This is My Life...

Checking In!

2012-01-13T02:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been 10 days since I posted last!

It doesn't really seem that long but work has been crazy busy since I went back after having a week off at Christmas.

I've been busy at home too . . . trying to keep things together. You know how that is. When there is way too many things on your "to do" list and not enough hours in the day or energy in your body?

I am just trying to keep on keeping on!

The only reason I found time to blog now is that I fell asleep on the couch earlier in the evening and didn't bake a cake for a birthday tomorrow at work. It's for a special young lady (my BFF's daughter) or I might have just scrapped the idea of baking a cake. So. I have the cake in the oven and to prevent falling asleep again (with the cake in the oven), I thought I would check in here in blogland.

I've been trying to get to my "30 Spaces in 60 Days" list but it's hard during the week. I am hoping to cross a few off my list this weekend.

The cake is almost done but before I end this post, I have a picture to share of our furkids. Every morning when Allison gets up, she gives them a plastic kid's cup of water from the tub for them to have a little morning drink. As soon as they hear her get up, they come running . . . if they aren't already waiting in the bathroom as I call her to get up! Please tell me that I am not the only one who has trouble getting their child out of bed because it's the morning struggle with her that will throw me into mental ward one of these days!

Anyway, Allison always tells Simba "ladies first" and then puts the cup closer to Princess. As you can see here, he likes to clean her head while she drinks. What you don't see here is that seconds later, she puts her ears back and starts hissing at him to stop. Sometimes she even raises a paw to him. Seriously. She needs to learn that when a man wants to do something nice for you . . . be thankful!

Well, I now hear my bed calling my name so I am going to take the cake out of the oven and head on up to bed.

Nighty Night!

Have Fun!

30 Spaces in 60 Days!

2012-01-02T06:12:00.008-05:00

One of my goals this year is to clean things out, get rid of what we don't need and organize what we do need.

With that being said, below is my list of 30 spaces that I want to attack over the next 60 days . . . by the end of February.

I originally called it my "30 Spaces in 30 Days" but who am I kidding?? I work outside the home 5 days a week so I am gone for 9 1/2 hours a day. That with adding the normal weekly chores of cleaning, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping and taking care of my daughter, 30 in 30 was being a little ambitious!

Hopefully, I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. I am excited to get this done!

I think if I post every so often with my progress, it will keep me motivated. And if you don't hear from me, please shoot me an email asking how it's going.
I might need the accountability!

30 Spaces in 60 Days!

inside my van

entry way dresser

kitchen junk drawer

pantry

"catch-all" kitchen basket

under the kitchen sink

closet command center

file boxes

"paper to be shred" box

top of computer desk

computer desk drawers

magazine shelves/baskets

linen closet

bathroom vanity & medicine cabinet

bathroom cabinet

make-up drawers

jewelry armoire

my closet

Curtis's closet

Allison's closet

scrapbook area

basement landing

basements stairs wall

bottom of basement stairs

basement shelves

laundry area

laundry closet

paint closet

gift wrapping center

holiday closet

Have Fun!

My One Little Word for 2012!

2012-01-01T07:52:00.006-05:00

Have you heard about the "One Little Word" concept?

I read about it several years ago on Ali's blog. That's Ali Edwards - scrapbooker extraordinaire.

She introduced us to the "One Little Word" concept back in 2007. Here are her words from her first post on the subject:

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.

Last fall in issue two of this newsletter I wrote about the power of words and gave my top ten tips for getting those words down when you are scrapbooking. Today I want to introduce you to the idea that a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life as well as your scrapbook layouts.

Last year I began a tradition of chosing one word for myself each January – a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. Last year my word was something I wanted to bring into my life in a more tangible way. My word was play.

I thought a lot about play and what it means to me. I tried to incorporate it more into my everyday and on my adventures out in the crazy world. For me, it was a lot about living without fear – about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness. The word play found its way onto many scrapbook pages and into many stories I told throughout the year.

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother’s word or your spouse’s word or your child’s word – this is YOUR word."

After reading the above excerpt from her blog:

Does it make you want your own word?
Is there a word that immediately pops into your mind?
Is it a word you can live with for a whole year?

Although I have chosen one little word for myself for several years, I haven't fully embraced my word for the entire year.

This year, I am dedicated to living this word.

This year, I am going to let this word drive me to my 2012 goals.

This year, my word is:

Yes, discipline is MY word.

Not discipline as I am going to discipline Allison's behavior.

Discipline, as in I am going to discipline myself to stay focused and stay on track of my goals this year.

dis·ci·pline
1. To train by instruction and practice, especially to teach self-control to.

2. To impose order on: needed to discipline their study habits.

Some of my goals for 2012 Goals for this year include:

health & fitness
financial
personal growth
home management

How about you?

Do you already follow Ali and have chosen a word for yourself?

Do you have a goal or goals for yourself that a word could help you along the way?

Have Fun!

Goodbye 2011!

2011-12-31T20:08:00.005-05:00

It's amazes me at how fast a year goes by the older I get!

We do nothing fancy to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new year. First, my sister, Alesia, comes for an overnight visit with her dog, Ginger. Then for dinner, I make about 6-7 mini appetizers on dinner plates and we have a picnic on the coffee table in the living room. After that we watch a movie and I pray that I stay awake until midnight to kiss my honey.

While my family is out getting a movie, I thought I would share 11 random things I did on this last day of 2011.

1. I took a picture of Allison in her new fleece p.j.'s that she made herself! Grandma took her to pick out a pattern of something she wanted to make, let her pick out the fabric, taught her how to layout the pattern and then oversaw her sewing it. She did it all by herself and I am so proud! Aren't they cute?

2. Cleaned out my purse . . . and found 8 AA batteries! They are back-up for my camera. The problem is that it only takes 4. So, I must have not remembered there were 4 in there when I threw the second set of 4 in there! No wonder why my purse was so heavy! Well, that and the Canadian coins that were still in there from our trip at the end of August!
3. Put Allison's Kindergarten - 5th Grade school pictures in a school frame. Love it!
4. Put a new check register in both checkbooks to start the new year out fresh.
5. Finalized January's budget and wrote out some checks.
6. Cut coupons. I want to be diligent about using them this year.
7. Took a picture of Allison giving Aunt Alesia a manicure. I need to schedule an appointment with her!

8. Ordered Pizza Hut Pizza for lunch.
9. Made homemade foam soap for my soap dispenser in the kitchen. Got the instructions from Pinterest. So easy and so economical!

10. I scrubbed the bathroom for the last time . . . in 2011.
11. Renewed Allison's magazine subscription online.

Well that is my random list for the last day of 2011. Whatever your plans and goals are for the New Year, I wish you success in all you wish to accomplish!

Cheers!

Have Fun!

Step #1 to a Clutter Free Path!

2011-12-30T08:11:00.003-05:00

One of my goals for the new year is to have less clutter in this house. I know I have talked about it before but it really is a never-ending-battle for me!

So. Here I am again.

There are probably many reasons why we have clutter. I personally think the main reason is that we (as in Curtis, Allison and myself) have trouble getting rid of things. My Mother said it once years ago that I was her sentimental Cindi. I would definitely have to agree. The problem is that if you take my sentimentality and times it by 3, it's a big problem.

If you are thinking we could be featured on an episode of hoarders, I'm painting the wrong picture. It's not disgustingly bad as it is on that show. It's just that we have a lot of things that we do not need but have been unable to get rid of.

I keep saying we need a bigger house but the truth is that we just need less stuff. I refuse to get a bigger house just to store our "stuff."

The truth is that we have kept more things because of sentimental reasons than any other reason.

Let me give you a few examples:
~ We kept a car for 12 years because it was the car we brought Allison home in from the hospital. We sold it last year but it sat there for over a year before we could let go. Wait. Let me clarify that . . . before "he" could let go. Seriously?
~ We have a supply of those bubble things that prizes come in when you buy something from a bubble gum machine. Allison thinks she'll find a use for them. Seriously?
~ We have storage totes and boxes filled with every school paper that Allison has brought home. I just couldn't get rid of something in my baby's penmanship or something she made with her own hands. She's in 5th grade so you can imagine how many totes and boxes we have. Seriously?

Okay. Now that I have established that my house does not look like the picture below, it's time for me to attack my clutter problem.

Once more before I go on . . . the below picture is NOT MY HOUSE.

I found the picture on Google images and I am using it for effect and to make myself feel better about my own clutter.
So my first step in attacking clutter is my third example from above. Allison's school papers. It's time for me to address them. At first it was hard to throw any of them away but after 5 1/2 years of school and the growing mounds of paper, the time is now! Well, the time was the last 2 days. Yes, it is done and I feel so liberated!

I decided to use one of these portable plastic filing storage tote thingies. I used it because I had one on hand in the basement and I didn't want to do my hair and make-up to go to Staples. I never go anywhere without my hair and make-up done. Wow, that sounded vain! It's not because I'm vain or some beauty queen. I'm just old and getting wrinkly and need all the help I can get!

So, truth be told. I started with this project on my way to a Clutter Free Path because I need to start on Allison's School Scrapbook. Yes, I know. She's in 5th Grade!

Anyway, I filled the tote with hanging file folders that I had on hand and made labels for each grade along with church, Girl Scouts and a file for "other" stuff that she has done and or collected.

I filled each file with her school pictures, report card, certificates and awards, pictures, samples of her handwriting, artwork, samples of her papers and anything else that pertained to her grade.

I am actually kind of excited that this project is done. First, because 4 bags of trash went out of this house. And second, because I had bought a Becky Higgins School Album kit several years ago and with this tote, I'll be ready to go!

Visit Hope Studios every Tuesday for some great Tutorials!

Have Fun!

I'm Alive!

2011-12-28T10:02:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's right!

I am alive!

If any of you don't believe me and think this blog has been blog-jacked, here is a picture of me and Allison on Christmas of this year to prove it!

I have no excuses or apologies for being missing in action since last May.

It wasn't my intention to be gone for that long.

Really, it wasn't.

Life just happens and I've been trying to keep ahead of it without it running me down.

There's good news though . . .

I am here now!

I have lots of ideas running through my head, lots of goals to accomplish and lots of things to share!

I really do miss blogging so I plan on making a blogging comeback!

If there are any of you still out there, I would love for you to stop by from time to time.

Comments are open so please say "Hi!"

I hope to see you soon!

Have Fun!

30 Day BSC!

2011-05-01T11:53:00.005-04:00

Jillian Michaels may have the 30 day Shred for your body, but I'm going with the 30 Day Big Spring Clean for my house!

This house is stuffed to the ceiling with stuff! Okay, well not really to the ceiling but there is so much stuff in here that we do not need or do not use that it is going out the door!

Seriously. I am saying buh-bye to a ton of stuff! I want to simplify this house and make a craft/scrapbook room in the basement. I can't do that if we are storing stuff that is no longer of use to us down there!

I've planned a yard/garage/rummage sale for Saturday, June 4th so there is a deadline for me to get through this house! That is only 1 month away! The pressure is on!

My plan is to fill 30 boxes with stuff to sell. I know it sounds like a lot but I am thinking if I dedicate the Month of May to it, I can do it. It averages out to only about 1 box a day. I figure I could probably handle one box a day with my work and Mom schedule.

Hmm, think I can do it?

I hope so because there is no going back! I've rented out the Grange back home to hold this sale so we can hold it rain or shine! My Mom, sister and BFF, Susan, are all participating so it should be a fun time too.

Allison wants to sell lemonade and sweets and donate all the profits the Humane Society. She is such a giving child!

One question for you all . . . what do I call this thing?
It's not in a yard or a garage . . . it's inside a building.
Do I call it a Rummage Sale or a Flea Market or do you have a better idea?
So, what do you think?

Have Fun!

Kitchen Randomness!

2011-03-02T18:28:00.005-05:00

Wow! I can't believe I have only written 2 blog posts since last June! I am such a blog-slacker! I guess that is what happens when I went back to work. If anyone is still out there, stop by and say "Hi!" I would love to know that I am not just writing to myself!

So. Anyway. You are probably thinking why is she blogging today? You see, Allison is sick and stayed home from school today and since she's only 9 and I would get arrested if I left her here alone, I had to call off work today. It was weird being home during the day on a weekday. I felt like I was letting my company down. BUT. . . if I went to work, then I would feel like I was letting my daughter down . . . so, of course, the daughter wins.

Moving right along . . . We have a few traditions in our family when a kid comes down sick. First, Mom makes homemade chicken noodle soup. Second, you are permitted to have soda . . . well, Ginger Ale actually. Third, Mom buys sherbet which, of course, can make any sick kid smile. And lastly, you get your own box of Puff Plus (with lotion) tissues.

After running to Walmart before Curtis left for work so I could pick up supplies, I put away the groceries and decided that if I was going to stay home, I would work in the kitchen a little while making the soup.

As I was putting things away and cleaning up a bit, I noticed a few things and thought I would share them here. I'm calling it "Kitchen Randomness." I hope you enjoy!

A pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the freezer is never a bad thing. Unless, your daughter sees you bring it home and wants "to share." Dang! Why did I teach her manners?

This utensil drawer needs some serious attention! Please tell me I am not the only one that has a drawer like this. Half of the stuff in there I am sure I don't even use! I think I'll be cleaning that out soon!

I love the Target "up & up" brand! I use everything from the plastic zipper bags, aluminum foil, paper towels, paper plates, trash bags, dryer sheets, ibuprofen, etc.

Filling one of the canisters on the counter with candy bars (which I normally don't buy) was a total unexpected surprise to my family! Also, love the little surprise Allison left for me in the note holder about a year ago. I can't bring myself to move it.

The beginnings of homemade chicken noodle soup makes the whole house smell comforting.

Girl Scout Cookies can seriously fill up the snack shelf this time of year!

Juicy seedless red grapes draining in the kitchen sink are so refreshing. I bring them home, wash them and put them in a paper towel lined Tupperware bowl in the fridge. It makes healthy snacking easy . . . and we need that with all those Girl Scout cookies in the house!

The last thing Allison does before she leaves for school is brush her teeth after she eats breakfast. Sending her upstairs out of my view to do it herself usually ends up in her getting distracted by one of the cats that she wants to cuddle. To keep her on task, I keep a second set of supplies above the kitchen sink so she can brush them in the kitchen. And to put all of you germaphobes in check, I scour my kitchen sink every time I cook or do dishes so it's perfectly sanitary. If I do say so myself, this was a bright idea and I can't believe I haven't thought of it before!

Simply Orange Pulp Free Orange Juice is . . . simply the best!

I pulled a roast from the freezer to thaw in the fridge for a couple days. I plan on making it in the Crock pot with potatoes, carrots, green beans. Thanks Dad for your wonderful farm raised natural beef!

That's all for now! I hope to be back soon!

Have Fun!

A New Year!

2011-01-01T23:23:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

There is something refreshing about a new calendar at the beginning of a new year.

It's a clean slate.

A new beginning.

A fresh start.

It offers the chance to contemplate and plan your goals for the twelve months ahead.

Have you planned your year out?

I'm working on mine.

Have Fun!

I've Won an Award!

2010-10-10T10:10:00.001-04:00

Yes, that is right! I have been awarded the Bad Blogger of 2010 award! I know, I know. You all are jelly belly!

Okay, seriously. I don't think there is actually a bad blogger award out there but if there was, I am sure I would be in the running for it!

I have thought about blogging dozens and dozens of times and well, it just never happened. Thank you to all of my friends and blog readers out there for stopping by and wondering if I was going to ever blog again. Even my sister commented to me on the phone one day and she usually never discusses my blogs with me. She just secretly stalks me! Just kidding . . . love ya, Lis!

I have had a couple of readers ask for the binder covers and I've saved your emails with the intention of going back but ya, that never happened. If you still want them, please email me again and I promise I will have them to you within three days. I would go look in my saved mail but it would take me at least that much time if not longer to get through the hundreds of emails I've saved. Someday I'll go through those and organize them but it's just not high on my priority list.

What? Why have I been a bad blogger? I knew someone would ask that so I'll answer that question with one little four letter word. LIFE. Yes, life . . . please tell me you didn't think I would use a bad four letter word . . . for heaven's sake, I'm a Mom, you know.

Anyway. I'm going to address the subject of blogging or my lack there of. I started blogging in 2005. Yes, 5 years ago. It seems crazy that it has been that long but it has. I started as a way of documenting our lives and creating a legacy for my Allison. Sort of like a journal with pictures. A place for my thoughts and feeling so when I am gone, Allison will really know all of me.

However. This blog has morphed itself into something different but wonderful just the same. It has become a place for family and friends to see what we are up to and it has picked up some wonderful new "friends" along the way. It has all been an amazing experience. At one time I considered trying to turn it into a business. BUT. . . I know myself and if I had done that, I would have resented it at some point when it became a thing I HAD to do. There is nothing more than I would love to do but work from home but turning something I love to do into a job with deadlines and commitments, would just not work for me. My blog is more like an dear old friend. One that you know will always be there when you are too busy to give that friend attention. That friend understands that LIFE happens sometimes and they will take a back seat until you can reconnect with them again. You will pick up with them as if time never passed. You will share the happenings of that last several months and enjoy the memories. So. Thank you friends, family and followers. Thank you for letting me be a part of your online life. Thank you for stopping in and seeing if anything is up with me and my little family. Thank you for understanding that when LIFE happens, I step back, prioritize and go into blog hibernation for a few months.

