When Your House Gets Robbed

Last weekend my stepson came to visit for the weekend and he told us that a few days prior, his house had been burglerized. He was travelling when he was notified that his next door neighbor had interrupted the theft in process. It seems that his neighbor (a fireman) had noticed a strange SUV parked in his yard in the middle of the day. At first the neighbor assumed that someone was doing house repairs, but the location of the car just didn't look right. So he walked over to the car only to surprise 4 young men in the process of loading the house contents into the back of the SUV. They bolted as soon as he called 911. Two were apprehended within 30 minutes while the other two were expected to be caught.

So now my stepson has the tedious job of trying to find out what is missing. The insurance adjuster has visited, and he will be compensated for most of the material possessions. But the insurance company cannot compensate him for the feeling of violation that he's now left with. He has also had an alarm installed.

Most of us can recount a similar story for ourselves or someone close to us. It's been over 20 years, but I returned home one evening to find the house wide open, the cats scared to death and lots of jewelery and other items missing. We never got any of those possessions back, but we learned how to make our house less inviting to burglary.

Putting lights on timers, making sure that old newspapers are not left lying in the driveway, and locking all windows and doors are basic rules. Keeping shrubbery low and well trimmed makes it hard for a would-be thief to hide while trying to bust open a lock. And making friends with the neighbors (especially one that is home during the day) is a great advantage. But there are lots of other tips I see from time to time and http://www.simplychecklist.com/ will soon have a checklist that you can use to guide you. If you have tips you want to see included, please leave comments on this post.

In the meantime, you can find a useful checklist for protecting your identity at Identity Theft Protection Checklist and tips for leaving your home temporarily empty. Stay safe!

Do Busy People Get More Done?

I have heard over and over that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. And that is probably true. I know when I have an extended time to do something chore-like, I will often wait until I feel a deadline looming before jumping on it.

It seems that when we have lots of things to do and a specific deadline for most of those items, we know how to turn on the gas and get stuff done. And my experience tells me that you can generate that burst of energy and focus when you have a clear picture of what to do. The perfect way to create that clear picture is with a checklist.

I like to start my workday with a short list of things that need doing. The items might be simple quick tasks like schedule a meeting, or it might include more involved processes like researching different software applications. But a short list provides a guiding light that really helps me focus.

On days off when I have shopping, cleaning, appointments, etc to accomplish, another list helps me organize those items so that I can plan my driving route to save time and gas.

And while you are making a list of things that need your attention, don't forget to include an hour for browsing at the library, some computer time to explore your favorite web sites or maybe even a nap.

We are surrounded by new electronic gadgets to help us stay connected and informed. Many of those gadgets will also help you create a checklist. And if gadgets aren't your thing, there's always pencil and paper!

Trick to Save Veggies longer

Since everyone I know is getting ready for Trick or Treat, I thought I would pass along a cool trick my mother discovered. No frightful masks or gory goblins - just a cool trick to prolong the life of your cut veggies.

If you haven't already discovered those handy green vegetable and fruit storage bags, then pick some up and give them a try. I've been using them for about a year and I'm fairly satisfied with the results, but cut green peppers and onions still get squishy and yucky in a short amount of time.

My mother discovered that loosely wrapping your cut greens in a paper towel, then tucking it into one of those special vegetable bags will give you 1 or 2 weeks more than if you didn't use the paper towel. How easy is that? I guess the paper towel absorbs excess moisture which can create an ugly soggy mess in that nice re-usable bag.

So next time you use half a bell pepper, or part of a cucumber, wrap the remaining vegetable in a paper towel, place it in a green preserving bag and you are good to go!

If you need a grocery shopping list to use along with all those coupons that I know you are clipping, then take a look at this grocery shopping list right now. You can download and print it for free. And that is the "treat" part of this trick!

Getting ready for Halloween

Here in Central Florida, it's not quite cool but fall is definitely in the air. And that means - Halloween. It's my favorite holiday because I love dressing up like a pirate. Arrrrr.

But this year we are hosting a Halloween Party and to get ready I am using one of our party checklists. The checklists really helps me stay organized and let's me concentrate on the fun stuff which is finding cool decorations on the cheap.

I found some great recipes for adult beverages that have spooky names so I am going to use one of them as the theme for the party. How does Ghoulish Goombay sound for a drink? So with that as my theme, I'm adding fake spider webs on the patio and some big black plastic spiders to float in our pool. And lots more of the same for the front yard. I found inspiration at the local party costume shop and several on-line suppliers.

Appetizers can be enhanced by giving them spooky names like Bar-B-Que Bat wings (really chicken wings all dressed up for Halloween) and Saucy Eyeballs (really my favorite Swedish meatball recipe). Using notecards for the appetizer names, I can mount the cards using those plastic note holders that you get in a bouquet of flowers.

Are you having a Halloween Party too? Need help? Click on Party Checklist. And don't forget trick-or-treat safety.