... to do immeasurably more...

Organization on Command

2012-02-04T21:23:00.001-05:00

Is anyone else besides me in love with the Command Strips?

Take this mess for instance:

This cabinet and counter top corner is hit hard every day with keys, sunglasses, the dog's collars, winter warming packs, pocket change, mail - you name it!

After clearing it out, the magic started happening...

in the form of Command Strips and Hooks.

Here our main spare keys and extra ring of "membership cards" hang next to the bowl for the pooch collars. I don't know about your home, but a flashlight ready at hand is a recipe for less stress at this residence. Here they reside, ready to grab in a pinch. (I have found that keeping them in the garage tends to be hard on the batteries due to the fluctuation of temperature.)

I have since added a basket to the top shelf for the white board markers and eraser, now that I have that piece redone, hanging nearby and better utilized. I'll be sharing that little project soon!

Next up, the everyday items that must be ready to grab and go: keys and sunglasses. Just as importantly, they need to be able to be put back easily and smoothly.

More Command Strips to the rescue! Unable to locate the dowel rod that I know I have, I just used masking tape to smoothly join to thin watercolor markers together. (After trying a dozen of them looking for the driest ones!) The "rod" or "dowel" sits perfectly in the hooks.

This is my first time working with these particular Command Hooks that have the movable metal hook. Turns out they work great for some items and not so good for others. For this they are perfect! The slight movement allows the dowel to nudge away from the cabinet with just enough give to make pulling off or putting on the sunglasses a smooth process.

While I was on a roll - these Command Strips and Hooks are ADDICTING - I moved the aprons to the back of the chalkboard pantry door.

And then replaced the middle hook that had broken where I hang the potholders and oven mitt. Can you believe that I made one of these potholders when I was a kiddo - it's just a bit worn now, but my mom kept it for me!

See, here is where I found that the metal hooks that move are not always advantageous.

From this angle, when I pull the potholder up the metal hook wants to come up too. However, the other small hooks I already have hanging here do not have enough of a hook. So, the next replacement will have to be different hooks altogether.

And finally, one last cabinet was unable to escape my Command Strip Tirade.

Under the kitchen sink!

This hardworking area sure needs some love!

A quick assessment and re-organization revealed what I could hang up with my new hookie friends.

Dish cleaning brushes! On the lower part, I used two Command Hooks spaced appropriately to hang a Dollar Store organizing basket for the baby bottle brush.

Yup, Command Strips. I like how easily and firmly they adhere, and how simply and cleanly they are removed.

I wasn't solicited to brag about these guys today, but Command Strips are my HEROS!

I should buy stock in that company!

Partying here:

Between Naps on the Porch Impromptu Linky Party

for those household items we can't live without!

29 Day Organizational Challenge

2012-02-03T19:07:00.002-05:00

I'm biting the bullet. I'm taking the bull by the horns.

I'm saying "No more!" to one room in my home that stresses me out.

Choas.

Clutter.

Trip Hazard.

Critter Haven.

(not really, but my imagination takes over)

Here's a clue:

It is a bedroom.

Here's another clue:

It is my son's bedroom.

Here's the clincher:

He's 12.

So, I'm joining up with the Org Junkie and kicking this in the kaaabooty!

Homemade Love Buffet Display

2012-01-27T10:30:00.006-05:00

The house is in disarray, but I can't complain! Our master bath finally has a shower! { Who EVER came up with a powder room for the master bathroom in the 70's ranch era? }

I can't use the shower quite yet, and the entryway looks like this (we stole the entry closet for the shower):

Right now, I'm having a Mental Party I tell ya! Going crazy with dust, mess and unfinished business of renovation. All a part of the process, which has moved along nicely, yet {{sigh}}, I am ready to be done, ladies.

In the midst of all this, up pops Beth's Valentine's Day Mantel Party. If I ever needed a reason to pull something together that is pleasing to look at, it's now. Thanks to Beth, I was encouraged to do just that, right next to the not so done stuff.

I shopped the house, there's nothing new in this buffet display, and dusted the greetings of construction off everything.

A birdcage from Micheal's dollar section two years ago, perched on antique books about storefront window dressing.

A bird to remind me that Spring is coming - oh how I long to hear their delightful songs early in the morning.

Hand thrown pottery lovingly made and gifted by my mom. These are definitely unique pieces and I treasure them. Besides, they prove themselves useful around the house over and over again.

