not a trophy wife

Turbo Scan App gets you organized for school and work from your phone

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Hi everyone

For those of you addicted to your iPhone I want to share the best app for the school year. You know at the beginning of the school year and you get a call, email or text. It’s the school calling informing you your child’s filling is missing a mandatory form. And, the school needs it now.

My “favorite” call was when my son called to tell me I forgot to sign his field trip permission slip. And, he was the only child who couldn’t get on the bus unless that permission slip was received in the next 12 minutes (before the bus rolled out of the school parking lot). Game on!

The Turbo Scan app to the rescue.

Turbo Scan App

Source: Turb Scan

Details

Turbo Scan changed my personal and work life.  It’s a free app in the Apple app store. The official name is TurboScan™ Pro – document & receipt scanner By Piksoft Inc.

It takes a scan (photo) of a document, permission form.. anything. It creates a border around the image to make sure you capture what you need. And, even when the image looks gray or grainy it almost always captures a clear image.

Turbo Scan allows me to save documents directly to my Dropbox (another favorite) and/or email a copy in a pdf format to my email or to the recipient. It keeps a copy of any scanned documents too, but I always save a copy to my Dropbox account. I’m just a bit of a control freak. Especially in August.

My husband first shared this app with me a few years ago. And, I use it almost every day.

                                    And, if your like me, as the school year gets closer my desk (command center) begins to look like this. Clear the clutter by snapping a photo of the paper, document. It’s more professional because it saves it as a pdf for clients or service providers.

One suggestion is to turn off any overhead light above the document or form. The light can add a shadow over the document.

Sidenote: Does anyone else get more anxious in August than other months? My desk status might have something to do with my increased anxiety. My husband can’t even look at my desk.. it stresses him out. #newschoolyeargoals

After a week using this app, I ditched my fax/scanner. Turbo Scan is the best iPhone app for the school year.  What are your favorite apps to stay organized and less anxious?

 

 

 

 

 

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Up-cycle retail boxes into something pretty

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How many of you have a closet designated as your UPS delivery drop zone? You know a place to stash those must have packages. How many of you have a checking account on life support after the Nordstrom sale?

Hey, I love the ease of the click and ship purchase; the convenience, the free shipping and no hassle returns of my favorite retailers. But, with the pending holiday season (I know, right) I am on a mission to find ways to up-cycle retail boxes.

I think the Bath & Body Works packaging people are on to something. Sometimes I think I find a reason to buy hand soaps and 3 wick candles because of the adorable blue plaid print inside their boxes. Seriously, are these not the cutest retail boxes ever?

This summer I went overboard with stocking up on soaps and maybe a few candles. Hey, it rarely rains in Colorado so when we get a few days of clouds it makes me want to nest!  And, this summer I also made a decision to redecorate my office so I found a way to organize my office supplies and use the checkered, shades of blue boxes.

up-cycle boxes

 

 

And, the best part of this up-cycle project was I used a roll of clear packaging tape and just wrapped the flaps down to the exterior side of the box. That’s it. And, now I have matching boxes to store my computer paper and envelopes.

I still had a few boxes that I had “broken down,” before I discovered their storage capabilities so I framed a piece of the checked cardboard. The frame hides a few odds and inns behind it in my new office hutch.

I paired the frame with a boxwood because blues and boxwoods always look so pretty together. Like when I paired a boxwood wreath against a color block of Hale Navy here.

I mean this is an old frame and a piece of a cardboard box. I wonder how long until the boys in my house recognize the familiar retailer’s packaging? And, then I will wait for the eye roll. There’s always an eye roll with my kids.

up-cycle cardboard boxes

P.S. Look at this shelving system created with cardboard boxes.

 

Linking to: our hopeful home

 

 

 

 

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Blog Hack Update … “Dear Hackers ….”

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Hi everyone! We have rain in the forecast here in Denver. We always need rain so it’s hard to complain.

So many of you asked about the hack-palooza event in May,  I wanted to give a brief blog hack update.

