Crockpot Meals - The Best Pot Roast I've Ever Made

I really love making crockpot meals. I'm a morning person and have more energy then. When dinnertime comes around, sometimes I'm demotivated to cook. So it's nice to get it over and done with in the morning.

Last week I made a pot roast to die for - adapted a recipe I found in a magazine. It takes about 30 minutes to put it together plus it requires adding carrots and potatoes 3-4 hours before it is done. So it's not a recipe that you can leave while you go to work. Great for the weekends, though, if you can't pull it off during the week. My family almost licked their plates clean, this recipe was so good!

Crockpot Pot Roast

Makes 8 servings
Prep 10 minutes; Cook 13 minutes
Slow-cook 6 hours on High or 8 hours on Low

3 lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and blotted dry
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 T. canola oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 T. tomato paste
2 T. flour
1/2 c. apple juice
1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. water
2 c. baby carrots
1 1/2 lb. new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

1. Combine 1/4 t. each thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub on both sides of roast. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook roast 1-2 minutes on each side or until browned; transfer roast to slow cooker.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in apple juice, broth, and water; bring to a boil. Pour liquid and onions into slow cooker over beef and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.

3. When 3 hours cook time remains on high or 4 hours on low, remove meat from slow cooker and stir in carrots and potatoes. Return meat to slow cooker for remaining cook time.

4. Remove meat from slow cooker; slice. Stir remaining 1/4 t. salt into liquid. Serve roast with vegetables and sauce.

More on crockpot meals:
Chicken Tortilla Soup for the Super Bowl - Quick, Easy, and Different
Organizing Your Holiday Meals
Hassle Free Dinners

10 Types of Emotional Clutter

One of the most popular New Year's resolution is to get organized. And much of that relates to clutter. Since January is Get Organized month, I thought you might enjoy thinking about the reasons why we hang on to clutter. I found these on Carole Fogerty's blog. Any look familiar?

"1. Emotional guilt clutter:
Presents and gifts hiding around your house that are not lot loved nor used can be classified as clutter. You simply feel obliged to keep them. If you threw them out you would feel guilty.

Shift your thinking to “conscious sharing” or “re-gifting”. Start this year by “re-giving” your unwanted, unloved gifts to those who really would value and appreciate them and release the emotional guilt energy from your home once and for all.

2. Fear of “lack” clutter:
You keep all kinds of stuff just in case. Just in case you might need it some day, just in case you couldn’t afford to buy another one in the future, just in case you might read it some time soon, just in case you lose weight or just in case for no particular reason. The fact that you haven’t used it in 2, 3 or 5 years generally means its once useful purpose has expired.

To create flow in your life things must be constantly be coming in and going out. You must let go when no longer needed and receive when necessary. Once you block stuff going out of your life ( by holding onto your clutter with scarcity and fear of lack) you stop the flow of abundance.

3. Unhappy relationship clutter:
Keeping stuff from past unhappy relationships keeps a part of you tied to that relationship and tied to the past.

There is absolutely nothing healthy or advantageous from hanging onto memorabilia or gifts from a past unhappy relationship. Be strong, be honest and ask yourself, what is the benefit for holding onto these things.

If in doubt as to your attachment and the draining effect then try the “energy up, energy down” exercise.

4. Depression clutter:
People with depression tend to have a lot of things stored on the floor. Stuff on the ground pulls your energies down and encourages you to withdraw from the world emotionally.

If your floor surfaces are covered with lots of stuff make an effort each day to start moving things up from off the floor. I guarantee it won’t be long until you start noticing a difference in your moods and how your home feels.

5. Addiction clutter:
Compulsive buying for the sake of it and addicted to sales and bargains without any thought simply adds to the congestion and confusion already filling your home and life.

Take an honest look at your stuff and see if you have any addiction clutter floating around. Better still never go shopping without a list, consciously choose what you intend to bring into your home and for every new item purchased throw out at least two. Keep the energy flowing.

6. Need to impress clutter:
You feel your sense of self worth is reflected by the appearance (or value) of the stuff in your living space. You generally don’t like many of your possessions but have them because they are the latest trend, most impressive or even most expensive.