After home school lessons were done, I told HR that I wanted some hearts for decorating. He drew and cut out each one of these hearts, and then we added the red thread. I just love the pencil marks and quirky scissor cuts. The white frame is something my son and I built from scraps and crackle glazed years ago, before we realized just how hard hit we were with the decor bug. We had made it to frame the builder grade mirror in the rented townhouse, where it hung with screw eyes and ribbon.

The heating grate in the background is from the old farmhouse I grew up in. It was built in the 1800's by my great, great, great-something-or-other grandfather who homesteaded the farm. It is my dream to one day live there again and display the grate in the home it belongs. Dreams... it's a good rainy day for dreaming.

The grapevine wreath is a creation of one of my brothers. He hiked into the woods on the farm, pulled down vines from the trees - a not so easy task - and wove the wreaths. I snagged two for me and ordered several more for Christmas gifts that year.

Free, inviting, and heartwarming. Perfect, no. But, it is dusted and a reminder that this too shall pass and our home will return to a cleaner and more complete state. Thanks again, Beth, for inviting me to participate and share some mantel love. I sure needed the encouragement of my buffet mantel this week! And, even more so, the enjoyment of peaking at the other lovingly created mantels on display!

Visit Beth at Home Stories A to Z
for even more mantels to make your heart go thump!

And head on over to Flaunt it Friday
with Chic on a Shoestring Budget.

My Dog's Silver Platter

2012-01-22T19:58:00.004-05:00

You see, she's been living in high style for some time, eating off a silver platter. Literally.

However, the platter sits up just high enough that the cabinet doors cannot open without moving the tray every. single. time.

Enough already! Insert a 90 cent thrifted cookie sheet that I spray painted, put slider footsies on, and viola!

Not to mention some very well scrubbed doggie dishes.

What a simple fix! But, isn't it the simplest ones that pass me by? - I'm always thinking of the grander, more fun things to do. No more ~~kicking~~ sliding the dishes around to open the doors! And, it looks so much fresher too with a bit more white in this room!

Hhhhmmm, is it okay to spray paint dog dishes?
[Probably not, toxicity and all.]

And guess what?! HR then decided to tackle the tarnished and grimy silver platter project. That was not on my hit list for today, but I have learned to never stop cleaning-motivation-in-motion when it's a 12 year old boy. Well, lets just say that any project that involves combining kitchen ingredients with a bang or fizz - that's all the incentive needed! And, thankfully this was no bang and all fizz!

Baking soda, meet vinegar. And, a bit of elbow grease. For over an hour.

Ya know, that silver platter has seen a lot of use in this house...

(Read baby bottle holder post here -- from way back when)

Back to the subject at hand: after all the hard work, he then practiced setting the newly revived silver platter for serving someone special. When asked why, he explained it was "just for practice". Hhhmmm... during the cleaning he also asked me how far away Valentine's Day was, AND could I pull out my pancake recipe. I'm channeling breakfast in bed for mom, breakfast in bed for mom, breakfast in bed for mom....

Linking up to

Valentine's Day Link Party

2012-01-21T18:12:00.002-05:00

It's time for some Mantel Love. Join Beth over at Home Stories A to Z as she hosts this heartwarming party.

Decorate your mantel and link up Thursday, January 26th!

I'll see you there!

Little Word, Big Meaning

2012-01-16T13:32:00.014-05:00

It's a fun party for 2012 over at The Lettered Cottage!

The challenge: sum up the needs, goals, feelings, fears, hopes and possibilities of the year ahead with one word. Easy? Not so much. So many words begin popping into the picture.

I already have made my lengthy lists. I have even summarized the lists here. Organize, simplify, contain, edit, clean, de-clutter, create, streamline, systematize... all of these speak to me and reverberate with the feelings stirring inside myself.

So, maybe I need to step back and ask myself - how do I get there? How do I encompass all these ideas into one word? By getting back to basics. That's it. And, do so intentionally, deliberately.

Change what isn't working. Celebrate what is. And, do so with determination.

This year, I will do so

Check it out and be inspired over at the

The Lettered Cottage!

2012 Home Goals

2012-01-15T08:02:00.002-05:00

After a year of multiple projects accomplished, more not successfully completed, and even more still in the planning stages, I feel that this year I need to re-establish the basics. Don't get me wrong, I luuurrve me some projects, and enjoy most of them, but the basics can get away from me so easily when the lure of the latest redo, repaint, recover, or re-whatever comes along.

