Save My Remotes From Munchkin Techno Pirates!

How many remotes does your house have? Honestly. With all these new super techno, life saving, time wasting devices that crowd our home how is a girl with 6 children ever supposed to find the remote? ANY remote! We have TV remotes, stereo remotes, DVD, VCR, Wii, and some goofy prehistoric Pong game remote... don't get me started on travel TVs or DVD players or cameras!

So, here's a nifty idea if you have Wii paraphernalia crowding your house. I prefer the baskets but they just seem to get tangled and the mess grows over time.

Ya, something like this would be great but... you have to TRAIN you kids to put them there... and then you have to hope there are batteries inside. Why? Well, for sure this never happens in your house... but my useful remotes get pillaged for working batteries to keep the Wii remotes functioning.. or mp3 players or the new toy... whatever. I'm raising pirates... techno pirates.

Me, I'm going to find a little wall space and put some cute board there with all of the remotes super glued to the board. Kind of like one of those super huge boxes that expensive mini electronic devices are sold in to prevent shop lifting. Maybe that board will hang by retractable cording from the ceiling. I'm not sure yet but I'm brewing up a way to rescue my remotes out of what surely has become the technology Bermuda triangle of Arizona.

So now I'm dying to know... Where do ya'll put your remotes?

What's YOUR lighting style? The G.E. test...

How many light bulbs does it take to light your room?!? No joke. Light bulbs are not all the same. GE has put together a great presentation HERE to help you decide what lighting style works best in your home. Do you like bright spaces or cozy places? Maybe your style changes with the function of the room.

I just discovered GE's interactive lighting test. The test gives you room by room suggestions to help you choose the types of light bulbs that best suit your space. Not only that, there is an entire library of entertaining videos with design advice for different ways to decorate with light. Go check it out!

Is this important? HECK YA! Readers who frequent this palace should not forget that I repainted my entire kitchen because of my lousy light bulbs and the way they made the cabinets look like glow-in-the-dark green... makes me turn green just thinking about it.

Therefore... choose ye yer light bulbs... wisely.

What lighting style are you?

Nest Party... Bring'n nature inside

House Beautiful

Be my guest as you rest and see posts from the best chicks obsessed with a nest... Pleas join my Nest fest!

You'll be hard pressed to see nests with such zest and I hope you'll agree that homes are well dressed from the East to the West... all because they're adorned with repossessed nests.

Romantic Home

What? You attest? You think I'm a pest? You're unimpressed with the words I express; my ode to the nest has got you distressed? Perhaps I need a mental health test? May I suggest that you rest and ingest beautiful scenes of well adorned nests.

Romantic Home

And if you are stressed to read my self-professed best use of words I finessed, then you might get dressed and write a request to seek my arrest for creating unrest and attempts to molest the ears of my readers... they're truly the best. Please know that today I simply digressed from the compressed post I'd prepared about nests.

Please link up to your Best Dressed Nest post and show us all things Fowl you have in your house. Birds, Cages, Nests, Eggs.... How have you brought nature into your home?

Remember to link to you perma-link for the post NOT your blog address and please link back to Pretty Organized Palace so birds can fly quickly between houses. Flit over to other blogs and leave tweets to tell them how much you like their inspiration!

French Country Whimsy and Grammar

I just put whipped cream on my pickle for the first time and here I think I can talk to you about anything French. Well, judging by the fact that my solution to craving salty and sweet resulted in a frosted pickle, I may seem a bit of a Country Bumpkin (no offense to country bumpkins) ... or pregnant. I'm neither.

I'm well versed and well educated but when I blog I neither sound educated, or capable of eloquent grammar. My husband, the grammar czar, only reads my blog when I'm so full of myself that I drag him over to show what a blogging babe I am. Even then, he's more impressed that I fixed html coding by myself. He chooses to see my strengths. Good man.

I wish I could find a place to say words like ergo or serendipitous but truthfully, I'm too caught up in wondering, "When IS the right time to use those three dots (ellipse's)...? And why can't I start a sentence with and?" Still, with all of my country bumpkin grammar errors I do enjoy a good chuckle out of blogging typo's and the laid back way we womenfolk write like we talk... as we talk... how we talk... Ahhh... I need a walk!

So, a little fun here... What blogging English Grammar faux pas (umm.. that sounds French) make you laugh... or cringe when you blog hop? What makes educated Grammarians roll their eyes and hold their head when they read our blogs?

AND if you're a Grammarian, can you clarify some of these mysteries to the well educated but slightly rusty women of blogland? I'm looking for a grammar guest post. Country bumpkins are welcome to weigh in here as well... even if you live in NYC.

This has been a Continuing Education post at the Pretty Organized Palace.

