What to do with the clutter!??

Okay so this is not MY kitchen (although how great to have an island and those cupboards!!! Someday....

But I have a serious problem with clutter in my apartment and it needs to be remedied, so I need suggestions and assistance.

Problem areas:

1) Front Table: When we walk in the door we have our 'dining room' nook table right at the doorway. Its a big circular table we got from Kevin's grandparents that I cleaned and restored. When we both are home together we clear it off and eat dinner together there. I'm considering moving its location, but I don't want to eliminate our dinner location and move to TV-eating or something more 'distracted'.
Anyway so because its at the door, it gets everything, all the mail coming in, all the bills to be paid, our bags, our keys, our receipts to be logged, our lunch bags, sometimes our sweaters if we brought extra in case we'd be cold, it has become a dumping ground, and its kinda perfect for it but it creates a cluttered sore spot that makes me BONKERS (yes I appreciate this is not tough to do).


2) Magazines!! So we have limited our subscriptions in an attempt to elminiate clutter that we cannot read fast enough. (Seriously how do people read like weekly magazines every week and get rid of them in time before the next one comes!). Some magazines are what we call 'trade' magazines,, for me Audiology Related journals and for him TV/Video stuff. They NEVER get read quickly because when we get home its not what we want to do, but we both like to keep them as like a library for reference. We have tons of space in coffee tables but they get filled fast and then they're like 'hidden clutter' that stresses me on a deeper level. So I need some suggestions, there are a LOT and I currently have all my 'trade' journals in a small bin (which is key for holding books or magazines cuz they get HEAVY!)

Once it gets filled it will go into our basement storage area, and eventually when we have our own house (or offices at work for a reference library) we can get those clear magazine organizers and organize by month/series etc. Not there yet, and in no rush cause there is no place for it to go yet.

Meanwhile... what do I do with all these magazines,, they are everywhere and they need a home that is NOT the coffeetable or filling up drawers!

Clutter #3 BillPay. We get bills in, and we pay them. We are good FICO kiddies.
We use one of these:

But it doesnt seem to hold paper statements so well until they get filed in our big filing cabinet, so then the 'we paid this file it' clutter just adds to the clutter. Or medical statements and bills,,, they need to be filed and paid but I don't want them on my front entrence or where I eat dinner either. So I need another way to get rid of these things quickly,, organize them so they're not sitting on the table and then pay/file them all together at the end of the week/month.

So what do you ya'll suggest!? How to you keep your paper-filled areas clean and succinctly efficient?
D

Don't Hate!

So I'm sure this is just something that I'm not google-reader savvy about or follower-savvy,, but let me just tell you for un momento por favor something that makes me irate.

Protected posting.

To be clear: I'm not opposed to people posting things they don't want shared,, or even posting without the ability to comment. I'm all for people having things to themselves. But if your going to post,, and its going into my reader,, and its going to come thru my list OVER AND OVER again,,,, why protect it?

If you want it to be read,,,, why protect it?

If you don't want it to be read,,, protect it somewhere else?

But maybe bloggies I just don't know.. is there a way to NOT subscribe to protected posts from someone so I don't have to be frustrated?

TEACH ME!!!

BlogHer? HER? Yes HER!!!

I'm going are you!?

So a few of my bestest bloggie peeps:
Shannon , Nikki and Laura are all partaking in our first ever blog conference. And to make it more fitting, we're all re-uniting in the Big Apple where the other three used to be room mates and where I 'did time' (hehehee) after a few had moved along.

We're all really excited not only to all be in the same state, but to be learning and meeting other bloggers. We're a varied bunch with different interests and blog-themes and definitely varied followers and we all are looking to see what there is to see!

So are you or someone you know going to Blogher this year? Would you love to meet up with some fabulously fun new friends and network with us? Follow and message any one of us above and get excited!!!

Excuse me while I eat.....

Hi,,, My name is Danielle and I'm a Foodie-aholic.
(other foodies): Hi Danielle.

So my friends and family like to frequent many eateries in our lives. Food is something we all enjoy and sometimes celebrate. Well anyone that is from Buffalo or ever visited knows that there are a lot of eateries to be celebrated, and we love our foods. From Fish Fridays to Wings and everything (SERIOUSLY everything) in between.

So I thought I'd start to review some of the restaurants we go to , and then maybe I'll learn how to organize them in a lil tab section nearby and then if you or a friend ever visits here you'll have a list of must eats:). Or if I go elsewhere maybe I can share my thoughts on various eatings elsewhere!!!

