Annie Payne takes some advice from her diary in her final article

I’ve kept a faithful diary since I was 13. Over the years, for better or worse, my diary has gone from book form to electronic, now consisting mostly of my blog, my Facebook wall, my Twitter account and this column. My diary is a reminder of lessons learned. It has been invaluable for me to look back and read some of the “bread crumbs on the trail of life” I have left for myself and my posterity. I would like to share with you today — it’s actually more of a ...

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Organizing your kitchen is easier with a partner

It’s a little-known fact that I am a former college ballroom dance champion. I placed first in my school and third overall in the bronze division waltz of the bi-annual Ricks College Junior Open Invitational. My partner, an Idaho farm boy, was surprisingly graceful despite his bowleggedness. At the start of a ballroom dance lesson, the instructor would separate the boys from girls to teach them their steps. I would often find that alone the steps seemed awkward and hard to remember, ...

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Gifts for divas and diggers

One of my greatest pleasures is to recommend something that I love, and have the “recommendee” love it, too. Allow me to recommend this gift guide for the “Homie” (Home and Garden enthusiast) in your life. I have created two lists: A list of things that I love and a list of things I would like to love. THINGS I LOVE The Dyson has been my vacuum of choice for seven years. Many family members, friends and readers have purchased a Dyson on my recommendation, without ...

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Annie Payne: The more the merrier

A year ago I wrote a story titled, “What does your Christmas tree say about you?” The column brought me instant fame and glory ... in Manitoba, Canada. It also acquainted me with Darrell Jones here in the Grand Valley. He sent me an e-mail to inquire if he had multiple Christmas trees, what did that say about him? Multiple personalities? When you think of someone who puts up more than one tree each year, perhaps you think they are cuckoo for Christmas or a tree hoarder. Those ...

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Daring to dine with color

I am the type of person that doesn’t need to be talked into color. I need to be talked out of it. If I had my way, it would look like Rainbow Brite painted my house. In our last home, I experimented with color (to the chagrin of Secret Agent Man) a lot. I had a “Vigorous Violet” master bathroom and a “Chinese Red” wall in the kitchen, and a “Victorian Rose” front door. Currently at the House of Payne, I’ve dialed back the experimentation ...

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Fall is perfect time to revisit your home’s wardrobe

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love pulling my sweaters and jackets out of storage and giving my wardrobe a fresh new look. The change of the seasons also is the perfect time to take inventory of the wardrobe of your home, meaning the linens and things. INVEST IN QUALITY Imagine that you had to wear the same outfit everyday. Day in and day out, the same shirt, the same pants, every day. What fabric would you buy? How much would you spend? If you spend eight hours in your bed each ...

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Everybody loves a parade of homes

I’m an avid watcher of the TV show “Toddlers and Tiaras.” I often wonder how the judges decide one little girl is more beautiful than another. This week, when I had the pleasure of judging the 29th annual Parade of Homes, I realized the game of contrast and compare is harder than it looks. As judges, we were asked to score each home in various areas including layout, staging, curb appeal and quality of workmanship. Each of the eight homes in the parade is a gem in its ...

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Jump back into school using the (safety) Net

Whether you couldn’t wait for school to start or you wanted summer to linger longer, the new school year has begun. Here are a few websites to help your family jump in with both feet. FUNNY NAME, SERIOUS ADVICE With the kids back in school and out from under foot, now is the time to start or restart a regular cleaning regimen. Whenever anyone asks me how to rid their homes of C.H.A.O.S. (Can’t have anyone over syndrome), I tell them to visit Flylady.net. Flylady kept me ...

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Tips for reorganizing and reinventing your wardrobe

Once a year I get a visit from a wardrobe consultant. Lori Wynne helps doctors, authors, mothers and teens dress for a variety of events: conventions, book-signings, television appearances, proms and galas. Recently, she paused from her jet-setting from coast to coast servicing her clients to help me. Why? She has to, she’s my sister. In the weeks before Lori arrives, my jeans are in a pile on the shelf, jackets are hanging next to T-shirts, and I find myself wearing the same 10 ...