On a side note but having to do with this topic, I just read a blog post last night from Kimba at A Soft Place to Land. She is an awesome blogger and had been running her blog as a business for the last couple of years. In her last post she talks about making hard choices and turning her blog back into a hobby instead of a business. Her life has gotten too busy with family, church and such that there just isn't time to give her blog the attention it needs to be a business. I stand up and applaud her for recognizing what she needs to do and doing it. Although she calls it making a hard choice, I call it making the obvious choice. If it's the right choice for her and her family then it truly is what is supposed to be at this time in her life.

This picture below was taken a few weeks ago when Allison and I got to meet Kimba at her yard sale. She only lives a little over an hour from us so Allison and I decided to include her yard sale in our Allison & Mommy Play Day. I'll have to talk about our "Play Days" another time . . . they are so much fun!

Whew! I was long winded today and my keyboard is smoking a little so I better wrap this up. Anyway, I think I am finally learning how to balance my life a little better with the new job and hopefully I will be posting more frequently. Okay. WHO do I think I'm kidding?? Balance? Can any one of us really balance what is thrown at us? Probably not but I am just going to keep on keeping on one day at a time and pop back in when I have a few minutes or so.

Love you all!

Have Fun!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!!!!

2010-06-03T15:18:00.004-04:00

Did my blog title get you singing?

No? Well either you aren't having a good day or you are too young to know those lyrics. Please, if it's the latter, don't tell me. You'll make me feel older than I already do!

What's been going on in my house?
What are we celebrating?
Why did Allison and Curtis take ME out to dinner, you ask?

Well . . .

I'M EMPLOYED!!

Woo hoo! I am SO excited!

No, I'm not excited because I found a job but because I found the perfect job for me!

Isn't that the best??

I've been very lucky in my life to work for people and companies that I loved. I wanted that again and I am pretty certain that I've found it!

I'll be an Administrative Support Specialist for my new company. The position will allow me to utilize all aspects of my skills, abilities and experiences which is awesome for me! It will keep me busy and I like being busy!

So, as you can imagine, we have been celebrating! Curtis told me that if I got the position, he would take me to Bravo's Italian Restaurant. . . . and Allison told me she wanted to take me to Rey Azteca's Mexican Restaurant (with her own money). Yum . . . Italian on Friday night, Mexican on Tuesday night and Mom didn't have to cook for two nights!

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes!
I really do appreciate each and every one of you out there!

Have Fun!

I'm Lovin' Pomegranate Blueberry Juice!

2010-05-28T12:07:00.004-04:00

Today is I'm Lovin' it Friday over at Tidy Mom so I thought it would be a great day to share my new favorite find.

It's Tropicana's Trop50 Pomegranate Blueberry Juice! Yummy!

I first tried it when Allison and I stopped at a Sheetz for a beverage. I knew when I saw this, I would give it a try because I LOVE blueberries! I love them in pie, in muffins, in pancakes, in bagels, in cereal, with cottage cheese and any other way you want to serve them to me!

I also like pomegranates so this seemed like the perfect match for me.

It was! I love it! And it has 1/2 the sugar and calories as than regular pomegranate/blueberry juices! If you think that is great...you can also earn Tropicana Juicy Rewards points with it too. I believe it was 6 points for the carton I picked up at the grocery store.

If you don't know what Tropicana Juicy Rewards points are, you can click here to find out and to start earning!

Now that you've read what I'm Lovin' today, click on the button below to see what other are Lovin'!
Have Fun!

Binders Can Organize Your Life Series! ~ Part 4

2010-05-27T08:45:00.010-04:00

Hello Everyone!
Sorry, I'm a day late in posting this. Yesterday got away from me!

Welcome to Part 4 in the "Binders Can Organized Your Life Series." Today I'll be showing you my Home Management Binder.

If you missed Part 1, you can click on the first link below to take you there and to see why I'm doing this series and how I store my binders. The second link will take you to Part 2 and the third link to Part 3.

Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes.

Part 2 ~ Crafts, Gifts & Tips and Christmas Planner.

Part 3 ~ The Child Edition - Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Information.

Next week I'll be finishing up this series with my Financial Budget Binder so be sure to stop by for a visit.

Okay. Let's get started on this week's binder!

Some of you may be asking "What is she talking about? What exactly is a Home Management Binder?"

Well before I started reading blogs, I had no idea what one was either!

A Home Management Binder is basically a place where a Mom keeps all her schedules, lists, menu planning info and any other information she needs to keep track of so she can run an organized home. They are all different . . . no two will be alike. Make yours your own. For example, you may want to keep your child(ren)'s school schedules in it while mine doesn't include any of it since I have a system that works for me. Some call it a Household Notebook or a Control Journal. Call yours whatever works for you!

Here is mine. I use a 1" binder. I have seem some online that use a 4" binder. That is just too big for me. I don't want all that stuff in it. I like using my other binders while some add what I have in my other binders to their Home Management Binder. I think it would be hard to handle if it had that much information in it. That's just my opinion so do what works for you. As you can see, I made mine a little pretty. I just used a piece of card stock, a piece of patterned paper, a piece of ribbon, a silk flower and a brad. I figure if I'm going to be using it a lot then I want something pretty to look at. Looking back, the one thing I thought was odd was that I put our name on the front. It's not like it EVER leaves this house. There is just too much personal information in it that it stays put so there is no chance of losing it!

In the front of the binder I keep a pencil pouch with a couple of pens and dry erase markers (for crossing off weekly chores on my lists).

My index tabs are: housekeeping, projects, lists, menu planning, birthdays/anniversaries, church, to-go menus and A-Z.

Directly behind the pencil pouch is a sheet protector with frequently called phone numbers. I have them grouped by categories. Those are: Mom & Dad info, Family, Neighbors, Church & School, Doctors and Friends. I also have the same list in another sheet protector on the inside of a kitchen cabinet by the phone.

The index dividers I use are made of poly and have pockets in the front and back of them. This one is directly behind the phone list. I put papers or notices of upcoming things and then I put them on our bulletin board when they become closer. Seriously. Do I really need the family reunion notice on the board for 4 months? No, but I do need to know when it is so I can plan out my summer.

The first index tab is where I keep all my Housekeeping stuff. I do better when I have a list to check off so I've been working really hard to put this house on a schedule. The items I have in here are: Daily Chore List, Weekly Cleaning List, Monthly Tasks, Spring Cleaning List for May, Fall Cleaning List for November, Allison's Daily Routines & Chores and cleaning lists by room.

These next two pictures are of one of the cleaning lists for each room. On one side it has the steps for a GOOD CLEAN and the other side has the steps for a QUICK CLEAN. I love these lists! Anyone will be able to clean any room in your house to your liking if they have one of these lists. Allison isn't quite old enough yet to do a whole room by herself but I'll be getting these laminated so she can take it with her to the room when she is old enough. Before you say that I'm a genius for coming up with these lists, stop right there. I lifted the idea from Heather D. White's blog and she got the idea from her Mom. Here is a link to where she first wrote about it and then here is the link to where she scanned hers. I took her lists and changed them to fit me.

My next tab is Projects. It's just basically a list of all the projects I want to do and more sheets where I sketch out ideas. It's nothing exciting so no pictures.

The next section is a sort of catch-all for me. It's where I keep all my Lists. Some of them are: Needs/Wants, Songs for Ipod, Movies to See (broken down into Grown Up and Family), Vehicle Maintenance Log (one for each vehicle that shows the date the work was done along with what the work was, the mileage, who did it and the cost). I also have a picnic checklist, yard sale checklist and first aid kit checklist in this section too.

This next section is my Menu Planning section. On the left in the pocket are the most current grocery ads and on the right is a calendar for monthly menu planning which as you can see I didn't do. I don't know if I could plan a month at a time but I keep trying.

Behind the monthly calendar is my "Menu Ideas by Ingredient" and on the back of that is my "Menu Ideas by Type" to aid in my weekly menu planning.

These two lists have helped me immensely! It keeps me from making the same things over and over again. It also prevents me from making for example casseroles all week. It took some time to put it together but I am so glad I did!

The next section is Birthdays and Anniversaries. I have a sheet for each month with birthdays in the left column and anniversaries in the right. I like that when I get a new calendar at the beginning of the year, I don't have to sit down and transfer them all over to the new one. I just do it at the beginning of every month.

My next section is Church. Anything church related goes here. I put our weekly bulletin in the pocket for easy reference. One a side note here...I file everything for that tab behind it. In this pic it looks like I put the bulletin in the to-go menu section but I didn't. You see when you pull the tab that is labeled "Church" and move the sections in front of it to the left, it opens the church section up which shows the front pocket of the next divider. Make sense?

This next section is for To-Go Menus. I like they are here in one place and not crushed in some drawer someplace.

Okay. My last tab is A-Z. Hmm, what do I put here? Well this is probably the best section of this whole binder. This one section purges all that information from my brain that only us Moms know. I have found putting all of that info here helps to clear my brain of all that unwanted stuff and if anyone else needs to know it, they can find it here!
A lot of it is personal information but I did find one page where I could show you how I record the information. This is my "V" section and here is where I record our Veterinarian's phone number, address and hours of operation. I also have our Vacuum Cleaners bags and belt info.

I keep this on my computer in an Excel workbook with a page for every letter. This allows me to update or add to it. Some of the items I keep in here are: When I changed the batteries in the carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarms and what kinds of batteries they take, the phone numbers to all of our utility companies along with our account numbers, all of our doctor information can be found under "D", what size filter our furnace takes, the brand, name and number of my hair color, insurance company and policy information, what magazines we receive and when the subscription expires because they always send the renewals months and months in advance, the list of the Willow Trees I already have (for easy shopping for my honey) and so much more!
See how cool this section is? Trust me, it will make your life easier!

For other examples of a Home Management Binder, click here, here and here to see how others have put their binders together. You can also google "Home Management Binder" and find a ton more links!

Have Fun!

Congrats Stephanie!

2010-05-25T11:42:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday my BFF's daughter a.k.a. my beautiful niece, Stephanie, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Westminster College. It was a wet and rainy day but didn't dampen how proud we all were and are of her!

Congrats Stephanie!
It's been a pleasure watching you grow and blossom into a wonderful person!
I can't wait to see what you do now!

The super proud parents (Brian and Susan) with their graduate!

Just us girls!

This is Shannon with Steph. They met on the first day of college and has been the best of buds ever since.

Have Fun!

Is This a Test?

2010-05-21T11:55:00.006-04:00

Seriously. Am I being tested?

Does someone up there want to see how much I can handle?

If so, I say BRING IT ON!

Today I am dealing with a flat tire on the van...pretty isn't it?

I am also dealing with a leaky bathtub faucet...which we found out was leaking because the ceiling in our living room started to drip. The ceiling is now water logged and that corner will need to be replaced. And before you ask...No, we didn't see a watermark on the ceiling! You see when we moved in there was a watermark from a previous bathtub leak that was fixed. We painted the ceiling with Zinsser Stain Killer Primer and let me tell you...that stuff works. It covered everything including the new leak. UGH!

They say when trouble comes, it comes in threes. Well. I also broke a nail down to the flesh. It didn't bleed but you can see it wanted to and it hurts really, really bad! And of course it's the thumb on my right hand...and I'm right handed so I use that hand a lot. Sadness.

I am hoping that's all the trouble that will be thrown my way this week because if that's what you've got, then I can handle it! Even though all of the above stinks, I'm trying to look on the bright side. First and foremost, we are all healthy, happy and together. Secondly, the tire can be replaced (I needed two new back ones anyway). Thirdly, the faucet and ceiling can be repaired. Actually, I've been on the fence about repainting the living room so now my decision has been made for me. I'll plan that for a fun fall project. Also, since the water dripped onto my silk tree (yes, I still have silk!), I took it outside to clean it which caused a domino effect and now all my silk greenery is pretty again! And lastly, I'll trim my other nails so my little nubby thumb nail won't look like a runt and with shorter nails I'll be able to type faster so I can blog more! :)

See. It's not all so bad when you break it down! Me freaking out would just make it worse and I would still have a flat tire, leaky faucet, water logged ceiling and a broken nail! So what would be the point?!?

Have Fun!

Flowers, Paint and a Little Handprint!

2010-05-20T14:34:00.009-04:00

We have had rain for quite some time that I never thought I would be able to get my front flower bed done.

Thankfully yesterday we had a beautiful day so I quickly got to work!

My Mom had picked up some geraniums for me so all I had to do was run over to the nursery and get some filler flowers. I then had to clean out all the old leaves behind my lilac bush and arborvitae, lay mulch and plant all of my flowers. I also painted my little ice cream parlor chair a beautiful Blue Ocean Breeze by Krylon. It's hard to tell in the pic but it is so vivid!

Here is my finished project. The sun wasn't cooperating so the pictures aren't that bright but if you click on them, you might get a better look. Please ignore the shutters...the home owner's association still can't agree what to do with them! Geez! Just paint them or let us get new ones! It's not that big of a deal!

I can't wait for the flowers to grow! There are a couple of trailing flowers in the pot on the chair so when they fill in, they are going to be everywhere!

The gazing ball was my Aunt Carole's. She past away several years ago and it was handed down to me. I haven't had it out the last couple of years for whatever reason. I am so glad I brought it out. It makes me smile when I see it.

A close up of the pot and chair. As you can see, I didn't sand the chair or anything before I painted it. I love the rustic look and I can't wait for some of the rust to peek through!

I love to pack the pots full of flowers! I usually start with a geranium in the middle and then build around it with different levels of flowers. It is so beautiful when it fills in but you have to be sure to water it every day since there are so many plants in it.

I picked this pot up at a local drug store many years ago. It's one of my favorites. I didn't have a geranium for this one so I just planted all the leftover flowers from the six packs in it.

This is one of the rose bushes I received a few Mother's Days ago. I believe this one is cream colored and the other one on the other side of the chair is a salmon color. It was supposed to be yellow but I think it cross-bred with a red one that used to grow there.

We made this back when Allison was four, I think. It was a nice find in the basement since I never had it out before.

One of my lilacs. They are a very whitish-lilac in color. It's supposed to be a dwarf bush but gets bigger and bigger every year!

My Mom got me this chicken planter when we first moved in here. It's not very big so I only put one geranium in it.

This is another pot like the one on the chair except for the trailing flowers. I have this sitting in between our two townhouse doors.

A top view. I'll have to be sure to take pics later this season and post them. I can't wait for these to fill in!

Aww, Mr. Bunny is stopping by to say "Hi!"

Have Fun!

Tap! Tap!

2010-05-20T10:08:00.003-04:00

Is this thing on? Is anyone out there?

I've been on an unplanned, self induced bloggy break for over a month now so I don't know how many of you have been stopping by or not.

I do know that I feel loved. Loved and cared for by many of you out there that have taken the time to email me and ask if everything was okay. You all have touched me dearly!

Yes, everything is okay...well for the most part. I'm not sick or anything...which of course is a good thing. I've just been looking for a job and it's not fun! I haven't job searched in over 17 years and boy, have things changed!

I'm not going to go into detail but most places want you to apply online these days which takes like 2 hours for each place...since they want more than just your resume. This, of course, is in addition to utilizing all the employment places on the web to find open positions. So, as you can imagine, it wasn't too long before I got sick of sitting here in front of the computer! At one point, I had enough of it and didn't feel like typing up any blog posts! It seemed like my only communication with the outside world was the few minutes that I would wonder over to facebook for a little friendship. Anyway. I haven't found a job yet and could really use your prayers, well wishes and positive thoughts. :)

I have missed blogging and I'm glad I'm back! I've had so much to share and hopefully, I'll be able to get caught up on things. Some of the emails have asked about my binder system. Yes. I will be finishing those over the next two Wednesdays. Next week will be my Home Management Binder and then I'll finish up with my Financial Binder.

I also have a ton of recipes to share on my cooking blog but I'm not sure how frequently I'll be sharing those. I'll let you know here when I post a new recipe over there. Speaking of which, I posted one there today so head on over and see what we had for dinner last night. Yummy!

Thanks again for sticking around, caring and making me feel special. I appreciate and love every one of you! Also, I am hoping to have another post up later today so if you feel like peeking into my relatively boring but happy life, stop by for another visit!

Have Fun!

I'm Lovin' Cousins!

2010-04-09T07:03:00.005-04:00

It's "I'm Lovin' it Fridays" at Tidy Mom and this week,

I'm Lovin' Cousins!

This picture was taken on this past Easter Sunday. It's of my Allison on the left and my brother's daughter, Mya, on the right. They were born in the same week. Allison on a Monday and then Mya on Friday.

