We're doing our part and you can help too!

I am one of those people that just loves to help, and I'm sure you are too.  I find it very difficult to stand by and do nothing. 


This has been the deadliest Storm Season on record according to US Historians.  There are areas in our country that have never seen tornado activity that are getting hit without warning and lack preparedness.  Then there is the Tornado Alley region of the country that has been getting slammed and the loss of life is so devastating.  Families have been left homeless and displaced.  

Thanks to the American Red Cross however, many of these folks have an agency they can turn to for temporary assistance with shelter, clothing, food and emotional support.  


We here at Old Dominion Concierge, LLC will be donating a percentage of our annual revenue to the American Red Cross. It may not be much, but it is something we can do that is automatic and will help those that need it.  


Please take a look at our website to see other community services and charitable organizations we have chosen to support and lend our help to.  


You can click on any of the badges we support and make your own donations count as well.  



Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Top 7 Best Booths at Loudoun Earth Day 2011

Sunday I had a great time at the 3rd Annual Loudoun Earth Day Family Festival.  The festival was held out at  Willow Creek Farms in Broadlands, Va, just 10-15 minutes South of Leesburg.  Broadlands is the 25th community in the nation certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Having grown up in the woods of Connecticut I like to attend and support events like this, and because as you know they're not making any more land so we need to preserve the natural resources that we have. 

There were exhibitors to suit most every ones fancy.  Here are the Top 7 Best Booths at Loudoun Earth Day:

First, I love to shop and Susi DuPuis from Artsy Farsy Jewelry did not disappoint.  In fact I purchased this beautiful brooch made of recycled plastic materials.  When you look closely at it you can see that she has taken pieces from products we all use everyday and snipped and wired and twisted them into this really creative piece of fashion art.  I have visited her website and found many more pieces I have to have in my jewelry box. 

Other booths included;

Catherine Smith's from Trashion Fashion now that's a cool name for a business.  Catherine takes used aluminum soda cans and by cutting them up and backing them with what looks like polymer clay she creates shinny, trendy and unique jewelry.  Take a look at her Etsy website and you will find that her pieces are fun and exciting.

I recently planted fresh herb seeds like basil, chives, cilantro and others so they'd be on hand.  They haven't started sprouting yet, but soon.  I would like to grow more fresh vegetables as well so I was pleased to come across a booth that inspires and teaches people how to creatively grow their own food.   That last phrase is actually Linna Ferguson's tagline.  Linna is a motivational food garden speaker.  You can visit her FoodScraper site and check out her Food Garden Profile.  Linna showed me a really neat way to grow a garden in small spaces by planting in a garden box and raising the garden up off the ground.  Another tip was to use support stakes to grow things vertically.  There are some really helpful books on her site that go into great detail on how to successfully employ Square Foot Gardening. 

Being a new Grandma, I am always on the look out for new and exciting books for kids.  Tamatha Hollingswoth has released a new book for kids titled Taye and Cora Save the Earth.  The book follows the adventures of two children as they embark on a plan to take what they've learned from a school field trip and use it to save the Planet Earth.  That sounds like a lot of fun, and can encourage other children to do the same.   Her book is available on her website and coming soon to Amazon.  Awesome!

I'm also a collector of elephant items.  So, I was thrilled to come across Karin's booth.  She crochets many things, but the children's elephant cap caught my eye.  Crochet by Karin has a store on Etsy and she can ship her items for you.

The last booth of the day for me had the slogan Live Green! We all have to clean house, inside and out and with Spring cleaning season upon us we should be doing everything we can to clean safely for our families and environment.  Craig Harrison of Melaleuca had a awesome display of eco-friendly household cleaners, body soaps, hand lotions and much more.  I tried a sample of the hand lotion and noticed that it only took a small pea size amount to soothe and remove the ashy dryness from my hands, where as the conventional lotions take so much more the achieve the same desired results.  So rather than using the harshness of the standard brands you may be used to using I recommend checking out the Melaleuca site. 

There could be a new license plate design to choose next time you renew plates.  Have you watched the "The Bee Movie" with Jerry Seinfeld and Mathew Broderick.  Well if you have then you know the important part bees play in the agricultural well being of our planet.  Actually I'm sure you know the importance of bees without watching the movie.  Bees and other pollinators that help produce much of the food we eat and healthy wildlife ecosystems are in trouble, and scientists point to habitat loss as a major cause.  Visit PollinatorPlates.com for more details on how you can help and to find out how you can get the new plates for your vehicle(s).

