And a baby grand piano.

I don’t play the piano very well — certainly not well enough to justify owning one, let alone moving it 400 miles — but mine was a gift from my parents and playing it is one of my favorite forms of stress relief.

So I was thrilled when, during the final hours of our house-hunting trip, we found a place with a small front room that would accommodate a piano and not much else. But since we also loved the idea of a combination music room/library, we were determined to squeeze in a few of our books and something comfortable to sit on, too.

I knew we could repurpose some existing bookshelves — handmade by my dear friend Kim’s father — but the seating was a challenge. There was no way to fit a couch or loveseat; even our existing leather club chair was too bulky for the space.

While the boxy style and cherry red of this Pottery Barn leather slipper chair was not exactly on my dream furniture wish list, its low profile and no arms meant we could fit two in the tight space:

Although PB no longer sells the chairs, my husband found a brown pair on Craigslist, just a few miles from our house. They were comfortable, in perfect condition, and a steal — plus we figured if we ever move or get sick of them we could re-sell.

But after living with the chairs a couple weeks, it became clear that something was needed to break up the bo-ring brown:

But what? Here’s the blow by blow…

First, a Simple Decorating Tip: I hate shopping. And I hate returning even more. So one trick I’ve learned over the years for solving a decorating challenge is to first try what I have on hand. I once covered a pillow with a yellow sweater when I wanted to try out the color and didn’t have anything else that hue. I’ve hung sheets and tablecloths from curtain rods to test light vs. dark before investing in curtains, and used ribbon and double-stick tape to try out stripes on a lampshade.

So for the piano room, I started by adding a throw that normally just hangs out in a basket in our family room. It helped soften the look (and is great for snuggling up with a book), but it was still pretty much a visual yawn-fest.

I knew that pillows could add texture and dimension, but they also had to be comfortable and functional. Leather is a slick surface to begin with, and the slipper chair style required something that would stay put without resorting to Velcro.

So again, rather than heading to the store, I gathered every decorative pillow in my house to help narrow my options:

First up, chartreuse linen lumbar pillows from the guest bedroom. I actually liked the jolt of color and the rectangular shape, but at 10″ x 16″, they were too small and kept sliding off.

Next I tried the orange cotton pillows from my office (similar here). Although I liked it more than expected (even with the red), I ultimately wanted something more soothing. Plus, my husband is not a big fan of orange.

Brown velvet from the master bedroom. Right shape, and I’m always a sucker for a monochromatic look, but even I agree this was too much brown.

I love what a small dose of animal print can do for a room and these West Elm zebra pillows (also from my office), might have worked had they been rectangular instead of square. But they were still too big — I knew they’d end up on the floor every time we sat down.

Same goes for these black-and-white striped pillows from Pottery Barn (similar to their outdoor version here) — the graphic punch was great but they were too big for the chairs.

Nope, they don’t work horizontally, either.

Then I stumbled upon these lumbar cushions at IKEA. They’re the perfect size for the chairs and rather than slipping off, they conform to your lower back when you’re sitting down. Form + function FTW!

First I tried the red.

But since the red rug already dominates the tiny space, I ultimately preferred the more neutral black and tan stripe. They help lighten up the chairs and tie in the bookcase color without competing with the other elements in the room.

The final result:

I added a bit of color by swapping out the tan throw with a more colorful chartreuse one — I promise it looks better in person.

Update: Just caught the tail end of Along Came Polly on TV. This quote from Ben Stiller’s character struck me as a fitting way to end this post (at least in the global scheme of things):

“Oh and by the way, I threw away all your little throw pillows. Yeah, ’cause throw pillows suck. They serve no purpose. They’re purely decorative.”

This backward route means I pass the garden area twice, so a couple months ago I got lucky and spotted these $5.99 striped HÅLLÖ pillows:I’d been looking for some lumbar cushions for the leather slipper chairs we scored on Craigslist, and although I really liked this $40 French Stripe pillow at Pottery Barn, it was too big.

The HÅLLÖ pillows were the perfect size – roughly 24″ long by 12″ wide — so I picked up two in the black and tan ticking stripe. (The fabric is 100% cotton and surprisingly hefty for the price.)