I love that they love each other and can't wait to see each other. We live about an hour apart so they don't get to see each other a whole lot. Hopefully this summer will be different. She has two cousins on my side and 11 on Daddy's side but they live all over the country so we don't get to see them too often. :(

I love it when they first see each other! It's squeals and chatter that never seems to stop! Since Allison is an only child, I'm glad they are building a bond because it will last her a lifetime.

We didn't live anywhere close to any of my cousins which now makes me sad. I wish we were closer to family but it didn't work out that way. Oh well, that's in the past now.

I do remember I couldn't wait for holidays! Yes, Santa and the Easter Bunny was top on my list but what I remember most was playing with my cousins when we went back home to where my parents grew up to visit family.

Good times. Good, good times!

I believe I had around 15 cousins on my Dad's side but these are the cousins I remember most. They were the same or around our ages and I can remember laughing and playing for hours!

Top row: Cousin Mark, Cousin Carla, my sister, Alesia, Cousin Bryan.
Bottom row: Me, Cousin Patti and my brother, Albert.

There were only 3 cousins on my Mom's side. This picture shows two of them since my brother and their brother wasn't born yet.

Left to right: My sister, Alesia, Cousin Kimmy, Me and Cousin Debbie.

I have wonderful memories with all of my cousins and although I don't see them or talk to them very much these days, they all hold a special place in my heart.

I can only pray for Allison to feel the same way!

Click on the button below to see what others are lovin' today!

Have Fun!

Home is. . .An Easter Memory!

2010-04-07T08:05:00.006-04:00

Hey Friends!

If you are here for Part 4 of the "Binders Can Organize Your Life" Series, I'm sorry but I've moved it to next Wednesday. I tried and tried to upload the pics yesterday and last night and nothing. :( I don't have time to mess with it today so please come back next week. I promise if I have to take my sd card to Walmart, have them printed and then scan them so that I can do the entry next week, then that is exactly what I will do!

So. Today over at Sandy's Reluctant Entertainer site, it's "Home is. . ." day and the theme is an Easter memory.

There are lots of memories from Sunday as it was a wonderful and beautiful day!

However, I think the most we laughed was when Curtis, my brother, Albert, and I played kick ball with the three kids. THANK GOODNESS there are no pictures of that!

Another belly laugh moment was when I gave my sister's dog, Ginger, her treat bag. I just set it down and opened the zippered bag inside so she could smell it. She went crazy trying to get to it because, of course, Aunt Cindi gets her the best treats! I get them for her every holiday at a local pet store. Some lady sells her homemade dog treats dipped in yogurt there and Ginger just loves them!

Ooohhh! What in there?

I've got to get it out of that bag!

Hmm, maybe it will just jump out.
Come on little treat of yumminess! Come to Ma Ma!

Well, that didn't work!
I guess I'm just going to have to go in and get it myself!

Score!
Aunt Cindi is the best!

I know. . . it's a silly Easter memory but Ginger is a part of the family and the kid's loved watching her dig for her treat.

Click below to see what other Easter memories were made this year.

Have Fun!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Have a Blessed Day!

286 with Google Reader!

2010-04-03T10:27:00.006-04:00

Yes, 286!

That's 286 blog updates that were in my Google Reader when I opened it up this morning!

If you don't know what Google Reader is, it's a website where all of the new posts from the blogs I follow are collected so I don't have to click on each blog separately. It's really been a time saver for me since I follow so many blogs. I can just zip right through them. I can also "star" items that I like for future reference. Another feature I just discovered is that I can search for an item from just the blogs that I have in my reader. . . which is really nice because it cuts out all of that extra stuff that you get when you google something.

Anyway. If you are thinking that I read 286 blogs and there are 286 posts, your sadly mistaken. I will say that I probably follow over 125 blogs which may sound like it takes up a lot of time but it doesn't with Google Reader. Did you notice that I say "follow" the blogs and not read them? If it's a post that doesn't interest me like let's say a salmon recipe, I move on to the next blog post. It's just as you would do reading a magazine or the newspaper. I also like that I can read a few and then come back at a later time and it keeps my place so to speak. I mean, I can find exactly where I left off and not click on a blog to see if it's been updated only to find out that I've read everything on there.

I guess you could say that Google Reader is sort of like a magazine or all my favorite magazines rolled into one. It has decorating ideas, recipes, gardening, crafts, family & child ideas, entertaining, tips, money saving ideas and all of my other interests all in one place . . . and all by my favorite writers that I've come to trust over the years!

Here is sort of what it looks like. I found this image on google images. It shows you on the left the items that you follow and then on the right is where each post is shown. You can click on the post to go to the site if you want to leave a comment. If there is a way to leave a comment while in Google Reader, I haven't figured that out. If any of you know out there in blogland, please let me know!

Have Fun!

I'm Lovin' My At Home Instant Manicure!

2010-04-02T07:06:00.008-04:00

You know when you go to the salon to have a manicure and they rub that stuff all over your hands that makes them feel amazing? You know the stuff. That special product they have that gets rid of all the dead skin cells and moisturizes your hands with all those essential oils?

Ya, THAT stuff!

Isn't it wonderful?

Yes, I love it too but going to the salon every week for that is not in my budget nor do I have the time to spare every week either.

Not to worry, though! I found. . . well okay, my BFF, Susan, found an at home treatment that I think is even better!

Here's my pic. Yes I know. It's a bad pic. The lighting was bad, the camera wasn't cooperating and I was getting frustrated! So, I went to the company's website and "borrowed" their pics of the products. What? I know I didn't ask but I'm giving them credit so I think it should be okay. As you an see the packaging has changed a little but the product is still the same.

The first product is the "Instant Manicure" and this is the stuff that is AMAZING! All you do is open the container, stir it around with a spoon because the oils and salts settle, spoon a 1/2 teaspoon into the palm of your hand, rub it gentle all over your hands and cuticles, rinse with warm water, pat dry and apply the "Extreme Repair" hand creme below. You will be shocked at how wonderful your hands feel and smell! I keep mine by my kitchen sink and do the treatment at least once a week. You can even use the product on your elbows or feet if you like.

Photo Credit: Beauticontrol

Here's what BeautiControl has to say about their "Instant Manicure" product: "BC Spa Manicure Instant Manicure softens and moisturizes your hands and cuticles with Dead Sea salts that gently exfoliate dead skin cells. You will experience the wonders of natural oils as they nourish, moisturize and help protect your hands and nails. Made with a variety of organic oils to create a protective barrier; amino acids to promote nail growth and add strength to nails and cuticles, this product is perfect for anyone who is experiencing dry, flaky and chapped hands."

Photo Credit: Beauticontrol

And here is what they say about their "Extreme Repair" hand creme: "The skin on your hands is especially susceptible to damage. That's why we've created BC Spa Manicure Extreme Repair Hand Creme. With this amazing product, you can soften and smooth your hands while delivering moisture to protect against dehydration and the signs of future damage."

As you can see I LOVE these products! They are superb products at a great price. I don't thing you could go wrong if you treat yourself to both of these. You can order them online through BeautiControl or email me and I can hook you up with my Spa Consultant.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop over at Tidy Mom's place by clicking on the button below to see what others are lovin' on this Friday!

Have Fun!

Home is. . .

2010-03-31T09:28:00.005-04:00

Wow! Two posts in one day! Someone alert the news!

Sandy over at Reluctant Entertainer is starting a weekly "Home is. . ." linky party on Wednesdays and I wanted to party with her. . . thus the reason for the second post. Sandy is the ultimate homemaker and hostess. She has a wealth of great ideas and information for entertaining simply on her site. You really should go check her out. She shows you that you don't have to have fancy china, crystal wine glasses, a ton of money or a caterer to entertain wonderfully. It's not about the stuff and fancy gourmet food but about the experience with family and friends! Let Sandy show you how and click on the button at the bottom of this post!

Every week Sandy is setting the theme for her "Home is. . ." party. I really love this idea! It makes you slow down, think and look at something that you may not have noticed otherwise.

So this week's theme is "Home is. . .a delicious scent."

A delicious scent. When I said that out loud to myself, I immediately thought of candles. I burn one every day. I just started burning a new one yesterday. . . Mango Cooler. Yummy!

However, I didn't want candles to be my "Home is. . ." feature today. I wanted something that I most likely overlooked before. . . something that made me appreciate something I had overlooked.

And then it hit me!

Breakfast!

Not just any breakfast but an eggs, toast and bacon breakfast!

And not just any eggs, toast and bacon but my Mom's eggs, toast and bacon!

I can almost smell it now! Yum!

Honestly, how often do you make all three in the mornings?

If you are like us, you don't. Life is just too busy that we don't have the time to dirty a pan for the bacon, a pan for the eggs and then have to clean up the stove top from frying the bacon before we scurry off to work and school.

It's also not the most healthiest of breakfasts anyway.

The picture above is of a breakfast I made for myself. It's a bacon and cheddar omelette with a side of orange marmalade toast. This is not what I'm talking about when I talk about my Mom's. She makes us dippy eggs with our toast and bacon.

What are dippy eggs? Apparently you are not from Western Pennsylvania if you have to ask. :)
Yum! They are eggs over medium and cooked just enough to make the whites not runny. . . so you can "dip" your toast into the yolk.

I don't remember how often she used to make this breakfast for us. Maybe it's more of a grown up memory because every time we go back home to visit and spend the night, she is sure to be waking us up to the smell of bacon coming from her country kitchen.

It's amazing how a little thing like a home cooked breakfast made by your Mother to make you feel like a spoiled kid again!

Have Fun!

Binders Can Organize Your Life Series! ~ Part 3

2010-03-31T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Part 3 in the "Binders Can Organized Your Life Series." It's the Child Edition - Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Information.

If you missed Part 1, you can click on the first link below to take you there and to see why I'm doing this series and how I store my binders. The second link will take you to Part 2.

Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes

Part 2 ~ Crafts, Gifts & Tips and Christmas Planner.

There are 2 more weeks of binders and here is the schedule for the next 2 Wednesdays:
Part 4 ~ Home Management Binder
Part 5 ~ Financial Budget Binder

Okay! Let's get started on The Child Edition!

If you have kids, you know they bring enough paper home to wallpaper the whole house. . . on a weekly basis! Seriously, it can just pile up if you don't take control.

I created binders for each activity that my daughter participates in. However, as I was taking this picture, I realized there wasn't very much inside these binders. Each activity certainly doesn't warrant having a binder of it's own. So with that being said, this week I am going to downsize it all into one binder with tab dividers. I've been needing to make a binder for her gymnastics anyway, so now I can just consolidate all of Allison's activities into one binder.

What do I keep in these? I keep anything that has to do with that activity. Phone lists, schedules, copies of forms filled out, etc. If you have more than one child, make a binder for each one. It will definitely cut down on all that paper clutter!

Let's get on to the "School Info" binder!

This binder has saved my life! Well. Not really. BUT it has kept me organized with all the goings on of school stuff. I have made one of these binders every year since Allison started school. I will tell you that I touch this binder every day! It is my most frequently used binder. I don't keep them every year because as you'll see, it's not necessary to keep all of what I put in there. I just keep reusing the binder every year. A little note here is that I use a 2" binder for this one. I use to use a 1" but as she has moved along in school, there seems to be more that comes home.

This is the cover. I have Allison's name, the name of the school, the grade, the teacher and so on. You could probably leave it plain but I like to pretty things up. :)

This is the inside front cover. In the pocket, I keep all the report cards for the quarters, any certificates, results of any assessments and any receipts for monies sent (i.e. yearbook, logo merchandise, after school activities, fundraisers, etc). I also keep anything that I haven't read yet that came from the school. As you can see there is a letter from the Principal about the upcoming PSSA which is next week. I have since read that and moved it to it's appropriate section.

Here is the right side when you open the front cover. I keep a 3 hole punch right in front. This keeps me from laying things down until I can run and get the big 3 whole punch and then never going to get it. . . and then I end up with a big pile on the counter! Under that and in front of the first tab divider is where I keep the school calendar. I just cut it apart and 3 hole punched it. We have 11 elementary schools in our district so I go through the calendar at the beginning of the school year and highlight in yellow anything that pertains to our school. If it's a very important thing like early dismissal or a no school day, I trace the outside of the yellow highlighted item in green highlighter so I will be sure not to miss it. I also transfer those important items into my calendar that I carry with me so I have it on my "main" calendar when I'm making appointments and such. Since I write notes about snow days and when we make them up, I move the page of the month we just ended to the back of the other calendar pages.

Also, behind the school calendar, is the monthly school lunch menu. Allison takes her lunch every day but I still keep it just in case and throw it out at the end of the month. This has come in handy for the 3 times she did buy her lunch this year.

My 5 tabs for this binder are: Class Info, Spelling Words, School Info, PTO Info and Handbook.

I didn't take pics of every section but here is the first section. It's Class Info and I keep any items that pertain to her class. Announcements from the teacher, family letters on what they are working on, their daily schedule, etc. The Spelling Word section is just that. . . their spelling word lists so I can go back periodically and spot quiz Allison. The School Info section is any letters or information that comes home from the school itself. . . bus assignment, letters from the Principal, etc. The PTO Info section is for all the newsletters and info that come home from the PTO. The last section is for the school Handbook. They send home a new one every year so I just tear it apart and 3 hole punch it and put it in the back so I know where it is when I need it.

The back pocket of the binder holds the PTO Handbook since it's too small to 3 hole punch it.

That's it. That's my binder! I keep it on the corner of my kitchen counter. It's just under the bulletin board where I keep the current spelling words or papers of upcoming activities before they get filed in the binder.

What? What's that you ask?
Where do I put all of the work papers and tests that Allison bring home?

Ooooh, you are asking about the 876 papers that come home in ONE DAY?

Well. Do you see that basket in the picture above?

Yes, that's the one. The pretty one.

It houses all of my active files that I use frequently. That's a whole other post but a couple of folders in that basket are for Allison's work papers and tests. I look at them when they come home and then place them in the files. At the end of the quarter, I go through them and decide what I want to keep and then the keepers get put into my file box that I keep in my Command Center. If you can throw them out, more power to you. I'm a little more emotionally attached to anything my daughter completes. I find that if I wait and have a whole stack, I become more detached to them. However, I would recommend not throwing out the tests until after the grading period. Everyone makes mistakes and a teacher can make one recording your child's grade. You want to make sure you have the back-up to support any incorrect grade.

I hope you enjoyed Part 3 in the "Binders Can Organize Your Life Series" and be sure to come back next Wednesday for Part 4.

You can become a follower or just come back to:

Works-for-me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
or
Show and Tell Wednesday with Blue Cricket Design.

I'll be sharing this series at both places.

Have Fun!

A Conversation to Remember!

2010-03-29T11:41:00.004-04:00

There are so many times during the week that Allison says something that makes Curtis and I look at each other with a "wow, how does she know that?" look on our faces.

She loves learning and her books of choice are non-fiction. She has two shelves on her bookcase that are strictly reference books. They are filled with encyclopedias, dictionaries and fact based books that interest her.

Her favorite television programs are on Discovery, TLC, History and Food Network. She could care less about cartoons, Hannah Montana or any of those other programs geared towards kids her age.

She remembers everything she reads or hears and uses that knowledge to carry on adult conversations when it's appropriate. It's like living with a little grown up!

We, obviously, are very proud of her. However, to be honest here, we sometimes forget that she's only 8 years old. Therefore, when a conversation like the following happens, it's a gentle reminder of how innocent and young she actually is.

A Conversation between Mommy and Allison while walking home from the bus stop last week.

Allison: "Hey Mom, I think when I'm 16 I'll be having a baby."

Mom: "What? Why would you think that?"
(I was calm to her but freaking inside!)

Allison: "Well. I know you get a baby by hanging around boys and I have a lot of friends that are boys so I'll probably have a baby when I'm 16."

Mom: "Well Allison. You are right that you need a boy to have a baby but you don't get a baby by just having boys as friends . . . and we'll talk more about that when you are older."

Allison: "Okay Mom. Can I play outside for a little?"

Whew! I know it won't be long until I'll have to go into more detail but for now, I would like to keep her my little girl for just a while longer.

Have Fun!

Three Lovely Ladies!

2010-03-28T20:53:00.004-04:00

Since we had some snow on Friday, there hasn't been any yard sales yet this year for us. I've been stopping by the Goodwill a couple of times a week but nothing there seems to be jumping in my cart.

I think I've just gotten more selective in my older age. If I don't have a use for it or if I don't have a specific place for it, then it's not coming home with me!

I've also been planning my own yard sale and trying to declutter this house so that is probably another reason why nothing has appealed to me lately either.

I did pick these 3 lovely plaques up late last fall for $0.99 each at the Goodwill! Yes! I said LOVELY! Just wait, the next time you see these ladies, they will have a fresh look and be gorgeous! I had in my mind where I could use two but I thought I would go ahead and take the third one home with me for that price. I'm planning on using these ladies in my living room when I finally redo it. I can see them painted black, can't you?

Click on the button below to see what other Thrifty Treasures were found by other thrifters this week.

Have Fun!

I'm Lovin' Family Fun Magazine and Website!

