Chaletmomma Designs

Friends our favorite beach destination is Ocean City, NJ. For years we spent a week there with family enjoying the beach and boardwalk. 2022 was the last year we did - we had other places to visit and the cost of rent has skyrocketed since 2020. We rented a property that went up $2,000.00 in a single season. In 2024 and 2025 we Day Tripped which are fun but OC is far more than 2 hours and depending on Garden State Parkway traffic it can be 3! So last week we stayed overnight. Our last hurrah before school started today.

I grab a pic of these houses every time I visit. Our first stop Browns Restaurant for yummy donuts - they celebrate 50yrs this year. My favorite are powder.

I always want a capture of the beach in front of Browns at St. Charles Place.

We made our way to our hotel the Port O Call and got onto the beach!

I couldn’t get over the depth of beach from the hotel. They have been working on sand replenishment in OC this summer and you can tell.

There were several games of horse shoes before my sister and brother in law arrived in the afternoon. My son boogie boarded for hours.

A view from above… my husband snapped this from our 9th floor balcony and I can pick us all out in the image.

Our balcony view was really amazing of the coastline. I don’t like heights but, I braved a few minutes to grab images.

For dinner there was only one choice - Manco & Manco! They celebrate 70 years this year and have three locations on the boardwalk. Our favorite is 9th.

Then onto Mini Golf… at Seaport Village Where the five of us clocked twenty-seven holes in one!

The view from our balcony was incredible. Look at the lights in the distance.

We woke to hazy skies and rain in the forecast. But, this view!!!

After another breakfast at Browns - where our party grew by one with the arrival of our nephew - we made our way to Congo Falls Mini Golf and chose the Lost City course which is inside and air conditioned :). Not as many holes in one as last night at Seaport Village but a ton of fun as always!

By the afternoon the stormy weather moved in… I just missed capturing a lighting strike in this image.

Being in a place we love with people we love was terrific and far too short. I hope you all had wonderful get-aways this summer friends. Til next time be well I’ll see you over on the Gram.

maria squilanti

Friends I’m happy to welcome my friend Maria Squilanti of To Be Decluttered to the Chalet for a chat. We met at church and Maria is a member of Book Club I moderate (I love to hear what she’s reading). Maria thanks so much for taking the time to be here; will you please introduce yourself to the readers.

Hi Meryl and thank you - I am Maria Squilanti the owner and lead organizer of To Be Decluttered, a professional organizing company based in Verona, New Jersey and serving NJ and parts of NY. Prior to this venture, I was the owner of a financial PR and Events company in New York City.

My family is my life, and everything I do is with them in mind. I am the proud mom of two beautiful daughters in their twenties, and one high-school-aged son, and our sweet nine-year-old mixed breed, Hazel, who truly completes our family. My husband and I met in New York City and settled in the area after our wedding.

Our family loves spending time together, whether we are sharing a meal, enjoying the outdoors, or just relaxing at home. It’s my deep appreciation for family life that inspires my work—I know firsthand how a peaceful, organized space allows a busy family to focus on what matters most: making memories together.

Originally from New York City, my husband—a NJ Bergen County native—and I settled in Verona over 20 years ago, and we absolutely love it here. It is a wonderful, down-to-earth community full of big-hearted people, and we are so grateful for the close friends we have made who we now consider family.

I have always loved to organize and clean up. Frankly, it’s a way of dealing with stress, of creating a clean slate, of generating order in an otherwise chaotic world. Only recently did I realize I could do something I enjoy so much and help people and also make money!

MUDROOM BEFORE / AFTER

Prior to TBD, I worked on Wall Street for over 20 years, providing Financial Public Relations services to companies all over Latin America. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned a ton about working with and managing people. Every client I worked with dealt with challenges differently, and they needed unique solutions from me and my team. I always thought that a good PR executive listens intently and is ready to come up with out of the box solutions. Flexibility is key.

During COVID, the events side of the business languished, and the overall business took a dive. My partner and I decided that it was time to move on, and we shut our doors almost exactly 20 years after our inception.

KITCHEN BEFORE / AFTER

I threw myself into being a full-time homemaker, a job I secretly longed for the whole time I was working in the city. As I mentioned, I am a homebody and the ability to be home all the time made me ecstatic. I learned how to make sourdough, homemade ice cream, honed my culinary skills, started gardening and spent every possible moment with my family. The girls were wrapping up their high school years and I was determined not to miss a moment of their remaining time with us. I started organizing my house, a task I had neglected over the years. Room by room, I decluttered, moving out all the stuff we had outgrown and focusing on having less stuff.

