Lisa Quinn

This book has one big advantage: it has a lot of pizzazz! Quinn, despite the occasional vulgarity, looks at housework with humour, determination and a positive outlook: it does not have to take up all the spare time, it can be ingenious and it can be fun. Unfortunately, I didn't learn much, probably because I've always been a lousy homemaker and I've discovered all the shortcuts long ago - as a matter of fact, I've downsized even more (forget parties for children - that's what Laser Quest is for; and table decorations just take away from valuable food real estate). I'm a little skeptical of some of her solutions too: salt to preserve cheese (in my hometown in France, I'm pretty sure that would cause a fight or two) and if can't pair your wines with your dishes, go see the sommelier at your nearest wine store; don't guess (you may not care, but your guests might)! I can't imagine that newspaper as a table cloth is of much use either.
A light hearted read, but not very instructive.… (plus d'informations)

I pride myself on "having the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife" but even I need to take a few shortcuts every now and then... I, like many women who came of age when Martha Stewart was folding paper napkins into chandeliers, believed I had to not only butcher the pig, but fry it up while balancing a baby on my hip. Yeah, right, life's too short for all of that...

And Lisa Quinn's new book, Life's Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets: Your Ultimate Guide to Domestic Liberation, is the perfect manual for showing all of us overachieving women how to maintain a neat house and serve perfect but not~quite~homemade meals (the book includes 17 recipes made from deli chicken!) all while maintaining our sanity. Sprinkled with self~deprecating humor, common sense and practical information, this book will have you laughing and wondering Why didn't I think of that? One of my favorite tips comes from the section called "Not~So~Good Housekeeping", where Lisa lists the top 10 things you have to clean if company is coming over in 30 minutes. Among the common sense ones, like cleaning the toilet and mirrors, she offers this little gem:

"Spray a fine mist of nontoxic spray cleaner in the air right by the front door. You didn't really clean anything, but it smells like you did. Remember, perception is reality."

LOL All this time I've been spraying air freshener! Oops.

Lisa Quinn is an Emmy award~winning TV host, set dresser, author, wife and mom of two, so she knows of what she speaks. She has appeared on the Early Show, HGTV and The Oprah Winfrey Show and designed sets for the National Geographic Society and the Discovery Channel. This lady has done it all and she lived to tell us how to do it the easy way!

Disclosure: The book that I reviewed as well as the copy that I'm giving away were provided to me free of charge courtesy of The Mom Renewal Project and Jill Daniel of Pasta Queen Public Relations in exchange for a review. This does not in any way compromise my review.… (plus d'informations)