Filling your home stuff to impress your ego or others, simply means you are out of alignment with your life and the energy in your home. This can be as obvious as a bookcase full of books that you never look at or even care about. It simply gives the impression you are well read and knowledgeable.

7. Unhappiness clutter:
Buying stuff to make you feel happy again is a quick fix solution. It does not bring deep long lasting satisfaction to your life and the item you bought only brings happiness momentarily. Unhappiness clutter can then turn into guilt clutter when you realize a few days later you don’t really need it and feel guilty for buying it.

8. Emotional hiding behind your clutter:
Overfilling your rooms, cupboards and home with stuff is often used to hide from the outside world or your true self. It keeps the attention away from you and focused more on the hundreds of nick knacks you have everywhere.

9. Denial clutter:
If you are scared of change then you will have denial clutter. You have a sense that your world may fall apart if you start removing serious amounts of clutter from your home. You may be consistent in throwing out surface clutter but when it comes to a serious clutter busting session to invite wonderful change you consistently tell yourself this item or that possession is not clutter.

Do you really need all those plates and salad bowls in your kitchen or clothes in your wardrobe?

10. Other peoples clutter:
When you look after stuff for other people get clear with how long you are minding it for. Short term is generally fine as you are being helpful. If however their stuff turns into annoyance or frustration then your act of kindness has evolved into energy draining clutter that’s not even yours. Your friends or family need to find other arrangements or put it in storage."

Enlightening, wasn't it?

More on clutter:

Hoarding - There Are No Easy Answers!

The "Do It Now" Mindset

Clutter in Your House or Office Means Clutter in Your Mind

Maintaining a Clear Focus

You may not be a stay-at-home mom with a pre-schooler, like Tallulah, but maybe you can identify with her.

Tallulah’s Day

Tallulah had actually woken up before her alarm and was looking forward to a great day by the time the alarm beeped. She had set her alarm so she could spend some time with God before her husband and two pre-schoolers woke up. As she entered the living room, she remembered that her friend had called last night and asked her to watch her baby this morning. She had agreed, even though she had had other things planned.

Tallulah thought to herself, “I should straighten up the living room a little so it won’t be a mess when they come.” She stopped to read a magazine article that caught her eye. When she took a coffee cup into the kitchen, she noticed that there were papers that needed to be filled out for her four-year old’s field trip for that day.

Upon placing the papers on the coffee table in the living room, she saw her Bible and remembered that she wanted to spend time with God. She went into the den to get a pen. While getting her pen, she noticed an overdue bill that had to be in the mail before the mailman came today. After writing the check, she looked in the drawer for a stamp. The drawer was a mess, so she decided to straighten it up. Then she took the bill out to the mailbox. On the way in, she remembered that it was trash day and set the trash out.

Walking back into the garage and through the laundry room, she saw a load of laundry that needed to be put in the washer. “I’ll just quickly put that load in so it can be going while I do other things this morning.” Passing through the kitchen on her way back to the living room, she remembered she needed to take something out of the freezer for dinner. “Okay, now I’ll sit down for my time with God,” she thought to herself. As she settled into her chair, her children came bouncing down the stairs …

Do you ever have days like Tallulah’s??

If so, maybe it's time to Rethink Life! Join me in a teleseminar on January 28 (12 noon or 9 pm Eastern).

Organizing Spices

There is not a "right" way to organize spices, but a right way for you! Here are a few options to choose from:

• Alphabetically
• According to color
• According to category/use (herbs, Mexican, baking, etc.)
• According to how often they are used
• According to size

I have mine organized according to category/use on lazy susans. I have all my baking spices in one cabinet with baking items. I have herbs and savory spices on another lazy susan in a different cabinet. In that same cabinet I have another lazy susan with salts and peppers. I also store my vinegars together and oils together.

Spices can live on lazy susans, in drawers, in spice racks, on shelves, or on spice shelves.



What do you prefer?

