Simplify - Become "unbusy"

You've heard me say it before, but I'm really striving to simplify.  This photo above is from our vacation last summer.  There is nothing better to me than sitting on the beach by Lake Michigan and I will do anything to get "unbusy" enough that we can go as often as we can each summer. 

I recently came across an aritlce that was very well written called A Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy.    I just realized as I was writing this that I'm reading a book by this blog author called "Clutterfree with Kids".  He's got great ideas and really hits on the basics to living a more simple and "unbusy" life. 

41 x 41 . . or at least some goals for the year :-)

I mentioned in my 40 x 40 recap post that I was thinking about some new goals now that that list is expired.  I was going to try and be creative but instead I just got thinking about some questions I want to solve and then some things I'd like to accomplish this next year. 

First of all, I have 8 questions I asked myself and I would like to try and answer this coming year:
1. I don't want my bathroom to smell stale - what can I do?  I know this seems funny but our bathroom is closed off most of the day.  The door is shut and, 9 months a year, the windows are closed too.  I've noticed that it always kinda smells stale in there.  So I'm working on some things to make that not happen.

2. I want to plan activities for my kids - how do I succeed?  As much as I have tried to do this, I tend to not take the time to make it work so I'm reinventing the wheel and hope to make this summer a success!

3. I want to have homes for everything - how do I do this?  I hate when things don't have a home . . that is how clutter builds.  I want to be able to bring something in and know right where to put it.  Whether it be a magazine or a craft supply - everything should have a home.

4. I want to fit exercise in my day - what do I need to do?  I have some ideas :-)

5.  I want to eat healthier - how can I plan?  I've said it before, we love food in this house but we are both committed to making some changes :-0

6.  I want to save money - how can I be disciplined.  Eek - it is so easy to spend, isn't it?

7.  I want to go away for our anniversary to Cleveland or to Chicago . . How can I make it happen?  Cleveland might seem funny but I've planned a complete trip there . .. twice . . and we haven't gone.  I just want to do IT ; Chicago - we want to take the train and stay downtown!

8.  I want to run a 5K - what do I need to do to reach this goal.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA  Ok, maybe, maybe not but it looks good doesn't it? 


Now, here are some things I would like to do over the next 12 months:
1.  Ride one of the Great Lake Boats to WI and back.
2. Go to the beach at LEAST 2 times this summer.
3. Eat at the longest Breakfast Table in Battle Creek
4. Take Darryl and the Kids to see the lights at Crossroads Village
5. Take my Kids to the circus
6.  Go to the Harlem Globetrotters game in January
7.  Go to a Tigers Game !!


For now that is all I can think of :-)  Besides these specific things, I'm going to get back to my theme word this year of Simplify . I've kinda lost focus over the last few months since I've been busy with other projects but it is time to refocus :- )

The Final Simplify Post - For Real

I started 2011 with a key theme word of Simplify  I really feel like having this key word helped me focus on accomplishing many things for our family and for our home.  It helped me not get side tracked by other things that come along.  Did I accomplish every single item on my lists?  Absolutely not!  There are still a few items left to finish with the bathroom - nothing major, just items I would like done.  The kitchen project got put on hold and my scrapbooking goals did not get completed.  There are things that I have completed, though, that I love - my gift wrapping station that is stored under my bed, my recipe binder which has become a huge blessing when it is time to plan our menu, my desk organization system, picture organization and more. 

Even though I have a new word picked for 2012 that I will share later this week, I will continue to work on keeping things simple.  I will update my scrapbooking goals in order to get caught up and current (I'm so close I can almost see it!!), and we have some house projects to complete this year including painting the kitchen. 

I had the opportunity earlier this month to share this concept of a yearly Theme Word at a Calendar Planning Meeting and so many people have thanked me for it - it is not my original idea but I'm so thankful that I have been able to encourage others with this idea. 



Simplify Update - Scrapbooking Goals

This is the perfect time to post an update because I just spent yesterday at a 12 hour crop!  I had a very specific goal - to complete 6 months digitally in 12 hours.  I even set a timer for 2 hour increments so I could stay focused. Well, lets just say I was over zealous HA!  I only got 2 months done, almost.  So it took about 6 hours to do one month!  Crazy!   You can read my other Simplify updates HERE.

Previous Month Updates
September - I finished 2010 on Saturday, the 19th of November.  I went to an unexpected crop which allowed me to finish up the last few days in December and start January 2011.   I still have to finish updating our Family Album

October - I finished March 2010 on November 28th; I still have to finish updating Josh and Nate's books.

Current Month Update

November 2011

1.      Do April-October 2011 Digitally (12 hour crop plus working evenings) At the crop on Tuesday, I made it through Apil and May.  I'm hopeful that over this coming week/weekend I can continue working and finish up through July by the end of the weekend (high hopes, I know)

2.      Order pages every two weeks I'm not ordering pages - we've decided to earmark some money from our tax return to order as many pages as possible, if not all of them.  This means I need to have all of my digital stuff done before tax time :-)
3.      Red Pet Album Project – pull this project and finish it up with the pictures included. I'll pick up this project as soon as I'm current on the digital pages.  I'm hopeful that I can finish up this little album by year end.
4.      Alive album – Decide what to do with this album – either finish it up or discard it (thinking the second) I'm going to "undo" what little I did in this album.  When I started it, it was a good idea but then I realized that every page would look the same - Darryl playing his guitar with the group HA!  Instead, I just scrapbook the concerts I take photos at in our regular album. 

December's Goals and Plans

December 2011

1.      Do November 2011 traditionally Well, I made a change - I decided to finish up 2011 digitally instead of having a month or two of traditional.  I will start with January 2012 traditional with a few digital pages to keep me current as needed.  So my goal becomes - finish 2011 digitally by year end.  I think that as long as I take time in the evenings (instead of just mindlessly surfing the Internet) that I can finish all of 2011 by December 31st, 2011! 
2.      Order pages every two weeks Same as Novembers goal - will wait for tax time.
3.      Update Christmas Album  through 2010 and do pages for 2011 as the month progresses so it is current by month end I believe I have to do 2010 and then 2011 Christmas pages.  (Possibly 2009 - I can't remember!)  I do want to update the Christmas album by year end so that next year we can enjoy looking back at past years.  I'm thinking about possibly doing Christmas books each year instead of a scrapbook - not sure yet - I'll decide by next year :-)

I have a few other goals by year end - and that is to finish up the Family album and the Boys' albums.  I just want them current and ready to start with 2012. 