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Yard decorations reveal your true personality

What do your yard ornaments say about you? Perhaps you remember at Christmas time I revealed that I have a very rare talent. Some might call it a gift. Others, the more incredulous, call it a cheap party trick, but I have yet to meet anyone who can do what I do. I am a Christmas Tree Prognosticator. It’s sort of like reading palms. I can tell a lot about a person’s life and personality by their Christmas tree. Word of my special gift has spread far and wide. I was even asked ...

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Annual review: Feng shui, new job, same great vacuum

I recently celebrated two years of writing for the Home & Garden pages and three years overall with The Daily Sentinel. I appreciate all the feedback I’ve received from my fellow “Homies” (Home and Garden enthusiasts) via letters, e-mails or being stopped for a chat in the mall. This year, I’ve had the extra special pleasure of being invited to do public speaking about my column. Being in front of an audience is really different from typing away in the ...

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Tips for enjoying the rest of summer

July 4 marks the peak of summer. From there, it’s just a hot, slow descent to the first day of school. I can’t let the summer slip away without offering some tips to make it a little more relaxing, organized, fun and appetizing. CAMPING ON THE GO-GO I just spent a hot, windy weekend at Yuba Lake in central Utah. If it wasn’t the 40-mph winds (I’m not exaggerating) keeping me awake, it was the constant hum of the generator for the mansion on wheels parked at the ...

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Splish, splash! I was doing the dishes

“Who cut their hair on the couch?” “Why does the dog have one blue paw?” “Where did all the kitchen chairs go?” These and many more questions like these are not a good way to start summer vacation. My experience as a mother of three children, including twins, has taught me that it’s easy to entertain a child, but not so easy to keep them busy at home. Allow me to explain the difference. It’s easy to put on a movie for your toddler or ...

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Ay, Chihuahua: Making room for new family pet

I broke one of the cardinal rules of marriage. Don’t get a new pet while your spouse is out of town. But this little Chihuahua/mini-pincher literally walked right into my life. I was at a friend’s house checking out the Taj Mahal of playhouses they had just erected in their backyard, when through the open gate walked this little doggie. It looked friendly, but nervous, as most Chihuahuas do. Its big, helpless, dark eyes had me at “hello.” My friend didn’t ...

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Family dinners are something to be passionate about

While watching “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” I felt so inspired by his passion for helping people eat healthier that I vowed to feed my family more fruits and veggies. Apparently just in time, too. My husband, Secret Agent Man, was making such a racket shuffling around boxes and cans in the pantry on his search for a bag of chips, I had to turn up the volume on the TV. Seeing the zeal Oliver has for his cause prompted me to ask myself, “What am I passionate ...

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Lifestyles of the rich and fabulous of the Grand Valley

One of the first shows to capitalize on Americans’ obsession with celebrity was “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” with host Robin Leach. Remember his tag line, “Champagne wishes and caviar dreams”? I used to love that show. I am endlessly fascinated with seeing how other people live, especially rich people. I recently did an Internet search on a local real estate Web site for homes in the Grand Valley listed at or above $1 million. I found approximately ...

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The mysteries of Easter

Christmas is the most anticipated holiday, Valentine’s Day is the most romantic, and Easter is the most mysterious. Easter is shrouded in questions, some of them have answers, some of them do not. One of the greatest mysteries of Easter is the mystery of my favorite Easter candy, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg. Why does it taste so much better than the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup? They are made by the same company. They are both made with peanut butter and chocolate, so ...

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Budget-conscious ways to D.I.Y.

Five houses on my street have the same floor plan as mine. Little by little, on a limited budget, I have added personal touches around my house to make it feel more like a custom home and less like Plan No. 2440. D.I.Y.? WHY NOT? Many do-it-yourself projects can be accomplished on a limited budget, and they can add personality and style to an otherwise standard-looking home. With 20 minutes to spare before the kids came home from school, I added a frame to my bathroom mirror. I ...

