HERE'S THE DISH

It's been one helluvah week, if you're wondering why I haven't kept up with my tips! As winter descends upon the northeast like Oprah to a platter of ribs, we've been chipping away at our list of tasks to complete before winter. Between racing to finish the painting of the exterior of our house, sealing up windows, adding insulation, installing a new heating system, moving and stacking wood...well, there hasn't been much time for blogging! One major task we attacked this summer was transforming our old front porch into an enclosed, formal entry. As we checked that one off of our long list we realized we forgot to seal the stone floors of the entry to protect them from moisture and shine them up a bit. So, in anticipation of wet, muddy boots stomping in and out of our house this winter, I raced to the Home Depot and purchased plastic shoe trays for $4 to place by our front door. I also bought two more for our four-legged friends. The plastic trays, if you have dogs or cats with big water dishes and messy eating habits, are great for placing food bowls to protect floors underneath. So, whether you have two legs or four, buy a couple plastic trays and worry no more!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Five minutes

COST: Plastic shoe and boot trays at the Home Depot, Lowes and Crate and Barrel $4-9/each

STRESS LEVEL: Serving up a tray of clean, dry boots: LOW