Well that was my Sunday morning outing! It was such a joy meeting people and learning new and exciting ways to conserve resources by reducing, reusing and recycling items we use everyday.  

If you didn't make it to this years Loudoun Earth Day, well I hope to see your there next year.  In the mean-time check your local paper for other Earth Day festivals going on in other counties.  Alexandria Earth Day is on April 30th!  


Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

How to let the sun shine in and keep the pests out

It's time to throw open the doors and raise the windows to allow the warm sweet allure of Spring's soft breezes to float into your home.  

But how do you let the sun shine in while keeping the creepy crawly and flying pests out?  Nothing will ruin a warm Spring nap on your favorite window seat quicker than a fly buzzing pass your ear or an ant crawling up your arm. 

No worries though there are many quick remedies that you can use to keep these pesky pests at bay.  Here are a couple all natural non-toxic pest control remedies I personally use.  One remedy we used in Texas was putting a penny in a clear plastic bag filled with water and hanging them around the perimeter of the house.  You'll see this trick used by restaurants with patio seating, mostly in the South/Southwest.  You can read more about the Ol' Penny in a bag to keep flies away tick.

I also have found that planting citronella plants around the house, particularly under window keeps mosquitoes away.   Plus, you get the added benefit of the citrus orange fragrance that wafts in on the breeze.  Check with your local garden supply store.

All natural non-toxic remedies work and do not destroy everything in their path and are safe to use around children and pets. 

Planet Natural has a great article on Home Remedies for Natural Pest Control.  Here are a few of their recommendations, but please be sure to visit their site for more details and other really great ideas. 

• A natural fly catcher related to wine is to put something sickly sweet like mango peels in the bottom of narrow-necked wine bottles. The flies can fly in, but can't fly out.

• Grind rosemary leaves into a fine dust and sprinkle it onto your pet or its bedding to ward off fleas.

•  Sprinkle instant grits on the fire ant hill. The workers will carry the grits to the queen for her royal meal. She'll eat the grits and when it rains, she'll drink. And that's what will kill her. The grits will expand in her stomach and she'll "bloat" to death.

Of course if all else fails call in the pros! 

I love these commercials.  They really capture the feeling most of us have towards insects.  They are so creepy!



Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Enchantment Resort, Sedona Arizona

Enchantment Resort, Sedona Arizona

This was a fabulous long weekend getaway taken in January for my sister's milestone birthday.  The weather was mid-60s and as you will see I love to sun bathe.  











Spa: very clean, relaxing and private
Dining: was artfully creative and delicious
Room/Suite: very spacious and well appointed
Staff: relaxed, knowledgeable and extremely helpful and friendly
Cost: reasonable considering this is a four star award winning resort

I particularly liked the one bedroom Casita floor plan, it accommodated the five of us comfortably.  Three queen beds, two bathrooms, a living-room w/ a fireplace and a kitchen plus each room had a patio.  And, with four of us splitting the cost it was extremely affordable.

Next time I will be sure to plan my activities in advance, they book up quick.  Activities included such things as hiking the canyon, vision boarding, yoga, bike riding and tennis,  just to mention a few.  You can plan to stay busy your entire visit or simply choose to relax and do nothing.  I spent most of my time in the spa and laying at the pool looking up at the beautiful red rock formations.  The only bad part of our stay was when we had to leave.  We wished we could've moved in and lived there forever.






Visit our Facebook Page for more photos my Enchantment Resort trip.

ODC Rating: 5/5 Stars-I fully recommend this destination spa resort.


Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Decorating Your Easter Eggs

There are many ways to decorate your Easter eggs. Before starting the decorating process, you will need to decide on what you want to do with your egg. Depending on whether you want to eat your decorated eggs, or save them for reuse year after year, the process will be different.

• Hard-boiled Eggs - If you would like to make your Easter eggs part of your holiday meal, you'll need to hard-boil them first. If so, keep them refrigerated after decorating them. As long as you don't use acrylic paint, they should be safe to eat.

• Hollowed Eggs - If you want to keep your eggs long after Easter, you can hollow them out. Poke a small hole into each end of the egg. Put one end to your mouth and blow the contents out of the shell. Then, rinse the shell with water to clean it out. After it dries, it can be decorated and kept for years to come.

When you have your eggs ready, whether by hard-boiling them or hollowing them out, you can begin decorating them. The most common method involves making a solution of:

• 1/4 Teaspoon of food coloring
• 3/4 Cup of hot water
• 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar

Place the three items into a small bowl, using additional bowls for each color you want. Once the solutions are mixed, place the eggs into each bowl. The longer you let them sit, the more pronounced the color will be. When you want to take the eggs out, use a slotted spoon and put the eggs aside to dry. If desired, you can polish the dried eggs by applying a very small amount of vegetable oil to the eggs with a piece of cloth.

