DIY Tip: Letting Light In, But Not The View

{Left: Contact Paper "Frosty Film" used for privacy on lower portion of windows in dining room.  Upper Right: Detail of optics pattern used on the Frosty Film, Lower Right: Close-up of film showing view is totally obscured, both from the inside to out, and outside to in!}

That's a very bright and sunny window in my dining room.  You may recall that we relocated our dining room to the back of the house.  We love this location for the dining room for so many reasons, but there's one thing that bothered me ... the view of both our neighbor's and our own driveway.  Didn't think of that when planning the room swap!

See, when I peak over the window you'll notice there's a driveway about 10 feet away ...

Love the daylight that streams into this room.  Didn't want full window blinds just to obscure a view through the lower half of the window.  Also didn't want to make any permanent alterations to the window glass such as etching cream.

Solution ...

{Con-Tact Paper Self-Adhesive Frosty Film to the rescue!}

Hubby was opposed to this at first, thought it might look cheap.  I thought it was worth a couple of bucks for a roll to experiment.  Love it!  Not flimsy or cheap looking at all.  Has fooled so many people who thought we had professionals apply a privacy film or that we purchased obscured glass windows.

When I clean the windows I can gently wipe over the film and the edges are not effected.  But it really isn't a film in that there's no residue at all if you remove it ... it's much more like a repositionable vinyl wall decal.  I've actually peeled a section off with no trace of the "film" remaining and then was able to reapply the film (I think the limit on doing this would be once because you might start to stretch or distort the shape).

I decided to pre-cut the film to a size that allowed for a small glass border around the film so I didn't have to use a cutting blade on my new windows; this really made the installation quick and easy.  To keep my window border uniform I placed a piece of low tack tape on the window to use as an alignment guide.

{You can see the "border" of window I left around the frost film; I did this on all four sides .}

In addition to providing privacy, this film is great for diffusing light; if you have a window causing a glare issue around a monitor or TV, you might want to give this a try.

Would love to hear any around the house problem solving tips you might have!  Doesn't have to be window related.  And if your blog is full of great tips, feel free to leave your blog address in the comments section so we can all drop in for a visit.

Make this a great weekend for yourself,

Sharing with these great parties:

Fingerprints on the Fridge, http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/2012/01/feature-yourself-friday_26.html

My Simple Home Life, Simple Home Life: Features & Simply Creations Link Party # 42

At The Picket Fence,At The Picket Fence: Welcome to Inspiration Friday No. 49!

Simply Designing, Simply Designing: Simply Link {Party}

In My Kitchen: Butternut Squash Beef Stew with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary

Sunday was cold and dreary Really, isn't any day perfect comfort food weather.

{A perfect cooler weather entree: Butternut Squash and Beef Stew with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary}

Oh.so.good.  This stew is thick enough to serve on a plate but we use a bowl so you can soak up every last drop of "gravy" with a slice of rustic bread (at our house it would be whole grain / whole wheat bread).  I've seen slow-cooked vegetable / beef stews like this on restaurant menus, and maybe dinner at grandma's house includes a "food of love" dish such as this, but there's no reason you can't prepare this too!

The "heavy" culinary work for this stew is chopping ... this is actually an easy one-skillet-wonder dish.  With everything chopped, all you do is "brown" the onions and beef in a skillet, pour in broth and the other ingredients, cover and simmer.  You can do that, right?  And you don't have to hover over the pot.  I'd never suggest leaving food totally unattended on the stove (for fire safety reasons), but keep a watchful eye from a distance and it will be all good.  Perfect.weekend.cooking.


Let's get started (Directions & Recipe)

FYI: there's a printing option at the end of this post.

Here's what you'll need:
1 - 2 medium size, sweet onions
2.5 - 3 lb. butternut squash
1 lb. beef (cut of beef discussed below)
beef stock, dried rosemary, balsamic vinegar, raisins, salt / pepper

large deep side skillet w/lid
cutting board and large Chef style knife

First, dice 1 - 2 medium size, sweet onions.

Then, peel a Butternut Squash and cut into cubes of about 3/4" ... if you cut a larger cube that will extended the cooking time for the stew.  You'll need about 3 Cups of cubed squash.  I've found that a 2.5 - 3  pound squash will yield enough for this dish.  An alternative is pre-cubed butternut squash from the produce section (when seasonally available).  If you end up with more squash than needed, it should keep in the fridge in a well sealed dish for another 7 - 10 days or you can par-boil and freeze the squash and use for this dish in the future (using par-boiled squash will reduce your cooking time).

