The Pantry

Here's my messy pantry. Well, it really isn't that bad, but bad enough that I can't easily see what we need. Since I want to join my Company Girls and my friend Darlene who are all focusing on meal planning, I decided to get the pantry in shape. Oh--can you see out my side door to the garage? Yep, with all this rain Project Outdoors is at a standstill. 

Oh so pretty -- the pantry is all cleaned out and I wiped down the shelves too.

This pic is a bit blurry, but I just stacked things on the island in categories to see what needed to be thrown out.  Fortunately, not too much. I so dislike wasting food.

All clean and organized. I know exactly what is in there. dh said, "Why do you keep changing things?" I think he likes the spruced up pantry too.  Caroline not so much, "Mama, we need more snacks!"  It does look a little barren in there.  I better hit the refrigerator and freezer next.

This little project took under 45 minutes, and now I feel so much better.  We had tacos for Super Bowl, and last night I made taco salad.  Our little home runs so much better when dinner time isn't chaotic.  I think my little pantry clean up will help me.

Stay warm and dry.

XOXO

The Craft Closet Comes Clean

Remember how I told you I put an old sheet on the guest room bed, and then moved everything out of the craft closet to the bed? Well, here it is; my hot mess.

Here's more of the hot mess on the floor. It stayed like this for what two weeks? I have to say I was getting so frustrated with all of it that I almost just threw it in the trash.  Until Robin told me to walk away and take a breath for a minute, why don't you? Good idea, sister dear.

It was a good thing that I didn't throw it all away because now I have a nice clean craft closet.

I know where everything is now, but I think I need one more shelf.

dh hung up the little magnetic board that I found at Tuesday Morning. I like that my shelves even hold magnets. See there under my ribbon iron?

Here's a view of my do-dads on the opposite wall from my magentic board.  I still have some things that I should weed through, but I just can't seem to part with some of it. 

I am happy that it is finally done. Perhaps I will move to the photo albums next week.  This week, I have to get ready for Valentine's Day, desert camping, and all the other little things that come with running a home.

Here's to a productive week.

XOXO

The High Cost of Kiddo Activities

Dh and I aren't like most parents in our little town. We decided long ago that Caroline's focus was to be on her education not on soccer, dance lessons, music lessons, you know the favorites.  It isn't that extra-curricular activites aren't important particularly when building a soon-to-be college entrance resume; however, our thought is that we didn't want her joining every little activity whereby creating a chock-full schedule.

As for the one extra she does participate -- Karate.  She loves herself some Karate, and she so dislikes ever having to miss it.  I have to admit that I love it too because when she is at her lessons, I can run quick errands to the grocery store and cleaners, as they are all in the same center.  The jeweler is too, and boy was dh happy to see they are moving to a new location. Ha! 

This is an activity that I love too because it does give her good exercise and, most importantly, she has learned self-discipline.

So just what is my point?  Well, Karate is pretty spendy each month.  Caroline has mentioned several times that she really wanted to join the Chess Club at school.  I told her we would consider it.  This week, she brought the paper home that explained all the Chess Club details.  Seriously, friends, how can you resist, "increased math skills, concentration, memory, and self-confidence?"  Gee-I should join.  I could really stand to develop all that was listed myself. 

I do have to tell you that I gave a big SHOUT at the price tag.  Registration $25; Chess Club Member $140.  WOW -- even I could do the math without knowing how to play Chess -- $165. Really?

Do you find that in your little town kiddos are over scheduled and the price tags for said activity are steep?  What happened to when we were their age, and it was just fine to play outside and drink water from the hose?  I know; I know things have changed or is that just something we tell ourselves?  I don't know about you, but I graduated from college without ever even going to preschool or learning how to play Chess.  On most days, I think I turned out just fine.

It all just makes me a little nutty causing my head to spin. So what did we do?  Well, when the child offers to pay for half, you know she really wants to do something.  I wish I had a picture of her relieved little face when I told her that daddy and I would pay for it. She was thrilled to say the least. 

I guess this mama just needs to pony up, and realize that kiddos are over scheduled and everything costs A LOT!  I don't know; I still feel uncomfortable about it all. Do you? 