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City mom longs to become a little more country

The boondocks are approximately 2 miles north of my house. For as much as this valley has grown in the 30-some-odd years I’ve lived here, there is still a good portion of it that would be considered “country.” Driving from my house, near the center of Fruita, north past the farms and fields makes me think of the old fable of the city mouse and the country mouse. Remember? A country mouse invited his city cousin to visit him. The city mouse was disappointed with the ...

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His, hers, ours

Thirteen years ago tomorrow, on a beautiful warm day in San Diego, Secret Agent Man and I joined our lives as husband and wife. Every day since, we have marched lock-step together on our journey through life, work, home and family. Before we were married, we talked about the kind of life we wanted together. He knew my life’s ambition was to be a wife and mother. I wanted to take full responsibility for the proper care and feeding of him and our children and the upkeep of our ...

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Harmonious home: Annie practices a little feng shui

I’ve been interested in feng shui for years, so when a friend told me about Tammy Long, a local feng shui practitioner, I welcomed the chance to have her come to my home for a professional consultation. Feng shui (pronounced “fung shway”) is a 3,000-year-old Chinese philosophy that works on the principle that people feel better in an environment that is in harmony with nature. Feng shui uses the elements to achieve aesthetic balance. That’s why when people think of ...

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Virtues for a healthy and harmonious bathroom

Throughout his life, Confucius taught about five virtues: gravity, generosity, sincerity, earnestness and kindness. “If you are grave, you will not be treated with disrespect. If you are generous, you will win all. If you are sincere, people will repose trust in you. If you are earnest, you will accomplish much. If you are kind, this will enable you to employ the services of others.” Perhaps this is not what Confucius had intended, but here are five virtues that will help you ...

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What your Christmas tree says about you

I have a rare talent. Some might call it a gift. Others, the more incredulous, call it a cheap party trick, but I have yet to meet anyone who can do what I do. I am a Christmas Tree Prognosticator. It’s sort of like reading palms. I can tell a lot about a person’s life and personality by their Christmas tree. Here’s a free sampling: ARTIFICIAL OR REAL There are two types of people: Real Christmas tree people and artificial tree people. One is not better than the ...

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Spruce up your home with two basic colors: black and white

I love classic game shows. One of my favorites is “Password.” It’s played with two contestants giving and receiving word clues. Let’s try it! Me: Dice. Me: Piano keys.   Me: Zebras.   Me: Pandas.   Me: Black and white.   Me: Correct! THE PRICE IS RIGHT This being our second holiday season in a recession, perhaps you, like me, want to spruce up the house for guests but don’t have a lot of extra money. Paint can make a big ...

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Meet 4 Southern women with hospitality, manners

One of the most popular shows on cable television is “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” It is a reality TV show that follows the lives of five housewives from the Peach State. But they aren’t your garden variety carpooling, laundry-folding, bake sale moms. No, they are loud, brash and rich. On a recent trip to Atlanta to visit my sister, I wanted to meet some real “real housewives of Atlanta” and see how they compared to the gals I’ve seen on TV. I ...

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A Halloween to outdo all Halloweens

Nathan Hale, a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, famously said, “I only regret that I have but one month to celebrate Halloween,” or something like that. I can relate to Capt. Hale’s sentiments. I love the month of October and Halloween and each year I try to do it bigger and better than the year before. LET THEM EAT SOUP I’ve inadvertently set a high standard for myself. My kids enjoyed last year’s Mystery Halloween ...

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Make your travel treasures part of home sweet home

If you follow my articles, you may remember a month back I wrote about having a yard sale to help pay for the souvenirs for our upcoming family vacation. We had a wonderful time at Walt Disney World (thanks for asking). We came home with lots of goodies: stuffed animals, water bottles, caps, sunglasses, and, of course, Mickey Mouse T-shirts. Mere days after our return from Disney World, Secret Agent Man left for Asia. He visited the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Xiamen, China. We love to ...

