Confessions and Scrap

Holiday Plate Stacker Snack display

2012-01-02T22:15:00.001-06:00

Isnt this the greatest find??? It's 1960s, made from plastic plates, missing one, but appropriate hardware for 3 stacking plates! I found this on The American Homemaker's Etsy Shop... who knows where she found it!

This is how it arrived. I had asked her to package it in pieces for easier tranport. The plates had a 1/4 inch hole drilled into them. First task: secure new plates and a 1/4 inch drill bit that could drill through glass/ceramic.
And this is what became of it:

The process started by marking out the centers of the plates and drilling small pilot holes.

It continued with the glass and ceramic drill blade which is best used with water.

One with a hole, 2 more to go.

As in all projects involving the husband, beer and a 2nd plate with the hole drilled.

Then it was just a matter of assembly...

Which was had a few issues since our plates were heavier and thicker than the original ones, but it turned out perfectly!

Shop at Angie's Etsy shop here.

She has quite a variety of retro and vintage items.

Organizing and Scrapbooking Family Portraits

2012-01-01T21:00:00.002-06:00

Some serious mess, right? At first glance, sure, but this is actually organization in work. I have a scrapbook in which I keep 8x10s of all the family's portraits.

Well, that's the idea, anyway. It hadn't been updated since 2006. For the last 5 years, I had kept the portraits for our 4 children in one box.

But it is quite a bit to sort through when looking to put them in chronological order. How could I even have left them in a mess like this???

I started by opening the box and taking everything out. Since it also held all the extra copies and went back 21 years to 1990, and since many of the sets were in non-photo-safe envelopes, I started by emptying the envelopes and laying out matching photos in piles.

Piles and more piles.

Everywhere Piles.

Then I began sorting by year and returning the portraits to the box. In this particular situation, I am using a Creative Memories Power Layout Box. It is 12x12 and can hold large items safely for long terms. Nope, not what it was made to do, but I never really used it for what it was meant, so this is a good use otherwise.

I took the opportunity to label it. You know me, everything needs a label.

The sections inside are made so that things cant shuffle from one section to another, perfect for keeping the pictures separated. I labeled each section with date, name and age and put the most recent on top. With everything sorted, it was quite easy to complete the scrapbook pages with the remaining portraits.

Finally finished, at least until next fall...

A Few Great Reads

2011-12-31T00:56:00.027-06:00

Having our kids receive Kindle Fires for Christmas this year has prompted a new reading amongst us all. Amazon routinely has daily deals for cheaper prices on ebooks, as well as tons of free books. In addition to reading on a Kindle, you can also download apps to read on your PC or other devices.

Free Kindle Reading Apps

These are the two books I have read since Christmas Day and both were exciting and enjoyable, keeping my attention through out the entire book. I hope you enjoy them as well!

The Venom of Vipers
by K.C.May

A book set in the future where humans and becoming extinct from disease and turn to creating a new sub species of humanoid to try and cure the rest of the world. Told as a friendship between a human and one of the new species, this novel is gripping and enjoyable through each twist and turn.

The Venom of Vipers

The Handmaids Tale
By Margaret Atwood

Set in the near future, this book deals with anti feminist views brought on by feminists who settled for freedom 'from' rather than freedom 'to.' As the United States has been abolished and war has broken out all over, the story is told from the perspective of a young women whose life has changed immeasurably, who has lost not only her way of life, but her family as well. She is located in a peaceful center within an area that used to be Detroit, but all around are unstable areas. She is locked into a life of privilege, of sorts, but without personal freedoms. Highly poignant personal thoughts and feelings are conveyed clearly and distinctly through this no nonsense diary of sorts.

The Handmaid's Tale 1st (first) edition Text Only

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

2011-05-01T16:37:00.001-05:00

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

1 cup Margarine
1cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Eggs
1 cup Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
4 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt

Mix margarine and sugars together. Add eggs and beat well. Add oil and vanilla and beat again. Mix dry ingredients together then add to other mixture. Form a round ball, press flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes @ 375 degrees.

My Notes:: Butter is an option for these cookies, but they are better with margarine. This recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies. The dough is soft, soft soft, fluffy. It gets a bit tedious with the glass/sugar method so I have also refrigerated the dough and used a scooper, dropping balls of dough into a sugar bowl, coating before putting on the tray. This method is much quicker and the cookies come out more uniform. This is NOT a recipe for roll and cut cookies. These cookies are light and soft, crumbly after a couple days. Perfect as is, also very good frosted, but dont expect to shape them.

Still Keeping it Real - Craft Room

2011-04-26T16:46:00.001-05:00

Not to make you think I dont have piles of stuff of my own, I wanted to show you my craftroom this week:

Piles by the door of things I am shipping out, piles on both desks, project bucket on the floor.

Another view of the stuff shipping out, the project bucket on the floor and the pile of fabrics that need to be made into roman blinds, pillows and chair covers.

My desktop... Piles of scrap fabric, fabric for my next project, pile of papers I need to do today, and a corner of my desk completely taken over by a blog post project I havent finished yet. Trash can is full too.

Pile of artwork on the floor, overly full filing basket.

That pile of artwork... Kathryn created all of this in a week.

That blog project I mentioned... this corner of my desk has looked like this for a month.

Keeping it Real

2011-04-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

It is spring break.

All week.

I spent Monday zooming around cleaning the entire house, but I have done nothing since.

Really.

The most anything I have done is making dinner and loading the dishwasher.

I have been L.A.Z.Y... I haven't blogged, I havent paid a ton of attention to the house or the kids or anything. I have taken extra naps, given in to PMS cramps and attitudes, played games online and gone to bed early.

I think this is what they call SLOTH.

It is Thursday and here is a glimpse of my clean and organized *cough* house.

Kathryn's room...this was clean and nearly spotless last night at 8pm.

Kathryn has enjoyed her vacation from school. It has been in the 30s, windy and rainy all week so it isnt the best weather for playing outside, but she has kept herself busy with artistic endeavors of all types. And her room shows it. Last night I made her clean up just so I could be sure there wasnt food ground into the carpet, or glue... you know how it goes when you have limited table space and soooo many supplies.

At the end of my hallway, all extra items belong in Kathryn's room.

Not every mess is because of the week off... this pile at the end of the hallway has been there for a couple weeks, since we painted Kathryn's room. These are odds and ends, mostly stuff that needs to hung on the wall by Hubby who hates putting holes in the walls. *sigh* Who knows how much longer this will stay there.

One of Two Dressers belonging to my husband.

This is also not a result of the week off, but something I certainly could have cleaned up but didn't. Sure, it is Hubby's dresser, but if I dont clean it, it will keep piling up until it tilts and falls off the side onto the floor.

Two of Two Dressers belonging to my husband.

As if one wasnt enough, he has another one in the closet. At least that one is behind a closed door... but equally stacked up. That plastic bin full of junk? That's all the stuff I took off the other dresser and didnt know what to do with -some 6 months ago.

My bedside table.

I'm not saying it's just them. No, I have piles of my own. This is my bedside. My bed is not made for today. I have 2 extra pillows beside my table to use when I sit in bed with my laptop. Under the table are two more, smaller pillows for when my back needs some additional support. The basket is full of books and snacks. The tabletop has meds I should have put away, meds that do not, ever, need to be on the table. An extra pair of glasses is collecting dust here too. And my daily planner... hasnt been opened yet today. Oh, and the laptop... on it's little rolling table that I never use. Dont miss the dust on the lamp and table. THAT is classic lazy, isnt it?

I could go on and on... but for today I will stop. How does your home look? I try to keep mine clean and organized, not necessarily pristine, but homey, comfortable and lived-in without looking messy and cluttered.

Bucketeers

2011-04-15T08:00:00.011-05:00

This is the IKEA desk on the left side of my craft room, attached to the 8 cubbie EXPEDIT unit from IKEA. 4 of the cubbies are hidden under the desk.

I stuck buckets in them. No, not pretty buckets that fill the space, buckets that cost a couple dollars at Walmart and are sold in the dish section. I figued they aren't all out in the open, so who cares.

Anyway, these are Project Buckets. Specifically.

They are not Product buckets and they are not dump spaces. Each bucket has a purpose and items that coorespond to that are inside.

These four buckets are:

PHOTOGRAPH which includes stuff I need to get good photos of,

SEWING which has fabric for specific projects, not just fabric I bought because I liked it,

PAINTING, which has items to paint ranging from wooden items, ceramic and resin ornaments and paint palettes, and

RECIPE BOOKS which is an ongoing scrapbook project I am doing to put in print, with photos, all our favorite family meals for my meandering family.

So far this has worked out beautifully. I know where to go when I have a project in mind and can easily find the items I need. And it is also good for when I might just feel like painting but dont know what I want to do, so I can pull out the entire bucket and browse through it until I find something to do that suits my fancy.

There are 4 more buckets on the other side of the room with less prominant subjects in them. I will show you those soon.

How do you organize your projects?

Color choices... Green or Red?

2011-04-14T01:07:00.000-05:00

I dont know what is going on with the photos lately... they look ok on the camera and then turn out weird on the computer. Hmmm. Something to look into another day. NOT today.

TODAY I want to know what you think about these fabric pieces. I am going to use pieces of these fabrics to make a large tablecloth. It will have a small 5 inch drop on the sides. Either in the red or the green. Which do you think is better? I am struggling with this one... My kitchen is painted celery green and I have red accents. Either way it will look nice. But which way is going to be best?

UGHHHHHHH. I hate making decisions! Tell me what YOU think!

Electronics Graveyard

2011-04-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

We all have it.

Especially in the last few years, if not before.

We all have electronics that we no longer use daily but aren't ready to let go.

Cords, Cables and Wiring
Headsets, Mice, Speakers and other Accessories
Printers, Monitors, Fax Machines
Cellphones, MP3 Players
Chargers and other misc electronic gadgets

How do you store and organize these items so you can find them when you need/want them?

At our house, like most everywhere else, until recently, these things were all tossed in a bin, shoved in storage and left for dead. Wires and cables all tied around each other, tangled and impossible. Screens being scratched, power cords disappearing. Dead PCs with personal information still on the drives.

This is my pile of dead PCs. It is in my craft room, taking up a corner previously only occupied by dust bunnies. They are tucked away and not really in my way, but they are there and I know they have been sitting forever. I recently discovered a way to purge the information off of them, so this pile has now dwindled. You can read about that here.

But beyond that, hidden deep in the basement, under the stairs, in the dark, the rest of the items lurk, ready to jump up and bite my ankles when I was looking for something else, like playing cards. There had to be a better way. And it had to suit the entire family since we have 2 adults, a couple adult children, and 2 kiddos, all who will go searching out plugs and wires and accessories in my storage closet.

I started out with a door-back pocket hanger thingy. With it screwed right to the wall, it was easy to see and sort all kinds of smaller items. With labels on the pockets, items can be used and quickly returned without being misplaced again.

I have all kinds of stuff in here including an old work cellphone, a calculator, computer mice, home phones, webcam, PC speakers, cellphone headsets...

I included the plugs in the pockets with the items. But I still have a ton of cables and stuff left. Some of the wires had twist ties or rubber bands on them trying to keep them neat, but many of them were also just folded and tossed, all jumbled up together. The hardest part of this job was untangling everything. Once untangled and sorted by type, I packaged these items in quart size zip lock baggies that I labeled with a Sharpie. There should be no more "Mooooooommmmmm" heard from under the stairs as someone is wondering if they selected the correct wires or not. I then divided the bags into 3 drawers and stacked them up.

Everything that is left, larger items that dont fit those two storage options as well as product boxes we saved (few and far between...my opinion is to toss the box especially if the item is of daily use), was put on the shelf unit directly next to the hangy pocket thing.

You can see, while I battle to declutter, there are some wars I do not win... and we still have a HUGE video camera that was outdated in the mid 90s. Why? Because there is no other way to view some of the videos we have left, and it cost so much initially, my husband refuses to let go of it.

I also have a variety of wired and wireless keyboards... because you never know when someone, who isnt supposed to have liquids in their room, is going to spill and ruin their keyboard in the middle of a report for school.

Ah yes, and monitors for all those dead PCs we saw upstairs.

Yes, I have it all. And for a variety of reasons, one being my husband, another being laws that specify how these items are to be trashed or recycled, where and when.

So what have you got hidden in your Electronics Graveyard?

I Sewed!

2011-04-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

All weekend.

Really.

Yep, I am kinda surprised too.

Sunday consisted of hemming a 60x84 tablecloth and making a pillow case for Anthony.

I can see a faux pas on the pillowcase that I probably could have easily avoided, but beyond that, I did ok.

Straight stitches and nothing fancy. THAT is my style, for sure!

Actually what is my style is PAPER and not fabric, but that is beyond the point right now.

What are you working on?

Sewing Brilliance

2011-04-11T17:20:00.001-05:00

It was a brilliant idea. BRILLIANT.

My husband had used this old sheet blanket, folded up, as a cover for my son's dresser. But the way he did it had it slipping into the drawers and hanging a foot off each side.

So I took to my craft room to fix it. I would make it fit so hubby would be happy the wood was protected and son would no longer be annoyed by it slipping around.

BRILLIANT idea, I tell ya! Are you ready for this?

That's right, I was going to sew dresser covers with non-slip drawer liner to keep them in place. WHOO HOO!!! Amazing! I dont know how I come up with this stuff!!!

So here I am all ready to start. I have my machine, sheet blanket, drawer liner, cutting mat, project plans.

I cut according to the plan measurments. I piled the layers. I pinned it together.

I have many layers. The lowest layer is an inch bigger on each side than the other layers, the extra to be used as a border. Then two padding layers and then the brilliant non-slip drawer liner.

Next step: sewing!

HAHAHAHAHAHA Seriously, have you ever tried to run non-slip stuff through a sewing machine?

It sticks to the machine and wont "slip" through the presser foot.

*sigh*

Oh it was brilliance in concept, it just had a few fatal flaws in construction.

I struggled to force the material layers through the machine, even raising the foot to get more clearance. It wasnt going so well.

Needless to say that by the time I got to the second cover I left out the non-slip liner and just sewed a cover. MUCH easier.

Here is second completed cover. It isnt anywhere close to perfect... let's blame that on the stretchy material... but the wood is covered and there is no way it is going to slip around.

You can see it doesnt lay quite flat. Whoops.

The edges are a total mess. But the non-slip is keeping it from going anywhere.

Lesson learned: Never, ever, try to run non-slip drawer liner through the sewing machine.

Blogs I Read -Sustainable, Simple Living

2011-04-11T02:00:00.001-05:00

Everyday Food Storage

This Old Rocker

2011-04-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

No one ever sits in this rocker.

Ever.

Last time anyone used it for anything more than a pillow holder was sometime in early 2009.

Thinking it had something to do with the non-cushioned, hard wooden seat, I ordered a $39.99 cushion set for it.

For some reason this isnt exactly what I had in mind when I ordered them. And now that the cats have taken over, no one else is gonna wanna sit there 'cause I can only vacuum off so much fur.

