Dandelion: Greatest Flower Ever

Yeah. I said it. That weed of which people try to rid their yards. The "flower" only appreciated by small children. You may be familiar with some of its work, maybe poking through sidewalks? Yep. That's the one. It's AMAZING.

First, did you know it's leaves make a delightful, bitter salad additive? Schmancy restaurants are starting to feature it. Seriously. 

But we're here to talk about the root. Specifically, the root made into a tea. Have you tried it? I would certainly love to hear your opinions on it. If you haven't, my friend, you are in for a treat. While we all understand the benefits of herbal teas (Sleepy time for anti-stress, what what!), I had not tried dandelion root tea until a few months ago. I had read about some mildly frightening blend of water, tea, and additives that will MAKE YOU SKINNY!!!1!!!1! As we know, I'm a skeptic until I've tried it. And I certainly don't believe in any magic drink, pill, or serum. 

Time and time again, we are shown the only way to lose weight and keep it off it diet and exercise. 

I'm not one for diet or exercise. I try to stay active and not eat cupcakes for every meal. But, all that cupcake eating and cheese making (and obviously eating) can make a gal feel a little gross the next morning. This is where dandelion root tea comes in. 

A cup or two of this magical stuff throughout the day (the box suggests one bag per cup, but to three times a day) and the next morning... Less bloat. Dandelion root apparently helps rid your body of excess water weight. 

This tea isn't going to make your fairy godmother appear out of this air, but it will certainly help you feel better tomorrow (and so will a few veggies).

Reader Question/Closet Cleanse

Hey Natalie,

I travel tons and finally have a weekend home. Among other reasons, I'm staying home to purge closets and make trips to goodwill. Do have any tips on how do it effectively, yet quickly?

Thanks! 

Busy Traveler

Hey my traveling and very stylish reader! 

Closet cleaning and organizing is something I love and should be done often. Every six months or so, I get the cleaning bug. And it’s not for a deep cleansing of my house or for my garage – it’s for the great love of mine, my closet (which is high gloss “Flamingo Pink” – in case you didn’t know) It’s important for your closet to be organized and have everything in plain sight – otherwise you don’t see it, so you don’t wear it – and then it’s wasteful & sad. When I clean out my closet, sometimes reorganization happens as well, so here is how I handle it.

The Cleanse & Purge

First while looking at my closet, I pull out anything in which I can’t remember when I wore it last or anything I just don’t like anymore. If I don’t love it, I won’t wear it. So why keep it? Everything then gets placed into a pile in my guest room (or any place you don’t mind it being for a few days). Next, I pull out anything that looks overly worn, is wrinkled, or doesn’t smell super fresh. Those get divided into fix, iron, and (dry) clean piles. If I can’t fix it, it looks too worn, and it’s got some mysterious stain that I can’t remove – it goes into the pile.

Reorganization

The next step, since I’ve cleared out the extra stuff, the extra hangers all go into a corner

And the clothes get filed away. All of my dresses live together and go from work wear, party dresses, going out dresses, to casual day dresses. The rest of my closet is double hung, with sleeveless and short sleeved shirts on top, bottoms and suits the bottom shelves. Coats are now in my coat closet (they used to live in the closet as well, but a few of boyfriend’s things have found their way into my closet as well.) All of my clothes are hung in like groups, (sleeveless and short sleeved together; ¾ length shirts, long sleeved and cardigans; dress pants; on work pants – khakis, twills, and jeans; skirts (non work and then work appropriate). Next all the groups are color coded from White to Black (White, Ivory, Tan, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple, Pink, Red, Brown, Gray, Black) – WITYGBIPPRBGB for those of you who like acronyms. But it’s not exactly an easy one, so just think white to black.

Drawers

I generally forget to clean out my drawers, because I don’t see them as regularly as my closet. But as soon as I realize I am getting into a closet cleaning, I remind myself to give them love as well. Socks, undies, casual cotton shirts, tanks, tees, and long sleeved in descending order of drawers. (Since I live in Florida, the heaver stuff gets worn less, thus segregated to the bottom – so I have to bend over less). Everything from here that doesn’t fit my rules (1) haven’t worn 2) don’t like 3) over worn) goes into the pile. My drawers hold my basic cottons as well white and black tees in differing sleeve lengths as well – so when you’re in here, make sure the whites are still bright and the darks aren’t faded. If they are, you can replace – or my favorite: bleach the whites and get two containers of black Rite dye (found in the laundry isle of grocery & big box stores) and follow the directions. Yes two. Always two for dying dark colors. Trust me.

