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| Baby's bathroom cabinet |
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| Master bathroom cabinet |
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| Shelves in Laundry closet |
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| Top of dryer |
January 13, 2011
52 Weeks: Some before pictures
I haven't gotten my list together yet but I took a few before pictures of areas I know I will be working on in this first month or two...what a mess!
January 12, 2011
52 Weeks of Organizing
With this one you make a list of 52 organization related projects - one for each week of the year and each Friday you comment/blog about what you did. I love this idea because it is totally customizable to each person's situation. The projects and be whatever you want them to be and they can be as big or as small as you want them to be. Org Junkie also challenges her readers to post before and after pictures of their projects. I think I'll enjoy seeing everyone else's pictures; however, as you know I am terrible about actually completing a task so I can take an after picture! Maybe this will help?
I am a little behind in making my list so stay tuned......
January 11, 2011
My very first embellishment
The process of learning to sew is rather painful for me. I am more or less learning by trial and error. The classes I took were fun and I did learn some things but I really did not learn foundational concepts so I am finding that I make alot of errors because I just don't know what to do when. I am currently signed up to take a Sewing for Babies and Toddlers class which begins at the end of February; however, I got a list of the "skills needed" from the instructor and between you and me, I am not ready for this class. So, I am looking into working with a lady one-on-one to get the help I need so that I can get ready...stayed tuned for more on that!
In the meantime I have a little something to show you. I got two of these cute towels for Christmas from my sweet aunt Joyce.
When I went to JoAnn's after Christmas I discovered pom pom trim! What a fabulous invention...I see lots of pom pom trim in my future! I'm having visions of ways I can put pom poms on all of Olivia's clothes....oh, I digress. Anyway, so at JoAnn's I found Christmas pom pom trim for 90% off so I had to get some so I could experiment with sewing it onto things.
Voila! Here is how it turned out:
In the meantime I have a little something to show you. I got two of these cute towels for Christmas from my sweet aunt Joyce.
When I went to JoAnn's after Christmas I discovered pom pom trim! What a fabulous invention...I see lots of pom pom trim in my future! I'm having visions of ways I can put pom poms on all of Olivia's clothes....oh, I digress. Anyway, so at JoAnn's I found Christmas pom pom trim for 90% off so I had to get some so I could experiment with sewing it onto things.
Voila! Here is how it turned out:
January 10, 2011
Booking It in 2011
Reading has always been a passion of mine going back to elementary school. I have been known to read more than one book in a week and to stay up til the wee hours in order to finish a particularly exciting book. But alas, along came Olivia... She is truly the joy of my life but I have to admit she has really put a kink in my reading schedule. In fact, I am fairly certain I've not read more than 3 books since she made her appearance back in June. I really miss reading.
So, for 2011 I am hoping to reclaim reading! In an effort to have more accountability around this I am posting my 2011 reading plans. Also, I decided to join Life As Mom's Book Club also to broaden my reading interests.
Here is my list of books for 2011. (Note, some of these are for my church book club, some are from the Life As Mom list and some will be tied to Blogging For Books which I will be posting reviews for throughout the year). For my church book club we only have the books identified through May so I'll have to add the remainder to this list later in the year and for Blogging For Books I don't know until I finish one provided book what the next one will be so I'm just planning to read at least 4 books this year in relation to that.
January: Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman
February: Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
March: Sisterchicks On The Loose by Robin Jones Gunn
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
TBD book for Blogging For Books
April: Front Porch Princess (book 1) by Kathryn Springer
Finding Your Purpose As a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto
May: June Bug by Chris Fabry
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
June: TBD book for church book club
TBD book for Blogging For Books
Dancing with My Father: How God Leads Us into a Life of Grace and Joy by Sally Clarkson
July: TBD book for church book club
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
August: TBD book for church book club
Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider
September: TBD book for church book club
TBD book for Blogging For Books
Not Your Mother’s Casseroles by Faith Durand
October: TBD book for church book club
The Reluctant Entertainer by Sandy Coughlin
November: TBD book for church book club
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson, the third in The Wingfeather Saga
December:
TBD book for church book club
TBD book for Blogging For Books
Anyone want to join me?
