The Path to an Organized Tomorrow

{Garage Sales Rock} Electronics Learning Stations

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:42:00 +0000

My husband is a mechanic, and could have been an engineer if he had wanted to; he thinks in physics-speak. His brain soaks up all things electronics, and he has been waiting for Alyssa to be old enough to get an electronics learning station and go over all things electronics with her. The stations costs like $60 brand new, so I've been on the hunt for a good sale.

A few weeks ago we made the rounds ("adventuring") to a few garage sales with the kiddos and stumbled upon a garage sale hosted by a guy with a similar electronics bug. And voila!, 3 electronics learning stations, each marked $3. The guy said they were each missing a few parts, so he sold all 3 to us for $3! I cannot say enough how much I heart garage sales!!
I never knew these things existed, but they are pretty neat! I'm pretty excited that my daughters will know how to operate a DVOM (digital volt and ohm meter) at a young age and get a head start on physics while spending super-quality time with Daddy!!

I Was Nominated for the Liebster Award!!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:02:00 +0000

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It is a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a great way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)

Thank you so much to Melissa at Adventures with Captain Destructo for nominating me for this award! I really appreciate it. Her blog is super awesome, too!!

Random facts about me:

I was so shy as a little kid that I could hardly talk sometimes, and I'm still pretty shy around new people.
I am super proud of the fact that I got to mosh with my husband at my wedding reception.
I LOVE salads, but don't like lettuce on sandwiches; I even order BLTs minus the L.
I would LOVE to be on Wheel of Fortune, but fear I am only good at the game from my own house (see #1).
I play fantasy football and generally know more about sports than my husband.
I draw a blank for a super long time when asked for 11 random facts about myself. This part is taking me WAY too long to complete!
I played baseball with the boys as a kid, never softball.
I have an obsession with tomatoes and eat them nearly every day.
I have a master's degree in biology.
I have a pet peeve about grammar and I'm always finding typos in advertisements and books.
I had an aversion to pink until I had a daughter (and then another one!) and now I tolerate having pink things in the house.

I am nominating the following wonderful blogs for this award.

Holli @ Full Hands Full Hearts
Meredith @ Mom of the Year
Erika and Rowena @ Homestead Simple
Jennifer @ Mommy Huh
Christine and Janene @ More Than Mommies
Raquel @ Organized Island
Ashley @ Ashley's Homemade Adventures
Taryn @ Design, Dining and Diapers
Mrs. Accident @ The Accidental Housewife
Lanaya @ Raising Reagan
Laura @ Real Momma

Questions I Was Asked:

What is your favorite food? Pizza and Ice Cream run neck and neck.
What is your dream job? Part time Quality Assurance consultant for Medical Devices and part time stay-at-home Mom. Really I have this, it's just that the part time Quality Assurance is a little too part time right now; I need another client or two to make it the dream...
What did you want to be when you were a little kid? A doctor. I love science and before college, I didn't realize how many ways you could use a science education.
What was your favorite book as a kid? The Boxcar Children. I can't wait to read that with my girls!
What is your favorite color? Black
What season is your favorite? Spring, because I love the nice weather and anticipation of fun summer activities, but I like many things about all of them.
What is your favorite holiday? Now that I have two little ones, Christmas. I love watching them be so excited about it and getting together with family.
If you could have one day to do anything, what would it be? I would love more time with all of my family doing something fun together. Owning businesses is not always conducive to dedicated family time with both me and the hubby.
Which chore would you rather do, dust, grocery shop, or laundry? Definitely laundry. There is something soothing to me about the orderly folding and putting away of clean clothes or linens.
How many kids did you think you would have as a child? Two. And I was convinced I'd name them Christian and Shelby. How silly was it to be so convinced I'd like those names as an adult??
What do you look forward to most about fall? Now that summer is winding down, I look forward to the weather getting cold enough for a fire in the wood stove.

Questions for my Nominees:

Why do you blog?
Does the scope of subject matter and target audience of your blog today match what you envisioned when you started?
What was your favorite book as a child?
What is your favorite season?
Is form or function more important to you?
If you could have one day to do anything, what would it be?
If you use a smartphone, what app can you not live without?
What is your favorite board game?
Would you rather have a maid, a personal chef, or a gardener?
What is the most organized room in your house?
What qualities of you do you see in your children?

Thank You - 10,000 page views!!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:12:00 +0000

I want to say a quick THANK YOU to all of my readers and followers! My blog has grown so much in the past few weeks and I am blown away and giddy about it!

{Image Source}

At the New Year, I made what I thought was a lofty goal of hitting 10,000 page-views by the end of 2012, and thanks to all of you, I have just passed that milestone several months early!! Here's to hoping I can hit 20,000 by the end of the year now!!

Polk-A-Dot Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:14:00 +0000

My sister-in-law snatched up these letters when she found them at the dollar store! I still can't believe these letters were only a dollar a piece!! Then it was very lucky that I hadn't gotten around to painting them to match the nursery, because we decided to move the girls in together and I avoided needing to repaint them. See, procrastination pays!! :P

I decided I wanted to do something fun with the paint for this project and decided to try some polk-a-dots. First, I painted the letters the polk-a-dot color: pink for the Z and E and yellow for the O.

After that paint dried, I used pennies from our coin jar to make the polk-a-dots. I set them out on the letters in a random pattern and painted all 3 letters with green (all the paint was spray paint).

After about 20 minutes, I very carefully used my Cricut pick tool (looks like a dentist's pick) to pick up all the pennies and then let then let them set so the paint dried completely. Then I added a little something extra by hot-gluing some fabric flowers and rhinestones onto each letter (which also allowed me to bring in the other colors from the room).

I think they look super cute against the lavender walls and this was a very budget friendly project!!

Now the girls each have their name represented on the walls of their shared room. Pretty soon I'll show you how the "final" room came together!

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now
Pinteresting Link Party @ Here's to Handy Andy
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
The Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I Heart Nap Time
Manic Monday Linky Party @ Serendipity & Spice
Sharing Time @ Raising Memories
Monday Mom Musings @ Jellibean Journals
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Link Party @ Polish the Stars
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories A to Z
Terrific Tuesdays @ The Adventures of a DIY Mom
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Frugal "I Did It" Tuesday @ Off The Grid at -30
Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
The Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible

Organized Diapering Part 2: Our System

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Now that I've discussed how and why we chose cloth diapers, as well as some basics of starting with cloth diapers in Organized Diapering Part 1, I'll get to the details of our system for cloth diapering today.

We use the Tiny Tush Elite One-Size diapers, each of which comes with a water-proof diaper cover, a small (infant) insert, and a longer (large) insert. The tips listed here apply to these diapers, but they may apply to other types/brands of diapers as well. We have a total of 28 diapers now, and daughter # 2 is going on 15 months of use.

When baby is tiny, use the small insert and snap the sizing snaps (3 rows of snaps along the front of the diaper cover) to the bottom row to fit your little one. Move up to the next row when the diapers start to get a little tight. Below is the diagram of how the snaps are laid out on the Tiny Tush diapers we use.

Of course I didn't pay too much attention to the point at which this next transition took place, but somewhere around when we started solid food I think, we started using BOTH the small and large inserts in each diaper. We continue this way until baby is potty trained. This has always worked best to prevent leaks, especially at night. Come to think of it, the transition may have been around the time she started sleeping through the night, about 3 or 4 months old.

Cloth Wipes Too

We use the plainest of plain cotton baby washcloths for our wipes. The flushing bottle I got for self-care after delivery of daughter # 1 makes the perfect water bottle for the diaper station. Just squirt a little water on a clean wash cloth and you have the most gentle, chemical-free wipe you could expect! Just toss them in the wash with the diapers and re-use!

Two things about this are worth mentioning. We purchased baby washcloths with a wrapped edge for use in the kitchen to distinguish the washcloths in case one is found laying around the house. Because even though the ones used for wipes are clean, it still feels better to keep them segregated.

Second, because we use plain water on our wipes, sometimes baby's bottom is a little wet after cleaning. Most of the time a little fanning with the clean diaper is all you need to dry the bottom, but sometimes it doesn't happen fast enough. For this purpose we also keep a roll of Viva paper towels at the changing station. Viva are by far the softest paper towels, and this works better then another washcloth for getting baby very dry before a clean diaper.

Diaper Station

Part of the system we have for diapering has to do with our diaper changing station. We try to replicate as much of the system as possible in the diaper bag for easy changing on the go.

At home, we use a wire basket to wrangle all the cloth wipes, water bottles, paper towels, and coconut oil (more on this in a few minutes) and keep them within reach.