2010-03-26T04:46:00.007-04:00

One of my favorite magazines of all time is Family Fun.

I LOVE this magazine!

If you have kids and don't subscribe to this magazine, then you are missing out on some easy Family Fun!

Heck, even if you don't have kids but know one, you need to get this magazine!

This is the April 2010 issue. I just received mine in the mail the other day so it should be on the magazine racks now.

Family Fun Magazine is put out by Disney but it's not filled with Disney stuff. Yes, of course there are ads for Disney. However, as I quickly flip through it, I see an ad for the Disney Channel, the Disney Cruise line and one where Verizon has Disney characters in their ad. To be honest here, I don't even notice the ads since there are SO MANY AWESOME IDEAS to do with or for your kids!

I'm not quite through this issue but let me share with you some things that caught my attention:

Constellation Collaboration - an instant fun idea to foster you kids' imagination and create constellations from star stickers.
Keep It Under Your Cap - recycle bottle caps into fun magnets for your fridge.
Their readers always have great tips too. One I really like this month is "Pay the Maid." It's a cute clever way to help your child put their toys away. . . and you're the maid!
"Green" crafts - this is so up my Allison's alley!
Kitchen Concoctions - one of the ideas is how to make a lava lamp. Fun!
Secrets of Organized Homes - can't wait to read this one!
Kid recipes for making brunch - doesn't gingerbread waffles sound yummy?
Fun for Little Ones - these are ideas for kids 5 and under.

If you have been following my blog recently, you know that I'm a ripper and rip things out of magazines and store them in my binder system. Well. I DO NOT rip anything out of these magazines. Nope! There are just too many ideas . . . I would be creating another magazine!

I store the whole magazine in magazine holders grouped by issue. . . all the January issues are together, the February issues are together and so on and so forth. So for example, if I want ideas for Easter, I grab all of the issues that have Easter ideas in them (probably March - April) and go through them quickly. I always find an idea or two or three that may not have been age appropriate when she was 2 but we can now do when she is 8.

Oh, they also have a website and you can find it by clicking here. It's filled with a ton of information too! Are you having a Princess party for your little girl? You can find how to make a cake in the shape of a castle there. How about a Halloween costumes? It's where I found the idea and instructions on how to make Allison's mouse costume when she was little. If you go over there now, you'll find some fun ideas for April Fool's Day to fool your family.

How about a piece of Chicken Not-Pie?
(Photo Credit: Family Fun)

It's actually pudding, candies and a banana!
Fun! Fun! Fun!

Okay! Don't you want this magazine NOW?

Besides picking it up at the magazine rack for a few dollars, why not go ahead and get a subscription. You will NOT regret it. I promise you that!

It's $10 for a year's subscription on their website BUT if you go to www.magazines.com and order it there, it is $9.95. HOWEVER, if you order it before April 17, 2010 and use the code, SpringMags, you will pay $4.95 for the whole year! Yippee!!! BUT WAIT, if you want an even better deal and you are a UPROMISE member, you can order it through their website by clicking through to magazines.com and use the code, UPMAG5off, and you will still pay $4.95 but you will get 30% back on your child's college fund. So with $1.49 going into the college fund, it actually will cost you $3.46 for the whole year! Now that's a bargain!

I hope I have you lovin' Family Fun Magazine and website!

Stop over at Tidy Mom's place by clicking the button below to see what others are lovin' on this Friday!

Have Fun!

Binders Can Organize Your Life Series! ~ Part 2

2010-03-24T12:36:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Part 2 in the "Binders Can Organized Your Life Series."

If you missed Part 1, you can click on the link below to take you there and to see why I'm doing this series and how I store my binders.
Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes

This week I'm sharing my "Crafts, Gifts & Tips" binder and my "Christmas Planner" binder.

There are 3 more weeks of binders and here is the schedule for the next 3 Wednesdays:
Part 3 ~ The Child Edition ~ Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Info Binder
Part 4 ~ Home Management Binder
Part 5 ~ Financial Budget Binder

First let me say that I'm so sorry I'm late in posting this today. I usually like to post in the morning but yesterday I was a bit under the weather and didn't feel like getting to the computer. I'm sorry about the quality of these pics. The camera and the sunlight just didn't want to cooperate with me today. :(

This first binder up today is my "Crafts, Gifts & Tips" binder. It is where I put all of those amazingly clever ideas that I love and know I will use or want to reference some day. Again, I use a front view binder and made a cover and spine insert using images I found on Google Images.

My sections for this one are: Mom's Tips (This isn't tips for Moms but tips for this Mom. Things like painting tricks, organizing ideas, etc.), Cleaning Tips (everything from how to clean windows to how to whiten doilies), Gift Ideas (self-explanatory), Kid Stuff (any craft ideas for kids or good ideas to do for kids) and MCNO Ideas (Mom's Craft Night Out which is a craft night I do with my friends and I'm in charge of the craft. You can read more about it here.)

Here is a view of the inside. This is a page in the Kid Stuff section. As you can see, I just cut the idea out of a magazine. If it's not a whole page, I use glue stick to paste it on a piece of copy paper.

This is "My Christmas Planner." It's where I keep everything I do for Christmas so I don't forget anything that's important. It drives me crazy when I forget something and this binder helps me to remember all those things my memory forgets.

My sections for this one are: Gift List, Card List, Tradition/Memories, Decorations and Recipes & Menus.

When I converted my closet into a Command Center last month, I cleaned out this binder so there really isn't a whole lot to show you. I actually got the idea of a Christmas Planner in 2003 from a Family Fun Magazine (love that magazine!) and modeled mine after their suggestions. Here is a link that will take you to the online article. A couple of differences I made to mine were: 1. I added Traditions to the Memories section because traditions are very important to me and I don't want to forget one in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. 2. The other difference is the Decorations section. This section holds all of the decoration ideas and such that I currently do. Any ideas that I've cut out of magazines and such, go into my Holiday Ideas binder that I shared with you last week. After I've tried them and liked them, they get transferred to here.

Here is the inside back of my binder. It holds a zippered pocket that I use to keep my receipts so they are easily found for returns or exchanges.

I hope you enjoyed Part 2 in the "Binders Can Organize Your Life Series" and be sure to come back next Wednesday for Part 3.

You can become a follower or just come back to:

Works-for-me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
or
Show and Tell Wednesday with Blue Cricket Design.

I'll be sharing this series at both places.

Have Fun!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall!

2010-03-21T21:06:00.006-04:00

I'm linking up with Rhoda's "Today's Thrifty Treasures" party over at Southern Hospitality to show a couple of thrifty treasures I picked up. Click on the button below to take you to Rhoda's site to see what other treasure have been found.

I remember years ago my Mom having a mirror on her wall like these. It was probably sometime in the 1970's. Do any of you remember these?

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this one but I couldn't pass up the price of $5!

I paid $6 for this one and I'm planning on painting this one black and using it above my table in the foyer.

I actually bought another one of these last year and painted it a bright, bright green for my daughter's room. I know it seems a little much but she's 8 years old and loves it and that's all that matters to me!

Have Fun!

3 and 6636!

2010-03-21T09:21:00.000-04:00

As I wrote yesterday, Rita's was giving away a free Italian ice to celebrate the first day of spring.

I had this crazy idea to walk to Rita's. It's not that close but I thought I could do it. I asked Curtis what he thought and he said I would never make it. Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence honey . . . NOT!

Well Curtis went over to his brother's to work on his car and left us alone for the day.

I debated walking there several times during the day and decided that it was probably a bad idea. You see, I'm a realist and although inside I feel like I'm in my 20's, I know I'm not and certainly not in the shape I was then either. I know it's in my control and I know I can lose the extra fluff but I have to be there in my mind and I'm not quite there yet.

Okay, let's move along here.

Allison apparently overheard Curtis and I talking about it earlier and made the decision that we were going to walk. :( She said, "Come on, Mom! You want to lose some pounds, so you can just walk them off!" Oh boy, I wish it was that easy! Anyway. After much persuading from her, I agreed.

Eight, yes 8 minutes into the walk, I was regretting my decision. It's not because I was out of breath or tired yet but because when we turned the corner onto a side road, all I saw was a long road with a hill at the end. Hmm, I take Allison to school every morning on that road and never noticed that hill before! Oh well. I promised Allison and I didn't want to look like a wimp in her eyes and turn back now . . . at least not 8 minutes into the trip!

I'm happy to say that I made it! It wasn't as bad as I thought and I was feeling sort of proud. That was until we turned right at the end of that road and saw even a BIGGER hill! No problem! This was about a 1/2 mile hill but we were walking down it so I knew I could handle it. I bet you know what I was secretly fearing inside though! YES, that we had to walk UP it on the way home! Goodness! What have I gotten myself into?!?!?

Well we arrived at Rita's and stood in line. When it was our turn to approach the window, I couldn't move. My legs felt a little weird and sort of jello-like. I said a quick prayer and was able to make it to the window without falling. They didn't have many flavors left since this was in the evening but I picked blue raspberry and Allison got one side of her cup filled with chocolate chocolate chip and the other with s'mores. There wasn't any place to sit so we walked over to a shopping plaza and sat on the curb.

I explained to Allison that "Mommy isn't going to make it up that hill." and that I was going to call our neighbor Audrey to come and get us. She refused and told me that I could do it. She said the people on the Biggest Loser work harder than walking up that hill and that I was in better shape than those people. She said that it wouldn't be that bad and we could take breaks if we needed it. Wow! Hey Jillian & Bob! If you need an assistant, I've got one right here for you!

Okay. I decided that I would do this for Allison. After all, I made it this far so why not go for the gold and show Allison to push through things you are afraid of doing!

However, In the back of my mind I was a little . . . okay, a lot afraid of passing out or something. So, being the practical Mother that I am, I asked Allison if she knew how to call 911 on my cell phone? She said, "Oh of course, it's 9 - 1 - 1." I explained that she had to push send after that. I also coached her on the name of the road we would be walking. She then looked at me and asked, "Should I start CPR until they get here?" LOL! Love that kid!

Well, I'm ecstatic to report that I MADE IT! We only stopped twice up that hill at 2 intersecting side roads before crossing. I took that opportunity to catch my breath. Honestly, it was in no way as bad as I thought it would be! It was actually easier than the first hill on the way to Rita's even though this one was bigger.

When we were minutes from home, Allison said this has been the best weekend ever. First, she got to go to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" on Friday after school and then today (Saturday), she got to go on a long walk with her Mom to get free Rita's. I am SO glad I pushed myself . . . not only for her but for me.

Oh, and the title of this post . . . 3 is for the three miles that we walked and 6636 is the number of steps I walked. I'm so happy I put on my pedometer before we left. I now have a new goal to beat!

Have Fun!

First Day of Spring & A Freebie to Celebrate It!

2010-03-20T09:17:00.003-04:00

Yippee! It's here! The First Day of Spring is here!!

Can you tell I'm excited???

I can't wait to get outside and clean up out there and do a couple of projects! I've made my list and hopefully, I'll be getting to it this week sometime!

One thing I know we'll be doing today is heading on over to Rita's Italian Ice for our FREE Italian Ice to celebrate the first day of spring! Yes, that's right. They give out a FREE Italian Ice to whoever stops by one of their locations today.

Click here to find a location near you!

Allison's favorite is Watermelon, Curtis loves Blue Raspberry and my preference is Georgia Peach. YUM! I hope they have our flavors today!

Have Fun!

I'm Lovin' My Mom!

2010-03-19T05:48:00.006-04:00

Cheryl over at Tidy Mom is one of my favorite bloggers. I can really relate to what she writes about so when she started up a new blog party every Friday, I knew I wanted to join her fun.

Her bog party is titled "I'm Lovin' It Fridays" . . . very cute idea!

Anyway, sometimes I prewrite blog entries and set them post at a scheduled time but I thought with this one, I would think about what I'm lovin' at this moment in time and write about it. So, with that being said....

I'm Lovin' My Mom today!

Yes, of course, I love my Mom every day but I especially do at this moment in time and so today I want to celebrate her!

Here she is last month with my daughter. Please ignore the fact that she is gambling with my daughter by doing scratch off tickets with her. She loves doing them with Allison because she is so lucky and Allison understands how each one of them works. And yes, they did win . . . $10!

Anyway, I hit yet another speed bump of life last night and was feeling like I couldn't get a break. I usually can go with the flow and roll with the punches but last night hit me different. I thought I had something settled with our insurance companies for Allison that I've had to deal with for 1 1/2 months only to find out that "there's a problem" with the insurance again. Seriously, I can't take much more of this! I was feeling really beaten down last night and I called my Mom. Not because she could fix it but because she's well, my Mom. She let me cry uncontrollably and soothed me over the phone. She just listened, asked questions, offered suggestions and told me she loved me.

She's one wonderful Mom!

I've said it before here on my blog that all I ever wanted to be for as long as I can remember was a Mom. I know it was because of her example and love that made the job seem so wonderful. She raised and guided three totally different individuals into adult hood and is still there for us the moment we need her.

She taught me how to be a Mom . . . how to worship, how to cook, how to decorate, how to clip coupons, how to plant flowers, how to have parties, how to iron, how to be Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, how to be frugal and resourceful, how to never settle for less than my best, how to have faith and she taught me how to love unconditionally.

One particular time stands out in my mind more than any other when I think about my Mom supporting me. I was in the labor/delivery room and my best friend had cleared everyone out of the room so I could have a few minutes alone with my Mom. She asked me how I was doing and I started to cry. I told her that I didn't know if I could do this. She said I didn't have a choice right now. I told her that I wasn't talking about delivering the baby but about being a Mom. She gave a me a little laugh and said "Oh Cindi, you'll do just fine. I never worried about you being a Mom."

Wow! What life changing words for me! Knowing that she believed in me gave me all the confidence in the world!

I can only pray and hope that I am everything to Allison that my Mom is to me!

If you want to see what others are lovin' click on the button above.

Have Fun!

Binders Can Organize Your Life Series! ~ Part 1

2010-03-17T06:30:00.010-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I found out I won 1st Place in the Organizing Junkie's 28 Day Organizing Challenge for making over our hall coat closet to a new Command Center.
Of course I was so excited because I don't win anything. So let me take a minute to toot my own horn. Toot, Toot!

Okay. Now that that is over, let me get on with this post. As a result of my win, I had dozens of comments and questions on my binder system which has saved my life! Well, not really but you know what I mean, right? So in an effort to help all the women out there (and some men) have a little peace in their lives, I am going to share with you what my Binder System is all about. Since there are so many, I will do it in a 5 Part Series over the next 5 Wednesdays.

Binders Can Organize Your Life Series
Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes
Part 2 ~ Crafts, Gifts & Tips and Christmas Planner
Part 3 ~ The Child Edition ~ Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Info Binder
Part 4 ~ Home Management Binder
Part 5 ~ Financial Budget Binder

Let's get started with Part 1:

This is one of two of my Manual & Warranties Binders. Why do I have 2? Well because it tends to get a little heavy if you put them all in one binder. I use HEAVY DUTY 2 inch binders. I didn't spend the money on view binders since we rarely use the manuals but you know you need to keep them. As you can see they are nothing special. I just put a P-Touch label along the spine as you can see in the picture above.

Here's the side view showing you it can get pretty thick. If it was a bigger binder, it becomes hard to handle. Trust me on this, I know from experience . . . well, it just makes sense, right.

So here is the guts of the binder. I put HEAVY DUTY sheet protectors in there and fill them up. It is so much easier to flip through a binder when you are looking for a manual or warranty instead of rummaging through a box or file folder. Another great tip is to put your receipt with the appliance right with the manual. I just put them inside the front cover.

Next up is my Holiday Ideas binder. As I've said in a previous post, I'm a ripper. I like to rip ideas out of magazines, newspaper or print ideas off of the computer. Now, what do you do with them once you've done the above. Do they go in a file folder or a box never to be seen again? That is exactly what used to happen to mine . . . until I created my Binder System. As you can see, I used a front view binder (I got them all on Target's clearance of the back to school stuff for under a $1) and made them pretty with a cover and spine inserts. I pulled these images off of Google Images but if you want me to email you mine, just send me an email asking for them and I'll get any or all of them out to you. They are all word documents.

I like 5 Tab index dividers. It gives you more room to write or type your tab tile than an 8 Tab index divider does. My tabs are: Winter, Valentine's Day, Spring, Easter, Summer, 4th of July, Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas.

Anything that relates to the holiday goes in that section . . . such as ideas I print off the Internet like how to make cute votives out of small jars.

Here is an example of something I "copied & pasted" from a website onto a word document and printed because sometimes when you print something from online, you get all the advertisements and junk. Isn't this Halloween costume cute? I made it for Allison several years ago but I've kept it because hopefully one day I'll have grandchildren!

In this example, I printed something off but there was all this dead space at the bottom so I just pasted with a glue stick something I cut out of a magazine.

Now in the spotlight is my Decorating Ideas Binder. There are a million and one ideas out there about decorating that I love so I've created this place to have all of my favorites in one spot.