Cleaning The Table

I have been stuck in a rut.  I started posting and working towards our new minimalist lifestyle, but I just can't seem to get motivated.  This morning after attempting to take pics of my Craft Closet mess, the batteries in my camera died.  I don't have any in the house right now, so that needs to go on the shopping list. Anyway, I started thinking about how I get myself out of the rut I am in.

I thought about how my mother would often tell me in my 20's, just come home and we (meaning she and my daddy) can talk about it.  Essentially, come home --back to your roots -- the place where you feel safe.  So what did I do -- I went straight to:

 

Home Sanctuary where Rachel Anne has always motivated me to put my big girl panties on and get to gettin.  Well, I am off to the store to get those batteries.  I have work to do, so that I can show you my progress.  In the mean time, check out Home Sanctuary, and think about becoming a Company Girl too. 

I have a new friend; her name is Penelope...

You may even know Penelope; you may even be her. So -- just who is this girlie? My new friend that I haven't told anyone about. Speaking of that, why haven't I told a single soul? I think it is because I have so enjoyed her that I really wasn't ready to share her with anyone. Silly? Maybe. Can you remember back to grade school, high school, even college when you found a new friend someone that was not like anyone you had ever met before? You wanted to keep this friend all to yourself - just for a while - right?

Ok-before you think I have done gone off the deep end - Penelope isn't an actual person; she is a type of person.  She's me, and she could be you too, or someone you know. Perhaps, your sister or best friend. She could even be someone you want to be.

She is Penelope Loves Lists.  As you can read, I absolutely adore this blog. It is a blog that seems to have the thoughts and ideas that I wish I would have thought of.  The blog's author is Meredith.  Meredith, as she writes in her blog is, "I’m a working, married mom of three, trying desperately (and, I admit, a bit compulsively) to hold together all the crazy aspects of my life. For me, the only way to do that is with lists and with all manner of organizational tools."

Head on over to meet Penelope.  I ask you to take a look around and to see just what Penelope is about. I told Meredith once that I am really more of a Penny, as I am not nearly sophisticated enough to be a Penelope.

Here's the fun thing this week. Meredith is hosting a giveaway. Oh how I love myself some giveaways. She is featuring this fun notebook from Chewing the Cud.  While I haven't been to their store, I plan to on my next work visit to San Francisco. I know their store has to be super cute. It specializes in things I love, such as paper, cloth, and home goodies. Oh-that makes me feel warm and cozy on this raining SoCal day.

To enter the giveway, all you have to do is go to Penelope Loves Lists, and comment on what your favorite notebook is like or would be like if you could design it yourself. Sound fun? I think so.

Tomorrow, I will update you on my craft closet clean-up.  I got sidetracked with this cutie pie and her homework. Like most days, she was all fun and games. Remember, Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi?  Some days, I feel like the Homework Nazi.

The Craft Closet

aka: my dream craft room.

I haven't entirely moved out of the kitchen, as there is more to do there with the refrigerator and pantry, so that will get done in time. It looks organized on the outside, and for the most part it is tidy on the inside. It just needs some fine-tuning.

This week, I need to finish up those messes that can be seen by everyone that comes into our home.  After Christmas, I decided that I needed to clean out my craft closet. 

Seven years ago, we replaced our furnace and air-conditioner.  The equipment had been in a utility closet in our hallway.  The HVAC guy told my dh, "Why don't we move all this equipment to the attic, and give the Missus, a storage closet?"  I instantly forgot my outrage at the "Missus" comment when dh turned to me, and said, "You can keep all your craft stuff in there.  I'll even put up some shelves for you."  Yes--I do love that man!  Yep, I would have my very own craft closet!

After the holidays, I placed a sheet on our guest room bed, and started putting the contents of the craft closet there. Yikes. What a mess!

Here's my empty closet.

Here's my favorite cleaning tool for tight spaces. 

It gets those little dust bunnies that a cloth just can't get.

By cleaning out my little closet, my hope is to actually get around to making some crafts this year.  I mean Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  I  am also going to have to just let go of some things that I will never use no matter how pretty they are.