The pillows come with foam inserts but since I would be using them indoors, I wanted feather or down. The closest match at IKEA is the $6.99 FJÄDRAR cushion insert — same length but 4” wider. It fits inside the zippered cover just fine with a bit of coaxing and massaging (think Spanx — but for pillows). If you’re picky, several online sources stock 12″ x 24″ inserts including Amazon.com ($11 each) and Pottery Barn ($20 each).

Total cost for two pillows plus two inserts: $26 (versus $80 for the PB version).

Here’s what it looks like on the chair:

When I went back to IKEA to pick up two more pillows for our outdoor lounge chairs, they were sold out and the cashier said they wouldn’t be getting any more.

Lucky for me she was wrong — when I tried again last week, HÅLLÖ was back. So if you want ‘em, don’t wait. (The pillows come packed flat but puff up as soon as you remove the plastic.)

Next up: picking pillows, a trial and error story.

If Pinterest trends are any indication, teacher-gift season is almost here. And with it the challenge of finding a budget-friendly idea that adequately conveys thankfulness and saves face in the implied creativity competition. (If you’ve ever had a child in elementary school, you know what I’m talking about.)

Although my son just finished his first year of college, I spent a lot of time over the years volunteering at his school. I got to know many teachers and witnessed firsthand the demands of their job and the sacrifices they make for our kids.

Fact: Teachers absolutely deserve our gratitude.

But I also learned the hard way that sometimes the best way to thank them is by keeping it simple.

I showed up to help a preschool teacher get organized on the last day of class. Her entire room was filled teacher thank-you gifts: apples of every kind – real, wooden, ceramic, plastic – along with mugs, pencil holders, statues, frames, baskets, plants and mounds of homemade goodies.

It was obvious how much the parents and students loved her. I was impressed.

But she was clearly less impressed. Instead there were tears. “What am I supposed to do with all this stuff?!”

I helped her sort through the piles, following her instructions to keep the gift cards and notes and take everything else to Goodwill. (I confess that of my own gift -– a metal pail filled with sand toys and sunscreen that had taken a lot of time and effort to put together – only the gift card survived.)

So rather than stressing over what to do for teacher gifts this year, here are some ideas for saving your end-of-the-year sanity – and the teacher’s:

A note of appreciation. If you do nothing else, write a note thanking teachers for the time they spent with your child. Make it personal – if possible, include a specific example that shows them you really noticed their efforts and have your child write or draw something, too. Resist the urge to put the note in a mug (or any other item) from the dollar store. I can practically guarantee it will be thrown out re-gifted.

Update: A teacher added this comment on Facebook: “Teacher vote: the [thank you] card. Gift certificates are nice too, but the cards are the savers and really nourish the exhausted June teacher-soul! “So, it WAS all worth it!”

A gift card. I don’t mean to offend – some of my friends consider gift cards impersonal and there may still be teachers who actually want another potholder. But every teacher I’ve asked says that after a note, the best thank-you is a gift card. And a thoughtful gift card is even better.

When choosing a gift card, it’s nice to start with locally owned businesses that support your school. When I lived in Arizona, the nearby Basha’s grocery store contributed generously to every school fundraiser and event, so I always bought my gift cards there.

If there’s not much to choose from locally, you probably won’t go wrong with a popular chain. Did the teacher recently move? A Lowes or Home Depot gift card would be perfect. Is the she crafty? Michaels, Jo-Ann or Hobby Lobby. If you need more ideas, just think of where you like to shop  — Target, drug and hardware stores, restaurants, movie theaters, educational supply stores and craft stores are all good choices.

A few times I collected donations for a group gift and we were able to give the teacher a very generous VISA “gift card to anywhere.” But even if you have only $5 to spend, a well-chosen gift card won’t go to waste.

Simple, lightweight, reusable packaging. Some teachers may have more than 100 students and those heavy glass containers, while attractive, are hard to lug home. Reusable bags (the lunch bags at Whole Foods are only 79 cents) and inexpensive totes are great options that serve double duty for transporting all the other stuff they get.

And you don’t have to completely throw creativity out the window. Pick a fun theme for the gift-card packaging and let your child get involved by personalizing it with paint, crayons, markers, paper cut-outs or stickers.