Vacations: A Packing Routine for Kids

Disclosure Statement: I let my kids fail... occasionally... on purpose. There are few lessons sweeter in life than the ones taught by experience; by mistakes you make yourself and natural consequences that play out. Thus is the case with letting our children pack for themselves. The above picture looks like a suitcase that a child would pack before that child had proper training and a chance to learn from mistakes.

This is what my car looks like from my seat... only this isn't my car. I still haven't worked up to the blog fatal car post. I'm convinced ya'll would report me if you saw it in real life. Yes, I see many seats and by the beginning of our vacation, they're full of kids 'n "Stuff."

I used to stress about packing for the family... then we had baby #4 and I decided to turn my stress over to my kids. Here is how I pack for vacation with little or no stress and raise responsible children at the same time:

1. Make sure I'm a caught up on laundry the week before.
2. Assign husband to pack for himself. I pack ZERO of my HEROE'S things. Zip.
3. Make a list of every clothing item my kiddos will need.
4. Duplicate said list 5 times and deliver to each kid along with a suitcase and a deadline.
5. Tell them to put their bag by the front door when it's packed.
6. Pack baby's things.
7. Pack my things.
8. Pack food.
9. Put off packing car until husband comes home and does it for me...
10. take shower and brush teeth for the day.
11. Enjoy watching our vacation unfold as I see what my kids packed... every trip has a memory and darn it... those punk-a-noodles forget very little these days.

Nope, not my car either... getting closer. I couldn't bear to make this picture any bigger... you get a pretty good idea by just squinting... now multiply times 6 kids. Uhh.

Yes, I've seen my oldest son show up at church with white athletic socks and black dress loafers. I've seen my daughter barter for underwear from her brother (good thing he packed extra). I've laughed to see my son pack 5 pair of pants with 2 shirts for a week and laughed harder when his little brother brought a perfect list including toothbrush and toothpaste when I forgot them myself. I now have a 6 year old who forgets nothing. My kids are packing savvy and I am stress free.... almost... well... I may be seeking the unattainable with a family of 8.

Do your kids pack for vacations?

Don't forget the all things Bird Party next Monday! If you decorate with cages, nests, twigs, eggs or the like, you need to post and link up! Grab this image and tell your friends...

Home Economics 101.. Eat Beans, Make Money

1. Make Money
2. Spend Less than you Make
3. Save a Little
4. Pay Down Debt...
5. Eat Chocolate

Times are rough economically and believe me I'm putting my Home Economics 101 principles to the test... so far they involve a lot of beans which make for yummy meals and plenty for the boys to talk about at night. Levitating sheets may be my boys specialty... airing them out is my specialty.

So, do you need to jump start your home economy? Principle number 1... Make Money. Do you have a business that you want to expand? Do you want to make money? A little spending cash for your chocolate stash or fancy sash... do I need to re-hash? Would you like more exposure for your blog or business idea? I would love to have your button on the top of my page! See my ad button HERE.

Pretty Organized Palace offers ad space. This young blog started less than a year ago and is growing every week. Readership has increased each month and I work hard to post things that are helpful to families, moms and the home.

Because I'm a newbie here on the blog block, I'm offering discounted prices. Packages start at $10 and go up from there. Product reviews relevant to my readers are reasonable as well. To buy ad space click HERE.

If you are interested in product review rates email me at: PrettyOrganized{at}Gmail {dot} com

New Ads will be posted by next week!

Bird cages that Make your Heart Sing! A Party Invite

I love bird cages but admit... I have only one. ONE! One- I got for free, that's toll painted and in need of a little spruce up. My friends are another story... apparently I was a little bird brained and missed out on the bird flu that swept blogland when cage style took a turn for preferred designer decor, Nesting Place, Shabby Nest, Painted Nest, Blessed Nest.... I'll skip the rest... all are strutting their bird loving selves over blogland and we love them for it! These girls have earned themselves one of these cute cage pendants... LOVE 'em!
So, tell me... why is the bird the word these days? Why is everyone so nutty about nests? PerfectBound posted this nest parade. (I heart her nest choices) Do you have signs of birds around your house?
Yes, sigh.... I love them too. This print of vintage birdcages makes me think I could design an entire room around one canary cage...
Vintage cages are striking.... charming... and inspiring.
Cupids Charm share this garden cage....
How about an olive wood cage?
So, Calling all bird watchers... all birds of a feather and fellow vintage bird cage fanatics. Nest nuts are all flocking together here the Pretty Organized Palace today. Bird lovers everywhere are bringing their love indoors and showcasing bird decor in a fancy way.

Yes, blogland is aflutter with bird cages.... and why not? They're beautiful. So, it's time to fly to your cameras and capture your love of all things bird.