Tomorrow, I will show you my guest room bed.  Sometimes, it takes making more of a mess to get it all cleaned up.  Well, at least that is my story, and I am sticking to it!

Here's what I am dreaming about making...

I love Stampin' Up products for making cute things for people I love.

Here's to a great week! XOXO

Oh What To Do With Those Cupboards!

 photo source: Good Housekeeping

I just plain don't feel like doing any projects this week. It is rainy and gloomy here in SoCal, and I just can't seem to get it together.  Last night, I forced myself to clean off the kitchen island and to do the dishes. While I was doing my chores, I thought of a new way to deal with the kitchen cupboards.

My typical organizing, much to my dh's dismay, is to take everything out of a cupboard or closet, sort through it, and then put it back.  I tell you that makes for a hot mess particularly when I get sidetracked.  So--here's my plan.  When I was putting dishes away, I had a lot of coffee cups and water glasses to put away.  This meant that the cupboard was basically empty.  I stopped taking the cups and glasses out of the dishwasher, and removed what little was left in the cupboard.  I wiped down the cupboard and then started putting the cups and glasses back.  I tossed one in the trash because it had a chip and there were some others that we really didn't need anymore. I mean really - do I need 20 coffee cups? No, so I kept eight and I put the rest in my Goodwill stack.

I have to say that I really love this idea. It is simple. It took virtually no time at all. I am going to use this method until all my cupboards are cleaned out. I think this will make dh happy too.

So--tell me--do you take everything out of a cupboard or closet to organize or do you do it differently?

The Pink Dish Gloves Go To....

... Linda of LindanJake.  I was so excited that Linda won these cute dish gloves.  Last week when Linda was getting her kitchen in tip top shape, she organized a shelf with some new thrift store finds, and shortly thereafter the shelf and all her new pretties came crashing down.  I felt so bad for Linda because --well-- that is just a bummer.  Hopefully, these pink gloves will make her smile.



 

We're Still In The Kitchen

I don't know about you, but my kitchen is taking a bit longer than I thought.  One of the things that I realized while on KP duty was that I think my dishwasher works against me or is it me working against my dishwasher?

Here's the problem.  I tend to over pack the dishwasher, which then causes me to have to dry the dishes before I put them away.  Overloading and not making sure there is enough JetDry rinse causes one of my most important kitchen tools to not be able to do its job.

I found this video, which I think is perfect because it shows us and our kiddos how to properly load the dishwasher.  Remember, we need to distribute our workload!

This week, I am still in the kitchen finishing up those counters and cabinets while I am focusing on organizing a shelf or drawer, as I put those dishes away when the dishwasher is through with them.

Tomorrow, I will post the winner of last week's drawing!

Becoming Minimalist

I found a great blog that I think will help us. It's called Becoming Minimalist.  This is where a family of four in the suburbs becomes minimalists, and they say we can too!

If you click on the link, it will take you to Tuesday's post where they talk about their motivation for becoming minimalist.  They quote David Turnbull where he wrote, "don't be meaninglessly minimalist. Be purposeful and deliberate in your quest to want little."  This quote inspired them to define the key points that motivate them towards this lifestyle.  I couldn't agree more with what they had to say.  Becoming Minimalist is worth checking out.

We're In The Kitchen

The pic above is my dream minimalist kitchen. I love the sleek lines and how it is virtually clutter-free. Here's my kitchen.

Here's the kitchen sink.  I think that you are either a messy cook or a clean and neat cook.  I am a messy cook or as Caroline says "cooker."

Here's a view of the dishwasher.  I do like how the dishwasher is raised to be ergonomically correct.

Here's the frig and stove. I apologize for the darkness. My camera needs an update, but you get the idea.

As a way to get closer to my perfect minimalist kitchen, our goal is to remove anything on the counter that isn't used daily. I am just going to focus on getting the counter space cleaned off, and then after that I will clean the cabinets. 

I like Murphy's Oil Soap to remove all the dust and grime off my cabinets. I spray the product of a soft towel before wiping the cabinets down. This helps to eliminate streaks.