One year I packed store-bought fortune cookies into a takeout box and tucked a gift card and thank-you notes inside. Outside I attached a “fortune” that said: It was our good fortune to have you as Christopher’s teacher this year. Thank you for everything and have a great summer! Of course, if you really want to make something, you can always bake your own fortune cookies or create them from paper.

The whole thing took about 10 minutes to throw together and cost about 75 cents each (not including the gift card). Incidentally, the beach pail thank-you that got sent to Goodwill cost me more than $10, in addition to the $10 gift card. I could have just given her a $20 gift card instead.

All photographs (c) Christopher Halloran Photography

I love living in California, but I miss this house and, most of all, the incredible people we met while living here.

The lollipop-looking ficus trees were my attempt at East Coast landscaping.

The light maple floors throughout the house were one of my favorite features. They also hid dirt pretty well.

Great fireplace for the five days a year it was needed. Paint color here and in the kitchen is one of my favorite neutrals: “Scone” by Martha Stewart.

Another view of the family room, wherein we pretended not to have a TV.

Eleven feet was an ideal ceiling height for making a house feel spacious and airy; somewhat less ideal for Arizona summer electric bills.

Master bath.

The scene of many slumber parties. Taken AFTER my son left for college, hence the lack of SpongeBob and “Dwight from the Office” posters. (I spy … 12 things from IKEA.)

We miss this back yard. But never the maintenance.

I started this blog as a way to document my quest to revise, improve and simplify my life to focus on what’s most important.

A lot has changed since then. My only child started college 700 miles away. I sold my home of nearly 14 years. My husband and I moved from Arizona to Southern California.

But as I pause to catch my breath, I realize the words I initially chose as filters for editing my life — revise, improve, simplify — have not changed. In fact, they’ve helped guide and ground me during particularly stressful times.

Simplify. We sold our house much faster than anticipated, so there wasn’t time to agonize over what to take with us. Though I’ve never considered myself a hoarder, I accumulated a lot of stuff living in one place for 13-plus years. The commitment to simplify (plus the need to cram it all in a van) made it much easier to say goodbye. We donated nearly a thousand books, hundreds of record albums, and carloads of clothes and home goods.

The litmus test?  Discovering 15 boxes of my son’s baby paraphernalia in a long-forgotten attic crawl space minutes before the movers showed up. There was no time for a meltdown or waxing nostalgic. Luckily, wanting to simplify freed me to keep just a few small things I thought my son might want and donate everything else.

Revise. The open layout of our new place meant getting rid of some furniture and getting creative with the rest. And since it’s a rental, I can’t really do much to alter it. While at first this felt very restrictive, deciding to revise my mindset has made it incredibly liberating. Time previously spent picking paint colors and planning the next remodeling project can now be focused elsewhere. I will always care about where I live and want it to be comfortable and inviting, but now I can spend that time making the stuff we can take with us even better.

Improve. There are many, many things I want to improve, but all this change has brought one into sharp focus: what matters to me most are the people I love and improving my relationships with them.

Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. And in this case, I don’t mind.

All Images Credit: Christopher Halloran Photography (c) 2011

I was recently invited to a cookie exchange — my first. The party sounded like fun, but I was completely stumped by what to make.

Let’s face it, everyone knows cookie exchanges are basically beauty contests for baked goods, and even though this one wouldn’t involve judges or prizes (thank heavens!), I didn’t want to be the one bearing the ‘platter of shame.’

I needed to find a recipe that didn’t just taste good, but looked pretty, traveled well, and was unique — yet easily mass-produced.

After polling friends and family for suggestions and experimenting with several different recipes (including these White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal cookies which were very good but rather homely), I decided to stick with tradition: a Swedish butter cookie. I’m a quarter Swedish and my family has been making a version of these old-fashioned cookies — pressed with a fork and dotted with red and green maraschino cherries — nearly every Christmas for four generations.

I started with my great-grandmother’s original recipe which calls for cake flour, an egg and very little sugar and (for me, at least) yielded doughy, flavorless lumps. Not exactly what I was going for.

So I decided instead to try a fresh take on tradition by adapting this recipe. I increased the maple syrup to enhance the flavor and add some chewiness (it’s still not at all maple-y tasting), added a dash of vanilla and salt, and dipped a corner of the finished cookie in melted chocolate to make it a bit more festive — and decadent.