Yup, this house needs the care of what I'm going to call the

3 C's

So, carefully thought out, somewhat overwhelming, but entirely doable:

Cleaning - this is not a big house, but it is bigger than I can keep up with. Or, maybe it's just the kiddos, the hubbie, the dog and not the house? So, feeling that clean-everything-out desire so many of us get right after the Christmas decor is lovingly packed away, I decided to come up with a system to ~~allow~~ cause cleaning, clearing out(!) and organizing(!!) to occur with regularity. More on this later, but with some tweaking here and there, it's working so far!

Curtaining - it's like going to the ball without the jewelry. The rooms aren't quite dressed without fabric gracing the windows. Did I mention that I have an excuse? We had the windows replaced ...ughem... a year ago and I haven't had the ~~heart~~ ~~time~~ desire to rehang the drapes. Besides, now I think I may use the curtains in the master bedroom to hide the closet (see below). Which means sewing more curtains for the nine windows in this room! Still cheaper than wood blinds... but maybe?

Closeting - started, but not nearly completed in 2011. Instead, just enough is done to make me want it DONE! Our home has very little closet space in the tiny bedrooms. So last year I improvised and put an entire wall of the master bedroom to use by hanging a closet system. Yup, sireee, I hung it all by my selfie, I did.

That was work. And, I don't even have a finished picture to show for it - bah! But it has sure been worth it! Just four more to go: now for the other bedroom closets, the remaining actual master bedroom closet and the new guest room closet (this one will be special - just you wait and see!).

There you have it - the 3 C's that will hopefully skate me through the year with a focus. Let me tell you that there are many, many more projects on the list. I'll tackle them as I can, yet I've decided that this year that I will not be stressed by not having them done, and instead I will live in the thankful spirit of being in a nice home, with a wonderful family, fully loved by an awesome God.

Out of Touch With Blog Reality

2010-11-03T12:45:00.005-04:00

I'm back! Not that you all knew I was even gone, but my goodness, have I ever missed blogging!

A summer blog break turned into a fall season all but missed, and here it is almost winter. At least it feels like winter! 29 degrees on our back porch until the sun hit it. Bbbrrrrr!

Now that I am huddled at my computer while the morning waits to warm up, I realize that I am out of touch with the rest of the blog community I have enjoyed so much. Not sure why today is the day to get back out here in blogland, except to say that there was a death in the neighborhood this week, right across the street in fact. And while we knew her and spoke with her, I have to wonder, what if I had known her better? If I had been more sociable, more neighborly - could I have made a difference in her final decision in this life?

Don't get me wrong. I am not an unsociable person. I am not a hermit that rarely comes out (although in the winter I wish I could be one sometimes!). It's just that social conversation does not come easily to me. I have to make an effort, work at it. I struggle with fluency in the gap between acquaintances offering polite greetings and dear friends with whom I can share intimately.

My family is one of readers and writers. In fact, we Clarks can trace our lineage back through the Mayflower to those of us in England who were clerks. See, the name itself didn't fall far from the tree! While the pen strokes flow more fluently for others in my family better endowed with the talent, writing still comes so much easier for me than speaking.

So, maybe that is why I am back. Because I can connect here through writing. I can read and browse to my heart's content and be encouraged and inspired by all you wonderful bloggers. Here I can give of myself too - in a way that suits me better - through writing - with the those of you whom I know well, those with whom I am acquainted and hope to know better, and even with you whom I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. For me, blogging spans that gap where conversation can be difficult and allows me to step into a sweet world of blessed friends.

And, here on my street? My desire is to become more comfortable with walking across the street and knocking on a door. Who knows? That door may open to a great friendship down the road.

Oh, the play on words in that sentence! - which means I have ~~rambled~~ written on too long. :-)

Thank you, fellow bloggers for opening your doors, your worlds, your hearts to me, to all of us out here! I am so appreciative to be a part of such a friendly community.

Jen

Music to My Ears

2010-06-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

I'm in love.

It all started with an auction. Now, I am not one of those crazy people that engages in bidding wars. So often I see people bid on something until the bidded price is way above even what that item would go for new in a store! The last auction I went to, I spent a whopping ten cents and came away with something cool!

But, it happened to me.

Mr. G and I discussed the monetary limits, the cost of moving such a large item, the additional charges to fine tune it after it was in it's new home. He coached me - kinda of like role playing. Number up, number down. [Here it is arriving at my house.]

So, I was prepped, I was ready, I had a budget, and ...I blew right past it. Now, don't get me wrong here - I reminded myself that I was still covered by my savings. My savings? What was this madness? [Now, into my house.]

Also, I had done a lengthy amount of research during the past year so that when I saw the one, then I would know what was the right price to pay. Regardless, they cost money. Lots of money. [And into the Arizona room it goes.]