I almost titled this post,

“Dear Hackers”

But that sounded like an invitation for a bored bot to just pounce on my blog’s server.

Let me give you the blog hack update in a sentence. My blog got hacked. Yep, at the end of May, my blog got hacked. I lost everything. My first post on my new blog was published here. There was nothing else to read so surprisingly it got a lot of attention!

What about my backups? Oh.. those got hacked too. I believe corrupted was the word the hosting associate used with me over the phone. Oh, but first he casually asked, “How long have you been blogging?”

At first, I thought he was making chit-chat while I listened to him type frantically on a keyboard. But as the brief phone holds turned into minutes and more minutes; I realized he was calculating how many posts, words, stories, projects, links, and images were lost forever in a data table.

blog hack

I lost everything!

Any and all backups were also corrupted.

I reached out to anyone who had helped me with my blog in the past two years, hoping they may have stored a backup on their server. Nothing.

But, what doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger. I slept okay and when I woke this morning I began of list of “must do now.”  I was fortunate to have a team of fabulous women, I had worked with in the past, who worked over the weekend to get my blog back online.

It’s going to be okay.

The night of the blog hack was devastating until I remembered I had something the hackers didn’t delete permanently.  I had backup copies of all of my blog images. Every single one. Because a few years ago I upgraded my Dropbox account to store all of my RAW images from every barn door project, master bath update, sugar cookie dough pictures.

It’s going to be okay.

I knew the images were the most important thing I needed at that moment. Why? Because the images jogged my memory of favorite projects. And, the reality was the bulk of the photos were pretty crappy from the earlier days of the blogs. Which empowered me to either edit the photos or delete them and back new photos.

the blog images

The images jogged my memory for my favorite posts. Although the posts (data tables) got hacked, the words and stories around those posts can be recreated. Photos trigger our memories and thoughts; our steps and processes and our emotions. Hackers can’t take away the feelings and emotions attached to our photos.

Like this photo. I may have lost the post about the day I found this leaking from my main floor closet, but the image reminds me of the, “What in the h*&&” is that leaking from the closet.

It’s going to be okay.

I’m just getting started! Literally!

PS This shot of Olive from Little Miss Sunshine is what I looked like when I was eight years old, except I didn’t get glasses until fifth grade. If you have not seen Little Miss Sunshine it was one of those quirky movies about all types of families. In the beginning of the movie, I thought it took place in the early 1980’s, but the cell phones gave it away.

Source: LIttle Miss Sunshine

If you are reading this it means my blog IS back up and running, but it might look like I have been blogging for a few months, rather than years. Thanks for stopping by and please visit. I need traffic and comments!

Oh and here’s my new logo!

 

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Organize the Paint Cans

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Can you believe it’s the middle of July? I know we are nearing a new school year by the length of my to do list.

My urge to purge is at an all time high this time of year. One of the areas we tackled this month was our garage. It was time to organize the almost empty paints cans.

Organize the Paint Cans

We knew it was time to organize the paint cans when I found this leaking from inside the closet. When I first saw it I thought we had some toxic blob coming to life from the other side of the door. I held an informal contest on Instagram to guess the substance. The comments were funnier than reality.

Back Story 

In a rush to put away a step ladder, the ladder slipped and the black paint took the fall. I had at least three cans of paint stacked in the closet.

It turns out one of us doesn’t always secure the lids to the can.

That spill was a messy lesson to get the paint cans organized.  

what in the heck

We had paint cans in our garage and we longer had that paint color on our walls. We had paint that was long past its liquid form.  To organize the paint, I removed ALL the cans and sorted the almost empty paint cans. I had labels and mason jars for the cans with just enough paint to save for touch ups or future color matches.

We had a dozen of quart size paint cans with just enough paint to save.  I still have nightmares about my chalk paint project from two years ago. But I keep the chalk paint can just in case…


That’s kind of the thing about storing paint in glass jars. It’s a visual reminder of past paint projects and those just in case future paint jobs.

storage idea

Organize the Paint Cans

Can we all admit everything looks better in a mason jar? The glass jars line up nicely and the colors look pretty on the shelf. The size of the jar makes touch ups more manageable. Here’s  a great way to organize the finished mason jars. I shared the same idea to contain the clutter under the sink. The storage idea works well in the garage too!