The result? A crispy, slightly chewy, buttery cookie that resembles shortbread in flavor but is lighter in texture.

They were a big hit with the at-home taste-testers, and although I think we were all too sick of making cookies to actually eat them at the exchange, mine passed the most important test: I came home with an empty platter.

Just one batch yields 48 – sufficient for most cookie exchanges. [Note: There are no eggs in this recipe.]

[Not So] Traditional Swedish Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

For decorating:
6 oz. good quality chocolate (I used a combination of ½ dark and ½ milk)
Neutral vegetable oil (optional; for thinning chocolate)
2 oz. white chocolate chips (optional; for drizzling)

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and maple syrup and mix well to combine. Add 1 c. of the flour, the baking soda and the salt to the creamed mixture and mix until dry ingredients are incorporated. Add remaining flour and mix just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (At this point the dough can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped in plastic, then allowed to rest at room temperature before proceeding.)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Divide the dough into eight equal portions (I patted it into a disk, then cut the disk into eight wedges) and form each portion into a semi-log shape.

Flatten the logs (I used a rolling pin) to make 9”-long rectangles and place about 1.5 inches apart on two ungreased baking sheets. Don’t worry about making the rectangles too perfect — they’ll flatten and im-perfect themselves during baking. Just part of the homemade charm.

Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Use a pizza cutter to trim ends (if needed) and cut six cookies from each rectangle; cool on wire racks.

While cookies are cooling, put 6 oz. of chocolate in a glass bowl (a coffee mug works perfectly for the size and shape of these cookies) and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to heat and stir, 15 seconds at a time, until completely smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly. (You can add a small amount of vegetable shortening or neutral vegetable oil, such as canola — ½ teaspoon at a time — if chocolate is too thick.) Happy accident: When baking my last batch, I needed more chocolate but didn’t have the time or inclination to make yet another trip to the grocery store. I used 3 oz. butterscotch chips and 3 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli) — just enough butterscotch flavor to complement the buttery-ness of the cookie without overpowering.

Dip a corner of each cookie into chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Put white chocolate chips in one corner of a snack-size Ziploc bag and microwave about 10 seconds or until melted. Snip off a tiny corner of bag and drizzle over the chocolate portion of each cookie.

Image credit: Christopher Halloran Photography (c) 2011

Linking to Kate’s Cookiepalooza Party at CentsationalGirl.com.

As is the plight of many homes in Arizona, the street view of our house is dominated by a three-car garage. Blech.

Our lipstick-on-a-pig solution was to paint it a solid color and attempt to dress it up with modern mission-inspired light fixtures and windows. But since the garage still makes up nearly half the facade, the front entrance needs to be a standout to get noticed at all.

While cleaning up the aftermath of a recent haboob (which is way more fun to say than it is to experience), I realized our entry was standing out — just not in the way I’d hoped.

Our front door is looking tired and neglected, the welcome mat is not welcoming anyone, and the weathered bench is barely holding it together.

Time to spruce it up — starting with the door hardware.

Our existing solid brass handle set — the Schlage Century — originally had a satin-nickel finish. A couple years ago the nickel finish started wearing off so I MacGyvered a quick fix using some hammered bronze metallic spray paint.

It looked great — for about a year. Now it’s peeling and has worn off in places:

Since I still really like its clean, modern profile, I considered just replacing it with the same one in a different “aged bronze” finish but the $120 price tag — along with the hassle factor of installing a new set — left me open to other options.

Like painting it. Again.

How to Paint Metal Door Hardware

Materials:
- Sandpaper (medium and fine grit)
- Lint-free cloth
- Painter’s tape
- Newspaper
- Primer (if needed)
- Spray paint (Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish in “Dark Bronze”)

Prep. I started with medium-grit (60) sandpaper and sanded down the jagged edges of the peeling-off paint job, then followed it with a fine-grit paper (180) to smooth the surface, being careful not to scratch the brass.

Next I wiped it down with a damp, lint-free cloth.

More prep. Using painter’s tape, I taped the door around both the lock and the handle making sure to get the tape as close to the base of the metal as possible (slightly under it, where I could) so there would be no overspray on the door.