{Chopped Butternut Squash}

Finally, cut your beef into 1" cubes.  You are going to want about one pound of beef.  I've used both Sirloin Steak and Chuck Roast with great results.  The Sirloin is naturally lean and tender and yields a very nice clean flavor; also quick to prep since it is lean.  The Chuck Roast can yield a tremendously deep, rich flavor but I've found the prep to be very tedious trimming the fat, connective tissue, sinew, etc. that can be found in a Chuck Roast; if you don't trim the meat well you'll have a greasy gravy and possibly some unchewable pieces of meat.  I was also very lazy once and used Beef Tenderloin; great flavor, super super tender and absolutely no prep time other than simple cube cuts; the meat held its shape and didn't melt into the gravy so the appearance of the dish was a bit different, but the taste was great.

If you prep your cube chops in this order you will only need to use a single knife and cutting board (I hate washing dishes).

I use a large non-stick deep sided skillet with lid.

Heat the skillet on medium with a little olive oil and saute the onions until at least soft and translucent; I typically cook the onions until they are softly caramelized.  Transfer the onions to a plate.

{Caramelized onions}

Add beef to same skillet and brown on all sides.  If necessary, add a little olive oil if pan is too dry after onions.

{Browning 1 pound beef, cubed, in skillet}

Once beef is browned, return onions to skillet, add the squash, and:
- 2 Cups Beef Stock (I use the KitchenBasics brand or homemade - no "just broth", ok?)
- chopped, dried Rosemary, about 3 Tablespoons
- 4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/8 Cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt (taste at end of cooking and add more of either if desired before serving)

{All ingredients for Butternut Squash Beef Stew with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary in a skillet and ready to simmer.}

Cover skillet with lid.  Bring stew to an "active" simmer.  Stir occasionally and test the firmness of the butternut squash; stew is ready when squash yields to gentle pressure ... about that time the squash will naturally start to "melt" into the stock, slightly thickening the stock.  How long the actual cooking takes will depend on the size of your pan (larger pan = shorter time due to not overcrowding) as well as the size of your chopped ingredients (smaller cubes = shorter time); ours typically simmers at least 75 - 90 minutes.

Plate and serve; we accompany this dish with a salad (spinach salad is great with this) and either bread or flatbread whole grain crackers.

A Few Rambling Thoughts
I prepare this stew from memory and haven't seen the scribbled original recipe in a while; don't know the origin of this recipe.  I started adding the raisins to brighten the flavor of the squash during a somewhat "anemic" harvest and its just stayed with the recipe; I bet you could also add a little chopped apple instead of raisins, or if your squash has a rich deep color (and we would assume flavor), then forego this addition all together.  I play loose with my ingredient amounts so don't worry if you have 14 ounces of meat or not quite the full 3 cups of squash; however, the amounts I've listed are the actual measures in the recipe I learned.

Printing
If you'd like to print this or any recipe on Happily Home After, scroll to the comment section and you'll find this icon:

You get to decide how much text and / or photos you want from this post to create a PDF to save or to print the file immediately ... hope this feature is handy, and as always any feedback about printing or anything else on this blog is most welcome and appreciated.

Grocery Shopping Tip: We all know cooking starts with grocery shopping!  I recently posted about Grocery IQ, an app for I-Pods, I-Phones, and I-Pads that helps me plan, organize, and manage my grocery shopping trips ... read about it here.

Happy grocery shopping and Bon appetite!  If you'd like to see some of my other recipes, click here.  And {please consider} to Pin, Follow or bookmark us so we'll get to visit again!  And for grins Follow Me on Pinterest.  Need an invite to join Pinterest? ... I have a few left so email me and I'll be glad to share. 

Sharing with these great parties:
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The Healthy Home Economist, Monday Mania 1/30/2012 — The Healthy Home Economist
Delicate Construction, delicateCONSTRUCTION: Delicately Constructed Friday
The Sweet Detail, The Sweet Details: Savory Sunday
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Melt in Your Mouth Monday Blog Hop #51 | Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

Organizing: Is ICE on your Cell?

This is just a friendly safety reminder ... everything is okey-dokey here!  {This is an edit to the original post based on a comment.  Thank you Carol!}

ICE: In Case of Emergency ... no one wants to think about this much.

But having immediate access to emergency contacts is one way I justify the expense of a cell phone.  If it is for you as well, let's make sure your phone contact list is organized in the best possible way for a "first responder" to quickly ring someone for you.

