You can read the whole story of what was involved, here on my almost-finished, updated web site: www.handyande.com/decluttering.html
Andrea
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Pantry Organized
This week I organized a pantry: one small room that was overloaded with stuff. Here are 2 of the photos: before and after:
You can read the whole story of what was involved, here on my almost-finished, updated web site: www.handyande.com/decluttering.html
Andrea
You can read the whole story of what was involved, here on my almost-finished, updated web site: www.handyande.com/decluttering.html
Andrea
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tip: Organizing kitchen utensils
I don't like having my utensils in a drawer. Too disorganized.
For several years I had a white flower pot on the counter with all my utensils standing up inside it like a bunch of flowers. Then I found a clear plastic Brita pitcher and put all the utensils inside. It was lighter in weight and I could see inside the pitcher to see the handle of the utensil I wanted. But in both cases, it was difficult putting the clean utensils in and getting them out because they always got tangled.
Then this past week I obtained (through Freecycle.org) an over-the-door shoe organizer. Perfect! My basement door is very close to my stove, and I can use each compartment for related items: ladles, slotted spoons, whisks, rubber scrapers, pancake turners, etc. Here's a photo:
Andrea
For several years I had a white flower pot on the counter with all my utensils standing up inside it like a bunch of flowers. Then I found a clear plastic Brita pitcher and put all the utensils inside. It was lighter in weight and I could see inside the pitcher to see the handle of the utensil I wanted. But in both cases, it was difficult putting the clean utensils in and getting them out because they always got tangled.
Then this past week I obtained (through Freecycle.org) an over-the-door shoe organizer. Perfect! My basement door is very close to my stove, and I can use each compartment for related items: ladles, slotted spoons, whisks, rubber scrapers, pancake turners, etc. Here's a photo:
Andrea
Friday, December 26, 2008
Updated web site, lower fees
A quick post to announce the updating of the web site and the accompanying reduction of fees. Tomorrow I write and distribute a news release to promote my services locally but also to promote my intention to generate visibility for my counterparts (concierges) in other cities throughout North America. I reduced the membership fee by $5-10, to $5.95 for 3 months membership, $10.95 for 6 months membership, and $19.95 for a full year's membership. To find the detail scroll down to the last link in the navigation bar/menu.
Please have a look around Handy Ande. I invite you to join right away so your services can benefit from my visibility. Let's all enjoy some extra income.
Andrea
Please have a look around Handy Ande. I invite you to join right away so your services can benefit from my visibility. Let's all enjoy some extra income.
Andrea
Monday, November 10, 2008
Two bits of news
I am now in the United States in one place and am re-establishing my services. You can download my new brochure and my new business card by clicking on the links on HandyAnde.com. News:
1. I have closed the contest in which
I had hoped to raise money so I could
start over, but nobody wanted to enter
my essay contest to win 5 days of free
concierge services. I have removed all
the posts on this blog referencing the
contest.
2. Now that I'm no longer traveling I
can't be everywhere so I am establishing
a network of personal concierges
who want to promote their services to
generate extra income. Right now the
annual membership is $19.95. This will
increase sometime in 2009, so take advantage
of the low price now so I can promote
your services to press and media where
you are and bring you some business.
You can also have a 3 month trial membership
for $5.95 and a 6 month membership for $10.95.
I want to make these affordable for as many as possible.
Andrea
1. I have closed the contest in which
I had hoped to raise money so I could
start over, but nobody wanted to enter
my essay contest to win 5 days of free
concierge services. I have removed all
the posts on this blog referencing the
contest.
2. Now that I'm no longer traveling I
can't be everywhere so I am establishing
a network of personal concierges
who want to promote their services to
generate extra income. Right now the
annual membership is $19.95. This will
increase sometime in 2009, so take advantage
of the low price now so I can promote
your services to press and media where
you are and bring you some business.
You can also have a 3 month trial membership
for $5.95 and a 6 month membership for $10.95.
I want to make these affordable for as many as possible.