I'm really looking forward to one, being current and being able to enjoy our albums now and two, being able to finish up some lose projects that have been "hanging over my head" for years. 

Simplify Update - Scrapbooking Goals

See, I told you the last post wouldn't really be the final Simplify post!  This is just a little update of how I'm doing on those posted goals for Scrapbooking!

September 2011 - Finish 2010 Digitally and Updated our Family Album (pull the envelope and make sure that all of the pictures are in the album; file the duplicates for future projects) I did not set up this list until halfway through September so I'm actually working on these projects in October. I can say that I am halfway through December 2010 digitally and I am almost finished with Family Album project. We did just get a few family shots done last weekend which I need to order and then add to this as well.  Ok these albums are not put together yet; I had my order ready but then needed to order photos for Josh's birthday so these got put on the back burner.  My plan is to order them this next week so I have them for my scrapbooking day on November 29th.  I'm going to take the books with me to use as a break from digital scrapbooking throughout the day.   Also, I'm still working on Dec 2010 - I kinda lost the momentum I had but have started to pick it back up and really want to have December done before I go scrapbooking! 

 October 2011 - Do Jan-March 2011 Digitally; Christmas Ornament project - put pictures in kids 1st Christmas Ornaments; Update Josh and Nate's books (Pull envelopes and make sure all of the pictures are in the albums and file the duplicates for future use; order Josh's 3 year photos and put in his book as well); Order 20 pages digitally. I finished the Ornament Project   It was such an easy project, I just never took the time to do it! I will admit that I printed the photos of Nate from the computer so that they were done until I can locate and/or order the pictures I want. I didn't want to delay the project though (I should say they ARE the pictures I want, they just aren't on photo paper.) Also, I've almost finished up Josh's and Nate's books with the exception of the most recent photos from a week ago as well as photos from our last two shoots (I guess I ordered to give to the family but not for their books!). I will be ordering those this coming week and will update his book as soon as I get them! I need to finish up Dec/Christmas 2010 so I can start 2011. As far as ordering pages - I need to wait and see if I can fit it into our new budget yet; it might need to wait a little longer :-(  The same is true for Josh and Nate's books as what I stated in "September" - I will be working on these books on that Scrapbooking day.  I have not ordered pages - we've decided to earmark some Tax money at the beginning of the year so I can hopefully get just about everything ordered at once.  So, now, I REALLY want to have all digital stuff done so I can order all at once :-) 

November 2011 - Do April- October 2011 Digitally (there is one 12 hour crop that I will be going to which will help with this!); Finish Red Pet Album (before Kids, I did an album for our pets and they are so much fun but, now, I've found that it is easier just to do the pet pages in with the regular pages so I want to finish this album since it is for 2008-2009!); Alive Album - I originally started doing an album for all of my husbands concerts but, again, I found that this really isn't a great album and now I include the pages in our regular album so I need to decide what to do with the album I started; Order another 20 pages digitally. Since I am still working on Dec 2010 - I obviously haven't started 2011.  I am hoping to get Jan-April done when I go scrapbooking at month end.  I'm also hoping for a Friday evening of Scrapbooking with some friends in December, if we can work it out, where I can get more done.  The other two albums - the Pet Album and Alive Album, I just need to pull out.  I will also take the Pet album with me to try to finish on that day I keep talking about :-)  I think the Alive album is just going to "go away" :-)

So, that is where I stand right now.  Running a little behind but I'm not surprised.  I had a birthday party in October, then a shower to plan for November, Thanksgiving coming up, planning for some special December ideas plus another birthday and Christmas plans!   I still am hoping to be able to start Traditional Scrapbooking with the beginning of the new year.  I'm SOOOO ready to get back to paper and pictures instead of always being on the computer!

Final Simplify Post (well, not really)

Doesn't that look peaceful . . .. and amazing?  I think it would be fun to wonder down that path on a cool summer day and life would be Simple.  This will be my (almost) final Simplify post as we start to push toward the holidays.  I say "almost" because I'm sure I'll post an update on what I'm doing this time around as well as a final post.  I'll tell you a little secret . . . .I already know what my theme word is for next year and I am already writing down ideas. 

You can catch up on all of the previous simplify posts by clicking HERE. 

This post is a little different.  I feel like I've hit just about everything I wanted to do to simplify our lives that resolved around the family and home.  Yes, there are still projects to complete - I'm still hoping to have the little projects done in the bathroom and have the kitchen painted by year end.  Otherwise, I'm very happy with where I've come from and where I've ended up! 

There is one big area that I need to work on in order to simplify my life and that is . . . . . Scrapbooking!  My original goal was to be current by year end.  If I keep pushing I might get there but beyond that I have a bunch of projects I would like to get done as well.  A few weeks ago, I cleaned out and organized all of my scrapbooking supplies as well as all of my projects.  I sorted everything into envelopes and then into bins by project and then by year so as I work through my list and I can just pull out what I need and be able to complete the task.  I don't have a "space" anymore for scrapbooking so I had to combine things into storage solutions that will make it easy to pull things out and work at the table. 

Here are my goals for the rest of the year.  I actually have scrapbooking goals written through November 2012 - that helped me lay out which projects go where but I also rework this goal list periodically so it isn't set in stone :-)

September 2011 - Finish 2010 Digitally and Updated our Family Album (pull the envelope and make sure that all of the pictures are in the album; file the duplicates for future projects)  I did not set up this list until halfway through September so I'm actually working on these projects in October.  I can say that I am halfway through December 2010 digitally and I am almost finished with Family Album project.  We did just get a few family shots done last weekend which I need to order and then add to this as well.