Once the space is cleaned off and appealing then I can work on the parts that are hidden behind those cabinet doors. One thing at a time or as dh says, "Pace yourself." While cleaning off the counters, I am going to give attention to what tools are really needed in my kitchen. I suspect those tools will be different for each person based on how they cook.

Here's the place where everything happens in our home -- the kitchen island. We have meals here, family meetings, Caroline does her homework here, and I work on my projects here too.  It is also a breeding ground for a hot mess! This is the area that I have to pay particular attention to because it is also dh's big bugaboo.  It drives him crazy when it is a mess.  Does your guy have a bugaboo too?

Ok--to review--by next Monday, I am going to clean off all my kitchen counters, clean the surface, and then clean the cabinets.  While doing these tasks, I will think about what kitchen tools I really need.

Remember, if you are joining in on these projects, leave a post, become a follower, or both, and then you will receive entries into the weekly drawing for some useful prizes.

Here's to getting organized and reaching our minimalist goals.

XOXO

I thought it might help me -- and possibly you -- by blogging about how I am going to simplify my daily life.  My goal is to work towards becoming a minimalist, so that I can spend more time with family and friends, and to not be consumed by taking care of things.

If you think of your own home for just a minute, you can imagine that this won't be an easy task.  For example, do I really need six 9x13 baking pans? Do I really wear the 16 pairs of black pants in my closet?  Do we really play with all of those board games?  You can see there are a lot of things that are talking to me.

I hope you will want to join me in creating a home where time is spent enjoying each other instead of maintaining things that we don't really need or use.

Here's what I am thinking.  Each week, I will post what the focus of the week will be.  During the week, I will track my progress along with sharing pictures and tips.  My hope is that you will join in and share your experiences too.  Because I love prizes, if you post a comment or mention what we are doing on your blog, your name will be entered into a drawing to win some fun little things that will actually help us on our mission to live simply.

Tomorrow, I will take you to the heart of our home -- the kitchen.

XOXO

Simply Minimalistic

Last year, I decided that if I hadn't used something in a year or if it didn't serve a useful purpose that I would give it to Goodwill. Some of you even stopped by and cherry picked from my Goodwill box. Well, I am back at it again this year.  I made good progress this weekend; however, there is more to do.

dh had a good suggestion.  He offered to help me go through each room where we will wipe down the walls, baseboards, move furniture and vaccuum behind, underneath -- you know the drill.  I am really excited about this.  I may actually have my spring cleaning done - well - before spring.

Tomorrow, the Minimalist Challenge will be back with new ideas, motivation, and OH MY Favorite -- prizes.

Playing Catch-up

I am in the middle of simply trying to play a game of catch-up.  Particuarly after the holidays, it makes me wonder where all this stuff came from. I told my sister that I felt like my house had thrown up on itself! I have been making good progress finding homes for the new things and the things we don't need are making their way to Goodwill.

Last year, my goal was to get the photographs organized. I think this year it might actually happen.  I have cleared out the scrapbook closet where I have found another home for some really cool stuff because while I put together a Creative Memories first year book for Caroline, I realized that I don't enjoy doing it enough to chronicle her life that way.  I have come up with another idea, which I will soon share.

I thought today, I would share some Christmas pics.

Caroline and Emily before we went caroling.

Caroline and Charlie getting ready to sing.

Kennedy, Emily, and Caroline taking goodies to neighborhood families

Caroline is a Reindeer.

Caroline in the Anza Borrego Desert.

This is the view from Font Flats.

Isn't it beautiful?

Caroline was not keen on this little guy. Would you be?

We went to the Anza Borrego Desert Visitor Center.

In the children's center, Caroline saw various animal paw prints. She liked the coyote.

Here's a Saber Tooth Cat.

We loved the desert in the winter and spent several days there after Christmas. It is fun to see new things. Although Caroline said she could have done just fine without seeing the tarantula.

My Word Of The Year Is...

I really debated this year on what I wanted my word to be. I had even thought of keeping my 2009 word Grace. I had been more mindful of extending grace last year, but I didn't quite hit the stride I wanted to reach. Perhaps because learning grace is a lifelong  quest.

I then got to thinking about our visit to Robin's this summer.  As I watched Robin go about her daily life, I realized that I make my life, and in turn, my family's life way more complicated than it needs to be.