I am not a minimalist, but I do believe that having less stuff is the key to finding peace in your own home. Hundreds of items were donated, trashed and sold. It was an amazing feeling. I felt energized, organized, able to tackle anything. I knew I would eventually return to the work force but I knew that I would need to reset before I could even begin thinking of my next move.

GARAGE BEFORE / AFTER

What motivates you? My family motivates me; I want to make them proud. I want to show my kids that opportunities abound for those of us who are willing to work hard, be great at something, and take risks. Sure, you might fail epically and failing is embarrassing, frustrating, you name it… But it is important to fail sometimes; otherwise how would we learn? How would we grow?’

One of my first paid organizing jobs was a huge learning experience for me. I had been working on projects that were successful. This is easy, I thought. Then I dealt with a client who was not happy with the end product. My idea of organization was not what she had in mind. She was not home when I was working at her house, so I had to make decisions for her. She kept saying she trusted my judgment but then, when I checked in with her a few days later, she had not liked the placement of her things, or the containers I had picked. It was a disaster! After that situation I changed the way I approached every project. I was a lot more demanding of myself and my team, I asked the client a lot more questions before, during and after the project. I managed expectations so that everyone was clear about the goals, the steps, the time frames. Most importantly, I was adamant that the client be on the scene on the day of the project so that they could be active participants in the project. It’s been smooth sailing ever since. But that experience stayed with me for a long time.

BEFORE

CLIENT CHEF ARIANE DUARTE -

AFTER

Who or What has been the biggest influence on you? Oh wow, that’s a tough one. I like to think that we learn something from all the people we encounter. Don’t you think?

If I had to name one person, it would be my father. Both his parents died when he was a boy and he basically raised himself. Eventually, he came to the United States from Colombia in his 20’s, a trained tailor, to work in factories while he learned English. When he finally became a tailor again, he worked for shops such as Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. He was always amazed by the things he saw and the people he met but he was just a great tailor. He taught me that no matter what you do, just give it your everything. It’s true. In this phase is my life, I want to be a great professional organizer. That means my clients are happy when I am done, and they want me to come back.

What’s your personal style? 100% cotton, soft fabrics, and anything coastal. Give me a cozy sweater with a lighthouse on it and a sea of blue tones, and I’m happy as a clam! (The only time you will ever catch me wearing a pop of orange is when I am proudly rooting for the Clemson Tigers!)

Your Happy place – where is it? The answer is easy: Cape Cod. I fell in love with the coast in my early twenties during a trip to Nantucket—there was something utterly magical about the weathered shingles, the deep blue sea, the crisp trees, and that cool Atlantic breeze. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Once I got married, we started a tradition of spending a week in the beautiful coastal town of Chatham MA every summer. We loved it so much, we purchased a cottage there over 16 years ago making us official Cape Codders. It has allowed my kids to literally grow up there and we head up there no matter the season. In fact, when my daughter turned 21, all she wanted was a trip to the Cape. It is our little slice of heaven, and the backdrop to our favorite family memories.

What is your home aesthetic? Like my clothing style, my home is filled with blues and natural colors. I am also a big fan of “cozy areas” so I have reading nooks and seating arrangements conducive for reading a book or relaxing. The sun is important in the mood for my house. I have rooms that get drenched in sunlight and I filter it out with bamboo shades or curtains to soften the glow. The result are pretty rooms that make you want to sit and chill out. I told you I was a homebody!

What space are you most comfortable in? I love being anywhere in my house. But I have a sectional in the living room where I have my designated spot. From that vantage point, I can drink coffee and set it down next to me, I can watch television or look out the window to see what is going on outside. The book I am reading is always in the area and everyone knows not to sit there because it’s my spot.

What is something you try and do every day? I wish it was exercising but it’s really not. I do try to give our dog Hazel a long walk every day.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Chocolate. If there is chocolate in the house, I will not stop until I eat it all. And if someone else has chocolate they know they have to hide it from me. If I find, I will steal it and eat it.

CLIENT CLOSETS

Check out To Be Cluttered Social Channels and the Website.

Maria again I really appreciate your time Thank you! I’m inspired by your entrepreneurial spirit and of course your organizational skills! You’ve created a brand through your attention to detail and hard work. Congratulations! Your clients are so fortunate to experience you and your teams expertise.

Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram