Making Progress-My Weekend Tackle Update

Wanted to give you an update on the progress of my tackle...

We have cleared almost everything that was in this area. As you can see on the back shelf and the white cabinets...there is some organization but it got lost as I cleaned out closets. I needed somewhere to go with the items that were too good to throw away. The pile in the middle is a lot of trash.

After we get the garage empty...we are going to power wash the inside of the garage...

This will get the yuck off of the garage floor.

Then my hubby is going to install shelves like these:

Then, I'm going to go through the boxes and stuff that was removed from the garage on Monday, my friend-Tina, is coming over on Monday & Tuesday to help me! It will feel so good to the stuff out of my garage! I will vow to have a couple of garage sales each year so I don't have this big of a tackle 16 years from now!

Next will be the attic...if you thought my garage was bad...wait until you see the attic!! I have 4 sets of baby clothes, a couple of toddler beds, a cradle, 6 or more car seats...everything from the last 16 years of marriage stored up there. I hope to find some of the Christmas decorations I have been missing up there! Should be fun! Will be an adventure!

What Kind of Rocker Are You??

Thought this was fun!

You Are a Chick Rocker!

You're living proof that chicks can rock You're inspired by Joan Jett and the Donnas And when you rock, you rock hard (Plus, you get all the cute guy groupies you want!)

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

S.M.A.R.T. Saturday Habits

How did I do this week on my S.M.A.R.T Habits Saturday goals?

Let's see...

1. Made bed-everyday, did great!
2. Swish toilet & wipe down vanity-good, missed a couple of days.
3. Workout-one day, it was hard to squeeze it in with family & the other obligations that I had this week. Plus I had late nights 3 nights in a row & I just didn't wake up early enough to get going in the morning.
4. Quiet Time-one day-same as working out.
5. Quality Time with hubby-okay, same as working out. We were so busy each evening it was hard to squeeze time together. Next week should be a little better.

New goals for this week? You bet,
6. One load of laundry each day-at least!
7. Load dishes in dishwasher everyday-will go to bed each evening with a clean kitchen.
8. Bubble bath in the evening before bed-at least every other day!

Check out other goals at The Lazy Organizer's blog for other S.M.A.R.T. Saturday participants.

My Big Weekend Tackle It Project

This one is going to take more than a weekend but we have the weekend free with no activities so no time like the present to get started!

MY GARAGE....SCARY!

First, let me explain....we have been married for almost 16 years (on the 20th of July!) and I have never had a garage sale so this is 16 years worth of stuff (I have a full attic too!)

Scary, huh?

The Freezer Chicks

It's official....our freezer co-op has gone live to the internet! We now have a blog!

At our July Freezer exchange we (or shall I say Janet!) did a little reconfiguring-Janet needed to step down as leader of our group. She was responsible for all of the details of our group...emails, budget, hostessing, etc. So we now have a "board."

Tina-Leader

Misti-Secretary

Janet-Accountant

Jen-Price Chopper

We set a regular date for our planning meetings & food exchange. We are rotating the meetings between the members and will try a new recipe out each meeting. Many times we are trying new recipes without every tasting them...some flop, some don't. This will eliminate trying it out on our families and getting the thumb's down!

Check out our site...it's really awesome! If you are interested in starting your own food co-op, email the Freezer Chicks @ freezerchicks@gmail.com.

Doesn't the header graphic rock? Tina designed it. She also designed my header & Mindi's too!

Thursday Thirteen #14 (Places My Van Went Today)

13 Places My Van Went Today...

1. Household Executive's house.
2. Upper Crust for Breakfast & to discuss Sister Chicks Do the Hula (Book Club)
3. Household Executive's house. Getting ready to organize her office, coat closet & area under bathroom sink. Meet to get game plan.
4. Home to pick up kids.
5. Back home to get cell phone.
6. MC Sports-shorts for ODP.
7. Target-snacks for ODP.
8. SoccerPro-socks & shorts for ODP.
9. Home to get PSP game.
10. Movies-saw Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. Wonderful!
11. Home to get swim suits.
12. Household Executive's- her daughter went swimming with us this evening.
13. Pool.
14. Dropped of Household Executive's daughter.
15. Gas station to get gas-empty after all that driving around.
16. Home

Oh, wait, that's more than 13 places!! Oh, well, busy day!

Check out The Freezer Chicks New Blog. We started a blog to share our Once-a-Month Cooking Recipes and Plans!

Check out more TTs.