October 2011 - Do Jan-March 2011 Digitally; Christmas Ornament project - put pictures in kids 1st Christmas Ornaments; Update Josh and Nate's books (Pull envelopes and make sure all of the pictures are in the albums and file the duplicates for future use; order Josh's 3 year photos and put in his book as well);  Order 20 pages digitally. I finished the Ornament Project (see photo below!)  It was such an easy project, I just never took the time to do it!  I will admit that I printed the photos of Nate from the computer so that they were done until I can locate and/or order the pictures I want.  I didn't want to delay the project though (I should say they ARE the pictures I want, they just aren't on photo paper.)  Also, I've almost finished up Josh's and Nate's books with the exception of the most recent photos from a week ago as well as photos from our last two shoots (I guess I ordered to give to the family but not for their books!).  I will be ordering those this coming week and will update his book as soon as I get them!  I need to finish up Dec/Christmas 2010 so I can start 2011.  As far as ordering pages - I need to wait and see if I can fit it into our new budget yet; it might need to wait a little longer :-(

November 2011 - Do April- October 2011 Digitally (there is one 12 hour crop that I will be going to which will help with this!); Finish Red Pet Album (before Kids, I did an album for our pets and they are so much fun but, now, I've found that it is easier just to do the pet pages in with the regular pages so I want to finish this album since it is for 2008-2009!); Alive Album - I originally started doing an album for all of my husbands concerts but, again, I found that this really isn't a great album and now I include the pages in our regular album so I need to decide what to do with the album I started;  Order another 20 pages digitally.

December 2011 - Do November 2011 Traditionally - assuming that I am current by December (current means working on the month before during the current month) I want to return to more traditional scrapbooking verses digital.  My plan is do make sure that any major events are traditional and, if needed to stay current, I'll do some every day pages digital; Finish "old" album - Several years ago I started a project of going through all of my photos from way back in the day and get them into scrapbooks.  I am so close to being done (I hate working on these albums) that I can taste it but I ran out of pages.  So I need to order the things I need and finish up the pictures so I can be done with it! 
Order 20 more pages.

I've been working diligently all year to get these projects done and I have made huge progress (2008, 2009, 95% of the old albums, the kids books started and almost done; baby books, and more!) but I still have a ways to go.  Just getting my year books current will take so much pressure off of me (except I still need to order ALL of the pages - feel free to donate HA!)  because I just want to enjoy our books!!!

So, here we go and yes, I will keep you updated on my progress :-)

Simplify Update before a new Simplify Post!

I've listed each of my Simplify Topics below and given an update in red.  I'm happy to say I was able to mark several off the list over the past few months.

Simplify # 1- I accomplished everything on this list already so there is nothing to add :-)

Simplify # 2

Organizing Books, Games, DVD's and CD's

1. Devise a storage system in the truck for the kids DVD's - I just need to find the perfect basket for this - I haven't found anything at home so I just need to start searching places when we are out and about.  This was sitting right in front of my face!  I just used one of my green baskets that I had purchased last summer for $1.00.  It holds the DVD's perfectly plus, it will be easy to carry into the house to change out what videos we want in the car (right now . . it's just Nemo!)

2. Hang up Gutter Shelves in the boys rooms for books - I have the gutters; I just have to pick up some spray paint to paint them the color I want. Once the painting is done, we'll hang them up and fill them with books! I've kinda put this one on hold.  I found another idea I like better using fabric and pvc pipe but haven't had a chance to make them yet.  Plus, I'm thinking I need to wait until we switch my oldest to a regular bed and see where we have a place to hang them.  Or, we may get him the headboard that has shelves in it and we can use those instead.  I think I'll move this idea to my "craft wish list" at this point.

The Bathroom

1. Do all touch up painting - I have had the paint for months, it is just a matter of doing this and it will be done. In the midst of cleaning out the basement I found (or re-found) the paint I kept putting some place and never being able to find again!  The touch up is all done and it looks so much better now! 

2. Finishing Touches: Put on a new door knob, the strip to finish the floors, put up a couple pieces of trim, add stripping around the top of the shower, clean off the hinges.
I had figured this would be done but we ran into an unexpected and unwanted project in our basement so other house projects were put on hold.

The Kitchen

I'm going to alter the original list and only list the first few things we want done. I will get back to the full list but this needs to come down in chunks first I think!

1. Finish cabinets - hang the cabinets, fill all gaps and cracks, do all touch up painting.
We finally have the cabinets hung up and I'm working slowly on filling in the gaps and cracks.  After that I will tape and prime so we can use our gift card and get the paint.  I REALLY want to have the kitchen painted by year end!  Again, the work in the basement has really put a halt to many other projects while we work on that.

2. Paint the trim that needs to be finished.

3. Prime and paint the walls.

So . .once we get all of that completed, we'll move on to the next few projects.

Simplify # 3

Vacation Planning

1. Create a binder of vacation ideas, fliers, packing lists ect I did create a document for packing - I'm not printing off tons of copies (or even one) because, depending on when, where, and what we do for vacation, the list will always need to be tweaked.  Right now, I have a binder but it is empty.  We don't have any fliers or idea sheets for future vacations.  I'm finding this may  be a little over kill since most of what I do have I just save in a folder on my PC.  

2. Write a master packing list - This is done!  Yes, this will change as the boys grow up but if you click HERE you can see my document.  We don't go away a lot but, even for weekend trips to grandma's - this will be helpful.  I find that I pack about 12 little bags because I keep remembering things I forgot at the last minute - hopefully I can now pack one bag!!

Gift Wrapping Center

1. Make sure I have all supplies - need to get tape, pens, etc so it is all in one spot.
I just need to get some tape which I will get before I need to start wrapping gifts for birthdays soon. Otherwise this is done.  I must say, I've had to wrap a few gifts recently and it was so nice to pull out the bins with bags and tissue paper and know right where everything was!  I didn't have to dig OR buy something because it was such a hassle to find something to use. 

Tot Time Storage

1. Hang display shelves on the wall to display the boys work.
I haven't done this yet but I know what I'm doing - I'm just saving up some pop cans so I can purchase my supplies :-)

2. Do touch up painting in the dining room (where the display will be)
This is done!  I did the touch-up painting in the room and it looks so much nicer.

3. Create artwork binder for each of the kids
Same with this project - I know exactly what I'm doing but have to save up to purchase my supplies. 

On a side note - I am working on some basic preschool plans for the fall which will also play into this Tot Time Storage.

