I spent a good amount of time this afternoon shuffling some things around in my closet-turned-office and doing some major organization. So I figured I’d share! To me, organization is sorting through paperwork and getting rid of old bills and mail, giving specific items a new home, labeling things that have been difficult to find the past few months, and of course, redecorating and hanging photos.

My closet-turned-office is already very well suited for what I need it for considering the small size of it: space for my computer (needed for blogging and design work), space for my printer, designated drawers and baskets for all of my paper and design supplies, and bright colors and images to keep me inspired when I’m in the creative zone.

I decided I really needed to label my drawers and baskets since I can’t see into them it’s difficult at times to remember which storage compartments house which materials. Since I need to draw and write everything down before I actually do it, this is what my “notes” for labeling all the storage looked like. Sheer chicken scratch, but it works to have a point of reference, and that’s all that matters!

So for the labeling of my drawers, I used this absolutely wonderful little gadget I recently purchased. It’s a 1.5″ create-a-sticker machine made by Xyron. So yes, it creates stickers out of anything under 1.5″ wide… Paper, ribbon, fabric! You simply slip the item you want to “stickerize” (made up word alert) through the machine and when you pull it out, it has an adhesive backing. As a crafty person, I don’t know how I’ve lived this long without this machine… stickers will be stuck everywhere For under $12, it’s easily one of the best purchases I’ve made this decade. The Create-a-Sticker machines actually come in a wide variety of sizes so I will most definitely look into buying a larger size in the near future to work on larger projects.

I set up a simple text document in a layout program on my laptop with all of the categories I needed to label my drawers, printed them on a curry colored cardstock, printed, cut, and “stickerized”!

When it came time to label the baskets, I punched two holes at the top of each tag and tied a piece of ribbon to the top of the basket. These baskets are up pretty high so I could never remember what I had in them… labeling definitely helps!

So as far as the actual office goes, not much has changed since I put it together at the end of last year, but I thought it needed a little jazzing up!

I did, however, spruce up the bulletin board that’s hung directly in front of me. I added some photos, clippings from magazines, and drawings as bits of inspiration. Colors, textures, photography styles, and memories that motivate me…

If you remember, when designing the space, I hung two homasote boards (very inexpensive material that can be purchased at large hardware stores) and wrapped them in yellow burlap that I bought at a fabric store to create bulletin boards. A far cheaper solution as opposed to going to an office supply store and buying bulletin boards. The last time I showed you the space these boards were empty. I decided to use the one on the left as a start to a large inspiration board…

Hi, Martha! I felt kind of weird putting a tack in her head If I had the larger Xyron machine I would have made a Martha sticker, though

And I used the bulletin board on the right door to hang some of my favorite cards customers and friends have given me, some photos, and other memories. And for the record, most of my favorite cards are from Kate… she always gives me such thoughtful cards that are not only very “me” looks wise, but she writes the sweetest most thoughtful messages in them. I think she’s a loyal Papyrus shopper for greeting cards if you want to adopt her style

The pig card on the top right says on the outside “What’s shakin’ bacon?” I obviously bought that one for myself I didn’t even look at the inside of the card for a long time after I purchased it and I belted out in laughter when I happened to notice that the inside reads “…besides your big butt”… hahaha!

Some other fun accessories are these magnetic clips that I found in the dollar bins at Target. I’m pretty in love with that dollar section, I always find pretty neat stuff on the cheap! Toss, reply, do now, and read magnets are great for sorting mail and important documents.

Since the last time I showed you my office back in November, I also added this tin trash can I once had in my bedroom… I want to say I bought it at Marshalls years ago, but it just so happened to match my color scheme perfectly I couldn’t help but relocate it!

And this pile of business cards, which is probably less than 1/4 of what I really have, are being worked into a REAL fun project for next week…

I feel like a new woman now that I can breathe in this space again and everything has it’s own place! It’s funny how little things like reorganizing and refreshing a space can really create the ultimate sense of creativity and motivation!

What inspires you to do what you love?

[Chels]

Boston.com is saying it’s 90 degrees outside (my iphone is saying 98!) but with the heat index it feels like I’m in a 350 degree oven… baking. So I made a vow to myself this morning that I wouldn’t leave the house, even to get food, so what’s in the fridge is what I’m eatin’! Let’s face it, nothing good happens when it’s this hot out. Fainting, dizzy spells, deodorant-less people… riots. I’ve kept myself parked at my desk all day. Indoors, with continuous glasses of ice water, and a fan blowing directly on my face.

When it came time to eat a late lunch this afternoon I looked in the fridge and found some lettuce, blueberries that I had to use before they went bad, and of course a fridge stocked with Athenos feta. I thought this sounded completely delicious but I obviously “had” to do some quick research just to make sure I wasn’t the only one. Or that I wasn’t going crazy in the heat thinking blueberries and feta sounded like a good idea. I found this recipe for exactly what I wanted to make on Table & Spoon, Pittsburgh’s Garden to Table Project. Feel free to use your own measurements, I sort of eyeballed everything and tasted the dressing as I made it.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• A couple handfuls of lettuce or any other greens you have on hand
• A generous portion of feta (I used the traditional Athenos crumbled feta)
• Salt and pepper

For the Dressing:

• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar (I used sherry vinegar since I had it on hand… it worked perfectly fine)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey (adds a nice touch of sweetness)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together…

And combine all of the salad ingredients.

With the dressing poured on top. Who am I kidding? It’s too hot out to dip each forkful into a separate bowl of dressing.

After taking these photos I added a small handful of dried sunflower seeds to up the crunch-factor and to get some vitamin E in my system Table and Spoon also suggests adding almonds or pecans.

This Athenos Change for the Feta challenge is giving me some great excuses to dilly dally in the kitchen and find some new and creative recipes and flavor combinations! Yet another go-to salad was created this afternoon and this basic dressing is one I’ll definitely be creating all the time. So simple, fresh, and refreshing to cool me down on this scorcher of a day!

