Well I am more than happy to report (to my surprise) there were no fights, no yelling, and no crying (well maybe some of the kids cried). It was a very Merry Christmas afterall!

Here’s how our Christmas happened: woke up at 9:30, hung around and poured mimosa’s at 10 (of course its 5 o’clock somewhere!), opened presesnts, poured the “Nap milk” (as my niece Felicity (6) called it (aka spiked egg nog…I thought the nick name was more than appropriate), took dog on walk, dog ran off, chased dog for 30 mins, fell face first into mud, caught dog, ate breakfast, washed dishes. Whew is that only until noon!

After that we sat around enjoyed each other’s company and played with our new “toys”. After my oldest sister Megan and I started cooking. We cooked popovers (Barefoot Contessa’s recipe), pork loin with cranberry sauce (Poineer Woman style), beef tenderloin (Barefoot Contessa style), baked asparagus, J. Alexander’s style mac n’ cheese , and a strawberry salad with homemade vinaigrette. It was delectable to say the least. I learned so much about cooking it was amazing.

After that we drank some more nap milk, and well to say the least, I’m over due on my “nap” by a few hours.

I am more grateful than ever this year. I am surrounded by such an amazing family and incredible friends I can hardly stand it. I feel like it has been a excited an eventful year (with me moving and going to college) and I couldn’t ask for anything more than I have.

But….I did get a few incredible gifts:

The Food Lovers Companion Deluxe Edition

The French Laundry by Thomas Keller

I completely recommend both of these books. They are seriously informational and seriously gorgeous books!

Well good tidings and Merry Christmas!

Question: How was your Christmas? What did you give or receive as gifts? Please share your recipes of your favorite holiday dishes!

Everyone know’s how hard the holidays are to survive. We’ve all got some crazy relative that makes our heads spin and our alcohol intake increase. I come from a pretty large family (whom I love and adore), but lets be honest, the holidays don’t always bring the best out in us. Normally, at LEAST one person ends up in tears because someone hurt their feelings.

Let me break this down for you:

We have 6 (Count that – SIX) women in our family. There is bound to be some kind of fight over how something should be done, the cooking, or the children. Actually scratch that, lets get real: women don’t need something to fight over….you just get more than three related women in a room and there is BOUND to be a fight sooner or later. So you get my drift.

We have a LOT of women. Did I make it clear that the 6 only includes myself, my mother, and my sisters? Thats not even including my nieces (which there are three of). That makes 9 women and girls in total.

We totally out number the boys, which in my immediate family there are 5 of (that

includes my dad, brother-in-laws, and one nephew…we are in serious need of boys, let me tell you.)

So all in all when we get together for the holidays it is intense. There is a lot of cooking, baking, yelling, playing, laughter, joy, and a lot of wanting to pull your hair out.

So now that you understand what my holidays are like, I’d like to share with you my survival guide. Some things that help me when things are going crazy and I’m trying to keep myself sane. Hope you enjoy!

Other than the items below, here is some personal advice:

• Take Deep Breaths! I know that when the stress of the day is at its peak, I like to find a closet, bathroom, or really any quiet nook or cranny and take a few moments to take deep breaths. It really helps me to center myself & not act impulsively.
• Do Your Part and Don’t Complain About it! This is a MUST is our family. Everyone has an assigned task and everything runs smoothly until someone opens their trap and starts jabbering about why they “hate” the job they were assigned. Take it from me: just shut up before they start yelling back!
• Take a Nap! This to me is the most important survival tactic! Those who are rested are more enjoyable!
• Drink up! Its the holidays! The one time of year  you can all gather round  and tip your cups. In our family we have a tradition of  having Mamosa’s with our Christmas brunch. It makes a world of a difference, let me tell you!
• Have fun and laugh! If I am thinking how crazy my family is, I just think about the Kardashian’s and realize we are WAY sane (and dare I say normal?). Laugh at and with your family. Realize that these moments are fleeting and that you might as well make the most of them!

Question: What are you holidays like? What helps you “survive” them?

Holiday Survival Guide by marissahyatt on Polyvore.com

I would also like to say… In case you were under the impression that I don’t enjoy my family. I 100% absolutely DO! I love them with all my heart and they are what keeps me alive! They both make me crazy and keep me sane!

We all have our outlets. You know, the things you do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to get away from everything – escape the stresses of everyday life. There’s typically that one thing that at some point in the day we just crave. Sometimes this can be an addiction and sometimes its a healthy escape. Its the one (or many) thing(s) that help us calm down, to catch our breath, and give us an objective point of view on our circumstances. Some people smoke, drink, use drugs, gamble, sleep around, or on the other side of things, exercise, read, write, go to therapy, meditate, etc. There are many ways of just “letting go” of all our cares.