So for me, this year will simply be SIMPLE.

Christmas Traditions

On Saturday night, dh, Caroline, and I went to Starbucks for some yummy Christmas cocoa cheer and then we drove through a neighborhood church's living nativity scene.  Since Caroline was in her car seat, we have had this tradition.  It is a time where we talk about the birth of our Savior and what Christ means to our family. 

Here the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary.

The Roman guards were quite the talk. They were shouting "Pay your taxes" and "Shore up your chariots" to those that weren't paying attention when they needed to move their car forward.

We loved the animals smelly and all.

King Herod giving instruction to the Magi from the East.

The Magi.

Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus

Tonight, we will be caroling in our little town where we will hopefully be bringing a little Christmas cheer to our neighbors.

XOXO

A Wrapping Tip and Monday's Checkist

My checklist is pretty light this week.  I did almost all of my shopping online this year unless the store had one of those Smart Carts.  A big thank you to Costco and Target for making my life so much easier.  Another thing that made life easier was that almost everyone we normally exchange with said let's just shop for our families with the agreement that we will only exchange birthday gifts from now on.  This left me with very little to wrap, but it gave me a lot more time with focus on pretty wrapping.  Here's my tip: 1)  go to my sister Robin's blog to watch her video on how to make a ribbon; and 2) to figure out how much ribbon you need for a gift box measure the gift box's length and times that number by 7, and that is the length of the ribbon you need. Happy Wrapping!

My CheckList:

• Call the mechanic as the check engine light came on; yikes!
• Make a list for the grocery store and get the shopping done
• Buy long underwear. We are going to the desert after Christmas and it is forecast to be 19 degrees at night. Burrrrr....
• Find Caroline's Christmas hat for caroling tomorrow night
• Pack for the desert
• Work on collecting things for a Goodwill run

I hope you are doing well on your checklists! Merry Merry.

XOXO

Catching Up

This fall has been an odd time for our little family. As many of you know, I had foot surgery in September, and was sequestered to bed rest for two months.  After a series of casts, I am now up and walking unassisted, although I can only wear my cute new tennis shoes.  No other shoes or bare feet for three months. 

I am back to work this week, but only for three days and then I will take the remainder of the year off.  I am really looking forward to being at home with dh and Caroline where I can  fully participate in most of our family activities.

I thought I would share some Thanksgiving snapshots with you.  We camped with friends in the great California desert during Thanksgiving.

Caroline getting ready to look for rocks and shells.

Here are the tools Caroline used to look for rocks.

Here Caroline is consulting with our friend Janis on her "find." Janis is a geologist. Caroline loves learning about earth science mainly because Janis is a great teacher.

Caroline doing her work!

Caroline called this rock her "Bagel Rock."

Here is a shell Caroline and Janis found. This area of the desert was under water thousand of years ago.  It is fun to go out looking for rocks and shells particularly because you don't expect to find shells in the desert.

Caroline's response to me winning at Checkers.

We were all excited when we heard the ice cream man's music.  Who knew you could get an ice cream in the middle of no stinkin where.

Caroline and Jessica (Janis' daughter) on their new golf cart.

I love this movie screen.  The families in the camp over watch movies at night.  Well,I should say the kiddos watch Disney while the parents have a few cocktails around the campfire.

My hope is to get back to blogging on more regular basis as I work my way back to my normal.

XOXO

A Grateful Thanksgiving

source: www.countryliving.com

"O Thou who has given us so much, mercifully grant

us one more thing a grateful heart." 

-George Herbert

Sunday Dinner

Tonight's Sunday Dinner was enjoyed at Outback Steakhouse. Our incentive was a discount offer that was recently sent to us by our credit card company. Since I eat gluten-free, I already knew they offered a gluten-free menu, and the food and service did not disappoint.

We were also surprised to learn that they were rated by Zagat as the best steakhouse for a national chain.  Typically, we don't go out for Sunday Dinner, but this was a nice treat. Also, Caroline loved the ribs she ordered from the kiddo menu.

We also played a new game during dinner where we were coming up with first names that could be either for a boy or girl.  Caroline's number one boy or girl name was Ronnie. 