Simplify # 4

The Outside

Simplify #5

Everything in its place

1. The Basement - I have to clean the basement, again, and organize, again. I want to go back through everything again (see the key word ha!) and clean out more stuff. Well, this is done but it happened in a different way than expected.  We discovered that we had a slight water problem in the basement.  Add water to hot and humid weather weeks on end and you get . .. mold.  Yep, we have dealt with and conquered mold.  It was awful.  There is no better way to clean out a basement than to have to throw 1/2 of everything out.  We lost shelves, clothing, baby items, home decor - it was amazing the places we found mold.  We had to take down walls and insulation in order to kill what was behind the walls.  Did I mention it was awful?  The good news?  Eventually my basement will be cleaner and more organized than it has ever been - once we finish the cleaning process :-)

2. Craft/Scrapbooking stuff - I'm slowly getting this organized but it is still a work in progress.
I finally took time to go through everything and organize it and it is so much better.  I was able to put like things together and make sure that everything had a home.  Now I can actually find things again: -)

3. The Stairs - need to make that step basket, and set up a system for keeping the basement clean - instead of just dumping stuff until I can get to it. I did not end up making the step basket because, something happened by chance LOL  I ended up with an empty rubbermaid shoebox size container that got set down on top of the dog food container at the top of the stairs . . .when I was getting ready to take it downstairs I realized that it was the perfect size and in the perfect location to be my "go to the basement" basket.  It is big enough to hold several books, or jars, or even craft supplies but is small enough that I'll have to run stuff to the basement before it is over flowing.  As far as keeping the basement clean?  It is simple - put things away.  That's it :-)

Simplify #6

This was the one that was really a discipline and I can say that I have been working on keeping my house "ready for anyone". Again, summers are hard - we are outside a lot, it is hot, and we often are just ready to crash . . .things get let go until fall and that's ok :-)

So, that is where I stand on these right now -  I'm still hoping to get a few more things done before year end but we'll see how that goes!

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify - # 7

Remember this?

And this?

Yes, that sweet peaceful feeling that I'm working towards throughout this year in order to simplify my life and the daily life of my family as well.  It is month number 7 of this journey and I think it is time to regroup a little.  I knew that the summer would be hard on my plans - I tend to do a lot of nothing during the heat of the summer :-)  I've been thinking of what I needed to put into action this month but the more I thought about it the more that thought of "regroup" kept popping back into my brain.  So instead of picking something new - I'm going to to do just that, regroup, and list the outstanding projects and what my plans on for each of them in order to get them accomplished.  Because this isn't even going up until the middle of July - I also plan on working towards these regrouping goals in August in order to hopefully get alot accomplished!

Simplify # 1- I accomplished everything on this list already so there is nothing to add :-)

Simplify # 2

Organizing Books, Games, DVD's and CD's

1. Devise a storage system in the truck for the kids DVD's - I just need to find the perfect basket for this - I haven't found anything at home so I just need to start searching places when we are out and about.

2. Hang up Gutter Shelves in the boys rooms for books - I have the gutters; I just have to pick up some spray paint to paint them the color I want.  Once the painting is done, we'll hang them up and fill them with books! 

The Bathroom 

1. Do all touch up painting - I have had the paint for months, it is just a matter of doing this and it will be done.

2. Finishing Touches: Put on a new door knob, the strip to finish the floors, put up a couple pieces of trim, add stripping around the top of the shower, clean off the hinges. 

The Kitchen

I'm going to alter the original list and only list the first few things we want done.  I will get back to the full list but this needs to come down in chunks first I think!

1. Finish cabinets - hang the cabinets, fill all gaps and cracks, do all touch up painting.

2. Paint the trim that needs to be finished.

3. Prime and paint the walls.

So . .once we get all of that completed, we'll move on to the next few projects.

Simplify # 3

Vacation Planning

1. Create a binder of vacation ideas, fliers, packing lists ect

2. Write a master packing list

Gift Wrapping Center

1. Make sure I have all supplies - need to get tape, pens, etc so it is all in one spot.

Tot Time Storage

1. Hang display shelves on the wall to display the boys work.

2. Do touch up painting in the dining room (where the display will be)

3. Create artwork binder for each of the kids

On a side note - I am working on some basic preschool plans for the fall which will also play into this Tot Time Storage.

Simplify # 4

The Outside

The main focus of # 4 was working on the outside but we had to put that on hold due to job change.  We are still hoping to get a few things done before fall but that is not set in stone.  I'm not going to list anything specific at this time as this whole project might have to wait until spring.

Simplify #5

Everything in its place

1. The Basement - I have to clean the basement, again, and organize, again.  I want to go back through everything again (see the key word ha!) and clean out more stuff. 

2. Craft/Scrapbooking stuff - I'm slowly getting this organized but it is still a work in progress.

3. The Stairs - need to make that step basket, and set up a system for keeping the basement clean - instead of just dumping stuff until I can get to it. 

Simplify #6

This was the one that was really a discipline and I can say that I have been working on keeping my house "ready for anyone".  Again, summers are hard - we are outside a lot, it is hot, and we often are just ready to crash  . . .things get let go until fall and that's ok :-)

So, that is where I stand on these right now - I'm really hoping that I can get a vast majority of these marked off by the end of August so I can tackle a few last things before year end. 

On a side note - this week is looking to be one of the hottest and longest heat wave's this area has had in almost 25 years (since 1988!) so, needless to say, nothing is getting done.  I can't paint due to the heat and humidity and I'm not about to do any work - not when I sweat just sitting down HA! Hopefully this will break next week so that I can start August being able to get some work done!

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! 

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify #5

Wow!  We are on post number 5 in my simplify journey this year.  I recently shared this idea about having a theme word for your year at a workshop I attended and I was told later that this was the one piece of info that many people took away and many had already applied to their lives.  I wish I could take credit for it but I can't, I got it from Women Living Well back in January.

Our month of May is a little short due to family plans so I want to keep this months goals simple (simplify hahaha)  I was looking around my house and one key thing started to emerge. . .. things seem to get set down wherever because they have no home.  Whether it be no home to live permanently or no place to put things that need to go somewhere (i.e. downstairs on the next trip or where to put things in the basement until it is time to put it away.)

