Cheap Summer Cleaning

  Look at my shiny subway tile in my kitchen!  Why am I so proud? 

Let’s go back to weekend mornings when my husband wears his crown as king of the family breakfast.  He scrambles, sautees, and flips the feast much to our guest’s delight but what he leaves behind is a weekend worth of cleaning. 

I called out a professional tile cleaner to get the famous breakfast out of the grout in my sparkling, white kitchen.  $200!!  Not good considering I would have to call him out quarterly.  We would have re-purchased the tile within 2 years. 

So I headed down to the laundry room to find my Clorox bleach pen. ($6.88) 10 minutes later and my grout looked fantastic.  I even used it on the big stain on the leathered, granite counter tops. 

I know, I know… Clorox is not the greenest tool in the box but it saved me a lot of green.  I am told whitening toothpaste will work as well.

Thank you!

I just wanted to send a quick thank you to all of you who have sent me emails and facebook messages over the past few days asking after me or offering congratulations.

This week my husband and I had an unusual and late term set back in our plans to become parents.

Despite our loss, we continue to be champions for anyone battling infertility or prenatal disorders.  Atlanta has some of the best medical teams in the country and we are thrilled to work with so many of them.

Speaking of work, I am looking forward to getting back to work soon and greeting all of you on the 4pm show!

For now, keep your eyes on CBS Atlanta and I will be back with my CBS Atlanta family very soon.

Thanks to all of you!

Kim

Old Bag

   We have all heard of trading in a an old car for a new one.  Today we discovered Cash for Crappy Handbags.  It’s not a government program and that is not actually the official name (it’s what we called it during the commercial break).  Today at 4pm we found a great excuse to buy a new purse.  Check it out!

 

PS:  Like Jennifer Valdez, I neglected my blog.  It’s dusty, it’s left out in the cold and it needs some TLC.  So I am going to challenge Jen to a friendly competition to boost our blogs. 

FREE FAB’RIK

After reporting on the tanking economy, record unemployment, and difficulties of so many Atlanta families, this summer I teamed up with a girlfriend, Dana Spinola (owner of the fabulous chain of FAB’RIK boutiques to create “free fab’rik”.  We are a charity  that puts donated clothes from clothing companies and individuals into the hands of those who need it most.  

    This weekend we held our second event.  We hosted women from shelters and transitional housing for a special holiday shopping event.  They shopped our hip midtown boutique but no money is ever exchanged. 

    Thanks to Hope Atlantawww.hopeatlanta.org and the Atlanta Women’s day Shelter!  The women were all amazing!  We loved getting to know each and every one of them.

BEAUTY BOOST–A PRETTY GOOD END TO A TOUGH YEAR

     It’s hard for me to report on Black Friday and this so-called, “Cyber Monday” without my thoughts wandering to our neighbors who will *not* be spending their weight in money at the mall or searching for the perfect little black dress for the party.   Instead they’re  looking for a job or a place to live. 

    The floods hit us hard, the economy hit us harder and now 250 of the hardest hit will get a boost, a beauty boost! 

     Carter Barnes, one of the finest, most sought after places to get pampered will host 250 people for free cuts, color, and styling on Monday December 14th.  The salon is teaming up with Belks and the Savannah College of Art and Design, among others, to make this a day to remember for so many people.  

   What could be better?  A total makeover from Carter Barnes most talented stylists and SCAD’s most talented students will be there to capture the transformations.

     After a tough year, the lucky 250, will be able to face the holidays with a little boost to their beauty and their spirits. 

    If you know of anyone who would qualify for the day of pampering, just go to  http://www.carterbarnes.com/ for applications.

    CBS Atlanta will also be choosing 10 viewers to take part.  So watch Better Mornings Atlanta from 5-7 this week for details. 

 

Shhhh! Airplane phone etiquette

    Mrs. X hasn’t talked to her friend Jane in months but she is so excited to hear from her and she hopes that she can come and visit soon.  After quickly consulting her calender she is hoping to get Jane to visit next month and stay over either on the Thursday and leave Sunday or fly out Monday and stay over Sunday.  She hopes she gets to see the new house and the kids.  The kids always have busy weekends but she is hoping they can clear the schedule for the visit.  “Wow”, Mrs. X exclaims, “I can’t believe how long it has been since we have talked”. 

    If you have not talked to Jane in “so long”, why then Mrs. X can’t you wait 20 more minutes until our plane has taxied to the gate to talk to her?   I do not know you, I do not know Jane, and I assume the 15 other people in our cabin who paid to upgrade their tickets do not care about the visit. 

   No, I am not usually a cranky traveler.  I simply can not tolerate loud talkers who answer their phones and talk loudly in a small confined area.  In full disclosure, my mother is the worst offender!  I believe phone usage on planes should be limited to the basic, “Hi, I landed, meet me at baggage”  or “I landed and will be home soon”.  Even these courtesy calls to colleagues or loved ones should be had in a hushed voice. 

     I encountered Mrs. X on a plane from Orlando to Atlanta last night.  I also had a 4-year-old singing her ABC’s at a volume meant for a vacant playground.  (I think children that age can be taught to use library voice on a plane.  And how about a coloring book instead of a song recital?)

    As technology becomes more abundant.  I worry that the lines between our offices, our homes, and public spaces are blurred. 

 SHHHHH.  What happened to public etiquette?