My index tabs are: Foyer, Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room, Bedroom, Kids, Bathroom, Craft Room (I don't have one now but maybe someday. . . Allison will be going to college one day!), Garage/Storage and Outdoors.

Same idea as before . . . I cut out, paste down and then I add what I like about the pic or my idea on how I would change it.

The last binder I'm going to share with you today is "My Recipes" binder. It's nothing fancy but it serves it's purpose. I would like to make a pretty page for each recipe but I'm a realist. I have SO many recipes that I know a pretty page for each is not going to happen. I also don't use sheet protectors because my kitchen is so small, there is no room to lay the binder out in there. When I use one of the recipes, I use a magnetic clip on the refrigerator to hold the individual recipe page. In the future when I get a bigger kitchen, I'll transfer them to page protectors and get one of those pretty cookbook holders to hold my binder.

My index tabs are: Appts (Appetizers) & Party Foods, Soups & Stews, Salads & Side Dishes, Main Entrees, Cakes & Cookies, Desserts, Beverages, Kid Recipes, Holidays and Miscellaneous (tips & serving ideas like different ways to fold a napkin and such).

I use the same idea in this binder as the others. I three hole punch recipes that I've printed from the Internet. The recipe below is in my Mom's handwriting . . . I love that I'll have this forever!

This particular recipe is one of mine from my cooking blog, From The Heart of My Kitchen. I open a word document and put the picture and recipe on it and then print. I also save all of these recipes in a file on the computer so I can put together a binder of all my recipes for Allison. I'll give it to her when she moves into her first place.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 in the Binders Can Organize Your Life Series and be sure to come back next Wednesday for Part 2.

You can become a follower or just come back to:

Works-for-me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
or
Show and Tell Wednesday with Blue Cricket Design.

I'll be sharing this series at both places.

Have Fun!

An Easter Wreath ~ Revisited!

2010-03-16T01:48:00.004-04:00

Easter is just around the corner! Can you believe it? How did it get here so fast?? Thank goodness the Easter Bunny has things under control!

This week I'm joining in on Kimba's "Do it yourself day" party at her fabulous blog, A Soft Place to Land and "get your CRAFT on" at Today's Creative Blog! Stop by those blogs and see what some amazing do-it-yourselfers have done. They are the jackpot of great ideas!

I've decided to share the Easter Egg Wreath again we made last year at one of our "Mom's Craft Nights Out." It is probably the one project that I've had the most emails and visitors commenting on or asking more information on. It was SUPER easy . . . that's if you can handle a glue gun!

You can visit my original post by clicking here to see all the wreaths the Moms made and to see the tutorial on it so you can make one yourself. It's just cardboard, plastic eggs, Easter grass and ribbon. So simple and SO INEXPENSIVE . . . which is a good thing in this economy!

Have Fun!

Where Is It???

2010-03-15T06:58:00.002-04:00

If you are looking for my menu for the week, I have moved it to my cooking blog, From The Heart of My Kitchen. There's a link over there --->
or you can get to today's post by clicking here.

Have Fun!

A "HOT" Commodity??

2010-03-15T05:48:00.003-04:00

I don't know about in your house but Ice Cream Sandwiches don't last very long in this house!

I can't keep them in the freezer . . . thanks to Allison and Curtis!

I don't mind so much though . . . it's a sign that spring and summer are near!

Have Fun!

Fun Idea Cracker Barrel!

2010-03-14T05:45:00.002-04:00

If you have ever had a meal at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, then you recognize the peg game to the left. They have had this game on all their tables since the beginning.

When we were on a weekend getaway before school started, we had dinner at Cracker Barrel and played this game. My Goddaughter, Maria, taught us how to play and we all loved it. So, when I saw it at the checkout counter while I was paying the bill, I had to get one! Why not, it was only $3!

It's been a great source of entertainment! My family loves the little mind stimulation and challenge.

I had it in the living room for the longest time and then I moved it to the kitchen. It was on the baker's rack but it wasn't getting played.

So. I thought I would move it to the kitchen table for easy access. It's where Cracker Barrel has theirs so if it's good enough for them, then it's good enough for us!

Have Fun!

A Girl Scout's Thank You!

2010-03-13T09:22:00.007-05:00

Allison sold a TON of Girl Scout cookies this year! I wanted to be sure to thank everyone individually but I couldn't see her writing out 44 thank you cards!

I put my Mom thinking cap on and decided to adjust an idea I saw for Valentine's Day cards on a blog last year. I saw the idea here after the holiday and saved it in my files for this year. I ended up using them for Allison's Valentine's cards and the G.S. thank you cards. Hey! When I find a great idea, I tend to run with it in as many directions as I can!
Thanks for the inspiration Alissa!

I had trouble getting a good picture because I kept getting a glare but you can click on the image to enlarge and get a better look. I probably should mention here that Allison doesn't like the pic of herself. She said she was squinting too much. Hello! I took this outside just after our blizzard of 2010 and the sun was reflecting off of the snow! I think she did pretty good!

Here are the Valentine's Day cards Allison shared with her classmates.

A close up . . . sorry about the glare . . . it's almost impossible to take a pic of a pic!

Here's the actual jpeg file so you can have a better look.

Have Fun!

2 Wins & Menu Plan Monday ~ March 8th!

2010-03-08T06:12:00.003-05:00

I am SO excited to be sharing 2 wins with you today!

The 1st win is for the give-a-way on my blog last week!
Thank you so much for all the entries! I can't wait to try some of the recipes!
Congratulations to "More Than a Mom" for being the winner!
Please email me your name and address and I'll have your prize box out in the mail later this week!

The 2nd win I would like to announce is my win over for the 28 Day Organizing Challenge over at the I'm an Organizing Junkie! I won 1st place for the small space category for redoing my hall coat closet into a Command Center. You can check out my closet here and find links to all the winners here.

Okay. Now on to my menu for the week!

Monday - Creamed Chicken and Biscuits with Green Beans

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup with Italian Bread

Wednesday - Tacos or Taco Salad with Spanish Rice

Thursday - Italian Smoked Sausage Pasta with Texas Toast

Friday - Fish Dinner at Church

Saturday - Homemade Pizza

Sunday - Dinner at Grandma's

When you are done here, click on over to the Organizing Junkie to see what others are having for dinner this week!

Have Fun!

My Wonderfully Wacky Kid!

2010-03-03T10:21:00.002-05:00

This week at Allison's school they are celebrating Dr. Seuss. Everyday they have to wear something to honor one of Dr. Seuss's books.

Today is "Wacky Wednesday" so this morning we set out to wackify my eight year old.

Here is our result! Isn't she just...well, WACKY?!?

She loved the hair and the make up! And before you ask, I did NOT have the blue frost eye shadow in my make-up drawer. It was in a little girl make-up kit that Santa brought her. Although...I have been known to wear blue frost eye shadow before...but that was back in the 80's and I looked dang good in it!

This one is just so wrong!

Have Fun!

Closet Chaos to Command Center!

2010-03-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

Edited to add: Woo hoo! I can't believe I won 1st Place in the Small Category for the 28 Day Organizing Challenge! I am honored beyond belief! You can go check out all the winners here. Thanks Organizing Junkie for putting on a fabulous challenge!

If you are a visitor here, you might want to become a follower as I am now on a roll! I have tons more to organize and I'm planning to share it all along the way! I have had a lot questions/comments on my binder system so I'll be sharing what they are all about soon and you won't want to miss that!

Edited again to add: If you would like to read and have a sneak peek inside my binders,go here for Part 1 of a 5 Part Series of "Binders Can Organize Your Life."

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I this would be the year for me to totally organize and declutter this house.

Ya, right! It hasn't gone so good. It's just seems too overwhelming and not fun! I just kept telling myself that I promise to start tomorrow. Well before I knew it, the month of January was gone!

So. February began and I read on Laura's blog, The Organizing Junkie, that she was holding a 28 Day Organizing Challenge competition sort of thing in the month of February. Well. This sounded like it was up my alley AND THEN...I read the prizes. Wooo hooo! She's got some great stuff for prizes so I decided to get my hiney in gear and get to it!

You could either do a whole room or a small space and since this is the first step to my 2010 goal, I decided to do a small space. Anyway. I love the the first places prizes in that category so I set my eyes on it and never looked back!

Okay...on to my space even though I can't believe I'm showing you the before! It's embarrassing!

This is our hall coat closet. As you can see I tried having some sort of organization to it but then everything went to you know where in a hand basket...and fast! It became a dumping ground for anything and EVERYTHING! We live in a townhouse with not a lot of storage so real estate is very valuable. Silly me was using some very valuable space to store...okay hide stuff!

One of the stresses of my daily life was/is where to put everything in our home...especially things that we need on a daily or weekly basis. I used to stash it in any nook and cranny I could find and it stressed me to not have it organized. I decided that since we didn't use the hall coat closet as it was intended, I would think outside the box and utilize the very valuable space for something we could use and make our lives easier.

So without further ado, I introduce to you our newly converted hall coat closet now known as
THE COMMAND CENTER!

The top half:

The original closet had a top shelf and a half shelf on the bottom. I added (okay Curtis added but it was my idea) two more shelves. I also had put this bookshelf in it previously but it become a catch-all and then I put stuff in front of it so what good did that do? None!

The bottom half:

Let me take you on a tour and share with you my thought process.

I added this shoe holder thingy so now we don't have a ton of shoes by the door in a big pile. I got it at Target and it has little pockets on the top where I put the extra shoelaces for Allison's shoes. That canvas bag hanging off of one of the hooks holds Allison's Brownie books. I had bought it months ago but just found it in the mess of the before closet. I am going to fabric paint it with something pretty on it for her.

The bottom half of the shoe organizer. Yes. I have pink Crocs! I wear them around the house outside!

The top shelf holds three bins. These plastic bins used to go in on of those three drawer rolling cart things. I hated that thing! The drawers always stuck and when I would pull to open it the whole dang thing rolled towards me! The left one holds paper and notebooks (which I found so many when I cleaned out the closet...if you don't know what you have you just keep buying), the middle one holds hats and scarves and the one to the right holds cookbooks and recipes. The cookbooks are the little ones I've picked up over the years from churches and other organizations. I also put all of my not-yet-tried recipes that I tear out of magazines or print off from the Internet.

The second shelf down holds all of our family games. Allison is starting to grow out of some of the games so my plan is as she gets new ones, old ones will go bye-bye! I will keep our number of games to how many fit on the shelf.

This is the third shelf down and it holds mostly office supplies. Starting with the left 3 drawer unit...top drawer holds miscellaneous stuff (odds and ends that I don't know what to do with), middle drawer holds banking stuff and the bottom drawer holds markers, highlighters, dry erase markers. The middle 3 drawer unit...top holds envelopes & stamps, middle holds index cards and labels and bottom drawer holds pens, pencils & erasers. The right 3 drawer unit...the top holds adhesives, the middle holds paper clips, staples & such (rubber bands, binder clips, etc.) and the bottom drawer holds batteries.

To the left of the drawer units are two folders...one pink and one blue. They hold the medical records for both of our cats...pink for the girl and blue for the boy. :) To the right of the drawer units are large mailing envelopes and the padded ones are on top of the right drawer unit. I also have our postal scale on top too. I'll explain the letter tray a little later.

The half shelf underneath holds my paper shredder, my purple flowered card organizer box, a plastic shoe box with my blank notes and thank you cards and on top of that is my coupon organizer.

Starting with the top of the wooden bookshelf, the white basket holds my GPS and next to that is our phone book with our address book on top and next to that is my favorite organizing tool...my P-Touch label maker. I couldn't live without her...she's so special to me! The first shelf holds more office supplies (file folders, extra envelopes, ink cartridges, index dividers, etc.), the middle shelf holds all of my binders (I'll talk about that later), and the bottom shelf holds more office supplies in the red basket, computer discs and cds in the wicker basket and behind the wicker basket is my Christmas cards for this year since I got them on clearance last year! The two file boxes to the right are for items that we need to hold on to for either legal or business reasons. These are still a work in progress since you can see the bottom one is empty. On top of them are our lunch bag/coolers. I put them on there because it makes the flat surface of the file box unavailable to stack stuff on top. This is a major problem for me. If there is a flat surface, I'll place something on top!

This view is of the right hand side of the closet. The organizer is for my sweetie's mail and stuff so he knows where to find it and it doesn't bother me that it's laying around. In the bottom slot is a plastic check organizer thingy. Curtis does all the repairs to our vehicles and this is where he keeps all the receipts. It comes in handy when something has a lifetime warranty.

This is the left side. As you can see, I have an organizer thing too. In the top I put notes or items that I need to finish or do something with and in the bottom is our church envelopes and already addressed envelopes for a bill I need to send out monthly. Above the organizer is a tiny bulletin board where I put gift cards/certificates, restaurant coupons and such. Above that, is some picture hooks for our spare keys.

At the bottom of the left side is a large Tupperware container with cat food. I have a plastic cereal pourer in the kitchen for a manageable amount of cat food but this holds the extra since I buy the big bag. As you can see, I now have a place for my purse...and it also eliminates the flat surface of the container. I used to just throw my purse on the stairs or on the back of a chair but I love this so much better!

Now on to my binders! I have to say that I LOVE these! I'm a ripper and printer. If I see something I like in a magazine, I rip it out or if I see something online I like, I print it out. I used to put those items in a filing cabinet that I used to have in the basement. I would put my important papers in it along with craft ideas, recipes and such. The truth is, I NEVER looked at those items again after I filed them...that's if those items didn't end up in a box somewhere before they made it to the filing cabinet. So. I decided to put together these binders for each subject and they have helped me immensely! I have 2 for warranties and manuals because 1 would be too big and heavy. They are filled with sheet protectors so if we need to find a manual, it's easy to look through it. Some of the other ones are: my Christmas Planner, Holiday Ideas, Crafts Gifts & Tips, Girl Scouts, Catechism, Decorating Ideas, My Recipes, Home Management Binder and my Financial Budget Binder where I keep track of all of our expenses and bills.

I made them fun with pretty pictures I found on Google Images.

Follow me, I'll let you peek inside one.
This is my Decorating Ideas binder.

I have index dividers for every room of the house...kitchen, dining room, entrance, living, garden, etc. When I found something I like, I glue it on a piece of copy paper and write a note or two of what stood out about it to me or what I liked about it but would do differently. Having everything in these binder make things so much easier for me. I am more likely to leaf through a binder than go through a bunch of papers in a filing cabinet. I have to be honest here. I do have a stack of stuff that needs to go in some of these binders...it's that flat surface disease I have! So with the newly organized Command Center, I thought I better come up with a plan on how to handle those items...

...and here's my plan! See, I told you previously that I would get to the letter tray! Yes. This is my plan. I plan to put those ripped out items in this letter tray. On Sunday nights while I'm watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters, I plan to empty the tray and put the items in the binders. I'm hoping this will keep me organized and in turn keep me from falling asleep and missing my programs...like I always seem to do!

I hope you all enjoyed the little tour...okay long tour of our new Command Center. It feels amazing to have it completed! I keep walking past it and just opening to the door to take a look ... it gives me a little organizing high!

Now to finish up the challenge I have to answer the following five questions.
So here it goes...

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?

Finally doing it! I have planned on somehow organizing this closet since the end of 2007! I started a couple of times and got overwhelmed so I just shut the door and went about my day. You know...the out of sight out of mind thing. Don't get me wrong, I was still overwhelmed when I started it this time but it was either now or never so I pushed through. Yes, I think I overcame the hardest part even though I was having doubts. It helped to have a deadline and the possibility of some great rewards!

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

I think I pretty much detailed the answer to this question above but to recap: I think the first important thing that I did was take the time to think this through. I thought about my problems and found solutions to them. For example: I eliminated flat surfaces to help cure my "flat surface disease," I gave my sweetie his own space to keep his mail and notes, I made a place for everything and labeled those places so my family knows where things go. I created the binders to help me keep my papers and items organized without throwing them into a filing cabinet or box...never to be seen again. By having everything in there having an assigned space, it has been easier to keep it from being a dumping ground and everyone in the house can now put things away too because they know where they go!

3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

A lot of it needed to go to it's own place in the house since we dumped a lot in there. A lot of it was trash and was thrown out...my sweetie asked where the big bag of trash by the front door came from and when I told him the closet, he was very pleased. Little did he know it was the second bag I got out of the closet! I kept enough office supplies to last us a while and all that could fit into the containers. The rest I'm donating to our church's religious education office when I take Allison to C.C.D. this Sunday. I have some binders leftover that I'm going to share with my BFF so she can get a little more organized too. The big item(s) that needed a home were the coats. I put two brass coat hooks on the back of the front door years ago and we seem to use those for our coats of the season. So basically the coats that we kept in the closet were off season. I moved those to the bottom of our basement stairs where there is a clothes bar.

4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries?

The big thing was adding the two white shelves in the middle of the back closet wall. It made the dead space useable. Another storage solution was the mail sorters on either side of the closet. The space was small but I knew I could use it to it's maximum potential. The last big one was the binders. They may take up more space than a file in a filing cabinet but now I am able to reference or use the items in them with ease.