A fun technique for hollowed eggs is to create a quick Decoupage using tissue paper and white glue.  Create mosaics designs and geographic shapes by snipping or tearing small shards of color.  Dip a small paint brush in white glue pick up the pieces of paper with the glued tip and place on egg smoothing the glue to adhere.  Finish with a final top coat of glue and allow to dry.  This technique is not recommended for hard-boiled eggs that you plan to eat later.

And remember to follow proper Food Safety Techniques to protect your family from Food Borne Illness.


Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Easter Egg Safety Tips

Easter just wouldn't be Easter without the all important egg hunt.

You know where the kids spend Saturday afternoon dye coloring eggs and then we as parents hide them outside in the yard, usually on a very hot sunny Sunday.  These eggs spend in most cases several hours outside, under logs, behind bushes and in the limbs of trees for hours before they are found and eaten.  That's scary!

Eggs are among the foods that potentially harbor salmonella bacteria. To reduce the chance of illness, always observe safe cooking and handling of boiled eggs.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises refrigeration of hard-boiled eggs within two hours of cooking, for health and safety.

Read more: How Long Can Hard Boiled Eggs Be Left Unrefrigerated? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5179730_long-boiled-eggs-left-unrefrigerated_.html#ixzz1HZWcSOha

Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Celebrity Maternity Concierge to premiere on Bravo!

Bravo Presents ‘Pregnant in Heels’ with Maternity Concierge Rosie Pope

Rosie Pope, maternity concierge, is the subject of a new series Bravo will be birthing next month called “Pregnant in Heels.”....read more

Six Steps To A More Organized Day

These six tasks may already be part of your daily routine, if they are that's great!

If not, you'll want to add them right away!  You'll see results in a matter of days.  

Starting your day organized and put together only leads to good things to come for the remainder of the day.  Cleaning as you go and clearing the path you walk on will keep you moving forward and not looking backwards for items misplaced or stuffed away in clutter.



Try these six simple tips daily:


1. Make the Bed
 A  made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things -- such as clothes and papers -- pile up around it.
2. Manage Clutter
 Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same.
3. Sort the Mail
 Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing.
4. Clean as You Cook
 Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal.
5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh
 Whether it's gravy on the cook-top or makeup on the bathroom sink, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately.
6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor
 Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker.

If all else fails, hire a staff to attend to these items.  I know several great housekeeping companies that will get your housekeeping detail back on track. 

Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Enter to Win a $25 Home Depot Gift Certificate!

Spring is blooming and it's time to whisk away the dust and clutter! 

For households in which Spring Cleaning is an annual ritual, this helpful checklist from MarthaStewart.com makes sure no job gets left behind.

From the smallest of chores to the biggest of projects, many common tasks are covered, including:

• Vacuuming and shampooing rugs
• Waxing wooden furniture and non-wood floors
• Dusting books and shelves
• Resealing grout lines in kitchens and bathrooms
• Clean and/or launder window treatments

Enter to Win a $25 Home Depot Gift Certificate!  Simply complete the following tasks and your name will be added to the bucket of contestants.  If you are selected as the winner I will email your eGift card to the email address you have provided.  

Contest To-do List:

1. Subscribe to the Old Dominion Concierge Newsletter
2. Subscribe to Old Dominion Concierge Blog Feed
3. Follow us on Twitter at @olddomconcierge
4. "Like Us" on Facebook 
5. Refer a New Client

Enter as many time as you wish.  For each action you complete your name will be automatically entered into the drawing.  The drawing will be held on April 15th!

Good Luck! 





Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Super Bowl Snack-Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Are you ready for some Football!

Check out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Meat Balls.  This recipe comes from a Meatball Shop in New York City.  I made a batch for my family as well as a client and they gobbled them up.  They are out of this world.  Your guest are sure to love them.

I recommend using a non-stick pan for ease of clean up, but if you want them to brown nicely then use a ceramic dish, like something you would get from Pamperd Chef. 

Also, you may want to make a double batch if you are hosting a larger get together.  This recipe makes approximately 70-75 meatballs. 