SCAD SCORE

This week I attended the opening of SCAD’s (Savannah College of Art and Design) Digital Media Center near the Ansley neighborhood.    All I can say is “WOW”.

    The school renovated the old WXIA Channel 11 TV studios into a building that looks like an art gallery meets NYC lounge meets hip, uptown loft.  I wanted to move in, kick back a cocktail, and sign up for class.  

  I have been in television news for more than 13 years and have never seen a facility quite like this.  They have a TV studio, control room, green room, animation class rooms and more. 

      My boss, Steve Schwaid, was overheard saying, “I’ve worked at the Today Show and have never seen a facility like this.” 

     I am certain that the facility will move the school to the top of any student’s list for design school. 

    SCAD digital media center…. Glad to have you in the “hood”.

Powdered Cheese and Pageants= Organic, naturally

    I was digging through the kitchen for a snack a few nights ago when I noticed my sister left a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in the pantry the last time she visited from West Palm  with my two nephews.

     Oh, the nostalgia!  When Julie and I were kids we would dive into noodles, sticky with that unmistakable glowing orange powdered cheese stuff that never quite dissolves.  My mother was not a cook so we often ate the boxed noodles and powdered cheese and even remember the company teaming up with Velveeta to create the more fancy, squeeze cheese, version in the foil packet. 

       But wait, look closely at the box.  Yup, it’s “organic”.  Seriously?  Organic, powdered, mac & cheese?!?  Am I to assume they did not grow the glowing powdered cheese in tainted soil?    I’m not sure.  But I think it is safe to assume this is a corporate marketing push to keep us eating the boxed goods in a new, health conscious society.  But don’t you think this is pushing it?

    It got me thinking about the standard for the “organic” stamp.  There is a clear difference between ”USDA certified organic” and just your basic “organic”.  But that is not clear to the general public.  So we pay the inflated prices in hopes we are feeding our family something healthy.  I guess I find it odd that we have to mark food and pay more for food that does not have dangerous chemicals.  Why can’t the general standard be that we are not allowed to sell the public something that contains dangerous chemicals?

    I can rant but I am the worst offender.  I belong to an organic farm co-op and I often pay the higher price for the “organic” food stuffs.  I even ate the box of macaroni in exhibit “A”.  It was delicious and went perfectly with the Learning Channel documentary I was watching on ” Pageant Moms and their Beauty Queen Daughters”.     Now that is “organic”.

FAB’RIK for ROCKSTARS

Exactly two weeks ago I was having a birthday cocktail with my dear friend and neighbor, Dana.  ( Dana owns Fab’rik, a chain of clothing stores in metro Atlanta and franchised around the country)http://www.fabrikstyle.com/

   We talked about cleaning out our closets and giving the clothes to girls in need to start the school year. 

    Two weeks later, we are two days away from one of the greatest opportunities I have ever experienced.  The first ever, Kim Fettig/Dana Spinola (CBS ATLANTA)  “Fab’rik for Rockstars”. 

    What started as a conversation with a girlfriend has grown into an event to help hundreds of girls who are in need this school year.  I am touched by all the people who have shared their stories of hardship in this economy.  We can’t wait to share a special morning with  these families on Saturday.  I am overwhelmed by the companies like William Rast Jeans and Joes Jeans and the hundreds of people who heard our cry for clothes in the past few days and have inundated us with beautiful things for these girls. 

     After 13 years in the news business, not to much surprises me.  The outpouring of generosity from donors and gratitude from the families we will help has brought me to tears many times over the past few days. 

      With the backing of my company, CBS ATLANTA,  and the backing our patient and giving husbands… Dana and I hope to make this an annual event for kids of all ages. 

    Stay tuned for pictures and fabulous stories on Saturday. 

Check us out in Daily Candy! 

http://www.dailycandy.com/atlanta/article/71770/Dont+Shop+Till+You+Give+Enough

Peanut Butter VS. Prada

    

 My friends call it the “Peanut Butter Panic”.  The mode I snap into every time there is a news crisis.  Katrina, September 11th, you name it… I return from covering the story and decide it’s time to purchase a vat of the crunchy at my local Sam’s Club, hunker down and wait for the worst.

   So after covering the Wall Street/ Banking Crisis last week;  you can only imagine my urge to make a run on the peanut butter aisle at the local Publix.  

   Simply put, in a market like this, peanut butter offers you the best return on your investment.  It’s cheap, packs a protein power punch, and a shelf full won’t even expire during the next presidential administration (should things not turn around).  Besides, it’s a comfort food.

     HOWEVER, I think I live in a vacuum.  In the midst of my peanut butter panic is a whole group of people unmoved by the said crisis. 

    In just the past week… I have received an invitation to the opening of the Bally shoe store, a fashion show at St. John Suits, and a coupon for Prada’s fall line!  Titled “don’t be caught in last year’s dull colors… Prada Pink for fall!”    

       Seriously?  The nation is in the Red this fall, not Prada pink.   

     As I ponder this, my husband is on a flight back from a high end resort in the Colorado Rockies for a “business retreat”.

      Yep,  there are two classes of people.  The Peanut Butter and the Prada.  They can even live under one roof. 

    But perhaps it’s not so bad.  There are those of us who must keep spending to keep the economy moving and those of us who must panic and stock the shelves for the future. 

    I just dream of a time in the near future where the third class rises again.  The class that can spring for jelly with the peanut butter… the class that can buy their Prada knock offs at the Target.  All without concern about their next paycheck.