And, I don't have lots of money. No, instead I currently enjoy the priceless moments of being a stay at home mom.

But, I have dreamed for this moment. And while a smaller style would do, I had the perfect space for this style - this grand style.

Here she is, my new baby:

Come to find out, it is a very unique antique piano. Yet, the sound board (very important I have learned in my research) is in excellent condition. She plays beautifully! The legs are doubled for all three and hand carved. I have never seen anything like it before.

And another neat thing? Mr. G used to teach with, and knew well, the lady that owned this piano, from whose estate sale I purchased it. We know it was lovingly played and cared for. Not only that, I am certain that I payed a very fair amount for this beauty. Hopefully, it will last for a few more generations...

Mr. G has no complaints and loves to hear it played. He gave a very high compliment last night saying he could just kick back with a cold beer and listen. Hhhmmm... the beer may help my playing sound all that much better! Music to my ears. :-)

Where's Waldo? -- I mean, the china!

2010-06-03T20:47:00.001-04:00

Hello there! Thanks for joining me. I was over at The Tablescapery and decided to follow suit and bare my drawers ... er, I mean cupboard cabinets and drawers! Check out the Where Do You Keep It All? party over at her place.

I find that my china (and I use that term loosely) rotates in and out with the seasons, right alongside my decor.

My everyday dishes (from Ikea) are kept handy like so:

With silverware easy to take from kitchen to table or patio.

Last fall I swept up these plastic dishes on clearance for use this summer out on the pool patio. Wouldn't ya know, we use these all the time! And, with kiddos, it is just better to have these around the pool instead of glass. There is service for 20 here - perfect for backyard pool parties. Summer is when I can go bold with some color and these do it!

These Hall dishes were mainly inherited from my Grandma, who was gone before I was born. I believe she earned/purchased the set piece by piece through a program the Hall company had going, with a representative that came to her door on a periodic basis. My Aunt P. has picked up pieces at antiques stores over the years. Now I have a wonderful set perfect for the fall and winter months.

Here are the bulk of the wares; the plates have since been moved here too.

The larger bowls and platters are kept handy on display on top of the kitchen cubboards right now. I do use these fairly often, as they are too special to just store away. :-) Here they were this fall in the new dining area (a little sparse yet).

My Love, Mr. G has a wonderful mother who passed along some glass serveware to me this winter.

Here they were on display in January.

When the pieces are not being used, the ones that fit are stored in the drawers. While typing just now, I realize that I don't have a photo of the other cabinet storing the large pieces. You know, like every household should have a photo of their glassware storage on hand. Ah, gotta love blogging and the fun reasons to snap photos!

My Oma gave me this set currently on display in the hutch I repainted this fall. It has lovingly served many scrumptious German desserts. For you know, Germans have dessert with breakfast, lunch and dinner!

The most special serveware I have is in use throughout my house on any given day, performing a variety of tasks. You won't find most of these pieces stored anywhere because it is pottery hand thrown by my mom, and I love it! The greens, blues, grays and browns suit my taste perfectly and the slight imperfections make them just perfect. Below, this bowl catches keys and spare change as we enter the kitchen.

Pillow Recover

2010-05-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

They started out looking like this. Green with stripes and pink with stripes. Old, passed down and in need of a change.

Enter some leftover fabric from this stool makeover post. Nice and soft and comfy... Here I used the fabric's own bound edge for fringe. Then I added another layer by cutting fringe from another edge of the fabric and sewing together.

Before and after.

Here they are posed on the couch. This is the unrealistic perfectly poised moment before boys. dog. baby. life. joy. happens! The browns and tans match the rug perfectly, along with the tan flecks in the couch upholstery (that desperately needs a slipcover).

The striped pillows are two that I did last fall, but they didn't fit the inserted pillows as well as I wanted, so I just snugged them up a bit. Also, you can see here that I used the same fold-over pocket method for the pillow case closure on both pillows. On the brown pillow the opening is disguised in the front with the fringe. For the striped pillow, I turn the opening to the back. It is so easy to whip the covers off and throw them in the wash - no zippers, velcro, or buttons.

Now for the parting shots. I wanted to unrealisticly and perfectly pose the pillows here too, but the dog. part of life already beat me to the scene.

As you can see, I was getting the look and she wasn't about to budge! I suppose when you're a senior citizen in doggie years, you've earned having it your way once in a while!

I'm linking up to

Sew Much Ado's We Did It Wednesday

Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Lamp Base Redo Debut

2010-05-18T15:50:00.001-04:00

The one I really wanted, I missed. Stepped away at the wrong time. And it was way cool too, for a lamp.