To keep paint out of the keyhole, I cut a double circle of tape to cover it. (This results in the keyhole being a different color from the rest of the handle set, but I can live with that for a lock that works.) I also taped off the thumb lever, since I learned the hard way before that the horizontal surface collects all the extra paint.

After taping off the handle and lock, I added large pieces of newspaper to protect the door, door frame and entry step from overspray.

Choosing the Paint. Although the hammered finish I used the first time was effective at hiding the surface flaws of the metal, I never really loved it – it always looked spray painted. After reading how much the Young House Love-ers adore Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic spray paint and its fancy trigger spray nozzle, I decided to give it a try — in “oil rubbed bronze.”

I took off the red safety slide, shook the can per the instructions (plus some more), and tested the spray on a scrap piece of paper. At first it wouldn’t come out, then I got a bunch of splotchy splatters — not at all the look I was going for on the door. I shook the can some more, tested it again, and got only slightly better results.

I really didn’t want to go back to Home Depot, so against my better judgment I decided to give it a shot on the door. Bad call. The paint splattered everywhere. I wiped off the wet paint with the damp cloth and headed to the Depot.

After I explained my situation, the HD paint expert store helped me test another can. Again, same problem. I don’t know if I just tested a bad batch, but I’m not a fan of the trigger spray. Sorry, Sherry and John.

I chose a different Rust-Oleum option: Bright Coat Metallic Finish in “dark bronze.”

Paint. After testing the new paint on my scrap paper, I sprayed three thin coats 10 minutes apart and I really like the results. Although the finish is called “metallic,” it actually sprays on much more matte – more like real oil-rubbed bronze. Finally, I removed the painter’s tape from the thumb lever and holding a piece of scrap paper underneath to protect the rest of the handle, I gave it one quick spray to coat.

To prime, or not to prime. One of the benefits of the ‘universal’ spray paint (the first kind I bought) is that it contains both primer and paint. When I made the switch to the new stuff, I asked the HD paint pro if I needed a primer too. He said that as long as I scuffed the surface enough to allow the paint to stick, it would be fine. I trusted him. So far, so good.

After letting the paint dry for several hours, I removed the paper and tape. Voila — “new” hardware!

Well, “like” new-ish. And while I’m pleased with the overall result, next time (if there is a next time) I might try using a solvent to completely remove the old finish(es) before painting for a completely smooth look.

Next up: Sanding and varnishing the front door.

Image ©2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

My Aunt Stewart was a born hostess. She made entertaining seem effortless — a trait she passed along to her children. My siblings and I have fond memories of her huge holiday shindigs where she welcomed with open arms every friend and family member who happened to be in town.

She had a quick wit, a deep, throaty laugh, and a classic, honeyed Southern drawl. She took a genuine interest in people and had a knack for making them feel unique and loved.

Heartbreakingly, she succumbed to cancer on New Year’s Eve 1997, just one day after her 64^th birthday.

I adored her, and miss her still.

Me and my Aunt Stewart, circa 1989.  Hence my ‘Talking Heads’ jacket.

One of my most prized possessions is a book she gave me: The Words Worth Eating Cookbook by Jacquelyn G. Legg. Published in 1987, the cookbook is a compilation of recipe cards Ms. Legg created for the beloved (and sadly, now gone) Virginia-based Ukrop’s supermarket chain.

Like all truly great cookbooks, my copy of Words Worth Eating displays the ravages of its usefulness. The back cover has long since gone AWOL, and nearly every page is dog-eared and scarred by food splotches and grease stains.

I can’t open it without thinking of my aunt, and I’m grateful to have this frequent reminder.

Image ©2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

The cookbook also contains the recipe for one of my favorite desserts: Fresh Fruit Tart. It’s perfect for summer when most fruits are at their peak, but I’ve also made it in the dead of winter. No one complains.

As Ms. Legg comments: “Easy and spectacular! You won’t have any leftovers.”

I love how the simple, buttery, shortbread-y crust complements the creamy filling and the sweet-tart fruit. It’s quick to put together — a mixer helps but isn’t essential, and the most time-consuming part is arranging the fruit on top.

