Call to Order

DIY Fabric Backing

2016-01-31T15:50:00.003-06:00

Fabric backing is a FANTASTIC way to update/change a space. You can do this on a bookshelf or in a desk area or really anywhere you have a solid backing. It's a BIG bang for your buck! It creates a new space with a tiny investment. #win

We updated our living room over the holidays and I am LOVING my new workspace. It's a drop-lid secretary desk that has a file cabinet on the bottom. So, so lovely. It's from Ballard Designs. Click HERE to view product info.

No-Bake Granola Bars

2015-10-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

My favorite things about this recipe: ease to make, availability of ingredients and delicious-ness.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats or steel cut coats
1 cup ancient-grain cereal blend (I use Cheerios + Ancient Grains or just Cheerios)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey

Once you have put together the base ingredients (up to salt) then you can get creative. Since we have a massive amount of pecans from our pecan trees (we picked 58 pounds last year!), I put in 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/2 cup craisins. You could do pistachios, almonds, raisins, dried fruit, shredded coconut... do what your family loves to eat! I only add in 2 extra ingredients because I try to keep the calorie count low.

Then, combine the creamy peanut butter and the honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes until the peanut butter melts and stir frequently. Pour over the ingredient bowl and mix well. Spray a 8x8 pan with Pam and put in the mix. Pat it down and make it as flat as possible. Put the whole pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or so and then cut it into even pieces.

Pumpkin Yarn Wreath

2015-10-08T12:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Fall friends! Today's blog post is a simple DIY Pumpkin Fall Wreath.

Supplies needed:
-Large bag of cotton balls
-2 spools of yarn (choose your favorite color orange)
-Hot glue gun
-Grapevine wreath
-Twigs from outside

1. Wrap the yarn around the cotton balls. Start wrapping around semi-tightly until you cover up most of the cotton ball. Then finish it off with a dot of glue on the end of the yarn.

2. Once you have completed a large amount of yarn cotton balls, start placing them around the grapevine wreath. For the most part, I did 2 x 2s around the grapevine wreath.

3. Once you have glued all of the yarn cotton balls to the wreath, break down some little twigs to make the pumpkin stems. Add a dot of hot glue to the stem and stick it into the cotton ball.

4. Add acorns (I did this because I ran out of the yarn) and/or a bow. Totally up to you. I think it looks splendid with no bow at all!

5. Hang up and enjoy! I love the versatility of this wreath because I can leave it up through Thanksgiving.

I'd love to see your versions of this wreath. You can post a comment with a picture or email me: wbthompson2004@gmail.com.

Happy Fall and Happy Crafting!

Kid's Art Gallery Wall

2015-08-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Kid's art work. So much to display. So little space.

Last year I didn't have a game plan to handle the massive amount of paper that came home from school with my daughter. Therefore, paper ended up on my counter tops, taped to my cabinets, taped to the fridge, underneath the fridge, in the pantry, you name the space and there was paper. #paperexplosion

I decided to tackle this project to help diffuse the #paperexplosion situation.

I began by locating a blank wall in my house.

I decided on this wall because it is right next to my kid's bedrooms. It is a long wall and as you can see, well it's pretty bleak and blank. You can see my first attempt at just taping the artwork to the wall in the corner. Plus my sweet daughter making more artwork at the dining room table:)

I located my inspiration image on Pinterest. Click here to view the image. The easy route would have been to order a vinyl decal (for $25 or so), but our wall texture doesn't allow me to take the easy route. Therefore, I got out my level, ruler, and a pencil and went to town.

From Head to the Heart

2015-08-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

What's the secret to taking head knowledge and turning it into heart knowledge? How do we take eternal truths from the Word and turn it into a transformed, daily life?

By dwelling on it. Remembering it. Thinking on it when I sit and rise. When I fold clothes and do dishes. Allowing my thoughts to be centered on Scripture.

I wanted to create an easy way to think of eternal truths/thoughts I am learning. As I geared up to study Beth Moore's Children of the Day Study this summer, I created this "take away" sheet. I have LOVED using this! It's colorful, bright, portable and A GAME CHANGER. It has helped me to recount what I have learned each week and to have it at my fingertips. I keep it close by so I can glance over and remember things I'm learning.

As I prepare to start the school year, I created a week-by-week "take away" page to use. Then I thought, why not share it with you guys. So here it is! You can do the week-by-week (click on image below).