I'm hosting a Birds of a Feather party NEXT MONDAY June 29th! Come up with your most inspiring bird loving post and link up here next Monday. This should be a grand showcase of Cages through the ages, nests that look the best, and birds that don't turd... I mean... well, you can show of picture of a real bird if you like... just not the turd.

I'll be looking forward to seeing all of your designer bird decor in 1 week! Now quick, go flitter, twitter, tweet, and peep the news to all your bird loving friends!
What bird things make your heart sing?

Gussying up the Guest Bath- Again

You may want to go out and get yourself a week long emergency chunk- a- chocolate supply because your big hunk- a- man is going to be a little put out after you see this post! He may want you to stop heading over to Pretty Organized Palace... that's when you grab the chocolate and hide in the ugly bathroom- he'll have to haul out his tools to take the door off to get you out... might as well put them to work! The honey do list may stretch because....Hmmmm... don't you just want to redo that bathroom?

Okay, so have ya'll caught on that I've been whisked away by the hubby for a weekend of cooler temperatures? So, until I get back... enjoy the re-post!

Like this one?

You could do this in a weekend... right dear?

It'll take us a quick afternoon... really. I won't even complain about the football game... why don't you invite a few friends over and I'll fix ya'll something!... just a quick bathroom facelift before the guests come... please?

Ladies, if you can't get your men folk to agree this really isn't too hard.

See those neat looking cabinets?

2 hour time... not including dry time of course. Cabinets were originally walnut color... glue on a few wood decorative pieces (Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby), slap some paint on the cabinets, sand some off to reveal the ugly wood underneath, give your little lady some new jewelry... (hardware) and if you love that sealed look... seal it. Ta-Da... your Saturday project!

This beauty was easier than it looks...

The cabinets were jacked up and given some high heels and an eye catching drawer pullfor the carved wood look... you should see the cabinet they "faked Frenchy" with MDF.(see website below) Lighting on the bottom is rope lighting... yeah- after Christmas Sale item! Cabinets were 1970's cabs painted black and whitewashed with thinned down paint. More than a water closet now! Check out HGTV.com's Rate my Space best rated bathrooms for more pics! All these bathrooms are there!

As long as you have the excuse of guests coming, you might as well finangle a way to make a few capital improvements right! Now, go Pretty Organize your Palace!

Flat Panel Doors all Dolled Up

So you got the house of your dreams... only... you cheaped out and got the flat panel blah doors. Doors don't matter right? Well, if you live in a house for 5+ years, you notice the doors. My friend and I were having this discussion and so I went on the lookout for cheap solutions for blah doors.

The doors above are blah builder flat doors. Friends over at HGTV cut MDF boards in a fancy shape, sprayed them with adhesive and covered them with batting and then this fantastic toil-er-ific fabric. I'm a toile-nut. Result? New life for dead doors!
And... just because this room was so cleverly cheaply done, I had to give the tour. Cute fabric shades? Nope Roller Shades:: Roll out shades all the way and clamp to flat surface (MDF or Plywood) spray with adhesive and lay fabric over using a squeegee to get air bubbles out. Trim sides straight, dry and hang! Dang, them shades are purdy!

Okay, this baby is CLEVER. 2 exact dressers, one inverted and stacked on the other. The inside space of the dresser was removed to accommodate a TV and the drawer fronts were attached to MDF and then put back on the dresser with hinges to form a door for the newly appointed cabinet!
Great trick to renew tired furniture. And lastly, since we're back on toile... and since I've warned ya'll that I'd post this at least once a month until I duplicate something so wonderful in MY house... Here's Nester and My retirement room. Pass the iced chocolate with whipped cream?
Do you have any quick cheap fixes for flat panel doors?

A Parade of Color Schemes

I have this great identity: I'm the daughter of a paint contractor. With that identity comes great gifts: an eye for quality paint jobs, the vision to see what a room or piece will be when it is refinished, the talent to accomplish the job, and a sense for what "goes" together and what does not.
Of course, there are a few problems with this identity: a love for color... and changing it... and making sure that everything "goes"... and stalking Craigslist (I think an official restraining order has been issued, no papers served yet.)
Life to me is a big color pallet and my home is where I share my color story.
Only, what's a girl to do when she longs for light and airy and subtle one day...
and crisp and clean and stark contrast the next?
How does she live life looking at a home with one color while constantly contemplating what
another color would look like on those same walls...
... wondering IF she really could pull of blue in that room AND keep the reds and the yellows.
What if the next day I long for calm green and wispy white?
For now, this is me... This is my color story... almost. The reds, cremes with a splash of golds and khaki or green. Por favor dear readers... can I get a robins egg blue in there too?
Check out Valspar.com to "virtually paint" your room. Anyone inspired to repaint?
All pictures courtesy of Valspar.com