Wordless Wednesday

I think I need to get some film developed! What do you think? I have mentioned in previous entries about my desire to start scrapbooking again & one of the things that keeps holding me back is the fact that I have all of this film to get developed! I think there are 37 rolls that need to be developed! Yikes!

Works for Me Wednesday (Computer Storage Notebook)

After my desk top was hit by lighting last August & I switched my computers around, I created a notebook that holds all of my software for my computer, printer, camera, etc. I created it after I spent a good hour searching for those software disks that were needed to add to the new computer.

The notebook sets by my computer and is labeled "Computers."

I used my label maker & typed in my service tag numbers for all computer and affixed them to the inside of the notebook.

I also, labeled where each software should go, so if I take it out to install on the computer, I will remember to put it back. I also have notebook paper in the back of the notebook so when I purchase new software that has a service tag or installation code, I write it here so it's all in one place. I do this because we had a Harry Potter game that required an installation code & we misplaced the CD holder and have never been able to play the game again because the "code" is on the case!

I used the CD holders from the office store to store the software in:



This works for me....what works for you? Check out more great Works for Me ideas!

To-Do List (Week of 7.9.2007)

I just got the idea to post my to-do-list for the week on my blog. I have mentioned several times that I like the accountability of having my tackles posted on my blog so why not my daily to-do list!

Zone for the week: Kitchen-some major cleaning areas for the kitchen are: cleaning oven, clean out junk drawer, & cleaning out frig & freezer.

Monday:
1. Clean downstairs FR-run sweeper, wash sofa covers, clean off desk.
2. Clean off stairs.
3. Clean SJHs room.
4. Clean GLHs room.
5. Help CSH finish picking up his room.
6. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Made the Tuna Tortellini Gratin.
7. Clean out car.

I also washed a load of lights and darks.

Tuesday: I will have my cousins four girls today in addition to my four kiddos. We will plan to go swimming after the dentist appointment so I will need to get up extra early to get my list done!
1. Unpack CWHs bag from ODP.
2. Wash whites.
3. Wash darks.
4. CSH-Soccer-7v7-2 games in JC actually got rained out.
5. CWH-soccer "tryouts"
6. Dentist appointment-GLH & SJH
7. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Will prepare the Honey-Pecan Chicken. I am also working on the Inside-Out Burgers.

Wednesday:
1. Hair appointments-GLH, SJH & me.
2. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Flash freezing (so they won't stick together)Inside-out Bacon Ranch Burgers need to pack them in freezer bags.
3. CSH pack for ODP.
4. Soccer "tryouts."-CSH
5.Freezer Chick's meet for exchange & planning for next month.
6. Pick up from the girls being here-still working on-didn't have time with our hair appointment & GLHs dentist appointment.
7. Workout-didn't wake up early enough! Maybe tomorrow...

Thursday: (Book Club and Meet with Household Executive regarding organizing office.)
1. Wash sheets on beds.
2. Make sure CSH has everything packed for ODP.
3. Run sweeper.
4. Sweep & mop kitchen.
5. Sweep & mop bathroom.
6. Workout.

Friday:
Hopefully a fun day at the pool! Yes, we are going to the pool!

Saw this "quiz" on another blog....

You Are A Gold Girl

You're dependable and hard working. You never miss a deadline - and you're never late. You have a clear sense of right and wrong. You're very detail oriented. You get frustrated when your friends are sloppy - or when they don't follow through. You're on top of things, and you wish that everyone else was!

What Color Girl Are You?

Tackle It Tuesday (Freezer Chicks)

My tackle it Tuesday project is to complete my remaining 2 freezer meals for our Freezer Food exchange.

I am to make the following recipes:

1. Tuna Tortellini Gratin-a take on Tuna Noodle Casserole but made with cheese tortellini & Alfredo sauce.
2. Honey-Pecan Chicken
3. Inside-Out Bacon Cheeseburgers. I am flash-freezing them so I can place them in a ziploc bag without them sticking together.

I already prepared the Tuna Tortellini Gratin. I still need to complete the remaining 2 recipes. The chicken portion is rather easy-it's basically a dump but the honey sauce I have to prepare. The burgers will be rather easy as well! I just need to find time to get everything completed!

In addition to getting the meals completed.....I really need to defrost and reorganize my freezer. That may have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday morning.

My cousin's four daughters (ages 14, 12, 10 & 7 plus my four-ages 14, 11, 8 & 6!) are here for a visit and after I take GLH & SJH to the dentist, we are going to go to the pool before CSHs soccer games. UPDATE-We ended up going bowling. It was a lot of fun!