So, this one came home with me. For a whole dollar.

You can see why it was only a buck. A closer (blurry) look.

This has been sitting since a February auction fix of mine (I know, I need therapy for too many auctions!), but it was too durn cold for ~~spray paint~~ me to be in the garage painting. Then it got shoved aside amid a myriad of other things.

I just checked my medical record book (view that post here), and discovered the reason why I am feeling so behind. Through April and May, I have been in and out from under the weather for a total of 4 weeks with whatever the latest and greatest has been zooming around. I didn't get this sick when I worked in a "public" office space! Must be that nursery duty at church. The crawlers room had 7 kiddos last time, and every. single. one. of them had a snotty nose!

Anyway, I finally painted this oversized candlestick. First I considered an oil rubbed bronze look, but then opted for white.

Notice the new tan color going on in the wall in the garage? That's been an ongoing project too, which is finally seeing some progress. What's with this rainy weather anyway! :-)

Up close.

Now here's the question .... should I age it a bit?

I am so happy to have something nice and fresh and white that I am not certain I want to age it... yet... maybe that will be for when I feel the need to change it up again...

Now for a shade! And a pop of color. Don't have that yet! But, I do believe this lamp will look oh so cute in TA's bedroom.

I'm linking up here:

Toot Your Horn Tuesday at Silly Little Sparrow

Cacti Cupcakes

2010-05-05T13:08:00.001-04:00

You heard me y'all.

HR was hoping for a fiesta birthday party - kind of to bring home some of the southwestern flavor we miss so much after living in Arizona. Not sure how much of that cultural flair actually happened admist an 11 year old's party with 10 other kiddos, but it was a crazy fun fiesta that deserved a siesta!

Not having ~~much~~ any time to spare, I opted for cupcakes rather than a cool cactus cake that I didn't have a shaped cake pan for, or the time to bake, shape and create from scratch.

The first cupcake icing attempts weren't pretty. I wanted something fun and cactus-ey. No suerte here! But, I didn't mind eating the errors! :-)

See what I mean? This just wasn't happening. I found that trying to rim the edge in brown (for sand/dirt) did not work well at all.

So, I opted for a simple cactus "planted' in a hip urban container (the foil cupcake liners - not that the boys would even make that connection) with the cupcake color peeking out just a bit under the cactus to simulate the desert. Toothpicks made perfect cactus spines. Quick and easy!

Watch out for the needles! (As HR always used to call them.)

And, yes, we did make sure that all boys removed the toothpick cactus needles before eating the cupcakes!

Manuals, Registrations & Warranties ... Oh My!

2010-04-28T10:56:00.002-04:00

Those multi-shaped, cumbersome, rarely used, but must be kept papers, pamphlets and booklets that come with purchased items. What to DO with them all?

And wouldn't you know, when you need one, where is it?

For years, I have had them all stuffed in plastic zip lock bags. Well, some of them anyway. For the most part, they have hidden themselves in various piles and other files - never to be located quickly.

In the midst of organzing some other piled filing, I decided that these needed to be attended to - for my sanity!

The latest pile of rounded up manuals and receipts:

Has now been organized into an old unused three ring binder. I used stiff cardstock (pink) inside the sheet protectors to make turning the pages easier, and to help separate the info into categories.

These are separated by kitchen, main house - such as furniture, heating and a/c, fans, garage and outdoor items, baby, and electronics - like computers, remotes, speakers, telephones.

I often write specific details on the item, such as the purchase date, store, or who the gift was from. If it was installed by a professional I will also note who installed it. I do try to keep receipts with the user guides when I have them.

And then, this binder is stored neatly on the office shelf, all nice and pretty. Who would suspect the contents?

I find that this organization is also helpful should an item be sold at a yard sale or on craig's list. I feel it increases the value of the purchase for the next owner.

This is my method of organizing these, for now anyway... How do you skip down the yellow brick road, making sense of all these items in your home? File folders? Shoebox? Digital? What works the best for you?

I'm linking up at this fabulous blog party over at Someday Crafts where it is Whatever Goes Wednesday!

Onesie Re-Fashion

2010-04-15T13:39:00.000-04:00

The onesies I picked up at yardsales last summer (size 24 months) don't snap close comfortably due to TA's length and the well padded cloth diapers. What to do? Why, re-fashion of course!

A few snips and stitches later and she now has four onesie tops ... and the cutie obligingly modeled so you could see how much fun I had. [Click on photos for a larger view.]

