Lorrie Shaw

This week a blur! Filled with meetings with super new clients, regularly scheduled appointments, last minute booking for emergency pet sitting for a long time client, a loved ones birthday celebration and prepping things for the upcoming holiday season kept me busy. It was truly a productive week and it ended with us being able to attend the Michigan game on Saturday. It's always such fun to see families and friends get together to share the day.

I really get a kick out of seeing four legged friends take part, today proved to bring out several dogs who seemed to be having as good a time as their owners. It's always great to chat with fellow animal lovers anywhere.

I am looking forward to an equally productive week ahead! I'm on the hunt for unique gift ideas for the holiday season. Each year, I give gifts to all of my clients and would love to hear your ideas and past 'hits'. In the past, I've given homemade peach salsa, pumpkin butter or jams, homemade BBQ Rub, spiced nuts, handmade greeting cards, Christmas ornaments and from-scratch gourmet marshmallows. Since I won't get around to canning, I'm kind of up a creek this year!

How much is your time worth to you? Do you really feel like that you can really manage the most important aspects of your life with clarity? How do you achieve your day to day goals? It's clear that there are different strategies and tools that we all use to get the most out of each day.

For me, sometimes getting up a little earlier in the morning to get a jump on my day gives me some sanity - I might get things in my office caught up on, or go to the market to get the staples that we need before my workday begins. Traffic is lighter, as are the crowds in the aisles. I'm a 'list' person. Athough I make mental notes each day, when I see things on paper I am more apt to get things done. I try to get the easy tasks crossed off of my list early in the day... especially those that tend to draw so much time away from my schedule later in the day like going to the post office and running other errands. To save not only time but also fuel costs, years ago I got into the habit of planning out my to do list according to where I will be geographically and sticking to a route. I pay bills online. I have a DayTimer personal organizer that's portable. In that, I can see my full schedule - both personal and business and I keep track of notes that I need to make daily. My time is valuable, and I also value the time of others; I'm a firm believer in confirming appointments. (I wish that more people did this, too!) My BlackBerry is a very useful tool in managing my time. The ability to be able to check/answer/send e-mails on the go is an invaluable. (How many times a week are we invariably stuck 'waiting'? I use that time to do e-mail or make calls.) I use it as an alarm clock, an e-appointment reminder, calculator.

As a homekeeping professional, I find it pretty easy to keep up on my own cleaning. But, it can be tough if you really do not like to clean, lack the time or simply are not physically able to. Many if not all of my clients find more time to do the things that they like or need to do like organizing their home, tending to their loved ones, or finally being able to participate in hobbies. Having their homes cleaned once a week or once every other week by me lightens the load and saves their sanity. I notice that the closets in my clients' homes get the attention that they need. Pictures get organized and framed. Pies get baked. There's a sense of order and calm in the house. Can you imagine how much more enjoyable the holiday season is for my clients?

What are your strategies for balancing your life?

Less housework = more personal and family time. Get some. Balance your life. Save your sanity. Sleep in on Saturday. If you are located in the vicinity of Chelsea, Dexter or Pinckney, I would be delighted to help you achieve a sense of balance.

Lorrie Shaw, Immaculate Cleaning Service 734-904-7279

What a game yesterday! The Wolverines came out triumphant yesterday, beating Notre Dame 38-34 in a packed Big House where the crowd was electric. I always such a vast demographic of people there; wonderful to see so many families gathered to share the day. The little members of the family love it, too.

Despite being tired, sun soaked from being out all day yesterday and having very sore, scratchy throats from screaming so much at the game, we have a very happy household here today. :-) It was a great way to spend a September Saturday in Ann Arbor!

What a week!

September is in the minds of most people a month of change... school starting for the kids, thinking ahead to the coming weather changes, gearing up to finish (or start, in my case!) those last minute outdoor projects to prepare for the harsh weather that will certainly be here before you know it.

This week certainly saw some changes in our house and in the Chelsea/Dexter area.

Jenny's Farm Market erected their annual straw maze this week and I spied a load of pumpkins ready to go. Jenny's, located at the crux of Island Lake and Dexter Pinckney Rds., has hay rides, pumpkin doughnuts and other fall offerings for young and old.

Sadly, on Wednesday brought the passing of one of my dear, dear clients who had been struggling (and yet living to the fullest!) with declining health in recent months. We both really looked forward to the days when her cleaning appointments were scheduled, as she and I had become quite close since her arrival in Michigan a few years ago, sharing a common interest in holistic health and practices among other things. Having been in her late 80's she saw a lot of things and had an interesting perspective as most of our elder population typically do. I learned so much from her, and will miss her very much. The memories are abundant and in the end that's what counts most, I think - the lasting memories and impact that you have on others. I was notified of her transition just after finishing a cleaning appt on Wednesday, and by that time of day I was hot, tired - and on top of it teary eyed! In no mood really to cook, I remembered seeing Hazel's Home Cookin' in Dexter and I was right down the street. Solid comfort food was certainly in order so my partner and I met over there; we were pleasantly surprised. Erica cheerfully greeted us as we entered and took to carefully explaining the offerings of the day and took our order (Chris chose the glazed meatloaf while I got the oven fried chicken, both with homemade mashed potatoes and corn). Hard at work in the kitchen was owner, Denise Livingston (Erica's mother), pulling a fresh batch of dark meat chicken out of the oven. Nothing better than 'from scratch' comfort food to soothe the soul... just what I needed that day and I'm looking forward to going back.

I discovered a great new information and local news resource started by Heather Newman. Chelseaupdate.com offers local news and events indiginious to the town of Chelsea - stuff you might not see in larger outlets; stuff that matters.

We are ending the week by attending the Michigan/Notre Dame game and I'm hoping to get some great pictures today with my new BlackBerry (what a cool thing - I get so much more done!)

How did you spend your week?

Labor Day is a great day. As a calendar day, it gives me a reference point from which to plan ahead for the next season, as well as think about fall plantings in the yard and what to do with what. I think ahead to the holiday season, which is a busy pet sitting time for me of course. Additionally, in the week following I get in touch with clients to see where their pets' needs are currently - what their needs are, too. I get the cobwebs out, so to speak, figuratively and literally and of course, I cook! Today will be Caribbean jerked pork, coconut rice and some veggies.

Labor Day weekend typically is a nice segue into my favorite season! Autumn is an amazing time; temperatures are comfortable, the sun is bright and crisp, the outdoor colors magnificent! It's my favorite season to do what I love to do - walk dogs! (I think my dog clients prefer it over other seasons, too!) I have to admit, the shorter days are not a welcome change. I love sunlit early mornings and those are a thing of the past at this point of the year. **groan** I am looking forward to pumpkin picking, planting more mums and some baking. I think that I will drag the crock pot out for the season, too. A crazy schedule like mine really benefits from good time leveraging and my trusty crock pot helps me do that.

What are you doing this Labor Day? What are your traditions?