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BETWEEN FRIENDS
or the third year in a row, w e’re
focusing our January issue on
getting organized, one of the
most popular New Year’s
resolutions. And like most
perennial resolutions, it’s easy to start
strong, but hard to stick with. No matter how
m uch w e sort, swap, donate, clean, stack,
rack, and label,
living
organized is something
else entirely. For that, you need persistence
and good habits. You need the w hole family
pitching in. And it helps to have a certain
amount of resilience w hen you’re staring
down, say, a holiday influx of games and
gifts, all looking for a new home.
So, consider this issue a creative kick-
start to help you reactivate or reinvent your
organizing plan. In my own life, my greatest
successes have come from listening to women
w ho have it figured out. One of those is Amy
Panos, the senior home editor w ho produces
our “Get Organized” column each month.
From her advice, I’ve developed my personal
keep-order mantra: Organize w ith baskets.
Label everything. Group items by task. And
relax, because life just got easier.
This month, Am y and our entire home
design team have tapped the smarts of
professional organizers, readers, and work-
from-home moms to bring you tons of new
ideas and simple solutions. You’ll find tricks
for resisting clutter, creating more storage in
small spaces, and staying on top of w hat goes
where. Pick a tip to try, and let me know how
it turns out!
W e’re also joined this month by Ellie
Krieger, best-selling author and host of
the Food Network program
Healthy
Appetite,
who shares her Top
10
list of go-to
ingredients for healthful meals in a snap.
Even something as simple as stocking our
pantry differently can make a change in how
w e live organized—and healthier—every day.
Gayle Goodson Butler, Editor in Chief
Meet Our Organizer
Senior Editor Amy Panos,
left,
mother of three,
enlists her kids in keeping order. "I hang a clear
plastic shoe organizer on the back of the hall
closet for shoes plus mittens, hats, sunglasses,
etc. We call it 'the system.’ When we walk in, the
first words out of my mouth are 'Boys, put your
shoes in the system.’” Genius.
£
Are you well-
organized?
Tell us what works,
what you’ve solved—
and what messes just won’t
be tamed.
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1716 Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50309-3023
8
JANUARY 2010
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: (AMY PANOS AND KIDS) PAIGE PETERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
