Deep Cleaning 101 - Redo :-)

Ok . . .. well . . .all good plans . . .fail LOL  Yes, I totally planned on having a Deep Cleaning post for you today as I stated here but I kinda forgot about a couple of things.  1) Memorial Day weekend . .. when I really planned on getting my Living Room/Dining Room/Entry done . .. well . .. we were gone much more than I thought we would be!  2) I thought I could get it done during the week but . . well .. it was HOT!!!  3) I planned on getting it done this weekend DESPITE knowing my husband had to work on Saturday . . and I needed to go to the Grocery store with the kids . ..  .and I had to meet my husband for a concert which meant leaving home at 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday AND then being done most of the day Sunday.   Oh well.  I don't really know why I ever thought to start this endeavor in the heat of summer but I hope (cross my fingers!) to get at least one area done so I can post everything NEXT Monday.  It is supposed to be in the 90's this week and Humid . . .so I may do nothing except, well, melt :-) 

A funny story --- we don't have air (that is NOT funny) so every June I tell my husband these words "Just a reminder that it is now hot out which means the house will no longer be clean until September.  Especially the Kitchen" LOL  And yes, I stated those words today!!!!

So, enjoy your week and stay cool!

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify! #6

It is month 6th of my walk through the year to Simplify our lives.  This past month I really worked on trying to wrap up some long outstanding projects on those lists.  I took time to print them all out in order and than went back to the very first one that was not completed and worked through the list that way.  You can view all of my simplify posts by clicking HERE - the posts include lists that I do try to update as well as posts on the progress I've made which also include pictures (and we all love pictures!)

When I started this process, I wasn't really sure how much of an impact this would have on our family life.  I just figured, that if nothing else, I'd be a little more organized.  Instead, I've seen good changes.  As I've simplified everything from the way I plan meals to how I plan my day, I've found more time for building family time.  I've been able to set up a lose schedule to work and play with the kids as well as figuring out what family activities we should and should not try to fit into our week.  I've pinched pennies, cut corners, and created fun things for next to nothing in order to simplify the "stress" of money in our lives.  Some of the items are easy - like putting together a gift wrapping area; some are more difficult - like all of that pinching penny stuff.  Yet each step brings us closer to being able to just live day to day and have fun! 

I usually start thinking about the next months project as soon as I post a Simplify Post.  The #5 post had to do with putting everything in its place.  I wanted to take that one step further this month.  One of the things I truly hate is how I can keep the house perfectly in shape - everything put away and neat - 6 days out of 7.  BUT you can guarantee that on that one day things are a mess, someone stops by for a visit and I am SOOOO not happy LOL  I still remember one day last spring when I got up, had both boys up and dressed and decided that we would run some errands first thing while everyone was happy - leaving beds unmade, the kitchen in disarray and toys everywhere.  Well, we got back home and a vehicle pulled in the driveway.  Out comes a friend and our former babysitter.  We talked while the kids played and than she wanted to see the house . .. SERIOUSLY???  Now, to make it worse, her house is spotless . .. every day.  I know because I dropped my child off there every day.  She is a minimalist when it comes to decorating so not only is her house clean, it is totally clutter free.  And. she. wanted. to . see . my. house.  The grand dirty tour.  I kept saying "Oh, it is laundry day so I don't make the bed until I put clean sheets on" and things that sounded dumb even in my ears HA!  So where is all this leading?  My next endeavor of simplification (is that even a word?)

Ready for anyone at anytime

This is more of a discipline than anything else but these are some areas that I want to work on in order to have my home always ready for that unexpected guest.  Now, I must clarify, during the day, there will be toys out and sometimes a load of laundry waiting to put away in basket on the table depending on who is napping where but, I want the over all appearance to be clean and organized.

1. The Kitchen - how I wish that my kitchen was not the entrance to my home.  This has come up in challenges I've done before too.  But it is so I have to learn to accept it, right?  I want to end the day with a "spotless" kitchen.  All dishes need to be in the dishwasher; anything that can't go in the dishwasher needs to be washed and put away.  The counters cleaned off and organized and all stray items taken back to their "homes". The floor needs a quick sweep too.   Along that line, shoes need to be organized, coats and jackets that are needed hung in the closet.  Finally, (and I used to be good at this) I need to clean the patio door at least once a week - it gets grimy with hand prints and dog nose prints.  We also need to get our screen fixed - this is a normal summer item - I just need to get it done!

2. The bedrooms - the boys still live sleep in cribs so "making" their beds doesn't really include a lot. I do want to make sure that their rooms are picked up though and that all stray things are taken care of as well.  Our room - making sure the bed is neatly made (it is most days), and just general pick up.  The bedrooms in our house are all very visual due to the layout so it is important to keep those rooms clean.

3. The floors - when there are toys being played with all day, it is hard to keep up with the floors.  It seems I either have kids sleeping or kids playing - not a good time to vacuum.  So, I want to figure out how to be able to run the vacuum over the middles at least every other day.  I'm thinking that possibly while one of us is giving the boys their bath, the other one can quickly run the vacuum OR while we are cleaning up, that can become part of that process.