Check out what other bloggers are tackling today @ 5 Minutes for Moms!

Monday Menu Planning (7.9.07)

I'm not sure how our week will pan out but having a plan for dinner should help! However, dinner plans may change depending on each day....

Monday: Salmon, Potaotes & Squash

Tuesday: (soccer) Subway? or Sandwiches? Not sure yet-depends on if cousins are here.

Wednesday: Orange Terayki Chicken & Rice

Thursday: Black Bean Lasagna, Salad & Bread

Friday: Honey-Pecan Chicken

I have freezer food group exchange on Wednesday & dinner plans for Thursday and Friday may change depending on what I find that needs to be eaten when I clean out my freezer on Wednesday or Thursday! I have a lot of things that need to be done this week...cooking for Freezer group, cleaning, packing CSH for ODP, etc.

What's your plans for the week? Check out more menu planning ideas @ I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Weekend Reflections

Wow! What a great weekend! It started Friday evening with my honey's birthday dinner at my mother-in-laws. She had a fish fry, in honor of Uncle Bruce, who recently passed away & had called a couple of weeks before his death wanting to get the family together for a fish fry. CSH spent the day out on the farm fishing and helping Grandma Teri mow. The girls decided to spend the night so Sean & I got to spend the evening & next morning without children....something that rarely happens!

After a busy Saturday of yard work, grocery shopping, some fast housework & soccer practice, we headed to my Grandmother's for a family reunion. We spent the evening with family & listened to cassette tapes of Christmas programs past. The 8 grandchildren use to put on Christmas recital for our Grandparents' Anniversary at Christmas time. We laughed and cried! I have the honor of taking the tapes, that my Grandma has cherished, and having them converted to CDs so every family member can have a copy of our recitals, our Grandfather playing the fiddle & Grandma singing. What great memories of our Grandpa & my cousin who have both passed away. We really miss both of them!

The kids spent the rest of the evening swimming at the hotel while my cousin, her husband & Sean & I sat and visited. It was great to hear about their activities & what they are involved in Illinois. The kids really got along great making great friendships. It's a shame that we only get to see each other one or two times a year!

Sunday was my birthday. We had a lunch of pizza, lasagna & salad with my cousin & her family again. We then went to the park and played miniature golf (I got 3rd place!) and rode go-karts! It was a great day and a great weekend!

We are hoping to get to spend a little more time with my cousin and her family before the head home on Friday. They are planning on coming up to our house on Tuesday to go swimming and watch Connor play soccer that evening!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Another year...

Another year has come and gone.....

I am blessed with my health and a wonderful family & great friends!

Adding to My 40-Before-40

Quick update on my 40-before-40 progress:

1. I have a pedicure scheduled.
2. Started baking out of Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook-baked a cake for my honey's birthday.
3. Started my household inventory notebook.

I am adding #37 and #38 to my list:

37. Watch "Gone with the Wind."
38. Take Tennis Lessons.

SMART Habit Saturday

I am joining in again...I had joined in on this adventure at the first of the year. Then I didn't blog for about 2 no 4 months. Now that I'm in the blogging habit again, I decided to join in and start working on developing good habits with The Lazy Organizer. Here is the original link from the Lazy Organizer about the challenge.

I am going to start with three new habits/goals for this week:

1. Making bed each morning.

2. Cleaning toilet each morning and wiping down the bathroom vanity.

3. Working out each day.

There....that's a start!

I'm adding the following two items:

4. Quiet time each day-spend time with the Lord and in my Prayer Journal.

5. Date night or quality time each week with my honey!

Back-to-School Essentials

Yes, I know, what am I thinking! Summer is in full force and I blogging about Back-to-School! I had mentioned in another post that July 4th always marks the half-way mark for summer & I typically start thinking about school around this time. My son, CSH, gets the EC:Essential Connection (GOD+LIFE+FUN) magazine from LifeWay and there was an article titled Back-To-School Essentials by Sherrill Echols. The quote in the column really caught my attention:

"Prayer, goal setting and planning are three essentials for a successful school year. As you prepare for the upcoming year, pray for God's wisdom and guidance in all of your decisions and choices. What is important to you? What do you want to accomplish?...Do you want to be a member of the student council, honor society , or drill team? What impression or impact do you want to make on your campus?"

What a great concept....for everything in life. Housework, work, relationships, etc. Committing our goals and aspirations to the Lord daily will help us achieve anything.