[Chels]

Cambridge, of course, is right next to Boston and super easy to get to. But for some reason, I don’t get over there as much as I’d like to. It takes forever on public transportation and parking can be a bit tricky, so dining on the “other side of the river” doesn’t happen as much as I’d like it to. Because, heaven knows they have a TON of amazing restaurants.

The Taste of Cambridge was the perfect opportunity for us to try samplings many of them. And the Charles Hotel was the PERFECT place to hold an event like this.

The more of these types of events we go to, the better we get at navigating them. It’s seriously an art! There’s so much food and it’s easy to get really full, really quickly. We generally like to hit up the restaurants we haven’t yet had the chance to visit. We try to stay away from chains and we take it slowly and pace ourselves. And stay away from too much alcohol near the start of the event– Not only for obvious reasons, but because it’s seriously difficult to hold a plate and full drink, while trying to eat, take photos, and navigate the crowds!

Tory Row is one of those restaurants I’ve been hearing about forever, but have never stopped by. But when I tasted the chilled asparagus soup with poached lobster, I fell in love. It was thick and creamy with generous pieces of lobster. This would be a fabulous start to a meal and fitting that it was the first thing we indulged in for the evening.

As you can see, Tory Row serves breakfast 7 days a week, too. I kind of want to try the jalapeno chicken sausage.

Next up? We spotted lobster rolls from the West Side Lounge and I knew I couldn’t pass them by.

This was a pretty fabulous lobster roll! I have to say it was a tad bit salty, BUT I loved that it didn’t have a whole lot of mayo in it and was pretty much pure (and delicious) lobster meat.

And, we learned about West Side Lounge’s Monday night special. All summer long, you can get 2 lobster rolls, house-made chips, and slaw for only $12.95. Yes, $12.95! I definitely need to make it there very soon. Who’s coming?

And yes, the house-made chips were awesome.

Next up? Basha Cafe. I’ve been to Basha before, but it’s been a while and their offerings looked pretty tasty.

Chels and I split a beef kebab and some rice. I definitely could have eaten more, but I knew it would be smarter to save room. Guess I’ll have to return to Basha for more!

I’ve actually never heard of Amelias Trattoria and their dish looked quite interesting.

It was a type of arancini with basil, fontina cheese, and panko. I loved the presentation; it reminded me of something fun you’d get at the fair! It was delicious, but a tiny bit dry. However, I always remind myself it must be nearly impossible to cook food for events like this… SO much food that you have to transport. It can’t be nearly as good as it would be in the restaurant, hot from the kitchen!

Amelia’s menu looks pretty interesting, so I’d love to get there some time in the future.

Oh, Harvest. I’ve only had the pleasure of dining at Harvest once as an adult, but it was an amazing experience. And one that I’d like to repeat over and over again. I’ve been pretty obsessed with all things lamb lately, so I was immediately drawn to the lamb sausage slider.

Yup, it was awesome. In fact, I seriously wish I had a full-size sandwich for lunch right now. I highly recommend dining at Harvest if you want a really wonderful experience in Harvard Square. The restaurant is kind of tucked away, dimly lit, quiet, country-like and romantic. Basically everything I want after a crazy day in the city.

Right after Harvest, we headed to Bambara’s table, where I indulged in some sort of bruschetta with figs and proscuitto, which is pretty much a dream come true for me. I love the salty/sweet combination! I also noticed they have warm lobster sliders on the menu, making Bambara a future must for me.

Then we spotted Grafton Street! The first thing I said was, “there’s no way I could eat corn on the cob at an event like this.” And it’s true. I’m one of those brats who needs my corn cut off the cob for me (thanks Dad!). And if I chowed down last night? I wouldn’t have been able to smile for any photos.

But I still had to take a couple photos because Grafton Street is where Chris and I first met And so, it will always have a very special meaning to me. I think it’s our goal to go back for all our anniversaries.

Plus, the corn was just so pretty! And if the employees working the table had offered to cut it off the cob for me, I totally would have indulged.

From these photos, it doesn’t look like the Taste of Cambridge was too crowded, but it really was!

We spent a good amount of time hanging out with the lovely Julia Rappaport and her hilariously awesome friend Jon.

East Coast Grill is one restaurant I CANNOT even believe I still haven’t been to. My dad talks about it all the time as he’s a huge Chris Schlesinger fan and I’ve heard nothing but awesome things about it. I tried to make reservations for the restaurant’s last “Hell Night,” but they filled up amazingly fast, so I’m looking forward to making it to the next one (I hope!).

For now, I was content trying their pork tacos, which were pretty delicious and super flavorful. I could definitely eat a plate-full!

We were wandering by Hungry Mother’s peanut butter sorghum sandwich cookies and I had to grab one. OMG. These were like the Girl Scout’s Do-Si-Dos cookies, but about a million times better. And so satisfying. I NEED the recipe. Or I just have to go to Hungry Mother for a few more. Delicious!

Of course, we stopped by to see our good friends over at the How2Heroes table. I didn’t even take any photos of their beautiful dessert display because we were immediately bombarded by shots. Jello shots. Alcohol-free jello shots, at that. So, why was How2Heroes forcing jello shots upon us??

Well, they were 5-alarm ghost pepper jello shots. In case you don’t know, ghost peppers are otherwise known as the hottest peppers in existence. Not ones to turn down a challenge, Chels and I signed the waivers (yes, waivers!) and prepared to down the jello shots. How2Heroes took this shot of us looking thrilled (and semi-nervous) for the challenge:

OK, yeah, we were pretty nervous. And yes, I’m double fisting (Chris loves anything super spicy, so I grabbed one to take home for him). Thank you so much to Megan of Delicious Dishings for catching some fabulous action shots of us!