And that leads me right back to that old joke about why it's called

FUR-niture in the first place...

Technology Conquered

2011-03-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

ummmm, yeah. Who knew! My techno-deficient sister, Karen, told me about this one. Seriously. If I had known all this time that there was a gadget to make hard-drive to hard-drive transfers so easy, I would have lapped it up and worn it out by now!!!

So this thing is the Kingwin Ez-Connect. It comes with a variety of plugs and a power pack. You take your old HD out of the computer, figure out how to connect it to this thing with the plugs, power it up, connect to computer via USB and off you go! You can access the HD from your current computer like an external drive or just transfer info over. Easy Peasy.

The most shocking thing was the size of it... I went digging through the box looking for it and found it to be no gargantuan dohickey, but rather a tiny credit card sized, lose it when I blink dealy.

So far I have done 2 PC HDs and one lappy HD. I have 3 more PC HDs to do which is merely a task of removing the drives ... 'cause using this thing sure isn't a task at all! I mean it... each one of the drives had a different connection system, required different plugs, but this thing handled it all!

EVEN the HD that was circa 2003, that I was sure was DEAD... it might have some bad areas on the HD, but it wasn't dead. I retrieved some really great OLD stuff off of it!

Thanks Karen for pointing me in the right direction!

Blogs I read - Mom Blogs

2011-03-27T13:47:00.003-05:00

The American Homemaker is written by Angie, a really neat-o LDS lady. She is totally entertaining, has great decor ideas and shares awesome recipes. Ang and her brood of 3, newly purchased home dilemas, kitten vs puppy woes and cooking class ideas will give you tons to chew on. I heart The American Homemaker!

50s Housewife is a mother of 5, blogging along retro style. With tons to read in her archives, I know you will spend days pressing the "older posts" button. I did.

Lorie at Be Different, Act Normal has some really cool stuff to share. You especially have to check out her Saturday linky parties called Show and Tell Saturdays.

Kierste at Brown Paper Packages has put together DIY heaven with great idea after great idea. Currently she is featuring a tip on how to make packing lunches fast and easy.

OMG, what can I say about Jill over at Controlling My Chaos? Wacky and wonderful, I think I finally met my match in OCD freakiness. Seriously, this girl has too much time on her hands making vinyl menu boards and laminated recipe cards. Not to mention that she is a school teacher. You have GOT to read all about the Potty Prancers. And really, her post about Procrastination (and here) is what hooked me on her blog. Jill is kewl!

Kayren over at Everything's Coming up Daisies has a great view on life. Reading her blog makes me smile and reflect on the good things in my life, even the ones in disguise.

Technology...

2011-03-04T22:52:00.000-06:00

Monday, which is a horrible enough day on it's own, killed me this week by blowing up both my Blackberry and my Toshiba Satellite laptop. It was awful. I tried to sit tight and make it through the day, but by the time the kids got home from school, I was totally freaking out. Bad Mommy, I left the kids at home and ran to the cell store (that didnt help) and to Best Buy for a new laptop. I have to tell you though, even being back online, it isnt the same without all my photos and documents and favorite links. I am still kinda freaking out. Eventually my sister mentioned a gadget I could use to purge info off misc hard drives (which is good since I also have 3 dead PCs sitting in the corner of my Craft Room/Office) and I ordered that with rush delivery. It should arrive tomorrow. Meanwhile I have removed all the harddrives and have them piled on my dresser. It would probably make more sense to have them on my desk, but the dresser, it is. And here I sit, slowly breathing in and out, in and out, trying to keep from attacking the delivery guy when he comes down our street.

ANYWAY, I have written a few posts, but was waiting on photos... which I had just downloaded off the camera (and then erased) onto my old laptop the night before it died... so I feel especially stuck right now because even if I showed you after photos, I have no befores for comparison. So then I would probably do a link list of my favorite blogs but that is all lost too. *sigh*

And I am even more frustrated that I had been working on changing some things on my blog sidelines and recently deleted my blogrolls. Grrrrr Yea, I was planning a great new page for each of the kinds of links I keep and match them up with the corresponding blinkies. um, yep, great idea... lost what html I had written out for it so far.

So tomorrow is supposed to be the ultra special day when this magical gadget arrives and I get to recover information. I'll let you know how that goes. Until then, know that I havent forgotten you... I have just been overtaken by many many things that are keeping my hostage from Blogger. Seriously *looking over shoulder and whispering* if they knew I was on here right now.... OH NO.... Shhhhhhhh!!!!!

New Year; New Finances

2011-01-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, as had happened a few years before that, my husband and I got into a huge fight about money and bills and always being broke. He said that he was taking over the finances in our household.

It was more of a threat. I have heard it numerous times. He has never actually done it.

Exhausted with the finances and being blamed for the bills, I was more than happy to hand it all over. My husband, however, had no intention of taking over until it was "all cleaned up." I wasnt too sure what he meant by that... did he mean neat and tidy, did he mean everything up to date and paid on time, did he mean on budget? What did he mean?

In my mind, I have always been organized, neat and tidy with the bills. I have always known where they were and could put my finger on them in a moment. I have been able to accurately track our income and expenses.

It didnt make a difference, we still lived paycheck to paycheck.

But I had really had it... the threats, the arguments, the debt. So a few years ago I tried to make it even easier... Instead of just noting what was due and when on my calendar, I created a spreadsheet to track each bill throughout the year. There would be no more "whoops, I forgot about THAT one."
It worked well until I had every line filled and had started another page. This was getting insane! So many payments to track! Now it WASN'T just the mortgage and cars and credit cards and utilities. Now it was medical bills for 11 hospitalications, two broken bones, physical therapy, psychological therapy... *GASP*

Anyone who has gone to the hospital knows that you dont just get one bill. You get multiple bills. One trip, sometimes 10 bills. Crazy. But you have to know who you are paying (owing) and how much and for what. Otherwise they call you and ask for money and you are thinking HEY, I already made arrangements with you guys. And then find out OH, this is for lab fees and blood work. Or This is for PET scans and MRIs. Whatever it is, you have to keep track of it.

2010 was that crazy year. I had one full page with Mortgage, Utilities, Credit cards, Tuition, other loans. I had another nearly full page of Medical bills that were big enough to need payment arrangements. And I started another page to keep track of bills I paid once, bills that were small enough or came at just the right time that I could write one check and be done. This is what it looked like:

I am so glad that 2011 will be confined to one page because as of 1/12/2011, we will only owe the Mortgage, one car payment and the utilities. That's right, I was able to pay everything else off! No easy task and not by scrimping and pinching either... We used inheiritance money, back due child support money, bonus check money and side job money. And with what is left, we just meet budget. WHEW!

And this is what it looks like:

That one sheet, half of those lines are for credit cards we have paid off since the beginning of the year! The rest of it, toward the bottom, is utilities. Seriously, from 3 pages to less than one page! Do you know what that feels like??? Me neither. I am still trying to get used to it.

If you would like to organize and track your bills too, feel free to right-click on the chart to save it and print it out for yourself. Or email me and I will send you a PDF version.

Happy Living within Our Budget!

Monday Mornings

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

I like Mondays. I know that isnt the popular opinion, especially with the working folks. But I do. I happen to like Mondays.

I just happen to not start liking them until about 1pm. Before that, it doesnt make any difference that it is a Monday... it is a MORNING. And I do not do mornings.

See, I like to sleep. I would even venture to say that I LOVE to sleep. A few of my favorite things are my pillow, my ceiling fan and my blankie with the silky edges. Seriously. Have you noticed that everything between 12am and 12pm is all considered MORNING??? While 12pm to 12am is called afternoon, evening and night, 12am to 12pm is all morning. I believe that suggests the entire time is meant for sleeping.

My mornings start at about 5:30 am when hubby's alarm goes off' usually for about 4 minutes before he finally hears it and turns it off or snoozes it. He gets ready and leaves just in time for me to fall back asleep almost all the way when my alarm goes off to get up and get the kids ready for school... They hate Monday mornings. Especially Anthony. He is totally not into mornings. And not really so into school either so Mondays are doubly bad.

But once the kids are gone to school, I have a nice, warm, quiet house. It is the perfect time to get the housework done and have it stay done for at least a few hours. Or to meditate, read, plan the week... Or for me, to go back to sleep. It is, afterall, still morning! *grin*

Organized Genius

2011-01-09T00:01:00.003-06:00

Ok, maybe not genius... and certainly not fully organized... but after taking my Office Organizing Journey a couple years ago, I have been much more productive and had the easiest time with staying that way.

If you haven't read those posts yet, I will wait. You can go do that now. Let me know when you get back. *grin*

You will see that, while I have moved into another room and changed up some furniture, my basic desk setup is the same. I still work with my planner, my file folders on the desk top, and my other important things close at hand.

This being the end of a long holiday season, I can't say that my desktop is immaculate. It is currently a bunch of works in progress.

Like this pile of snowflakes I need to put in an envelope and then into my daughter's box and those ornamental items in baggies that need some TLC before going back up next year.

And this action pile I didnt even bother to put in folders ... because I intend to take care of that pile as soon as I put the camera away.

But otherwise, I have no e-clutter, my days are well-planned, I can find what I want and it is easy to get to when I need it. The system works for me, as proven over the last 2 years. I can't tell you how much of a change Marcia's ideas have made in my life! You can check out her blog here.

Like Mother; Like Daughter

2011-01-08T00:01:00.001-06:00

We have all had fevers this weekend, starting on Thursday. This is about the only time of their lives anymore that I see much of them, because they are slowed down by illness.

Fever or not, there is no changing habits... Here is my mini-me, Kathryn. Cuddled up in her bed with her blankies and her laptop. LOL... just like her mom.

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-05T00:01:00.002-06:00

No, I'm not really perfect, but I am ok with myself. I am not going to stress over it being a new calendar year and make a bunch of promises or plans that I wouldn't have otherwise made. I'm not going to list out a ton of goals and rush to complete them in the first week of the New Year.

I am already on a path, working through a plan that happens to last a lot longer than a year. I figure that I put so much work into making this list and plan and thinking through the projects that the least I could do is stick with it until it is complete.

So for 2011 you will see that I am still working on my 2009 plans and finally seeing some accomplishment. I am happy with that. Continue on... back to work.

All Packed Up

2011-01-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

There's the majority of the trees, stuffed back in their boxes waiting to be taken downstairs. Not nearly as pretty as they had been, huh?

And here, here is the tower of totes to go to the garage storage. Whew! That is the majority of the work, right there! And hubby is none-the-wiser that I have corners of stuff left in the craft room that needs another tote. Shhhh! Dont let on that you know!

Happy Birthday Page Kit

2011-01-03T00:01:00.001-06:00

Little bits of this and that. They are everywhere in my scraproom. I try to keep them organized and remember that I have them so they can be used up... but mostly I just forget.

I am going back to my own advice as I mentioned in a scrapbook class I taught in 2005... Make page kits. If you dont feel like scrapbooking but want to get something done, want to use up scraps and misc supplies, create page kits that you can use later when you are ready to scrap.

This is one such kit which includes 2 tags, a title block, a picture block, vellum quote block and an accessory tag. I wrapped it up with some extra eyelets and fibers. It will be easy to pull out and throw together for a birthday layout when I sit down to scrap.

When I was cleaning off my desk from this project, I realized I had enough left over to make a matching card too. Here is all of it together.

Always keep in mind that your scraps are valuable supplies. There are always ways to make use of small pieces. You dont always have to cut into a new piece of paper or buy a new selection of accessories to make a layout. Work with what you have and make your supplies and your money go further.

Accomplish Anything?

2011-01-02T19:23:00.005-06:00

Not really. I spent the day moving around totes, packing up trees (ok, I didnt pack them, hubby did... but I had to undecorate them all and get them 'ready') and taking photos of everything. At some point the photos will become my inventory and keep me from buying stuff I dont need, but at this point they are just messy photos in a digital folder on my laptop.

Oh, and when something was broken and hot-glue-able, I fixed it immediately. Why? (asked by hubby) Because I know that there is no way I will fix things in the fall when it is time to decorate again. So, I took the time to fix things now.

And if you thought my craft room looked bad yesterday with all the mess, you should see it tonight with 8 open totes and still has piles of stuff to be gone through, photographed, packed, fixed, etc. Good thing tomorrow is not only another day, but is a day where the hubby and kids go off to work and school and I should be able to accomplish a bunch more without the interference I had today. (...extremely important question about pizza puffs, setting up a connection to the wireless printer from the new laptop, putting dirty dishes back in the dishwasher after hubby took them out, looking for the silver bell the cat stole off a snowman, checking FaceBook and text messages...)

For now, I am sitting in bed surfing my favorite blogs, watching something stupid on TV while trying to keep warm. For some reason my fingers and my nose are chilly.

I'll catch ya up to date tomorrow.

UnDecorating Progress?

2011-01-01T19:24:00.004-06:00

The inside of the house is coming along... kind of. My brilliant idea was to make a list of the themes I want on my trees next year then to go around with a bag and collect all the ornaments that would go with that theme.

Uhhh, so now the floor in my craft room is full of such bags, extra supplies I intended to use for one craft or another and undecorated small trees

while the living room still has piles of stuff moved from other places and totes that never did get put back.

Back? Back would be the garage where my husband erected these large shelves to hold my Christmas totes. Ummm there are 2 up there, but it holds 8 total. The rest might have made it out of the house, but not up to the shelf... and sit here by the patio furniture. *sigh*

Thank Goodness tomorrow is another day! I hope to undecorate every tree and get them disassembled and boxed. Then I will just be left with the decorations to pack up. Wow, that doesnt sound like much of an accomplishment when I see it in writing. *double sigh*

Really, I did accomplish SOMETHING.

My House at the Holidays

2010-12-30T21:57:00.005-06:00

This is what my dining room and living room looked like on December 1st. Rubbermaid totes everywhere in the house, open and overflowing with holiday decorations and supplies. OMG, how can I possibly wade through it all? I had thought it was well organized last year when we put it all away, but as I was trying to put up trees, finding exactly what I wanted wasn't as easy as I had hoped. It took 2 weeks to decorate... I never did get all the totes out of the house.

This is what it looked like on Christmas Eve.

My craft room tree:
My kitchen counter tree:
My Peppermint Kitchen tree:

The Snowman tree in the living room:

The main family tree with the kids' handmade ornaments (a little rearranging done by the cats and Santa):

Plus there are trees in each bedroom. Whew!

How am I ever going to get it all down and packed up in an organized fashion so that next year is a breeze? Stay with me over the next few days and see what does and doesn't work as I try some new ideas for undecorating and packing up the holidays.

Chocolate Addiction

2010-12-29T17:47:00.002-06:00

No One, but no one takes better photos of Chocolate than a Chocolate company! Seriously, how can you resist when they show page after page of deliciousness????

I can't resist. So when the catalog came with my absolute favorite chocolate featured front and center on the cover, I couldnt help but frame the little gem for my desk. (Sorry Hubby, you just dont belong in my creative workspace!)

