Thanksgiving at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, VA

It’s almost Thanksgiving! We stuff ourselves with food and relish time with our family. It is such a fun holiday so let’s take a look at the place where it all got started.

Berkeley Plantation, in Charles City, VA was the sight of the very first Thanksgiving, way back in 1619. Located twenty miles upriver from Jamestown, the first permanent settlement in North America, Berkeley Plantation is over flowing with years of history.

How would you like to celebrate the first English speaking Thanksgiving in the New World? You can! On November 3, Berkeley Plantation will have a re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving at their beautiful 1726 Georgian mansion and grounds. Let your mind drift back in time and come relive Thanksgiving history! The Virginia Thanksgiving Festival will serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, along with arts and crafts exhibits, tribal dancers and many other fun activities. The festival hours are 12:00-4:00. Bring the whole family and have a great day!

Berkeley Plantation’s history includes much more than the first Thanksgiving. It is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and William Henry Harrison, our 9th president. It is also the place where “Taps” was written during the Civil War, by General Daniel Butterfield, a Union soldier.  Let’s not overlook the history of the house either- built in 1726. Berkeley Plantation is also recognized as a Virginia and National Historic Landmark.

In addition to many historical events, the plantation offers several tours of the beautiful mansion, gardens and grounds. Many weddings and corporate outings are also held here. Join some of us from Extra Attic as we celebrate Thanksgiving at this magical, time resistant setting.

Ronald McDonald House of Richmond VA

The mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities focuses on the critical needs of children - the future of our world. They strive to attain their goals through the Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and RMHC US Scholarships. Most people know about the tremendous benefits of the House, but don’t know as much about the other, just as helpful, benefits of the RMHC.

The Ronald McDonald Houses are residential places established near hospitals where a family can stay at minimal or no cost. We all would want to get the best medical attention available to meet our child’s medical needs, regardless of how far from home. Traveling creates an enormous living expense when the hospital is far from home. What a relief it must be to be welcomed into a Ronald McDonald House!

A Ronald McDonald Family Room is a space right inside the hospital. This gives the parents the ability to spend quality time with their hospital bound child. We all know the positive healing effects of a family spending time together. A Family Room may include a kitchen area, sleeping area, internet access, and possibly a shower. Saving living expenses is a huge benefit, but having a place to spend quality time with your child is priceless. RMHC provides both!

A third benefit provided by RMHC is the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. The Care Mobile provides services in a 40’ long and 8’ wide mobile unit. There are 49 of these vehicles world-wide. Some services which may be provided include immunizations, prenatal care for pregnant teens, health education, nutrition counseling, vision, hearing and lead screening and much more. These units focus on areas where people have limited health resources in America and around the world.

Lastly, the RMHC provides college scholarship money to deserving candidates. Many students cannot afford to go to college. Since 1985, the RMHC has contributed over $48 million in scholarships. What an opportunity!

The Ronald McDonald House Charities offers several fantastic benefits. Their financial support comes from their largest corporate sponsor - McDonalds, and the generosity of the local community. Giving your change at McDonalds does really add up, but if you want to do more, we do have local chapter of the RMHC right here in Richmond, along with a House and Family Rooms at various local hospitals.

What a great charity that we proudly support!

Dig in and find out more at http://www.rmhc-richmond.org/.

5-Step Organization: De-Clutter Your Home and Live Better

Stacks of magazines in wicker crates by the couch …old notes, receipts, and wallet-size pictures on kitchen countertops … once-used bread makers, TVs, instruments and holiday décor in basements and attics … out-of-fashion, worn out clothes in bedroom closets.

If you're sick of living with clutter, the time to take action is now.  With this easy 5-step home organization system, you can make your home relaxing, comfortable and clutter-free for years to come.

Step #1: Make Family and Friends Aware

It's great that you're motivated to de-clutter your home and live a cleaner, better life.  But if the people living with you aren't in the loop, expect to return home to the same clutter you cleaned up.  Before beginning the cleaning process, inform family members or roommates about your plan.

If you're thinking right now, my roommate will never go for this, they're filthy, pitch the idea and see what happens.  You'll be surprised about people's response to passion and initiative.  Also, don't be afraid to say, "This isn't working for me anymore.  I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me clean up around here."

If you have kids – making them aware is no problem.  That's why the words "chores" and "grounding" were invented.