Maybe I'm nuts, but I have never once used the straps to strap down either of my children to the changing pad. I understand the manufacturer is required to put the straps there, but they just sit underneath our changing pad. BUT, the changing pad is a little slick, and since we just set ours on top of the normal dresser in the nursery, I use the bumpy shelf liner/rug pad material cut to the size of the changing pad to make it stay put. It works like a dream!!

In the diaper bag, we use a large Planet Wise wet bag I got at my local Eco in Chico to keep all the soiled diapers until they can be "dealt with" and put in the diaper pail at home. The bag can be washed and dried and is just awesome!

A Little Hands On

Once you are past the meconium stage, but before solids, you don't really even need to do anything but toss the diapers in the wash after baby poops. As soon as the poop gets a more solid consistency, or there are chunks of solid food, the poop should be disposed of in the toilet prior to washing. We keep our diaper pail in a bathroom and take the diapers straight there after changing, eliminate any poop in the toilet and toss the diaper and wipes in the pail until the pail is full. With our 28 diapers, as soon as the pail is full, it is time to wash diapers to ensure we always have plenty of clean, dry diapers at the ready.

They make sprayers that you can hang near the toilet and tap into the toilet's water source to spray the diapers out, but I've never found much more than a couple of repeated dunks in the toilet water necessary to remove the chunks enough for washing. The sprayer seems like it would be a magnet for toddler play and mess-making more than a useful cleaning tool, but to each his own. I have never tried it.

It has never bothered me to get my child's poop on my hands during this process and then wash my hands well after the diaper goes in the diaper pail. As an alternative, a pair of rubber kitchen gloves dedicated to this purpose work quite well for my mother-in-law, who watches my daughters regularly.

Laundering

The diaper pail lives next to the toilet in the guest bathroom. In a complete stroke of luck, as soon as the 8 gallon diaper pail we use is full, it is time to wash diapers to ensure we always have plenty of clean, dry diapers at the ready. If I wait until it is completely overflowing, or I have a separate bag full in addition to a full diaper pail, I am in danger of running out of diapers before the load is clean and dry.

A normal wash cycle consists of a cold-water rinse, followed by a hot water wash. Since my tank-less hot water heater allows me to select the hot water temperature (as I have mentioned before), I am able to wash my diapers in 140 degree F water and then turn the water heater down for baths (which I love!). No soap or anything for the first rinse, and I use a full scoop (which I'd estimate to be 2 Tablespoons) of Charlie's Soap for each wash-load, although the diaper manufacturer says you can use less soap with good results. Although not directed by the diaper manufacturer, I also fill the fabric softener dispenser in my washer with white vinegar and then add an extra rinse to every cycle. I'll go over the reasons that this has been an awesome addition to our system with daughter #2 in the next section.

When the diapers are brand new, it is best to put them through 2 full rinse and wash cycles to help the inserts gain absorbency and get them ready for baby.

After washing, I hang the diapers and wipes on the dry rack to dry. The inserts CAN go in the dryer, but they maintain their absorbency much better when they air dry. Here in the Northern California foothills, during the hot part of summer, the diapers will dry in a few hours outside in the sun. Likewise, in the cold part of winter, the diapers will dry in a few hours hanging by the wood stove. During the spring and fall, they can take a little longer to dry, maybe a whole day, unless they can sit in a room under a ceiling fan on high. For reasons explained in the next paragraph, I let mine dry outside whenever the weather permits.

When I put the diapers together after they dry (I like them to be ready to throw on baby), I always orient the inserts the same way, positioning the tags at one end of the inserts to face each other, with the large insert on the outside of the diaper cover (closest to baby's bottom). That way any staining that may occur from poop is always on the same side of the longer inserts, and I just hang them with that one side facing up in the sunshine to let the sun fight the stains, since you can't use bleach or any other chemical stain remover with the diapers. I must say the sun is a pretty amazing stain-fighter!

Diaper Rash

Cloth diapers and traditional diaper creams do not get along. Although they say with the gentleness of cloth diapers, diaper rash is less common with cloth diapers, I say diaper rashes will happen no matter what. It is imperative that diaper creams aren't used without a barrier between the cream and the cloth diaper. Diaper liners are sold by most of the cloth diaper manufacturers. They provide a sufficient barrier to use diaper cream and protect the cloth diapers. As an aside, they can also make poop clean-up easier, if you just can't get past that part.

We have used a couple rolls of liners only when baby has diaper rash, but more recently we have discovered the use of coconut oil (we like Dr. Bronner's brand) to combat diaper rash. The rash seems to clear up just as quickly as with traditional diaper creams, but the coconut oil doesn't harm the cloth diapers in any way! So this would definitely be my suggestion!! We put some coconut oil in a re-purposed baby food jar for travel and keep a jar at the diaper station.

{Photo Source}

Stripping the Diapers

If you do accidentally get diaper cream on the diapers, or you notice that you are having regular leaks, you may need to "strip" the diapers. Baby's skin does have natural oils that can build up on the diapers and prevent them from being properly absorbent. The stripping process goes as follows:

Run the diapers through a rinse cycle like normal.
Wash the diapers in hot water (should be ~140 degrees F if possible) with 1/4 cup dish soap (I use Ajax lemon - I'm told the stripping may not work as well with an all natural dish liquid; you want that strong degreasing capability).
Run a rinse cycle with 1/4 cup to 1 cup of white vinegar.
Run two more rinse cycles with nothing added to rinse the diapers thoroughly.
Air dry and use as normal.

In the case of visible diaper cream remaining on a diaper cover, you may need to scrub the diaper with a bathroom tile scrubber and dish soap until you can't see the diaper cream anymore. Then run through the stripping process. This is why it is better not to use traditional diaper creams without at least a liner, but I had a few diapers that were like this after daughter #1, and I cleaned them in this manner and have used them for daughter #2 with no leaks or problems.

The addition of vinegar to the rinse cycle of every wash-load has made a big difference in the frequency with which I have had to "strip" the diapers with daughter #2 (and the SAME set of diapers!). That is to say I've stripped them only once, at about 11 months.

Have I forgotten anything??

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order
Mommy Brain Mixer @ Two in Diapers
Hookin up with HOH @ House of Hepworths
Keep Calm & Party On @ Becoming Martha
Fantabulous Friday @ Little Becky Homecky
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Link Party @ Polish the Stars
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
Terrific Tuesday @ Adventures of a DIY Mom
The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways @ Frugally Sustainable
Home is Where the Heart Is @ Homestead Simple
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Simply Natural Saturdays @ The Pistachio Project

Surviving Summer Pot Lucks: Grilled Veggies!!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:05:00 +0000

The summer months bring with them plenty of gatherings that challenge my willpower to stick with a healthy diet. Pot lucks are fraught with a tempting selection of chips and dips, high-carb salads with potatoes or pasta, and sweets galore. This year, I've managed to get through several parties without indulging by bringing a medley of grilled veggies each time. Paired with some grilled chicken or tri-tip and a nice green salad, we avoid temptation by avoiding hunger.

To make this particular batch, we cut up a selection of veggies including bell peppers, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms. Any combination of veggies you like will do! In a large bowl, we toss the cut veggies with some grapeseed oil, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. For this batch, my husband tossed in some sunflower seeds as well - yummy!

We use this grilling basket on the BBQ to grill the veggies. My husband usually takes care of the grilling, so I got these details from him. He starts with them on a hot flame, stirring to sear the edges. After the veggies sear, he turns the flame down so the temperature comes down to ~400 degrees F. He adds a layer of tin foil under the grilling basket to catch the juices and achieve a steaming effect by cooking them with the grill closed until they are done (for this batch it was another 30 - 40 minutes, but would depend on the grill and the size of the batch, of course).

When taking these to a pot luck, we grill the veggies ahead of time, then keep them warm by making a foil packet big enough to contain all the veggies after they're cooked. We put the foil packet full of veggies inside a small baking sheet. When we arrive at the party, we can reheat the veggies if necessary, open the packet, and add a serving spoon. Super easy, soooo yummy, and wonderfully healthy!

How do you stick with your healthy eating plan away from home??

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Link Party @ Polish the Stars
Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Home is Where the Heart Is @ Homestead Simple
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Inspiration from Pinterest: No-Mess Art Project

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Pinterest is great for all kinds of inspiration. As incentive for me to actually put some of these great ideas into practice, I'll post about things I've replicated or modified from something pinned on one of my Pinterest boards.

We are in the middle of a stretch of summer here in Northern California where some afternoons are just too hot to go outside. And with several wildfires burning in the area, the mornings are super-smoky. That makes for a long day inside for my daughters - currently 15 months and almost 4 years old. Boredom leads to many timeouts in my house, so I love Pinterest for boredom-busting ideas.