Isn't that just the yummiest!!!!

Love IKEA???

2010-08-30T00:17:00.003-05:00

One entire side of my craft room is now storage and so amazingly functional due to a trip to IKEA in Illinois. It was a horrible trip... the traffic was awful just leaving Wisconsin. The traffic was awful around Chicago. The store was experiencing a brown-out so less than half the lights were on and it was about 95 degrees inside... AND although the checkout lines were all open, people and carts went 30+ back for EACH checker!

But in the long run and through all the hassle, we brought home a 5x5 EXPEDIT as well as a 2x4 EXPEDIT with DESK attachment. And I LOVE THEM!!!!

From top to bottom, the larger bookcase holds all my scrapbooks to complete (Creative Memories), cardstock (Stampin Up in Cropper Hopper), printed papers (also in Cropper Hopper), black leather cubes (Target) for children's craft supplies, all my Mother and Father-in-Law's photos albums for the last 20 years (that I need to scan and burn to DVD then put into SAFE albums). The Red IKEA drawer units hold my Sizzix dies.

The desk unit is my new area for die cutting and sewing as well as friend space. The bookcase cubes hold my mini-machine, my sizzix, my sizzlets... and under... project buckets. The desk is quite deep so I easily have room for the MakingMemories 17x23 self-healing mat as well as some great buckets (Target Dollar aisle) for adhesives and decorative scissors my kids still use and love.

I love love love this side of the room!!! What do you think???

Tiny Bits of This and That

2010-08-19T15:06:00.002-05:00

All my little bits got organized into this great set of hardware drawers.... by color first and foremost. Things like glitter, micro beads, eyelets, brads, buttons... glitters, primas and even some seasonal embellishments and metal words. This setup has worked out great for me! I now know what I have and dont have (always shopping, you know!) and remember to use these embies more often. I love it so much that I am thinking of adding another one for puff balls and wooden pieces that we use for other crafts!

I can Always use a Helping Hand

2010-08-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seriuosly, I meant it when I said that I loved the hand and I wanted one... I dont know quite what I was thinking, and I doubt Angie (from The American Homemaker) did either, but she still sent it to me...

It loved me right from the start, running it's fingers through my hair and helping around the craft room.

But it was drab and shabby and unhappy with itself. So we gave it a little facelift!

My helping hand is so happy with itself now and can be found all over my craftroom! Hand really gets around!

Organizing Cardstock

2010-08-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Just a small taste of the cardstock I keep on-hand in my craftroom. This is the Stampin' Up cardstock I use for card bases. There are new, as well as older, discontinued colors represented here... so I can't just refer to the catalog to pick a color or to match it with inks and printed papers. To make it easier, I made this swatch kit. It is portable, yet has a large enough chunk of each color to easily match with other items as I shop around my craftroom for a current project.

And because I find I will make cards more often if it is easy-smeasy, I precut a couple dozen card bases and stuck them in a cute little bucket on my desk, always at the ready. No more will I stamp and color then set aside and lose... now I have cards ready and can complete projects quickly and without procrastination!

Do you know what papers you have in your stock??

Sometimes you just Gotta Bling!

2010-08-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seriously, is there anything you can't bling up or alter??? First, this $5, 9" battery operated clock... a gift from Jill K, my previous CM upline. Isn't it adorable how she took some simple stickers and die cuts and made this clock look great!!

And then this metal sign I found at Hobby Lobby... $10 with a 50% off coupon... cost me $5 and about 2 foot of ribbon.

I have had these signs for 6 years. They were high decor in my previous house, but they hadn't fit in here until I took a can of spray paint to them.

I love them once again!!!

Sure, we are all talking about decluttering and tossing stuff, but every once in a while you really can just redecorate or repurpose stuff.

Cleaver Containerizing for Pens and Handy Tools

2010-08-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

It has worked for years this way, these small CM pen holders that I would easily stow in my wheeled tote until the next time I stamped or scrapbooked... but set up in my own craftroom, I want my tools and pens at my fingertips and easy to get at... not easy to stow away. So enter the dollar aisle at Target (yes, again!)... and these adorable buckets:

A quick bit of organization and I have 3 buckets of hand tools and adhesives at the ready. Taking up no space at all on the side of my desk, these buckets have solved one hassle!

Cheap and Chic Art

2010-08-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Somewhere around the first of the year or the end of last year, I found adorable 8" square calendars in the dollar aisle at Target. Without any real plan, I stashed two in my cart for later. When I got home, I promptly stashed them in my projects to do bucket...where they sat...and sat...and sat...

until I saw these 12"square frames on sale at Michael's. A quick switch of the art and VOILA! For about $30 I have a complete set!

Craft Room Renovation Complete!

2010-08-11T13:48:00.006-05:00

Just a few teasers for now! Stay tuned for details!!!!

Summer, it happens to all of us!

2010-08-11T12:34:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's right... the boy who loves pink broke his leg rollerblading (think stunts gone wrong) and is now doomed to spend the remainder of the warm (think hot and humid) summer days in a cast from his butt to his toes! Oh when will our children learn to heed our warnings??? Apparently never!

Another adorable Kelly card!

2010-06-29T13:48:00.001-05:00

Truly Scrumptious #35

2010-06-23T17:04:00.006-05:00

This is what I came up with for the Truly Scrumptious Challenge #35 sketch, by Sharon.

I dont know what happened in the scan, but the color of the background green and the ribbon green are actually the same IRL. The shopping bags were paper pieced.

In this card:

DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl cardstock/printed papers

SU! Regal Rose cardstock

SU! Green galore cardstock and grograin ribbon

SU! Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black ink

SU! Stampin Write Markers

Whiff of Joy Shopping Willow stamp

SU! Warmest Regards greeting stamp

I like this sketch so I am throwing in a second card for this challenge.

In this card:

SU! Backyard BBQ stamps

SU! Basic Black cardstock and Ink, SU! Whisper White cardstock

SU! Real Red cardstock

CM Red Gingham printed paper

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Swiss Dots

CM Silver gel pen

And just for fun, here is the inside of the card... plenty of room for a dinner invitation!

What can you make with this sketch? Link up and share it with us!

How it all begins...

2010-06-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

A SKETCH. That is how every project around my house begins... with a sketch, sometimes with measurements, but usually just a sketch.

I have been known to change my mind... but generally I sketch something up after dreaming about it for a while... so I am usually set on my idea.

Sometimes things change when my husband comes in to make the sketch become reality. Usually that means that he measured and I didnt. :/ Like with my craft closet... but that is a story for later.

Today is all about my desk. You can see my desk in the lower portion of my sketch. It is a 65" wide, 30" deep executive desk that I have had for YEARS... I love the depth of this desk so getting something different is not an option.

I want to use the desk for family business AND crafting.

To do this, I want to make use of the wall.

First I ordered ink pad organizers. Then one that matched for acrylic paints. They are great, but it is annoying having to move things out from in front of them to access the lower inks.

So, handy-dandy hubby, Lee, made me a shelf... 8" high, 8" deep and 65" long. I put the ink storage on top of the shelf and little bins and buckets under it with all my at-hand tools right within reach.

Then I had him add a shelf above it all for idea books, binders and magazines. WHoo Hoo! There is little more a girl could need! I have so much right at my finger tips!

Stay tuned as I unveil more of my craft room re-do. It has, admittedly, been my biggest focus lately. :)

This is linked to Works for me Wednesday! at We Are That Family

Cherry Thank you!

2010-06-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple more cards from the weekend get-together. These are cards I made. I might add a little something else here or there; I haven't quite decided yet... I admit, my focus is not on the cards right now. *GASP*

In this card:
SU! Whisper White cardstock, SU! Basic Black ink
SU! Vintage Labels and Baroque Border wheel

In this card:

SU! Real Red Cardstock and Ink, SU! Handsome Hunter Cardstock and Ink

SU! Whisper White Cardstock

SU! Tart and Tangy cherry stamp, SU! Noteworthy thanks stamp

SU! Stampin Write Markers

SU! Curly Label Punch, SU! Word Window Punch

CM Scallop Corner Punch, CM Vintage Corner Punch

Card Assortment by Kelly S

2010-06-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

I had a great afternoon Saturday... while Lee and the kids went to Chicago (variety of reasons including seeing family)... I stayed home and stamped cards with my neighbor Kelly. She is a former Stampin Up! demonstrator and always makes some great cards. I had to grab them quick before she left so I could share them with you!

This is a great card for the guys in your life! I always have trouble guy-ing up a card.
I love the way she used the brads!

In this card:
SU! Brushstroke Horses (2001), horses stamp
SU! Button Bear (1995) happy birthday stamp
Making Memories brads
Variety of cardstock

This one is just perfect. I love everything about it.

In this card:

SU! Embrace Life, flower stamp

variety of cardstock scraps

printed paper by DCWV Spring stack (2005)

SU! silver brad

The stamps of life, Love2hug, happy stamp

Most of these are old (old old old) stamp sets. It doesnt matter so much, does it? They still look great!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T12:44:00.003-05:00

In this card:

Cool Oakley from Whiff of Joy

SU! Really Rust Cardstock, Basic Black Cardstock, Craft White Ink, Small Oval Punch, Markers

CM Printed Vellum

Sizzix Fun Serif Alpha Dies

Organizer Update

2010-05-19T21:13:00.006-05:00

Last week, this is what my desk looked like.

On the right is my stamp pad organizer, mentioned last week... in the middle are my scrapbook tools, on the left is a basket with all my action files. Nothing too exciting... UNTIL THE MAIL CAME...

The packaging ALONE proved that what I was about to encounter was extremely valuable! As you can see, big thick box with packing peanuts, individual wrapped boxes within, separated by bubble wrap... ohhh the care that went into packaging this!!!

But what is it??? The wonderful Mike, from OrganizeMore.com custom built an organizer for my acrylic paint!!! And I was specific... I also purchased another stamp pad organizer and only had so much desktop space left... But VOILA! Mike is amazing! Look at this beauty

OMG!!!!!! Seriously!!!!! I had an entire drawer full of paint and it didnt even make a DENT in this organizer! Plus it is right at my fingertips and I can see all the colors!!!

So, adding it to this beauty.... plus it's new sister......

Makes my desk look like this (although a bit messy when I took the photo)!!!Mike and his family @ Organizemore.com are fantastic! Not only is the customer service superb, but the quality of the product is fantastic! I am not being compensated for this blog, I just love their products! Go to Organize More and tell them Anne Alagna sent you! You wont be sorry!

Stamp Organization *REPOST

2010-05-18T21:53:00.001-05:00

Hi! My name is Anne and I am excited to be here! My blog is called Confessions and Scrap and is where I share all of my deep dark secrets.

I have another Confession to make today... I am a craft-a-holic! *giggle* Actually, I think you probably would have figured that out on your own, but it is cleansing to say it.

Like most craft-a-holics, I have supplies everywhere. I have a craft room (used to be the guest room, but I finally decided to take over a few months ago) but I still dont have everything in here... some is in the coat closet, some in the storage down stairs, some is even in cupboards in the garage! *GASP*

But my main effort lately has been to get everything in one place and make it work, organized and efficient. (Yes, I used the word EFFICIENT in a post about CRAFTS.) Today I want to show you what I did with my Rubber Stamp Sets. You know the ones, they come in plastic cases from those stamp parties like Stampin Up and Close To My Heart... and they are all so dang cute that you find yourself ordering way more than you could ever use on a regular basis... and then you have to figure out WHERE to put them and HOW to remember what you bought???

For right now, I confiscated these two 4-drawer dressers from my daughter's room. They are shorties, not like normal dressers and are the only parts left from captain's beds the girls had years ago. 8 drawers total, and 6 of them are F.U.L.L. of stamp sets.

Seriously. How did it get like this? I only bought ONE stamp set that first night, really!

The drawers dont open all the way so they are annoying to use for much of anything, but they open the perfect amount for the stamp sets! Look:

Isnt that great! There is nothing better than a drawer (or 6) full of stamp sets -- until you want to use ONE very SPECIFIC stamp and you cannot find it! Enter the Magical Stamp Index Binder!!!

This binder helps me remember which sets I own so that I dont have to sit among piles of stamps looking at each one. You wanna see inside?

I started with cardstock, a hole punch and the rounded tab punch from Stampin Up. I made dividers with headings for the kinds of stamps I buy.

Then I stamped each image on copy paper, keeping the sets together and slid them into page protectors.

In the lower corner I wrote down the name of the set, some copywrite information, and the size of a box the set is in.

I labeled each of the drawers with a size and sorted out the sets by box size. Whew! Now I can find them easily! Right?

Almost, but not quite... Can you tell these apart?

They all look the same, dont they?

They are all labeled. Yep. But even up close it is still very difficult to tell what the clear labels say. I have to squint, lean in close, touch each case and stare at it for a few moments before it sinks in what it says. With 6 drawers just like this, searching for a specific stamp set takes forever. So enter my trusty...

LABEL MAKER!!!!!!! (again.)

I cant help it. I know I label everything, but man, the white backed labels really make it so much easier to read and I find what I want. I almost feel comfortable having a friend come stamp and scrap with me because we could finally find things! Whoo hoo!

Now that that's done, I am going to work on my inks and papers. Join me over at Confessions and Scrap to see what else I have been up to!

This post linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Pet Peeves

2010-05-14T14:36:00.005-05:00

My biggest Pet Peeve? Stuff piling up. Whether it is my pile or someone else's pile, it doesn't matter. It still bothers me.

Magazines on the floor by the toilet rather than in the hanging magazine holder.

Stuff I am moving out of one room and into another that got too heavy and has now been living in the hallway... and is growing as others add to the collection (note the plug and wires on the floor).

These great plastic drawers I bought 2 years ago for the kids to stow their school papers... on a chair in the dining room because I dont know where to put them anymore.

Pillows from my FIL's house that have no home here and bedding from my daughter who recently decided Pink is no longer in.

Husband's dresser... It gets his attention when it starts to fall off onto him, otherwise I dont think this stuff ever moves once it lands there.

Goodwill donation pile... that might get there faster if it was put in my trunk?
And then there is the huge, growing pile of things at the top of the stairs, waiting for me to take them down, someday when I feel like going up and down repeatedly.

2010-05-14T01:45:00.002-05:00

Isnt this gorgeous!!!! Just wait until you see the WHOLE picture!!! I am so excited!!

Meanwhile, visit Organizemore.com and tell them Anne Alagna sent you!

Blah Blah Blah Technology

2010-04-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

Ahck! SOMEday I will survive technology without having to fix something or replace something else. I have been productive this week... and just as soon as everything works, I will have some new posts... with pictures. =D

Guest Blogging

2010-04-09T12:39:00.002-05:00

I am lucky enough to be guest blogging at The American Homemaker today! Please come join me over there and see what I have been up to while Angie is on vacation!

Anniversary Page from scraps

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I loved this sketch. Let me know what you think of what I did with it!

Yet another creation from my scrap drawers. This time it is an Anniversary Page using a definition on the far left side. I love the scraps of florals that I found. They are just gorgeous!