"Commit your activities to the Lord and your plans will be achieved." Proverbs 16:3

What a strong directive followed by encouragement. "As Christians, we have the ultimate partner in all of our efforts. We can give the Lord our concerns about the upcoming months and challenges ahead."

I continued reading the article and thought of ways this could apply to my everyday life! What activities am I going to commit to the Lord? Everything from housekeeping to grocery shopping to relationship building with my hubby and children to activities outside of the home like dance, soccer & volunteer jobs at school.

This is going to be my theme for the next year....

Old-Fashioned Berry Layer Cake (Baking Handbook)

Difficulty: Easy!

Yeah! I just finished baking my first recipe out of the Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. It just happened to be the recipe on the front cover of the book! Last night I asked the girls to look through the cake section of the book and pick out a cake to make Daddy for his birthday today. They picked out 2 cakes and this one looked the easiest. I am not a baker, I open a box, add the ingredients and bake. That is baking to me or swinging by Hy-Vee and picking up something from the bakery.

When I created my 40-before-40 things to do before I turned 40, I had decided that a great challenge would be to bake my way through the Baking Handbook. What a great day to start! Here's what the cake should look like:

Here the cakes are just out of the oven & cooling on the rack:

Here is my cake....I didn't have mint leaves to put on top of the cake.

Not bad, huh? It was really yummy!

Happy Birthday Sean! (Updated with More Pictures!)

Today's my hubby's birthday. Here is a look at the last 38 years....I will upload more pictures of Sean & the kids after I make his cake!

We are making the cake on the front of "Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook," baking my way through this book is one of my 40-before-40 goals! I gave the book to the girls & asked them to pick out a cake to make for daddy & this is what they picked out!

Hopefully our cake will look as good as this one!

I am Honored...Rockin Girl Blogger Award

My friend Mindi, the Household Executive awarded me today with the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award! I am truely honored! Wow! What an honor! Thank you Mindi!

Now I'm suppose to play it forward and pass the honor onto 5 more fellow bloggers! Well, most of my daily fellow bloggers have been awarded the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award like...Tina, Fruit in Season, I'm an Organizing Junkie and Rocks in my Dryer. So, I am nominating the following 2 bloggers:

1. Jannylynn's Our Dinner Table, she has great scrapbooking layouts, funny stories and she a really good friend!

2. And Diary of a Rather Crafty Girl, I really enjoy her OAMC recipes and crafty ideas that she comes up with!

Again, thanks Mindi!

Starbucks, Anyone?

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

I think alll of the descriptions are me EXCEPT the caffeine addiction level....it's the total opposite! I HAVE to have my Diet Dr Pepper in the morning, if not, I'm climbing the walls!

Fourth of July Celebration!

Good morning...I wanted to share with you my day at the lake. We all got a little burnt but had a great day. Connor went skiing, Collin, Gracie & Sydney all tried really hard to get up on the skis but the water was a little too rough for them to get up on their first try out. I wanted to ski but my hubby wouldn't let me! My back and neck just aren't up to it since my car wreck in February. Until I'm in better shape and not needing to see the chiropractor on a regular basis he felt I shouldn't ski....so I listened to him! Maybe next year! We enjoyed hanging out on the boat and relaxing with our family. We watched the fireworks along I-70 as we drove home in between the towns. I think the kids were too tired to care if we made it home in time for the big fireworks show at Faurot Field. Hope your holiday was relaxing.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

I am taking a break from my house cleaning and organizing tasks and spending the day with my family at the lake skiing and enjoying the sun and my family! My three youngest just returned home from their Arkansas trip with their Grandma & Great-Grandma-I can't wait to hear about all of the fun things that they did!

I enjoy the fourth of July holiday but it always makes me feel that the summer is coming to an end rather quickly.


The next 6 weeks will be very busy with ODP, Show-Me State Games, Dance Camp, High School Tryouts and scheduling the Fall soccer season! I plan on enjoying the day as much as I can.....

Hope that you have a great 4th of July as well!

My Bathroom Organization Post

I wanted to share my bathroom organization with you...I don't have any before pictures but let me assure you that this is a huge improvement! We have one bathroom (yes, I know it's crazy!) and we have 6 in our household. Four bedrooms and one bathroom...we are in the process of adding another bathroom downstairs! Let me take you on a tour to our bathroom and closet from top to bottom.

Here is our ONE bathroom....I have hooks on the wall for each family member to hang their towel up after showering. Each family member has their own colored towel...CSH-Green, CWH-Bright Blue, GLH-Yellow, SJH-Red, Hubbies-Taupe and mine-blue. All the colors can be found in the quilted shower curtain.