5. Deep Cleaning Zone Lists - finally, a way to keep this up and keep the house clean is the Deep Cleaning Zone lists.  I've slowly been working on this over the past few months but first, I had to come to this deep realization . . .are you ready . . I really don't like to clean.  There. The truth is out ha!  As I've worked on creating some of the lists, I've tried to keep the projects simple (imagine that) and things that I can get done working 15 minutes at a time 2-3 days a week to have them done or an hour on the weekend.  I've also included projects that are only done a few times a year and labeled them as such - otherwise I found that I felt like it was a list I could never accomplish.  My main goal this month is to actually do all 5 of the deep cleaning lists that I have - one each week based on Flylady Zones - and tweek them enough that I can keep up the process.  I am starting my Deep Cleaning 101 posts and you can check those out HERE if you are interested in what I'm doing.  Why I'm starting this in the middle of the hot summer, I will never know HA! 

Church Envy

One of the "dangers" of blogging, facebook, or any other networking systems is that you get to see inside someone else's life and it can cause a little envy.  It is easy to look at where other people live, what they do, or what they wear and wish for something similar.  Yet, one area I never thought would cause envy is church.  Really?  It's "just" church, right?  I don't think so.  Church is where you should get refreshed; rejuvenated; rejoice with others; meet friends; be involved.  It should be the place that fills you up on Sunday so you can carry on through the week and be encouraged not only through your own daily walk abut through what was taught. 

I grew up in church and by that, I mean, I was there when the doors were open and sometimes we were there during the summer because we didn't have air at home :-)  See, my dad is a pastor.  It was not a bad thing at all - I have great memories growing up as a pastors kid and getting to spend so much time in church.  My husband did not.  He didn't become a Christian until he was 30.  We obviously have different backgrounds when it comes to church but we both fully believe the Bible.  I grew up Baptist/Bible and Darryl grew as a Christian listening to J. Vernon McGee and Thru The Bible (which is a great program, by the way!)

So, back to church envy.  Several of the blogs I read are by people who live in the South.  As they write about their churches I'm enthralled.  They are all so excited about going on Sundays and talk about the great programs they have and attend. They also talk about things like MDO (Mom's Day Out) which I think is offered during the summer - where moms can drop off their little kids for a few hours or for the day and get things done; or FNO (I think it is Friday Night out) where parents can drop their kids off at church and enjoy a night out together or dinner with friends.  They also talk about monthly lunches with the women from their Sunday School Class, baby showers that are hosted at homes or restaurants (depending on whether it is child #1 or 2, 3, or 4!)  Wow?  Aren't you a little envious too?  This made me start to do some searching of churches in our area and was slightly disappointed at what I found.  There doesn't seem to be that good "southern" church around here LOL  Imagine that!!!  What does your church offer that you really enjoy?  And what do you wish they offered? 

To clarify, we do attend a church - a really good church. (ok, we don't attend ALL the time) It is a small church so of course it doesn't offer all of those things that are offered at those large churches.  Honestly, sometimes we get discouraged and struggle with it and being involved and how our kids can be involved but it is a great church overall.  It is one of the downsides of living in a small town - the choices are limited . .. and we currently take a 30 minute drive to church which also limits involvement.  So, I guess I'll be a "good" envious for now and just focus on staying grounded, studying God's word, and teaching my child every day!

Happenings in this House

I took last week off due to the Holiday weekend . . .. so I'll try not to picture overload but here are the Happenings in this House for the past two weeks!

 Don't you just love that face?  And people pay big money for hair like that LOL  :-) 

 Nate is always busy.  This is a favorite stepping stool (it is a computer lap desk) He loves to "step up" and "step down"

The boys playing together - notice how all of the trucks are lined up???  That was before Nate started playing ;-) LOL

 We went to Indianapolis for my nephew's open house Memorial Day weekend.  He had these awesome fishbowls as the centerpieces and Josh loved the fish.

 Nate just liked playing on the floor :-)

 Josh played volleyball with Dad and Grandma Mac . . . . .

 Nate played in the mulch, climbing the "mountain" . . . . .

And Darryl chased them all around the yard . . .and the neighbors yard too :-)

 For the past several years, we've gone to meet my Aunt and Uncle at a campground on Memorial Day Weekend.  This year, when we got there, it was at the start of a pretty severe storm.  We sat in the camper and listened to the storm hit (it was way to close!).  The thunder was LOUD and Josh was so scared . . .he went to sleep from closing his eyes.  He obviously feels very secure in his dad's arms.

Nate just camped out in this chair and played with my Aunt - he had no idea what was going on.

 We went downtown for the big Parade on Memorial Day.  The boys loved the "wee-wee's" . . .what?  The police cars and fire engines of course!!!

Then, we came home, set up the sprinkler and let the boys play - it was HOT!!!!

Those are the basics - I could have posted tons of other pictures but I didn't want to overload anyone :-)

Have a great weekend!