I was thinking this no-mess art project idea would be perfect for my 15 month old, who loves to finger paint. Finger paints are sealed in a baggie and attached to a sliding glass door at a convenient height for toddler play. With the light from outside coming through, the colors are brighter and you can really see when you write or draw shapes in the paint, but I'm sure it would work if they were attached to a wall or table-top also.

In reality, my 15 month old Zoe just wanted to rip the baggie off the sliding glass door and check it out. But the almost 4-year old loved it, so I moved both bags high enough on the window for Alyssa. It is still entertaining for Zoe because she enjoys watching her sister.

I squirted paint from several different colors into two quart-sized Zip Lock bags, sealed them up and taped them to the inside of the sliding glass door.

I left them up on the window after the girls lost interest that day to see how long they might last. I took this picture after 17 days on the window, and while all the colors have mixed together, they still work for finger painting and drawing letters or shapes (in fact they are still there today!)!

What simple, mess-free activities do you have in your boredom-busting arsenal?

Linked up to the following link parties:

Hookin up with HOH @ House of Hepworths
Mommy Brain Mixer @Two in Diapers
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order
Blog Link Party @ Somewhat Simple
I Freakin Did it Friday @ Miss Information
Fantabulous Friday @ Little Becky Homecky
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Link Party @ Polish the Stars
Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Home is Where the Heart Is @ Homestead Simple
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Momma Mar's Activity Corner
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice

Olympics Opening Ceremonies Meal: Low-Carb Shepherd's Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:53:00 +0000

We are having an impromptu gathering to watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Summer Olympics tonight. I wanted a traditional British meal that would fit with our South Beach diet. Cooking Light magazine has a selection of lightened up traditional British recipes, but none of them is exactly low carb. But with a few modifications, I'll be making low carb Shepherd's Pie and I think it should be super yummy!

{Source}

The Cooking Light Shepherd's Pie recipe uses packaged mashed potatoes and a little added sugar in the ground beef mixture. For my version, I will prepare mashed cauliflower, and omit the added sugar.

To prepare mashed cauliflower:

Steam one bunch of cauliflower (about 45 minutes or until desired doneness). Puree cauliflower with approximately 1/4 cup of softened butter or butter substitute. Add half and half or skim milk gradually until you get your desired consistency (probably about 2-4 Tbsp.). Salt and pepper to taste.

Then I'll follow the Cooking Light recipe below, but use the cauliflower mash instead of potatoes and omit the sugar.

2 cups prepared mashed potatoes (such as Simply Potatoes)
3/4 pound ground sirloin
3/4 cup picante sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese $

Preparation

Prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions; keep warm.
Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in picante sauce, water, cumin, sugar, salt, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
Remove from heat. Spoon mashed potatoes over meat mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Note: Prepared mashed potatoes are found in the refrigerated section of larger grocers. They only need a few minutes in the microwave to reheat.

Here is how our version turned out, paired with sauteed green beans.

Enjoy the Olympics!!

Quick Handmade Healthy Gift: Curried Lentil Soup in a Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:46:00 +0000

We recently got a last minute invitation to celebrate the 21st birthday of a health-conscious vegan guy in our family, so I immediately thought of this recipe for Curried Lentil Soup in a mason jar I had seen on Good Housekeeping's website last year.

Since the ingredients are almost all pantry staples, and I always have extra jars on hand, it was a breeze to put this together quickly before the party. The recipe gives instructions for two jars worth; I cut the recipe in half to make this. Isn't it gorgeous?!?!

Recipe

8 ounces Red Lentils
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Dried Onion
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
8 ounces Green Lentils
1/2 cup Dried Apple Pieces (~1/2 inch each)
1 Tablespoon Parsley

Cooking Instructions

Place soup mix in 3-quart saucepan with 7 cups water. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 cups soup.

To Make Jar:

Layer the ingredients in a quart mason jar in the order listed above. Vacuum seal jar if desired.

I typed up the cooking instructions, along with what was in the jar (so he can make this over and over!) and attached them to the front and back of a piece of card stock. Then I put a grommet through the card stock with my grommet tool and attached it to the jar with some kitchen string.

It turned out beautiful, and was simple, thoughtful, AND budget-friendly!

What are your favorite handmade gift ideas??

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories A to Z
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways @ Frugally Sustainable
Inspiration Board @ homework
Frugal "I Did It" Tuesday @ Off the Grid at -30
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Home is Where the Heart is Wednesday @ Homestead Simple
Hookin Up with HOH @ House of Hepworths
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order
Link Party Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Fantabulous Friday @ Little Becky Homecky
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now
Simply Natural Saturdays @ The Pistachio Project
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
A Pinteresting Party @ Tutus and Tea Parties

Hummingbird Watching

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 19:23:00 +0000

This year we hung our hummingbird feeder slightly differently than in years past, and it has afforded us continuous enjoyment of the hummingbird pair that frequents our feeder. We hung the feeder from a nail in the eave and used string and an S hook to drop the feeder down so it sits at about chest height in the stationary part of the sliding glass door. This allows us to see the hummingbirds very well from right on the deck, as well as from our dining room table. We can watch the hummingbirds enjoy a treat from inside or outside!

The recipe shown above is adapted from the National Zoo. I just think hummingbirds are so amazing and beautiful! And I love to photograph them!! :)

UPDATE: After posting this on Facebook, an Ornithologist friend reminded me that it is also important to clean the feeders often. I should have mentioned that I take mine apart and boil all the parts every time I refill it. She cleans hers by scrubbing all the parts with soap and water at least once a week.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I can't believe how quickly it is flying by!

Organized Diapering Part 1: Why we chose Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:28:00 +0000

We have used cloth diapers for both girls, which is awesome on many levels. First, I have only purchased a pack or two of disposable diapers in each size for travel or back-ups, so I estimate we've saved ourselves thousands of dollars. I have no empirical evidence, but it just seems to me that a soft cloth diaper has got to be more comfortable than a disposable. And I am happy to be doing a small part to reduce waste in landfills. On a side note, all children should be required to take a field trip to the dump to see just how much stuff ends up there forever - it really makes you think about what you throw away!!

Anyway, back to diapering... With our second daughter, we have noticed that we have the diapering system down to a science. This, along with other experience from the first child, really made those first few months go smoothly, so I thought I would share.

Before the first baby Alyssa, we got 22 Tiny Tush one-size diapers, which are actually still made in the USA! They cost about $17 each at the time, and we were able to register for them through a local store, Eco in Chico, so we got some help with the up-front costs. I just looked up the website to get the link, and the style we chose (linked above) are now only $13 each through the website because they've come out with a 2.0 version (they are currently still $18 on Amazon.com). We elected to get all snaps because I just can't imagine that velcro could maintain its stickyness after all the washing, especially through multiple children! As shown in the instruction card below, the rows of snaps along the front make the size adjustable.

{Source}

Since we knew we'd re-use them for future siblings, we kept the colors neutral and split between butter yellow and sage green. This was a nice number, but in the early months, I would need to wash them a bit often for my taste (more on this in a minute), so we decided to expand to 28 diapers for the second baby Zoe (we just purchased six more). The one-size diapers are rated to fit between 8 and 35 pounds. Alyssa was well over 8 at birth, but Zoe started wearing them at just under 8 pounds and they worked fine. Alyssa potty trained between 18 months and 2 years, and still wore them at night for another six months or so and we weren't close to outgrowing them.

My daughter in a Tiny Tush diaper at 18 days old

With both girls, we used disposables until the cord stump came off for two reasons. First, by this time the meconium is long gone (no one wants to try to clean that tarry stuff out!). Also, the one-size cloth diapers are a bit large and bulky on a newborn (although they totally work without any more leaking than you might expect with a disposable), so it is difficult to fold them in a way that doesn't catch on the cord stump as it dries (it falls off in 4-5 days or so anyway). If you give birth in a hospital, the hospital supplies you with diapers until you discharge and sends you home with a bunch too, so you still only need a package or two...

You should probably skip this paragraph if looking at poop bother you (but no, I won't be showing you any!). :) The other reason I will always be glad that we used cloth diapers from the start is that having to separate the poop from the diaper into the toilet before washing affords you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with what is a "normal" poop for your child in a way that you might not if you just fold the whole thing up and toss the disposable. At about 3 weeks old, I started to notice little tiny flecks of reddish black in Alyssa's poop, which turned out to be blood. The saga of trying to diagnose the problem is the subject of another post, focused on being your child's own advocate and learning that doctors don't know everything. In the end, because I absolutely refused to stop breast feeding, we found out that Alyssa had an intolerance to milk protein (as well as soy protein, since the two have very similar biochemical structures) and we were able to correct the problem by me eliminating dairy and soy from my diet. I really believe that since Alyssa didn't have any other symptoms (yet) besides the little tiny flecks of blood in her poop, we may not have noticed until much later if we hadn't used cloth diapers... Alyssa outgrew the intolerance by the age of one (YAY!).