Here is the closet. I have a shoe bag hanging on the door to help maximize the space. It has lotion, razor, Q-tips, etc stored in the individual pockets.

Top of closet...top shelf has a box of curling irons, nail care, travel bags, and to the right a space for beach towels.

Next shelf tape, cotton balls, travel size items, other like items are stored together and guest towels.

The next shelf has a basket of my make-up, hand towels, washcloths and extra family towels. These are hung up on the hooks when the others are being washed.

Next shelf houses the bathroom light bulbs, 2 drawer containers-the larger has a drawer of oral care, cold medications-mostly cough drops and bandaides, the small has bobby pins and ponytail holders, BioFreeze/Alcohol/Peroxide and extra hair care items.

Below that is where the dirty clothes go. I have a basket (another one that is stored in the laundry room to care the clothes from upstairs to downstairs).

There you have it....my neat and organized bathroom. Everything is labeled. Everything has a place. No more searching for hidden items anymore!

Tackle It Tuesday UPDATED (Household Inventory Notebook-The Kitchen)

One of my "40-Before-40" items that I want to complete before I turn 40 is complete a Household Inventory Notebook. A good home managers job is to keep a household inventory of all of the household furnishings and other personal possessions.

This inventory provides a recond for insurance purposed and owner identification in case of loss. There are several ways to do an inventory, I have decided to create an inventory notebook to record the contents of each room. It will be a consuming task but one that will be well worth it in case of a loss.

I decided that the best way to break down this task is to start one room at a time. This week, I will start with the kitchen. Here are the steps that I am going to take:

1. Take pictures of the room from all angles. Take pictures instead cabinets and drawers. Here are the pictures that I took....

2. Send pictures to be printed.

3. Write serial numbers/model numbers of all applicances. Entered onto a spreadsheet.

4. Include paint sample chip for touch up purposes. I have all of our cans labeled in the garage. Write down mix number/brand beside paint chip & where I purchased the paint.

Place everything in notebook under the Kitchen/Dining Room area. If I have time, I may tackle the Living Room as well.

I figure that if I tackle a room every day, I might get it done before my 40th birthday!

Check out more http://www.5minutesformom.com/

Marriage Monday-Honor My Husband Challenge

My goals for this week (July 2-8th) are:

1. To pray daily for my husband by working through "Power of a Praying Wife. Prayer is the ultimate love language.

2. Continue to be respectful of him, even when he isn't around.

3. To find time to start incorporating a date night into our routine. Friday would be a great time to start since it's his birthday.

4. Allow Sean to be the head of the household so I can be the heart. (from Power of a Praying Wife)

"Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:33

Check out what other wives are doing to honor their husbands.

Monday Menu Planning (7-2-07)

Monday-Leftovers
Tuesday-Pizza
Wednesday-Lake
Thursday- Lake
Friday (Sean's Birthday)- Out for Dinner

Check out more Menus @ Organizing Junkie!

Home Alone With So Much Too Do!

Good morning fellow bloggers! I have home today by myself, my three youngest children are in Arkansas in the Mountains with their Grandma, Great-Grandma, Aunt She-She & Uncle Chad. My Aunt & Uncle and their grandsons are there too! My husband and oldest son just pulled out of the driveway for ODP training in St Louis. I could have gone with them but I figured that I would take the opportunity to do some work!

Here is my game plan for the day.....yes I know it's Sunday & it's a day of rest but I can do that this week!...

1. Clean kitchen-mop floors and clean off cabinets.
2. Clean bathroom. I actually completed one of my June-To-Do items: Clean out Bathroom Closet-I emptied in out purchased some organizing bins & re-organized the entire closet. I have more room in the closet than I orginally had!
3. Change sheets on beds.
4. Run sweeper in LR and FR.
5. Finish laundry-I have 3 more loads before washing the sheets. I have one more load to do!
6. Take care of CMSL credits-send to my treasurer-send out an email to teams regarding Fall league registration. Actually completed on Monday morning.
7. Update my prayer journal-print out pages for my special friends-Kim & Tina. I already gave one to another special friend, Mindi one the other day.

If I get all of that completed before 6 pm, I will tackle a corner in the garage. My grandmother is having a garage sale on Friday and Saturday & I would like to take some bigger items in the garage to the sale.

I will check back with you later today & update my progress! Wish me luck in getting everything completed!

Releasing the Spiders-Claiming my Blog

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