January 06, 2011
It's a New Year and I need a New Life!
I am really barely keeping my head above water when it comes to everyday living. Olivia, who I adore, takes up alot of my time, especially in the hours that are supposed to be for sleeping! And I work full-time. Combine the two and there is very little leftover for housekeeping tasks, spending quality time with my husband or anything else for that matter. I have completely forgotten what it is like to do something for fun like read a book (I sooo miss reading) and forget having "quiet time"....I haven't opened my Bible in months. So, what to do, what to do?
Let's go back a few months first. After returning to work from maternity leave mid-September I began to work on routines to help me keep the house clean. I used FLYlady techniques and talked about that HERE and HERE. Well, try as I might those were not working for me because there was just too little time in my day for all the routines and such. Meanwhile the house was about to implode so we decided to hire someone to clean our house twice a monoth which has been fabulous! Around that same time I also found the Life As Mom ebook which helped me to develop my first Household Notebook which I talk about HERE and have begun using now.
So, I was feeling a bit more organized but with the dawn of the New Year things have been more chaotic than ever. Looking around the blogosphere I found numerous goal setting worksheets and the like so I've been thinking I should set goals for the year and then just thinking about that has made me have heart palpitations because I just can't put anymore on my plate! Fast forward to this week.....
I found Brenda's year-long organizational challenge called One Year to a {more} Organized Life. She says her goal is to be more organized at the end of this year than she was at the end of last year. Now that is a goal that I might be able to handle!
Her Week One post challenges the reader to determine their personal reason for wanting to become more organized. She says that this will be what instills the stick-to-it-ness required for a year-long focus. So last night I filled in the worksheet she created to help with this and discovered that I have a bigger problem with organization than I thought - LOL! I'll give a few (embarrassing) examples that came to mind when I was doing my worksheet:
-This week I haven't had a shower since Sunday (it's currently Thursday)
-I am having MAJOR problems focusing at work to the point that I am starting to miss some deadlines and forget about random but important things. Let me tell you that this is not.normal.for.me!
-I regularly re-buy because I cannot find the same item I know I already bought
-At least weekly something important gets lost - this week we found our video camera after looking for it several weeks...in one of our cars. I guess blindness is setting in as well...
-Last week a set of keys was lost. It was found after much searching - where you ask- oh, you know, just out on the lawn. Really?
So, you can see we are talking about some serious disorganization, not just a little messiness!
So, what is my reason for wanting to be better organized? Well, to be perfectly honest it's because I feel completely out of control and I hate that feeling. Last night I tripped over baskets of clean clothes in the hallway. This morning I tripped over piles of dirty clothes in the hallway. That was right before I found myself frantically making three meals of solids for Olivia - one for breakfast and two to go with her to daycare - because I hadn't gotten them ready ahead of time. I haven't had a shower in days but didn't have enough time to take one this morning and was too tired last night to do it before bed. I could go on and on. But why do I want to feel "in control"? Because I know that this kind of living is not God's best for me or my family. So, my organization mission statement is:
I want to organize my life so I can be a better steward of all that God has so graciously given to me.
Want to join me?
Let's go back a few months first. After returning to work from maternity leave mid-September I began to work on routines to help me keep the house clean. I used FLYlady techniques and talked about that HERE and HERE. Well, try as I might those were not working for me because there was just too little time in my day for all the routines and such. Meanwhile the house was about to implode so we decided to hire someone to clean our house twice a monoth which has been fabulous! Around that same time I also found the Life As Mom ebook which helped me to develop my first Household Notebook which I talk about HERE and have begun using now.
So, I was feeling a bit more organized but with the dawn of the New Year things have been more chaotic than ever. Looking around the blogosphere I found numerous goal setting worksheets and the like so I've been thinking I should set goals for the year and then just thinking about that has made me have heart palpitations because I just can't put anymore on my plate! Fast forward to this week.....