More on kitchen storage:
Clever Corner Storage
Organizing Drawers
Get Organized Month - Organize Your Refrigerator Freezer

New Sleep Study Shows Risks of Acute and Chronic Sleep Loss

I know I just recently wrote a blog on how important sleep is, but this new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital of Boston spells out the risks of sleep deprivation. One in six of us gets six or less hours of sleep per night, which makes us hazardous to others, more susceptible to disease, not to mention having impaired performance! Please read the following article published by Lauran Neergaard, AP medical writer yesterday:

"Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security. New research shows chronic sleep loss cannot be cured that easily. Scientists teased apart the effects of short- and long-term sleep loss and found that the chronically sleep-deprived may function normally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day wears on, even if they had tried to catch up the previous night.

It is work with important safety implications in an increasingly busy society, not just for shift-workers but for the roughly one in six Americans who regularly get six hours or less of sleep a night.

"We know that staying awake 24 hours in a row impairs performance to a level comparable to a blood-alcohol content beyond the legal limit to drive," said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cohen of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.

But when the chronically sleep-deprived pull an all-nighter, "the deterioration is increased tenfold," Cohen said.

The National Institutes of Health says adults need seven hours to nine hours of sleep for good health. Regularly getting too little increases the risk of health problems, including memory impairment and a weakened immune system. More immediately, too little sleep affects reaction times; sleepiness is to blame for car crashes and other accidents.

The new work shows how two different sleep drives impact the brain, one during the normal waking hours and the other over days and weeks of sleep loss.

It has critically important ramifications for anyone who works "crazy hours" and thinks they are performing fine with a few hours of weeknight sleep, said Shelby Freedman Harris, behavioral sleep-medicine director at New York's Montefiore Medical Center, who was not involved with the new research.

"Don't think you can just bank up your sleep on the weekend, because it doesn't work that way," Harris warned.

Cohen wondered how both acute and chronic sleep loss interact with the body's natural circadian rhythms, the 24-hour biological clock that signals when it is time to sleep and to wake.

He recruited nine young, healthy volunteers and messed up their normally good sleep habits for three weeks. They stayed awake for 33-hour stretches with 10 hours of sleep in between, a radical enough schedule that their internal circadian clocks could not adjust. Their sleep deprivation was comparable to that of someone who gets about 5 1/2 hours of sleep a night, Cohen said, but the extra-long wake-sleep schedule also allowed him to test the value of catch-up sleep.

The volunteers' reaction times were tested every few waking hours, and compared to similar volunteers getting a normal amount of sleep.

The well-rested can catch up from the occasional all-nighter fairly easily. But as the study wore on and the volunteers became more sleep-deprived, the rejuvenation they felt each time they awoke increasingly proved a facade, Cohen reported Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

They functioned OK during their first few waking hours, especially that first week. But then their reaction times steadily worsened with each hour they stayed awake, with a big drop in performance between the first and second weeks of sleep deprivation, he found.

That daytime decline was subtle, and the people's circadian rhythms provided a bit of rescue. Know how most people get a bit tired in the afternoon? Even these sleep-deprived volunteers got an energy boost then, as their circadian rhythms kicked in.

But when they stayed up past bedtime yet again, their performance suddenly plummeted just as their circadian rhythm reached its natural lowest point, Cohen's team found. The drop was so sharp that he concluded these people were increasingly vulnerable to accidents and errors. Although measured in milliseconds, the change was enough to mean a difference between, say, hitting the brakes in time or not.

"When exposed to the next all-nighter, they really fall apart much faster than they previously would," said Cohen, also a neurologist at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center."

More on sleep:
The Best Time of Day to Take a Nap
9 Ways to Enhance Your Health by Being Organized
Six Ways to Maintain Peak Energy at Work

Turn Holiday Clutter into Classroom Treasure

As you're getting organized and decluttering this month, here's a way to help schools plus get rid of your stuff at the same time. Here's how iloveSchools.com describes the process:

"Christmas came, saw and conquered this year, leaving a pile of wrapping paper, boxes and new goodies in its wake. With storage space at a premium, today’s gifts are putting the squeeze on yesterday’s favorites. What should be done with gently-used items?

Donate gently-used technology, games, books, art supplies and music instruments through www.iLoveSchools.com, where they’ll find new life in a student’s hands. Once a donor registers on the site, he or she can post a DonorOffer, narrowing down which teachers see the post based on the following criteria: school type, grade, free-lunch, location and delivery method.