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Matters of the Heart: Children

2015-05-26T16:45:00.000-05:00

Matters of the Heart. I love that phrase. But so hard to actually uncover, address and redirect heart issues. Is it pride? Is it a wrong friendship? Lying? Jealousy? Impatience?

Finding a verse "on the spot" is hard to do and I often miss the moment of impact... until the Child Training Bible came into my life. A friend gave me Children's Training Bible (CTB) a while ago. My daughter has recently started reading on her own and has started using it.

Notice the tabs? You start with the image below and highlight the Scriptures accordingly.

So whatever heart issue is involved, you can point your child to see what the Word says about it. My"go to your room and think about what you did" statement has changed to "go to your room think about what you did and see what the Bible says about it." Isn't that awesome?
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DIY Gallery Picture Wall

2015-05-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

We live in our Family Room. It's well loved, and well used. It's also the entryway to the house from the driveway. So in addition to the loads-o-play that happens in there, it's also the place where we stomp off feet, leave muddy/wet shoes and generally unload of all personal belongings.

Couch | Rug | Ottomans | Pillows

Today, I'm sharing how I make the DIY Gallery Wall. This is a GREAT project to tackle and takes minimal supplies to make it happen.

Supplies Needed:
-Wood (we used 1.5" wide by 1" deep)
-Nails/Hammer (or wood glue)
-Black paint
-Picture Frames
-Black craft paint (for words)
-Command Picture hanging strips

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Potty Training: The Highs and Lows

2015-05-22T09:30:00.001-05:00

This post is not a "how to" for potty training. It's about the emotional highs and lows that go along with potty training.

(note: for the purpose of this article, I will only be using #1 and #2 to refer to body functions)

Step back and think about this with me. All your child knows is going #1 and #2 in their diaper. Up to this point, you have been happy to change it many, MANY times every day without complaint. Now all of a sudden you tell them to use the potty instead. You really don't ask, you demand it's time to change. You rip the "security blanket" of a diaper out from under them. CONFUSING times to say the least!

So before you decide to start potty training, think through the emotional highs and lows that you and your child will experience.

1) Your child's unique personality. Is your child easily upset? Likes change? Doesn't like change? Happy to please you? Wants their own way?

All of these personality traits need to be taken into consideration as you plan out your potty training process. If your child will be upset easily, how will you react when they have an accident? How will you encourage and affirm your child when they do well?

2) Personal failures and triumphs. This is a monumental moment in your child's life. It's really the first time you are asking them to cooperate where you are not controlling the outcome. If you say, "put down the toy" and your child does not obey, you can walk over and put it down for them and give an appropriate consequence.

In this situation, your child has WAY more control. If they don't want to put #1 or #2 in the potty, they won't. There is really nothing you can do about this. You must teach, encourage, demonstrate and ask them to do it, but the decision is really up to them. Your child will feel failure when they have accidents and huge triumphs when they make it to the potty in time. The unique personality traits of your child will come into play here. How will he/she handle the disappointments? How do you need to encourage and love your child through it? How will you show disappointments in the failures while showing unchanging love to your child? These are not things you can think of "on the spot." THINK ABOUT IT NOW before you begin.

3) Have a phrase. One of my daughter's favorite phrases was "I don't need no stinkin' diaper." Besides the awful grammar errors with that statement, I love the empowerment that it provided. You could see the confidence in her eyes as she said it.

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Creative Corner

2015-03-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

We all work best with a functional, organized space designed for the task at hand. So where is the best place for your to child create works of art? In their own creative corner!

All of these items are purchased from Ikea. Yes, IKEA.

Blue Utility Cart from IKEA for $29.99

White Children's Stool from IKEA for $7.99

Artist Easel from IKEA for $14.99

Voila, now you have your a place for your child to paint/draw/color to their heart's content. My daughter loves that the cart can travel around the house with her. You just never know when inspiration is going to strike!

Total cost for this creative corner set-up is $53. Can't beat that in my opinion!

Linen Closet Organization

2015-03-01T15:15:00.001-06:00

Linen closets. They can be a thorn in your side or a super useful space. Mine has been the former because I have not organized it ~~properly~~ at all. It's a really great space that is original to the house. It's located downstairs in the main hallway leading to the original 2 bedrooms (now they are the kid's bedrooms).

Enough about the problem. Onto the solution!

The biggest thing I have learned with organizing is that you really have to spend time thinking through the space/area and determine what you want the outcome to be. In this case, I wanted the outcome to be a functional, usable space for kid's and guest linens. The bottom drawers will be used for household supplies (lightbulbs, indoor toolkit, batteries, sewing kit).