I’ve been making this recipe for more than 20 years now and I know it by heart. But for some reason I still open my cookbook to page 246 every time.

Over the years I’ve changed it up a bit so I included amounts from the original in parenthesis next to my version.

Image ©2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Tart

(Adapted from The Words Worth Eating Cookbook by Jacquelyn G. Legg (c)1987)

Crust:
½ c. butter, melted (original recipe calls for ¾ c. butter but it seems greasy to me)
1 ½ cups flour
3 T. sugar

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (original recipe calls for 11 oz. but I prefer the higher fruit-to-filling ratio. I also usually substitute lower-fat Neufchâtel with great results.)
5 T. sugar (original recipe calls for 7, but I reduce due to using less cream cheese)
1 ½ t. vanilla
1 T. fresh lemon juice (not included in original recipe)

Topping (choose 3-4 from list):
1 pint strawberries, washed and thinly sliced
2 kiwi, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pint blueberries, washed
1 c. seedless grapes, washed and cut in half
2-3 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small can mandarin oranges (not called for in original recipe but so pretty!)

Directions:

Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 if using a dark pizza pan). Combine butter, flour and sugar; mix well. Use fingers or the back of a wooden spoon to spread on a 12-inch pizza pan (or form a 12-inch circle on a larger pan). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool.

Filling: Blend softened cream cheese (or Neufchâtel), sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled crust to within ½-inch of edge.

Topping: Arrange fruit over cheese layer. (Tip: A quick Google search of “fruit tart” or “fruit pizza” images yields lots of creative inspiration for arranging the fruit.) The original recipe also calls for a glaze made by heating ½ c. apple jelly or orange marmalade mixed with 1 T. water, then pouring it over the fruit when cool. I’ve never used it.

Serves: 10-12 (original says 12-14 but I’m highly suspicious.)

***************************************************

Jacquelyn Legg concludes the cookbook’s introduction page with this quote:

“Use these recipes with love to entertain those in whose company life is most enjoyable.”

Come to think of it, that sounds just like my Aunt Stewart.

Image ©2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

Problem is, all that freedom and flexibility means my business — and busy-ness – can fluctuate wildly so when work comes in I tend to take it.

Perhaps that explains why I took on nine major new client projects last month.

But, like a bad infomercial, that’s not all!

In the same time span, my only child graduated from high school, I hosted house guests for 15 days, and I dealt with the deaths of three people I loved. Between funerals and commencement ceremonies, there were times I wasn’t sure I would get through it.

I worked 18+ hours a day to meet deadlines. I do not recommend this schedule — it results in nervous tics and causes inadvertent two-month blog-cations. It leads to neglect of loved ones, in particular my husband, my son and my parents (who traveled 2,300 miles for the privilege) — all of whom were incredibly gracious, supportive and understanding. I didn’t eat right or exercise nearly enough. Or sleep.

But oddly, the one thing I did do amidst all this self-inflicted insanity was start another new writing project – a list.

Working so many hours for so many days in a row opened my eyes to just how much time I’d been wasting before. And I decided that if my life were ever restored to my pre-project “normal,” I would start making better use of my time.

So during this crazy busy spell, whenever an idea popped into my head for something I could/should/wanted to be doing instead, I wrote it down.

It’s not a particularly remarkable list. In fact, it’s a rather hodgepodge jumble of to-do items, thoughts and ideas. It’s a life list of sorts, but it’s not at all glamorous in the traditional life-list sense – no exotic travel destinations, no skydiving, no triathlons.

Rather, my life list is made up of ways to use my time to improve my life — projects I need to finish, routines I want to simplify, blog posts I’d like to write, and relationships I want to nurture: “Cooking w/CDA before college” “Paint the guest bathroom baseboards.” “Learn Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah on the piano.” “Finish bookshelf redo.”

Mundane, yes. But the past two months have been an effective wake-up call for making every minute count. Funerals will do that. You have X number of minutes in your life; use it or lose it.

And that’s why I made my list.

My list is uniquely mine – captured at a time when I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And now a constant reminder to be grateful that now I can.

A non-expert’s tips for making a non-traditional life list:

Keep it free-form. Although my inner control freak threatens to take over and organize everything in categories, I’m finding it’s a good exercise to run through the entire stream-of-consciousness list each time. And since there’s no particular order, I can keep adding ideas as they occur.