Buffalo Chicken Meat Balls 
  

2T Olive Oil

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup Frank's RedHot hot sauce, plus more for serving

2 pounds ground chicken, preferably thigh meat

2 large eggs

2 ribs celery, minced (about 1 cup)

1 2/3 cups dried breadcrumbs

2  teaspoons coarse salt

Blue Cheese Dressing & Celery sticks, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Evenly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

1. Place butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking, until butter is melted and hot sauce is well incorporated. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl; let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
2. Add chicken, eggs, celery, breadcrumbs, and salt to bowl with butter mixture; using your hands, mix until well combined.
3. Roll chicken mixture into firm, 1-inch round balls and place on prepared baking sheet; arrange the meatballs in rows so that they are touching on all sides. Transfer to oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
4. Take out of oven and let stand 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with hot sauce; serve with dressing and celery sticks.

Enjoy and cheer for your favorite team!

Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Do you make your bed?

There's a little bit of debate going on in many homes across America.  The topic of discussion could have a direct effect on your daily stress levels....or not.

DO YOU MAKE YOUR BED? That's it. A simple question, but much debate.

I find that a good way to start my day with as little chaos as possible and to end restfully is to make my bed.  Making my bed every morning before leaving the bedroom helps me to keep the rest of the day in order.  I start the day off completing tasks, making the bed completes the action of sleeping. 

Who knew that smoothing the sheets, tucking the blanket, straightening the comforter and stacking the pillows could be such a stress reliever.  I find it hard not to make my bed every day!

Now, there have been times when I've had to jump up and leave for an emergency (my son had asthma growing up).  Only to return at the end of the day to face the disruption of the morning all over again. 

Some folks feel there is no reason to make a bed when they are just going to get back in it later in the day.  The task of making their bed is nothing more than a waste of time.  That's great too, we all start our days in different ways. 

There's something to be said about leaving the stress of the day at the door and slipping in to the calm of a well made bed.  There's nothing worse than having someone walk into my home and getting a glimpse of an unmade bed. 

So, I was wondering am I the only one that has a Type A point of view about making my bed. 

I'd love to hear from you on this topic.  See you in the comments.  Please take a moment to answer the poll below and let your opinion be counted. 





Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Spice of Life: Cardamon

I love cooking with rare spices and exotic ingredients.  We have to cook to eat, but there is no reason for the food we create to be boring or everyday.  Gaining access to spices is easier now than ever before.  Ships once sailed far and wide to fill there bays with the rich spices of foriegn lands now all we have to do is visit our local specialty store or better yet visit MarketSpice.com to have it delivered to our front door. 

This months Spice of Life is Cardamom.  I remember dining at an Ethiopian restaraunt here in the US and I wish I could describe the excitement caused by the flavor .  You'll simply have to try the spice on your own. 

Cardamom is used mainly in the Near and Far East and is one of the world’s very ancient spices.  Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. It is often adulterated and there are many inferior substitutes from cardamom-related plants, such as Siam cardamom.  Cardamom comes from the seeds of a ginger-like plant, the flavor is warm and eucalyptine with camphorous and lemony undertones. 

The pods can be used whole or split when cooked in Indian substantial meals — such as pulses. Otherwise, the seeds can be bruised and fried before adding main ingredients to the pan, or pounded with other spices as required. Keep the pods whole until use. The pod itself is neutral in flavour and not generally used, imparting an unpleasant bitter flavour when left in dishes.

I love the very unique and exotic flavor of this spice.  I think the moment you taste it, particularly in rice dishes, you'll immediately become a fan just as much as I. 

This smoothie of blueberries or (blackberries) & honey mixed with a few spoonfuls of honey make for the perfect breakfast kick-start. A dash of ground cardamom adds interests and rounds out the sweetness. 

Ingredients

Serves 4; makes 4 cups

• 12 ounces blueberries or blackberries (3 cups)
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 pinch ground cardamom

Blend ingredients in a blender on high speed until smooth, and serve.

Sign up for our newsletter and receive a great Roasted Cardamom Chicken recipe and other great tips. 

Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"

Keeping the lines of communication open

A few of our 2011 goals are to keep the lines of communication open, build client interaction and focus on brand loyalty.
To keep up-to-date on all the exciting happenings around here we recommend you Join Our Newsletter.  The newsletter will only be published onces per month and will be chock full of timely information.

We'll cover topics such as:

• Organization Tips
• Craft Projects
• Decorating Projects
• Featured Referral of the Month
• Special Event Offers and Deals
• Inspiratinal Quotes
• Favorite Things
• Gadgetsm and so much more. 

Be sure you're in the loop.  Use the easy link below to sign-up!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Deborah

Old Dominion Concierge

"We Run Your Errands"