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10 + 10 = yard sale success for happy souvenir shopping

It’s a Payne family tradition. Every five years we take a big family vacation and before every trip we have a yard sale to pay for souvenirs. For our last vacation, we took our family on a Mexican cruise and used the yard sale spoils for sombreros and serapes. This fall, we are turning Secret Agent Man’s frequent flyer miles and hotel points into a trip to Walt Disney World. So, we will be posting signs, pulling out tables and turning our gently-used items into extra cash for ...

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Annie Payne column Aug. 15, 2009

I’ve been writing articles for the Home and Garden section of The Daily Sentinel for a year, plus some. I can’t tell you how much satisfaction it has brought me. I appreciate all the feedback from my fellow “Homies” (Home and Garden enthusiasts) via letters, e-mails or being stopped for a chat in the mall. One Homie even sent me a book on how to “restore my soul.” I didn’t know it needed restoring, but, I’m open to the possibility. Everyone ...

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Annie Payne Column July 04, 2009

The largest house in America is in Asheville, N.C. It boasts 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. It was constructed over six years and completed in 1895. It served as the family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. George Vanderbilt created the country retreat where he could pursue his passion for art, literature and horticulture. The home is still owned by family members, but it is open to the public as a luxury inn known as The Biltmore. The ...

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Annie Payne Column June 20, 2009

I hope you’re not sick of anagrams, or “Anniegrams” as I like to call them. What can I say? A holiday comes around and I feel the urge to annotate. I first wrote a Christmas anagram, then Valentine’s. I skipped Easter, because a six letter anagram is lame. Then, I did Mother’s Day and now Father’s Day. This will be the last one, I promise. “Independence Day” is too long. “July 4th” is too short, and by Halloween I hope to have a ...

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Annie Payne Column June 06, 2009

In the 1980s film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the main character, Ferris, and his friend, Cameron, have the following conversation in Cameron’s garage, while deciding on whether or not to “borrow” Cameron’s dad’s car. Cameron (grim monotone): The 1958 Ferrari 250 GTS California. Less than a hundred were made. It has a market value of $265,000. My father spent three years restoring it. It is his joy, it is his love, it is his passion. Ferris: ...

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Annie Payne Column May 23, 2009

I am so happy that summer vacation has started. It was getting harder with each day to wake up and get the kids ready for school. The alarm would go off, and I’d hit the snooze and think, “We’ll have cereal, instead of pancakes for breakfast.” Five minutes later, the alarm would go off again. “I won’t iron their clothes.” Hit the snooze. Five minutes later. “We’ll skip baths.” Now their teachers know that if the Payne kids ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column May 09, 2009

“I know a name, a glorious name, dearer than any other. Listen, I’ll whisper the name to you. It is the name of Mother.” I love my mom, I love being a mom and as these lyrics from a children’s song book I’ve had on my shelf for many years appropriately state, what more “glorious” a name to honor with an anagram than “Mother”? “M” is for McNutt or Martin “ ‘M’ is for the Many things she gave me. ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column April 25, 2009

It’s taken me 10 long years to come up with this plan. And it will probably take me another 10 years to perfect. I would be lying if I told you it was easy. I would be lying if I told you there haven’t been some tears along the way. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not for anyone looking for an easy way out. Teaching your kids to keep their rooms clean is no easy task. START EARLY This is where most parents go wrong. When baby pulls all the books out of ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column April 11, 2009

If you answered mostly A, you are a: Domestic Diva There’s not a mess that you can’t handle. No stain goes untreated. No pillow goes unfluffed. You are the type of housekeeper who others envy. You make it look so easy. As much as your cleanliness is to be commended, don’t forget the reason you do it: You do it for the benefit of the people that live and visit there. Ditch the plastic covering on the furniture. Take time off from dusting the back of switch plates to spend ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column March 14, 2009