The before pictures. Would it be possible to cram anything else in here? SERIOUSLY!

I cleaned out all the items and made 3 piles:

Give away/donate
Put back in
Put somewhere else

Since ~~we were snowed in or rather~~ I didn't want to venture out in the snow, I did this on a $0 budget. I found the storage baskets, scrapbook paper, and stackable storage items around the house.

Linen Closet contents:

kid's sheets and mattress pads
yucky towels (i.e. everything but nice towels)
guest linens
extra blankets
toilet paper

Top drawer

Bottom drawer

That, my friends, is a total transformation of this space! It went from a crammed, unusable space to a lovely, organized and functional space. My husband's favorite part were the drawers. Organizing all of that chaos even speaks to a man's heart:)

Next project: upstairs linen closet space...

Linen Closet Preview

2015-02-28T17:19:00.005-06:00

This is what I have been up to today...

Pretty drastic, right? Budget: $0.

I love how this one turned out! Details coming on the blog later this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Call to Order: Mudroom Edition

2015-02-13T21:33:00.001-06:00

Last year, I created a mudroom out of a small corner area between the 2 kid bedrooms {see that post here}. That space functioned relatively well until my oldest child started kindergarten. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could prepare me for the amount of paper/artwork/items that come home each week. I tried organizing the papers in the pantry (odd I know), then in a cabinet in the kitchen, then in her room, on and on. Nothing was working.

Then I took another look at this little corner. What about all that wasted vertical space? So I started researching storage cabinets on IKEA and didn't find anything that I loved. I also didn't want to over-organize the space and cut into the walkway area. It's a main thorough fare of the house.

Introducing the new mudroom area...

I love how it turned out!

Favorite parts in no particular order:

Place for loose papers to go underneath the bench (usually artwork)
Hooks for backpacks
Place to put on shoes
Place for library books, folders, etc.
Chalkboard to teach weekly Scripture verses

Here is a quick how-to make your own mudroom type of space in whatever little nook or cranny you have.

I found most of my supplies at Michaels. They are carrying a new line called "Make Market" and it's 30% off right now! It's ADORABLE. Very versatile. LOVE IT. Check it out here.

DIY Valentine Printable for Kids

2015-02-10T16:45:00.005-06:00

Just thought I would post a quick Valentine's idea in case you operate in the last-minute-need-to-get-this-done mentality like me:)

Materials needed:

color printer
stapler
small plastic bags
scissors
skittles
pencil
child with a willing heart to write in the TO and FROM

Source: SimplyKierste.com

Master Closet Project: Plan, Cleanout and Clothes

2014-11-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

Once I decided to repurpose a portion of the hang-up storage for drawer storage, I started doing online research for a storage solution and ended up on IKEA.com. Since we don't have an IKEA super close by, I did the measurements and ordered online. I had to use lots-o-lots of brain cells for this part of the project. Almost as much thinking as I did in Calculus. #notkidding

Bottom Line: Creating your own storage system and ordering the parts online is hard but possible.

Here is my drawn image of the storage solution. I really am posting this to demonstrate that you don't have to have a fancy computer program or be an interior designer to design a closet space (you definitely can, but you don't HAVE to).

I contemplated using the Container Store system, but it was PRICEY. Way more that I wanted to spend. The total I spent on the ALGOT System with IKEA was $249 including shipping. Much more affordable.

To prepare for the storage system, I cleaned out the closet. This part felt really good. Sometimes the cleaning part can be overwhelming but the more I cleaned out the more empowered I felt. I could see the true potential of the space.

I decided to use the 2 year rule which is "if I haven't worn it in 2 years, it's GONE." Pretty liberating. No holding onto the random shirt that was oh so cute that one time ... before I had kids??? .... GONE. See what I mean?

Sidenote: You have to be in the right state of mind to really clean out your closet. Almost an aggressive state of mind. A "take no prisoners" mentality. Did I just compare prisoners with cleaning out a closet?

Anyway, that's where I was that day. Totally focused. I made it happen. To say that my husband was surprised by the mounds (please note the plural) would be an understatement.

Then the many packages arrived from IKEA and my hubbie installed and put them in.

Master Closet - Big Reveal

2014-10-31T10:36:00.001-05:00

Finally, the reveal of my Master Closet. This has been in the works for a L O N G time.

Here are some better angles of what was REALLY going on.