Dont you love my old tennis shoes. I suppose I could have cropped those out, but oh well.

Froggy Weather

2010-04-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

I totally love this frog! I found the graphic online, printed him on colored cardstock, highlighted and shadowed to give him some depth and VOILA! A great embellishment in a matter of 3 minutes!

So, Yes, I am making page kids again in an effort to use up scraps. I love the look of this one and cant wait to use it for photos of the kids and the frog that lives in our yard.

There are quite a few photo mats and a couple of hidden journaling boxes. I also added this one, which I suppose could be a small photo mat, but I intend to use it for a Title box.

All paper was from an old DCWV stack, brads and ribbons from Stampin' Up stash. Luv it!

The Woman Next Door

2010-04-03T18:21:00.003-05:00

I am the woman next door...
...who you have never met because she was too depressed to step outside for an entire year.
...who you used to hang out with, but wonder if she still lives there.
I am the woman next door...
...who is friendly enough, but always keeps you at a little distance.
...who never answers her phone and was secretly happy when the batteries in the doorbell died.
I am the woman next door...
...whose kids come to play, but who you have never met.
...who signs up to help at the school, but often doesn't show up because she couldnt face the kids.
I am the woman next door...
...who bitches about her husband to hide the fact that she wants to cry on your shoulder about her suicidal teenager.
...whose flowerbeds are either blooming and gorgeous or dead and you never know what to expect.
I am the woman next door...
...who would help in a snap if she knew you needed something.
...who orders off the internet because it is easier than facing society.
I am the woman next door...
...who is still sueing her ex husband for child-support, even though the kids are now adults themselves.
...who swears too much but is more gentle than anyone.
I am the woman next door...
...who cooks and cleans and organizes like a pro.
...who hides her demons behind closed doors and martha-like homemaking.
I am the woman next door...
...who knows the local police officers, detectives, social workers and Child Protective Services workers by name.
...who isnt shocked or frightened anymore when the government calls or shows up about one of her older kids.
I am the woman next door...
...who just wants to be normal.
...who doesnt want to give you something to gossip about.
I am the woman next door...
...who is holding herself together by a thread, trying not to turn into a drunk, pill-popper to survive.
...who has survived physical and emotional abuse, who has known druggies, murderers, drunks, homeless, mental health professionals, rocket scientists and day laborers and welcomed them all to dinner with her family.
I am the woman next door...
...who silently cleans up the dog poop because she forgot to let the dog out.
...who wears her jammies all day.
I am the woman next door...
...who owns 8 bibles, but hasnt opened one in 2 decades.
...who could take on big business, governments, used car salesmen and politicians, but wont argue with you about your kids playing in my yard and stomping on my flowers.
I am the woman next door...
...who has studied every religion out there and still doesnt know what she believes.
...who doesnt judge you because she doesnt want you to judge her.
I am the woman next door...
...who cant be shocked by anything you tell her, be it financial woes, sexual indecencies, illegal activities, homo or transexuality, or other anti-norm topics.
...who can be spotted in the most unlikely of places around town and isnt ashamed.
I am the woman next door...
...who will quietly leave a basket of goodies by your door and not ring the bell because she heard you arguing.
...who will check back in later to make sure you are ok without letting on that she knows anything.
I am the woman next door...
...who doesnt care if you are thief or saint as long as you treat her fair.
...who hides behind humor and sarcasm.
I am the woman next door.

Stampin a bit here and there

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

This cutie is a Stampin' Up image from Hedgehog Happiness, a 2000 Hostess Set. He was watercolored with Stampin' Up inks and the balloon was shined up with Ranger Inks Glossy Accents. I love the image but was less than thrilled with the watercolors. Next time I will pencil him in or maybe paper piece. It also didn't go over too well that the color of the ink ran when I put the Glossy Accents on top. Originally, the red of the balloon matched the Real Red of the SU cardstock.

And this! This has a few firsts for me!

First time I have used Cuttlebug Embossing Borders on a card
First time using the CM butterfly punch (Meadow Micro-maker)
First time using clear stamps!

I love the way this card turned out! I absolutely love the image from Studio G Clear stamps(series 38) You KNOW I love the scallop border punch from Stampin' Up! I can't wait to get their other scallop punches!

The cardstock is Stampin' Up Lavender Lace, Elegant Eggplant and Lovely Lilac as the card base. The printed papers were from my scrap drawers.

Wonderful RAKs

2010-03-23T14:28:00.005-05:00

I was so neglectful when I received this wonderful birthday card from my SBS22 friend Kathy... and I should have posted it long ago. I love this card! I especially like the way she ran it through the crimper and then antiqued it! Thanks Kathy! This one has been on my memory board for MONTHS!

*********************************************************************

These three fabulous cards are from Beate Johns. She has such great talent. Her cards are heavy with paper and cardstock layers, rich with textures and adornments. I always love getting a card from Beate!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-09T19:42:00.003-06:00

Monday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with applesauce and chocolate chip cookies
Tuesday - Homemade Pizza
Wednesday - Spaghetti with garlic bread and shrimp scampi
Thursday - Turkey and spinach roll ups
Friday - Roast Sticky Chicken
Saturday - Kielbasa with fried garlic potatos
Sunday - Out to eat

Recipes to follow... this is Freezer Frenzy week again.

2009-11-05T15:36:00.001-06:00

Busy week of TO-DOs

2009-10-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have a ton of stuff to do this week, especially because we were all in bed with the flu *all week* last week. Unfortunately, I am still lacking motivation... but at this point, I am going to get it done with or without motivation. It needs to get done!

Before the freeze, bring inside all gallon buckets of paint. *we found out this spring that latex paint, even in FULL GALLONS can freeze and turn completely useless*
Call the lab to complain about my blood tests from 6/23/09, the results of which were never forwarded to either me or my doctor.
Empty Master Bedroom to deep clean and paint.
Reorganize bedroom furniture as refilling room... for more productivity since it is also my office/craft room for the next few months -at least-
Finish painting the front door. OK, so the sun was in my eyes and I stopped before I finished. That isnt so bad until you know that I started it in MAY.
Shopping at Sams Club for fall freezer frenzy.
Run weekly errands including post office and bank.
Download and install new parental control program on all PCs.
Finish sorting through teenager's room looking for stuff she should no longer have access to... then put everything away.
Finish cleaning storage closet. Half of its contents are not even in it because of my last attempt to clean it.
Winterize the garage by cleaning, storing, labeling. Take old items to donate. Move freezer to basement *because we also learned this year that freezers now-a-days require a minimum exterior temperature of 47 degrees to properly function*
Install new mouldings around exterior doors -that were chewed up by the dog-
Start and finish sewing projects including 3 roman shades, 2 pillows, a dresser topper, an apron, adjusting the width of 2 valances and sewing a little sumtin' sumtin' onto the little one's curtains to fancy-shmancy them up a bit.
I have 4 projects on hold because I need to measure before I can buy supplies. I need to measure and purchase supplies before the weekend.
Paint trim wood and beadboard.
We still do not have costumes for this year, so I need to purchase those and successfully get out of the store without buying anything else.
DID I MENTION all of this has to happen with 2 kids off school the last of the week for 2 days? AND DID I MENTION that I also have to facilitate 3-5 appointments for daughter who is still out-of-state with Aunt... including travel arrangements from there (Ohio) to here (Wisconsin) for the appointments.
Oh, and lets not forget that if I am purchasing food for the freezer, I also have to frenzy to get it ready for storage... so insert another couple days of cooking, packaging and freezing.
I need to finish trimming the dog. I trimmed her face and 3 paws, but she was farting (hense today's joke) and let her go. She needs the remaining paw trimmed, the nails on the two back paws filed down and a bath.
This is all completely without mentioning that I am in the MIDDLE of a huge scrapbook project (whoops, I guess I just mentioned it)...

How much of it do you think I can accomplish? Hmmm? I dont even know the answer to that... but I do know that I am committed to checking back in with you everyday to let you know. Stick with me. Together we will do great things this week!

Making a Quick Move

2009-10-25T22:14:00.003-05:00

Hi All!

I just wanted to let you know that regular posts are resuming on Monday, the 25th (yes, TOMORROW). Back to scrapbooking, cooking and organizing. All the usual stuff.

I have started a private blog with my personal whines and worries called Confessions from my Heart. It has been set to private so if you are interested, you will need to email me for an invite.

Oh, and Why, yes, I have always been this dang cute!

Bacon and Cheese Pull-Aparts

2009-10-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

While I was cleaning my desk today, I recovered this recipe from Pillsbury:

Bacon and Cheese Pull Aparts

So I thought, HEY, Why not make it for dinner? Yup, It will be great!

Hahahaha! I have to learn to actually READ the recipe first. This ended up NOT being the biscuit topped omelet I had envisioned.

But, I still recommend the recipe. It was delicious.

All things cold... or not

2009-08-30T20:58:00.003-05:00

Since you have asked:

My 22 cu ft GE fridge is officially dead. The repairman came out, did his thing, it worked for about 36 hours and stopped again. When he came out the third time, he determined that it was dead. Luckily it is under the 5 year warranty and will be replaced... in 2 to 2.5 weeks. UGH!!! So we have been trying to live out of this 3 cu ft mini fridge for all this time. By the time I got one shelf from the door of the big one emptied, this sucker was already full. We have been eating out, frozen pizzas or take out and it is really getting gross. When I did try to make dinner, half of what I wanted was in the freezer (last ditch effort to not lose food). Then I automatically made enough for leftovers... with nowhere to put them. UGH!!

So we went to Lowes and bought this 16 cu ft sweetie the other day. It is a garage fridge. And it is in the garage. So now I can buy a gallon of milk AND keep the cheese sticks from going bad without having to choose between them. I still have to walk to the garage, but heck, it is better than the alternatives. Sure, I cant do Sams Club this week as I would have been doing otherwise, but everyday life is a bit easier.
We still have to wait until the second week of September before we have any hope of the large one being replaced. But after hearing many bad things about GE service, I am pleasantly surprised at the ease with which these dealings have been handled.

For the next few weeks we wont be eating normally, but we will be getting as close to normal as possible. Any suggestions you have to get us through this rough patch???? Especially next weekend as we will have a houseful of guests????

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-17T14:49:00.002-05:00

After everything that has been going on around here these last few months, I really didnt think it could get any worse. Really. I should have knocked on wood when I thought that.

Our fridge and freezer has died. I have now been a week without and still waiting for the repairman to come and make me a happy woman with a complete kitchen. Until then, feeling nothing like a real woman and beside myself to cook, we have been eating take out and frozen pizza, taking great care to not make leftovers.

Sure, we have a mini-fridge, but all that fits in there are the condiments... then it is full. I never realized how many condiments we owned. And I am sure that there are many more we havent even discovered!

So here goes:

Monday Frozen Pizza or Homemade pizza
Tuesday Sliced Roast and gravy from the freezer made into sandwiches, served with chips
Wednesday HOPEFULLY THE FRIDGE WILL GET FIXED TODAY Eat Out (Long day with many many appointments back to back)
Thursday EXPECTING THE FRIDGE TO BE COOLING DOWN NOW Eat Out (Long day #2 with many many appointments back to back)
Friday Spaghetti and meatballs (Babysitting 12 yo Autistic boy all day then heading out to do some much needed grocery shopping)
Saturday Apple Pork Chops with oven steak fries and grilled veggies
Sunday Steak on the grill with garlic potatos and corn on the cob

Hello? Seriously?!? HEL-LOOO!

2009-08-11T16:53:00.004-05:00

It was a joke about a year ago. I had seen my doctor about my extreme fatigue and been given a prescription sleeping pill. That was about the time that strange things started happening... I woke up in different jammies than I wore to bed. I woke up to 5 (more or less) snack bowls next to the bed. I was told of conversations I did not know I had. I found out that I was having sex every night. I was being emailed about my new online subscriptions from places I had never heard of. Packages were being delivered to the house (That part was like Christmas!) for products I wanted but had not bought. I heard from more than a handful of people that I had sent them very, very strange emails.

I mentioned it to my best friend in a phone conversation. Nora, a gem of a woman, has always taught me, by example, to laugh at life... and she immediately exploded in laughter!

"Where's Anne!??" She quipped. Her infectious laughter starting to invade my lungs and take over my story...

"You need to put in Nanny Cams to see what you are doing at night! You can sit and watch it the next day and find out Where Anne Was the night before."

She continued laughing. "Where's Anne? Look, there she goes, down the hall." "Ut, oh! Where's Anne? Looks like she is in the kitchen!" This continued for a good ten minutes as we listed out funny situations. Finally, we were both hysterical with laughter and I just let it go that strange things were happening to me.

Then, a few months ago, on a routine visit to my doctor, I mentioned that I had quit taking the sleeping pills because I noticed something on the warning label that I didnt like, that could be making another situation worse. When I quit taking the pills, I quit being foggy in the mornings. Sure, I quit sleeping, but I wasnt groggy and unfocused anymore. And mostly, I knew what was happening to Anne. So when he offered me a different sleeping pill, I declined.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up yesterday with this black eye! I had slept alone that night since my husband fell asleep on the couch to a movie... so I know it wasnt him.

That leaves me with one question: WHERE WAS ANNE????

What the heck did I do to myself while I was sleeping?!?!?

(cue the hilarious laughter)

The Farmer's Market Calls

2009-08-09T16:56:00.005-05:00

I stopped at the Farmer's Market in town this morning. It had been calling to me for weeks. After finishing my other errands, I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and chopping so that I could make my absolute favorite!

MINESTRONE SOUP!

Traditionally, Minestrone soup is a vegetable in beef broth soup. While I have a basic recipe that I follow, this has become one of those dishes that I do not measure and add or subtract ingredients as the local harvest allows. This is the ultimate in soups and one I crave year round.

To give all credit where it is due, my rendition of Minestrone is loosely based on the recipe by Marcella Hazan in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. She says "The result is a soup of dense, mellow flavor that recalls no vegetable in particular, but all of them at once." She continues "Note that all the ingredients do not go into the pot at one time, but in a sequence that is indicated. By first sauteing the onion you produce the essential underlying flavor, which is then imparted to the other vegetables in turn."

Having made alterations over time, I have found that 3 things contribute most to the flavor of this soup: 1) the theory of cooking them in sequence, 2) the addition of cheese and 3) the beef broth. With this in mind, I shop from my local farms (or my own garden when I had one). Whatever I can bring home, goes into the soup.

As you can see, today I brought home a number of squash and zucchini, tomatoes and green beans. To this I added potatoes, celery, carrots, onion and canned beans (garbonzo, cannellini and kidney). I follow no set measurements and just clean and cut the veggies as my mood allows.

To begin, melt 3 TBSP butter in 1/2 cup olive oil.

Add in 1 cup onion, sliced very thin. Cook until it turns golden but not brown then add vegetables in turn, cooking 2-3 minutes between additions.

Carrots

Celery

Potatoes

Green Beans

Zucchini (and other squash)

Add 6 cups Homemade Meat Broth (or 2 cups canned beef broth with 4 cups water) Adjust the amount of liquid to the amount of vegetables you add.

