I'm glad you posted in this forum. Don't delete it because I'm sure many others besides myself will enjoy following your progress. You can post in the Heirloom forum, too.

I found this on the discussion thread about holiday decorating Posted by roarah I store my ornaments in Christmas decorative boxes and when they are emptied, after ornaments are on the tree, I put them around the skirt like presents:) Super easy and when it is time to take the ornaments down again all the storage boxes are right there for me! And from tobyt on the cooking forum I think it came from the Cake Central website. When you are making cut out cookies that require you to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out, roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper before you put it in the fridge. The soft dough rolls much easier and never cracks. Once you have your sheets of dough rolled out, stack them on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until they are firmed up. I took it one step further, and had my husband cut me strips of wood about 18" long, 1" wide and 1/4" thick. He also made me a set in 1/8" thickness. I lay these on either side of the dough and run the rolling pin over them, giving me perfectly consistent thickness. terriks, That's a great link with so many clever ideas. Now if only I could remember to do those things.

Knives in a drawer to avoid crime? That's really reaching IMO. Most people can tell which drawer is likely to have a knife in most kitchens, and if someone has to run to a kitchen to grab a knife out of the block, well, that gives you time to run too. And I suppose they could grab one from the dish drainer too. I'm an active crime prevention advocate, but I don't think we need to go overboard. I keep often used utensils on the counter in a coffee can with the handle down and grab by the handle. I get irritated watching restaurant workers put silverware on a table and grab the end of it when putting it down. Same for anyone setting a table. Is it a huge thing in the grand scheme of life? No. Is it disgusting nonetheless, to me yes. Same thing on glasses. Why do people have to grab it and stick their fingers INTO a glass when setting it down? I guess this should go under the pet peeves thread. I don't have a dishwasher. It just hit me a few months ago that I should sort the silverware when I wash it. I used to, then got out of the habit. There's two slots in the drainer for cutlery. So I lean the spoons one way in one, then lean the knives the other way in the same slot, then forks can go in the other along with steak knives. Handles go up and I can grab the whole bunch and put them all away rather quickly this way. Sharp knives go in the block but go sharp side UP so it's not rubbing on the wood all the time, thus dulling it.

I always take off my jewelry every night before bed, even my wedding band. I like to apply hand cream, and I just don't like sleeping in it. I used to just put it on my nightstand table, but after a few scary 'can't find my engagement ring' situations, I realized I needed a better solution. (Apparently my 5 year old DD already has a taste for bling. She was wearing it very proudly! lol) I found this little clamshell bowl at a local store for $3. I like that it is more like a bowl than a dish, so little eyes can't see shiny and sparkly things easily. And now I always know where my rings and watch are. Oh, and also visible in the photo. I use granite samples I've picked up during my kitchen remodel process as coasters.