Andrea
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Cleaning cat water fountains
I have two of those pet fountains (Drinkwell) because my original one is in storage in Ontario Canada. (I've been traveling in the US but am about to move into an apartment.) Casper has been dehydrated so I bought him a second one, same kind (Drinkwell). The interesting difference is the one I bought in Canada ($69) had 3 bottle brushes in varying sizes included in the box for cleaning the unit. The one I bought in the US ($49) did not have the cleaning brushes. I saw somewhere where you can purchase the brush kit separately. Here: http://www.thepetstoreonline.com/drinkwell-cleaning-kit---3-brush-set.html ($10)
Here are my tips for cleaning (I post this because I know of several cat owners who hate cleaning so much they allow their pet fountains to get very slimy and clogged with cat hair) :
1. Clean thoroughly at least once a week. In addition, I often will empty, rinse and refill with clean water mid-week. I also add ice cubes during the summer to cool and replenish water. Casper loves it and drinks often which keeps him hydrated.
2. Don't allow the unit to dry out before cleaning. The slime/scum is more easily removed when still wet.
3. After dumping the water out, dry your hands. You need dry hands to grip the motor mechanism, turn it and remove it. It can be a tight fit.
4. Then soak the unit parts - excluding the motor - in warm sudsy water. I do clean the inside of the motor where the magnetized propeller sits: a cotton swab works well.
5. In addition to the bottle brushes, I use a clean toothbrush to get in the corners when the pink stuff is.
6. When I don't have bottle brushes, I use a flat dish scrubber (3M and dollar store brands) and poke it down into the center with a wooden spoon handle or something similar and scrub.
7. For the hard-to-reach corners I've also used toothpicks and I found in the dental aisle a package of tiny, tiny pipe cleaners (Plackers) to use for flossing. (I wish someone would make a fountain with no angles or corners.)
8. I also give Casper Brita-filtered water when I can. That keeps mineral deposits from forming.
9. Filling the unit usually takes a whole Brita jug full of water, which I pour only after I put the unit in place. (I'm too klutzy to carry it filled with water.) Then I plug it in.
I dislike this task, but with the right tools the job gets done faster and I'm less frustrated with it. Less frustration means I'll clean it more often... usually on Sundays.
UPDATE: I tried cleaning it in the top shelf of the dishwasher but that didn't work as well. I've found that cotton swabs are useful for the tiny corners.
Now that I am back in an apartment and have collected my things from storage, I have two units. I use one at a time, and clean the other at my leisure, ready for Sunday exchange. This means Casper doesn't have to wait without flowing water until I get the unit cleaned.
Andrea
Here are my tips for cleaning (I post this because I know of several cat owners who hate cleaning so much they allow their pet fountains to get very slimy and clogged with cat hair) :
1. Clean thoroughly at least once a week. In addition, I often will empty, rinse and refill with clean water mid-week. I also add ice cubes during the summer to cool and replenish water. Casper loves it and drinks often which keeps him hydrated.
2. Don't allow the unit to dry out before cleaning. The slime/scum is more easily removed when still wet.
3. After dumping the water out, dry your hands. You need dry hands to grip the motor mechanism, turn it and remove it. It can be a tight fit.
4. Then soak the unit parts - excluding the motor - in warm sudsy water. I do clean the inside of the motor where the magnetized propeller sits: a cotton swab works well.
5. In addition to the bottle brushes, I use a clean toothbrush to get in the corners when the pink stuff is.
6. When I don't have bottle brushes, I use a flat dish scrubber (3M and dollar store brands) and poke it down into the center with a wooden spoon handle or something similar and scrub.
7. For the hard-to-reach corners I've also used toothpicks and I found in the dental aisle a package of tiny, tiny pipe cleaners (Plackers) to use for flossing. (I wish someone would make a fountain with no angles or corners.)
8. I also give Casper Brita-filtered water when I can. That keeps mineral deposits from forming.
9. Filling the unit usually takes a whole Brita jug full of water, which I pour only after I put the unit in place. (I'm too klutzy to carry it filled with water.) Then I plug it in.
I dislike this task, but with the right tools the job gets done faster and I'm less frustrated with it. Less frustration means I'll clean it more often... usually on Sundays.
UPDATE: I tried cleaning it in the top shelf of the dishwasher but that didn't work as well. I've found that cotton swabs are useful for the tiny corners.
Now that I am back in an apartment and have collected my things from storage, I have two units. I use one at a time, and clean the other at my leisure, ready for Sunday exchange. This means Casper doesn't have to wait without flowing water until I get the unit cleaned.
Andrea
Monday, March 17, 2008
Emergency Move
On Saturday at 5:30 PM I received a distress call. A young man had an opportunity to move to a better apartment, thanks to his kind landlord. The new tenants were already moving in to his digs and he needed to get his things out right away. He wasn't even packed and his friends still had not shown up to help and nobody had a truck. So Handy Ande to the rescue.