Personally, I have a few forms of “letting go” – some healthy and some not so healthy (but who doesn’t right?). I have three favorite outlets: writing, reading, and climbing (and yes, these are my healthy ones… we won’t go into my not-so-healthy ones now).

I started climbing a few years ago with a few friends. The first time I placed my hands on the rock wall at the gym and tried hard to align my feet in a way that would assure balance and stability, I was terrified. I had never in my life relied on myself that much for safety, support, or strength. I can remember getting so frustrated when I wasn’t able to grab the next hold. But the second I did, and the second I finished the problem and made it to the top of the wall, I was addicted. I had never had such confidence in myself. If I could climb a wall, what else could I do? So I went on to the next problem that was a bit harder, and so on. Before I knew it, I was going everyday and couldn’t stop. There is something so releasing about climbing. When you are on the wall, thats all you can think about and concentrate on. You can’t be thinking, “Oh my gosh, I have so much to do,” or “I wonder what so-and-so is thinking,” or “I’m so mad at so-and-so,” or “I’m so stressed out because ____.” None of that comes to mind when  you’re hanging on the wall. If you do stop to think about any of that, you will fall, I assure you. So instead, you concentrate; you clear your head of all your worries and just climb. Afterwards, a calmness comes (along with the rush of energy) that gives you a strength. You walk out of the gym with your shoulders held high and feel like you can concur anything.

Two of my other favorite things are reading and writing. There’s something that is freeing about someone else’s words and also about seeing your own on paper. There is this beautiful clarity that comes. When reading, your mind is stripped from all its own thoughts and is replaced with someone else’s. When writing, there is a clearness that comes; before writing your emotions and thoughts can be foggy, but the second you are able to see them on paper, it reveals so much – bringing clarity.

Outlets reveal things to us that we didn’t recognize as obvious. They open doors into our soul that we may have never known were shut (and sometimes locked). To me, outlets are like lanterns. Its as if someone were standing inside my body and revealing things to me about myself that I had overlooked or hadn’t noticed before.

I haven’t climbed in a while and haven’t been very good about reading or writing for personal reasons. So I am deciding to make a promise to myself (and to you): I will climb (at the very least) once a week, start and finish at least one book each month, and write about it. My plan is to bring you on this journey with me. I will share book reviews (like I did in the previous post), personal lessons I’m learning through those books, and personal lessons I’m learning through other areas of life. All in all, my hope is to share what I find in the light of the lantern with you. I hope to encourage you in your own life journeys and to hopefully encourage you to start finding an outlet, so that you too can experience the things that are hidden inside of you.

What are your outlets? How do they help give you clarity? What kind of lessons have you learned and what qualities have you noticed about yourself through your outlet?

I’ve recently started college and let me just say, high school does NOT prepare you. They may prepare you academically – teaching the mathematical formulas, proper spelling, grammar, scientific theories, and the names and dates of historic events. But in terms of the things that you actually face in college – dealing with living with people you don’t know, trying to find direction in life, learning how to meet people (and choose friends wisely), how to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, etc – high school definitely doesn’t prepare you.

It has definitely been a crazy first month living away. I’ve met a lot of new people, am getting used to studying and writing papers again, and I’ve been getting used to my new roommates. Its a hard trying to find my way. Trying to learn how to find where I fit and learn more about myself. Everyday is a new lesson learned

The most intimidating part about college is the fact that I am creating the rest of my life, today. Its an extremely scary thought. Whatever I choose to do today, effects the rest of my life and the experiences of tomorrow. This may seem a little extreme to most people. I mean come home, if I screw up today, isn’t tomorrow always a new day? And in the Christian mindset, aren’t the Lord’s mercies new every morning (Lam. 3:23)? Well yes, all of that is true, but that doesn’t change the fact that “my decisions today DO effect my experiences tomorrow” (Stanley, Andy. “The Principle of the Path”). And the truth is, those decisions effect the rest of my life; what path I choose will effect the destination I find myself in

My dad, Michael Hyatt, recently gave me the book The Principle of the Path by

Andy Stanley. Incredible book. I started reading it, but was extremely skeptical at first – was this just another self-help book providing steps to get the “best life”? But what I found inside the covers of the book, was an astounding truth. “Direction – not intention – determines your destination.” It doesn’t matter how good our intentions are we will never end up at the destination we want without direction. I can sit all day and have best intention to do well in my classes, but if I don’t actually get out my books, a pen, and paper and study, I will not succeed. While trying to figure out where I want to be in 10 years – possibly happily married, financially stable, being a journalist for a food magazine, surround by incredible friends, all while maintaining a lasting relationship with God – I can have the best intentions while setting those goals, but so long as I don’t take the steps to get to those destinations, I will NEVER end up there.