5. Why do you think you should win this challenge?

I think all of the participants deserve to win a reward for actually organizing something. It's not a fun job! Hmm, I don't know that I should win it as I haven't see the other entries. Maybe someone did something amazing. I don't know. But I will tell you this...I worked the hardest I could on this challenge and in all honesty it was because of the prizes available. So, let me say THANK YOU for the motivation and please, please, please award me first prize! No really, sorry for the graveling. I just felt like Susan Lucci begging for the Emmy! I think I should win this challenge because I worked towards it. I used your guidelines and suggestions to create a place that gives me peace when I open the door...not a panic attack!

Have Fun!

Menu Planning Help Needed!

2010-03-01T07:17:00.005-05:00

If you are here to see what we are having for dinner this week, you are not going to see it. Nope. I am not posting it this week...but please don't leave! I need your help.

I've been working on planning my menu for the entire month! Whew, I know! I must be crazy!

Anyhow. I sat down and went through all my recipes and meals that I make for dinner. I made an excel document and put them all into columns by main ingredient (poultry, pork, beef, seafood, etc.) type and meal (meat with sides, casserole, slow cooker, pasta, etc.) type.

What I found out is that I am short on slow cooker recipes, fish/seafood recipes and meatless recipes.

Here is where YOU come in! I need your "tried and true" recipes for the slow cooker, fish/seafood recipes or meatless meal recipes.

You can either add them in the comment section or click on "view my complete profile" and follow the link to email them directly to me. Either way you choose to do it, please make sure you include your email address. Sometimes when I receive comments, they come in anonymous or have no email address with them. If I can't get a hold of you then you can't win the prize!

What prize?

Yes! There is a prize! Well actually, it's a THANK YOU for helping me out! I will put all the entries in a bowl and have my wonderful 8 year old daughter, Allison, pick a winner.

What will the winner receive?

Well! I am putting together a box that includes my most favorite things...and NO, you will not be receiving my daughter...unless she's not so wonderful on the day I'm packing up the box! What's in the box? Well it's a surprise...seriously, I'm not done with what's going in there but I can promise you...it's good. It's really good. So good in fact, I want to enter my own give-a-way! It's filled with things that I love and can't live without.

What do you have to do to be entered in my give-a-way?
1. Send me either a recipe or a link for a slow cooker recipe OR a fish/seafood recipe OR a meatless meal recipe that is "tried and true." You must have tried it and like it...let's be honest here. You will get 1 entry for each recipe or link.
2. Please do not link me to a site that features all slow cooker or fish/seafood or meatless meal recipes where I have to search the recipes. I can and have been doing that myself and that's not what I'm looking for...I want "tried and trues."
3. All recipes or links must be received by 8:00 pm EST on Friday, March 5th. The winner will be drawn that evening and posted on the following Saturday morning.
4. Don't forget to make sure I have your email so I can contact you if you win!

Thanks for helping!
I can't wait to see what you send to me!

Have Fun!

Goodbye, My Sweet Friend!

2010-02-28T06:35:00.005-05:00

Hi, I'm Cindi and I'm a Pepsiholic.

It started many, many years ago. I don't remember when I took my first sip but I do know that I was quickly sucked in by it's refreshing deliciousness.

I would like to consider myself a Pepsi Connoisseur but in all honesty, I'm an addict. It's my drug of choice. It's my crack.

There. I've admitted it. Isn't that the first step to my recovery?

Honestly, it's gotten out of hand and I need to stop...and today's the day.

There are several reasons that brought me to this decision.
1. I don't know when to say "when." Seriously, I just keep filling the glass and before I know it, I've consumed way too much.
2. When I look at the Sunday ads, I get excited if there is a good sale on Pepsi.
3. During our big snow this past month, my concern was "Do I have enough Pepsi on hand to get me through?"
4. I resent Curtis when he pours himself a glass (which doesn't happen very often) because he's dipping into my stash!
5. When we go out to lunch or dinner, I prefer to go to the places that serve Pepsi since fountain Pepsi is my favorite. If they don't serve Pepsi, I drink water.
6. I think the caffeine is eating a hole in my stomach since every time I drink it anymore, my tummy hurts.
7. In addition to the caffeine not being good for me, the sugar is most likely killing me too.

Please don't suggest for me to switch to caffeine free or diet; I've tried and it doesn't work. I'm a true Pepsi addict and there is no substitute for me. In all honesty, all soda is not good for us so I'm just giving it all up.

I told my family last night that I was done with it...that I was going cold turkey. Allison asked what "cold turkey" was and after explaining it to her she said "Isn't that for cigarettes and stuff like that?" Too funny!

I know I can do this. I've done it before. I'll be fine after the first week or so. I just know that I can't even have one sip because once I get that taste again, it's all down hill from there!

Have Fun!

Paying Bills Doesn't Have To Be So Bad!

2010-02-26T15:27:00.008-05:00

About five years ago, Donna Downey (scrapbooker/artist extraordinaire), put out a couple of books in her scrapbook "Yes, It's A Scrapbook Series." In her step-by-step book "decorative journals," she showed how to decorate checkbook covers using scrapbook supplies. I thought it was the cutest idea! I promptly ordered some clear checkbook covers from Kelco Industries who by the way are out of them right now.

I made one for my checkbook and one for Allison's savings and loved them! I carry my checkbook with me and that one finally had seen its better days so I thought it was time to make some more.

Thankfully I had a few left in my stash (because you all know that us scrapbookers keep a stash of stuff) and decided to make some more. They are so much fun!

You can click on the pics below to get a better look but I should warn you that I think my camera is dying a slow death and the pics just aren't sharp anymore. :( Unfortunately, I'll have to make due for a while since a new camera is definitely NOT in the budget...at least not this year!

Obviously, Allison's savings is on the left and one of my checkbooks is on the right. I just love the bright green and pinks together. I think it's my favorite!

I made the one on the left for my BFF, Susan. She loves green like I do but she is more of an earthy/nature green. While I was searching for supplies to make hers, I realized I don't have a lot of earthy or neutral colors in my stash. I'm more of a "GIVE ME COLOR" sort of gal! The one on the right is my checkbook for my other checking account. I'm not wild about the colors but I needed it to be really different from my other one to avoid confusion.

In all honesty, I've been in a kind of a funk lately and it really did me good to make these. It got my creative juices flowing and lifted my spirits. I know some people cringe at the thought of doing something crafty but it's really good for my soul. It charges me up and relaxes me all at the same time. I'm hoping this will be the beginning to getting some projects done.
Lord knows, I have tons of them on my list!

Have Fun!

Today I Need To...

2010-02-20T10:17:00.005-05:00

1. Make 45 thank you cards to deliver with Girl Scout cookies this week.
2. Pack things up to take to my Mom's tomorrow for her surprise 75th Birthday Party.
3. Make Calico Baked Beans for the party.
4. Make deviled eggs for the party.
5. Finish making her birthday gift.
6. Supervise Allison while she paints my Mom's gift from her.
7. Do laundry...why is this on every one of my to do lists???
8. Clean the bathroom.
9. Change Allison's bed sheets.
10. Start my big declutter/organizing project for February since this is my last week to do it!
11. Plan next week's menu.
12. Plan some blog entries for next week...both for here and on my cooking blog.
13. Go through some magazines, pull out what I want to keep and pitch the rest.
14. Go to bed at a decent hour and not fall asleep in front of the television like I have for the last 5-6 days.
15. Thank God for my Blessings!

Have Fun!

A Trip to Baldinger's!

2010-02-14T05:12:00.002-05:00

What is Baldinger's?

Well. It is only the most awesomist (is that even a word?) candy and other fun food store! It's located Butler County in Zelienople, Pennsylvania...and lucky for us, it's just about a half an hour away!

You may have heard of them. They've been on CBS, The Travel Channel and Food Network. In fact, when Allison and I were there in October, we met 4 young adults that had just driven 6 1/2 hours from New York to go to Baldinger's. They had seen it on Food Network and decided to take a road trip. Oh to be young and impulsive!

It's been around for 77 years and two years ago when they celebrated their 75th Anniversary, we almost lost it! Yup, developers and such bought the whole parcel of land to build who knows what and so it was to be the end of Baldinger's.

:( So sad!

Once the word got out the store was closing, the public screamed "NO!" and screamed it loud! There was a petition and a write up in the Pittsburgh paper. The public was NOT going to let it go quietly!

Well, I'm happy to say for once the little people got their way! Woo hoo!

Pat Boylan, a local businessman, bought the store and moved it up the road. He recreated it in a new building but brought a lot of the old fixtures and all of the staff. The same grandma-type ladies who had owned and been running it for years still run it exactly like it was run before Mr. Boylan bought it. The way it had worked for 75 years so why change it! He recognized that the nostalgia of the place is what drew all those people to petition it's demise and made it successful. He's a smart man because let me tell you, yesterday when we went, there was no less than 40 people in that little store the whole time we were there! Curtis commented that he didn't know how they could close it down...it's a goldmine!

Before I take you on a little tour, let me say a few more things. This store is not run by fancy computers or electronic cash registers. No. They still use paper and pencil to add your purchases up and then put it in an old antique cash register with a wooden cash drawer. The price tag stickers on the items are also written by hand...no pricing gun for them. Also, if you are going, make sure you bring cash or a check because that's all they take and they are open 10am - 5pm "Every day of the year except legal holidays."

Now on to the tour! Remember, you can click on any of the photos to get a closer look.

Here's the old store that was located just up the road from the new one. I "borrowed" this picture from their Facebook account.

As you can see, Allison is SO happy to be there! We were having an "All About Allison" day...taking her to lunch and Build-A-Bear but she didn't know we were stopping at Baldinger's! When Curtis pulled in the lot she screamed "Baldinger's! We told her that we were just turning around but then I unlatched my seat belt and she screamed with joy "We ARE going in! Daddy said today was all about me!" I LOVE making her happy!

Here she is posing with the penny candy. Yes! They still have penny candy!

Here is the full view of the penny candy and gum table. The gum are ones you have trouble finding anymore, Fruit Strip, Teaberry, Big Red and any flavor of Bubblicious you want. Okay, look in the bottom right hand corner. Do you see it? Yes! It's flying saucers...you remember, don't you. They are those communion like wafers that look like flying saucers with beads of candy in them! 4 for 25 cents!

The 10 cent table!

Here are some candy that come in bulk and they prepackage it out. See the price tags?

Here are some of the "Food from All Nations." It's all different fun stuff.

As you can see here, on top of the food shelves there is Christmas figurines and decorations above. They have a Christmas room in the back but Christmas stuff all over the top shelves as well.

This candy you buy by the pound...and yes, it's weighed on an old fashioned scale. You just pick up a little brown bag (can you see those in the bottom corner?) and fill till your hearts content!

More smiles but do you see what she's smiling about?

Let me pan out for you!
Yes, that's three rows of any candy bar imaginable!
Now while we are here, look above the rows of candy. Those are boxes of any kind of tea you could imagine and above that are gourmet food mixes...soups, crockpot, cheese balls, dips, desserts, etc. They carry the whole line of Wind and Willow which makes Mommy very happy. I love their stuff! And look up way high...more Christmas items!

Here's a peek into the back Christmas room. They carry any Old World ornament you may want. I think there's five 6-foot tables filled with them. My Mom does her tree in them and it's gorgeous!

A few more to drool over!

The candy shelves again...mmmm...a kid's paradise!

Did I mention they had cookie cutters? Well they do and hundreds of them! This is only maybe 2/3's of them and they are so affordable. Some are under a dollar and up to three dollars for the really big ones. Any cookie cutter you want can be found here!

They also have shelves and shelves of jams, jellies and butters. Hot pepper jelly, tomato jam, dandelion jelly along with the traditional grape and strawberry. We've bought the dandelion and actually really like it. Yum!

Sprinkles, jimmies and colored sugar for all of your baking needs. It's all for $1 a bag...you can't get that price in the grocery store!

The gummy table! Grab yourself a bag!

They also have these little porcelain figurines that you can collect. I used to have a shadow box and collected them myself when I was young. Hmm, wonder if they make them anymore? That would be a fun thing for Allison!

Here's one of their old fixtures with candy sticks displayed on top.

Need some pancake flour, buckwheat, cornmeal, buckwheat flour or whole wheat flour? You can find it here and it's made at the mill just up the road.

One last item on our tour and then I won't make your mouth water anymore. Remember the panoramic sugar eggs you used to get in your Easter basket from the Easter bunny? Remember it was a pure sugar egg with hard candy icing and a little Easter scene inside? Well they have them...big ones like the one below and little ones too!

I hope you enjoyed taking a tour through Baldinger's with me. It absolutely is a magical place for kids young and old.

Have Fun and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 8th!

2010-02-08T07:11:00.006-05:00

It's Monday already which means another Menu Plan Monday with Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Click here to see hundreds of other meal plans and recipes. Also for those of you visiting from Organizing Junkie...click here for the Homemade Pizza recipe. I had it on my menu but then had to change it because I forgot I wasn't going to be home to make it.

Our menu for the week:

Monday - Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Tuesday - Chicken Fajitas

Wednesday - Halupki a.k.a. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Thursday - Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole (New Recipe for us)

Friday - It's Mom's Craft Night Out so Allison and I will have dinner out on our way there.

Saturday - Dinner at Grandma's

Sunday - It's Valentine's Day so for:
Breakfast: Pink Heart Shaped Pancakes with Sliced Heart Strawberries, whipped cream, Valentine Sprinkles and Strawberry Milk.
Lunch: Heart Shaped Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Red Tomato Soup.
Dinner: Heart Shaped Mini Meatloaves, Pink Mashed Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas.

Have Fun!

The Great Snow of 2010!

2010-02-07T05:16:00.000-05:00

We had the 4th biggest snowfall in Pittsburgh history yesterday. Outside our home, there are about 24 inches of the beautiful white stuff. The picture above is of Allison playing on the over 8 feet mound of snow that the snow plow plowed to the end of our lot. Our townhouse is the last one in by the woods and due to this mound of snow, we've lost our 3 parking spaces that are directly in front of our home.

These next 8 pictures were taken at 5 a.m. while the snow was still coming down.

This pic is out of our front door. As you can see, I couldn't even open the door. Thank goodness we have a service that shovels our walks!

Look at the snow on the fence post and lamp pole!

As you can see, it's was still coming down very heavily. It actually snowed for 24 hours solid.

My poor arborvitae was split in 3 by the weight of the snow. It was very wet heavy snow.

This was just on the front porch. There is a 6 inch step down too but I couldn't reach to put the yardstick there to measure.

Where did my walkway go???

Can you tell how excited she was to get out in the white playland?

Hi Mom!

This wasn't even the highest point.

Anyone want to go sliding??

Yes, we dug all of these cars out! Everyone pitches in so it didn't take all of us long to dig 7 cars out.

Anyone for a game of basketball?

The wind started to blow after I took this picture and all the snow on these trees created another mini blizzard.

This is my van. The part that really stunk was once you cleaned the vehicle off, you then had to shovel the snow out around your vehicle. It was well over the tires.

Allison's bedroom window.

So beautiful!

Have Fun!

She's Not a Baby Anymore!

2010-02-02T16:51:00.004-05:00

I want...no scratch that...I NEED to declutter this house!

It amazes me how quickly things accumulate.

Is it just me?

Please tell me that there are others out there that have emotional attachments to items.

Please tell me that is not just me!

I don't know what it is but I have a hard time getting rid of things.

Take this lamp for instance. It was in Allison's first "girly" room after her nursery. It's been sitting up in my closet for I don't know how long. It's not like we are ever going to use it again but I just listed it on Craigslist and now I have this ache in my heart. WHY??? It's crazy!

Maybe I'm afraid that if I let it go, I'll forget her toddler years...that I need to keep it to trigger my memory to go back to how excited she was when made her a Disney Princess room. How, at about 3 years of age, she thanked us for painting her room pink. How a pink Disney Princess room made her the happiest little princess in the world.

Oh I hate that my daughter is not a baby anymore!

Whew! I feel better getting it out and now I have the memory documented here that I don't need that lamp decluttering my closet anymore!

Boy, this is much cheaper than therapy!

Have Fun!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 1st!

2010-02-01T07:10:00.005-05:00

I'm linking up today with Laura at Organizing Junkie for another week of menu planning. Click here after you check out my menu to see what others have planned this week.

Monday - Beef Roast in the slow cooker with potatoes, green beans and carrots (from last week's menu plan because plans changed).

Tuesday - Penne Pasta with Chicken & Mushrooms in Pink Sauce served with tossed salad and Texas toast.

Wednesday - Smoked Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers & Onions.

Thursday - Chicken Enchiladas with Spanish Rice and lettuce & tomatoes.

Friday - Homemade Pizza.

Saturday - Burgers and Fries.

Sunday - Dinner at Grandma's.

Have Fun!

I'm Going In!

2010-01-30T08:42:00.003-05:00

Today's the day!!

I'm cleaning Allison's room!

I had wanted to do it without her here but I never got to it and now I can't stand it!