There are two things to know about cloth diapering (at least these types of cloth diapers)...

First, we were advised by Eco in Chico to use a particular type of soap in washing the diapers and were warned that "normal" detergents might destroy the leak-proof part of the covers over time. That suggested soap was Charlie's Soap. I know at least one person to whom the cover destruction happened after using the Costco brand Free & Clear soap, so I have always used the suggested soap for all of our laundry. Switching back-and-forth and only using the suggested soap for diapers is said not to work because "normal" detergents leave residues in the washer. I probably will never go back to "normal" detergents after using Charlie's Soap anyway because I happen to love it! It ends up being a bit more expensive than "normal" detergent, but I am very chemical-conscious, and I buy it in a 4-gallon bucket that lasts well over a year, so I don't mind any small additional cost. I'm able to get the 4-gallon size through another eco-conscious local store, Cathy's Sew & Vac. I think now there are several options for laundry soap that will work safely, but I've never investigated those.

{Source}

The second thing to know about cloth diapering is that the bulk of the cloth diapers will affect the size of clothing your child wears. Bottoms will fit at about a size larger than tops, at least until the 2T-3T sizes. And in our experience for 18 month or smaller clothing, fitted bottoms like jeans are just not comfortable for the child, or they would have to be such a larger size that they'd be way too long. We have used almost all stretchy bottoms, skirts, and dresses. Not at all a big deal, but something to think about.

I ended up having much more to say about cloth diapering that I had anticipated, so in the next post on this topic I will show you our diapering system specifically.

Please know that while I welcome the opportunity to be involved in the official review of products, the manufacturers of the products I have discussed today have no idea that I exist, and these opinions are 100% my own and I have in no way been compensated or provided with complimentary test products. :)

This post has been linked up to the following link parties:

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now
Frugal Friday @ Life As Mom
Simply Natural Saturdays @ The Pistachio Project
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
The Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Mom's Monday Mingle @ Naptime Review
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories A to Z
Home Decor & Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
Frugal "I Did It" Tuesday @ Off the Grid at -30
Thursday Mommy-Brain Mixer @ Two in Diapers

Happy 4th of July!!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:58:00 +0000

I took this picture at fleet week in San Francisco back in 2007, and I still love it. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!!

Organizing for Weight Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:42:00 +0000

My husband and I are both determined to shed a few pounds. Both of us eat fairly healthily, but over the past few years and two pregnancies, our portion sizes have crept up and, especially in my case, the sweet tooth that sets in after the kids are off to bed (and I'm apparently too tired for willpower) is AWFUL! And seeing things like this all over Pinterest doesn't help! :)

{Source via Pinterest}

We know ourselves well enough to know that in order to focus on weight loss for a little while, we need a diet with structure and clear rules, but counting every little thing is also difficult and gets annoying (which for us means we are more likely to abandon the rules). We've both had success on the Atkins diet in the past, before we had kids, but I also wanted a more balanced option that has a maintenance phase (or back to "normal") that is well-aligned with the conscious choices we already make for our kids (such as minimizing refined sugars and processed foods). Our compromise is the South Beach Diet.

I was actually excited to start, since one of the goals of the induction phase (phase 1) discussed in the South Beach diet book is the elimination of cravings, and that is my biggest challenge. Plus, since I recently stopped breastfeeding my youngest, I'm choosing to take a more empowered attitude to reclaim my body rather than be saddened by the thought of no longer breastfeeding, perhaps forever (since we aren't sure we're going to have any more...).

In order to succeed in any diet, it is important to organize yourself, your pantry, and your shopping lists accordingly. This is the first time we are dieting and feeding children at the same time, so there is no way to eliminate fruits and starches from the house altogether for this first phase during which we eliminate them entirely. The answer is to stock the fridge with plenty of veggie choices and be prepared, especially with diet-approved snacks (like celery sticks, string cheese, and nuts).

It is more important than ever to plan out meals when sticking to a diet plan. I still use my Excel meal planner and shopping list system for planning, with a few modifications. I have also started planning breakfasts because for the first phase of South Beach the breakfasts all involve eggs. Luckily it is super easy to make omelets and scrambles with different combinations of vegetables for very different meals that all utilize eggs. At the same time, for the inevitable night where dinner prep gets started too late to go with the planned meal, I am determined to have enough salad fixings on hand at all times that we can always throw together a yummy salad (without getting bored with the same old salads over and over).

Thankfully my system of washing, cutting, jarring and vacuum packing lettuce makes salad making quick and easy during the week. I continue to expand my veggie prep to include chopped versions of other veggies ready to go vacuum sealed in jars as well. I will report on how long they seem to last, although we are plowing through veggies these days (which can't be a bad thing!), so it is difficult to really gauge how long they'll really last, but I'll try to do some experiments!

I am thrilled to report that just over 2 weeks in and my habit of craving sweets at night is gone, but I still want something sweet and chocolate here and there (I'm still a woman!). I am not a dark chocolate lover, so I was happy to find this No Sugar Added milk chocolate bar at Trader Joe's. Just one or two little squares is a satisfying treat.

And thankfully I can also find things like this Low Carb Caramel Machiatto Tiramisu on Pinterest that I can't wait to try!!

{Source via Pinterest}

I will use this outlet to spotlight diet-friendly recipes and meal ideas that can translate to any healthy lifestyle, as well as ideas for fitting exercise into a crazy schedule. Be sure to let me know if you have ideas or questions along the way!

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

Sweet Cupcakes: A First Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 05:50:00 +0000

When I found this super cute paper on sale at Michaels, the cupcake theme for my daughter Zoe's first birthday party was set! I also picked up some glittery silver paper and glitter paints to coordinate. :)

I borrowed the Sweet Treats Cricut cartridge from my awesome sister-in-law to put the invitations together and had my older daughter Alyssa help me paint the cupcake and candle with glitter paint. I wrapped some glittery pink ribbon around the cupcake wrapper to give it some dimension and texture.

We had Alyssa's first birthday party at our house, and from that party we learned that our house and yard are just a little too small to have a gathering of more than just a few friends for now. But our budget didn't allow us to rent a big space or even do something at an activity center (such as a gym, bowling alley, or roller skating rink). Since the weather is pretty nice around both girls' birthdays (end of May and early September), we luck out and are able to go to a park for our parties. I'm such a planner that I just have to have a reservation for a party, rather than scoping out a set of picnic benches at the park the day of the party, especially in early June! I called around to the recreation departments in the area and was surprised to find the local parks in Paradise now charge a fee between $50 and $150 dollars to rent BBQ/party spaces! Luckily, the super-fun Caper Acres park in Chico still allows reservations in their "birthday rings" for free. Whew!! With play equipment for kids of all ages, the only challenge was keeping them together for the party activities. :)

I'm not huge on party decorations anyway, so it wasn't very hard to avoid buying balloons and streamers to keep costs at a minimum, but when it comes to tablecloths at a park, those are a must! A friend gave me an awesome tip that the newspaper here in Paradise, which also prints publications for many surrounding areas sells the "ends" of the large newspaper rolls, which still have TONS of paper left, for super cheap ($1.50 per roll!). We picked some of these up to use now and for many (many, many) art projects to come, taped them to the tables, and put some crayons out for everyone to draw all over them during the party - it was great!

And the remaining roll was perfect to give us a clean place to set all of our stuff instead of taking up real estate on a table or sitting on the dirt at the park!

I made chocolate and yellow cake cupcakes and three different kinds of frosting, pink vanilla, chocolate and Nutella frosting from Pinterest (it is as yummy as it sounds!). Since Zoe has a cousin with a nut allergy, I made a double batch of chocolate frosting following the Nutella frosting recipe, but omitting the Nutella. Then I split the batch in half and added Nutella to one batch, and kept some plain chocolate. Both were awesome! A side note: I added all the ingredients together and mixed with the hand mixer instead of mixing things together in stages (since I failed to read the directions on the recipe ahead of time - whoops!), and the frosting turned out just great.

Since we didn't play any games (not necessary at the park!), I set up a cupcake decorating station for the kids. I made a set of each kind of cupcake in my mini-muffin pans, and set out the pink vanilla and chocolate frosting and sprinkles and let the kids decorate their own cupcakes. The "do-it-yourself" cupcakes were a hit with the kids! One lesson learned: I put out "cookie sticks" from JoAnn to use to pick up and dip the mini-cupcakes, but the cupcakes ended up falling off of them easily and forks worked better... perhaps a thinner stick next time?

The birthday girl even had a super-sweet cupcake dress to wear for the party (thanks, Grandma!). I'd say the party was a great success!!