2/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatos (or use fresh tomatos and canned tomato sauce)

and an OPTIONAL crust from a 1-2 pound piece of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, scraped clean.

Add a sprinkling of salt. Check for taste later.

Cook at a gentle simmer for 2.5 hours then add the canned beans and cook for another 1/2 hour.

Cook until the soup is fairly dense.

My opinion is that this, as many Italian dishes, is better the second day. This soup freezes well as long as you dont mind your beans exploding while frozen.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SOUP! Enjoy it and let me know what you think of it!

Gross

2009-08-02T21:58:00.002-05:00

This is what my summer has been reduced to... posting really gross videos online just to hear all your horrified laughter. Yup. It is one of THOSE summers. Enjoy.

Two Girls One Cyst - Watch more Funny Videos

Summer Time!

2009-07-23T17:00:00.003-05:00

Already, it has been a L.O.N.G. summer. I havent been posting because I have felt a lack of words and a general sense of overwhelm in my life. But I felt the need to let you all know that I am basically OK.

We have had many things happen this summer that got me off the norm... weekly trips to the County Health and Human Services therapy offices for one of my kids... an ovarian cyst... a high school reunion... a prodical daughter... a medication change (or two)... a loss of and a gain of friendships... and some financial woes.

And I am tired. Mostly tired, today, because I have 3 wisdom teeth that were never removed when I was young... now completely in... are causing me great jaw pain which leads to eating problems, headaches and sleeping problems. Luckily, I go under the knife tomorrow morning at 7am! I can't wait to have those babies OUT!

Hubby is nice enough to take me. Then when we arrive home, he is packing up the kids and heading on a road trip to Florida to see his father and brother. SWEET 10 days of silence. I imagine the room cleaning adventures, the sorting and tossing I will be able to do while they are gone. I imagine staying up until 3am painting (something) without disturbing anyone. I see a big trip to Home Depot in the truck and me, happily covered in sawdust, working on little projects all week.

When they get back from their trip, we have a few more doctor appointments and then I am off to see my brother in Michigan. Well, it is more than just seeing him... I SAW him last weekend. But a few hours every 5 or 6 years isnt much, so I am going back and I will spend an entire week with him, just talking and sharing and caring. He is my brother afterall, and the only one of my siblings that I have any relationship with anymore. He is 15 years older than me and has always been my secret hero. And he seems lonely. And I need a change.

When I got back, we have a few short weeks full of registrations, physicals, and sign-ups... and then it is back to school. WOW! That went fast!

I have a bunch of posts coming up for you.

cake decorating
craft room organization (with many mini-projects)
laundry room re-dos
PROJECT: cleaning for the first time in a year
Family recipe books to pass to your children
Health and Fitness: my struggle
My Pet Peeves, a day in the life
New Blog Project: Freaks of a Feather
Some wonderful RAKs received
What can you buy with $500 birthday money???
Doors, what do yours say?
Long term storage or Out-of-Sight, Out-of-Mind junk heap
L.A.B.E.L. I.T. a personal obsession
Third quarter Freezer Frenzy
Back to school tips and ideas
Sharing blog posts that inspired me
What to do when your chores are done and the house is clean
Finishing your TO-Do list, anti-procrastination tips

and much, much more.

So I thank you for your patience as I have dealt with chaos this summer and appreciate you hanging on until I can get back full-time!

Age...

2009-06-13T16:20:00.004-05:00

Ok, obviously, I do age, no matter what I want to believe.

Today is my birthday and I am 27 AGAIN (for like the 12th time). You heard me... 27!

The little one made me a bunch of pictures and the big one made brownies. My son, well, 2 out of 3 aint bad. My hubby bought me new tennis shoes (the expensive ones since I wont sink that much into a pair but complain about the way my feet hurt in the other ones) and new flatware for 16!!!

I am so excited! I have never had new flatware! So CELEBRATE with me! Aging isnt so bad when it comes with new salad forks!

~Edit~ The night ended well. The older daughter made me the most fabulous gooey chocolate cake. Friends came by for BBQ (loaded down with food and drinks) and conversation. The kids gifted me a Garmin since I recently deactivated my OnStar. And hubs surprised me with $500 cash stuffed in an unsigned card.

CASH! Do I order scrapbook supplies (Creative Memories and Stampin Up are competing here)? Do I buy a new puppy? Do I be responsible and pay off a bill? What do I do?!?! I am so excited!

ME! It is all about ME!

2009-06-08T22:59:00.006-05:00

Recently, I have been having an argument with myself. We go head to head against each other and some days it can get nasty. It goes something like this:

So it is my birthday this weekend. -uh, yea. Don't remind me!
Why cant I bring it up? -because I am not getting older ever again.
What are you saying? You nut job! -I liked it better when I was still in my 20s. I have been in my thirties long enough and the forties and waving at me. But I want to be in my 20s.
At some point in your life, hun, you are going to have to accept that we all age...

No, I do not accept that we all age. NOPE!

See, I am special:

I do not sweat; I do not fart; My shit doesn't stink; I do not age; I do not make mistakes.

Really.

So imagine my surprise the other day...

My toenail kept catching on my sock. It was driving me insane so eventually I took off my sock and put my foot on the bathroom counter to see what was troubling me. Just getting my foot up there was a task! Less than 3 feet off the ground, but you would think I was trying to stick my toe on the roof of the house or something! As I (barely) kept myself from toppling over, my weight too much for my one feeble limb to handle on it's own, I realized that I could not focus on my toe with my glasses on...

I removed the eye-wear and stared at my toe. I still could not focus.

It seems that with my glasses on, my toe is too close to me and with them off, it is too far away. No, I am NOT aging and my eyesight is NOT getting worse! Unable to contort myself to a satisfactory position, I filed away at the nail with an emery board, hoping I would magically get whatever it was.

But then I heard quacking.

I ran to the window expecting to see low-flying geese. No geese.

I struggled to put my foot back on the counter to finish the job, and again, I heard quacking.

As I rushed to the window again, I walked into a cloud of odor... mmmm... burritos, guacamole, rice??? That was odd.

I nearly tripped over a pinata that resembled a red-white-and green burro as I took another step. Suddenly I was wearing a sombrero and smelled fajitas and refried beans.

Then it happened.

Over by the window I spotted the Mariachi band. AN ENTIRE BAND! All clustered between the bathroom window and the toilet. And that is when it hit me!

It wasn't quacking at all... It was me. I had farted! And not only did I fart, and it smelled, but I had farted an entire Mexican restaurant!!!!

Odd, considering I hadn't had Mexican food in quite a while. I tried to mask my surprise as I leaned over to whisper to the Mariachi.... "Holy Shit! Have you guys been stuck up there since Cinco de Mayo?!?!"

Office Organizing Journey 7Setting Up Systems

2009-06-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted 3/3/09 on Organising Queen as a guest blog series.

Hello, Hello!

My office is finished! Or at least the office area that I use daily... we will talk about my storage closet later.

Step 6 is to set up a filing system for the paper you need to keep. After all that sorting a few weeks ago, this is what I did with what was left:

One thing I did -over and above- *that I really like* I replaced all the file folders (at least until I ran out of folders) with no tab folders.

Geez Anne! No tab folders cost sooooo much more than regular folders. Was that really a wise financial choice??

Actually, a year and a half ago I bought a box of 100 file folders for $3.75. Tabs and all. But to me, the tabs are visual clutter when the drawer is open and really started to bother me. So I sat down with my trusty CM cutting mat, a razor knife and a metal straight edge and I sliced off all the tabs!

The only folders that still have tabs are the pretty ones on my desktop.

And you have to see this! This is 2 plastic file totes FULL of empty hanging folders! No joke! Can you believe that when I started this journey... all those hanging files were FULL!

Oh My Goodness!!!

Now, just to show that I have really been working my butt off on this... here are shots of my closet...

Before: full of scrapbook supplies with no hope of finding anything. (The bottom of the closet is 2 deep of boxes and totes and stuff... 2 deep!)

and After: One well-organized walk-in closet for hubby and me.

You will notice that I dragged up and old dresser from the basement. It now houses things that had no home, piles that had been taking up floor space... my jeans, my hubby's hats, etc.

I also got a terrific deal on a labeler:($15 for a $40 labeler) and went to work making everything uniform and cleanly labeled.

Ok, so I am a little OCD... I admit it!

ANYWAY.... the point is that it looks good and I like it.

But let's talk about the nitty gritty... Step 6: make a system for YOUR papers. That would be a personalized way to file your papers. FOR EXAMPLE: No sence in filing alphabetically when you think in themes or time. Me? I just hate filing at all. I hardly ever reference anything again. It takes forever to file and then just becomes a forgotten set of papers. That seems like a real waste of time!

So what I did is to get rid of the things that do not get referenced and to highlight the ones that do get used.

Out went:

receipts from the last 5 years.

extra papers such as registration cards

assembly sheets for Barbie dolls

magazine pages for crafts I like the looks of but will never actually make

In went:

tax files

Creditor contact information

Appliance Manuals

Then I made monthly files in my action drawer. Almost everything that I would file will go in there. So I no longer file statements by company ... I stick them in the folder for the month they were paid. Easy.

I filed my warranties and manuals by room. I made a hanging file for each area of the house and stuck in the appropriate stuff. Now it will be much easier to find the manual for the TV in my daughter's room... I will just pull the file for her room and it is the only TV manual in there.

*GRIN* Easy works for me!

Now to Step 7. The last step. This step was a "D'oh" moment for me. Simply stated... step 7 says Make your tools work for you. The suggestion Marcia made was that if you are using organizing tools that give you more work rather than less... perhaps it is better to switch to something else.

That really got me thinking. I have been using my Frankin Planner since 1995. I started using it because it was the only planner/calendar on the market that listed evening hours. I was working 12 hour shifts, working 6 days a week... and the traditional 5 day work week, 9 to 5 calendar did not cover what I needed. PLUS I needed to be able to keep personal information and my family calendar together with work so that I didnt double schedule myself. And that happened often... 60 hours a week wasnt enough for a customer and I would end up coming in on my time off to meet with them on their schedule... completely forgetting about family plans. So the Franklin worked for me.

And now I am a Stay at Home Mom. If I do work, it doesnt involve appointments outside of business hours.

But I do like having all my personal information in one place... no more searching for notes or reference materials. It is all in my planner.

I looked back over months of planner pages.

I never use the appointment section. That is half a page wasted.
And on the notes section I always note the same things... menu selections, medications I take, what I ate, how much I weigh and what the weather is. Hmmmm.
I even noticed that in the last month or so I have gotten to the point that I write my TO DOs right over the appointment section. I have more TO DOs than anything else.

I need to personalize my planner to make it work for me. I drew out what I thought would work and formatted new planner pages.

Well.... I tried. I used Word. I used Excel. I used Publisher. I even downloaded Open Office. No matter what, I just could NOT get it to look the way I wanted. I mean it has to be cute and easy on the eyes or I will just quit using it no matter how efficient it is.

My solution? My 16 year old daughter!

I gave her the drawing and she set to work. Within a matter of hours she sent me a doc file with EXACLTY what I wanted in it! Thank God for technically savvy kids!

In fact, she did such a great job on it that I had her make my monthly financial planning form too!

Whoo hoo! I love my new planner pages! LOVE LOVE LOVE

That is it! I have completed all 7 steps! REALLY! I did it! And it feels amazing! Now it is your turn!

P.S. Remember Anne's cute file folders? She did a file folder tutorial so we can all learn how to do them here.

And Anne's also sharing her daily planner and monthly financial pages with all of us.

Office Organizing Journey 6Overcoming Organizing Obstacles

2009-06-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted 2/17/09 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.

Anne here.

Confession time: I quit. I am a quitter.

It isn’t any of the self-justifying excuses I could throw out at you, it is just that I quit.

I did Steps 1-4. I had already done step 5 last fall so I limped through that one by just updating and decluttering. And I quit before I got to steps 6 and 7.

I know what you are thinking. What a loser! Way to go Anne!

I know, I know.

And the guilt is killing me.

I am so close to being finished that it is just insane to stop now. But that is how I operate. Oh, I might call it something else, but it is quitting none-the-less.

I have plastic-canvas coasters that are 45% completed... from Christmas 7 years ago.
I have 20% of a baby blanket started in 2000.
I have thousands of dollars in scrapbook supplies that will *eventually* get mated with photos and stuck into albums.
I have thrown away so much food because I got through 2 days of Freezer cooking and gave up before I got to the chicken day.
I clean the entire kitchen and ignore the crumbs on the table.

Yep, I quit a lot.

But that is part of what this is helping me with.... the new system is so easy that I feel stupid for not using it.

And I already identified that it is easy that makes me use things, so what more excuse is there?

Loss of interest?

Could be... but no, I have enjoyed this process.

And you have all been so incredibly supportive.

So I quit quitting.

ANYWAY... I am working beyond belief to catch up and have a post for you all.

I need to share with you how I got off my butt and out of my own rut and completed all 7 steps and blogged about it. (that was a run-on sentence, I am pretty sure about that.)

Look for my final post next week with all the details.

Thanks for understanding!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne's busy working through 7 easy steps to organise your office. If you'd like to check it out, have a read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone, Marcia here

I love Anne's honesty in this post; don't you?

But more importantly, I want to use this as an organising lesson so we can all benefit.

The truth is that we ALL face obstacles in life when we try to do worthwhile things, whether they're organising projects, getting fit, eating more nutritious food or just improving our relationships.

That's life.

The way to overcome those obstacles is to realise that it's normal and brainstorm ways to navigate those obstacles.

Think about it like this - when you're getting your house painted, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's going to be messy and smelly while you're painting but afterwards, you're going to have a gorgeous, fresh room/house.

In the same way, the road to our dreams always has an obstacle or eleven :)

A couple of ways you can navigate those obstacles is:

realise that obstacles happen to everybody - it's not because you're a bad person, lack discipline, etc.
get some help (if you can) just to get you over the hump - even someone just sitting there and encouraging you is help
make yourself accountable to someone (I have the utmost faith in Anne and I know she will finish, and she will finish strong, but I do know that part of it is because she's made herself accountable to 600-odd of my blog readers. There's something about that accountability that propels you forward toward your goals)

Now, over to you.

Post about any project you've started where you've encountered obstacles

Office Organizing Journey 5e-Clutter

2009-06-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted 2/10/09 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.

E-clutter

A few years ago we wouldn't have known that phrase, but now it makes so much sense.

Everyone is buying bigger and bigger memory storage for their computers because they keep everything they ever download... necessary or not... rather than making their capacity work for them.

That is like buying bigger and bigger houses because you are unwilling to throw out an old pair of shoes every once in a while!

I had e-clutter. Uh huh!

Homeschool files, forms, books and records
Three jobs' worth of created forms, records and client files.
E-copies of taxes, bills, audio books (I do not like audio books) and recipes.
Email since 1999.
Jokes and cartoons.
BMP files of bad pictures the kids created in Paint.
Photos.