I'm going in at 9:00 and if I'm not out by Noon, send a rescue team in but make sure they wear their safety equipment.

It's a DANGER ZONE zone in there!

Have Fun!

Surprise!

2010-01-28T13:10:00.002-05:00

I didn't see the weather report yesterday so I didn't know that we would be waking up to this!

I was so HAPPY that I grabbed my camera and took this at 6:30 a.m.!

I know some people get the winter blues but not me!

I LOVE IT!

What I don't love is when the snow melts like it has in the last week and everything was brown.

The snow is good for my mood and believe me, my mood needed this!

Have Fun!

A Handy Dandy Little Gadget!

2010-01-26T05:07:00.004-05:00

I like tuna...but it has to be DRY tuna.

Yes, you read that right. D.R.Y.

Let me explain.

You know when you open the can of tuna and there's all that tuna juice in the can with the tuna...like in the picture below?

Well, I can't stand it...any of it!

So the solution to my problem is this little beauty!

See how handy it is?

You can put it in the tuna can and give it a push and all that tuna juice comes to the top.

Wow! Look at all that juice!

See what my handy dandy little gadget did? It got rid of all of that yucky tuna juice!

You can also turn it the other way and drain a can of beans or corn or whatever you wish!

Okay. Now that you know I love this can strainer thing, can I ask you...

WHERE DID I PUT MINE??!!??

Seriously friends, I had one several years ago and it disappeared.

So. I bought another one.

And now...

THAT ONE HAS DISAPPEARED!

I think I accidentally throw them in the garbage can when I take them off the can because I think subconsciously in my mind, they are the lid...so I pitch them in the trash.

Oh well.

If you see it, let me know but I won't be holding my breath.

Nope. I'll be at Target buying another one. Let's just hope it's my last!

**I'm linking this post up to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Have Fun!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Jan 24th!

2010-01-25T00:50:00.000-05:00

I'm giving myself a pat on the back!

I've been really good about planning my menus every week and sticking to them so far this year. I don't know why I ever get away from it every now and then. It really reduces my stress and definitely is better for the budget!

As before, I'm linking up to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. Here's a link if you are interested in seeing what hundreds of women have planned to put on their dinner tables this week!

Monday - Breakfast Casserole w/ Peach Crescents

Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan w/ Tossed Salad and Italian Bread

Wednesday - Hot Turkey Sandwiches w/ Mashed Potatoes, Gravy & Corn

Thursday - Shrimp Kabobs, Rice Pilaf and Broccoli

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Dinner at Grandma's

Sunday - Beef Roast in the slow cooker with Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans & Rolls

Have Fun!

Lazy Sunday!

2010-01-24T16:22:00.003-05:00

I'm having a lazy, rainy Sunday with my favorite person in the world!

It's just a Mommy and Allie day......and a couple of cats!

My baby is growing too fast and I can do my chores tomorrow while she's in school.

Today I've given myself permission to take the day off and make some memories!

I hope you are enjoying your day with the people in your life that mean the most to you too!

Have Fun!

I've Been On A Roll!

2010-01-21T18:40:00.002-05:00

Yes! I've been on a roll with recipes on my recipe blog! I've posted 4 already this week and have at least 2 more that are set to post over the next couple of days!

Head on over to my recipe blog and see what I've got cooking! There's a link over there ------> that will take you to some yummy goodness!

Have Fun!

The Moms Get Cozy!

2010-01-19T05:13:00.002-05:00

In case you were wondering why I didn't post about Mom's Craft Night Out for last month, we did a repeat of the glass holiday blocks and the name boards for Christmas presents. So since you've seen them before, I didn't think it was necessary repost them.

This month's Mom's Craft Night Out was a "Bring Your Own Craft" night. I gave some suggestions and then you could do what you wanted to do.

Most of the Moms worked on those great no-sew fleece blankets.

I transferred over my addresses into a new address book.

Susan D. sorted through pictures trying to get ready to make a scrapbook for her son's graduation in 2011.

Cindy B. worked on crocheting a pretty yellow prayer shawl.

Here are the Moms with their finished blankets. From left to right are: Nancy, Sandy, Nettie, Dawn and Susan C.

Make sure you click on the picture to get a better look of the blankets. They all turned out so pretty! If you are interested in making one, here is a great tutorial on how to do it.

Here's Susan C. finishing up some business by picking next month's craft night and helping my Allison with her Girl Scout Cookie sales. A BIG THANKS to all the Moms for helping Allison out with that!

Have Fun!

A BFF Play Day!

2010-01-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

One day last week, my BFF, Susan, and her Mom and her Mom's, BFF, Nancy, all met at Jo-Ann's to pick out fleece for our next Mom's Craft Night Out.

Here's Susan and I....

... and Nancy and Sandy checking out the fleece.

After we picked out the fleece, we headed over to Panera for a little lunch. After lunch, Susan and I stayed back for a little, sipped on our Pepsi refills (yeah...another place that has Pepsi) and chatted about a few things before we went to Staples so she could get her deals that I mentioned in the previous post. Sandy and Nancy left after lunch to hit some stores they wanted to hit and then we met up with them later.

Even though Susan and I live an hour away from each other, we have been really making a conscious effort to get together as often as we can. Sometimes it's just for a few hours but we make it happen. I think we both need it for our peace of mind. We love our men but honestly, there's no one like a BFF...especially one you've known for over 35 years!

Love you Susan!

“Everyone has a "best friend" during each stage of life-only a precious few have the same one."
~Author Unknown

Have Fun!

STAPLES Savings!

2010-01-12T06:16:00.004-05:00

If you are in need of some office supplies, check out the STAPLES ad this week. They have a ton on sale. Here's a link to their ad.

I picked up everything you see in the picture plus one HP black ink cartridge and one tri-color ink cartridge for my printer which were buy one get one at half price. Even though they had tons on sale, I stuck to my list and only bought what I needed or knew I would use.

Are you ready for what I saved?? Well then, scroll down to see!

$61.91!

Woo hoo! I'm doing the happy dance!

Here's how I did it.

If you have a Staples Rewards card, you can buy these items and receive 100% in the form of a coupon check in February. Yes, it's only good for use at Staples but I always find myself needing something from there. You only are permitted to buy 1 each of the items below.The items in red are what I bought.

M by Staples perforated writing pads 6/pack $7.99
Bankers Box letter/legal size boxes 6/pack $9.99
Staples heavyweight file folders, manila, 50/box $8.00
Staples #10 Envelopes, pull & seal 100/pack $7.99
Zebra Sarasa retractable gel pens, medium, 5/pack $3.99
Staples small binder clips, 40/box $3.39

The items below are their $1.00 deals with in-ad coupon. There are a limit of 2 per coupon. Again, what I bought is in red.

Pentel RSVP ballpoint pens, assorted 5/pack, reg $3.49
Staples 4-3/4x6-1/2 envelopes, 50/pack, reg $6.99
Pentel e-sharp mechanical pencils, assorted 3/pack, reg $5.99
Quartet magnetic dry-erase board, 8-1/2x11, reg $6.99
Staples black full-strip stapler value pack, reg $6.99
BIC Great Erase dry-erase markers, fine tip, assorted, 4/pack, reg $3.99
Staples Accel 1-subject notebook, college or wide ruled, 100 sheets, reg $4.49
Staples glue sticks, clear or colored 4/pack, reg $1.99

They also have advertised some items that you can purchase and then receive a rebate on them. This is where I picked up the photo paper and the brights copy paper for $2.00 each. Although the ad says the brights copy paper should be $3.00, I'm getting back all but two dollars on my rebate check. You can do the rebate online at their "Easy Rebates" center and it seriously took just a few minutes. They will send me a check for those two rebates that I can deposit in my bank account.

Have Fun!

Happy New Year!!!!

2010-01-11T14:25:00.005-05:00

Yes. I know today isn't January 1st but I've been a little busy. So, with that being said....

Happy New Year!!!

A new month, a new year and a whole new decade! Wow! I have so many plans and dreams for this year rolling around in my head. The problem is that I've been a too occupied to even write them down. As always, I seem to take on too much. I get all of these crazy ideas in my head and then I get overwhelmed! Yes. I am overwhelmed already in this new month, new year and new decade!

Not to worry though. I'll make it through. I always do. I just keep on keeping on!

I've been thinking a lot about my blog...or my neglecting it. It's not that I don't have things to say...because you all know I'm never short on words. It's just that I get a little busy and it's not on the top of my priority list. This blog has taken on a life of it's own and found some followers. I'm glad that I've touched some of you out there. It never was my intention but I am so glad I did. I've "met" some wonderful people through it.

I often wonder if I should change my blog. Should I focus on one subject...like crafting, cooking, decorating or whatever, like some other bloggers do and not so much on a little bit of this or a little bit of that. I wonder if I should try to be one of those bloggers that work towards having a ton of followers? Even though I've turned some down, I wonder if I should take on advertisers so I can make a little bit of money? I wonder if I should give the people what they want?

But then, I ask myself this one question..."Why do you blog?" I always go back to why I started blogging in the first place. I started this blog for me, my family and mostly Allison. I intended it to be a place for me to document our lives...a sort of journal with pictures. A place where I can just be myself with my thoughts, feelings and ideas. A place where long after I'm gone, Allison can look back and really know me, see how much I adored her and remember all the fun we had while she was growing up.

After answering this question, I find myself staying true to the title I picked for my blog those several years ago..."This is My Life." If you are a follower, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I get all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that you care about what I'm doing in My Life. If this is the first day you've stumbled upon my little blog out in blogland, Welcome. I hope you stay for a while because you'll see a little bit of this and a little bit of that because...This is my Life and I truly am a little bit of this and a little bit of that!

Oh! You all know that I like pictures with my blog entries so since this entry started off with welcoming in 2010, here is my pic. When I think about my plans, dreams and goals for 2010, I've decided that I want New Beginnings for this year! Yes! I'm starting fresh! Come join me!

Have Fun!

The Morning View from My Window!

2009-12-31T09:50:00.005-05:00

Breathtaking!

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to wake up to see this out my front window!

I am a winter person and the snow is so beautiful and peaceful to me!

Thank you God for sending this girl into 2010 with such an amazing display of your handiwork. I've had some tough times this year but witnessing such a lovely snowfall this morning reminds me that you are greater than anything I encounter here on earth. I know you are here beside me and with you I can get through anything.

Have Fun!

Today I Need to...

2009-12-28T09:12:00.002-05:00

1. Find a home for and put away the Christmas presents.

2. Take down the Christmas tree and decorations.

3. Do laundry.

4. Pay bills.

5. Bake Banana Bread.

6. Work on my list of goals for 2010.

7. Write a letter.

8. Plan this week's menu.

9. Send pics to get printed.

Hopefully if I get all of this done today, I'll have the rest of the week to play with Allison.

Have Fun!

Christmas 2009!

2009-12-27T10:26:00.006-05:00

I'm just stopping by to post some of our Christmas pictures with our family and friends. I hope you enjoy them!

This picture says to me that she's growing up too fast! Please, how do we make time slow down???

Me and my baby girl!
We (the three of us) have our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve. We do too much traveling to both of our families on Christmas Day that we only have time for Santa's gifts on Christmas Day.

Our Princess kitty watching from back under the tree.
I love the expression on her face here. She really did not think she was getting the one thing that was on the top of her list.

Pure bliss!

Allison is a texture girl. She has slept with a velour baby doll since she was born. She can't sleep unless she's got the baby snuggled against her cheek. When she opened this fluffy fur-like sweater, she immediately rubbed it against her cheek.

And here comes Simba out from the back of the other side of the tree!

Woo Hoo! Santa has been here! Don't you just love the messy bed hair?

She definitely loves her books...even the World Atlas that Santa brought!

Santa did good!

Have Fun!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of my family, friends and blog readers!

May you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and enjoy every moment with those you love.

Have Fun!

A Last Minute Project!

2009-12-23T21:00:00.005-05:00

I had planned on making these a couple months ago but never got around to it. I had some time yesterday so I went ahead and gave them a try. If you are reader of the decorating blogs around Blogworld, you've seen these fun silhouettes. Everyone has made them and they are one of the "in" things in the decorating world right now. Note: The silhouettes look blackish-gray in these pics but they are solid black in real life.

This one, of course, is my Allison. I'm giving this to my Mom but be sure I'm going to make myself one for my wall! Hmm, I have one of me that we did in 4th grade. I know it's in the basement in that back corner closet that no one ever dares to open. I'll have to be brave and pull it out to see if our profiles are close!

Since my sister doesn't have any kids and her dog is her buddy, I thought I would make one for her too of her Ginger. However...after I cut it out, it was boring. Ginger is an English Springer Spaniel. Her wavy fur on her ears is so pretty that I wanted to highlight it. So. I used an X-acto knife to cut thin wavy slivers out of the card stock to simulate her ear fur.

Now Allison wants ones of our cats. What did I start?!?

Have Fun!

On The Mend!

2009-12-22T09:16:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I've had some inquiries about how I'm doing after that medical thing so I thought I would stop by and give a mini update.

I had my surgery on the 15th. It was going as the Dr. planned and then there was a...let's just say a speed bump in the final stretch. It wasn't one of those speed bumps that you slow down a little and glide over. No, of course not! Nothing ever goes easy or normal for me! It was one of those speed bumps that you think is a big one so you slow down cause you know you are going to hit it hard....but then when you actually reach the speed bump, it ends up being bigger than you thought. You know...one of those REALLY big ones that you hit REALLY hard and scrape bottom. Ya! One of those! Yup, we scraped bottom...well not literally but metaphorically. You get the picture, right?

Well. Thank goodness for narcotics. Wow. Did I just say that? Actually, I'm quite proud. I only took three. Two the first day and one the next morning...mostly so I didn't scare Allison by being in so much pain. Since then I have been managing my pain with good old ibuprofen. I have my good days and bad. I've been to the Dr.'s office 3 times since then and he says I'm recovering well. I see him one last time tomorrow morning before he's out until the new year. I'll have his beeper number but please pray I'm not going to need it!

Thanks for all of your prayers and concerns! My friends and blog readers are the best!

Have Fun!

Gotta LOVE a BFF & Her Hubby!

2009-12-13T07:52:00.002-05:00

I'm going through something personal this month. It's a medical thing that I have to have done. It had to be delayed because I got sick the day before it was to happen. It's not life threatening but it just stinks. I'm really worked up about it. Externally, I've been putting on my usual smile in public. Internally and at home, I'm crumbling like a 2 month old baby who just had her pacifier taken from her. Please don't ask because I do not and will not share it here. I've only shared it with a few friends and some family. So, if you know me in person, please respect my privacy. It's nothing personal. It's just too emotionally painful for me. I know my blog is named "This is My Life" but I do not want to write about this part of my life here. I do not want to look back a year or so from now and relive this thing in detail via a blog entry. I try to focus on the positive here and I would rather not have the negatives of my life in black and white. Quite frankly, I'd like to deal with them, move on and then forget them. Enough said!

ANYWAY...with that being said...

Why do I gotta LOVE a BFF and her Hubby???? Well. Yesterday I was over at their house for our monthly Mom's Craft Night Out and when I went to leave she presented me with a Tupperware container. I immediately knew what was in there! LEMON WEDDING COOKIES! A whole batch of them! JUST. FOR. ME! I was so excited! They are my favorite Christmas cookie and Susan, my BFF, knows it! Her and her hubby, Brian, made me a whole batch to help me get through this ugly thing I have to go through. Now...THAT is just one of the reasons why she's my best friend!

Thank you so much Susan and Brian! I love you both so much!

Have Fun!

"Twisted Tune"

2009-12-12T09:54:00.005-05:00

Yesterday they delayed school two hours because the wind chill was below zero and the wind was fierce in the morning.

Anyway. Curtis has this odd ability to change the words of a song to fit what's happening in our world. Well. This is what happened in our house yesterday.

Allison was in the living room reading. I went into the kitchen to clean up the breakfast dishes. I started to sing....

O, the weather outside is frightful...

and I'm at home with my baby...

She has a two hour delay...

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

and then in this little voice I heard...

"Let it close! Let it close! Let it close!"

I laughed out loud. I thought it was hysterical! She didn't miss a beat!

Oh no! Has Curtis's strange habits rubbed off on both of us???

Have Fun!

A Christmas Memory!

2009-12-11T06:41:00.009-05:00

We, meaning Curtis, Allison and myself, celebrate our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve. We save Christmas Day for traveling to and visiting our families.

Allison was 5 months old for her first Christmas. We had decided that there wasn't going to be many presents for her. She was just too young to get the whole Christmas thing and we were still adjusting to the cost of a new baby.

She had a few small gifts from us that we opened on Christmas Eve and Santa delivered a few for Christmas morning. Santa was instructed not to go overboard but he was stressing that he needed to get her just one more that would really make her day...to make her first Christmas memorable. At five months old, this was a little difficult. What WOULD make her day? A teething ring? A rattle? Building blocks?

Hmm. He thought and thought and on Christmas Eve morning, he had an idea! Yes! Santa figured it out! He knew that Allison loved the cartoon, Rolie Polie Olie on Playhouse Disney. She always got so excited when her Mom put it on the television.