I found Brenda's year-long organizational challenge called One Year to a {more} Organized Life. She says her goal is to be more organized at the end of this year than she was at the end of last year. Now that is a goal that I might be able to handle! Her Week One post challenges the reader to determine their personal reason for wanting to become more organized. She says that this will be what instills the stick-to-it-ness required for a year-long focus. So last night I filled in the worksheet she created to help with this and discovered that I have a bigger problem with organization than I thought - LOL! I'll give a few (embarrassing) examples that came to mind when I was doing my worksheet:
-This week I haven't had a shower since Sunday (it's currently Thursday)
-I am having MAJOR problems focusing at work to the point that I am starting to miss some deadlines and forget about random but important things. Let me tell you that this is not.normal.for.me!
-I regularly re-buy because I cannot find the same item I know I already bought
-At least weekly something important gets lost - this week we found our video camera after looking for it several weeks...in one of our cars. I guess blindness is setting in as well...
-Last week a set of keys was lost. It was found after much searching - where you ask- oh, you know, just out on the lawn. Really?
So, you can see we are talking about some serious disorganization, not just a little messiness!
So, what is my reason for wanting to be better organized? Well, to be perfectly honest it's because I feel completely out of control and I hate that feeling. Last night I tripped over baskets of clean clothes in the hallway. This morning I tripped over piles of dirty clothes in the hallway. That was right before I found myself frantically making three meals of solids for Olivia - one for breakfast and two to go with her to daycare - because I hadn't gotten them ready ahead of time. I haven't had a shower in days but didn't have enough time to take one this morning and was too tired last night to do it before bed. I could go on and on. But why do I want to feel "in control"? Because I know that this kind of living is not God's best for me or my family. So, my organization mission statement is:
I want to organize my life so I can be a better steward of all that God has so graciously given to me.
Want to join me?
5 Transactions....
That's right - FIVE transactions! That is the number of separate register visits I made today at CVS. I've never done a trip that big before. It took a lot of planning ahead, coupon clipping, organization and TIME but wow, I got alot of high dollar stuff! Here's a photo and below is the breakdown.
#1 Bought 4 packages of Excedrin and 1 GE Energy Smart lightbulb - had $15 in manufacturer coupons, spent $12, got $12 back in Extra Care Bucks (ECB).
#2 Bought 2 packages of Prilosec 42 ct. - had $3 in manufacturer coupons and $12.50 in ECB, spent $38, got back $14 in ECB (will submit a rebate request for $25 so total spent will end up being $13).
#3 Bought 3 L'Oreal Everpure shampoos and 2 conditioners - had $3 in manufacturer coupons, a $4 off $20 CVS coupon and $14 in ECB, spent $11, got back $10 in ECB.
#4 Bought 4 Reach toothbrush 2 packs - had $2 in manufacturer coupons and $10 in ECB, spent $0.93 (tax) and got back $5 in ECB.
#5 Used my $5 in ECB to buy a few items for fun.
Total spent $39.95 (after rebate mentioned in #2), total ECB earned and spent in this trip $50.50
#1 Bought 4 packages of Excedrin and 1 GE Energy Smart lightbulb - had $15 in manufacturer coupons, spent $12, got $12 back in Extra Care Bucks (ECB).
#2 Bought 2 packages of Prilosec 42 ct. - had $3 in manufacturer coupons and $12.50 in ECB, spent $38, got back $14 in ECB (will submit a rebate request for $25 so total spent will end up being $13).
#3 Bought 3 L'Oreal Everpure shampoos and 2 conditioners - had $3 in manufacturer coupons, a $4 off $20 CVS coupon and $14 in ECB, spent $11, got back $10 in ECB.
#4 Bought 4 Reach toothbrush 2 packs - had $2 in manufacturer coupons and $10 in ECB, spent $0.93 (tax) and got back $5 in ECB.
#5 Used my $5 in ECB to buy a few items for fun.
Total spent $39.95 (after rebate mentioned in #2), total ECB earned and spent in this trip $50.50
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