"First responders" are trained to look for an ICE entry on cell phones.

{Have an ICE entry on your cell phone: "In case of emergency".  First Responders are trained to look for this type of entry if they need to contact someone for you.}

First Responders have lots of experience tracking down your spouse or other designated person if there isn't an ICE entry, but that takes extra time.

Help them help you.  Add an ICE entry today.

Nothing happened to us this weekend to prompt this post, we're fine!  I was updating my contact numbers for David at work and discovered that somehow my ICE entry got deleted. Seemed like a good time to remind everyone to either check your phone or add this valuable entry.  All part of my January organizing month!

Be safe,

Organizing: The Grocery Shopping List

So you're putting away your grocery purchases and you look around thinking,

"I know I got ..."

but then you realize 

"no, I forgot ...."

and back to the grocery you go.

Or maybe you make a "honey, can you pick up ..." call.

What could have been accomplished in one trip has now become more involved.  But we want to simplify tasks to make more time for fun, right?

For me, this mighty app has been a great

planning.organize.simplify.get'er-done-the-first-time.tool.   

{Grocery IQ, the app I use to keep myself organized and sane while at the grocery store.}

I lose paper shopping lists.  I don't lose my I-Pod Touch (which runs Grocery IQ ... if you're a really cool kid with an I-Phone or I-Pad, Grocery IQ runs on those devices too).

My I-Pod lives in our technology hutch just outside the kitchen.  When I toss a product container in the recycling bin I immediately select that item from the I-Pod touch screen that displays my "favorites" list and the item is added to my shopping list.  Same for when I plan a menu and need to pick up ingredients to complete my supplies.

At the store I scroll through the touch screen list and tap an item when I toss it in my cart.  Grocery IQ immediately moves that item from "to get" (shopping list) to "got" (grocery cart).

{A Grocery IQ screen shot showing the active shopping list as well as items in the cart for checkout.}

When I tap "checkout" Grocery IQ removes the purchased items from my shopping list.  If I wasn't able to purchase everything at one store - and I seem never able to do that!!!!,  what remains to be purchased hangs out on the active shopping list.

The "favorites" list is basically a database of all the items (or however many you want to set up) you might purchase at the grocery.  Yes, it took me a bit of time to initially set up but that was my investment in simplified.grocery.shopping.  With today's version of Grocery IQ you can either type the product name, enter a bar code number * (so cool), or take a photo of the bar code ** (super cool) to add an item to your list of favorites.

{Add to the favorites list by typing, or ...}

{...or keying a barcode.  If you have an i-Phone you could also take a photo of the barcode, but I can't show you that since I don't have one.}

* if you've read my blog before you may have noticed I'm a big Costco shopper.  The bar codes for Kirkland products (Costco brand) do not work with Grocery IQ, but of course you can type the product name to add to your list
** an I-Phone is necessary to update your favorite list via photo

And of course I stretch the limits of Grocery IQ for all my shopping stops, not just grocery visits.  I just add descriptions like "dry cleaners" to my favorites along with a store name and it's there for me to select.  Here's a nonsense example:

{A Grocery IQ screen shot showing that non-grocery stops can also be added to the list.}

And you can email the shopping list to someone else ... "honey, can you ...".  It's good that you still have that option!

Hey, this app has really lessened my shopping forgetfulness and enhanced my shopping mood.  For a couple of bucks.  I would have even paid more.

Looking for more tips to organize shopping adventures?  Carol @ The Design Pages has a great post here.  Have any great tips you'd like to share ... we'd all love to read 'em in the Comments section below.

Now go happily shop 'til you drop, 

Disclosure: I have not been asked to post about this product nor am I compensated in any way for doing so.  These folks don't even know I exist.  I purchased my own Grocery IQ and my own I-Pod Touch.  Since Grocery IQ does run on Apple products I will say that I own one or more shares of Apple stock (what a good move that was!).

Organizing: The Laundry Room Kickoff

I'm overjoyed to share a total mess of a space with you today.

Why am I overjoyed to show you my laundry room that I'm sure will get me nominated for one of those "she needs help" shows?

Because this discombobulated room is a normal (although admittedly a bit extreme) occurrence when a space lacks proper storage and organization ... this mess has nothing to do with our fire or rebuilding.  Yay!! this is not a fire recovery post!!!!

So those are not staged photos.  Really.  Our laundry room can deconstruct in a split-second and turn into this stuff-strewn-space, probably because at its' "best" it isn't much different.

I'm an organized and neat-nic person.  Hubby is very particular.  Somehow though we've never managed to get our act together in this laundry room.

I thought it was a personal character flaw until I accepted that there isn't any way to organize a multi-purpose space when it has just one shelf and one cabinet that you have to awkwardly twist your torso to access.

So we are tackling this beast of a space.  Taking longer than expected.  Lots of obstacles like plumbing, ductwork, and soffits that can't be moved but limits where you can install fittings.

We'll figure it out.  Has to be better than the "before"!  Hopefully I'll have an "after" to share next week.  Just wanted to let you know where I've disappeared to ... I may be that lump under the pile of clothing in the before pic.

Is your laundry room dedicated to the business of cleaning clothes or is it a multi-purpose space?  How is your laundry room set-up?  Have any organizing tips you can share that might help me in this space?  

The Optimism Project: "Hunt the good stuff"

{The Optimism Project: daily reflection to identify 3 good things from your day to increase your optimism and grow happier.}

On Sunday morning I relish curling up with a cup pot of coffee and listening to NPR (National Public Radio); I enjoy their selection of classical but sometimes obscure music followed by the heartier and intellectual mid-morning content of interviews and story telling.  Really, this isn't a yawn and it's a great personal enrichment habit.

This past Sunday there was an interview discussing the U.S. Military's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program.  Don't worry, this post isn't political.

In a nutshell, this program is about daily reflections on the good in your life.  As was pointed out in the interview, if you don't reflect on it, you may not realize there's good things that happen to you every day. And when you really accept and focus on the good in life your optimism increases, you'll be happier, and studies suggest you'll live longer.  Sign me up! ... for increased optimism, that is :)

And the great news is, the good things you are "hunting for" while reflecting, they are the everyday, the mundane, the "small" things that so often get overlooked.

The courtesy of a stranger opening the door ... the genuine joy on your child's face when they complete a task successfully ... your spouse turning to you for help with a situation ... "rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens" kind of things!  

The program suggests you reflect daily to remind yourself of 3 good things from that day.  Being an overachiever I've also been repeating the previous days "good things" to myself each morning before I get out of bed ... just my way to start the day optimistically.  In total I spend less than 3 minutes a day doing this!  

Who couldn't use a bit more optimism?  I'm joining the hunt for increased optimism and I hope you will too!  And perhaps you'll even come back and share how this program works for you.  I'll definitely let me you know if I feel more optimistic!

If you'd like to read a summary of the NPR interview or listen to a replay of the actual broadcast interview, click here.

Thanks for visiting,

In The Kitchen: Small Organizing Changes make a Big Difference

A coffee maker, a dish drainer, and a toaster oven took over my kitchen workspace.

These three items occupied over 16 square feet of granite countertop in my diminutive kitchen making it very challenging to use the countertop for actual cooking prep.  Never mind the cost ratio of the items : square foot of granite occupied.  Pure craziness!

Folks, my countertop space is expensive priceless kitchen real estate because we've already expanded our kitchen footprint as far as it can go!  I had to figure out how to deal with my kitchen gridlock so I could actually cook in the kitchen.

 Here's some of the changes I've come up with so far; perhaps you'll find an idea here for tweaking your kitchen's organization or some thought in this post will spark your own creative organizing (if so, please share your tips and tricks ... my organizing battle isn't over yet :)

{Coffee service - coffee maker, grinder, frother, et al, are stored in an under-cabinet pull-out unit  located directly under the countertop area where they are used.}

{Storage space under the sink cabinet was reclaimed / reconfigured by first installing a pull-out unit under the garbage disposal (right) so multiple bottles of cleaning supplies, etc could be stored in that shortened and tight space but remain accessible.  By containing the "bottle sprawl" that had once filled the cabinet from side to side but was now limited to a section of the cabinet we created an entirely open space on the left side of the cabinet, which we used to (see next photo) .... }

{... store our SimpleHuman dish drainer when not in use.  Because both the basket and drain board has rigid square sides they can stand upright without additional assistance; not all dish drainers could do this, so if you'd like to reclaim some counter space perhaps a new dish drainer is a very cost effective way to do so.  Also, we have a very deep sink and still the dish drainer fits under the sink.  You may wonder about the dish drainer leaving a puddle in the cabinet?  So far we've found that by the time items air dry, so does the unit!  And if not completely dry, a quick wipe of the board before storage solves that problem.  We've found the trade off between open counter space and wiping the drain board perfectly acceptable!}

So onto he toaster oven; it moved just 5 big steps away from its previous location to a gigantic storage cabinet on the perimeter of the kitchen.  We get the toaster oven out when needed and carry it to the countertop; it looks bulky but is lightweight so this works just fine.

The cabinet holding the toaster oven has 5 full-extension shelves that each hold 75 lbs. as well as smaller stationary storage on the right side; this cabinet was planned as an "appliance garage".  Until now I had just never considered storing the toaster oven ... it seemed like it should be on the countertop.   Silly me!

{Our "appliance garage" with full-extension pull out drawers; each drawer holds up to 75 lbs.  We store a lot in here: toaster oven as shown, stand mixer, ice cream maker, food processor, accessory bowls for all the appliances, bread maker, large boxes of food wraps such as plastic and foil, paper towels, even some stemware, and lots of other stuff too!}

{Our appliance garage showing the pull-out drawers.  You can see this is a very.large.full.height.cabinet.  Typically, appliance garages occupy deep corners on top of counter tops, but a free standing cabinet such as this can be great if you have the space.  And keep this in mind, if you can't remodel a kitchen to add storage, but you do have space for a large free standing cabinet adjacent to the kitchen, perhaps this  approach would allow you to add storage capacity and free-up counter space!}

Since I now think of the toaster over as mobile, I've discovered a wonderful unexpected benefit ...

{Toaster oven in use under the exhaust hood.  The appliance is sitting on a silicone cooking mat to protect the glass cooktop AND the cooktop burners are in LOCK mode so they cannot be turned on.}

... when toasting bread etc we just use the toaster oven on the counter, but when used to cook - like crab cakes the other night (which can leave a lingering odor), I place the toaster oven on my cooktop under the exhaust hood (duh!!!!) and like magic, there's no lingering cooking smell :)   I do have a full size oven, but sometimes, like for 2 crab cakes, the toaster oven seems to be a more appropriate appliance.


SAFETY NOTE: before using the glass cooktop as a work surface I:
1) use the LOCK feature to prevent burner(s) from being accidently turned on

{The cooktop controls.  The CONTROL LOCK is on so the burners cannot be turned on accidently.}

2) cover the glass cooktop with a silicone cooking mat to prevent scratches THEN place the toaster oven on top

{A silicone cooking mat provides the cooktop with protection against scratches when the toaster oven is placed there AND prevents any transfer of heat from the toaster oven since the silicone mat insulates against high temps.}

So where else in the kitchen can I apply this "pull-out" magic?

Well, my 15" wide x 24" deep, floor to ceiling open storage area was not being effectively used.  I just had books right at the front of the unit and a good 18" of depth was going unused (and I had more cookbooks to store, too).   So ... baskets!

{Baskets recently purchased at HomeGoods are a perfect solution for increasing cook book storage ... by sliding the basket out I can store and reach cookbooks that I use less frequently (see next photo).  Important to note is these baskets are very sturdy with a metal frame that is wrapped to look like a basket; not sure how well rattan only would hold up to this use.}

{With the basket removed you can see the second row of cookbooks.}

{To help the baskets easily glide and  not scratch the shelf finish I placed some FLOR carpet samples underneath!  (currently pulled out in the above photo).  I purchased a lot of samples a while back when shopping for FLOR tiles and thought this a perfect way to recycle!  Because of the rubber-like backing used on FLOR tiles the carpet holds to the basket and doesn't slip out of place.}

Have time to see one more thing?   It is a "pull around" and I think it's pretty nifty ... we figured out how to "add" countertop space on an as needed basis!

IKEA kitchen cart + wheels = mobile add-on countertop!

{The kitchen cart resides in the center of the kitchen as a pseudo-island; it's a great landing pad for items coming out of the oven (notice the metal grid on top I use as a "trivet") as well as handing to hold items going in / coming out of the fridge.  We've also added pull-out baskets so the cart provides storage and at the bottom is our "holding bin" for recycling that we take to the garage at night.}

But when I prepare large feasts and need more space the cart goes into action:

{The "kitchen island" adding countertop workspace at the cooktop.  The granite countertop and the island butcher block top are exactly the same height.}

Or,

{The "kitchen island" adding countertop workspace to the prep area between the sinks.}

These small changes add up to a big difference in available workspace and the kitchen is much more usable.  I'm still not pleased with the kitchen decor (that brown wall has got to go) but that's another day ... it will happen, just don't know when.  In the meantime I'll work on more areas in need of organizing and will post on that topic throughout January, sort of my ode to kicking off a new year, basics first ... don't you know!  So if you have the organizing bug too please stop back and see if I've made any progress and motivate me on my quest to get this house put back together!  (You can read my posts on our kitchen activities over the past 18 months and the house fire that started with our dishwasher here ... that's why I say "put the house back together".)