And, now I remember to secure the lid with a “righty tighty” grip.

mason jars

Organize the Paint Cans

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Gift Wrap and Gift Wrap Organizer | Favorite Finds Friday

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Hi Everyone

You know the funniest thing about my obsession with gift wrap? I don’t need rolls of gift wrap to wrap a 1.5″x2″ piece of plastic (aka: gift card). Well, I hope for a comeback of the thick, glossy paper with fun prints.

gift wrap finds

I find my rolls at HomeGoods and TJ Maxx. My stores either have an entire aisle devoted to paper and stationery products or the employees stash it up front so you can grab a roll while in line. That aisle or bin gets me every time. You know why? Because there is always a roll with a fun print on it that I must have just in case.

And, the gift wrap at the discount stores is so cheap I plan to some really cool project with the lime & lemon wrap or the too cute bicycles. I’m all ready to send my son Denver Bronco wrapped care packages this fall when he heads off to college. But until inspiration or gift giving season hits, I am technically a hoarder.

I love the bow ties! I wrapped all the graduation gifts for my sons’ friends in the bow tie paper! I used it for Father’s Day too! So maybe the hidden lesson here is to find the perfect gift, for that special event so I don’t resort to the plastic card!

Oh, and check out my favorite gift wrap organizer from the Container Store. So at least my gift wrap obsession is contained. What do you find at Home Goods that gets you every time?

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Under Sink Storage Solution

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We all have our secrets. It’s okay, sometimes secrets protect our image. Here’s a secret I kept  under my kitchen sink. It taunted me on a daily basis; threatening to blow the lid off my secret.  Eventually, the weight of the secret was too much to hide. Today I want to share a life changing under sink storage solution.

The best part of this under sink storage solution is it works in any room with a sink.  And, it doesn’t require power tools.

Under Sink Secret

Under sink storage solution

The space under my kitchen sink pretty much always looked like the clearance section at HomeGoods with the half filled contents of cleaning supplies. That is until I pulled a Lazy Susan from the donation box as a potential under sink storage solution.  Who doesn’t own and/or love a Lazy Susan?

under sink storage solution 

Unfortunately, the Lazy Susan was a one week winner in our pantry.  My kids took Susan for a spin like a roulette wheel in Vegas. It was too much for Susan to handle.

But the Lazy Susan  was the perfect size to fit under my corner shaped cabinet that contains both the kitchen sink and the cleaning supplies. Two of life’s necessities.

before

And, the the moment when I took Susan for a test run and all (most) of the cleaning supplies stayed on board and cleared the plumbing pipes.

Under the Kitchen Sink Storage Idea

This under sink storage solution changed my life! It cleaned up the dreaded cleaning supplies and sponges. It was a place for the rarely used, but “might just need” cleaners from Home Goods.  How many of you know what I am talking about in the cleaning aisle at Home Goods?

under the sink storage solution |

Under the Sink Storage Idea

 

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My blog was hacked

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HI there

It’s hack-palooza on my blog this weekend.  That’s the term I used to shine a little humor on my blog’s social status. My blog was hacked on a random day in the middle of the week.

blog hacked

Details to follow, but I have a team of fabulous women who are at work to get my blog design and hosting on board.

I lost everything! My file backups were corrupted too. I tried to save it. At one point when I thought I found a 2015 backup, I was excited. That was my last blog overhaul date. But, in a matter of seconds, that data table was lost too.

But, what doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger. And, in light of last week’s event in Manchester, it’s all about perspective.

** FILE ** In this file photo, provided by 20th Century Fox, actress Abigail Breslin appears in the film, “Little Miss Sunshine.” (AP Photo/20th Century Fox)

starting over

Stay tuned… I’m just getting started… literally!

 

laura

 

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