This one was my first. I decided to try reverse applique for the very first time! After trying to embroider on the onesie, this was the best way to go. I really like how the stitching has a freehand and worn/grunge feel to it.

Her initials made it onto this next one. They were drawn by hand, cut out, pressed with a tiny foldover and stitched on. I am not proficient with anything but the basic straight stitch and wanted to try the zig zag for the letters and hemming, for a serger style result on the hems.

It worked! I did it! Not perfect mind you, but she'll be in these for such a short time anyway - who needs perfect? The way the stitches make the hem flirty is so fun! The purple pants are from a local thrift shop and match perfectly - down to the flirty hem style!

The other two shirts are hemmed in the same way with a discreet white thread, but I decided to leave them plain to go with more of her clothes. A little ruffle on the sleeves and bottom hem from the stitching adds the perfect touch to the tops.

I must add that using onesies provides the benefit of a loose neckline for easy dressing and undressing, since some tops are just so tight to get over the head!

April Showers

2010-04-08T20:54:00.003-04:00

... bring May flowers.

Or, for me, a screen door. My new addition to the front entry: a screen in the storm door. It's been in the basement all along and never used. My goodness! Love it! Perfect for catching the fresh scent of our first warm spring rainstorm this evening.

There is just something about raindrops with sunlight caught in their fall. Sparkling and fresh. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

April showers bring rainbows too. This one is a perfect double, yet the second one is so faint in the photo. A reminder of the promise; a sign of hope.

Aye there, I believe there should be a pot of gold in my back yard!

Joyous Easter & Auctions!

2010-04-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

Oh what a lovely weekend it has been! My mom came down for the weekend and we went AUCTIONEERING - is that a word? What great fun! Will fill you in on the loot soon!

And then a Sunday to honor my Lord and Saviour and enjoy crock pot ham and pineapple. Yum! Follow all that up with an egg hunt with puzzle pieces, and then time putting the puzzle together. I just love it when my mom joins us here. PRECIOUS moments!

We still have Easter vacation into tomorrow and tons of pics, so I'll be posting soon - with auction PROJECTS to do!

Blessings be upon you and yours, dear family and friends!

Health Books

2010-03-30T10:28:00.007-04:00

A March DIY project review courtesy of Beneath My Heart!!

And it's a Toot Your Horn Tuesday at Silly Little Sparrow.

Although I had more fun and creative projects completed this month which would meet my "Favorite or Best of the Month" criteria, some I haven't even blogged yet (!!!) and this one has already proved so helpful to my family to have completed - no matter how boring it may be.

To recap this post Special Journals and Medical Record Books, all it takes is a mess like this:

along with new three ring binders, a hole punch, and a few forms or hand written notes like these:

to organize the craziness of medical info and insurance records into this:

I decided to label them "Health" so they didn't sound so dreadful and negative. A good choice - seeing the "Health" notebooks on the shelf gives a positive feeling.

Bliss... well, almost.

Then in my quest to clean out and organize my kitchen cubboards, I found this:

Yup, my medicine cabinet. Times three - that's only one shelf pictured. It was baaaddd. The whole thing would and did crash when one item was removed. More. Than. Once.

All the expired items were tossed into a pile (lots of those):

to be recorded onto loose leaf paper for the (you guessed it) Health notebooks:

I also wrote notes as to what the meds were used for, how well they worked, and if there were any side effects. Some were as old as 2006! Since those were empty, I must have just wanted to keep that info now for a long time, but what a bulky and messy way to keep it!

Then, I blacked out the names and addresses and recycled them:

Until HR saw them (in the recycle bin) and decided to recycle them his own way for whatever various collections he could use them for. Oh, the wonderful ideas of ten year old boys! The bottles are now soaking in water and dish soap as I insisted the labels then be removed.

The new medicine cabinet area is now looking like this:

The area is now higher - out of easy reach. My mom sensors usually start beeping if said ten year old is on the counter trying to find something, so I do feel better about this. And, cleaning out the cubboard afforded one of those important reminder discussions of how not to get or take any medications without parental help.

And the Health books are doing their job well. I had to create a Dental page fast when I had a crown pop off the other day. Bad news: the tooth needs reshaped, and a new crown. Fun!

I haven't yet tried to put documents on a blog for free taking, so if you would like to try these forms and cover/spine templates, please let me know and I can email them to you. All imperfections and adaptations are included! Ha! But, they work and that is what matters!