But this was Christmas Eve and his elves were packing up the sleigh. They didn't have time to go back into the workshop, make one last toy and get it on the sleigh before Santa had to leave to deliver all the toys for all the good boys and girls! What to do? What to do?

Well being Santa, he has all the answers. He put one of his elves on the phone and had her call all the Disney stores around Allison's home for a Rolie Polie Olie doll. She called every store from Youngstown, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Yippee! After seven calls she found what was probably the last one in the Pittsburgh area. Now what? Santa had already left to deliver the toys and elves can't drive. How was he going to get it to Allison's house and under her tree by Christmas morning?

Again...Santa has all the answers. He called me and asked if I could make the 3 hour round trip to the Disney store on the other side of Pittsburgh. Of course I couldn't let Santa or Allison down! I bundled Allison up and put her in the car and went on my merry way! Thankfully I found a parking spot close to the mall entrance near the Disney store. I walked right in, told them what I was there for and they already had it in a bag ready for me. I was in and out of the mall in 5 minutes on Christmas Eve! Blessings!

The picture above is what Santa left for Allison that 1st Christmas morning. He didn't even bother to wrap Rolie Polie Olie. Santa knew what he was doing because she was so excited to see her friend under the tree! Unfortunately, the picture didn't turn out but I have that memory forever in my head!

Have Fun!

Cousins on The Clipper!

2009-12-10T12:30:00.008-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to take Allison, my niece, Mya, my nephew, Derek, and my sister, Alesia, on a cruise with Santa on the Gateway Clipper. For those of you who are not from Pittsburgh and do not know what the Gateway Clipper is, you can click here to find out. If you are from Pittsburgh and haven't been, I strongly recommend you take a cruise on The Clipper. It's a nice cruise up and down Pittsburgh's three rivers. I've been on several and haven't had a bad experience yet. Click on the previous link to find a cruise that suits you.

Anyway. Here are some pictures from our cruise. I hope you enjoy!

We were very lucky it was a beautiful day which enabled us to get some great outside shots.

I know I've said this before but every time I see the three of them together, I see in my mind my sister, myself and my younger brother when we were young...2 blonds and a brunette!

They were sitting on the life jacket box. My Allison was very concerned that there were 27 adult life jackets and only 10 child life jackets in there. Since it was a kid's cruise, she knew that 10 wouldn't be enough. Oh the things that pop into my kid's brain!

Here they are on the top deck almost at the point of the three rivers.

You can see Point State Park right behind them. It's going under a huge renovation but you can see the Christmas tree peeking out between the buildings.

There was lots of girl cousin fun...

...and more girl cousin bonding! Poor Derek!

There were several characters on the ship for the kids. Allison loves The Grinch so I was glad I got a picture of him!

There also was a disc jockey playing the tunes so they had fun dancing!

Even the characters danced! The kids loved it!

There was face painting on the second deck.

Here we have a poinsettia...

...and a snowflake...

...and an ornament!

I saved the best for last!

They each got to visit with Santa and receive a little toy from him!

Look at all the smiles!

I just hope he brings them what they want!

Have Fun!

My Mug Shot!

2009-12-09T08:02:00.006-05:00

COFFEE mug, that is!

Those of you that know us in person, knows that Curtis is a coffee freak. Seriously. He drinks 8-12 cups a day. However. He does not like travel mugs, paper or Styrofoam cups. So what does that mean? It means he takes our coffee mugs with him to work every morning and wherever else he may be going. Most times they make it home and on a rare occasion, they don't.

This kind of stressed me out in the beginning. I don't know why. Maybe because I'm a sentimental fool and I'm attached to some of them! I know. I'm a little crazy but I have never denied it!

Anyway, I knew couples fought over much less (like leaving the cap off of the toothpaste), so I needed to find a solution. First I separated what Curtis could use and what he couldn't use. This worked for a while but then our stock of mugs that he could use depleted. Well then I decided that I needed to stock up his supply of mugs. You can call me cheap but I was not about to spend $6-$10 each on mugs for daily use that may or may not make it into next week.

My answer was Goodwill. You all know I love finding treasures there! I started to pick one up every once in a while when I saw one that I liked or fit us. This proved to definitely be the best way to go since their mugs are 25 cents and some of them are 50 cents if they deemed them as collector mugs...and most of them look as if they have never been used!

Since we are close to Christmas and I can't get the lyrics "These are a few of my favorite things." out of my head, I've decided to share a few of my favorite mugs here.

I'll start with the one above. I found this red snowflake mug just yesterday at Goodwill for 25 cents...and it's never been used! This mug is totally for me and not Curtis! It think it just screams WINTER FUN!

This next one was a gift. My friend, Missy, had some surgery years ago when we both lived in Ohio. Her Mom, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, sent this to me as a thank you for being there for her daughter. It's Louisville Stoneware and my absolute favorite mug! This one is definitely off limits to everyone else in the house except me!

This next one is one of my favorites because it's Allison's. It reminds me of her Disney Princess phase. Curtis makes awesome hot chocolate and he uses this mug for hers.

If you live anywhere in or around Pittsburgh, you'll recognize this next mug. Yes! It's a Smiley mug from Eat 'n Park Restaurant! They sell them in their restaurants for $6.99 but I picked mine up at Goodwill for 50 cents!

This last mug I picked up years ago when I lived in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. I used to love going to the National Zoo and seeing Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing. They were the Giant Pandas that China gave to the United States after President Nixon visited their country. Okay...enough of the history lesson! This mug reminds me of the inner peace I would experience when I would sit there at the zoo and watch them. However. Years later this mug took on a whole new meaning for me. Shortly after I became pregnant, Curtis had a cup of coffee sitting on the nightstand next to my side of the bed. He asked me to pass it to him. When I went to pick it up, my perception of the mug changed immediately. I didn't just see two pandas. I saw a Mother-t0-be panda on the left and a Daddy-to-be on the right. They both looked as if they were connecting to their unborn baby. Now when I pour Curtis a cup of coffee in this mug, wash this mug or put this mug away, it still jogs a memory in me. It's not the old inner peace memory I used to feel watching the pandas at the zoo. It's a new inner peace memory. It's the inner peace I felt being pregnant because I was finally realizing my childhood dream of becoming a Mother.

Have Fun!

Give My Baby a High Five!

2009-12-08T13:37:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks but I'm still here. I've just had a lot on my plate and a lot on my mind. I've been thrown a curve ball of life and I'm just trying to accept it and adjust to it. I'll be fine. I always get through what's been thrown my way because I always try to remember to keep the faith. It's the only thing that keeps me going!

Anyway.

I just had to stop by and brag a little on my baby. Yes, I'm bragging. I'm allowed...it's MY blog!

Allison is in third grade this year. One thing they are doing this year is that they are learning to study at home for big tests. Allison has had trouble embracing this concept. She thinks the reading and study guides they complete in school should be enough. Our first at home study session for Chapter 1 of Social Studies went fine...so I thought. When it came time to study for the Chapter 2 test, she "forgot" to bring her book home the night before. Thankfully, I empty her book bag immediately after she gets off the bus and noticed it wasn't in there. We jumped in the van and went to the school to get it. While we were there, her teacher informed me that she didn't want to bring it home because her "Mother would make her study for an hour." Hmm...forgot? I. Don't. Think. So!

Moving right along. It was now time to study for Chapter 3 and she fussed a little but played along with my quizzing. I was a little concerned because this chapter was much larger than the first two and so much more information. It was on so many different American Indians and how they were different from each other and their types of government and their culture and how they survived and on and on and on...WHEW....I got confused and couldn't keep them straight!

Well. She brought the five page test home on Friday and received 100% on it! Her teacher had written "FANTASTIC" across the front of it. I was so proud and gave her a high five, good job, big hug and so on!

However, it wasn't until yesterday that I found out that the overall class had a very difficult time with this test. In fact, 5 of her classmates failed it. Wow! My baby really did do great!

Let's just hope she keeps it up because she informed me over the weekend that she wants to go to college for as many years as you can! Please Lord, send some scholarships our way!

Have Fun!

SPECTACULAR!

2009-11-22T07:20:00.010-05:00

The MSG Entertainment family was right...last night was nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Alesia (my sister), Allison and myself started off our holiday season this year by going to Pittsburgh to attend the musical holiday stage show, Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes at the Benedum Center.

It. was. AMAZING! I don't think Allison took her eyes off the stage once. We were 5 rows back behind the orchestra and it was perfect seating. The dancing, the music, the stage, the colors of the outfits...everything was...well...SPECTACULAR!

As you can see in the picture below, Allison couldn't wait to get home and put on her souvenir t-shirt. She does love her t-shirts and this one is especially fun!

Here is Allison and Alesia at Bravo's, which is my favorite Italian restaurant! We had a late lunch/early dinner there...does that make it linner or lunner? :)

The purple girls posing outside the Benedum.

Here are some pictures I found on the internet to show you some highlights from the show.

I hope you enjoy them and if you ever get a chance, GO SEE THE SHOW! You will be happy that you did.

The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers...

...and their famous fall after being shot by a toy cannon.

The Rockettes as reindeer in the Sleighride scene.
As rag dolls during the Santa's Workshop scene.

The Christmas Dreams scene which featured a winter wonderland. This was very beautiful and you can click to enlarge to get a better view.

The Living Nativity with a mule, camels and sheep was the last scene and it was simply spiritual. It has been part of the show since the show's beginning in 1933. I don't think anyone in the whole place made a single sound during this scene. This scene made me feel like I was actually there over 2000 years ago and witnessing the birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. This was unquestionably my favorite scene of the whole show.

As the curtain closed immediately following this scene, a big screen appeared and scrolled the following essay across it which the narrator read to us. Please take a minute to read it yourself and see what "One Solitary Life" did for us all.

"One Solitary Life"

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. While He was
still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had - His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave. Two thousand years have come and gone, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever sailed and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this “One Solitary Life.”

Have Fun and a Blessed Holiday Season!

Getting Excited!

2009-11-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

Allison and I can't wait until tomorrow night!

Have Fun!

Not a Good Idea!

2009-11-18T07:12:00.006-05:00

Princess, I'm thinking this may not be a good place for a nap!

Not that the hermit crabs would notice since all they do is sleep!

Have Fun!

The Moms Get A Little Frosty!

2009-11-14T10:47:00.007-05:00

Last night was another exciting, relaxing and fun "Mom's Craft Night Out!"

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy spending this time out every month. Not only do we get to be creative and snack on some yummy snacks but we get to spend a night out with some great women! I highly recommend to all of you Moms out there to set aside time every month to get together for a Mom's Night Out. You could plan a craft night like we do or if you aren't crafty, try something else. Some of my suggestions are a night of board games or cards, or a classic movie night complete with movie popcorn & candy, or with Christmas around the corner, you could get together and help each other bake cookies. The possibilities are endless. I promise you...you will not regret taking the time to put something together for yourself and your friends. You deserve it!

Okay, now onto this month's craft!

As you can see by the picture below, we made snowmen families. Aren't they adorable? They weren't hard to make but they did have a lot of steps. I found the inspiration on a blog somewhere when I was surfing a blog party. I wish I could find where I got the inspiration so I could give proper credit. You see I have a bad habit of saving just the pic in a craft document and forgetting where it came from. The craft that I make isn't ever exactly the same because, as always, I have this odd need to put my own twist on it.

I don't have step by step instructions this month because I was just enjoying myself so much that I didn't take a whole lot of pics. Dawn suggested that we video tape ourselves one time to share. OH MY! I'm not sure that I want everything that happens at MCNO to be on tape for the world to see! Now, now! Don't get the wrong idea about us! We are a nice bunch of Moms but when you accidentally stick your finger in high temperature hot glue, a not-so-nice word might just slip out of your mouth too! Just ask Susan D. ... she did it three times last night! No...not the naughty word...THAT she did only once but the hot glue on the finger....yup, THREE times!

We used a gloss craft paint on our snowman and it really gave them a nice shine. Here's Susan C. putting on the final coat of paint on her snow family.

Still finishing up the final coats but do you notice what is in the middle of the table? Yes. We can never have too much chocolate on craft night! What's that you ask...where's the other Moms? You do know that Moms are the best multi-taskers, don't you? The other Moms were practicing that skill while the paint dried. They were just to the left around the kitchen island feasting on the yummy snacks our snack hostesses brought this month.

Such concentration!

It's looking good, Susan!

Here's Susan giving her snowman's hat a little bit of fringe.

The group shot is in two pics this month because we didn't have a photographer. Well. We actually did but he was in his bed sleeping since he is recovering from having his appendix out the day before.

Left to right is Kelly, Nettie, Susan D., Sandy, Susan C., Me and...

...here's Dawn instead of me in this pic.

It's a Snowman Party!

Have Fun!

A Pretty Board Just for Me!

2009-11-12T11:29:00.002-05:00

I have this bulletin board on a very small wall in my kitchen. I used to have a pretty picture there but soon found I needed somewhere to keep track of Allison's school stuff. I know...it's not pretty but no one can really see it but me...unless of course you are cooking or doing dishes in my kitchen. So...like I said, no one can really see it but me.

However. Although it's proven itself to be very functional, I just can stand it's ugliness any longer!

So! Enter a can of spray paint, a piece of fabric, spray adhesive, trim, a glue gun and

VOILA!

A pretty board just for ME!

This is the beginning of changing my kitchen. I just love the colors...except I'll be picking a new shade of green for the walls!

I'm linking this post up with Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for her Transformation Thursday blog party. Stop by her place to see other fun transformations!

Have Fun!

A Brownie's Service Project!

2009-11-12T11:05:00.004-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Allison's Brownie troop did a service project at our local grocery store, Giant Eagle.

They were there to encourage the customers to give to the local food bank. They greeted the customers at the door and gave them a handout explaining what they were doing there. Then the girls stood at the exit door to receive any donations and put them in the big bin. As you can see in the picture, that bin was full after their 4 hour project. The customers were handing them bagfuls of groceries. It was nice to see that even though people are hurting in this economy, they still found it in their hearts to donate to the less fortunate.

All the Brownies were gracious as they were there to serve and not be a nuisance to the customers. They were perfect examples of truly wonderful Girl Scouts. I was so proud of them all!

On a side note...Can you see Allison's lips? They were blue by the end! Poor thing was so cold standing at the door!

Have Fun!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:02:00.007-04:00

Happy Halloween to all my blogger friends out there! We had good weather on Trick or Treat night two days ago. They always have it on the actual day of Halloween but this year, just two weeks ago, they changed it to Thursday night. Thank Goodness! I prefer it NOT to be on the Halloween if it falls on a weekend night. There are just too many crazies out there drinking, partying and driving out there. We need to keep our little ones safe! Besides. It windy and rainy and supposed to be that way all day today.

This year Allison decided to be a Paleontologist. Yes. I know...only my kid! If you are sitting there wondering what a Paleontologist is, don't fret...you are not the only one! I actually considered typing out hand-outs explaining it because everyone who asked what she was going to be prior to Halloween replied "A what?" when I said Paleontologist. Basically it's a scientist who studies the history of the earth specifically dinosaurs. Now doesn't that make sense as to why my daughter picked it? Anyway, one of our neighbors immediately knew she was. I was impressed. Most people thought Dr. or Nurse and she quickly corrected them by saying "No, (in a roll of the eye kind of voice), I'm a paleontologist." Most said "A What?", some said "Oh, like Ross on Friends?" and one lady SCREAMED..."I LOVE IT! That's so cute!" So overall, I say it was a success...especially for me. It was a super easy costume for me as you can see in the picture. Thank goodness! I didn't spend my usual 5-8 hours creating a costume that only gets worn a couple of hours. I had a lot going on this week and I didn't need to add making a costume to it. I'll take that as a little blessing from above.

Here she is with our little neighbor boys...a Jedi from Star Wars, Indiana Jones and a little pumpkin. Do you think the 3 year old is a little smitten with Allison?
This is a house around the corner from us. The two guys that live there go all out for Halloween every year. It's my favorite stop! They graciously allowed me to take pics to share with all of you.

They have a graveyard out front with a fog machine going. You can see the fog when you are driving down the road. It's just amazing!

The "friendly" doorman?

Huge spiderweb with spiders all over the house. Look at the shutters here. They are made of wood and they put them up every year!

The gate to the cemetery. A little blurry but you can still see it.

Once we got home, Allison started throwing her glo-bracelet onto the dinosaurs' necks and said "Hey Mom, look the paleontologist's version of ring toss!"

This kid cracks me up! She's a keeper!

Oh look who we have here! It's my best friend, Susan, getting in the Halloween spirit! These pics were taken up at her campsite's Halloween festivities and borrowed from her camping friend, Stacy's, facebook photos. Okay, okay. I didn't actually borrow them because that would require asking. I just plain out thieved them. Is that even a word? Oh well, I wonder just how much of that bottle is in Susan's belly?
I'm almost afraid to admit that she's my BFF by this next photo...she's almost too comfortable working the costume!

Have Fun and Be Safe!