A Place for Everything and Everything in its place

I was going to write a post on the joys of a small house but instead, I'm writing this plan.  When you do live in a small house with many bodies (both human and animal) space is at a premium and if things don't have a specific home, they quickly become clutter.  My dining room table is a huge "hot spot" - it is my storage table, craft space, laundry holder - you name it.  I don't like it.  If I'm working on a project, everything piles on the table and stays there for a week (I always try to do a wrong room rescue on Friday's to put everything away . . .) To try and put a project away means carrying it back downstairs which than means I probably won't work on it again for awhile.  So . . I need to make some solutions.  That is my goal for this month.  For this one I'm kinda going room by room more than anything so excuse the odd list . . .
1. Dining Room - re-evaluate all knick knacks keeping only what is loved; clean up piano area (books, etc)
2. My Desk - clean out the cubbies and label everything (started this project months ago but ran of label maker tape in the middle of it)
3. Kitchen - clean out again - I did this once but I'm still finding that things pile on the counter tops because it is easier than putting them away which tells me that my cupboard organization is NOT working.  I need to be brutal and get rid of things I don't use/don't love and than make sure that I can put things away easy.  Part of this project will be making a wish list of the organization items I want and than slowly saving for them. 
4. Basement - this always blows up and I hate it.  There is so much stuff down there that I have organized and cleaned but it needs even more.  There is something else driving me on this now - Darryl's new job.  Eventually, down the road (a year or two most likely) we will (hopefully) move closer to his work (the 2 hour round trip commute just makes his very long day, longer).  I recently looked at the basement and said to myself "I do NOT want to move all of this STUFF!" so, like the kitchen, I need to be brutal on what I keep and what I don't.  Surprisingly, I'm not a hoarder, but there are still things that I kept because I "might use them" someday. 
5. Craft and Scrapbooking Supplies - Because these items have changed homes about 10 times over the past few years they are just a disaster.  I need to do everything from going through scrapbook paper and cleaning out the junk, to testing all of my markers and throwing out the ones that are bad, to finding a simple way to organize craft stuff for storing for future projects.  This is the only project on this list I began to touch this past month - I started by sorting through all of my scrapbooking paper and am in the midst of reorganizing it. 
6. Garage - we usually clean the garage in the spring and I want to look at this the same way as the basement - get rid of stuff I don't want to have to move eventually.  Now, I will admit, this room is harder because my husband has more say ha!  But, hopefully, I can convince him to get rid of some of the things that the previous owner left for "us" (meaning he didn't want the hassle of moving them either!) We've talked about doing a coating on the floor since the kids go in and out of there all of the time to get toys and want the floor nice and clean for them but I'm not sure that will happen this spring. We didn't even have time to think about this yet and now, it is super hot, so I'm not sure if this will get dune until September!
7. The Stairs - I saw a simple tutorial for now to make a step basket and would like to make one.  I've looked for one for years but they are expensive.  I'd like something at the top of the stairs that I can stick books in or just odds and ends that need to be taken down on the next trip without needing to put them on the counter in the kitchen.  I also want to set up a basket downstairs  where I can put the things that need to be stored - not the things that already have homes, like books, those need to just be put back, but rather things that need to be put away in storage. I also want to dedicate one day a month for putting those items away.



I think that is more than enough to keep me busy this month!!! 

You can check out all of my SIMPLIFY posts to check on progress.

Simplify Updates

Ahhhh Sweet Peacefulness :-)  Just wanted to update a few Simplify plans from past lists. 

First, I have a few projects on hold.  As many of you know, my husband recently started a new job which is fantastic.  One of the downsides is that for the first 90 days he is on "probation" which mostly means he isn't paid the full amount.  So, with that in play right now we are trying to cut back on any unnecessary spending.  That means we are not painting the outside of the house or doing any major projects outside this spring.  We are hoping that by Labor Day we will be able to paint the house.  I do want to show you these pictures though :

The bushes are gone!!!  Well almost gone, several were taken by friends of ours to burn and the others are in a pile waiting to be burned by them or anyone else that wants them :-) LOL

Second, my kitchen project has slowed down for this same reason.  I do have paint to finish painting the cabinets (and need to finish this up soon!) and have enough handles for all of the doors; just not the drawers.  I am short some hinges so I will either try to save a little to pick those up or I will put the old ones on until I can get the new ones.  The counter top, wall paint, floor, outlets, and back splash will have to wait until the fall, more than likely.  I also have some cabinet organizers I want to get that will be on hold as well.

Third, is my jewelry project!  Last Sunday (Yep, Easter!) I took time to really clean our room and reorganize quite a few things.  Several weeks ago I had purchased a couple of things to organize my jewelry.  Take a look at this :

The white canvas "bag" is holding all of my earrings.  The best part? It is two sided and the back side is completely empty!  I have room to grow!!  The other piece is actually a tie rack!!  I searched and searched for a necklace holder and when I saw this tie rack I knew it was perfect.  So all of my necklaces are hanging up as well. Again, the whole top row of hooks is almost empty so I have room to grow.  We also moved the old radio into our room and I keep the bin with my perfumes/lotions on top along with a couple of candles.  I am so happy with this little area plus it cleaned out a drawer for my husband's dress socks for which he is thankful :-)

That's where I stand right now!  I'll be doing a new Simplify Post (I think we are on #5) soon so look for my latest project list :-)  

Simplify Updates

Remember?  My theme word this year is to simplify . . . .I want that "laying on the beach" feeling every day.  Ok, maybe not every day but just in general.

Well, you can do a little review of my Simplify posts if you so please but I thought I would give you a few updates since we are now halfway through the month of April !!

1.  The Bathroom - there really isn't progress on this one but I had to share - one of my big plans a week or so ago when the kids were gone was to finish up all of the touch up painting when there were no little fingers to touch wet paint.  Well, I searched and searched for the paint I had picked up about 2 months ago to no avail.  I finally gave up and moved on to other projects.  Than on Friday I was working for 10-15 minutes spurts in the basement (Every time I rebooted the laundry I would squeeze in 10 minutes of picking stuff up) I found the paint sitting in plain site on my drafting table.  So the moral of the story - I guess I wasn't meant to do touch up painting yet!  I think one of these evenings after everyone else is in bed, I'll just work on that - the paint will dry over night and all will be good :-)

2. The kitchen is still a slow moving project.  I got nothing done this past week due to lots of other things going on but I hope to get the bottom cabinets completely done this week.