Easter in Pink

2010-03-25T22:11:00.002-04:00

Those who know me understand how I struggled with the fear of excess pink if I had a baby girl. One girlfriend assured me expectantly that I would fall in love with pink of all shades upon the arrival of my little one. I much prefer natural, neutral colors, and pink ... well... really just isn't my favorite color.
Decorating for Easter has always been a struggle as I invariably have pink in the decor and just don't know how to use it well; and it has always been a bit fun too since in a household of boys, for this time of celebration I had reason to infuse a bit of an unlikely color (for us).

Then, my little one arrived 8 months ago and guess what - I had a girl! And the value of pink as I knew it changed forever. Decorating for Easter was much more fun this year. My decor is minimal and simple, but for the first time I feel comfortable with pink. Added in small doses against the backdrop of this lovingly used blue and white German tea set from my Oma, accenting the antique silver tea spoons from another grandmother whom I was never able to meet, and draped with flare in a delicately pink flowery table topper (also made in Germany) - pink in these soft, subtle shades makes my heart flutter happily!

A few other quiet colors to compliment spring are here as well, such as the yellow birdhouse HR and I made together years ago, an antique butter mold my sister gave me this Christmas, and the green chest I handpainted in what seems like another time. The little books are finds from my mom and are antique handbooks for window trimmers and advertisers - offering insight into how fancy windows like those in the big old department stores used to be and probably still are brought to life.

Pink. I have made it's acquaintance all over again this year, and I am at peace with the lovely color it can be. Bright and bold? Maybe not yet, but soft and in small special touches it is very pretty and femine. The ladies of the house are reclaiming what was predominately male territory! Go Pink!

Memo: Board

2010-03-22T18:59:00.003-04:00

Memo: To Household

From: The Boss Lady
Re: This mess needs to be organized
Date: Metamorphosis Monday

So here's the solution: Dollar Store cork boards -

With scrap paper inserted for protection - they are so cheap that a piece of paper can be eased in -

Primed (just because I have the photo here it is to see, for no really good reason!) -

(We also did the big board too, with lots of scrap paper covering both sections) -

And then spray painted black by HR -

Two nails were poked through the top corners of the small memo boards and they are nailed directly to the drywall - nothing is more annoying than a bulletin board that wiggles all the time -

Then upholstery tacks were poked through each corner to cover the nails -

The bonus? I used them in the lower corners too for a cohesive look, and they are just long enough to be able to tap the points into the wall for a completely secure memo board (which earned the look from Mr. G, aka drywall patcher) -

Yes, I'll need to touch up the black on the frames - I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a hammer!

But, all together now, here it is -

A bit of organizing and it is beginning to look better -

Now all four of us have our own space!

Next, I'll be adding something above, and a shelf with hanging hooks below for all the bags that are currently on the floor. Am also on the lookout for an old hanging mail organizer at my favorite thrift shops.

Happy Monday! I am linking up with Between Naps on the Front Porch:

Frugal Friday Night Out Fun

2010-03-17T21:00:00.003-04:00

I stalk a certain website. It's known as AuctionZip.com. Oh yes!

Every so often I get the itch to score some cheap stuff that has potential. So, several Fridays ago, I gave in and went auctioning at an indoor auction house. What a way to feed the habit during mid-winter! Ha!

I try sooo hard to make sure ~~all~~ ~~most~~ some previous auction project finds are complete before scrounging again, but it just doesn't always work out thata ways, now does it?

Nonetheless, the latest finds...

Luggage Rack - like new and already being used in the guest room. This one is more compact in stature than many I've seen in hotel rooms, and for that reason it really fits perfectly. This was the most expensive item I bought.

Garden Hose Reel - nobody wanted it. So, I picked it up for 50 cents, not knowing if the hose was any good. And, it really isn't, but the reel works fine and it's already being used, old hose and all for the moment - with a leak somewhere! Last fall I had found one of these on clearance at Home Depot for $40 and just couldn't bring myself to buy it.

Lamp - yeah, I'm not sure about this one either and the pics are terrible. I think it was only a dollar, but it wasn't the one I really wanted. I had just stepped out and missed the sale of the one I reeaaally wanted. It was way cool. So, maybe this lamp will be fine if changed to an oil rubbed bronze color and a new shade. Or not. Maybe it will be the continual reminder of the one that
got away. :-)

Last, but not least. The whole reason I went to the auction in the first place (besides the lamp I didn't get). I decided that $40 bucks was tops what I would spend on this old wooden library desk chair. And the way everyone was checking it out, I knew I'd have to be fierce - and willing to stop bidding. Ha! By the way, I had priced these in some of those inspiration mags we ladies drool over and found them to be upwards of $300 plus extra shipping. No way!