Embarrassing. Yes, let's discuss it...

6 computers. No kidding. 6 computers. That alone is e-clutter! But not just that, although they were all networked together, there were still multiple copies of e-files. Finding the right file could take hours!

The only part that was well organized and accessible was the 20 Gigs of Photos and the 20 Gigs of e-books. Even that took years of hassle to come up with a plan.

I will start with those... my photos are on their own hard drive. The folders they are in go by year then month then day. The file names are the date (6 digit) and number. Nothing fancy for naming them because they get lost when I start naming them. I keep them this way because I scrapbook chronologically so I keep my photos the same way.

The e-books, also on their own hard drive, about 3000 of them, are filed by Publisher and then by Theme. They were originally filed by level and theme, but I could never find what I wanted because I don't think that way... that and the fact that when you homeschool you teach multiple grades at the same time and you can often use the same stuff for different kids with slight variations. OK, so e-books by Publisher.

But there is so much else!

What about the Favorites list?

Great place to store links, but not a great way to find them again if you don't set up a system. My Favorites are stored in folders like FINANCIAL (banking and online bill pay), MOM BLOGS, FOOD, STAMP_SCRAP, and ORGANIZE. And to make it one step easier, I label the links.

So my Bank account is B -Bank name

and my Credit card is CC -Credit Card Company

and my Utilities that are all on auto-pay are U -AP -Utility Name.

What about the crafts in Stamp-Scrap? I sort those by function.

I have BLOG, RETAIL, BLOG -PROJECT, REFERENCE, LINK LIST, etc.

This makes it the easiest to get what I am looking for without spending a ton of time surfing the internet looking for it.

But the biggest evil is email.

Everyone sends me everything. Jokes, projects, books, personal info... I even have emails from 4 years ago about clients. The hardest part was letting go of these files. I cringed and clicked delete. I started over fresh and clean.

I set up folders in Outlook similar to my favorites folders... FINANCIAL, FAMILY, FRIENDS, NETWORKING, STAMP-Scrap. Within each folder are other folders... one for each bill company, one for each family or friend, one for each network.

This helps in many ways... I set rules so Outlook auto-files email as they come in. I set rules so replies and sent messages get filed the same way. I can now open someone's folder and see how long it has been since I have contacted them. No more forgetting someone!

I have a similar system for clients, but it is another program add-in that keeps all kinds of client information together, including email. No more hassle... and did I mention that I finally deleted all those old emails????? *giggle* as if I was going to really need those files to refer to! OMG, what was I thinking!

My Documents. UGH! Do we even have to go there?!?!?

Yes, and I went there with the delete button! I opened and deleted or renamed files appropriately. When they were all named in a similar fashion, I created folders and filed them. Now I can find exactly what I want right away instead of opening hundreds of word documents looking for just the right one ... I knew it was here... I just don't know what I named it...

So now I have folders LEGAL, STAMP-SCRAP, FOOD, ORGANIZE.

And did you know that when you open word files (pdfs, excel, many other files as well) that you can create comments on the file that you can see when you hover your mouse over the file or on a details listing??? So if there IS something that you have two of, with variations you need all of, you can distinguish the files easily.

ANYWAY, night after night of hiding in bed with my laptop feverishly renaming files has paid off! My computer has tons of empty storage, runs faster and files are now easier to locate.

Yee Haw!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Marcia:
If your email is out of control, Conquer your email will get your email organised and under control. Someone went from about 3000 mails to less than 100 in just days.

This is a comprehensive handout plus an hour-long audio. I teach you every single secret and tip that I use to help me manage my email in only 15 minutes a day.

What are your biggest email or electronic challenges?

Office Organizing Journey 4Paper Clutter

2009-06-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

This was originally posted 2/3/09 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.

Anne here! It is Week #4 and my desk is still clean!

Clean, but honestly, for me, this week was the most difficult by far!

Why? Because Step Four is all about the Paper Clutter. And not only do I have tons of paper clutter on my desk, but I have tons in my drawer, tons in my files and more hidden in boxes in the Long-Term Storage closet. My oh My!

Where do I even start?

I started by clearing off the top of my desk, clearing out the drawer, pulling all long-term files, and pulling out all the regular files.

YES… I took everything out of everywhere! And to make sure I worked on it, I piled it on my bed… no sleep for me until it was better!

I know what you are thinking...

“OMG Anne… wouldn’t it have been easier to take it one file at a time?”

Why, yes! It would have been, and considering I have been taking the easy way out for years, I thought that the only way I would finish this step was if I did something drastic! (Marcia here - don't you love her spirit? LOL)

Mountain of paper in the middle of my bed = drastic!

I started going through the pile one file at a time. I made piles *gasp* around the edges of the room…

broad categories… TAXES, REAL ESTATE, MANUALS, MEDICAL, BILLS, SHRED, TOSS, PERSONAL, IDEA FILES….

And when the bed was clear, I confess… I crashed for the rest of the day… and a couple days after too! Paper is my nemesis!

Next step was cull through the files. Anything over 10 years old got tossed or shredded unless it was a birth certificate or medical file or such.

I also tried to determine how much of what was left really needed to be kept for reference.

Obviously I kept too much! I had 5 file drawers FULL, one medium size Rubbermaid tote FULL, and two long term file tubs FULL… not including all my homeschool files! That is another 8 tubs!

The old tax and real estate files will go into the tubs and into Long Term Storage in the big closet.
The Action and Reference Idea files will go in the desk drawer.
The rest of the files will go in the file cabinet. I am going to make them fit! Surprise! It won't be as hard as you might think! When I culled through all the files, I reduced the amount down to one action file drawer, one tub of long term, one drawer (not full) of manuals, and one drawer of Current tax, bills, medical, insurance files. REALLY! That is all that is left! I KNOW! I can’t believe it myself! (Marcia here - Anne, I'm so proud of you!)

Let me give you some specific examples of what I did:

My piles of actionable papers were reduced into good looking Immediate Action Folders located on the desktop and As Convenient Action Folders in the desk drawer. (Marcia here - Gee! those are very good-looking files!)

Business cards were input into My Contacts and then tossed.

Notes and ideas on little pieces of paper, previously stuffed in the drawers, in my inbox, in the pockets of my planner and in my purse were added to the Notes section in my Franklin planner, appointments listed on my calendar and tasks noted on my Master To-Do List to be referenced when I do my weekly planning.

Bills were also noted on my calendar then put in an action folder.

I consolidated 3 notepads -full of lists and ideas and thoughts -into one notebook with the plan to make notations ONLY in this one place. (Marcia here - this is going to work out so well - no more looking for that "bright idea" in several places)

My projects were planned step-by-step to help track goals and documentation/supplies were filed in separate labeled folders and buckets for each project.

WHEW! But I didn’t stop there.

I made new folders for my bills… I threw away all the old statements. I only kept account policies and such.

Then I added an information sheet to the inside of each folder on which I listed all the contact information, website, password, APR and such. Now the folders will only need to be referenced if I have to make contact and can be kept in a more long term storage area. (Marcia here - I absolutely LOVE this idea!)

Part of clearing the paper clutter involves keeping the volume of paper to a minimum.

Keeping this in mind, I went online and went paperless on as many bills as possible.
I now also review the day’s mail over the trash can, tossing all ads and junk immediately.
Then the rest gets handled immediately… Bills listed on the calendar and stuck in the BILLS to Pay action file. When the bill is paid, it is crossed off the calendar, noted on a yearly financial spreadsheet that is in the BILLS folder, and filed in the monthly file.

“But Anne,” you say, “doesn’t this just give you more email to deal with?”

Why, yes! It does!

And when you join me next week for Step Five… we will talk about how I dealt with my electronic clutter –all 40 Gigs of it!

Marcia here - I can't WAIT to see how she handles the email clutter - can you?

Anne, this was an outstanding effort on your part and I'm sending all my clients (past and present) to this post to see how beautifully you broke the whole process down!

Anne's busy working through 7 easy steps to organise your office. If you'd like to check it out, have a read.

Office Organizing Journey 3Decluttering

2009-06-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was originally posted 1/27/2009 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.

Hi! Anne here again!

Have you been following my Office Organizing Journey? Let me recap:

Week One -Look at this mess! What in the world am I going to do with this chaos?

Week Two -I do so many things in this area. It is no wonder it is such chaos!

And this week...

Week Three -I absolutely do not need ALL this stuff. Watch the chaos diminish!

Part of my chaos was because supplies were put where they fit, not where they were needed.

Consequently the items closest at hand were often the least accessed and the items used most frequently had to be found and retrieved.

This created a feeling of anxiety because what would have been a quick task or a delightful craft opportunity took more time to recover the supplies... and often, even more time to stash them back where they came from.

Crazy! I know!

And because it was so crazy, I either avoided tasks or I left the supplies out because returning them was a hassle. So...

Papers were on the desk because the files were difficult to access.
Stamping and scrapbooking became a thing of the past.
The day my favorite pen ran out of ink my life stopped until I found another one.
My bills were lost and often paid late and my kids' school papers weren't returned on time.
Shredding done inconsistently takes entire weekends.
Projects barely get started let alone finished.

Now that I have identified what isn’t working, the necessary uses for my space and removed the non-essentials, it is time to enhance the function-ability of the work areas.

That means gathering necessary supplies and putting them in the area where they will be used. (Step Two)

I also learned that I am a VISUAL person and I do not act on things if I can't see them... and equally... I respond negatively to a disorderly work area making it highly important that action items are not only accessible, but obvious. Also making it important that tools and supplies are close at hand, but either hidden or attractive. (Step Three)

What does this all mean?

Well... just look at the differences!

My desktop has been cleared!

But more than just swiping an arm across it and hiding it in a box, my desk has been revitalized!

I relocated the printer to the table next to the desk
I removed the TV
I even removed the lamp because the base took up too much space.
I removed the messy boxes from below the desk and used the space for drawers (that had been in the closet) that hold my most essential scrapbook items.

My use-them-for-every-project scrapbooking tools were moved from the closet to a small bin on the desktop.
The pen cup was emptied except for necessary writing utensils that are used daily.
The paper piles and desktop files were eliminated.

I removed unused and overstocked amounts of supplies from the drawers.
I removed haven’t-touched-them-in-years reference CDs and Program CDs from the drawer.

The top desk drawer now holds at-hand tools and supplies such as a hole punch, staple remover, package of staples (I used to have 3 packages of them) and rubber bands.

The middle drawer holds printer ink refills, pencils and markers not used everyday and a *new* label maker.

Everything I need is right here!

I won't have to get up to get supplies. I certainly won't need to go digging through things to find what I need!

My space looks good, is clean and has stayed this way all week!

This whole process is sooooo exciting! I never thought I would have a well-functioning work area at home without spending THOUSANDS on custom furniture and a space planner!

The changes this system has brought are more than just physical...

Marcia has taught me a new way of thinking about what I do and how I do it. Who knew… the problem was me, not my space!

Hi, Marcia here.

I am continually amazed at Anne's progress. She's not just throwing stuff away, labelling and putting things in pretty boxes (which is what most people think organising is) but she's actually asking herself the hard questions - why do I do this? what will work best for me? etc.

Well done, Anne - you're inspiring me and hundreds of other readers :)

Anne's busy working through 7 easy steps to organise your office. If you'd like to check it out, have a read.

Office Organizing Journey 2Sorting out the Zones

2009-06-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

This was originally published 1/20/2009 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.

Hi, it's me again - Anne. Welcome back to my Office Organizing Journey.

Last week you toured my home and saw how inefficient my current office set-up is and we discussed my challenges.

To recap, here are the biggies:

The things I need are not at hand
There is no space to work or craft
The filing system is confusing
Things pile on top of piles
I have remnants of 2 at-home jobs, remnants of homeschooling
and everyday family life.

This week I started Step One of the 7 Steps to Organise Your Office system. The idea behind this step is to clarify the uses you will need to incorporate into your office.

Since my Office and Craft space is not yet finished, I am working from my master bedroom. This room serves as a bedroom and an office, as well as a craft space. Geez. No wonder it is so full and cluttered!

What all do I need to do in here?

I need:

work space,
craft space,
filing,
reading and planning.
I also need to combine clothing and craft storage in a manner that makes both easily accessible and in a state of readiness.

I have other needs too. I need Long Term Storage for files and supplies. This will have to remain in the basement closet. Ok, so the closet down there is designated for Long Term Files and Supplies.

The desk up here will be for working space and current supplies (one extra roll of tape, one extra set of staples).

The filing drawer in the desk will be for action files. The filing cabinet by the bed will be for all other non-long-term files.

I like to read and plan in bed, so the basket next to the bed, that is currently a catch-all, will house my books, snacks and planner. My closet will house the craft supplies and clothing. I have a folding table for crafting if the desktop doesn't offer enough space.

WOW! Great plan, huh?

But how do I make it all work?

According to the system, I went through each section, mindful of its purpose and removed everything that did not fit that need. That meant that the TV was relocated off the desk. The pending projects were removed from the bedside basket.

Long Term files were moved to the closet downstairs. The piles of papers and desktop files that were overflowing with papers were relocated to the filing drawers. CDs that I never use were put into Long Term Storage *just in case* I blow up my computer and need them.

Whew! Stuff is everywhere.

I thought I was organized, but now I am starting to see why it wasn't working...

Lesson learned: KEEP WHAT YOU NEED, WHERE YOU NEED IT!

Next week: Steps 2 and 3!

Please stay tuned to see what interesting things happen and after photos from the first 3 steps.

Note from Marcia:
Anne is doing a great job. This is a big, big challenge and I'm very proud of her for doing this journey with all my readers checking out her progress.

Don't you agree?

By the way, Anne, I love your organised clothes and shoes in the closet with all the matching hangers :)

Office Organizing Journey 1Before Pics and Challenges

2009-06-01T08:05:00.006-05:00

This was originally published 1/13/2009 on Organising Queen as a guest post series.
Pop on over and say Hi to Marcia. She has a ton of great organizing tips and ideas!

Hello. My name is Anne. I am so happy to have you join me this morning. Today I will be showing you my office in its various stages. And while we walk and see, we can talk about the benefits and rewards of having an office system like mine.

Please remove your shoes, grab a pair a slippers from the pile over there, and follow me. We will be walking though the living room and dining room to descend the staircase. Here at the bottom of the stairs you can see a wide open room that is quite bright from the sun streaming in the window. But this room, while large and bright does not appear to be an office. We sneak a look behind each of the three doors finding 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom... We see no office.

No, really, we are in the office. A closer look around reveals wall studs built into place. Electricity run to lights and plugs. There appears to be the skeleton of a closet off to the side. And this wide open space. This space with no insulation, no drywall, no paint, no window coverings. This is my office space. But it is unfinished, in partial completion, and is being used as a junk collection station.

