Let’s celebrate and get excited! The Ultimate Organizing Giveaway is here! I’ve put together some of my favorite organizing products and books that are fun and fabulous. We’re talking Peter Walsh’sIt’s All Too Much, The Container Store $50 gift certificate, Tate’s mouth watering Chocolate Chip Cookies and much, much more!

An enormous “thank you” to all the fantastic current and soon to be Oh, So Organized! Facebook fans, Twitter followers @LindaSamuels and The Other Side of Organized e-newsletter subscribers. My deepest gratitude for your wonderful feedback, tweets, posts, reviews and support. If you haven’t already done so, I personally invite you to join in the conversation and of course, enter the contest!

The Ultimate Organizing Giveaway of goodies was selected to organize, relax, delight and inspire you! It’s worth over $250 and includes:

• It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh

• The Container Store $50 gift card

• “NothingElse.pad” from Buttoned Up

• One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Mauer PhD

• “I will do one thing today.” sticky notes from Pretty Bitter

• “Temperature Task” clips & “Do, Ponder, File” folders from Knock Knock

• Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen

• “Forget Me Not” doorknob pad & “Work/Life Reminder” magnets from See Jane Work

• Limited editionThe Other Side of Organizedcoffee mug and pencils

• “Relaxed Mind” Yogi Tea

• “To-Do Tattoo” from Fred & Friends

• World’s best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Tate’s

• The Other Side of Organized by Linda Samuels (autographed copy)

• The Container Store’s large black Tribeca bin organizes all of the above

• BONUS prizes just added 11/10/10:3 additional winners will receive the brand new, highly anticipated book, Lighten Up by Peter Walsh(release date Dec 2010)

I know you can’t wait to win this handpicked selection of my favorites! You have multiple ways to enter – and the more you do, the more chances you have to win. The giveaway starts on November 1st. The winner will be picked on November 11th (my birthday.) There’s no time like the present to enter. Keep reading and act now!

Rules of the contest:

1. Become an Oh, So Organized! Facebook fan (if you’re already a fan, you’re already entered to win)

2. Follow me on Twitter (again, if you’re a current follower, you’re entered!)

3. Subscribe to the Oh, So Organized! e-newsletter to get inspired and motivated! (and yes, if you’re a current subscriber, you’re entered!)

4. Comment on this blog post below with your favorite thing from the basket you’re most excited about

5. Share the contest! Post it on Facebook and tag the Oh, So Organized! Facebook page and/or Re-tweet it on Twitter and include @LindaSamuels when you do!

6. For 5 Bonus Entries, order The Other Side of Organized from Amazon and email me your receipt to linda@ohsoorganized.com

If you do all of the above – voila! Your name is entered 10 times to win! (5 times if you do everything but order the book)

Tons of chances to win - Good luck!

For those that love to dress-up for Halloween, thinking about the possibilities of what you might be is exciting. Whether you prefer to be Gumby, Buzz Lightyear or Princess Jasmine, there is an element of fantasy as you imagine which persona you will temporarily embody.  Perhaps you no longer dress-up.  Maybe instead you’re helping your kids to select special costumes. For the Halloween celebrators, the days leading up to wearing our costumes and Trick or Treating are filled with possibilities.

We just returned from visiting our daughter in Boston. We took a walk to the iParty store to find some things for her Halloween costume. She was in search of lollipops and a yellow tablecloth. On the way there, I saw Gumby standing on the street corner, waving to people as they passed by. You never know what will inspire you. As it turns out, Gumby did.

There was so much to look at in the store. It was a visual feast with colorful costume accessories like wigs, gloves, stockings, glitter, boas and hats. There were also complete outfits of pre-packaged costumes such as superheroes, ghosts and witches. The choices were almost overwhelming. I watched as people shopped and talked energetically with their friends about what they wanted to be. Dreaming and discussing was an essential first step in the decision-making process.

What if we used our Halloween frame of mind that’s infused with creativity, fantasy and fun to imagine the possibilities in our lives? What if we allowed ourselves to let go of our excuses and to instead envision where we’d like to be tomorrow, next month or next year? Unleash your unedited thoughts. Once they’ve been recorded, begin to sort them into groups such as pursue “Now,”  “Later,” or “Never.” But before editing or sorting, give yourself the freedom and space to capture your ideas.

In the spirit of creativity, whether your inspiration comes in the form of Gumby or a purple boa, I hope that you set aside some time this fall to imagine the possibilities for the next phase of your life.