3. Closets - I did do deep cleaning in both of the boys room including cleaning out their dressers and closets and rearranging their rooms.  Our bedroom is in process.  I moved clothes around but am still in the midst of organizing everything.

4. Vacation Planning - we have actually cancelled our vacation that was planned at the end of May due to the new job but there are still some things I'd like to do on this such as putting together a vacation idea binder and making my master packing list.

5. Tot Time - so . .. this is what I REALLY wanted to show you!  It all started with needing to deep clean the dining room. 

Those are a couple of before pictures.  One of the big things I did was remove the leaf from the dining room table.  It makes a huge difference in the room.  We don't have people over often so for the summer, this is a great thing for us.  Once the birthday parties start in the fall through the holidays, the leaf is needed. 
Now, this is my solution to my Mommy Time supplies, the kids arts/crafts stuff, my current projects and our scrapbooking albums.  I love it.  I'm finally able to grab what I need for my current craft or scrapbooking project without running to the basement.  Plus, this stuff is no longer living on the dining room table - instead it has a place.  I'm already finding that I take time to work on these projects now that I just grab a basket.  I'm so thrilled with this idea!!

 Here's the full view of my new organizational "dream" - it solves so many issues for me plus, this is one piece of furniture that is now out of our bedroom!!!  I want to get a tall thin basket to put next to the shelf to house our "theme" books which will mostly come from the library. 

 On top of the bookshelf, I store my laminator.  I use this a lot for Mommy Time items so that they are durable.  I also love it for my to do lists - once laminated, I can write on them with a Sharpie and than use cleaner to wipe them off each week!  The very top shelf is my project shelf.  It only holds two baskets which means, I can only have two in process projects at a time.  That's good for me :-)  Right now, I have some Easter decor projects I want to make and also my CD project is still not completely done.  I also plan on sliding my books I'm reading for my book goal each quarter in between the baskets.

 The next two shelves house my Scrapbooks.  I have wanted for so long to have them out in the open instead of stuck in our bedroom where no one can see them.  I love looking through them and now, they are easy to grab! 

 The next shelve holds 6 shoebox size containers.  This is where I keep (will keep . .. since they are still empty) everything from my hot glue gun to paint for the kids, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes and more.  Basic craft supplies for both Mommy time and craft time for me!  There is also room to slide in our plans for each week - I want to store the items in three ring binders to keep them easily organized.

 The bottom shelf holds two things.  First, that fantastic 3 piece storage container holds my current scrapbooking project.  The top bin is big enough to hold 12 x12 pages so it is perfect.  The bottom two bins will hold my markers, punches and little things like that.  The other side will hold two of the bigger bins.  One will hold crayons, paper, and coloring books for the boys.  And, I will also put our sensory bin there as well. 

Finally, excuse the cords, those are a work in progress, but notice my paper cutter - it fits perfectly in that little spot!

I am so excited that this project is well into the works.  I don't plan on filling the bins all at once but will now have a place for the things

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify - Part 4 (and a Challenge for April)

I was looking back over my Simplify posts 1, 2,  and 3 and am happy with the progress I've made to simplify my life.  Remember, way back in January, I picked my theme word for the year - which was to simplify!  I've had a few detours that I found myself on and had to route back to the right path but I feel good about the progress.  (I've made some notes for next year about possible theme words since those are the items that keep pulling me away this year!).  But with that said, there are a lot of items not crossed off yet so this month's Simplify goals are two parts.

Finish All Other Simplify Projects

I've listed below the main topic of each area that still has items to finish as a link back to the original post.  You can click on the name and it will take you back to the original post so you can read what has been done and what still needs to be done. 

Simplify #1 - all items have been completed :-)
Simplify #2 - working on Organizing the Books, DVD's, CD's and VHS tapes; finish the bathroom and work on the kitchen
Simplify #3 - working on The closets and dressers; Vacation Planning; Gift wrap center; Tot Time Storage

The Outside

This is the HUGE project I have eluded to in past Simplify posts.  See, two years ago we started a project called - painting the outside of the house.  We did the garage first because it needed repair work and we had just put a new roof on it as well.  We managed to get the garage done (well . . almost) and than life got in the way.  So, this year we are finishing this huge project.

1. Paint the hidden back wall to the garage so I know it is done (even though no one else can see it!)

2. Paint the entire outside of the house

3. Put up gutters on both the garage and the house

4. Put up new lights on the front and back of the house

5. Build a new front porch (seriously, ours is rotten - it is so bad . .. )

6. Put in a new front door (ummm .. the storm door was ripped off last summer in a storm so my husband jimmy-rigged it to get us through until we did this big project)

Now - there is more to this project that I'll continue here but understand that if we can get the above part done I'll be thrilled - if we need to put this part off until next tax refund summer, that is fine.

7. Put in a new pathway from the front porch to the sidewalk out front

8. Plant new bushes along the side of the house (I know what I want and this might have to wait until spring due to planting times)

9. Remove all of the ugly white landscaping stones the previous owners put in that I hate

10. Plant another tree in our yard.

11. Finishing edging the flower beds in the back yard

12. Put in a new garage door/opener (ok, dreaming here - this really will have to wait until later!)

So, as you can see this is a big project.  We are really hoping to have the entire thing done by the end of May (well the first section of this list).  Lots of prep work (like pulling out old bushes and taping off windows) has to get done and than the painting will begin - we plan on doing one side of the house at a time so it will take about 4 weeks, I think, to get it done.  Here's praying for a REALLY dry spring!! LOL

It will feel good to get my current projects all completed and to see these changes on our house.  I'm already thinking about Part 5 :-)  I actually am starting to see an end to my simplify goals and know I will accomplish what I wanted to get done by the end of the year! 