Okay, deep breaths. To summarize this picture, I will use the following words: stacking, cramming, stuffing, hanging, messy, and in short overwhelmingly unorganized.

This half of the closet is a smidge better but BARELY.

Big Takeaway: Transform a portion of my hang-up storage and replace with drawer storage.

Next week I'm going to run through each of the smaller projects that went into this closet overhaul. But for now you can enjoy my sense of accomplishment by viewing the after pictures:)

Happy Friday, right? Everything has a new, stylish, organized place:) Details revealed next week!

Easy, Classic Fall Mantle

2014-10-20T20:19:00.003-05:00

Two times every year I update the Living Room mantle - Fall/Thanksgiving and Christmas. By the time October gets here, I'm ready for some browns, reds and oranges in this room. We don't use the Living Room during the day much but I am in that room when I teach piano so I like it to be neat, fresh and updated.

Total time for this project: 35 minutes

Time breakdown:
20 minutes perusing "Free Fall Printables" on Pinterest
5 minutes printing the Free Printables and putting them in frames
10 minutes to place them and hang the wreath in the right place (without my husband present who has a keen eye for the exact right spot things should be in)

I was tempted to get do a more intense mantle arrangement, but I knew I would feel overwhelmed with it all. Plus our mantle is pretty narrow so it is hard to do two-dimensional look on it.

I like to think of myself as simple and classic (hopefully my friends and family will agree!), so that's how I decorated the mantle. Not too much, but just enough to recognize the beautiful change of the seasons.

God is so good. Beautiful leaves changing colors. The smell of pumpkin spice. So many things to love. Gifts from the Creator.

31 Days of Praying for my Child

2014-10-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Long time no see, right?

Why the long break? Well, it's quite a long story, but here is the condensed version. I was putting too much of my time and energy into the blog. I was choosing to work on organizing projects instead of taking care of my responsibilities as a wife and mother. So I stepped back, reevaluated and adjusted my priorities accordingly. I have continued to work on small projects but I allowed myself grace to just let things be instead of constantly working to make things better (more colorful) and more organized.

We are in a good school routine now and I am enjoying have a bit more time to myself so I have slowly picked up a few projects. The first one was to put together a "31 Days of Praying for my Child" calendar. We, as Christian parents, are called to be on our knees for our children. I want to be purposeful in my prayers so I put together this calendar. I have it printed in color, laminated and hung above my kitchen sink.

Will you join me in praying for our children? I'd love for you to use this FREE PRINTABLE to help guide your prayers. Click on the link or the picture to go to the download screen.

Download This

Reader's Space: Overflow to Organized

2014-04-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

Wow, what an awesome response I have received from the Toy Rotation Strategy post earlier this week. I love hearing how you guys implement ideas from this little blog!

Today, I'm going to share how one Call-to-Order reader took her child's room from Overflow to Organized.

However hard we try, this area of my daughter's room ALWAYS stays messy. It ends up being an overflow toy area. Lovely, right?

Child's Chore Chart

2014-04-23T07:40:00.000-05:00

I recently implemented a Chore Chart system for my 5 year old. She loves having a sense of purpose and order. Just like her momma:)

After reading around and thinking about chores that would challenge her but that she could accomplish mostly on her own, I decided on 5 chores for her to do daily.

-Feed the dog
-Set/clear the table
-Put away laundry
-Pick up toys
-Make bed

Some of these chores (like feeding the dog and putting away laundry) were a big deal to her. And honestly, a big deal to me. I have had to "let go" of the way I think it should be done and let her do things her way. So what if the clothes are not still folded the way I think they should be? They are still in the right place and available to be worn. So what if she likes to leave a trail of dog food so that our dog can "sniff out" the food? The dog is still eating, right?

The bottom line is teaching her to be self-sufficient. These chores help accomplish that end.

Toy Rotation Strategy

2014-04-21T08:20:00.002-05:00

I recently created a toy rotation solution for Sister's room. One of my favorite solutions is the IKEA Expedit Storage Solution. Stacking is not a good idea for kids (in my humble opinion) because they cannot SEE what they have so therefore they FORGET what they have. So we decided to go vertical and we have never looked back.

However, each week more stuff gets stacked on the bookcase and we end up with this...