So how about your kitchen; love or hate your storage options?  Any changes or updates planned for your kitchen?  Want to share any kitchen problems driving your crazy and see what others have to suggest?  Feel free to leave it all in the comments below!

Thanks for visiting and Bye for now!

Linking with these great parties:

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Somewhat Simple, SYS Blog Link Party with Plum Paper
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Finding Fabulous Blog, Finding Fabulous: Frugalicious Friday & A $50 Giveaway...Guy & Eva Jewelry!

Hold The Phone ... please!

Our phone (both the cable "bundle" that includes the house phone and our cell phone service) contracts have met the minimum time requirement so I can now add or drop services without penalty.  Yippee!

I think I'm ready to make a change ... to get rid of the "landline" house phone.  My primary reservation to switching purely to cell service is reliable access to emergency 9-1-1.  After all, I have some personal experience needing 9-1-1 and they had my back!  Once again Henrico Emergency Service, thank you.  If you're curious about that experience you can read about it here.

David is concerned about anyone who has our current phone number that we might overlook updating with our new contact info should we go purely cell.  I'm more bothered by the messages I keep forgetting to check on the house machine and that can go unanswered for days before I notice the red light.  Really, there's just two people in this household and I think you could leave a voicemail for us in over 7 places!

Then there's the question of what to do at nighttime if you rely solely on a cell phone; leave it on?  carry it to the bedroom?  I'm sure there's even more logistics ... OK, so there's a bit more involved to making this decision.

I'm curious how you handle phone access for your family.

Do you still have a landline / house phone?  

Are you exclusively a cellular household?

What are the logistics of relying solely on a cell?

Anything you could share with me about your phone service would be greatly appreciated because checking all these darn phones for messages is driving me a bit nuts!

Oh, and I plan to post this week about a bit of kitchen reorganization ... sort of that time of year to simplify, guess that's what I'm trying to do with the phones too!

There's no time like the "Present"

It's a sunny but chilly January 2 in Richmond, Va., and I'm shaking off the holidays and embracing the potential of a new year ... here's wishing you all the best in 2012!

Walking Beaver this morning I noticed more than a few Christmas trees kicked to the curbside; the holidays are being packed up and moved out!

Here's a friendly reminder (and nudge to get on with it)
that in addition to putting away holiday decor,
 now is a good time to complete any record keeping or paperwork associated with gifts:

Source: amazon.com via Robin on Pinterest

Yes, I received a Nikon DSLR camera so I too need to complete many of the steps listed below :)  I also have to learn how to use this contraption lovely item, so look forward to hopefully improved photography on this blog! Hey, if you have any suggestions for learning how to use a DSLR camera please do share because so far, I've taken some awesome fully automatic point and shoot photos with the camera ... sort of defeats the point of having it, don't you think?

• if there's a warranty card for an item, get it sent it!  Warranty registration is essential for a company to be able to contact you if there is a recall and this is a crucial element to protect you and your family should a wide-spread problem develop with the product.

• if you received anything containing a serial number make sure that number is entered into your household records along with the approximate purchase date, model / make number, and purchase price (if known).  Also, if you have the original or gift receipt, make sure this is also stored for safe keeping.  Having this information makes warranty or insurance claims go so much smoother.

• did an item come with a User Manual?  First, read it! (they actually can be helpful, if read).  After reading the manual make sure it is stored in your "User Manual Library".  Huh?  We keep all our current product manuals in a 3-ring binder, stored in individual heavy duty plastic sheet protectors so it is easy to flip through and locate a manual.  When we donate an item we grab the user manual and pass it along as well; if an item is disposed of we simply toss the manual in the recycling bin.

• if you received some sparkly jewelry or fine art, these are items that may need to be added to your homeowner's insurance policy, so contact your agent to see what, if anything, needs to be done.

And sometimes there's a "prize inside" when you fill out a warranty card ...

{4 Years Extended Service Warranty Coverage BUT the warranty must be registered within 10 days of the retail purchase.}

If there's anything else you'd like to add to this list please let me know in a comment!

Oh, here's one more thing ... writing thank-you cards is always a good idea and usually appreciated much more than you'll ever know!

And here's my thanks to you for dropping in!  Let's have a great 2012 y'all!