Wesley Guo
Artists Wesley Guo and Alice Zhao will teach participants the art of folding paper to make origami holiday ornaments.
Use the time change to get ahead
Sunday marks the beginning of daylight saving time, meaning we gain an extra hour of sleep! It's also a great time to stay ahead of household chores. Here are some tips from the folks at house keepingchannel.com .
Change batteries. When you change your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you have an older unit, consider upgrading the detectors by taking advantage of the latest technology. Brush up on the latest in smoke detectors at tinyurl.com/3u5gegb and carbon monoxide detectors at tinyurl.com/45536x8.
Practice your family's escape plan and brush up on your fire safety know-how. FireSafety.gov offers extensive resources for learning about smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire prevention and more.
Purge your files. Housekeeping Channel offers great advice on how to determine what to keep and shred at tinyurl.com/3ttgbqd.
Organize your storage spaces. An hour or two spent organizing the chaos resulting from wardrobe changes and holiday decorations could save hours of frustration in the months ahead.
Have your furnace inspected and your chimney cleaned. For important safety tips on chimneys, visit tinyurl.com/6yqz74y.
Beat the clock
That extra hour we gain when daylight saving time ends is really just a repayment of what we lost in the spring. If you shave a few minutes off of each of your cleaning chores, you can gain up to 26 extra hours every year. Here's how:
First, set a timer. Think like a pro by working against the clock. Setting a timer when cleaning or doing other chores helps you stay focused on the task at hand and lets you know when it's time to stop.
Plan your attack. Begin cleaning at one end of the room, from top to bottom, and work your way around the perimeter to the other side. Finish off by cleaning the middle area and voila! One room is done.
Wear the proper attire. Well-fitting, comfortable clothes are a must. Pockets - either in an apron or in your clothing - allow you to keep a cleaning cloth handy and provide a place for small objects or bits of trash you come across when vacuuming.
Streamline your process. Keeping a well-stocked and orderly cleaning caddy nearby saves time and frustration. Keep a good supply of color-coded microfiber cloths for dusting and cleaning different surfaces, and a rinse-free multi-surface cleaner to avoid carrying too many products. Turn and replace cloths frequently, and separate soiled cloths from clean ones to avoid cross-contamination.
Rag folding secret: Fold your cleaning cloth into quarters, so each cloth has eight surfaces (four on each side). Use surface No. 1 for one stroke, surface No. 2 for stroke two, surface No. 3 for stroke three, etc. Using a fresh surface for each cleaning stroke will get surfaces cleaner in less time without spreading dirt around.
Learn to create origami
Get a jump on your holiday decor and learn a new craft in the process during the N.C. Botanical Garden's Origami Holiday Tree Ornament workshop Nov. 11. Origami is the intricate Asian art of folding paper into shapes, boxes, flowers and more. From 10 a.m. to noon in Chapel Hill, artists Wesley Guo andAlice Zhao will guide participants through the process of creating an original ornament for their home, as well as several to be hung on the garden's holiday tree display. The workshop is free and materials are provided, but you must preregister to participate. You can register by calling 962-0522 or by visiting tinyurl.com/3s6eo8c.