OK, let’s go!

Well we downed, part of them anyway. These were HOT. Like one of the hottest things I’ve ever eaten, and I love spice. But really, it was more of a pleasant type of hot… Which I’m obviously saying after the fact. Check out my expression in the below photo.

I guess that says it all. By “pleasant” I mean, it was kind of cinnamony-tasting. But our mouths were BURNING and Lynne kindly handed us frosting shots and milk. Yes, a good chaser for too hot jello shots is a frosting shot. Who knew? Now you do.

Now can I get my invitation to East Coast Grill’s Hell Night, please?

By the way, Julia’s friend Jon downed the entire shot without flinching. It made me feel like kind of a wuss.

We wandered around a bit more after that excitement and checked out a huge dessert display. The cupcakes from Lyndell’s looked absolutely scrumptious, but I was too full.

Too full for a cupcake? I can’t even believe I just said that. Kind of regretting it today.

But Chels did grab a super cute, super mini ice cream cone!

OK, I lied. I wasn’t too full when I saw the beautiful-looking strawberry rhubarb crisps from Henrietta’s Table– another Cambridge restaurant I really, really need to make it to.

Especially after hearing from Julia how delightful these desserts were.

We could not turn them down. And I’m SO glad we didn’t. This might just be the best “crisp” I’ve ever had. I wanted to snag the whole table. Even though I was incredibly full at this point.

I’ve always known that Cambridge has an absolutely wonderful dining scene, but last night proved it to me even more. And made me want to head across the river for dinner every night. We had so many amazing dishes and really, I’m not sure which restaurant I want to make my first stop!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Cambridge?

[Sues]

Seriously. We consumed A LOT of beer. But not even close to everything the fest had to offer. Let’s be honest, there’s no way I could have tried all the beers I wanted to (I’d need a good 2 weeks and several gallons of water). But I’m going to tell you about a bunch of my favorites that I did get the chance to try.

I’ve been to Cambridge Brewing Co. a few times and have always loved their beer. But I never tried the Colonel. It’s definitely one I’ll be ordering the next time I’m there… It was almost a bit barley wine-ish (which I love!). I mean, how could I not be obsessed with a beer claiming to have “farmhouse funk”? Maybe that doesn’t sound appetizing to everyone, but to me? Heaven!

Pretty Things is one of my very favorite brewers (and local too!). I absolutely love Baby Tree and Fluffy White Rabbits, but had never tried Field Mouse’s Farewell, their goodbye to spring beer. I’m definitely a fan. I love that it’s described as being full of grains- “Rye, Oats, Wheat and Barley. Like what a mouse would eat.”

Pretty labels, delicious beer, and the best beer names… What’s not to love?

I feel like everyone is drinking Allagash White this year. Well, what about Allagash Black (Bourbon Barrel!!)? We were a little disappointed not to get the Fluxus 2010 chocolate stout, but this was an awesome substitute. It was still super chocolatey and a great beer to sip on and slowly enjoy.

Another one of my top brewers is Ommegang. I absolutely love their Three Philosophers and couldn’t bring myself to try something new at their booth. It had been a long time since I last had it and was dying for another sip. This beer has the fabulous combination of dark chocolate and cherry cordials. Yum!

Another longtime favorite brewer (and may have won for having the longest line that I saw on Saturday) is Dogfish Head.

I went for something I had never tried – My Antonia (also, an excellent book!). It’s described as a “continually-hopped imperial pilsner” and it’s actually way up there with my Dogfish Head favorites. Though not quite as high as the Sah’tea I first tried at last year’s Beer Fest.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Rock Bottom Brewery as a restaurant. I guess it’s just that if I’m in that area, I’m going to go to one of the billion other amazing restaurants before I’m going to get chain-like food there. BUT they just introduced me to what might be my favorite beer EVER! Shocking, I know.

It’s called Cinco de Mayo Lager and it’s actually brewed with fresh jalapenos!!! Amazing! So, this beer isn’t for anyone, but if you’re a lover of all things spicy, you will be obsessed with this. All I could think about was getting a huge plate of nachos and sipping on this beer sitting somewhere in the sun. And being in absolute heaven.

Can this be bottled and sold?? Does Rock Bottom do that?? I don’t know, but they should. Actually, they need to because I can’t live without it!

Chris and I are here in love with with our newfound favorite beer!

Beth and Adam are enjoying some beer as well

But wait. Here’s another brewery I thought i knew everything about. Harpoon Brewery. But check out their summer beer. It has candied ginger in it!!! Hello. As you probably know, this is a dream come true for me. The beer they poured me was a tad bit warm, but if it had been colder, it would have been AMAZING.

Of course, you could put ginger on anything and I’d probably love it. But I just find it so refreshing and fabulous. Perfect for summer.

I’m super happy to have a beer with ginger!

Rogue Brewery is another long-time favorite of mine. I really, really wanted to try the Chipotle Ale listed in the book, but they didn’t have any when I got to their table. So, I settled for the Hazelnut Brown. But settled is the wrong word because I really, really enjoyed it. It almost tasted like dark iced hazelnut coffee, which is absolutely delicious.

Right when we got to Southern Tier’s booth, we ran into the lovely Elina of Healthy and Sane. It was great seeing her as always and isn’t her dress adorable??

I’m a long-time fan of Southern Tier Brewery and I love pretty much everything I’ve had from there. Ever.

But I never tried their Back Burner before. This was definitely one of my favorites of the day! Of course, I’m a sucker for barley wines and I could definitely see myself spending an evening with this. I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle.

Chris and Adam enjoyed Southern Tier as well.

Cisco Brewery, in Nantucket, is a brewery I’ve known about and seen forever, but I don’t know if I’ve actually ever tried anything from them. It was fruity and summery and while it was lighter than beers I usually go for, I really enjoyed it.