Direction – not intention – determines your destination.

If you haven’t been convinced already, this book is extremely profound. I’m usually not one to read these books, but I was astounded at the evident truths inside. If your at any point in life where you are trying to make decisions (i.e. every single person on this earth), this book is for you.

Needless to say, I am learning the art of making the right decision. And in the words of Pastor Steve Berger of Grace Chapel, “Life is not about making the right decision, its about managing the right decision.” Its easy being a freshman in college being faced with multiple decisions everyday, but I’m slowly but surely learning how to make those decisions and manage them.

Questions to ponder:

• What decisions are you trying to make?
• How will you be sure that it is the right decision for you and your life?
• How do you plan to manage those decisions?
• Are you living in a way that recognizes that today’s decisions effect your experiences tomorrow and that direction – not intention – determines your destination?

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!

1. Hire me for at least ONE house cleaning

2. Recommend me to a friend

3. Your Friend MUST hire me for at least ONE cleaning (make sure to tell friend to mention your name!)

4. Schedule your next house cleaning with $20 OFF!

Below I have listed some prices. I charge according to square foot. If you need a specific price email me! Also I have listed what that price includes. I am also flexible with times so please let me know what works best for your schedule and we can figure out a time! Thanks so much.

Price by Square Foot:
1,500 sq.ft. = $45
2,000 sq.ft. = $60
2,500 sq.ft. = $75
3,500 sq.ft, = $105
5,000 sq.ft. = $150

*Not included in price above. This is considered “deep cleaning” which is an extra $10 per item.

I promised an organizational survey. This is a survey that I have built myself to help me get to know my clients – to understand how they work and how I can better help them personally. Enjoy!

Client Survey:

1. Home many people live in your home currently (please include ages)?
2. Describe normal activities that occur in your home on an everyday basis.
3. What rooms are needing organizing?
4. What is your overall goal for each room?
5. How often are the prospective rooms used?
6. Please describe what activities normally occur in the prospective rooms and what activities you would like to add.
7. Describe what you envision the rooms to be like when they are finished.
8. Are you emotionally attached to anything in this room that you would not be willing to sell or throw out? If yes, please indicate which items.
9. Are there items in the rooms that you want to get rid of? If yes, please indicate.
10. On a scale of one to ten (ten being the highest) how hard is it for you to get rid of items in your home?

Most people get extremely anxious when talking about the organizational status of their homes/offices. Whenever I go to meet with a client at their home to see their prospective rooms, they immediately get very overwhelmed. They look at the tons of piles of junk and start getting hot, breathing hard, and shaking their head, saying, “I have no idea where to start. How are we going to get this room in order? There is NO way it can happen.” That is when I come in!

I don’t look at the room as a whole but as spaces. My method put simply is: start with one space and work your way around the room. I have a spacial brain, as opposed to a universal brain (which most people have). A universal brain looks at the room as a whole; the big picture – the starting and the ending points. A spacial brain looks at the process; how are we going to get from point A (starting point) to point B (ending point).

I am in the process of starting my own home organizational business. I get such a thrill out of starting with a room that otherwise looks helpless, working through the challenges, and ending with a beautiful, organized room as a result. There is nothing more  fulfilling than seeing a home owner walk into a room in their house that was once drowning in clutter and being completely speechless because they have never seen it so simplified and put together. Below I have put together a few organization tips.

Tips for Organizing Your Home:

1. Start with ONE area of a room (In an office start with the desk; in a kitchen start with ONE cabinet at a time; etc.).
2. Begin by sorting all items into three piles: KEEP, TOSS, SELL.
3. After throwing away all “TOSS” items, begin deciding where to sell your “SELL” items (Examples: eBay, CraigsList, Amazon, consignment stores, etc.).
4. After selling the “SELL” items, begin sorting your “KEEP” items into categories (Examples: Clothes, books, files, holiday decorations, dish ware, home accents, linens, etc.)
5. Buy appropriately sized containers to accommodate the categories of items. Choose plastic tubs in garages or storage rooms to be able to see clearly what is in each box. In offices, kitchens, closets, etc. choose fabric boxes to match the decor or your home and to look neat.
6. Label each box by the items in the box. For instance: you may have four boxes that hold holiday decorations so rather than labeling each with “Holiday Decorations,” label boxes more specifically: “Ornaments” “Christmas Table Decorations” “Easter Decorations” “Halloween Decorations”.
7. Install a shelving unit that is appropriate way for the room you are working on (metal racks are inexpensive and sturdy for attics and garages. A book shelf is a great place to store fabric boxes in a living room or home office).
8. Arrange boxes in a way that is most logical to YOU and that will give you easy access to the the items you use the most.