This evening we decided on one location but upon finding out (after we ordered drinks at the bar while we waited) that we could expect still a 1 hr wait (we'd already waited about 20 min) we were like PEACE OUT. I won't say where that was cause I love love love them and that is uncharacteristic. So we decided to venture to a restaurant we've never eaten at. We have drank here but not eaten, and its close to home so we thought we'd venture in....




Loughran's Bar and Restaurant....
Here is a link to their website.,,, LOUGHRAN'S

So lets start by evaluating the atmosphere.
Atmosphere: We went in on a Friday nite at circa 6, and there were probably 8 other groups/couples but they were all spaced out quite nicely and with enough room between groups so that we could all talk comfortably and not hear others' conversations or they hear ours.

Wait Staff: Excellent, not only did we have the hostess give us tableware and waters she assisted the waiter if he was serving another table to ensure our water was full and plates cleared and bread replaced.

Food: (the crux of it all)

Soup: I ordered a cup of French Onion and Kevin had the New England Clam Chowder (he likes to call it Chow-da). Well first off I'd like you to know that I have tasted MANY a crock of this soup and I'm often frustrated when they're only offered in crocks so I can't get a small bit to taste how their may compare to my many previous loves. Anyway,,, so I got a cup but next time I'm getting a crock , cause they make the BEST French Onion soup I've had in Buffalo so far,, and while I've had a few others I cant even recall their locations or the like 'second best' cause none have been as good. Kevin said the Chowda was great, that he'd put it in his top ten,,, but not top five :).

Salad We both got salad's with our dinners and normally I just go with an Italian or house dressing but then when Kevin asked what other ones they had, they said peppercorn,, so since my younger brother used to have a peppercorn obsession I thought I'd try it.. Definitely recommend this, its a lil thick like a blue cheese but with some mixing its like a Caesar mixed with creamy Italian and awesome.



Entree I got the steak and shrimp... mostly cause I love both steak AND shrimp, but also cause it was 16.95 and that is cost effective for a dinner with protein!:) Kevin got a southwestern chicken pasta which looked delicious and he said was good, but I was too focused on my meat to taste it (sorry bloggies) So back to my steak. YUM . On top of the steak was about 10 shrimps that were fried and I then dipped them in a most awesome cocktail sauce which had the right amount of sweet and horseyradish. So those were the start of the delicious, then the potato was cooked and crispy on the skin but warmed and baked on the inside, and the steak was easy to cut and perfectly cooked to my 'well' choice. Yum YUM YUM.

Dessert Well we figured all the other parts of the meal were DELICIOUS we went for dessert,, usually I don't but for a special occasion. Well we shared a Fudge Brownie sundae and it was as expected,,, delicious brownie that I could have had four of but thankfully there was just one:) and it was shared under some ice cream and whipped cream:)

So if your in the area,, this is a good potential option, especially if your hungry:)

The countdown to what!???

Okay so as you all may have noticed I've been a lil MIA in my posting. I'm totally working on it but I need y'all to stop posting awesome blogs that compel me to read them and comment and distract me from posting my own stuff! Just kidding, we have been thick in wedding planning and trying to make some serious plans before all the other planners and brides/grooms take our weekends and ideal venue options:)

Anyway so I've been creative this week, and my first project was to make a chain of 365 links to countdown to our big day (7-16-2011) My awesome collegues at work suggested it as a fun way to get excited about the days as they progress. Kevin and I are really excited about being married and often turn to eachother and dance and squeal (that's usually me or him mocking me) in delight that its going to be a beautiful day and surrounded by those we love and those that are as excited to be a part of our lives today as they are in the future:)..

Anyway so I cut up lots and lots of strands...


and then I got to stapling them together. I made different colors for each month and each month is numbered in case we forget or go away for a few days we know exactly how many to pull off:) (yeah we are list-making organized peoples).
so here is the first pause break:)


still growing!


and now its on the wall!!!



So we have had lots of fun making it and putting it up (and keeping it up!)
D

365 days and links.....more to come later!

I don't WANT your life

I don't want your life.... name THAT movie folks... (answer at the bottom,, scroll away,, did you get it?)




So the life I don't want... is those of which live in this kind of heat NORMALLY. Right now its circa 90-SOMETHING in Buffalo, and what I wouldnt give for a snowstorm right now,

So ya'll peoples that live in heat, even if its a 'dry heat' I want NONE of this. Nada ,,, Nil None...

I have been in my apt for multiple hours today WITH air conditioning on and I'm still sweating bullets. To the point where I have checked quite a few times to verify the A/C is on, and it is in fact doing its bizness but NO not emanating beyond a foot from the A/C unit.

It promises to be a hot (and not in a good way) nite, and so let's be clear,, I dont want Yer life:) (today)...







Varsity Blues- you know its hotty Dawson's twangy line....