A little hosing (with my new hose reel), some oil in the sqeeky spots and ta-da! Come to find out that nobody wanted that chair after all except for me. It probably helped that it was almost the end of the auction... $2. Yup, $2. No kidding. And my HR has been begging for a rolling desk chair. How to keep it hidden until his birthday? ... I'll have to redo his desk now too (secretly)...

Total bill for a frugal Friday night out - $10.44. Yup, I'm a cheap date. In fact, Mr. G doesn't even have to take me out! Even among the crowd and the auctioneering babble, I couldn't have been happier with a few hours all to myself!

Special Journals & Medical Record Books

2010-03-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

My dear friend Louise D. gave me two pieces of advice when my little one was being expected last spring. She, in all the wonderful wisdom of a mother, explained how she keeps record of two important areas for her family.

The first is a journal (she journals on the computer) containing funny, heart touching, insane and awesome moments she wants to remember concerning her daughter. This includes thoughts, prayers, dreams and hopes as well. What a treasure that will be for her daughter someday. I have begun this too, doing so for both my kiddos in cute little journal books I found at the Dollar Store.

The second wise thing Louise does is keep a medical record book for each member of the family. This details the sicknesses and appointments, and helps keep track of the insurance insanity (they are self employed). So, with a new member in my family I decided to do the same.

So, I took this mess and sorted the medical (including dental and vision) info for each person. Does the black and white photo help to reveal the dreary, looming mess that it was?

Then I purchased 3-ring binders with clear front pockets.

Next I added the notes (yes, the pediatrician writes (legible) notes for us during our visit - we love him!) and documents in chronological order with the oldest towards the back.

Then I had fun. I loooove to create documents and forms ... call me crazy! So, I designed these sheets to document the seasonal colds and tummy upsets along with doctor appointments.

Next, I am going to add sheets to keep the details at hand for any special procedures or therapy sessions. Hoping there are none to document! Also, I will be documenting in detail the health history of our families. This is one thing I can never correctly recall and would like to have a sheet that can be copied and simply handed to the doctor instead of trying to cram it onto 5 tiny lines on their form.

Finally, I designed the front cover and spine, keeping it simple. I specifically chose to keep the names very small, so as not to be easily read by other patients in a doctor's office.

Now all those office visit papers, telephone calls to the doc about the bug of the season and insurance receipts have a home. It is very easy to take a few moments and update the sheets with thoughts and results from a sickness or appointment, and if Mr. G has to take one of the kiddos to the doctor for any reason, this makes it so easy.

Fresh Soil & Sun

2010-03-11T14:13:00.011-05:00

This is how it begins, and I relish every moment. Spring is here!

One garden bed now has freshly turned soil. I enjoyed the back breaking work of handling the old garden tools just to breathe in the alive scent of soil being awoken after winter's rest.

The above daffodils remain welcome intruders in my vegetable garden, until they bloom this spring and are moved elsewhere. Previous homeowners planted hundreds and hundreds of daffodils. Glorious! I do nothing and they transform my yards all on their own.

The bark mulch needs to be fluffed and weed fabric tucked in at spots, but isn't the green growth promising and exciting?

There is nothing that speaks sun and sweet smelling spring to me more than clothes on the line.

Welcome back, Spring! You've been missed.

Habit the Habitat (for Humanity)

2010-03-06T10:13:00.001-05:00

This is way cool.

I was over at Our Suburban Cottage and decided that by golly, there must be one of these fab Re-Stores near enough for me to get to. So local yocals, we are in luck! There is! Yeah! In fact, there are two - York (click here) and Lancaster (click here). I haven't checked it out yet, but will do so as soon as possible.

All proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. The even neater thing is that not only can I shop and support this incredible program, but my church just announced plans to build an H for H house this summer. I am on board with that!

Everyone else, check out this link to find your own fab Habitat for Humanity store and all the goodies it contains.

One more great way to re-purpose, re-fashion, and re-new. Gotta love it!

Cuboard Cleanout #2

2010-03-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is what I did today... these babies got wiped down.

The ones under my kitchen sink were especially scary. I now see the purpose for those under the sink curtains (other than really cute) - they go in the wash so nicely!

Ok.

Dust gone - check.
Fingerprints lifted - check.
Germs obliberated - check.
Dried on stuff attacked - check.
Splashed something on top of upper cabinet scrubbed - check.

How does all this stuff manage to get on my cabinets? Way up high? Way down low?