From one island to another, Offshore Ale Co. is located in Martha’s Vineyard.

And they offered an awesome barley wine (do you see a theme here with me? When I’m given the opportunity to try new beers, I often go for the barley wine).

We made sure to stop by Goose Island’s booth since they’re from Chicago (Adam’s home and Beth’s for many years!). The Bourbon County Stout was another one of my favorites. This ACBF definitely helped me discover I have a love for bourbon beers.

Blue Hill Brewery had a watermelon beer that was right up there with 21st Amendment’s watermelon beer. In other words, so so good and absolutely perfect for sipping in the summer.

After we were done with all our tasting, we stopped for a photo opportunity! I love having such a fabulous family… and a brother-in-law who gets along so amazingly with my boyfriend.

We headed straight for the North End where Chris and Adam recreated the same exact photo they posed for last year.

By this point, were absolutely starving, so we stopped at Ristorante Fiore in the North End to get some appetizers. We had the Antipasto Rustico (and gobbled up the delicious cheese and meat before I even thought to snap a photo). The seafood platter was also out of this world. I could have eaten 4 of them myself. The roofdeck at Fiore is amazing and it was the perfect day to sit up there (almost a little too hot!).

Then we headed over to one of our favorite spots in the city, Giacomo’s! We had to wait over an hour in line (not the first time we’ve done it), but we were well-rewarded when we finally sat down. The fried calamari at Giacomo’s is to die for. Definitely some of the best in Boston.

I had one of the specials for my meal. It was lemon tagliatelle with shrimp, sundried tomatoes and escarole. The pasta was SO fresh. Actually the whole dish was. And I had plenty to take home with me.

Chris and Adam both had the lobster ravioli, which are a definite favorite.

And my sister had the lobster with homemade fusilli special.

Fabulous beer, awesome food, and the best people. What else could I ask for? A good night’s sleep. Which is exactly what I got when I got home from the crazy day. Sunday was definitely filled with relaxation, too. OK, and a Sassy Coworker cocktail and lamb sliders from Coolidge Corner’s Regal Beagle (both HIGHLY recommended!).

I’m always up for trying new beers, so tell me what your absolute favorites are and maybe I’ll pick some up to try this summer!

And don’t forget to book your appointment at Salon Marc Harris for a massage and/or facial. If you mention WANM, you get 20% off… You won’t regret it and you’ll feel like heaven for days after

[Sues]

I’ve been getting massages for quite some time, typically treating myself on my birthday (and half birthday, ahem), and they’ve always been just okay. I’d never actually been blown out of the water, amazed, “I need to do flips and cartwheels because that was perfect” by any massages I’d received. They were relaxing, yes, but never “kept” and my muscles would resort to their old stiff ways shortly after. And then there were facials. I’d never even gotten a facial before last Friday, because quite honestly they made me a tad nervous. I’d always heard stories about people breaking out and I was satisfied with how my face looked so “if it aint broken, don’t fix it”, right?

Wrong.

As we entered Salon Marc Harris, off the busy and hectic, suit and tie streets of the Financial District, it was an automatic escape from the chaos. We actually jogged to the salon once we got off the train since we were running a little behind schedule

The feel of the salon was definitely urban-chic. Exposed beamed ceilings, white brick walls, lots of modern lighting and leather furniture. We still very much felt like we were in the heart of our lovely Boston…

… until we stepped into the spa area. It was so quiet, smelled something like a garden, and was pure tranquility. The private locker room was breathtakingly immaculate. We stored our belongings in the lockers, hopped in our plush robes and sandals, and waited for our appointments to begin.

We were visibly excited….

Check out the “aim”! Woops. HA!

Anthony Stamp, the massage therapist, and Beatrice, one of the aestheticians, came upstairs to greet us and show us to our rooms. While Sues was getting her facial with Beatrice, I got my massage from Anthony. Before he began, he asked how I was feeling and what areas trouble me (my back and shoulders is where I hold ALL of my stress!). He decided to do a firm pressure massage with a focus on my back and shoulders. Sounded perfect to me. Okay, so yes this was a complimentary massage, and yes, all Sues and I did was leave tips, but our opinions are 100% honest… we would and will never lie or exaggerate to you, our readers. So here goes: This was by far the best massage I’ve ever received. In my life. As in, as long as I live in the city of Boston I most likely will not see another massage therapist. And if I move to another city I will pack Anthony in my moving van.

The massage was not only was therapeutic but it worked all of my problem areas (it’s a week later and my shoulders and back still feel great and fluid), rhythmic, and everything down to the last detail was well thought out. There was stretching involved. It was seamless. A lot of times I’ve gotten massages at other places (which are far more expensive than Salon Marc Harris… more on that in a bit) and I can hear the massage therapist a) breathing heavily, b) bustling around the room searching for goodness knows what c) squirting handfuls of lotion out and d) breathing again. I’m not into the loud breathers. It was like the lotion magically appeared in Anthony’s hands… I couldn’t even hear it. Maybe that’s not a huge deal when looking for a massage therapist, but when I’m spacing out in full relaxation mode I really don’t want to hear anything except the meditation-like tunes coming from the speakers.

Once the massage was over (sad face), and Sues was finished with her facial, we met back up in the spa’s lounge area to wait for our next service. When we first saw each other we both looked so relaxed and just said “hiiiiiiiii” in the softest, most mellow tones. We were on cloud 9. We chatted for a few minutes about our services then swapped places.

