Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 27

Iran I home INSIDE Celebs 2 F0.1 TEETIS $bter writes about t-''X generosity need Comics 7 I i helps make St. tender, ti' I 4 I Mary of the loving cart rf hiTi ll-yemr-oU tingle mother. Fm-detmb, visit WWppAOStt whatever. i 7 cburcb build- 7 I jVI 1 ing a reality. jWsX Jersey Ufe online at I 1 I ASBURY PARK PRESS I A 1 5 2 0 0 7 II inTrP WEEKENDER fTf" A bit of fin fcr St Pcdds Sclie If 1 Sort winter clothes for j- I 1 tossing, donating, tag f-' I fans' salesorstorage.

'A Clean out medicine 2 Take down and launder 4 Vw. I cabinet; dispose of all curtains or wipe i "I expired medications, blinds. O- 2LQ'' f- I 3 I I Wipedownall SfZwtg I I 4 VVSV I A surges, including I llM vanities, faucets haven't used in the I i 1 fl ,1 andmirrors. last three months. 'V r' 1 Scrub shower A Replace winter ik I f.

and sink. By PATTI MARTIN STAFF WRITER You don't need the luck of the Irish, only a few suggestions for fun and unique ways to spend this St. Patrick's Day weekend. After all, it's much more than a one-day celebration. I (' 1 I' summer bedding.

I ff I -y I 5 Vacuum under I I I i i I the bed I "I 1 N. I Shake out bathroom rugs, sweep and mop floor. 1 i ju 1 Wash woodwork, i 0 A' 1 1 including moldings, I 1 I 'r baseboards and doors. jl i 2 Take down curtains i -) H.P 2. drapes.

Wash or i dry clean. fl 3 Dust and wash blades 1 I on ceiling fans. I it! i 1 I Vl I Watch this There are St Patrick's Day parades and then there's New York's St. Patrick's Day parade. Now in its 246th year, the parade kicks off at 11 a.m.

Saturday along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street and then east to Third Avenue. If you can't see the parade up-close-and-per-sonal, cozy up at home and check out the music and marchers on NBC (Channel 4). The parade's 2007 Grand Marshal is Raymond L. Flynn, former mayor of Boston and U.S. Ambassador to Vatican City.

Dust the ceiling and comers of walls. Toss all foods that have been hibernating in your refrigerator all winter. Then give the fridge a good cleaning, wiping shelves, drawers and surfaces with warm, soapy water. Clean out kitchen cabinets. Take plants outside and give them a good bath.

Wipe dust off leaves. and artwork. Clean II 1 1 i I and artwork. Clean Take down pictures frames and glass. A Throw away old sponges; replace with new ones.

5 Sweep and mop -r- the floors. 6 Vacuum upholstery, removing cushions whenever possible. 7 Clean light fixtures. Photo by Gary Fand8l, graphc by Laun Mansfield and Cnartw Anna. Gannett Nswi Santo 1 Clear gutters of debris.

2. Take down screens and wash. 3. Clean windows. 4t Give your deck a coat of water-repellant sealer.

5 Clean outdoor furniture according to manufacturer's instructions. 6 Pick ick up sticks, twigs and debris littering the yard. 0 If Mi If 14 i TV-. Spring is almost here arid with it comes the annual ritual of de-cluttering our homes. A TV host offers tips to smooth the process.

Check this out Take a wee bit of ancient folklore, mix in some special effects and a cast (including Sean Connery) and you've got one enchanting movie fantasy. In "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959) a storyteller (Albert Sharpe) seeks the proverbial pot of gold. But there's one thing standing in his way: a leprechaun named King Brian. To get the gold, Darby matches wits against the shrewd, little trickster. By PATTI MARTIN STAFF WRITER But cleaning up and out, Surmelis says, creates more than just a less cluttered home.

"The benefit is huge by just doing the simple act of organizing," he says. "There also comes a sense of accomplishment a motivation to change other things in your life as well. It creates a real domino effect in other parts of your life." STORY CHAT: Visit our Web site, www.app.com, and click on this story in Jersey Life to share your tips for spring bathroom will produce results in a brief period of time and get you motivated to keep going." Cleaning also means more than just moving things from one place to another, according to Surmelis, who also can be seen on TLC's show "Clean Sweep." "You have to toss things out, give them away and have a yard sale," he says. "That lipstick you've had since 1974? Toss it. Those clothes that don't fit any more? Donate them.

Those things you've stashed in the closet for some day? Have a yard sale and make some money." When it comes to spring cleaning, slow and steady wins the race. "If you try to do everything at once, you'll probably end up not getting anything done," says Angelo Surme-lis, host of HGTV's show "24 Hour Design." "Doing one small task at a time cleaning a closet, a catch all drawer in the closet or even a medicine cabinet in the WRITING SALVES PAIN FOR JOIJRNALERS Read this Once again, Maeve Binchy delivers an enchanting book full of Irish wit, warmth and wisdom In "Whitethorn Woods" (Knopf, When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has an opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer. The young Rev. Flynn Is concerned with the fate of St Ann's Well at the edge of the woods and slated for destruction. People have been visiting the well for generations to share their dreams, fears and to pray.

Some believe it to be a place of true spiritual power, others think it's just a magnet for Phoenix area and created "The 5-Year Journal" (Morgan James Publishing, 1999, "One man said he journaled to effectively manage his pain every day." Others have shared with her "Another gave a journal to a friend who was pregnant. She began journaling to her baby in the womb and plans to keep journaling until she gives the journals to the child at 18. One friend journals to track every penny he spends, every day. A woman who wanted to be a comedian wrote a joke a day. Now, she has a library of jokes." Clement is a cheerleader for any kind of journaling.

Write every day, once a week, every day for a week and then not again for a month. Anything goes. Journal about movies watched, nighttime dreams experienced or romantic TYPES OF JOURNALS The all-purpose journal isn't the only game in town. Common specialty journals include: HEALING JOURNAL: One way is to journal 50 ways in which life has changed since a diagnosis, 50 strengths you possess, 50 qualities within yourself you wish to change, 50 ways to nurture yourself and 50 lists to write in your journal. TRAVEL JOURNAL: Record overheard conversations, the view from an airplane window, the smell of the native vegetation.

Use all your senses when writing. SaF-MSCOVERY JOURNAL: Write three pages, longhand and in stream-of-con-sciousness daily. Sources: Author Doreene Clement of the5yearjournal.com: drweil.com; oprah.com; uritingthejoumey.com; and creativity coach Kay Marie Porterfield ofkporterfield.com. By SONJA HALLER GANNETT NEWS SERVICE Longtime journalers say getting thoughts down on paper, the computer screen or even a handy cocktail napkin has the power to heal and pinpoint one's life purpose. The promotion of expressive writing on shows such as "Oprah," has led bookstores to stock dozens of journals tailor-made for any conceivable chronicle: addiction recovery, weight loss, relationships or gratitude.

The journaler's testimony about the healing properties of writing can sound fantastical and magical "it changed my life" is common but it is buttressed by research. Consider this: Two decades of studies by University of Texas at Austin psychology professor James Pennebaker found that journaling for 20 minutes three days a week can lower blood pressure, reduce missed workdays and visits to the doctor, and increase immunity. A 2002 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that University of Iowa students who journaled about their emotions and tried to understand stressful events saw improvements in their relationships, personal strength, spirituality and appreciation for life. A 1999 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that writing helped reduce symptoms among people with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. "I've seen and heard amazing things," says Doreene Clement, who leads frequent workshops on journaling inn the 4.