Here's another challenge going on - this one is sponsored by I Heart Organizing  Since the beginning of the year, she has done monthly challenges.  Up until now, I haven't participated because I had already done the items she was walking through but this months challenge is "30 things in 30 days"  Basically, challenging us to get rid of 30 items this month - one item a day.  This first week we are to concentrate in the Living Room.  I'm starting to feel closed in around here so it is time to start this process again.  It is a nice side task to my Simplify Tasks - I honestly don't know if I have 30 things in my living room to get rid of - my living room has been parred down pretty far but I'll try :-)

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify part 3

I have to say, it feels good to cross projects off the list, to have working ways of organization, and to see all of the things that stressed our home life be resolved and made peaceful.  From a way to manage our home better to the "Spa" bathroom being complete . . almost there (can it be Spa with THREE, count them THREE boys in the house???)  to actually being able to use our games because we can get to them now!

You can check out progress on the other Simplify Posts here and here.  (Part 1 is completed!!)

On to the next few items.

The Kitchen

This is still a work in progress.  This project is going faster than I anticipated which is nice.  About 1/3 of the cabinets are painted and the handles are going up thanks to my hubby.  I've picked out the wall colors and even have picked out some tile for a back splash; but one thing at a time so first, the cabinets will get done! For progress on this return to Simplify post #2

The Closets and Dressers

It is that time of year again!  Time to clean out the closets, rotate clothes, and figure out what we need to get us through the summer

My goals for these areas are pretty simple

1 .Nate's Room - clean out his closet and pack away any winter clothes that don't fit; hang up the summer clothes he has; make a list of any items that are needed; clean out his dresser to make room for the clothes Josh will pass down from this winter; make sure the dresser and the closet are clean, neat and organized

2. Josh's Room - clean out his closet and pack away any winter clothes that don't fit; hang up the summer clothes (which = about zero so the boy will be naked for a bit LOL) and make a list of what to buy; clean out his dresser; make sure the dresser and the closet are clean, neat and organized.

3. Our room - clean out our closet and get rid of clothes we aren't wearing; move winter clothes downstairs/summer clothes upstairs; make a list of anything we need; clean out our dresser as needed; make sure closet and dresser are neat, clean and organized.
4. Jewelry Organization (for me LOL) - Clean out my jewelry; take anything I think is gold (hahahaha) to see if I can get money for it (the stuff that is broken or I don't want); Make a jewelry organization center. (I've seen a few ideas on various blogs that I may combine to use what I want - right now I don't even know what I have so even when I can wear jewelry, I often end up not finding what I want in the the drawer)

Vacation Planning

This is coming into play now because we have a little vacation planned at the end of May that I need to get moving on so I'm going to incorporate the few things that we will use for future vacations into this plan

1. Write up a master packing list

2. Create a binder of vacation ideas, fliers, packing lists etc.

3. Plan this vacation - menu, things to do, things to pack etc.

Gift Wrapping Center

This was one of the weekly organizational challenges that I did not complete on the given week.  It needed more time than what I had to give it.  I figured this was a good block to throw it in since the above items don't require a lot of extra work.

1. Clean out gift bags - get rid of the bad, broken and ugly

2. Put bows and ribbins in labeled bins

3. Clean out gift wrap

4. Figure out where to hang gift wrap to make it easy to use

5. Clear of work table downstairs to use for gift station Instead built a station in my bedroom by using under the bed storage - I've already used it twice to wrap shower gifts and L.O.V.E it!

6. Purchase needed supplies like scissors, tape, pens pencils, etc to use only at that station

Tot Time Storage
As I teach my kids more and more and have more supplies I see the need to create an easy, self-updating system to store our activities for each month.  This is something I want to be able to morph into more teaching things as the boys get older.  This is not something that was on my original 12 idea list but as I was shoving placing crayons and coloring books in a dark corner the other day it dawned on me, I need a better system! This may also accomplish another goal of getting my scrapbooks out into public so we can actually enjoy them - if there is enough room on the shelf!
1. Purchase or re-purpose a storage unit/bookcase into the dining room (the best place for my "classroom" - you have have multi-purpose rooms in a tiny house)
2. Purchase or re-purpose baskets/bins for storage of items like crayons, markers, paper, paint etc.
3. Have a home for the current month's sensory bin
4. Have a low basket for the weeks/months current storybooks that fit the theme.
5. Hang display "shelves" on the wall to display each boys artwork (this is an idea I posted about a LONG time ago so it is the perfect time to incorporate the idea)
6. Do touch up paint in the dining room (from removing pictures to do this project) and rehang only the most important things - to reduce eye clutter.
7. Bring Scrapbooks out of the bedroom onto this shelf (oh please let there be room LOL)
8. If the above works, almost move the shelf out of the bedroom!!! (Finally - a little room!)
9. Create an Artwork binder for each of the kids (another idea that I saw that I love!!)
10. Make sure I have the basic supplies to have tot time with my kids - scissors, crayons, markers, glue, etc.
11. Make a wish list of various toys/'games to use for teaching.

As you can see I have a ton of "little" (haha) projects I would like to get done.  I'm pushing hard to get some of these out of the way by the end of March as we have a HUGE project that we want to get done in April and May (well, huge to us . . .).  Than this summer I have some crafts I want to do for Christmas (seriously??YEP!) that I need the outside and sunshine to help with (like painting in the garage without freezing)  I just told Darryl recently that I feel like our home is slowly beginning to run like a well oiled machine.  We had so many changes in just a short span of time that we just keep moving forward, pushing things out of our way. Now that I've been home a year, I feel like we can slip into a pattern and, once that is established, make it work no matter what comes our way!

Weekly Organizational Challenge #7 - Finacnes plus . . .Weekly Organiziation Challenge and Simplify Updates

A few weeks ago, I won a gift certificate to CSN stores from The Carter Family.  I was so excited when I looked and found things I needed for some of my simplify projects!!  I wanted to share my successes and what I purchased.  I will admit I spent a little more than the $35.00 I won but not much :-)

First, I purchased two of these CD storage cubes.  I had seen a similar idea on a blog awhile back and really liked it.  We listen to CD's 4-5 days a week but, right now, my stack looks like this:

See, the kids had gotten into the cupboard and tried to help me out one day. Instead, I ended up with a mess :-)   So I pulled out CD's in groups based on how many would fit in this basket.

Than, I pulled the CD's out of the jewel cases and put them in the sleeves provided in the cubes.  The Jewel cases I am saving for now - I've stored them in a good old cardboard box with a date on it.  If I have not pulled anything out of that box in the next three years, I will toss them all.  I chose to store them in a box instead of a tote because I want to be able to just toss it plus, if it happens to get damp or wet it doesn't really matter . ..