Teachers will then respond to the offer, leading to painless coordination of the gift’s transfer. Teachers then thank the donor electronically with classroom images and student messages.

The iLoveSchools.com service is a zero-cost service to teachers, while donors voluntarily give a small donation to help with the nonprofit’s administration costs. What can you donate?

About iLoveSchools.com: Established in 2003, iLoveSchools.com is the first national web-based nonprofit organization matching schools and teachers with donors of new and used classroom equipment, materials, supplies and in-kind contributions. Their unique Internet-based solution links teachers and schools with donors committed to creating constructive learning environments for America’s preK-12th grade schoolchildren regardless of cultural or economic circumstances. For more information, please visit: www.iLoveSchools.com."

More on recycling:
Recycling Computer Components
Get Organized Month 2009 - Decluttering Your Electronics
More Eco-Friendly Recycling

Rethinking Life Teleseminar

Isn't it nice to have new beginnings? Even though days are alike, there is something inspiring about the new year, a birthday, even every morning that makes us want to start again - just better this time. If you need to re-evaluate life, here's one of my favorites:

Rethinking Life Teleseminar
by Beverly Coggins


Why throw shallow New Years' Resolutions at Your Life?

Maybe it's time to rethink life!

Stop bouncing through life like a pinball! Be intentional about the legacy you want to leave your children and future generations. Align your schedule and activities with your passions, priorities, and gifts.

Join time management expert Beverly Coggins for a 90-minute teleseminar on Rethinking Life.

By the end of the session:

• You will have unearthed your passions, priorities, gifts, and the legacy you want to leave your children and/or future generations.
• You will have aligned your activities with the above.
• You will have created a workable schedule that embraces what matters most to you and eliminates what doesn't.
• You will have measurable targets for the future.
• You will have a manageable system to maintain your new life.

Teleseminar dates/times:

• Thursday, January 28, 12 noon Eastern
• Thursday, January 28, 9 pm Eastern

Cost: $27.00


Register

Gaining Storage without Losing Floor Space

Happy Monday! We had a three-day weekend, as Friday was a snow day. We've had significant snow cover for a while with another inch or two expected today. Can't remember the last time the temp was above freezing! This global warming is really a problem, isn't it? LOL!

Now to our topic - getting some free storage:

If you don't have floor space for shelves or storage units, create shelves in your walls! Just open up any wall between studs, and fit with shelves - free storage! This is a wonderful option for tiny bathrooms with little storage, for insets to display collections, to house little spice containers in the kitchen, and much more. An article by Betsy Rice Webb describes how to create recessed shelves and what to look for before you cut into your walls.

You can also nail 2" x 4" boards to studs in your garage to provide storage for small items. Insert pipe between the studs to provide hanging space.

More on storage:
This is What I Call Using Wall Space!
Closet Mapping
Magnetic Paint - An Innovative Space Saver!

Lemons - Inexpesive, Natural Cleaners

No need to spend extra money on expensive cleaners when you probably have an economical and natural alternative in your fridge! Here are some lemon tips from Mary Ellis, Ladera Ranch, CA:

"Lemon is an inexpensive, natural cleaner.

First, I microwave half of the fruit for two minutes to loosen the juice,which easily removes cooked-on food from pots and pans.

Next, I dip the other half in salt and use it to shine brass items.

Lastly, I stick both halves into my garbage disposal. It sharpens the blades and freshens the disposal with a citrus scent." (source: June 2009 Family Circle Magazine, p. 101)

Do you have some lemon tips you'd like to pass on to us?

More on lemons:
Spring Cleaning Using Household Items - Lemons
Summertime Tips
Three Steps to Clever Cleaning

How Sleep Helps Keep Your Brain Organized

Now that the holidays are over, it feels good to get some order in life again, doesn't it? Sleep somehow gets neglected. When our daughter was here over Christmas, our primary talking time with her was after our foster daughters went to sleep at ten. Usually sleep is non-negotiable for me, and I'm usually an early-to-bed-early-to-rise person.