Now for the facial from Beatrice. As I entered the room I told Bea (we’re buddies now), that I’d never even had a facial, I told her what my concerns were, and that I have very sensitive skin and was afraid of breaking out. She put me at ease and talked to me for a bit about her longstanding experience and the gentle but effective product line they use, which ultimately made me feel better. Since I’d never had a facial before I don’t have anything to compare this to but it, too, was out of this world. Lots of steam, masks, and two ice cold globe-like spheres were incorporated into the massage portion of the facial. There was also a foot massage incorporated, so yeah. Beatrice was so friendly and explained everything she was doing since it was my first time. Every question I had, she immediately answered with confidence. Not only do facials help give you that glowing look, they also aid in blood circulation, hydrate the skin (mine was a bit dehydrated!), and help relax facial muscles which ultimately slows the formation of wrinkles in the face. And a week later, I’m happy to report that my skin still feels hydrated and soft.. and was breakout free! I purchased a couple products at the salon to continue the upkeep… a face wash with exfoliating beads, and a face lotion to use after showering, so I’m sure that’s helping with the maintenance.

I’m sure by now, you’re wondering how much these services would cost. Both the 50-minute massage and 50-minute facial are priced at $90 each! I almost fell out of my chair when I heard the price, especially the massage, considering for the past handful of years I’ve been spending well over $100 for mediocre massages. This was a phenomenal experience that left us both feeling refreshed! After the appointments were over, I may or may not have said to Sues “If I could do cartwheels I’d do one right now”…

And here’s the good news: The staff at Salon Marc Harris wants to extend a special offer to you! For all We are not Martha readers who are first-time clients at Salon Marc Harris, when you call and book your massage appointment with Anthony or your facial appointment with Beatrice at their Financial District location, you will receive 20% off your service! Just mention you’re a WANM reader and you’ll be on your way to a glowing face and completely soothed and relaxed muscles!

Salon Marc Harris
125 Broad Street
Boston
617.443.8633

Anthony David Stamp is a graduate of the Boston Shiatsu School as well as The Muscular Therapy Institute. He has over 15 years experience and has treated over 15,000 since the starts of his healing work. He is the primary therapist for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the Boston Opera House and the Wang Center. His reputation in the healing community is a strong one and he remains highly recommended by his long-standing clients. He is sought after by many well-known actors when they are visiting the Boston-area. His clients’ health and healing goals are of the upmost importance to him. His dedication to his clients shines through in all his sessions.

Happy Friday, happy weekend, and Happy Father’s Day!

[Chels]

For some reason I’m on everyone’s mailing lists! Besides the fact that I subscribe to a million and one magazines, I get so much junk mail for some reason. It’s to the point where I just toss my mail on the top of the bookshelf when I walk in the door and it piles up sky high. I pay the majority of my bills online but I still receive the paper copy for some of them, too (waste of paper). I need to take a few minutes to opt out of the paper bills if I’m paying them online!

The presentation was held at the Waban Library Center (which is adorable and has Free Wifi, by the way.. or “b.t.dubs” as my brother would say!). The event was actually hosted by Discovering What’s Next which is an organization for retirees but I didn’t shy away. Needless to say, I was the youngest one there Although it got me thinking, how lovely would it be to retire at age 26?! Dreams…

MJ touched upon some really interesting topics about organizing your mail and paper. Things you know you should be doing but might not have a proper system down.

MJ’s 5 D’s to success:

Determining. Figure out where you want to process your mail. Whether it be your office, kitchen, foyer… be consistent and use the same location every time the mail comes. It builds muscle memory. Once you’ve created a dedicated space for processing your mail, make sure you have all of the proper tools. Staplers, files, shredder, pens, post-it notes, stamps, and whatever else you need to make your sorting successful.

Do it Daily. Your mail comes 6 out of 7 days a week. Each day decide while processing the mail if it goes in a “holding box”, where you will later process and make decisions, or in the trash. An example of something that goes in the “holding box” could be a wedding invitation you have to rsvp to but you still have to check your calendar to see if you’re available. It’s something that can’t be decided immediately until further action is taken.

Decide. What do you really need?

Dump the Junk. While sorting and deciding what goes in the “holding box” get rid of any and all junk mail. Credit card offers, catalogs, real estate flyers, coupons for diapers and baby formula (yes, I somehow managed to get myself on a Huggies mailing list). One woman in the crowd commented that she gets rid of the “innards” of credit card bills. Coupons, advertisements, perfume samples and just keeps the statement. You don’t need everything in the envelope. Some helpful websites to remove your information from junk mail lists are: optoutprescreen.com, catolgchoice.org, and dma.org.

Dedicate. If you’re not used to sorting through your mail in a systematic way, dedicate the time and effort into creating a system that works for you. Make use of your down time!

One of my favorite things MJ said was “clutter is postponed decisions.” It’s so true! Every time I have a cluttered space I know that I need to sort through it but sometimes it can be overwhelming or a timely task so I put it off… and put it off… and put it off some more! Tackle the clutter before it happens! Another question MJ challenged us to think about: why do you hold onto certain things? Especially when it comes to mail and receipts. Be discriminating about what you keep. It’s 2010 and most things are online and a lot of stores can even pull up your recent purchases just by swiping your credit card without a receipt. Often times credit card bills can be tossed immediately after paying the actual bill. I was always taught to hold on to bills for 3 months but I was also taught this way before the internet and bill paying were at the place they are today. If you’re not comfortable with tossing bills immediately after paying them, wait for the bill to post to your checking account and then toss. Once it’s posted you have proof it was paid. This is obviously a situational subject so ask an accountant for specifics on what to keep and when to get rid of it!

I’m always so curious to pick the brains of highly organized people so, naturally, I asked MJ a few questions about her business, how she got started, and inquired about the driving force behind her success:

My goal has always been to help people overcome disorganization and create systems which are organized, functional, and aesthetically pleasing!

I have seen and experienced first hand the benefits of becoming organized – and how it helps people regain control of their lives, saves them money and shows them how they truly can be more productive.