So, here's the (almost) final project - isn't it neat?  I will be making a list of the CD's I have as I play them now.  I had already done this with my Soundtracks.  I did not put them in any order (alphabetical) because as I add to my collection, I don't want to have to shift a bunch of CD's around but, rather, just add it to the next available space.  As far as knowing what songs are on what CD - if I need to know, that is what the Internet is for, right?

Here are our DVD's - I bought a case to put these in but after much thought and knowing my kids are still very visual and need the cases to see what the movie is, I decided to leave them as is.  The bottom shelf is all kids DVD's so that they boys are able to pick out what they want.

The top two boxes hold the following:  One holds all of my Christian Collection and one holds my collection of "other" - everything from some country to a few musical CD's (Like Titanic), all of my kids cd's, and the Christmas stuff.   The basket, right now, holds my soundtracks . . .but read on!!

So the case above is what I also purchased from the CSN stores and I bought it for the purpose of putting DVD's in it.  But, as you already read, that plan changed.  In the midst of all of this, I really struggled with what to do with my singing soundtracks and this is the solution.  I will be able to put the ones I have sung into one "book" so that when I need a last minute song I can just pull from that selection.  The others will hold all of the rest.  I think I can fit the general CD's into two books and use one book for Christmas and other special songs.  My goal is to finish this up this week. 

Another item I purchased was this under the bed gift wrap storage bin. You may remember that a recent weekly challenge was to create a Gift Wrap Center.  I knew this was something I needed to really think about and come up with a perfect solution!

One of the things I mentioned in that post was that I always wrap gifts on my bed.  It is big and the perfect height to stand and wrap gifts.  I woke up in the middle of the night with this idea and, again, was so glad to find this on the CSN site.  I also picked up/repurposed a couple of clear bins as well.

Previously, I stored my gift wrap in one of these Rubbermaid gift wrap containers.  It is a great container unless you buy tall gift wrap :-)  The lid is long gone and this was becoming a dust collector - my paper was always dusty and dirty.

My tissue paper stash was housed in one of the 7 drawer carts.  It worked for the time being but I found I always used white because I couldn't figure out what drawer held what!! 

This is proof that you can have too many gift bags LOL After two baby showers, lots of birthdays plus many Christmas' . . well . .it was time to clean it out.  I had picked up this bag "holder" years ago at Hallmark and loved it when I only had a handful of bags but now, most of the pockets are ripped apart due to the number of bags.  I took all of the bags out and only kept the ones that I knew I would actually use again and that were in great shape.  I probably got rid of half of the bags stuffed in here.

So, first, I put all of the gift wrap in the canvas bag.  I obviously have more than enough Christmas wrap :-)  This also holds some boxes and, not shown here, a bag of bows. 

This is the finished product of my Gift Wrap Center.  The large bin was a "repurposed" bin and it now holds all of the Christmas bags.  The two smaller totes, I purchased - one holds all of the other bags and one holds my tissue paper. 

I still need to pick up things like tape, scissors, and other little things to keep in this center.  I'm really getting into wrapping gifts, not just using gift bags, so I would also like to get some ribbon rolls and other bow making supplies and slowly use up the bags.  (Which are still nice for those odd shaped gifts and multiple gifts!)

So, now on to new things and I am SOOOOO excited about this week's challenge, are you ready??

Weekly Challenge Number 7

Finances



Now, I had an idea that this challenge was coming from some hints that Toni gave a few weeks ago.  Added to that is the fact that one of my goals this year is to really get our finances in working order and to come up with a working system for our family . . .means I already have this one underway!!  I know that Dave Ramsey is great and I have read/heard a lot of his teaching but, before Dave Ramsey, I was a huge Mary Hunt follower and still am to a point.  Mary Hunt has similar ideas as Dave Ramsey but instead of really an envelope system she taught keeping spreadsheets to track everything.  So between the two great teachers, I've combined some of their ideas for a plan . . .now if only we could live that plan :-)

As far as what I'm using right now - back when we made our Home Management Binders, I purchased a few things from Clean Mama Printables and one of them was the financial pack.  I took away a few things from that pack - some actual documents and some ideas, which I than turned into my own system.  One key thing I've learned is that no one else's system will work for you.  Your income, debt, priorities, payment schedules are all different so it can't work!  One of the best ideas I took away from the Clean Mama printables is a monthly receipt tracker.  Honestly, all it is, is a monthly calender.  Yep, that's it (hers is pretty though LOL)  Instead of keeping a spreadsheet or a notebook, I keep that calender  clipped to the front of my Home Management notebook and write everything that comes in or goes out in the days little square.  It helps me track patterns of spending and keep track of all income. It is really easy to just jot down notes each day; than on Sunday or Monday (depending on how busy Sunday is!) I add everything up and plug it into the months budget sheet.  Again, the budget sheet design that I use, I morphed into my own but the idea is totally from Clean Mama Printalbles - I recreated what she did in Excel to fit our budgeted items.  Before the 1st of each Month, I take time to create a new monthly budget sheet.  All of the standard stuff stays the same but I also try to look ahead at the month to special things that are coming up - how much birthday money will we need for gifts? What special days are planned (like family days) and what will we need for that?  Are there doctor's appointments or other medical needs this month (like perscriptions)?  This helps me plan our money.  It does not always work out - I keep a place for "Unexpected spending" on my budget and list line items.  Why?  So I can see where else our money is going and I can plan better next year! 

I just recently started an envelope system - I purchased one of those small plastic files (like you use for coupons?) and labeled each section for our envelope system - everything from Vacation to Kids Clothes.  Right now, our finances are a little tight so we don't get to put a lot in there but I try to pull even $20 a week to plug into one section.  This is something new to us so it is really taking a lot of planning and discipline on my part to even get this going right now. 

So, now that I've bored you out of your mind LOLOLOLOL  (Good thing I put all of those pictures at the beginning to entice you!!)  Check out A Bowl Full of Lemons for all of her tips and ideas.  It looks like she is giving some daily challenges within the week challenge to help get those finances in order!!

P.S. - She is also doing a giveaway . . . .:-)