I had a migraine and a van that was stuck in ice, but I was out the door and on the way inside of 30 minutes. My van had no room in it, but I emptied out half of its contents at his mother's house, then headed for the "old" house. Nothing had been done to prepare for the move. I organized the few men who did show up (who were very willing to take direction) by explaining that I was the veteran of more than 90 moves and we needed to dismantle the bed and large screen TV first. Big items first, small items last.
If someone had thought ahead the cars would have been moved out of the driveway to shorten the distance that heavy things had to be carried. I had to park the van in the street. I dismantled the double bed so the guys could get the box spring and mattress into the van, then I collected all the pillows and bedding to be used as cushioning for the TV. The guys got the TV up the stairs and used the furniture dolley I remembered to bring- not bad considering the migraine - and I found bungee cords to strap down the boxspring to the rack on top of the van. We managed to fit in the office chair and placed some smaller things on the seat and underneath. The rest of the stuff was small and fit into the 2 cars.
We got to the "new" house. Had I had time to think ahead - I like to have a minimum of 2 days notice so I can anticipate all problems - I would have brought a snow shovel to remove a mound of snow on the sidewalk next to the front steps, and brought old sheets to protect the carpeting we had to walk on with our wet shoes.
I quickly assessed the layout of the room for the best placement of furniture and set up the bed. The guys brought in the TV and soon the van was empty and the young man had a new home and a bed to sleep in that night. I went back to his mom's to repack my van, and gratefully received a cup of tea and a meal before I left.
I relay this story to illustrate that this not atypical for Handy Ande; it's the kind of service that the winners of my Handy Ande essay contest could receive.
I had a migraine and a van that was stuck in ice, but I was out the door and on the way inside of 30 minutes. My van had no room in it, but I emptied out half of its contents at his mother's house, then headed for the "old" house. Nothing had been done to prepare for the move. I organized the few men who did show up (who were very willing to take direction) by explaining that I was the veteran of more than 90 moves and we needed to dismantle the bed and large screen TV first. Big items first, small items last.
If someone had thought ahead the cars would have been moved out of the driveway to shorten the distance that heavy things had to be carried. I had to park the van in the street. I dismantled the double bed so the guys could get the box spring and mattress into the van, then I collected all the pillows and bedding to be used as cushioning for the TV. The guys got the TV up the stairs and used the furniture dolley I remembered to bring- not bad considering the migraine - and I found bungee cords to strap down the boxspring to the rack on top of the van. We managed to fit in the office chair and placed some smaller things on the seat and underneath. The rest of the stuff was small and fit into the 2 cars.
We got to the "new" house. Had I had time to think ahead - I like to have a minimum of 2 days notice so I can anticipate all problems - I would have brought a snow shovel to remove a mound of snow on the sidewalk next to the front steps, and brought old sheets to protect the carpeting we had to walk on with our wet shoes.
I quickly assessed the layout of the room for the best placement of furniture and set up the bed. The guys brought in the TV and soon the van was empty and the young man had a new home and a bed to sleep in that night. I went back to his mom's to repack my van, and gratefully received a cup of tea and a meal before I left.
I relay this story to illustrate that this not atypical for Handy Ande; it's the kind of service that the winners of my Handy Ande essay contest could receive.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Garage parking tool
I've seen advertised on TV these laser parking assistants. The laser beam points a red dot to show you exactly how far to pull your car up so that you don't crunch your front fender or have your back bumper crushed by the garage door.
A much cheaper solution is to hang an old tennis ball on a string from the rafters so it just touches the wind shield as it hangs straight down. The point at which the ball touches the windshield is the point at which you stop the car when you drive in. You'll need to park the car where you want it, then throw the ball connected to a longer piece of string. While holding the other end of the string, pull it until the ball touches the glass. Then tie the string on itself. You've just saved $20 to $35.
A much cheaper solution is to hang an old tennis ball on a string from the rafters so it just touches the wind shield as it hangs straight down. The point at which the ball touches the windshield is the point at which you stop the car when you drive in. You'll need to park the car where you want it, then throw the ball connected to a longer piece of string. While holding the other end of the string, pull it until the ball touches the glass. Then tie the string on itself. You've just saved $20 to $35.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