All of this chat about organization obviously got me wondering: What stylish home solutions are out there? So I turned to The Container Store, where I turn whenever I need a boost of organizational motivation, and selected some favorites! I’m long overdue for a dedicated and organized mail station so these are some of my top picks (I sense a project happening this week!):

Synchronicity Stockholm Letter Sorter ($5.99 each)

Transcend Letter Sorter Bamboo ($14.99)

Premium Cube Mail Center ($337.00) A bit of a splurge (and I don’t have anywhere to put it) but the idea is nice!

Bristol Office Storage Boxes ($16.99 each)

Bristol Desktop File ($24.99 each)

Brocade Desktop File ($19.99)

Bamboo Desktop File ($29.99 each)

Semikolon Document Box Spring Collection ($17.99 each)

And because no home organization project is complete without fun file folders, duh.:

Bloom Letter-Size Interior File Folders, Package of 6 ($5.99 each)

•••

A huge THANK YOU to MJ for providing me with some very useful and insightful information, tips, and tricks to better organize my paper goods! If any of you are looking into a home or office organizational consultant MJ is full of contagious passion and honesty to help you succeed!

What do you do to organize your mail and paper goods? Do you have a religious routine? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants and do something different each time the mail comes?

[Chels]

Of course, I already had my favorite spots picked out in Oqunquit, but I still asked our Twitter followers for their advice. Not surprisingly, their favorites were pretty much the same as mine! It was a beautiful day on Saturday and Chris and I decided to drive right to Perkins Cove and have lunch at Barnacle Billy’s, an all-time favorite of mine.

(photo from Travel.Webshots.com/rainingviolets)

Everyone on Twitter was raving about their rum punch, so we made sure to order some right away. It was delicious! And just the thing for sitting on the deck in the sun.

I SO needed this day with how crazy my schedule has been lately (actually, I could use a whole week of it, but that will have to come another time)!

Now, we already had plans to go to my parents’ house for a lobster dinner that night, but we still couldn’t resist. I mean, we were in Maine, after all! Chris ordered a whole lobster.

And I ordered the lobster roll. Barnacle Billy’s SERIOUSLY has the best lobster roll I’ve ever had. OMG I am still dreaming about it as we speak. It was FILLED with fresh lobster meat, not too much mayo, and the bun was perfectly toasted. Everything about it was just heaven.

I’m sure the view (and the smell of the ocean) helped the food taste even better. We sat on the deck for a couple hours before heading out to explore more of Perkins’ Cove.

Of course, we made sure to walk the Marginal Way, one of my favorite parts of Ogunquit.

And spent a little time hanging out on the rocks. As kids, my sister and I were obsessed with climbing the Ogunquit rocks and finding all kinds of little sea creatures.

We also used to have our family Christmas photo taken on the Marginal Way every year. Ahhh memories.

We took some photos from the Perkins Cove drawbridge too.

I actually ended up putting my camera away for a while and forgetting about it. I wish I had taken more Perkins Cove photos, but in another way, it was SO nice to just enjoy the day and not be obsessed with documenting it. This place is most definitely stuck in my memory forever anyway

We HAD to stop at Perkins Cove Candies, which was my favorite place in the world as a kid. And it’s still pretty much the same these days We totally stocked up on candy!

(photo from Travel.Webshots.com/ltst1113)

On the way home, we also stopped at the Cliff House, which is where my family used to stay every year. These days it’s a hotel and spa and a bit fancier than it used to be.

But some of it still looked the same.

I’ve heard fabulous things about the spa and some day I will be able to afford a weekend away here. I love that it’s so close to Boston, but feels soo far away. A vacation that’s easy to get to is the best!

We obviously stopped at the Kittery Outlets on our way home from Maine. And then made our way to my parents’ house. Where we had… MORE lobster!!

Chris was on lobster overload… Actually, in my family we call it “lobster bliss” and it’s amazing. I’m pretty sure my cousin Tom coined that term

I also had my first corn of the season!

We hung out at my parents’ house to enjoy the sun from their deck much of the rest of the weekend and my mom made lobster salad the next day. 3 lobster meals in one weekend?!?! I was definitely in heaven!

My dad also made a non-lobster related meal, involving grilled asparagus, zucchini, and tomatoes.

Beautiful steak.

With my mom’s chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for dessert. My weekend was packed full of amazing food.

One of the funniest parts of the weekend? When we were leaving Boston Saturday morning, we came across this sign on Comm Ave:

How hilarious?!

My Memorial Day weekend was JUST what I needed. But now it’s Wednesday afternoon and I’m already ready for another getaway! Sigh. Anyone else feel this way? I love summer, but always feel like I’m so busy, sometimes I need to remind myself to stop and enjoy it. And not to stress out too much. I guess that’s what day trips and vacations are for!

My amazing lobster roll at Barnacle Billy’s has inspired me to go on a hunt for the best lobster roll in the Boston-area this summer. Do you have any favorites? It’s all I want to eat this summer!!

[Sues]

When I heard about the new Rock Paper Scissors Salon on Newbury Street, I was immediately interested. Their mission statement was EXACTLY what I wanted to hear: “We talk to every client about their look and their lifestyle before deciding what comes next. We want you to be the best version of you.” Every time I go into a salon, they say “what do you want?” I don’t know! I want you to tell me what will look good on me! Oh and “Happiness isn’t expensive so why should you pay a fortune to walk out the door happy? We hate not getting our money’s worth. We know when to splurge and where to save.” RPS believes in affordable services, so you can keep going back when you need/want to. So, I contacted the salon right away and when RPS saw WANM, they told me to come in to their newly opened salon and they’d be happy to show me what they’re all about (disclosure: RPS offered to do my hair complimentary, but I promise my readers I would never ever write about something I didn’t truly believe in… And I think the proof is in the pictures!).

Here I am before. My hair is BORING. My highlights are blah because it’s so freaking expensive to get them re-done every time I need to (and my hair grows fast!). I spend at least $250 every time I go to the salon and as a freelance writer, well, that’s just a big splurge for me that I can’t handle every couple, or even few months.

