DIY 4-of-26: Desk Organizer

At the beginning of the month I posted about my project that resulted in a clean/clear desk for my husband! Today, I thought I would share how I made the desk organizers that made it all possible so that you can make your own.

Here are your supplies:

Supplies:

• Picture Frame/Cork Board/Window with a shelf (This may be the most difficult thing to find. You just need something with a flat surface on the back and a shelf. You could use an old window if it has a ledge...that would be super cute! Good luck finding something...garage sales or Goodwill would be perfect places to scavenge!)
• Chalk
• Office Supplies (Whatever you need: Rubber bands, paper clips, pens/pencils, etc)
• Ribbon
• Sand
• Candle
• Tape
• Paint Brush
• Chalkboard Paint
• Mason Jars (These are becoming more difficult to find as they are popular in home decor right now, so I decided to buy mason jars with jam in them, then you get a yummy treat too!)
• File Folders
• File Folder Holder (A basket works well too!)

#1: If you are using jam jars like I did, fill the jar with really hot water and submerge it in a container of hot water to soak off the label. If you think ahead and do it the night before it is a wonderful idea, but I am never that on top of things so about a half hour or so will suffice!

#2: Paint the back of your cork board/window/picture frame/etc with the chalkboard paint and allow to dry for 24hours. Then rub the entire painted surface with the side of a piece of chalk and wipe it off.

#3: After your jars have soaked remove the labels, wash, and dry. You may have to use a pan scrapper to remove it cleanly. Allow to thoroughly dry.

#4: Use the tape to tape off an area that you want painted on the jars or simply free-hand any shape. I found once I started that free-handing was much easier.

#5: Apply several coats to make sure the paint is thick and even. Then allow to dry over night.

#6: Rub the painted surfaces with the side of a piece of chalk and wipe clean.

#7: Fill your jars with the office supplies you need most accessible and write the names on the front. I filled one jar with sand and put a candle in it for decoration and a pop of color. In the others I put rubberbands, paper clips, and pens/medical supplies!

#8: Now comes the fun part...decorate your chalkboard however you please! We put one of our favorite verses on ours. I have seen cute calendars, appointment reminders, or shout outs to the special birthday person of the house! The best part of decorating with chalk is it is not permanent so enjoy exploring your creative side with the knowledge if you screw it up big time you and just wipe it off and know will ever know and change up your boards frequently.

Here it is all together! If you want directions for the file folders just click the link and complete your organization masterpiece!!! Hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. To those of you who have served our country, a heartfelt thank you!

NYC International Food Festival

With the beautiful weather this weekend in New York and the week of rain clouds on the horizon Devin and I decided to get outside while we had the chance! Devin overheard a nurse chatting about the International Food Festival and he suggested we try it out. It was not as "foody" as I had expected but we were able to find some decedent treats and thoroughly enjoyed the sounds (live music), smells (a myriad of foods), sights (so many people and vendors), and shopping (so many trinkets and gadgets). Here are some pictures from outing...

I bought some white tea and pomegranate that I am very excited to try at work's twilight tea-time this week as well as some other teas and spices. After a couple scarves for my hair and colorful bracelets I was quite satisfied! Traffic was a tad snarly so we jumped off the highway to the Boat Basin Cafe and enjoyed a yummy dinner and sunset!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, let us get through this rain and to another!!! Stay tuned for some sneak-peak at the new, upcoming JJ Tulum line, I am so excited to show you!

Sun, Sand, and 'S'elebration

It is crazy to think that a week ago I was waking up to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below my Cabo, Mexcio penthouse villa…sigh! Last weekend Devin and I headed down to Mexico for his sister’s wedding. It was such a wonderful time to be with all of our precious family. Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures we snapped!

Here is the gorgeous view from our balcony!

Devin and I on the beach after the wedding.

 There was so much to do and see we were all pretty tired by the end of the trip, but what fun we had!

 My nephew stole my heart from the very beginning and he still is my number one guy. He will be three this summer and is one of the sweetest and most well behaved little ones I have seen. I am such a proud Tia JJ! This is his mama and I smoochin’ on the most handsome guy at the event.

It was a beautiful weekend for a beautiful bride. Kenzie is such a fun person to be around, her smile in infectious. She was a beautiful bride!

Thank you for sharing some of our highlights from our trip! Hope you are have a happy weekend all!

Get it Together

 This past week my husband’s desk needed a little TLC. He is so busy and I have come to ignore his messy desk, allowing the problem to get worse and worse. It is not difficult to keep a space clean if there is a place where each item belongs, it is when there is no place for things that they begin to encroach on your living space. Organizing is something I love to do for myself and others, but is so easy to do yourself too. Here are the six easy steps to get anything organized in record time. This is how I approach anything that needs to be tidied and seems overwhelming. Follow these and you will be off to a life of neatness and home that functions smoothly!