Easy ways to get your children working •  Start early.  If they can dump out a box of toys, they are old enough to put them all back.  •  Be mindful of the children’s ages and abilities when choosing appropriate chores.  They can probably handle more than you give them credit for.  •  It’s not a good idea to hand household cleaners over to small children. Give them a dry, soft cloth or a feather duster and let them do ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column February 28, 2009

My mom celebrated her umpteenth birthday this week. She is a better woman than me in every way imaginable. Her house is always cleaner than mine and not because she is a retiree. She had a clean home even when her four children lived with her. She works harder, cooks better, and definitely minds her manners better than I do. My mother’s and grandmother’s generation took pride in homemaking, child-rearing, and social graces. They passed on their wisdom and habits of making ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column February 14, 2009

I know what happened. You woke up this morning, opened the newspaper and realized that Valentine’s Day has arrived without a single thought of preparation on your part. Then, you opened your wallet and noticed that we are in a recession. Don’t hide your head in shame and disappointment just yet. Your ever-faithful love doctor/domestic doyenne is here! If you are a regular reader of my articles, you know how much I love a good anagram. So, here is my Valentine’s-themed ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column January 31, 2009

One week ago today marked the day considered by those who have the time and energy to figure these things out as the most depressing day of the year. Apparently, by Jan. 24, bills from Christmas come due, people have already given up on their New Year’s resolutions and winter temperatures are at their coldest. So, if you were feeling inordinately crummy a week ago, there was a bona fide, scientifically-proven reason for it. You are not alone. Many people feel like hibernating ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column january 17, 2009

The Grand Valley isn’t the only place stuck in an inversion. Your home could be suffering from an inversion of its own, an odor inversion. When windows are kept shut to keep out the cold, odors have no place to go. The smell of a home, whether it is good or bad, is a combination of the level of cleanliness, the presence of animal life and the products and byproducts found therein. Sometimes a malodorous malady cannot be identified; in that case you find yourself asking, ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column January 03, 2009

I didn’t wake up Jan. 1 and look at myself in the mirror and think, “I could stand to gain a few pounds, and I need more stuff in my house.” No, my New Year’s resolutions, like so many people’s, revolve around living a healthier, happier, more simplified life. There seems to be a correlation between a cluttered home and a “cluttered” body. Whatever causes a person to over-fill the areas of their home with stuff is often the same thing that causes ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column December 20, 2008

When I tell people I have a column in the newspaper they ask, “Are you the Annie from ‘Annie’s Mailbox’?” No, that would be another “Annie” somewhere out there in syndicated land. That Annie handles uncomfortable social situations, relationship problems and neighbor disputes. I do clever quips mixed with marginal homemaking and lifestyle tips. Want advice on vacuum maintenance? I’m your girl. Want to confront your neighbor for blowing ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column December 06, 2008

C ome all ye faithful to the Holiday Tour of Homes. Need a little inspiration for your own hall decking? Visit these five homes today and Sunday from noon to p.m. Tickets are available at area City Market stores for $15. Ticket sales support the Grand Junction Symphony Guild. H is for homemade. One of my favorite places to visit on the Internet is Etsy.com. It is a place to buy and sell all things homemade. I could waste hours perusing all the creative, handcrafted items. If you ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column November 22, 2008

When they entered the Emerald City, Dorothy and her friends received a head-to-toe makeover. When Belle arrived at the Beast’s enchanted castle, the candlesticks and dishes sang and danced for her. When Julie Robert’s character, Vivian, in “Pretty Woman” became the guest of “a very special guest” at the Regent Beverly Wilshire — the “REG-BEV-WIL,” as Vivian’s pithy friend Kit called it — the manager of the hotel taught ...

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HG: Annie Payne Column November 08, 2008

An indicator of lack-luster job performance or a genuine gift of time, Secret Agent Man, my husband, called a cleaning company to come over and give us a bid on cleaning our home. Secret Agent Man stays in a hotel 50 percent of the time. When he is working in one of the far reaches of the globe, he will return at the end of every day to a clean hotel room. When he is not “on a job” he comes home to my hair in the sink and the kids’ toys on the stairs. As much as he ...

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