You may have had similar priorities. But, unfortunately, our bodies keep track of the sleep we've missed and we need to make up for it. Sleep and the Brain is an article that describes the importance of scheduling enough sleep. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"Sleep is actually a very important function of and for the brain. We need to generate enough sleep to feel rested, to have energy, to assist with mood, and to even help us think more clearly.

Sleep is divided into four stages. Deep sleep or stage IV sleep is critical to brain function. With advanced age we generate less deep IV sleep and it is probably not a coincidence that our cognitive abilities change as well.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is the part of sleep when we dream and we are actually paralyzed. REM occupies about 25% of our sleep and is critical for encoding information to a deeper level. Our brain processes millions of bits of information daily and during REM it is thought the brain selects those bits of information that are most critical.

Debate on how much sleep is necessary continues, but it is probably safe to say that young children need at least 8 hours of sleep a day while adults should get more than 6. Certainly, these numbers are not fixed and there are cases where some do fine with only a few hours while others do not. The bottom line is that our brains need sleep, deep sleep, and REM to function efficiently."

More on sleep:

Getting Organized for School (and life!) - Getting Enough Sleep

Insuring Peak Performance: Sleep 101

Sleep is Non-negotiable!

Affordable Stress Relievers

Feeling stressed after the holidays? Nina Kim and Georgia Price wrote this great article called 22 Affordable Ways to De-Stress. My favorite: do something you did as a kid. Enjoy!

More on stress relief:
5-Minute Stress Relievers - Change Your Attitude
5-Minute Stress Relievers - Taking a Mental Break
5-Minute Stress Relievers - Spiritual Refocusing

Declutter Your Household Items and Help a Neighbor

As you declutter during Get Organized Month (January), donate your used furniture, houseware items and bedding. Summit County Ohio residents can call CORE (Community Outreach Resources Exchange) to arrange for free pickup by calling 330-379-3188. CORE is a used furniture bank sponsored by several Summit County area churches, businesses, and individuals.

CORE serves more than 700 neighbors in need annually, providing them with more than 3500 used furniture items including beds, dressers, sofas, chairs, dinette sets, microwave ovens and houseware items. For more info go to CORE.

Do you have a similar location in your area? Let us know about it!


More on Recycling:
Recycling Cell Phones to Our Soldiers
Decluttering Your Books with BookMooch
Get Organized Month 2009 - Decluttering Your Electronics
More Eco-Friendly Recycling
Getting Rid of Stuff While Saving the Environment

Clever Tub/Shower Storage

Happy New Year! I hope 2010 has gotten off to a good start for you. I must say, I'm glad that school started today. J Don't tell anyone, though! Now on to our blog for today:

Here's a clever solution for tub or shower storage from Better Homes and Gardens: Use a metal rod originally designed for kitchen utensils! I've seen them at IKEA.

More on bathroom storage:

Finding More Bathroom Storage without Expanding Your Bathroom

Get Organizing Month - Decluttering Your Bathroom Storage

Clever Corner Storage

Candle Wax Clean-Up

Candles sure are pretty, but sometimes they leave their drippings behind. Here is a suggestion for removing melted candle wax from wood surfaces:

"Heat the wax with a blow-dryer set on high. While applying the hot air, wedge a credit card, plastic putty knife or something with a flexible, straight edge under the drips." (source: Family Circle Magazine, January 10, 2010, p. 33)

More on Cleaning:
10 Eco-Friendly and Wallet-Friendly uses for Olive Oil
A Dozen Helpful Hints to Simplify Your Life
Saving Time by Cutting Out Craft Clean Up

Decluttering Christmas Tree Sap from Your Carpet

If your Christmas tree has left gifts of sap under the tree, here's how to get rid of it:

Mix glycerin, a moisturizer and lubricant (available at drug stores) and warm water in equal parts. Drizzle the mixture on the affected areas. Give the mixture time to dissolve the sap. Using a dry cloth, pull up on the carpet fibers. Use a commercial carpet spot cleaner to remove any remaining residue.

More on cleaning:
Easy microwave cleaning
Clever Cleaning: Lamp Shades
Three Steps to Clever Cleaning