Accessories

I believe for shoes, bags, and necklaces, the same standards apply. I need to see all of my accessories so that they get worn as well. My boots live on the tops of my shelves, so I can see them (they are also in color order, lighter to darker – with flats coming before heels). My shoes and bags are in the same area, where shoes are on bottom shelves and bags are on the upper shelves. My clutches, wallets, and credit card wallets live in clear plastic drawer for sight. On all of those are my bagged bags (ones with dust covers. There are two schools of though for bags with dust covers 1) use your covers, keep for nice bags free of dust and scuffs from other bags or 2) leave them without bags for the leather to breathe except for travel or exotic skins – which need protection.) The next shelf holds my normal purses which get every day wear and tear. On top of that are large bags and totes. Across from there are my necklaces and special bags. I have an accordion hanger with tons of hooks for all of my necklaces and I also hang little bags that are pretty or are underused so they are in plain sight when I’m getting ready.

Pile Time

At this point you are going to have a few piles. Deal with the cleaning pile immediately. Next you’ve got the fix pile – obviously those can be easy tasks, buttons and such. If there is some sort of reconstruction that needs to be done that you aren’t comfortable enough to deal with (I have a sewing machine and pretend I can fix anything) by all means, take it to a tailor. You’ll be so happy you did, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Last and most important is your pile of clothes that you haven’t worn and/or don’t like, etc. I divide things up into two more piles. The first, things that I really don’t need and won’t wear. The other is stuff that I really love, has some sort of value (sentimental, or otherwise), or something that I may have forgotten about that might get worn again. Pile one, I bag up and get rid of immediately. Whether the items get consigned or donated, they go as soon as possible. Pile number two on the other hand, stays around for about a week or so. Why you ask? Periodically, I find myself thinking about something that was in the pile. So I rescue it. I have only three things I ever regretted getting rid of – so I make absolute certain that it doesn’t happen.

Okay, lot's of details - but I promise, you'll be so happy with your closet and get so much more wear out of your clothes. Happy closet cleaning!

House Guests

I have piles of subjects to expound upon for you, my little friends, but today, it just isn't going to happen. I have finally gotten home after a day of errands and a not so relaxing three day weekend (Thank you Mr. Columbus for discovering America... sort of.) Why wasn't it relaxing, you ask? Well my dears, my lovely boyfriend's lovely parents came to my house for an overnight stay. They are on their way to the Keys for a vacation (where my boyfriend and I will be joining them in a few days time) and opted to break their long trip up and stay at my house for a night. 

Obviously, I lost my freaking mind and any sort of sanity I was hoping to have was a little nervous. This was the first time they have been to my town since my boyfriend and I started dating, but not only that, it was my first time ever having significant other's parents in my home. I spent two days freaking out, then the following three days cleaning my house and buying random trinkets, returning them, buying more, returning those, and then buying the original trinkets (and let's be honest, a few pieces of furniture). All in all, I'd say it was a great visit and completely painless (minus the mini panic attack I had yesterday afternoon). 

With that in mind, here are a few tips for how to treat house guests when they come to visit.

- Clean your house.
- Wash the sheets on the bed your guests will be staying on.
- Remove any clutter from the room your guests will be staying in. My guest room doubles as my office and craft room - so crafts go into their homes and office papers are filed or moved into a different room.
- Make sure there are fresh towels, as well as soaps, multiple rolls of toilet papers, and any other bathroom accoutrement that might be needed.
- Have an alarm clock as well as a place for your guests to hang their clothes.
- Make sure to have a few breakfast items available (coffee, tea, pasties, fruit, etc.) in case you have an early risers or in my case if you have gone to work before everyone else was awake.
- Leave notes on anything that needs an explanation that you might not be around for - Example, how to use the TV in your guest room if you have more than one remote.

If all else fails, think of what a hotel has and emulate that with your own personal style. The key, as I learned, don't freak out. It's important to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable. Sometimes going overboard can be uncomfortable for everyone, just be yourself and a gracious, lovely host/ess.