Rock Paper Scissors concept is EXACTLY for people like me. They want you to come in as often as you need to. That’s why their prices are lower than the typical salon. A haircut is $45. Which is super inexpensive for Newbury St. But what really got me was the prices for color. While I typically spend $175+ on my foils, RPS’s start at $70 and only go to $105. Single process color starts at $36. Can you say holy moly?!

The salon is located at 163 Newbury St. and I could tell I was going to like it, simply from the outside.

Inside the salon is fun and trendy… Definitely not stuffy at all. They have a sort of rock and roll theme, but it’s not overwhelming at all.

That bottom sign? It says “People do not care abut you as much as you think they do.” Which is generally very true. And a good thing to remember when you’re being overly-critical about yourself, especially when it comes to your appearance.

The colors of the salon are bright and cheery and I love the exposed brick!

Samantha was my stylist and is a “blonde specialist.” She actually spent a long time talking to me about what I wanted AND told me what she thought would look good on me. I brought in a photo to show her and she used it as “inspiration,” but wasn’t afraid to tell me what else she was thinking. I told her to run free as I trusted her pretty much right away (plus, her hairstyle was super cute!).

Even though Chels wasn’t getting her hair done, she came with me to my appointment because she was also super excited to check out RPS. And she took all the AMAZING photos. (btw BARF, look at my gross hair from the back!).

Anyway, we got started on the foils right away.

Getting foils is always such a weird experience! It seems so archaic, right?

After the foils were done, Sammy washed my hair and put toner on it. I’ve been to A LOT of salons, and I’ve never had any that have spent such care on this part of the process. Usually they wash my hair and that’s it. But I can already tell, a day later, how much a difference the toner made. When I got out of the shower this morning, my hair was SO soft, which was a nice change considering how dry it’s been lately.

My hair was super dry and unhealthy, so I definitely did not mind getting rid of quite a few inches. I let Sammy cut and cut and style and style.

And? I’m like a whole new person!

I always say I can tell a good stylist by what she does when you’re out of the chair and on the way out the door. Samantha kept looking at my hair, touching it, and eventually she made me sit back in the chair so she could do a few more finishing touches. She wanted it to be perfect and cared enough to make it that way. I love that.

My color is SO refreshed and my head actually feels so much lighter!

She also spent a lot of time showing me how to style it so I can actually do this on my own. And she even gave me tips for a more low-maintenance hairstyle so I don’t have to dry and straighten every day.

I’m obsessed with the back!

Chels took this lovely video of part of the process. Take a look if you like

The lovely salon manager, Tracey, and my stylist, Sammy. Thank you so much for everything, ladies!!

Needless to say, I am thrilled with my experience. And the fact that I got the Newbury St. salon experience, but at a much, much better price. Which means I can keep going and going and going. Seriously? I’m not going to cringe when I have to go back in 8 weeks because everything I got done will only run me $130 (!!!!!). At all other salons I’ve gone to (we’re talking OFF Newbury), my haircut and foils run me about $250+. So in case you don’t believe that I’m being totally honest here, I will definitely be going back to RPS and paying full price!

Giveaway!

One lucky We are not Martha reader is going to win a free haircut at Rock Paper Scissors Salon! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us why you need/want a new hairstyle by Friday, May 14, at 11:59 p.m. Get extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway or blogging about it (just make sure you let us know!).

But that’s not all. For all of our readers, if you call and schedule an appointment at RPS and let them know We are not Martha sent you, you’ll get a free haircut with any color service. Let me know because I might join you!

I’m seriously excited about Rock Paper Scissors and they came along at EXACTLY the right time. Earlier in the day, I actually sent out a tweet about how I needed to find a good salon. And later that afternoon RPS came along. I finally found “my salon.” And on Newbury Street, too! And? I can afford it!!

Rock Paper Scissors Salon
163 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02116
617.236.6300
www.RPSSalon.com
Twitter: @RPSSalon

[Sues]

I always longed for a job where I could just sit around and read. Which is pretty much exactly why I went to grad school at Emerson College to get my Master’s in Writing and Publishing. And while I do currently do some editing work, I became much more of a writer… and a pleasure reader.

These days, I get most of my recipes off the Internet, but I still say there’s nothing like a good old hardcover (or paperback, really) cookbook. That’s why I’ll continue getting most of Martha Stewart’s cookbooks, even though I can get every single one of the recipes online.

A long time ago, I posted about my parents’ love for cookbooks… And you can clearly see where I got my addiction from:

But I read so, so much more than just cookbooks. And I absolutely love how reading has come to the Internet and social media. People are simply talking about books more online, whether it’s sharing what they’re reading or writing book reviews. I recently joined the social networking site Shelfari, and there are even more book sharing sites, like Good Reads, where you simply share what you’re reading with your friends. I started a “what I’m reading” series on my tumblr, where I just post a photo when I start reading a new book. Like so:

I utilize my library , independent bookstores, and all they have to offer. Boston has a totally beautiful public library, along with tons of branches, making it always easy to get to one (making it somewhat confusing why I’m always paying late fees).

The awesome thing about libraries in this age? You can sit at home and add the books you want to read right from your computer. Since a lot of the books I like to read are in high-demand and are never readily available in the library, I simply request the book and wait until my library emails me to tell me I can come and pick the book up. Does it get any easier than that?

And while I admit I’m Amazon-obsessed (I have an Amazon credit card and have prime membership, 2-day shipping!), I try to shop at my local bookstore when possible. My independent bookstore of choice is Brookline Booksmith and I’ve been known to hang out here whether I’m in the market for a book or not.

