIVE YOU A HAND!
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A Hurricane Prep Guide
Certain sounds from hurricanes stay forever embedded in our mind. The loud thud of trees hitting the ground, screeching and howling as the winds whip around your house and the waves of pounding rain as the hurricane bands pass by. It can get scary at times for sure and you have to be ready to evacuate or hunker down. Here are a few tips from this seasoned southern organizer that can help you if you are new to this season.
HURRICANE PREP
Certain sounds from hurricanes stay forever embedded in our mind. The loud thud of trees hitting the ground, screeching and howling as the winds whip around your house and the waves of pounding rain as the hurricane bands pass by. It can get scary at times for sure and you have to be ready to evacuate or hunker down. Here are a few tips from this seasoned southern organizer that can help you if you are new to this season. It’s certainly not everything but it’s a good start! It may just be refresher info for those of you seasoned Gulf Coasters.
The CDC breaks down prep into 2 categories: Prep before and actions after. I am addressing the prep before the storm here.
PLAN
Review your homeowner’s insurance. This needs to be done prior to storm season because by the time it’s in the gulf, it’s too late to change anything. Here’s a link with some great questions to ask your agent.
Make sure you have emergency numbers stored in your phone. This includes but is not limited to your doctor’s numbers, local police or fire and rescue numbers, local hospital, utility companies, your veterinarian, animal control, family members, insurance agent, boss, school/daycare, and neighbors. I keep a printed backup copy with my important papers just in case something happens to my phone. Here is a free printable from Apartment Guide so you can have these numbers on hand.
Personal papers such as insurance papers, passports, birth certificates, immunization records, wills, vet records and anything else deemed important should be kept in waterproof bags or containers. See example here.
Create a First Aid kit or order one online. These can include non-prescription meds. Talk with your doctor about getting an emergency supply of essential meds as well as a list of current medication, dosages, allergies and any other pertinent medical information that you may need to know.
Have emergency power sources in case you lose power. Make sure your electronics are charged ahead of time. (Extra battery phone chargers, flashlights with extra batteries, hearing aid batteries, generators, car chargers.) Here is a list from the CDC.
Have a printed evacuation plan (in case your phone isn’t working) and an emergency plan for tornados. If you have pets, be sure to include them in this plan. This includes names and phone numbers of hotels that allow pets.
Protect Home-board windows and secure anything that might fly away. This is when my kids realize I have a million potted plants! lol
Clean your shrimp boots.
Clean your margarita machine.
STOCK UP
Infant care items
Pet care items- medicines, leashes, bowls for food and water. They will need good collars with their tags attached. Make sure their vet records are with your important papers.
Emergency food and water. CDC recommends 1 gallon of water per person per day. Food that needs little to no prep and no refrigeration is recommended because you may not have utilities. Plan for people with special dietary needs such as the elderly or infants. Here is more information about emergency foods.
Don’t forget to include contacts, contact solution, asthma inhaler, blood sugar monitor or any other items that you or a family member will need if you have to evacuate.
Gas-For car and generator!
Paper goods-Be sure to include a manual can opener.
Covid-19 protection-Masks, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, and gloves.
Ziploc bags filled with ice or freezing water bottles can help keep your freezer and refrigerator cold for a little bit if the power goes out.
Hurricane drink supplies.
Toilet paper-I may become a toilet paper hoarder after the Covid-19 shortage!
WE NEED AS MUCH PEACE OF MIND AS WE CAN GET NOT ONLY IN THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, BUT ESPECIALLY IN HURRICANE SEASON AS WELL. IF YOU ARE FEELING OVERWHELMED WITH ANY SPACE IN YOUR HOME AND NEED HELP GETTING ORGANIZED, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US AT 225-205-6400. WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP!
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Christmas Card Clean Up
What do you do with the Christmas card clutter? 🌲🎅🏼🤶🏻Here’s 3 ideas…
What do you do with the Christmas card clutter? 🌲🎅🏼🤶🏻
Here’s 3 ideas.
🌲Use them as the contact photos in your phone! Then they are saved! (And you can toss them after the holiday.)
🌲Punch a hole in the top. Use a ribbon and hang them on your tree.
🌲Tape them to a door frame so they are displayed during the holidays. Take pictures of the ones you want to “keep” and add them to a photo file on your computer. Then toss at the end of the holiday.
Spend 2-3minutes per day to attend to the cards. Don’t forget to toss the junk mail before it even enters your house!
Want to get your home in order for the new year?
Learn how to organize your own home using the Chaos Organizing Method. Here’s how…
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