1. Go through and put away anything and everything that has a place already.

2. Look at what is left-over and start pulling out things that go together and group them…papers in one pile, pens/pencils/etc in another, and so on. There will inevitably be things that seem like misfits, just put them in a pile together until the end.

3. So now we have multiple piles of clutter that are grouped…separate those piles into two categories: 1.) things that can be visible, and 2.) things that are best stored out of site.

4. Now find storage for the things that you do not want visible. For my project that meant taking the pens/pencils/medical supplies out of the one desk draw so that I could store all the chargers/cables/wires/etc in the drawer and out of sight. I then found something to set decorative jars on and filled them with other items that are more visually acceptable in a main living space.

5. Find decorative storage. This can be difficult, especially when working with limited space. Our tiny condo does not accommodate a medical student well…it is tricky, but get creative. I made file folders to match my home décor so that all of the papers on the desk had somewhere, easily accessible, to go and yet my living space does not have to look as much like office!

6. Now comes that hard part…time to tackle that misfit pile. Ask yourself some questions: (1. Is there anything I can get rid of, either throw away or donate? (take those items out), 2. Is there anything that could be grouped with a category that I have already put away? (put them there), 3. How accessible do these remaining items need to be? (If they do not need to be accessible, then pack them away somewhere out of the way). In my scenario what was left were the things Devin uses every day: his watch, wallet, sunglasses, ID, pager, etc. The shelf organizer I made had three trays so I left one open and now he has somewhere to drop off his stuff everyday and it is ready and waiting for him in the morning when he leaves…AND his desk is still clear!

I hope these steps can help you! Just think, one step at a time, one disaster spot at a time and pretty soon you will be clutter free!!!  Tune back soon for a DIY on how to make the shelf organizer I created above the desk! Happy Day to you!

Guiltless Blackberry Cheesecake

This past week for Tea Time it was way pass time for some cheesecake! I found a recipe that sounded like a good base and then started changing things to make it unique and health...well at least as "healthy" as cheesecake can be! The result?...AMAZING! I do not believe in sacrificing flavor to save calories or fat when it comes to dessert, so I only tweak a recipe if you cannot taste the difference. The consensus at work was that no one could tell, even with the changes made in Option #2!
The dietary bottom line:
Original Recipe: With butter, eggs, cream cheese

• Cals: 245
• Fat: 15.3
• Sat Fat: 9.5
• Cholesterol: 89.3
• Sodium: 183.7
• Carbs: 21.2
• Sugar: 18.1
• Protein: 4.1

Option #1: With butter/margarine, eggs/egg whites, and Neufchatel cheese

• Cals: 207
• Fat: 11.7
• Sat Fat: 6.6
• Cholesterol: 46.7
• Sodium: 208
• Carbs: 21
• Sugar: 16.7
• Protein: 5.4

Option #2: With less sugar, butter/margarine, eggs/egg whites, and NON-FAT CREAM CHEESE

• Cals: 109.5
• Fat: 3.2
• Sat Fat: 1
• Cholesterol: 25.5
• Sodium: 190
• Carbs: 14.8
• Sugar: 12.1
• Protein: 4.5

Here is the recipe for Option#1, the variations for Option #2 are in parenthesis!!!
Ingredients:
CRUST:

• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp hard margarine, melted and combine with butter
• 3 tbsp sugar (No sugar for Option #2)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon

FILLING:

• 16 oz Neufchatel Cheese, at room temperature (Non-Fat Cream Cheese for Option #2)
• 1½ cups sugar (Scant 1cup for Option #2)
• Pinch of salt
• 1½ tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature

BLACKBERRY SWIRL:

• 6 oz blackberries (purchase another 6 oz for whole berries on the top if you want)
• 2 tbs sugar (1 tbsp for Option #2)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325˚ F and combine Crust ingredients in a bowel and stir until moist

2.  Put 1 tablespoon of crust mixture in the bottom of each lined cupcake paper and press flat (as small cups works great)
3.  Bake for 5 minutes and allow to cool

4. To make the blackberry swirl, juice the berries and combine in a bowl with sugar and set aside. (I used my juicer, but you can also put them in a blender and then strain the juice to remove the seeds)
5. For the cheesecake, beat the Neufchatel/Fat-free Cream Cheese on medium-high until fluffy, then add sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla and then beat in the eggs/egg whites one at a time while mixing and beat until smooth again.

6. Spoon approximately 3 Tbsp of the cheesecake batter over the crust, or until the batter reaches a quarter of an inch from the top. Drop 3-5 dots of the berry mixture on the batter and swirl around with a wooden skewer.

7.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cheesecake with dome upward while hot, but will sink again when removed from the oven.

8.  Place on cooling rack to cool and then refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving, top with fruit, mint leaves, or whip cream and SERVE!!!

I hope you enjoy these yummy treats, guilt free, this summer as you keep up your bikini clad selves!!!