My favorite thing about the Booksmith (besides the books!) is the author events they hold. And they get some pretty awesomely, huge authors. Last year Chels and I attended an event with Chris Kimball of Cook’s Illustrated where we got to listen to a presentation and meet Chris Kimball and the cast of America’s Test Kitchen. So, I urge you to check out your local independent bookstore; you never know who’s going to be there! Take advantage of it.

The future? I’m at the point now where I have way more books than I can handle. I’ve lived in the same apartment for 5 years… One of the reasons? How the heck will I ever move all my books with me? But, even now I don’t have enough room for all of them and they’re scattered all around my apartment:

School books have been sent to a storage bin. I’ll likely never read most of them again and should probably just sell or donate.

And this is exactly why I’ve been doing my best to utilize the library more. Someday I’ll have a house with a room like this (Ladders are a MUST!):

But for now, I’ve forced myself to only buy the books I need and to borrow all the others. Tomorrow, I’ll be the lucky owner of an iPad 3G (thanks to my amazing boyfriend, Chris!) which has me seriously thinking about tablet books. I’ve always been pretty against them (there’s nothing like holding a real book in your hands!), but I’ll definitely be giving them a try. And of course, I’ll report back.

I’ll also certainly be pulling up tons of recipes and uploading lots of cooking apps on the iPad and bringing it into the kitchen with me (don’t worry, Chris, I will keep the case on and won’t let oil splatter on it… Sheesh). Check out how Helen of Foodista is using hers in the kitchen:

Of course, I’ll continue buying the cookbooks I really want to have in my library. But this is going to be pretty awesome, too. I’ve heard really fabulous things about the Epicurious app and can’t wait to check it out.

How have you changed your reading style over the last few years? And more importantly, what cookbooks do I absolutely need to own? And what novel should I read next?

[Sues]

While I’m not fanatical (at all) about working out, I do try to get myself to the gym. Some weeks I’m good and others I’m not so hot. My favorite way of making up for lost gym time is walking. I walk pretty much everywhere in Boston and it’s normal for me to walk 3 miles rather than jumping on the T. Also, my sister and Adam recently moved to Boston and we’ve been motivating each other a bit. It’s a lot easier to make it to the gym when people are expecting you there!

I’m not at all an athletic person. I played field hockey and track, but it was more for the social opportunities than anything. And I’m even less of an adventurous person. Give me a glass of wine, a cupcake, and a couch, and I’m totally happy. You’ll never ever see me camping and I’m too much of a wuss to do anything crazy like white water rafting. But I’ve always loved hiking and have been thinking about finding some good Boston-area hiking spots for years now.

My sister did some research and we decided to try Mt. Monadnock. I have to admit, when she told me it was only a 4-mile hike, I scoffed a bit. “4 miles! Is it even worth going all the way out there?” We stopped by my parents’ house for a nice hearty breakfast and then were on our way to Jaffrey, New Hampshire. It was fun driving through so many Massachusetts and New Hampshire towns that I never get to. But I still thought it was silly to drive over 1.5 hours each way to hike 4 miles.

I had NO idea how wrong I was. The trails were so much tougher than I imagined. We ignored the warnings:

Actually, we didn’t see that warning. I just got that image from New England Travel Planner after the fact.

This is the beginning of the trail when everything looked pretty normal.

We had only been hiking for about 15 minutes and were still super happy!

But as we were walking, it got tougher and tougher. In fact, it was more like rock climbing than hiking trails. There were times when I’d just run up a big flat rock, hoping my sneakers would gain enough traction so I wouldn’t fall backwards. And off the mountains. We’d often have to stop and try to figure out the best path through the rocks. I was actually out of breath much of the time and we had to stop every so often to catch our breath and regroup.

There were so many times we said, “Yes! I think this is the top!” But it wasn’t. Not even close. All those stops made for pretty beautiful photo opportunities, though.

I swear we didn’t match on purpose!

When we FINALLY got to the top of Mt. Monadnock, it was SO windy, we couldn’t stay long. We were planning on having lunch up there, but we seriously couldn’t even stand without the fear we would blow over. It was kind of scary. We did manage to get a few photos in of the beautiful views.

Rumor has it, on a clear day, you can see all the way to Boston.

I’m not lying when I tell you we couldn’t stand up. We opened the backpack at one point and papers came flying out.

It was funny how many temperature changes there were. One minute I’d be sweating and sooo hot and the next I’d be freezing and desperately needing my sweatshirt.

We decided to walk down a bit and find a non-windy area to have our picnic lunch.

The descent down the mountain was much easier than going up… At first. After a little while, it got really tough on our knees and the steepness of the mountain was kind of scary. We had to maneuver our way down lots of steep, rocky areas and I was constantly worried I was going to fall or twist my ankle. My sister and I joked our necks were more sore than anything because we spent the whole hike looking down.

I wish I took more photos of the actual trail so you could see how rocky it was, but I was concentrating on staying alive most of the time that I couldn’t bother with pulling the camera out of the backpack.

Overall, we hiked for about 4.5 hours, including our stop for lunch. We were incredibly sore and tired when we finally got back, but we were also super proud of ourselves. We kept joking about how easy we thought it was going to be and how wrong we were.

My point is, it’s important to find fun ways to stay in shape. We had a blast on our hike, even if we were complaining and grumbling for long periods of time. And when we got to the bottom we felt awesome. We’re already talking about the next time we attempt Mt. Monadnock… Probably when we’re in better shape.

We were so proud of ourselves that when we got back to Boston we went to Sunset Grill and Tap and had nachos and beer. What? We deserved it! And when I got home, I sat on the couch and fell asleep with my jacket still on. I got a glorious night’s sleep on Sunday night and when I woke up on Monday, I wasn’t half as sore as I thought I’d be.

What’s your favorite fun way to stay in shape?

And if you’re in the New England area, let me know if you have any favorite hiking spots– I think we’re in the market for a new one!

[Sues]