Creative Memories Spotlight

Have you been busy scrapbooking?  I have :-)  Over the last few weeks I completed two Graduation books from start to finish, put all of my printed pages on scrapbook pages for 2009 and edited the 2009 pages through September!!  I attended  a "short crop" (it is only 5 hours long haha) and updated my kids professional albums and got 2008 Christmas pages all done. AND I've been spending short bursts of time organizing my scrapbook/craft things so I can actually get to things and be much more productive  Oh, I also uploaded the rest of 2009 and 2010 completed pages to the site I print from so I can start ordering.  I can only do a small group at a time but that's ok, I have other projects to work on as I order and I will be current soon!!  PLUS I took time to really learn how to edit my photos in my Creative Memories Software and am LOVING it!   I edited some professionals shots we had done of the boys as well as started editing March 2010 photos.

So . . . with that said, I'm kinda buried up to my eyebrows in the Creative Memories Software - if you want to get your pictures organized quickly or even have them "put themselves in a book" this is for you!  Jump over to my WEBSITE and check out all of the digital scrapbooking items.   I personally still love the good old traditional way with pictures and paper BUT to get current or for those of you that don't have the patience for traditional . . .the digital software is the way to go!

Enjoy your weekend!  I'll be posting this coming weeks about the graduation albums so you can see what I did with that software too!  The more I use it the more I love it :-)

21 Days of Prayer Challenge

Several months ago I heard about a book called "Warrior Prayers" which is book on praying for your boys.  Being the mom of two little boys, this interested me alot.  I pray for my boys daily but this book goes a little deeper.  Recently, I saw the 21 days of prayer challenge on Facebook and started clicking away.  The author did a giveaway of her Ebook to those that signed up for the challenge at that time so I signed up!  Don't worry, you can still purchase the book by just going HERE - you'll find a link on the left side of the blog to purchase the book or the Ebook. 

Here the basics for participation in this challenge from the Warrior Prayers blog:

Here’s how to participate:

1. Purchase your own copy of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most (just $5.97)
2. I recommend getting your copy of the eBook bound or placing it in a 3-ring binder (or buying it for Kindle!) so that you can easily flip from page to page and leave your book open all day to the topics you’re currently praying. To help you go deeper, study questions accompany each of the main chapters.
3. Commit to praying for your sons ten times a day for 21 days straight. (Note: this IS a commitment. If you feel led to participate, pray and ask the Lord to give you the strength, courage and endurance needed for the length of the challenge).

This challenge begins on June 8th - next Wednesday and I've signed up to be a leader through my blog so you can join me too!  I have both the Ebook and the Leader's guide and will be posting based on that information.  I plan on printing both this weekend and will let you know on Wednesday when to expect to see posts (I'm leaning towards I'll be doing a post each day on this topic but want to read through the info first :-)) I look forward to sharing this info with you and hearing about your stories too. 

Are you going to join me?  If so, leave a comment and let me know!  I'm going to try to have a Linky set up for the posts starting next week but, if that doesn't work, we'll do it all through the comments instead :-) 

Use this weekend to get your book and prepare to make an impact on your boys :-)

Bacon Crescent Wraps

It is Show Us Your Life Friday over at Kellys Korner - and this week is Appetizers!  Amazingly, as much as we love appetizers, I don't have any of our favorites posted on my recipe page as of yet!  There are a few items such as the Frozen Hot Chocolate which is so fantastic in the summer.  It is quick and easy and I think counts as an appetizer :-)  Another favorite of many people that you can check out is Rotel Dip.  This link will take you to a post I did about the appetizers we had on New Years Eve so there are several others listed there as well!!  You can also "morph" my Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe into an appetizer by using chicken wings instead of thighs.  We do that often and they are just so good!!

I also wanted to share another of our favorites - Bacon Crescent Wraps.  This is an old Pampered Chef recipe that I've been making for at least 15 years.  We have it at almost every party we host and often I'll make them to have on a Saturday night for something fun.  I don't have an actual picture but this stock photo gives a pretty close idea of what they look like.

Ingredients:
1 3 oz package of cream cheese, softened  (or just just 1/2 a block - 4 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup real bacon pieces
1 8 ounce package crescent rolls
2 tablespoons chopped onion

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cream cheese, bacon, onion and pepper.  Separate crescent rolls into 2 rectangles.  Pinch seams together.  Spread cheese mixture on each rectangle.  Roll up, starting at the longest side and seal. Cut each roll into 16 slices.  Place on baking sheet with cut side down.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes:
For parties - I always double this recipe, sometimes I triple it - they go fast. 
I usually buy bacon pieces in the jar (for salads).  This saves time and mess from having to cook bacon.

Another family favorite is Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip:

Ingredients
1 16 oz container of Sour Cream
1 - 3 oz jar Hormel Bacon Bits (the real bacon - not the hard crunchy bits)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In bowl, combine all ingredients.  Place in a 1-quart baking dish.  Cover.  Heat 25-30 minutes or until hot.  Serve with assorted fresh vegetables, crackers or tortilla chips.  Makes about 3 cups.