I love Sunday Dinner night.

XOXO

There's A Giveaway As Twilight Enters Into a New Moon...

JennyKate is having a fantastic Twilight inspired giveaway. You just have to go to her blog and see all the goodies.  Are you just so anxious to see New Moon? I can't wait. A big shout out, though -- GO TEAM EDWARD! Now, go see JennyKate.

A Busy Mom Recommends Turkey Trivia For Your Thanksgiving Table

source: www.marthastewart.com

Not only is this a cute placecard, but it is a great craft to do with your kiddos. Here you can create a little art project for each guest along with learning about all things Thanksgiving (i.e., turkeys, Pilgrims, Indians, and gratefulness). 

To me it is particularly fabulous when I can combine learning lessons, and in this case, it is art, history, and God's goodness.  The other good thing about this project is all the supplies are already hiding in your craft area.  You will need fall color construction paper, color pens, scissors, and a brad to hold it all together. 

Here's how to make turkey trivia placecards:

Take your construction paper, and either free hand, use a stencil, or find something on the internet to trace, so that you can cut out your turkey. 

Using different colors of construction paper, cut out feathers.  Make sure they aren't too big, but big enough to write your trivia questions on.

Next you will need to come up with your questions.  You will need about seven questions per placecard.  Here are some of the questions we are thinking of using:

Q: Turkey eggs are what color?
A: Tan with brown specks

Q: The bright red appendage on the neck of the turkey is called?
A:  'Wattle'

Q: How much turkey do people usually eat on Thanksgiving?
A: About 2 llbs.

Q. What was Pocahontas Christian name?
A. Rebecca

Q. Which character has appeared more times on the big balloon during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade than any other?
A. Snoopy

Q. What are you grateful for?
A.  The answer would be individual, of course

You see where I am going here. The questions can be just about anything.  Like most families, there is always an inside joke.  At our home, a question could be: Q: What does Aunt Karen do every Thanksgiving? A. She burns the rolls!  Now, at our house we (including Karen) would laugh at this.  If you do something silly like this just make sure it is truly something that the person would chuckle about.

You can make this super simple or a little more complicated. I go for simple.  It is meant to be fun for those making the placecards and those playing it.

Enjoy.

XOXO

Monday's Checklist

A few weeks ago, I said I liked using the word checklist instead of to do or task list.  Now, I know why. I looked it up on http://www.wikipedia.com/ and this is what I read:

"A checklist is used as an aid to memory. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task. A basic example is the "to do list." A more advanced checklist would be a schedule, which lays out tasks to be done according to time of day or other factors."

I like checklist because it is simple and it gets the job done.  Well, most weeks, it does.  Here's what I have going on this week:

• Eliminate the stack of who knows what it is
  
• Research landscaping ideas for front lawn
  
• Work on figuring out a blog face-lift
  

Here's to a productive week!

XOXO

Sunday is Family Day

(left to right: Charlie, Emily, Caroline, Connor, and Shannon)

Sunday is filled with church, family, family friends, fun, and usually good eats.  I thought I would capture these very special days by sharing pictures of what's going on in our home.  These kiddos enjoyed going to the pumpkin patch after church a few weeks ago.  I know they will be life long friends and that warms my heart.

XOXO

Sunday Dinner

source: www.tillamook.com

I just love Tillamook cheese, and I especially love that I can purchase it at Coscto for a reasonable price.  I found this scalloped potatoes recipe in a magazine last year right before Thanksgiving.  I served it as a side dish for our Turkey Feast, and it quickly became a family favorite. It is also a perfect accompaniment to your Sunday Dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Tillamook® Butter, softened and divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Tillamook® Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Tillamook® Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2½ pounds russet potatoes, about 4 medium

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.

In a small bowl combine cheeses; set aside.

In a 4-quart saucepan combine half-and-half, salt and pepper. Peel potatoes and slice 1/16-inch thick. Add to saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat and carefully pour potato mixture into prepared baking dish. Distribute potatoes evenly in pan and sprinkle with cheese. Dot the top with small pieces of remaining butter.

Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are done and top is golden. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 8

Enjoy!

XOXO