It is anything but common to see my name in print... unless of course I pay for an ad. However, lately, downsizing and helping people move, is getting a little attention... I've been blessed to share the printed page with other wonderful hard working companies that share a similar heart and purpose. Here are three articles for your reading pleasure, out within the last month:

http://roc55.com/issues/2010/10/should-you-downsize/

http://www.rbj.net/print_article.asp?aID=185227

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101030/BUSINESS/10300302/Downsizing-homes-can-be-a-difficult-job

I haven't been blogging for awhile. It's been a very busy time, with long long days.
Today I want to share some of the different projects we've been doing lately:

• We had a daughter from Chicago call. Her Mother had just passed on. When she called she was at her Mom's home in the Rochester area. She was putting it on the market and needed us to come to clean it out, then stage it for the Realtor. I met with her twice at the house, then she went back home to Chicago. She allowed us to take over from there. It is now completely staged, cleaned out, cleaned, fixed, and on the market. (Amy fund us on the through our website.)
• We received a call from a man living in a high rise apartment in Rochester. One week before, he had moved into a new apartment just one floor lower in the same building. He had hired professional movers. They packed and moved him, but not unpacked him. He is in a wheelchair, and because the boxes were everywhere, he was unable to move around in the apartment. When I arrived, it was a very sad situation. He was frustrated and mad and because of a brain injury and physical limitations, he was totally unable to help himself. We came in with a crew the next day and in 6 hours we were able to unpack all the boxes and get him organized. We spent approx. 6 more hours downsizing him so there wasn't so much in the apartment. (Jeff found us through Lifespan)
• I received a call from a son living in Georgia. His Mother was living in an independent living community in Rochester, NY. She has now moved out and living near a sister in Ohio. The apartment needed to be sorted, packed and put on a truck he was renting so he could drive it to Ohio. Right after his first phone call, I photographed all of the contents so he could see everything. From the photos he was able to choose what should be moved. Once those decisions were made, I arranged for the careful packing of all the precious art and sculptures and personal belongings in the apartment. Instead of writing on the boxes we put the photos I had taken on the boxes to identify what the contents were. I communicated with him long distance the entire time until the day of the actual packing of the truck. We had a full crew to help him load and he was on the road to Ohio in 4 hours. Any remaining items were taken away. No worries. (Tom found us through the community that his Mother was living in.)

These are just a few examples of how we can help. More to come...

This presentation has been done several times now at different locations. If you've missed it, I will be doing it again at the Rivers Run Health Fair on Thursday, Oct. 28th. The address is 50 Fairwood Dr., Rochester, NY 14623. The Health Fair will have lots of vendors and will be from 11-4 that day. We haven't set a time for my presentation yet... so stay tuned... I'll let you know. If you want more information about the fair call: 585-292-5440 and talk to Chad. Hope to see you there.

If you live in a small space... its easy to get bored with the same look all the time. This is an easy and interactive presentation to give us all ideas on how to change up the stuff we already have. Quick tips and out of the box thinking. No spending... just ideas.

Baywinde

100-200 Kidd Castle Way

Webster, NY

9/16

3PM

Many thanks to the wonderful staff and members of the Wellness on Wednesdays group at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Webster... They invited me in to do my Bye, Bye Clutter Bye Bye presentation... and what fun we had!!!! We exercised.... We learned.... and we ate a wonderful lunch!!! Thanks especially to Lynn Reville for all the arrangements. And... for Lisa Riggi of LHR Administrative Services for referring me.

Sure, it's late August... you might be smelling the slight aroma of fall in the air... but if you are like me, I want to savor every second of summer. I'm not a real sun person (to fair)... I'm not even athletic, so spending lots of hours outside sweating isn't my idea of fun. But I just love not wearing heavy coats, and worrying about slippery roads. Now... I also have to admit... I like winter. I love big warm sweaters, and warm fireplaces. I know... I'm contradicting myself... It's not that I don't love each season, it's just that I want to hang on, just a little bit longer, to the warm days of summer. There are so many months of cool/cooler/cold /freezing weather.

With that... I want to mention the fall downsizing season. It's such a temptation to put off the de-cluttering until spring. Isn't it? If you are one of those people, please give me a minute to plant an idea: Be kind to yourself. Don't make it worse and keep adding to it. The downsizing project you want to do in the spring is big enough. Even if you grab one box, or one bag a week... and sort it watching the news, it will help you. Try to break your project up into small phases. Really, it helps. By the time spring comes around, you will be surprised and so pleased with yourself at how much you were able to get done.

I've just come from a family funeral in Austin, TX... it was hot. We came from all over the country to celebrate my Mother-In-Law's life. She was 90 years young and just a remarkable woman in so many ways. I will miss her so much.

Needless to say, my own family story helps me appreciate and empathize with the families I work with. Because, while the grieving is going on, there are so many other levels of thinking and planning going on. The family gathers and there are lots of distractions... the pockets of conversations evolve and blend as the time with family grows short and people start to leave. Did we talk about this? Did we talk about that? We need to include this person... don't want to leave anyone out... they might feel slighted... Family dynamics are so interesting... aren't they? Would love to hear some stories of recent dynamics and creative ways to help families communicate. We are all in the same boat.