And boom! An organized room in no time! Typically I have found that for an average size room it takes about 1-2 days of organizing until the room is completely finished. The key to having an organized home is keeping it organized. This is why labeling is SO key. Just like we all learned in kindergarten: once you take something out, make sure to put it back in its place. So, remember to label so that everything in your house has a “home”.

I will be posting a new post very soon that is a Home Organization Survery. So stay tuned!

It is pretty clear to almost everyone who has subscribed to my blog that I have not written in a VERY long time. Needless to say, my life has been moving so fast I can hardly keep up. I have, frankly, not had the time or energy to write a post, but have decided to start again. With something small and light-hearted. 

In today’s world most everyone we know has a Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or just a plain ol’ blog (And lets be honest, most of us have at least two out of the four listed). Even though we all have most or all of these, there are just those times when you want to throw your computer out of the window and say “Forget it!” There are always those little tiny things that just get on our nerves and make us want to delete our profiles all together. Although we feel this way, most of us will never sit down and take the time to think about every single thing that we hate about each of these websites, but thankfully Julian Smith has taken that time. He is a young professional producer that has compiled the 25 things he hates most about Facebook and made a video out of it. So enjoy it:

If you have laughed at any point during this video or nodded your head in agreement, post this video on your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or Blog site. And if you’re interested in seeing more of Julian’s work, subscribe to his blog (He releases a new video every Friday).

Question: What did you think of the video? What do you hate most about Facebook, Myspace,or Twitter?

Every year November is a time for me to reexamine my life, myself, and my hopes and dreams for the future. It is a time when I look at the past year and say, “What did I accomplish?” “How have I grown?” “How would I have liked to grow more?” “What things do I wish I could have done differently?”.  To me November is the perfect month to do this and ask myself these questions. For one, November is when the leave start falling, things become bare–the limbs of the trees become visible. Also November is a time of joy and relationships. We get to embrace our families and our friends in this colorful scenery. November is also a time for thanksgiving. We get to look back at the past year and say, “I am thankful for…” This is the most beautiful month… not to mention my birthday is this month!

Unfortunately somehow November always creeps up on me and it always comes with things that I can’t explain. Whether that be circumstances that I don’t understand or decisions that don’t have answers. Regardless, this month is my favorite.

I have realized that in the past few months I have become extremely disconnected with myself. I have lost sight of many of the things I always dreamed and aspired for my life. Its hard for me to verbalize what has been going on inside of me. But I know that the leaves are falling away and that the branches are now starting to show. Things that I had forgotten about or had tried to cover up are finally making their way back into eye’s sight.

I’m ready to find me. To find what I want for my life. To rediscover my dreams and hopes. To see who I am and who I want to become. I’m excited to become ME.

Hello readers! I apologize for the fact that I haven’t written in a VERY long time. Life has just been crazy.

I am needing your help with something though. As you may know I am starting to apply to colleges for Fall of ‘09. Many of the colleges (most are liberal arts schools) I am applying to are asking for a portfolio of written work. Here’s where you come in! I need help figuring out which essays to submit. Over the next few weeks I will be posting many different essays that I have written (some old, some new). I am asking for your feedback, whether that be negative or positive. I need for you to be VERY critical because most of these colleges will be. If you don’t mind doing the following to help me out:

1. Subscribing to my blog via RSS Feed or another subscription service like Google Reader. (The purpose of this is that you will be notified every time I post a new essay)
2. Read each essay carefully.
3. Commenting back with your feedback of the essay as a WHOLE (look for things like: coherence-organization of thoughts; flow; unity-all ideas relate back to the topic; and completeness-making sure the intro, body, and conclusion meets the expectations of the topic). 
4. Also look for any MINOR details that may need changes like grammatical or punctuation errors.*
    * I am not very concerned with the editing part as much as the entirety of the essay itself. Feel free to skip this step.
5. If your comment leans more towards the negative side, give me suggestions on how to make it better.
6. Please rate the ENTIRE essay as a whole on a scale of 1-5 (1-being poor and 5-being excellent–meets all expectations)