And let's go around this dark corner under the stairs. I want to show you my Long Term Storage Closet. I know that you will be timid to enter at first, squeezing in behind the stairs, next to the bookcases, but come along. There is much to see! We step into a large room. Each wall has rack upon rack upon rack of books and homeschooling supplies, office supplies, school supplies and crafts, Long Term Legal Files, even Long Term Linen Storage and Childhood memorabilia. I have science projects, family games, push pins and office equipment plugs. THIS is my long term storage.

Now, we haven't see a desk or anything resembling workable area, so follow me back upstairs and I will show you where I work. Back through the dining room, living room, down the hallway past the children's bedrooms and into the master bedroom. Although it doesn't look like a bedroom other than the blankets.

As we walk in the door we immediately see paper holders on a large dresser to the left. Looking right I see a table that had once been a patio table. It now houses 2 large printers. Beyond the table is a large executive size desk.

It is a bit worse for wear and appears to have had its return section removed leaving a bare feeling on the left side. But above that is a large pile of papers from the kids this past week.

Leaning against the wall is a 3 file holder in black mesh. It looks like it could be useful. But with all the papers streaming out of their respective folders at all angles like fireworks... it certainly doesn't seem to work right now.

I sit to use the laptop provided and immediately roll the chair over the wires plugging in said laptop. Whoops. I lean in to type and bump my elbow on another printer. piggy-back style on the printer is a cable box and a 20" TV. Half the desk is covered by TV and the other half is covered by piles flowing into piles.

I pick up one of the piles and decide to file those papers. The closest files are in the lower 3rd drawer. I look in there, bit those files look like craft stuff. I glance around the room. Clear on the other side is a large file cabinet.

There is no file for this paper. I set it aside and take another. This one is a receipt for a large Christmas Purchase, Electronic. I dont see a file for receipts. Should I just stuff it in this file with all this other paper? And this BILL looks urgent. Do I need to file it too? Or should I leave it on the desk so I remember to pay it? I probably will file it. It goes in the red BILL folders.

Let's see... It is a Bill, but what kind of a bill? a Gas Card. But from what company? OK, we go to the red section. I find the Bills. Behind that category it says "gas cards and stores" OR "Credit cards" OR "Signature loans". It is a gas card. so back up to that section. Hm mm, now where in here does it go? Ah Ha, here. Lookie! I got one filed! Whew. At this rate it is going to take FOREVER to file this pile... and there is another stack of papers right here stuffed in the drawer and they all need to be filed too. UGH!

I should make files for this stuff, I suppose. But that means another trip around the house and through the basement to get file folders. Then again, if I am going to walk all that way, maybe I should just take the whole pile and shove it into a box down there to deal with later. uh, no, I can't do that. I already have a couple boxes like that from the 90s.

Well, forget the filing. I want to scrapbook. Then again, there isnt any space to scrapbook. I will have to dig all the supplies out of the closet (stuffed in with the clothes) and haul them to the kitchen table. I don't want to do that either.

This is horrible. Ridiculous even. I think we should just have a snack and watch TV. If we ignore this mess, it will go away, right???

BUT SERIOUSLY, there are no benefits or rewards to my office space(s).

Here are the challenges:

Things I need are not at hand
there is no space to work
the filing system is confusing
things pile on top of piles
I have remnants of 2 at-home jobs, remnants of homeschooling (it has been 4 years since we stopped) and everyday family life.

I need help! I need to dig out and move forward. Lucky for me, Marcia has an Office plan!

Please continue to join me on my Office Organizing Journey.

I will be decluttering, tossing, donating, filing, shredding, and finding a way to work in the space I have available to me.

See you next week for an update!

Hello all, Marcia here.

I think Anne's very brave to share her journey with all my readers. Go ahead and encourage her in the comments. She's doing a great job :)

And of course, you're all very welcome to tackle your office over the next 4 - 6 weeks.

World's Easiest Homemade Alfredo Sauce

2009-05-26T21:37:00.002-05:00

Have you seen those recipes for Alfredo sauce that involve eggs and a ton of stirring?

Forget it!! Try this easy alternative.

Put 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and a stick of butter in a pan.

Do not boil.

Simmer until reduced by 25%.

Add 2 more cups of heavy whipping cream, 2/3 cup parmesan cheese

(I actually use pecorino-romano) plus salt and white pepper.

Cook 1# pasta to al dente, add pasta to sauce and serve immediately.

Tastes the same. Much easier. Freezes great.

Also don’t forget these ideas…

tetrazinni -add shredded chicken (crock pot method) and some fresh spinach to the alfredo sauce after you add the cheese. It is delish. Even better than that is to soak the shredded chicken in the 2nd half of the cream over a low heat while you wait on the first half to reduce. It gets into every morsel of the chicken and infuses it with FLAVOR.

Or make carbonara… add chopped bacon or pancetta to the alfredo with sliced mushrooms (or without).

Or use it instead of cream of *** soup. Leave out the cheese and add blended veggies.

Or melt 2 cups shredded cheddar into it and make mac n cheese... or thicken with flour and use as a cheese coating on broccoli or potatoes.

Ohhhhh, so versatile and so tasty!!!

Rewards and Consequences

2009-05-20T13:45:00.001-05:00

4 kids

lots of trouble

tons of messes

'I dont know' and 'Not me' took charge.

I was officially in a SITUATION.

I had been to a seminar with my homeschool group quite a few years earlier and the words of the speaker were coming back to me...

Give them clear expectations...

Make rewards and punishments obvious.

Follow through, follow through, follow through.

So I spent an entire weekend making a chart. I laminated cute little tags. Some were for chores, some for prizes or rewards, some detailed rewarded and unacceptable behaviors. Each tag had a positive or negative points value. Each kid had their own pocket to keep track.

It was a great idea!

And it worked for the kids, especially the younger ones, who worked hard to get as many points as possible.

But it didnt work for me... because I didnt follow through. I was lax. I didn't check to see if the chores were done properly. I didnt keep track of the points. I didn't dole out the earnings and rewards weekly as agreed upon. I didnt work it. I spent 14 hours a day away from my family, working, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was to check chores or to sort out sibling arguments to see who got points removed.

I had high hopes, but I let the system down.

To this day, I flounder to find a system that will work for me AND the kids. Every where I look there are different ideas. What do you do?

About.com - using a behavior modification system

Organizing job charts and rewards for kids

Super Nanny - Reward Chart
Many Different Chore Charts
Controlling my Chaos - Very cute Chore charts

This post linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

How to Gross out your Teenager

2009-05-19T21:18:00.002-05:00

Really, you can see my halo, right?

No, I wouldnt gross my kids out on purpose (excpet for calling chinese food 'cat' and talking about poop), but today this is the way it worked out.

The lesson of the day? No matter how old you are and how alone you are, DO NOT walk around the house NAKED. In fact, do not even walk around your bedroom naked! Seriously, wear clothes while you shower! You have no right to be naked. Not even when getting out of the shower and walking to your dresser to get some undies. It doesnt matter that your kids are supposed to be at school. The only thing that matters is that you are naked.

I am sure she will survive after what she saw, but my ego is fatally damaged. I didnt realize that I was that old and un-hot. I did not know that my nakedness was worthy of eye-gouging. I didnt know she could scream and gag at the same time.

Ah, Motherhood.

Chicken Tostada with Spanish Rice

2009-05-18T21:44:00.008-05:00

Truth is, I grew up in the midwest and had no idea what a Tostada was until the day ... I was 27 or 28... my best friend's husband (yes, he cooks) handed one to me. Hmmm... What the heck is THIS????

Basically it is anything you can find that you might stuff in a taco but piled on a fried tortilla. You know, an upside down taco salad!

He had given me a fried tortilla with refried beans, taco meat, lettuce, tomatos, cheese... and a squeeze of lime on top. It was amazing. The crunchy of the tostada, the hot of the beans and meat, the cold of the lettuce and tomatos and the zing of the lime. MMMMMMM

Easily reproduced at home in less than an hour, tostadas are a great meal. Mind you, they are messy finger food.

Tonight we had tostadas with spanish rice, chicken, lettuce and cheese... I would have liked some tomatos... but alas, none to be found. Still, a family favorite.

I hear you! Out with the details, Anne....

First, the chicken. If I had any shredded chicken left in the freezer it would have been even easier! No chicken in the freezer already prepared, so I started there. 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and some broth in a sauce pot. After 20 minutes, I shredded the meat in the pan and added taco mix.

Second, the rice. Fry onion and rice until golden, add garlic, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15-20 minutes.

Now the difficult part... the tostadas. While they are available for purchase in most grocery stores, you can also make your own. Approximately 1/2 inch of oil in a pan, when hot, add a tortilla until crispy. Remove from oil and blot off grease with paper towels.

Chop the veggies. And Assemble.

Keep in mind the versatility of this meal...

pico de gallo or salsa
ground beef, shredded pork or chicken
steak or chicken fajita meat
all vegetarian
refried beans
avocado or guacamole
fish
sour cream
jalapeno peppers
onions
cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, queso fresco, jack)

Recipes:

Spanish Rice (from Mia Alvarado)

2 cups white rice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil or butter
1 Lg white onion minced
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp chicken bouillon
4 cups water
1 15oz can tomato sauce

Fry onions and rice in oil or butter until rice is the color of a penny. When rice is browned, add garlic and sauté for a minute then add tomato sauce. Add water and bouillon and bring to a fast rolling boil. Lower heat to lowest setting and cover. Let cook twenty minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Taco Seasoning Mix

Each Package is enough mix for 1# of ground meat or 2# Chicken
1 t Instant Minced Onion
1 t Salt
1/2 t Chili Powder
1/2 t Cornstarch
1/2 t Instant Minced Garlic
1/8 t Dried Oregano
1/2 t Ground Cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend well. Makes 1 package of mix. Using the above recipe as a guide you can increase the amounts to make any number of packages

Pico de Gallo

6 medium Tomatoes diced
1 medium Onion diced
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro chopped.
2 to 4 Fresh jalapeño seeded and minced
garlic powder just a pinch
Salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl add 1/2 cup of cold water, mix well. Let set a few minutes.

Refried Beans

This post linked to Tasty Tuesday and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday .
This post also linked to I am Blissfully Domestic.

Anxiety over Teen and Menu Plans

2009-05-16T12:16:00.012-05:00

Do we look alike?

(Daughter on left, me -at same age- on right)

The last 10 days have been some of the longest days in my life. It is amazing how much stress you can feel from a very independent, "I disowned you 6-months ago, Mom," graduates in 1 week and has a full 4-year scholarship to the local state college, 18-year-old daughter.

And she doesnt even live with us!

But I have been in tears and in constant worry over her as she makes her own choices and pushes toward self-sufficiency. Not that I didnt do the same thing at that age, but I like to think that I did it in a non-hurtful way. And yet she is leaving a wake of worried and *now* emotionally damaged adults behind her as she pushes ahead.

And whether she chooses to believe it or not, I love her as much as I did when she was a little, bouncy, sweet curly-headed girl. Recent events aside, she is an amazing girl. Letting go is so difficult... not that the last 2 years have left me any other option... just that it is difficult.

And dont even remind me that I put my parents through the same worry and heartache. Trust me, my mother has reminded me of that many, many times these past few days.

oh... and can I even mention the girl that my 16 yo daughter brought home for the weekend??? Decent kid at first glance, friendly and forthright. Uh, until she started telling me how she had pierced herself in about 20 places on her face... shutter... as well as tattooing herself... creeps.... and how she spent 5 weeks in a "hospital" in between 2 of her closest friends commiting suicide.

Yea... these are just *some* of the reasons I worry...

BUT we still have to eat... so my plan for this week is as follows:

Sunday - Pot Pie (using shredded beef from the freezer)
* I have decided that I prefer my meat cubed, not shredded... but alas, all I had was shredded.
Monday - Chicken Tostadas with Spanish Rice
Tuesday - Pork Roast with fried potatoes
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs (2 freezer sauce recipes to follow)
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Steak on the grill

Whoo Hoo!!!!!

2009-05-15T08:04:00.002-05:00

The blog fairy blessed me while I slept!
I am sooooo excited! I have been waiting for the day that my blog would better reflect me... and that day is HERE! Whoo Hoo! I lurve my new blog template!!!

Isnt it great!!! Come on, you know it is!

It's not just great, it is amazing! I worked with Shannon from Eight Crazy Design to get this fabulous blog. (When I say worked with what I really mean is that she took the jumbled mess of information from me, translated into real world, and made me this! She is wonderful!) If you have been thinking about updating the look of your blog, shoot on over to Eight Crazy and see what Shannon has to offer.

Heeheeheeheehee!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited! *Happy Dance*

Pre-Prom Freak Out

2009-05-07T14:05:00.003-05:00

You know it is going to be a long weekend when your daughter finds out that Prom starts earlier than she expected and she is now 15 minutes late rather than 45 minutes early. It doesnt help any when no one can find the tickets either.

But she was beautiful!

Freezer Chili

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

How much would you pay for 10 Qt of chili with meat and beans? What would it cost you? This pot of chili cost less than $10.

First of all, 10 Qt is a lot of chili. That is what my pot made. Usually that is enough and I move on... but this time I made 2 pots. It is a simple, basic, mild recipe enjoyed by the entire family. It freezes well. Stretched further by serving over elbow macaroni, this is a regular meal at our house.

As you can see, this is one recipe that isnt vacuum packed before freezing. I admit that I dont do so well with my Food Saver and moist foods.

This hasnt always been my method for storing the chili. I started off storing it in canning jars in the freezer. There was a real trick needed to remember to thaw the chili ahead or to microwave it to thaw without cracking the jar.

Moving on to quart size freezer bags was the best thing ever! They are easy to fill and seal, easy to stack, take up much less room than any other storage method and thaw rapidly. I label the bags with a Sharpie pen, roll back the edges, pour in 4 cups (from a liquid measuring cup), unfold the edges (nifty clean) and squeeze out the air before sealing. Frozen flat, these packages stack well or stand file-style easily. 5 quick minutes in the micro and the chili can be popped into a pan and heated within minutes. As mentioned above, we generally serve this over elbow macaroni with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This recipe is from my Mother-in-law, Dottie.

Chili ala Alagna
saute 1 3/4 to 2 lbs ground beef with salt and pepper
add:
5 cloves garlic crushed
28oz can diced tomatoes with just enough water to rinse can
2-40oz cans store brand chili with beans with just enough water to rinse the can
27oz can red kidney beans
16 oz tomato sauce with 32oz water
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
heaping 1/2 t red pepper
2+ t chili powder
3 shakes tabasco
1/2 lg onion chopped
1 1/2 green peppers chopped
1/2 c chopped celery

Cook 5 hours.
Better the second day or after being frozen.
Yield: 6-8Qt

~Anne

Pot Pie for Dinner Tonight!

2009-05-05T17:25:00.007-05:00

Chicken, Beef or Turkey... this pot pie took 10 minutes prep time, 30 minutes bake time.