I had enough paper leftover from the invitations to make these coordinating thank you cards too!

What are your secrets for planning a cute and fun birthday party on a dime?

This post is linked up to the following parties:

Show Me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue
Hookin Up HOH @ House of Hepworths
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Link Party @ Polish the Stars
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organized Homelife
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

The Path to Our Dream Home: Master Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 23:48:00 +0000

Today we continue the Path to Our Dream Home series with our master bedroom. To catch up, you can visit these posts: Back to the Beginning, the Main Bath, the Guest Bath, the Utility/Storage Room, the Media Closet, the Nursery, and the Little Girl's Room. Each post tours the space in photographs, and shows how we work a lot of organization and function into each room of our small house. There are many project ideas for each room, so none of them is ever "done", but they are all on the path to our dream home!

I absolutely LOVE my master bedroom. I think a master bedroom should be an oasis from all the chaos of life. The colors, furniture and layout in our master combine for a look that is very soothing to me.

As I discussed in an earlier post, six inch bed risers give us an amazing amount of storage under our California King bed. With the furniture in its current arrangement, the large headboard covers up the bottom half of the small second window in the room. When we arranged the furniture this way, I thought for sure I would hate the bed covering the window, but I don't actually mind it at all. Does anyone else cover up a window with furniture?

This cane rocking chair that belonged to my husband as a boy is very special to us. We want the kids to use and enjoy it, but it is delicate and is still a hazard for my one-year-old that is learning to walk. This spot in our bedroom provides the perfect environment to keep it safe, but still have it out.

The closet has an organizing system that divides the rods on either side with a stack of drawers and shelves to provide storage for clothes and shoes. Since I only have two long dresses (one of which being my wedding dress), we have double rods on both sides of our closet, providing plenty of hanging space for me and my husband. Since our bathroom is small and lacks storage and counter space, I use one shelf of the closet to house toiletries.

Between our dressers and closet, as well as some containers under the bed for off-season clothes, we are able to neatly store all of our clothing in our bedroom. As for entertainment in the bedroom, we are able to access the full library of movies and videos and watch internet television via a laptop connected to our network. For more details on how we organize our media, read this post on our Media Closet.

As in every room in the house, I have projects in mind for this room, so I'm sure we'll revisit this space!

This post is linked up to:

DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming
The Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Home Decor and Organizing Party @ organize & decorate everything
The Creative Spark @ Clean & Scentsible
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Show Me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue
Hookin Up HOH @ House of Hepworths
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order
Transformation Thursday @ Shabby Creek Cottage
Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

Organizing a Fundraiser - Part 2, Bringing it Together

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:29:00 +0000

My good friend Jeni that was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at 39 years old this past September is completing her last radiation treatment today! I'm overwhelmed with joy that the toughest part is over!!

Back in February and March we held a couple of big (for us) fundraising events to help her as much as possible to pay for all the out-of-pocket expenses she faces so she could focus on getting through treatment and getting healthy. I learned so much about organizing a fundraiser for an individual's medical expenses, and there wasn't one great source for all the information I gathered, so I thought I'd share some thoughts to hopefully help others in this endeavor.

Part 1, Getting Started was posted before the main event. At that time, I had really learned a lot, but since the events are behind us now I am better able to really give some advice. In this second post about Organizing a Fundraiser, I will describe how to bring all the planning together to execute a successful event, as well as make a few comments on things that worked well, and things that could have been better. You can read about our fundraiser specifically at helptheharrisfamily.blogspot.com.

We focused on one main event, a "Pizza Fun Night" at a local Round Table Pizza (more on this in a moment). We had a raffle, a silent auction, and a bake sale AT the event as well, which were all put together from donations from friends and family and the community. This is where we left off last time, so we'll start with tips on asking for help from the community.

Ask for Help

We put together a template letter that, on one page, gave a little back story about our friend and what she was going through, and then requested any donation the business could make, and indicated that we would put their logo or business name on as many marketing materials as we could. We included the logo seen above for our fundraiser (part of our "branding" strategy that I discussed in the first post), as well as logos for all the businesses that had already donated something (nothing wrong with a little peer pressure!).

We divided the target businesses among three committee members (we each did about twenty letters or so). If we didn't know, we contacted the business to find out who would be responsible for making a decision about a fundraiser donation. Then we addressed each letter directly to that person. Each of us included our own contact information on the letters we distributed (so that each business had one go-to person). We specified in each letter a specific date on which we would follow up.

We mailed a few letters, but personally delivered most of them. We started with businesses to which someone in our planning group had a personal connection (other folks helping with the event also reached out to their connections), then we branched out to major names (large and small) in our community. I was BLOWN AWAY at the response and support we got! We ended up with over seventy raffle prizes, and over twenty items for the silent auction!

A few observations...

Raffle AND Silent Auction We decided to do both a raffle and silent auction when we started receiving some donations that were pretty specific in terms of who might be excited to receive the item. For example, we got a full 1 year membership to a specific location of Curves donated (soooo awesome!), but the winner would have to be a female that is able to go to that location, so we thought that would be a perfect silent auction item, but not so great for a raffle. And we divided all the donations between the raffle and auction with similar criteria.

You are NOT Alone It became extremely clear that there are TONS of fundraisers for many different causes going on at any one time. The bigger the business's name, the more requests for donations it receives. Constantly. I had been told that large companies and chains (with deeper pockets) would be more apt to donate for our raffle. I found the EXACT OPPOSITE to be true. We got a few donations from major chains, almost exclusively when someone in the group had a significant connection at the business. BUT, a lot of this may have had to do with the timing of our event. We planned and executed our event from start to finish within about 7 weeks. A few of the chains let us know that they have committees that meet and discuss donations at certain times. For Costco, we might have gotten something had we approached them at least 90 days in advance. Target and a few others meet every six months to consider donations. Best Buy and a few others meet monthly. If donations from these types of stores are important to you, it will need to affect your timeline. But we found small, local businesses to be very generous.

A BIG Donation really helps A friend that was involved in planning the events donated his timeshare, a week-long stay at a Beach Resort villa in Cabo San Lucas, worth over $2000! As you can imagine, this prize had a major impact on our raffle ticket sales, and created quite a buzz with folks at the event and on Facebook. Especially because I could post photos like the one below from the resort!

{Photo Source}

We sold raffle tickets in advance and at the event. They were $2 each or 3 for $5. We sold more than I expected in advance (the most successful were those of us that work at places with lots of people around), but we sold even more at the event with the buzz about Cabo, and the raffle was the most significant part of the money we raised, by several fold.

Silent Auction: Beyond the Event We decided to post the items for our silent auction on Facebook and start the auction on Facebook a few days in advance of the event, and to continue the auction during the event both live at Round Table Pizza and on Facebook, for those from out-of-town or that couldn't make it down. I photographed each item and edited a "card" with the image and information on each item to upload as a single photo to Facebook. Then people made bids via commenting on the photo. We sold at least half of the items via Facebook. It was a bit tricky for me during the last few minutes of bidding, but the timestamps of comments posted on Facebook helped. I definitely recommend verifying that your event location has a WiFi connection you can use prior to doing something like this.

Advertising

Flyers I created flyers with my image editing software that included our branding, and information about the event and all of its activities, as well as kudos to all of our sponsors and other ways to make donations. We posted this flyer at as many businesses around town as we were able.

Social Media As I mentioned in the first post, I created a blog and Facebook page for the Help the Harris Family fundraiser. We shared updates on events and how Jeni was doing via these media. Everyone connected with the fundraiser shared update posts about the event, the raffle prizes, the silent auction items constantly in the week or so leading up to the event to spread the word.

Newspaper   We submitted a press release to the local newspapers. The press release was a concise version of the back story and event information adapted from the letter we gave to businesses, along with a headline. We followed up to make sure the local paper would run a story or ad about our event. They listed our event in their community events section, and they also had a reporter write a story about the event. It was a large story and included a version of the flyer - so awesome!! I know that some people were at the event, and tuned into the silent auction on Facebook, because of this promotion specifically.

Radio Two different people in the greater planning group had contacts in the radio world in our area, so we sent our press release out via those people, but we didn't really follow-up directly and I regretted this in the last few days before the event. I have no idea if we were ever mentioned on any radio stations... So I would recommend arranging an introduction, instead of completely delegating something like this, so you maintain the ability to follow-up, because follow-up was really key in everything we did.

Television   In our community, there is one news station that features community groups on the air to promote events, so we submitted our press release and contacted them several times. We were able to list our event on their community events website, but the TV spots seemed to go by a lottery system (or if you knew someone probably), so we never made it on the air.

The Event was a HUGE Success!

The Pizza Fun Night was an amazing success. Due to our promotions, we had that restaurant busting at the seams for a full 2 hours of our 4 hour window. It was amazing. They were calling in all available employees, and I heard it was the restaurant's busiest Monday night ever!

We were able to help with a small but significant chunk of the Harris Family's medical expenses, and I know that was huge for them. Jeni's family also planned two events (a pancake breakfast and raffle) at the Moose Lodge in her hometown, and as I understand it, those were pretty successful too!

While I wish we could have raised all the money they needed, I know that every dollar we raised is a about 75 cents they don't have to worry about (after taxes), and I am SO glad we did it, because they certainly deserve all the help!!!

A Note about the Round Table Pizza Fundraiser Program

We were definitely grateful to be able to work on all the above parts of the event, rather than worry about venue and food planning, so we have no regrets about hosting the event at Round Table Pizza. However, we didn't find out until the day of the event that folks using coupons would have a direct impact on the portion of sales we received. For example, we were set to get 20% of the proceeds from all non-alcohol sales. So if someone bought a pizza for $10, we would get $2. But what we didn't know in advance, was that if that same person used a $2-off coupon, we would get nothing from that sale. I strongly advise that if you take advantage of a fundraising program at a restaurant like we did, that you ask specifically in advance how coupons will affect you. Had we known, we might have been able to at least put a message out on Facebook for everyone we knew to let them know that they should save their coupons, if they were able.

All-in-all, the money we raised from Round Table was tiny in comparison with the other events we held there. We were surprised when we heard the final amount, given how ridiculously busy they were (people were waiting close to two hours for their food at one point) that we had raised so little, and they said there were a lot of coupons used. But I reiterate that we really wouldn't have gone any other way (except maybe to see if the other local restaurants that had similar programs might not have had this coupon rule).

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ organize & decorate everything

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

May Blog Networking Blog-Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:32:00 +0000

I am participating in this awesome Networking Blog Hop to introduce folks to new blogs, and to introduce my blog to others! It is co-hosted by a lovely blog that I follow, At the Picket Fence.

May Networking Blog Hop

Click on the link to view the long list of awesome, awesome blogs!

Have a great week!!

The Dilemma: A Dreamy Office/Playroom?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:04:00 +0000

We have always planned in the back of our minds to have our daughters share a room once they are both in regular beds. This is the only way we could have a third child, and even if we didn't we could really use the extra space. But this week my husband said "What if we put the girls together NOW and gave you an office?"

What, what, WHAT? Zoe is 1 year old in less than 2 weeks, and will be in a crib for quite awhile still. Plus I JUST got both rooms looking great, so my immediate response was "That's crazy, let's wait...".

But now that the idea is settling in, I am obsessed with it. Of course, I've already stuffed my new office with much more than will actually fit in there, and redecorated it five times in my head.

Right now, my office is behind the couch in the living room. I know the husband is as bothered as I am (or more) by the cramped feeling (and look) of having my office in the living room. But while it isn't as pleasing to the eye, having my office in the living room makes it possible for me to do a little work or create something quickly while the kids are playing. So I've accepted that it's function over form for now. Would I hate having my office in a whole other room, away from the main action of the house? Hmmm...

Maybe I can move the action... I would love to split the new office in half, and have my desk and crafting area on one side, and a play area for the girls on the other. I'm convinced this can work because my sister-in-law has an amazing office/craft room/play room in her house. I mean A-MA-ZING. She has agreed to let me blog about it, so I'll show you sometime.

Here is some inspiration from Pinterest...


{Source via Pinterest}


{Source via Pinterest}

{Source via Pinterest}

All of these inspiration images have beautiful built-ins, and since my budget should be zero dollars for this project, we'll probably start with something much more simple... but I'm definitely feeling dreamy about having this space!! And there are some very budget-friendly ideas in there too!

There are the girls to consider though... Both girls sleep pretty well, so I'm not so worried about them sharing a sleep space. Hopefully that would stay the same when they're together... Does anyone else out there have a preschooler and an infant sleeping in the same room? I know it happens all the time, and the kids will adapt, right?

What challenges am I not anticipating from this arrangement?? My head is really spinning with inspiration today!!

PLEASE weigh in with your thoughts!!

This post is linked up to:

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

The Path to Our Dream Home: Little Girl's Room

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:10:00 +0000

Today we continue the Path to Our Dream Home series with our older daughter's bedroom. To catch up, you can visit these posts: Back to the Beginning, the Main Bath, the Guest Bath, the Utility/Storage Room, the Media Closet, and the Nursery. Each post tours the space in photographs, and shows how we work a lot of organization and function into each room of our small house. There are many project ideas for each room, so none of them is ever "done", but they are all on the path to our dream home!

We planned for our second child about the same time our older daughter was ready to move into a regular bed. Since we wanted to re-use the nursery furniture, we opted to move Alyssa into a different room with new (to her) furniture. In order to completely separate Alyssa's transition from the new baby's arrival, we put together her new room as a surprise for Christmas, and Zoe was due in late May. That worked very well for us; Alyssa's didn't associate her new room with her baby sister at all.

We based the color scheme for Alyssa's room on a beautiful play quilt that my extremely talented Mom made for Alyssa when she was a newborn. Her previous room had been pastel pink, green, yellow and purple and I wanted to incorporate some brighter colors into a similar color scheme (so we could re-purpose her curtains, but more on that in a minute!). This was perfect!

Then I found these canvas prints and pillows at Target and they coordinated perfectly!

We chose a white bed and trundle that can also be made into bunk beds with the purchase of a second bed, in case we ever decide to have the girls share. We repainted the dresser and nightstand from my teenage bedroom white for use in her room, and painted the walls a soft lavender. I chose a quilted coverlet that is bright pink on one side and lighter pink on the other side and simple lavender bedding, all of which could stay in the room with different accessories as she gets older if we choose.

My super talented Mom also helped transform the window-length curtains she had made for Alyssa's nursery into a coordinating valance for the new room by shortening them and adding custom appliqued flowers in brighter colors to tie in with the accessories in the room.

I discussed the awesome wire art hanging system in an earlier post. We really like the ease of changing out the artwork.

Someday we'll add a hang-up bar for clothes, but right now the closet is all about toys storage. We use natural bins from IKEA to covertly stash toys all over our house, including here in the closet. Dolls and doll clothes go in a slightly larger basket and vehicles are parked here as well. The top shelf gives Mommy a little extra storage for over-sized items. We'll put the doors on sometime when the girls are both a bit bigger, but for now it is easier access with them off (and they still haven't been sanded or painted, to be honest!).

At the end of her bed, Alyssa also has a play area where her imagination can really run wild. Since she loves to help her Daddy works on cars, she spends just as much time at the workbench fixing things as she does playing in the kitchen - so awesome!

Many more projects are also planned for this room, so we'll be back here soon!! :)

This room has all the different areas a pre-school girl needs. How do you coordinate the sections of your children's rooms?

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ organize & decorate everything

Party Time @ The 36th Avenue

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order

Hookin Up with HOH @ House of Hepworths

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple

DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Nap Time

Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Love It, Like It, Link It @ The Organised Housewife

Weekend Warrior Party @ Ask Anna

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Happy Mother's Day Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:08:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!

I am quite happy with how our cards for Mother's Day turned out this year, so I thought I'd share. I enjoy hand-making cards, and I maintain a stock of paper, blank cards, and supplies so I can put together cards on a moment's notice for almost any occasion.

I got out a few sets of pretty paper and let my 3-year-old choose the specific paper for this year's Mother's Day cards. She chose this colorful, funky, flowery paper.

From there, we decided how to deliver the message. I usually use a stamp for this purpose, but this year I didn't want to just say "Happy Mother's Day". I chose this stamp with a bird and cute flower that says "for you" and stamped it on yellow paper that coordinates with the main paper in brown ink. I also ran the ink pad around the outside edge of the cut-out to finish it off.

Then Alyssa helped me choose an embellishment to add a little something extra to the simple design. We chose mauve heart-shaped brads. I used my Croc-o-Dile punch to attach the message paper to the main paper with the brad as shown.

We've had a nice day of visiting with family and I'm looking forward to a quiet, relaxing evening with my kids and hubby tonight. What do you do to celebrate Mother's Day?

The Path to Our Dream Home: Nursery

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:28:00 +0000

Today we continue the Path to Our Dream Home series with our second daughter's nursery. To catch up, you can visit these posts: Back to the Beginning, the Main Bath, the Guest Bath, the Utility/Storage Room, and the Media Closet. Each post tours the space in photographs, and shows how we work a lot of organization and function into each room of our small house. There are many project ideas for each room, so none of them is ever "done", but they are all on the path to our dream home!

I don't have before pictures for any of the bedrooms as they are just standard bedrooms and the changes were all cosmetic - paint, ceiling fans, faux wood blinds for the windows, and new floors. My husband did scrape off the old popcorn ceiling treatments, which made a huge difference in terms of updating the spaces.

We moved our older daughter Alyssa into another room in order to re-use the nursery furniture for our second daughter Zoe. Since my Mom is a super-talented quilter, we based the decor for the room on a quilt she made; we chose the pattern and fabrics together specifically for the room. We based the look loosely on the example quilt pictured for the pattern, which was from the book Quilting for Baby. We achieved a completely different (and gorgeous) look for the re-decorated room by avoiding pinks and purples.

The back of the quilt is a fabulous chocolate brown minky fabric that allows you to really see the beautiful quilting work.

We used extra fabric to make this beautiful, inexpensive matching memory board. I'll cover how to do this in another post soon.

We left the top half of the walls the same celery green it had been for Alyssa's nursery, but painted the bottom half of the walls chocolate brown and added a chair rail (after the glider made it clear exactly where it was needed by scuffing up the wall in the previous nursery!). Three black-out panels in chocolate brown cover the wide window. I have plans for some modifications to these soon, so stay tuned!

New bedding with cute green and brown polka-dots coordinates with the room perfectly.

We also re-used the white high-shag rug from Alyssa's nursery (it was from Target originally). With a professional cleaning from an awesome local carpet cleaning company, it is still white!!

I found these baskets at Michael's which are the perfect color of not-so-common blue for this room, and I was extra excited when they were on sale that day! They are the perfect solution to contain and hide away all the infant-care and diapering supplies! And this dresser's many drawers provide the storage we need for Zoe's clothing, since this room has no closet.

I am in love with how this room turned out! Some projects I have planned will make it even better!!

How do you re-decorate rooms to have a totally new look without changing the anchoring furniture?

This post is linked up to the following parties:

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party at Delightful Order

Hookin Up with HOH at House of Hepworths

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party at Organize & Decorate Everything

Sticker and Party Time at The 36th Avenue

Weekend Warrior Link Party at Ask Anna

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons

Inspiration Board at Homework

Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now

It's been awhile... and sharing an awesome Menu Planning Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:11:00 +0000

I have NOT fallen off the face of the earth, I promise!! After the blog took a backseat to planning the hugely successful fundraiser for my good friend (helptheharrisfamily.blogspot.com) in early March, I was invited to teach a seminar for my Quality Assurance consulting business (www.norcalqualityconsulting.com), which was an amazing opportunity that I just couldn't pass up. So the blog took yet another back seat. I've accepted the fact that this might just have to happen from time to time, but I am determined to keep the blog going when I can because I LOVE it. I hope you'll put up with me!

A long overdue post is coming SOON!! As the weather here starts to look like spring, I have a ton of project ideas to share!!

In the meantime, here is some organizing candy from another blog that I am SUPER excited to adopt!

Megan from The Homes I Have Made blogged about this awesome magnetic menu board over two posts. She started by explaining how she uses the board to plan meals (main and side dishes) for a month at a time, to keep track of the associated recipes, and to incorporate new meals and nights out. Then in her second post, she described exactly how she made her board. I discovered this magnetic menu board on Pinterest and I love her whole blog!!

{Source: The Homes I Have Made}

How to Organize a Fundraiser - Part 1, Getting Started

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:03:00 +0000

One of the reasons I've been ~~slower than usual~~ super slow to post lately is that my blogging time has been otherwise occupied with planning and working on some fundraising activities for a very close friend that is fighting breast cancer. I have learned a lot in the process, and since I have pieced together my information from scattered sources and learning the hard way, I thought it might be beneficial to write about the process for anyone who might do something similar. I will be back on track with my normal posting schedule by the second week of March, but this semi-hiatus is well worth it!!

Our fundraising activities are aimed at raising money to offset the medical expenses my friend is incurring as a result of her breast cancer diagnosis, including three surgeries in a matter of weeks (because the cancer had spread to one lymph node they removed all the others on that side but thankfully none of those were cancerous), followed by chemo (and all the medications to fight those side effects) and radiation.

The fundraising activities logically divide into several phases, so I will post about this in several parts. You can read about my fundraiser specifically at helptheharrisfamily.blogspot.com. And if you live in the Paradise/Chico, CA area, our event is this next Monday, March 5th from 5 to 9 PM at the Paradise Round Table Pizza - we hope to see you there!!!

Part 1 - Getting Started

Form a "Committee"

Include those core people willing to commit and help with every facet of the fundraising. There will (hopefully) be other people who volunteer to help with various activities along the way, but these are the people that will be "in charge" of making decisions.

You should have this meeting early in the process so everyone is on the same page. It is hard not to have your head swirl with ideas once you decide to do a fundraiser and everyone can go off in different directions pretty quickly. That first meeting allows you to focus your energy on realistic endeavors that everyone agrees to pursue.

Have a Goal in Mind

Have a clear financial goal in mind, based on the beneficiary's expected medical expenses. I'm certainly no tax expert, but don't forget to aim about 25% higher to allow the beneficiary plenty to pay taxes on all the funds raised (since they will be taxed as income). In our case, this is a lofty goal because they have many expenses, but all the more reason to try and help! Anything we can do will ease their burden and that is the whole point!!

Organizing the Funds you Raise

It took several conversations with various folks (my banker, my CPA, and finally the head of a local community foundation) before I understood that becoming a non-profit is not the way to go about a fundraiser for an individual's medical expenses. In fact, a non-profit by definition can not benefit a named individual. Which means that none of the donations will be tax deductible (this hasn't seemed to affect our collections - our community has been amazing!). And incidentally, setting up a non-profit is a long and expensive process.

The banking end of things ended up being pretty simple. My friend (the beneficiary) had to go to her bank and fill out a form to get a Tax ID from the IRS, and then set up a bank account specifically for the fundraiser, a "Medical Expense Fund" in her name. Then she set up a separate PayPal account and linked it to that bank account.

Consider how you will invest in your fundraiser. We kept things to a BARE minimum in terms of up-front costs, which somewhat dictated what events we planned and how we got the word out. We also didn't want to take any money away from our friend to pay for the fundraiser from the raised funds.

Involve the beneficiary

While we would have loved to have pulled off all the fundraising and handed my friend a check to cover all of her expenses without her knowledge or energy, that just isn't possible. There are many parts of the fundraiser that will need her input, there's just no way around that. She had to handle the Tax ID, opening the bank account, and linking it to PayPal. And because she's a very private person, we've run everything we're doing for advertising by her (especially if it has her picture on it!).

Brand Your Fundraiser

You should put together a background story and take some photos early in the process. The advice I got was that your "main" photo should be of the person and his or her family, preferably smiling and happy. So we had a little photo shoot one day when she was feeling up for it and I got some great photos.

Once I had these two pieces, I set-up a "Cause" Facebook page (so it would have a "like" button) and a website (a Blogger blog since I'm familiar with how to do that). I created the pink ribbon and Gerber daisy logo pictured in this post in order to unify all of our printed and web materials.

Decide WHAT you'll do

We have decided to have one main local event with many different fundraising activities. Ours was greatly simplified by a program that our local Round Table Pizza has (which may be franchise-wide) where you can have 4 hours set aside in an evening (must be a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) and they will "host" your event and donate a generous portion of all non-alcohol sales to the cause (including delivery in our case!). That took care of a venue and food without any up-front costs for us, whew! Since we began contacting other businesses in the area, we've learned that other places offer a similar program.

We are also allowed to have other activities at this event, so we are going with a raffle, silent auction, and bake sale. More about these in future posts.

Have a Timeline

We set the date of our event based on when my friend was most likely to be having a good day based on her chemo schedule. This, plus the fact that the bills are already coming in and we wanted to help as quickly as possible, meant we needed to plan the event within about 8 weeks. This is SO LITTLE TIME! But it is totally possible!!

We set little deadlines for ourselves that broke the planning into logical phases.

Collecting: We needed to know what items would be donated (mostly) in order to start advertising for the raffle and silent auction, so we started by contacting businesses and asking for donations. This will be the focus of the next post in this series.

Advertising: Then once we had a general idea of the donations we had, we moved into advertising mode: posting updates on Facebook and our website, posting flyers, passing out flyers, selling raffle tickets, getting our event mentioned in newspapers and on the radio, etc. In order to concentrate our efforts, we thought we'd have advertising go for about 2 weeks prior to the event. In reality it may be about half that (other than posted flyers and Facebook/web stuff) because it takes some time to really arrange for the advertising, so that was one (of many) lessons learned. Because we wanted to expose those businesses donating to our cause as much as possible, I think we held out a little too long waiting to gather the donation commitments before we moved forward planning the advertising, but it is really hard to cut that off. Of course we are still collecting (awesome!) donations, but in reality it is reasonable to have a little less exposure for those that weren't able to commit right away. We will still do everything we can to thank all the businesses that participate (more on this later)!