Potted Plants

2014-04-18T15:48:00.004-05:00

Since my post earlier this week was about creating a Spring Garden and today's post is about Potted Plants, you may think that I actually do a lot of gardening. You wold be mistaken. I garden twice a year - in the fall I do pansies and in the spring I do sweet potato vine. I may add another annual or perennial in the mix, but that's basically about as much as I can handle. #thetruth

Our local Lowe's didn't have any sweet potato vine yet so I went to Calloways. Oh Calloways. You have such a lovely layout and superb selections. I headed there with the kiddos in tow so I knew I needed to find what I needed FAST. We managed to only pull about 8 flowers off other plants while there. That's pretty good in my book.

Side note: last year, we added in a built-in grill area and hung large bulb string lights from the pergola and purchased new patio furniture. We LOVE how it all came together. We sit out there once the kids go to bed. Divine.

We also have 4 large potted plants in between the pergola columns. We have a boxwood in the center and then change in seasonal flowers around it. Last year our sweet potato vines were out of this world. So long and oh so lovely.

Pansies are so incredibly hardy and can withstand crazy Texas weather. They provide great color during the fall/winter months, but now it's time for them to go bye-bye!

How to Create a Spring Garden

2014-04-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

Springtime = lovely flowers = learning about God = spring garden

This area in our backyard needs some serious TLC. Our sprinklers haven't been doing the trick in this spot and I realized it too late, so the plants are mostly dead or dying.

Pretty sad, right? Plus Charlee (our dog) has been intensely focused on digging up this area. While I'm at it, I'll explain a few other things.

1) We decided against renovating our detached garage while doing the house renovation.
2) We DID have every intention of painting the outside gray to match the house.
3) We didn't realize we forgot to have the painters paint it until 3 weeks post move in.
4) Hunter green was REALLY in during the 90's.
5) The whole garage needs LOTS-O-LOVE, but at the moment it's not getting any.
6) You are up to speed now:)

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Makeshift Mudroom

2014-04-07T08:32:00.002-05:00

I would like to have a mudroom. I really would. I love the idea of a room dedicated to things like backpacks, shoes, boots, and jackets.

A few months ago, I started brainstorming about how I could bring a makeshift mudroom to my house. After thinking and thinking and re-thinking, I finally thought of the perfect spot. This little corner.

It's right between the kids bedrooms and the kids bathroom. I originally put the bookshelf as a safeguard to keep the kids from opening the little trap door. Back in 1926, this door was used for easy access to the bathtub plumbing. It also has a drop into the crawl space beneath our house. #scary #dark #darkandscary

It has basically served as a place for random toy storage. Enter the makeshift mudroom idea.

I used this bench that I had in the kitchen area. Fits perfectly, right? I used a basket from the previous bookshelf and voila, the beginning of my mudroom.

It came together for $0 and about 30 minutes of work. My Makeshift Mudroom.

Matters of the Heart

2014-03-24T12:07:00.004-05:00

What a weighty title, right? So, the title of this blog is Call to Order: Organizing home, time and heart. The heart.

Let me back up just a bit. I'm in a wonderful, out-of-this-world Bible study program called Bible Study Fellowship. Well, I'm not just in it, my children go with me. We all learn Scripture. We study it. We grow. AMAZING.

This year we are studying the gospel of Matthew. It is my first time to study the life of Jesus in detail. Not a parable here and a history lesson there, but the WHOLE life of Jesus. We just finished reading Jesus' eight woes to the Pharisees (Matthew 23:13-39). Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites seven times in this passage. SEVEN times. He also uses the terms blind guides/men, fools, serpents, and brood of vipers.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence... So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Matthew 23:25, 28

The Pharisees worked very hard to appear righteous on the outside, but were full of self-indulgence on the inside. They desired recognition from men more than from God. They idolized their rituals. They choose to put more emphasis on the minute details of the law and forget the weightier provisions of the law - like justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23)

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Kid's Bathroom: Cluttered to Clean COMPLETE

2014-03-21T09:39:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of the week, I revealed My Plan for the bathroom.

I try to break up my larger projects into a handful of small jobs so that I don't get overwhelmed. For instance, declutter the entire pantry... OVERWHELMING. Organize the canned goods portion of the pantry... TOTALLY DO-ABLE! #seewhatimean #lifelessonfortoday

On Day 1, I ran through my problems and potential solutions.

Day 2: Address the bow issue.
Problem: Bows. Inevitable. Girls have bows. #lifelessonfortoday. I want to display them so it's easier to keep organized and see what we have.
Solution: Buy a frame and make a bow holder

Total cost of $14.99 and about 20 minutes of work.

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