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups of chopped Turkey

2/3 cups mixed veggies (any mix, frozen or fresh)

2 cups chopped, cooked potatoes

2 cups gravy (canned, powder mix, or homemade)

1 deep dish pie crust

Last Thanksgiving we had friends over. I cooked everything. A couple days before, she showed up with a turkey. I already had a turkey. I cooked her turkey and left mine in the freezer. Until the Freezer Frenzy in March. Then I pulled that 23 pound turkey out and baked it, divided it up by slicing most and chopping the rest. So tonight it was easy to pull a package of 2 cups chopped turkey from the freezer.

I used the cheap-o veggie mix, also in the freezer.

Last night we had mashed potatoes. I needed to use up some spuds and just kept peeling until they were all in the pan. Before mashing, I set aside a few cups of the chopped potatoes which I was able to pull out of the fridge for tonight.

I suppose I could have made homemade gravy when I made the turkey, or at least saved the broth, but didnt do either this time. Out comes the trusty *fake* gravy mix. I love this stuff. No mention, of course, for how bad it is for you....

And a cheap store-brand premade pie crust... I do not make pie crust. I hate working with pie crust so much that I dont even top this pot pie. You can top it. Go ahead! Make your own crust if you want! Dont let me stop you from making this more work.

So... combine the ingredients, pour in the crust and toss in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

Dinner's ready!

AND there are a ton of other options to consider here:

type of meat
type of veggies
replace the gravy with cream of something soup
place in a casserole dish and top with biscuits
make a bunch at once, wrap, freeze and stack. (to reheat from fully frozen, bake at 325 for an hour and 15 minutes.)
nuke some potatoes or use baked potatoes
replace the potatoes with cauliflower chopped small
use raw potatoes and veggies... increase bake time to 1 hour- not frozen
Divide into smaller measurments and make individual pies or meat pockets.

What will you do for dinner tonight???

~Anne

Finishing up the Chicken Meals

2009-05-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

This is only one of the large trays of chicken that I used for freezer food. These Boneless-Skinless chicken breasts were made into

chicken fingers and

Bruschetta and Cheese stuffed chicken breasts

(recipe HERE).

*For easier prep, I cut a pocket in each breast instead of pounding and rolling. This saved me about 45 minutes...

For freezing: assemble the breasts and stuffing, bake for 20 minutes, cool and freeze.

To reheat: thaw and place in a pan with the dressing and cheese. Bake until heated through.

Next we tackle chicken thighs and drumsticks.

So let's make BBQ chicken. No browning, no grilling.

With about 8 ounces of BBQ sauce, use tongs to coat each piece of chicken and arrange in a single layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool and package. To reheat: wrap in foil pouch and bake 30 minutes until heated through. OR nuke it. Either way, same results.

Final Chicken packages (with the exception of the shredded chicken) on their way to the freezer:

~Anne

Funny!

2009-05-03T19:20:00.004-05:00

Friday night. Me and the girls at WalMart.

After going up and down the aisles in half the store, Kathryn whined that she was bored. No, she isnt as excited by the office supplies as Marissa and I are. Hmmm. There is something wrong with that.

So Marissa goes one way to find a movie... and K and I go the other way. We happened upon the little girl's clothing. A CLEARANCE sign screamed at us from the main aisle. We scanned through the leftover easter dresses, settling on a pretty pink lacy one for $5.

I didnt think much of it until I tossed the dress in the cart and she quipped

"Not so bored anymore!"

Should I feel used? Hmmmm....

*Anne

Ground Beef Bonanza *EDITED

2009-04-10T14:12:00.005-05:00

**Edited to include recipe and additional details.**

I bought TWO of these. That is 20 pounds of ground beef.

You can't even begin to understand how much I hate touching ground beef. I would rather kill and clean my own chicken than to touch ground beef! It is GROSS!!

So you KNOW the second my hubby walked into the kitchen and asked if he could help with anything I yelled MEATBALLS!!!! I luv luv that my hubby likes to help in the kitchen. Especially since meat doesnt bug him.

Look at what he made!!!

Meatballs

1# 80-85% lean ground beef
1 egg
¼ cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup water (1/3 cup if using less than 80%)
2T grated parmesan or romano
1 teaspoon worcesterchire
1 teaspoon parsley (dry)
1 teaspoon basil (dry)
¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper

Combine well. Should make about 1 dozen balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

To make for freezer, Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool before packaging.

To reheat from frozen, simmer in spaghetti sauce for 15 minutes.

Impressive, huh! But meatballs and meatloaf arent the only things you can do with ground beef.

What about tacos,
baked ziti,
lasagna,
nachos,
chili,
enchiladas,
sloppy joes....

I buy tons of GB, toss it in the BIG pan (10QT), brown it all, and package. Easy smeasy!

What do YOU make with Ground Beef?

~Anne

Easy Oven Chicken Nuggets

2009-04-10T14:04:00.003-05:00

Sufficiently scolded by Kathy, I am here to post the remainder of the Freezer Food posts. Sorry for the delay... I was sidetracked trying to decide how to put this in print. That and I tend to be a starter and not a finsher. Procrastinator, bad word... ANYWAY... I will figure out how to make this all printable later. For now, more posts:

We were talking about chicken. I really like to keep my freezer chicken simple so that it can be used many many ways. You have heard about my garlic chicken. But let's talk about plain chicken. PLAIN. I said it. You heard me!

This would be shredded or chopped chicken. Salt and pepper at the most. BORING. I alluded to this in the last post. Then I started to think that maybe I should share it, boring or not.

What I do is haul out the crock pot... add in 6 or 8 Boneless Skinless FROZEN chicken breasts... pop on the lid... turn it on... and walk away for 6 hours. It stinks. Dont get me wrong. I think the only thing I hate worse than that smell is hamburgers cooked in the microwave. ANYWAY, you can rotate your breasts here and there if you want, but it isnt necessary. You can just walk away. When they are done, chop what needs to be chopped and take two forks to the rest to shred it. Remember, I package mine in 2 cup baggies. But you can do yours however you want.

Great, so now you have a stinky kitchen and a bunch of cooked chicken. Now what???

Well... they sell chicken in the can. Dont buy that anymore. Use this.

Chicken salad sandwiches
Chicken and rice
Chicken soup
Chicken tacos
Chicken noodle casserole
Chicken tetrazinni (white sauce, chicken, spinach)
Chicken pot pie

There are a million things you can do with it, and save yourself tons of time by cooking it ahead. I used to flavor it and then freeze it, but now I just freeze it all plain and flavor it at dinner time.

I also made Chicken Nuggets or Fingers or Filets or what ever you want to call them. These are great as baked (fried) chicken dinner, chicken parmesan, chicken fingers, salad topping, chicken sandwiches... etc.

And they are soooo easy!

I started with fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. I sliced and diced them to my heart's content.

When I was happy with what I had done, I dipped them in egg,
rolled them in a bread mixture (italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper, shredded parmesan, parsley)

plunked them on a cookie sheet. After about 10 -maybe 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven they were DONE... and packaged.

Nom Nom Nom. These pass for McDonald's expensive chicken fingers around here. And make for fast, tasty dinners!

I will be back with more after I feed my little rascals. Kielbasa and potatos tonight.... =D
~Anne

Freezer Frenzy -Part Two

2009-03-29T16:24:00.004-05:00

Chicken!!!

Today is Chicken day. When completed there will be garlic chicken, shredded chicken, diced chicken, baked chicken, chicken cacciatore, chicken rollups, rotisserie-style roasters and chicken pot pie.

I hear you... How boring is that! shredded and diced chicken. Bleck!

I should explain. Not everything that goes into my freezer is fully prepared. Mostly I stock up items that are base ingredients for multiple dinners. Having the chicken pre-cooked can save 30-60 minutes per night.

For example, garlic chicken is a simple chicken marinade. Generally I grill the chicken. It makes great sandwiches, salad topping or pasta additive. A grilled garlic chicken breast with a small side of pasta is a healthy, tasty meal all on it's own!

Shredded or diced chicken can be used in pot pie, soup, casseroles, tacos, tettrazzini, enchiladas, chicken salad and many other dishes.

Breaded, baked chicken is great just the way it is, similar to a faux fried chicken. It also makes a great chicken Parmesan, chicken fingers snack or even a ranch wrap.

Now that you have the general idea, here is my quick and easy garlic chicken:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Olive Oil
Chopped Garlic
Black Pepper
Chopped Parsley

You can add a ton of other herbs and spices, but I try to keep it simple enough to use in many different recipes. I don't measure anything. I pour a cup or two of oil in a big bowl, add about 1/2 a cup of garlic, parsley and pepper. I dip the chicken into the mixture picking up as much garlic on the chicken as possible, bag, vacuum seal and freeze. To use, you can thaw, but it isn't necessary. With a foil liner, you can put this directly on the grill. Or cheat like I do and toss it on the George Foreman Indoor Grill.

~Anne

Freezer Frenzy Part One

2009-03-28T13:18:00.004-05:00

One long week is done and my freezer is almost full. Who knew 22.5 cubic feet was that much bigger than 14.7 cubic feet!

ANYWAY

I came home from the store with tons and tons of stuff. First, I took care of the pantry items, wiping off shelves and taking inventory as I updated the stock... new items in the back, old items in the front.

I even found 2 cans in the back of the pantry that were busted and oozing. Something my mom brought over years ago -from the discount store, pricetag still attached. Expiration date circa 2000. Sorry, Mom. Apparently we don't eat that.

Then came the fridge. WOW. That is a LOT of stuff to work on!

So I started easy. I began by packaging foods that were bought in large quantities and just needed to be broke down into meal size.

12 pounds of cheese. I dumped it into a large bowl, measured it out by 2 cups and bagged it. Why 2 cups? Because the majority of my recipes use 2 cups or less. Plus it fits perfectly in a sandwich baggie.

Then I packaged:

muffins (big ones cut in half 'cause ya KNOW I shouldn't be eating a whole one),
hashbrowns (love em but not in a 5 pound bag),
shrimp scampi (hubby cant eat spaghetti without it)
and frozen veggies (5 pound bag again).

Why the extra hassle when I could just take what I need out of the big package?

There is no portion control. If 12 ounces of hash browns will feed the family, then why does a 5 pound bag only last 4 meals? Picture this: Big plastic bag, tons of frozen hb, skillet, pour. The hash browns just keep coming out of the difficult-to-control-plastic-bag until the skillet is full. The more food you have prepared, the more your family eats. And whatever is left goes in the trash. Yep. Portion control is necessary.

But there are other reasons too. The freezer fills up with package, and it doesnt store efficiently for the space available. So a huge, half empty plastic bag takes up the room of a small roast. And the product left in the bag becomes balled up and doesnt lay flat or stack. (OCD nightmare)Plus smaller, vacu-sealed packages keep the freezer burn to a minimum on the unused-but open portions.

With my foods divided, packaged, labeled and stored in the big freezer, the remaining task will be foods that need to be cooked or mixed or prepared in one way or another before freezer packaging. I will start with one kind of meat and work on it until it is done, clean the kitchen and then start on another. Trying to eliminate any cross contamination.

The plan:

Chicken
Roast Beef
Ground Beef
Pork
Sauces, Soups and Stews
Baked goods and breakfast foods

Stick around. The fun has just started!

~Anne

My March Mayhem and Madness

2009-03-23T20:11:00.005-05:00

Some days even I wonder what I am thinking! In fact, that has been a pattern in my life. I am either really on or really off... no real middle ground here.

So last week I was "off" the first 3 days of the week. Really off. I got out of bed, but I might as well have just stayed in bed considering the lack of any accomplishments at all. By the time Thursday came around, I knew I couldnt live another day like THAT, so I dragged myself up and out.

Ok, That is good. Way to go Anne. Join the world of the living.

Uh, Yeah. So what was I thinking when the first thing I did was to drive 35 miles to Sam's Club and fill 2 carts? What was I thinking when I had to call hubby at work to come get the last 1/2 cart worth of stuff that wouldnt fit in my car? What was I thinking when I spent nearly $650 in an hour and a half at ONE STORE?

Well, I suppose I was thinking that, not only do I hate leaving the house, but I also hate shopping and that if I got it all over with, I could avoid going again for a few months.

Yea, you heard me.

What was I thinking????

By the time I got home I was exhausted. I did NOT want to do anything with all that food. I just wanted to crawl in bed for a couple more days. Fat chance of that happening. Not with that much food and 2 months worth of food budget on the line. I did what HAD to be done and left the rest for the next day.

This is what I saw when I woke up Friday morning:

OMG! What did I do?!?!?!?

(That is 34 pounds of Chicken, 20 pounds of ground beef, 14 pounds of beef roast, 18 pounds of pork loin, 12 pounds of cheese and 3.5 pounds of steak in my fridge.)

Dont get me wrong, I have always been one to stock up and fill my freezer... but COME ON!

Needless to say, I spent Friday putting pantry stuff away, cleaning the kitchen and beginning to divide, cook, package and wrap foods for the freezer. This isnt just OAMC (Once A Month Cooking), this is Once a QUARTER Cooking! Holy crap!

Stick with me throughout the week while I share my freezer madness complete with photos, recipes and menu plans for the next 90 days.

Oh, and it's not like I ever answer the phone anyway... But I really dont think I will have time to answer it at all this week!

*giggling in the midst of my freezer frenzy*

~Anne

Boston Cream Pie -Chocolate

2009-03-18T09:00:00.004-05:00

Sunday was my husband's birthday. His favorite cake is Boston Cream Pie.

I shudder at the thought. Anytime I have to stack a cake, it always seems to shift and fall. Oh, I have spent hours upon hours carefully creating the perfect BCP... and then found out that he wanted a fluffier cake and frosting instead of the hard chocolate shell. That was the year I gave up.

This year I wanted to do something special, so introducing the BCP was again the idea. I was nervously biting my nails waiting for the day to arrive until I found this recipe...

Whoo Hoo! Boxed cake mix and instant pudding. That is my kind of recipe!

So while I was breathing easy, I knew I had everything I needed except the pudding. The morning of his birthday I bought the pudding. I set myself up in the kitchen to bake the cakes... and that is when I realized:

I used the yellow cake mix a couple weeks ago to make something else!

Husband sounded like he was mainly concerned about the pudding so instead of running back to the store, I used what I had. Devil's Food cake mix cupcakes, Vanilla instant pudding, a bit of whipped cream and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

They look like Fluffy Oreos... but they taste like BCP!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Love, Anne.

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Still Keeping it Real - Craft Room

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Bucketeers

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I Sewed!

Sewing Brilliance

Blogs I Read -Sustainable, Simple Living

This Old Rocker

Technology Conquered

Blogs I read - Mom Blogs

Technology...

New Year; New Finances

Monday Mornings

Organized Genius

Like Mother; Like Daughter

2011 Resolutions

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Happy Birthday Page Kit

Accomplish Anything?

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Chocolate Addiction

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Cleaver Containerizing for Pens and Handy Tools

Cheap and Chic Art

Craft Room Renovation Complete!

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Another adorable Kelly card!

Truly Scrumptious #35

How it all begins...

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Card Assortment by Kelly S

Happy Father's Day!

Organizer Update

Stamp Organization *REPOST

Pet Peeves

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