Ask for Help

Once we had a plan for the event and fundraising activities we wanted to do, we set out to ask for help from the community. I will post about this next time.

Thanks so much for reading! Have you ever planned a fundraiser for a friend? What lessons did you learn along the way?

This post has been linked up to:

Home Decor & Organizing Party @ Organize & Decorate Everything

One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Organizing & DIY Link Party @ Organizing with Sandy

Make 2012 Your Best Year - February Refresh

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:45:00 +0000

It's amazing what a difference a month can make in one's outlook and perspective. As part of my determination this year to make changes that don't fade away right after the New Year (first discussed here), I will check in monthly with a "Make 2012 Your Best Year" series to make sure I am aligned with my goals. I will call this my "monthly refresh". In order to be worthwhile, the refresh should be viewed as an opportunity to organize your thoughts and refine your practices in a positive way, not to be negative or overly critical. And the fact that this has taken the whole first week of this short month is okay. It doesn't need to fit a rigid schedule, just so that it happens regularly and monthly is (I think) the right interval for me.

Be Thankful

January was a particularly crazy month around here, mainly because I got in a car accident a couple of weeks ago. Of the MANY things to be thankful for, my two small daughters and I were completely unharmed physically aside from a small bump on the side of my head. I am also thankful that there were no other cars involved. The car did not fare so well, so we are having to deal with that. But it is just a car. Our financial situation went from "teetering on the edge of comfortable" to "we'll get through it somehow". But it's only money. Talk about a refreshed perspective!

I find often upon reflection that stress and anxiety are a matter of my perspective. After the accident, all of the worries and stresses of life were stripped away and I was just thankful to be okay. And even more so that my kids were okay. I ignored life for a full day to just appreciate this feeling, and allow myself to feel the protective motherly instinct to cocoon my kids away from harm. I took a few more days to ease back into reality, and by now we're finally back to a "normal" routine. And all the worries and stress are back, but I am able to keep them contained to a healthy level of pressure because I am aware that they are put there by me, and I have the power to take them away again if needed.

{Source}

Just like the intentions of the New Year, I hope that my appreciation for my life and control over stress don't fade too much with time. So I will revisit these concept as part of each monthly refresh.

Take Care of Me

One of my big goals for this year was to Take Care of Me. As part of the monthly refresh, I will add at least one concept every month, without abandoning the previous ones. I will still check in with all of my previous goals, to renew my resolve and refine the tasks that address each goal.

Less Self-Deprecation

During a recent yoga class, the instructor complimented another student in the class, and the student responded in a way that slighted herself and downplayed the compliment. The instructor pointed out that unfortunately we have all learned to do this, and it is true. I do this all the time! And even though it is like a reflex, I wish I didn't do it. And I certainly would like to avoid teaching this to my girls.

This isn't a completely new concept to me. As my older daughter began to understand what the adults around her were talking about a little, I decided that self-deprecating remarks should be filtered out, just the same as my potty mouth. The difficulty comes with actually doing it. Especially because I hardly recognize that I have done it. Somehow I've made a natural transition in the potty-mouth department. So much so, that is almost feels weird to cuss anymore when the kids aren't around, where I used to have quite the vocabulary. So how did I even do this?

Practice. It doesn't seem like it took much practice to filter the potty mouth. It seems like it was a mothering instinct or something and it just happened. But can I decide what is appropriate for these instincts? Or did I really practice not cussing in the first months to a year in which my daughter was there but not quite aware of exactly what we were saying? Probably the second. So I need to learn to recognize that I've made a self-deprecating remark, and then re-program myself to filter the comment before it comes out. Re-programming can only come with practice - first in being aware and then in filtering. So I will practice.

Adjust Goals to Be Realistic

One of my goals for this year was to blog more often, increasing my number of monthly posts compared with the months in 2011. I haven't posted in what feels like forever, and although the reasons for this gap will hopefully not recur, I have also determined that my schedule just doesn't allow for me to post more than once or twice a week. So I have decided to accept the reality rather than always be disappointed that I am not doing more.

On a very positive note, I had also set a goal of the number of page views I'd like to have for the whole year (for a significant increase over last year in the blog's infancy) and I am so pleased to say that I am already hopeful that I will double my goal. This is thanks to some awesome link parties in which I've been participating, and it is so exciting! Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you'll become a follower and leave me a comment on how you like my blog!!!

The Path to Our Dream Home: Media Closet

noreply@blogger.com (Julie) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Today we continue the Path to Our Dream Home series with a less visually appealing space that is super-high function - the Media Closet. To catch up, you can visit Back to the Beginning, the Main Bath, the Guest Bath and the Utility/Storage Room. Each post tours the room in photographs, and shows how we work a lot of organization and function into each room of our small house. There are many project ideas for each room, so none of them is ever "done", but they are all on the path to our dream home!

Among my husband's proudest achievements, we turned a hallway linen closet into the ultimate Media Closet. Our linens are stowed under the bed in the master bedroom, which freed up this small closet to house the following components:

Home Theater:
Media Center PC
7.1 Surround Sound Receiver

Computer Networking and Communications:
ASUS Wireless Router
Motorola Cable Modem
AT&T MicroCell mini cell phone tower (otherwise our cell phones have no signal at home)
USB Printer

Media Center PC

We are movie and music lovers and have tons of both, along with a bazillion pictures. We store all of our media on a dedicated computer we have named "Mediatron". Because it has three hard drives in it, totaling 3.5 terabytes of space, I can procrastinate with the digital clutter project just a little bit longer, but the blog is a great excuse to tackle the digital clutter (more soon)! ;) The hard drives also have back-ups in place for the media, as well as for the laptops in the "office" (in the living room).

The Media Closet is conveniently located about 4 feet behind the wall in the living room on which the TV hangs (picture of the view from the living room is below). When the house was re-wired during our renovations, special wiring and outlets were installed to minimize cables from view. Through the walls and the attic the HDMI cables and speaker wires run between the Home Theater receiver and the TV and speakers, respectively. Mediatron and the Cable box are both routed through the receiver to the TV. Within the closet, Mediatron is wired to the router for speed, and the semi-old printer is wired to the router as well, allowing us to print wirelessly from the laptops in our office. The bulky subwoofer lives in the attic and trust me when I tell you that it works just as well up there, and we love not having to sacrifice space for it or look at it!

We use the Windows 7 libraries to organize the movies, music, pictures and videos on the computer. Then Windows Media Center is the player for all the media we own, both in the living room, and via Media Center Extender and the XBox 360 that is connected to our bedroom TV. We can also watch TV shows and listen to music online in the living room. If anyone is interested in more details about our set-up (how Mediatron was built to "scream", back-ups, codecs, add-ins, etc), I will ask my husband to do a guest post on the subject, because we've reached the limit of my understanding!

One Remote to Rule Them All

An IR repeater connects all the components that are controlled by a remote to the receiver, so that all that shows in the living room is the tiny box way up high on the wall, that has a blue light to show that the signal is received from the remote.

My husband programmed the receiver's remote to control the TV, Cable Box, the receiver, and even Windows Media Center on the computer! We also have a wireless keyboard and mouse that make the computer fully functional. All the devices are hidden behind the closet door! It is awesome!!

Proper Ventilation

We installed a bathroom fan and light combo into the ceiling of this tiny closet to give it adequate ventilation with the door closed. The fan runs at 2.5 sones and you can't hear it at all in the living room with the closet door closed, even with the TV off. It makes a HUGE difference in terms of the temperature inside the closet, and with the computer working less hard to keep itself cool, I'm sure it works faster and uses less energy!

Paper Storage

After all the functionality of the top few shelves of this closet, I am so excited that there was just enough space leftover for some extra storage. Along with the camera and accessories, printer paper is stored in black boxes below the printer - white paper on top and specialty papers for printing photos, resumes, etc. below. On the floor, I put my Iris Scrapbook storage tower, which I use to organize all my craft paper. The tower holds six clear storage boxes perfectly sized for 12x12 paper. Each box can slide out and travel to my desk for crafts.

How do you organize your media?

This post is linked up to the following link parties:

Sundae Scoop @ I {Heart} Naptime

Weekend Warrior Link Party @ Ask Anna

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Inspiration Board @ Homework

Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing

Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Home Decor and Organizing Link Party @ organize & decorate everything

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party @ Delightful Order

Crafty Scrappy Happy Me. Thursday

Hooking up with HoH @ House of Hepworths

Potpourri Friday @ 2805