Many years ago I was at home when from the other room I heard a loud crash and a distressed sounding, “Oh no!” Our younger daughter came to me crying and blurted out, “I didn’t mean to…I broke your coffee pot.” I calmly asked, “You did?” Then to her surprise I hugged her, smiled and said, “Thank you.” She stopped crying as I explained that everything including coffee pots had a life and its time had come. I went on to explain that I'd been ready for quite a while to say good-bye to that particular appliance and now she gave me a good reason to do so. I was grateful.

I often think about that story. To this day, Cassie is still surprised by my reaction. When we’re ready to let go, we can do so almost effortlessly. We might even feel giddy. We are open to the next phase and new possibilities. That’s not the case, however, when we’re not ready.

Fast forward to now, fall 2010. I recently had another coffee maker mishap. This time it was completely my doing. I’m still not sure exactly how I managed this, but as I was putting the pot back on its burner, I knocked the glass into the edge of our kitchen counter and the pot broke.

As I cleaned up the pieces of glass, I remembered what I had said to Cassie, “Everything has a life.” Its time had come. A few days passed and I went shopping for a replacement. The new models were big and chunky looking with more features than I needed. I was frustrated and angry that I couldn’t find a simple, sleek automatic coffee maker. Even though it was just a coffee maker, I was mourning the loss of the one I had. Some of you are surely thinking, “Linda, get a grip! It’s only a coffee maker!” It’s replaceable. It’s not human. It’s just an object.

Why couldn’t things just remain as they were? I suppose that’s how it goes. Sometimes we’re poised and ready to let go, move on and embrace change and possibilities. At other points, we aren’t and need time to transition to the new.

While my husband is not a coffee drinker, he was sympathetic to my problem. After my unsuccessful shopping excursion, he volunteered to search the internet for a solution I’d like. He ordered one and it should arrive any day now. Interestingly enough, as I wait for the delivery, my thoughts have shifted away from loss and are focused now with positive anticipation. I’m looking forward to once again smelling the fabulous aroma of coffee brewing, experiencing that luxurious first sip of morning joe and sharing a full pot of java, food and good conversation with my family and friends.

What wonderful possibilities wait for you as you prepare to let go?

It’s fall! It’s fun! It’s a time of possibilities and change. Kids are going off to school. Leaves are changing colors. Acorns are dropping from the trees in droves. I’ve been traveling quite a bit the last few months including North Carolina, Boston, Curacao, Austin and DC. When I was in the fabulous city of Austin for the NSGCD conference (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization,) I enjoyed visiting Allen's Boots and trying on some gorgeous cowboy boots. As I was about to write this post, my mind took a slight detour in connecting the words boot with book. So, while a boot tour could be fun, instead, I’m doing a book tour.

Let’s go back to possibilities. I’m in the midst of my Fall Book Blog Tour for The Other Side of Organized and having a great time! You never know what might happen. Already my book has traveled as far as Australia (thank you, Claire McFee) and in many places around the United States. Two special people, Crystal Patriarche and Stephanie Elliott of BookSparksPR are coordinating the events. They are amazing women and I couldn’t have done this without their expertise and guidance. Thank you, Crystal and Stephanie.

Of course, no tour would happen without the wonderful, generous people that are willing to host. The tour to date has included guest posts I’ve written about Paper Clutter, Dreaming, Technology & Life Balance, and Motivating Kids to Organize. There are lots more exciting happenings coming like guest posts about "Organization with a Sprinkling of Chaos," Q&As, book reviews and giveaways. My deepest gratitude goes out to all the people that have hosted my book tour so far. We’re going strong with many more stops to make. Below is a partial list of blogs visited to date:

• Almost Organized – Robert Carr
• Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom – Bethany LeBedz
• Five Minutes for Books – Dawn Mooney
• Neat Streak – Melanie Dennis
• Organize With Sandy – Sandy Jenny
• Organize Your Life Now – Claire McFee
• Rubbermaid – Erin Gentry
• Penelope’s Oasis – Penelope Guman

Please visit these blogs, leave a comment, enter a giveaway or just stop by and say “hello.” It’s wonderful to get out there, meet so many of you (even if it’s virtually) and share the conversation.  Check back often for the latest updates. I invite you to join me on Twitter @LindaSamuels, Oh, So Organized Facebook page, sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter or leave a comment on my blog. I personally invite you to join in the conversation about possibilities, organizing and life balance.