Step #2: Embrace the "Clean as You Go" Principle

Many home chefs like to clean as they cook.  For instance, after mixing a bowl of cookie dough, they'll clean the bowl after placing the balls of dough on cookie sheets.  This allows for more counter space when the cookies come out of the oven – space to prepare other food, space for the cooling racks and space to place a glass of wine.

Applying the "Clean as You Go" principle to your home will keep your home tidy.  For instance, when you finish doing a project in the garage, clean up the debris … after picking out an outfit for the day, hang the "unchosen" back in your closet … and after watching a movie, put the DVD back in the case and put the DVD back in the holder.  Simple things like that.

Applying this principle to your home will also give you the ability to see where true clutter lies.  When everything is tidy and clean, distractions (unnecessary objects and piles) stick out easier.  Notice these distractions and fix them.

Remember, tidiness compounds.  The more you do it, the more organized your home will be.  Even when you don't feel like putting those clothes back before leaving for work, do it anyway.

Step #3: From Now On, Buy Things You Actually Like

Take area rugs for instance.  The next time you're at a home décor warehouse, don't buy an area rug just because it's on sale.  Instead, wait a while and save up for one that will last – one that you actually like.

But you're probably wondering, how does buying things you actually like reduce clutter?

Well, think about what happens to things you buy that you kinda like.  After a few years, they end up in the basement.  You tell yourself those things will be used in the future – maybe by your college-bound child or just-engaged nephew – but they rarely are.  All these things accumulate in the basement and, before you know it, there are piles upon piles of stuff.

Threatened by all these piles, you continue to feed them instead of chop them down.  It's not you – it's just human habit.

Step #4: Donate Items You NEVER Use

Back to those piles we were talking about.  Yes, they're incredibly hard to get rid of – almost as hard as shedding 5 pounds of stubborn belly fat – but it's possible.  In fact, sometimes, people are willing to do some of the work for you.

What I'm talking about are donation organizations like Goodwill that offer to pick up your "junk" in select locations. Plus, even if your local Goodwill doesn't offer pickup services, locations are never more than a few miles away if you live in a city.  [View Goodwill locations here]

Getting rid of these piles will clear up your basement and give you the ability to organize things you use annually, or things you use rarely but still want to keep.  Holiday décor, well-aged wine, sports memorabilia, family photos, expensive furniture and more.

Step #5: Store Items You RARELY Use

This may sound contradictory to what was said above, but that's only if you have a basement you never plan on renovating.  Chances are, if you have an unfinished basement in your house and have kids, eventually you'll turn it into a den.

Consider this scenario: you renovate your basement and are only left with a small area of storage.  In this storage area, you store the items you use annually.

But what about the things you rarely use and still want to keep?

That's when it's smart to start looking for safe, secure self-storage facilities in your local area.  Whether you live out west in Santa Monica, CA or in Richmond, VA in the east, there are tons of self-storage facilities that you'll find as clean as your newly organized home.

See how all of this organization businesses connects?

One Material That Requires Climate Controlled Storage Over the Rest

If you're tight on space in your current self-storage unit and need more climate controlled storage space, it's wise to either upgrade your unit or rent another one.  However, if it's out of your budget to upgrade and expand, there's one material you need to keep stored in your current storage, especially if your basement or attic at home is susceptible to fluctuating temperatures.

That material is wood.

Unlike steel and other hard materials, wood is made of compounds that are less dense.  This is evident from its splintery composition and lighter weight.  A good way to think about the composition of the two materials is to ask yourself, "What would happen if I broke a wooden board/steel beam across my knee?"  Obviously, the board would break – not the steel beam.

This same principle holds true for when you're deciding what to put in your climate controlled storage unit.  For instance, if you have a cherry wood dining table and four matching chairs, it's wiser to store these in your unit than engine components, sail boat rods, metal desks, etc.  They can survive in colder, hotter climates while wood can't.

According to Fine Furniture Design (ffdm.com), it's best to store wood products and furniture in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, you want the average humidity level to be around %50. 

"If you are away from home for extended periods of time, try to maintain temperatures and humidity levels that are kind to furniture," says Fine Furniture Design.  With metal, these strict temperatures and humidity levels are hardly ever a concern, which is why you should leave your metal belongings at home to increase space for highly sensitive wood items: cupboards, vanities, kitchen tables and chairs you plan on giving away or using in the future.

Bottom Line: If you're renting a new self-storage unit or need to relocate items from you existing one, make sure wood products receive top priority.