Keep it simple. Wherever you decide to keep your list, make sure you’ll see it often and can update it easily. I’m old school — I still like to physically write my lists. This one lives on an ancient steno pad that never leaves my desktop.

Keep it realistic. This list is not about that trip to Paris. Rather, it’s for capturing things that are meaningful, that need to be done soon, and that can be accomplished in a relatively short time with few resources.

Just keep it. Most people have a much better chance of accomplishing things if they write them down. I’m no exception and I’m guessing you’re not either.

Image © 2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

About four years ago I did a stint at Weight Watchers. What I liked about the program was that it worked – it forced me to think about every single thing I put in my mouth and I dropped the weight in about three months.

What I didn’t like so much was attending the weekly weigh-in meetings. They were long. They were rah rah. And they mostly seemed to be about hawking goods or services rather than providing genuinely useful suggestions.

Somewhat ironically, nearly every meeting would end with a free sample and coupon for some new diet snack.

Since this was the beginning of the 100-calorie pack phenomenon, they were frequently the snack sample du jour. Most of them tasted fine — I even bought a couple boxes — but I didn’t like getting so little for my money, even with a coupon.

Neither did this Consumer Reports 100-calorie pack reviewer who concluded:  “If you can buy snacks in their regular packages and use an ounce of willpower, your wallet will stay fatter.”

Logical? Yes, but it’s that “ounce of willpower” that seems to be the sticking point. After all, if I’d possessed an ounce of willpower, I probably wouldn’t have needed to join WW in the first place.

So I tried a little experiment to see if I could encourage my willpower a bit and save a penny or two:

The contenders: One box of  Cheez-It® 100 Calorie Right Bites (on sale for $2.50) versus one box of Cheez-It® Reduced Fat Crackers (on sale for $1.99):

Image © 2011 Christopher Halloran Photography

The results:

Taste. The crackers in both boxes tasted exactly the same – slightly drier and more salty than regular Cheez-Its, but fine for filling the snack void. The ingredients listed on the boxes are also the same.

Yield. The prepackaged 100-calorie box contains six snack packs with 22-25 crackers in each for $.42 per pack. The regular box produced 16 snack packs of 22 crackers each for about $.12 per pack.

Savings. Doing it myself saved three and a half times what I paid for the pre-packaged snacks. And the really good news is that this works for pretty much any snack – nuts, pretzels, chips, popcorn, cereal, dried fruit, etc.

I’m guessing the how-to here is pretty self-evident but just in case — here’s the lowdown:

To make any snack a 100-calorie pack you’ll need:

• Bag or box of your favorite snack
• Zip-top snack or sandwich bags
• Calculator (Optional if you’re good at math. Not optional for me.)

1. Determine the number of snacks per bag. Look at the nutrition label on the package and find the recommended serving size and the number of calories. (For the reduced fat Cheez-Its, it lists a serving as 29 crackers for 130 calories.)

If the calorie count listed is already 100 — your work is done. Just put however many snacks it says you get for 100 calories into the zip-top snack bags. Easy peasy.

If not, grab your calculator – here’s where the math comes in. First find the calories per cracker by dividing the number of crackers per suggested serving (29) into the calories (130) – in this case 4.5 calories per cracker.

Then divide 100 (total calories) by 4.5 (calories per cracker) to get the number for the 100-calorie pack – in this case, 22.

2. Count the snacks out and seal them in the bags. I promise this goes really fast. It’s even something kids love to help with, though you may have to factor in a few extra for on-the-job sampling. Store the filled packs in the original container.

Hello instant portion control.

Counting out my snacks first works great for helping me avoid whole-box disaster scenarios — I’m the type of gal who can easily consume an entire container of Reduced Fat Wheat Thins in a sitting (they are ‘reduced fat’ after all).

Used snack bags go back into the container as well. Not only do the empty bags let me know exactly how many 100s of calories I’ve consumed, but they also can be reused for the next batch.

Final note: I presented this tip at my final Weight Watcher’s meeting and won the prize for “tip of the week”: a box of 100-calorie packs. Who says there’s no such thing as poetic justice?