new year...new home. kinda.

SO. since its the new year it also means a new housing lease. i have managed to pack every corner of your current home with.......everything! So my biggest new year "goal" was to get our home organized! i cant guarantee that the corners of my home will be less packed...but they'll be at least a little more organized. i hope. ive done lots research online, for organizing tips, storage ideas, decorating layouts, so i thought id share a little of what i learned mixed with a little of my own knowledge.
Kitchen:
****keep counter tops clear. Only keep the things you use on a DAILY basis out. You can keep them on a cute decorative tray, or set them up on a homemade cake stand
****Create stations in your kitchen. Meaning keep the flour by your stove, and your towels by your sink. And don’t let those hard to reach cupboards over the fridge go to waste. Use them to Hide items you rarely use, but don’t want to get rid of.
****USE SHELVES! Keep your items in wicker baskets or mason jars, and use for storage, or stack your books, and use them for displaying your things.
****To make sure your food doesn’t go bad, and stays fresh; when your making your weekly menu, base it off items you already have, and need to use.
****Everyone uses the kitchen like everyone uses the bathroom! it’s the dumping ground for EVERYONES stuff. Take 5 mins before your start cooking dinner, and get them family to help clean their items out. Not only is this helping keep the kitchen clean at what can be a time when it’s the messiest (dinner time) but it also help young kids to clean up after themselves
****Use glass jars as storage AND decoration.
Living Room:
****Create a station for everything you do: add a little chair chair and side table in the corner for a reading nook, use a couch table for a writing station, hide little baskets with pet toys or children’s books in them.
****Like the kitchen rule, only display what gets used. Don’t keep out every season of the friends DVD if your only watching season 6.
Bathroom:
****clear counter top of everything. Use your wall space for decoration: nice pictures, shelves with jars of cotton balls…q-tips..ect, or maybe some vinyl wording
**** keep items you use daily out on a nice tray that can be removed when company comes over.
**** if you don’t have extra room for storage, make some! Put a bookcase with some nice fabric over the opening in your bathroom to act as a closet. Hang a few shelves and keep baskets with extra hand towels, extra toilet paper or fem. products in it.
**** only keep one of a kind products in your shower. If you have 2 different bottles of shampoo out, and you only use one. Put the other away…not only are you keeping your shower clean, but you’ll save money, by using only what you use.
Bed Room:
****Use the back of the door for storage: hang hooks for jewelry, jackets, ties..ect. Or use a hanging show rack to keep little do-dads storage away yet visible
****Instead of the classic night stand, mix (and clear) things up by using shelves. Not everything will be piled on one surface and shelves will help give EVERY little thing its own place and display.
****Don’t forget under the bed! This is a cleaning tool we all taught ourselves as young kids: shoving everything under the bed! This time, try using clear totes or labels photo boxes.
****Use any kind of box or can you can find to organize a drawer. Tune cans are the right size, and are small enough u can keep in a corner or line up in a row. Keep jewelry, nails and screws or bobby pins in them.
Kids Room:
****Keep things at little people levels! When organizing a childs room remember: ITS THEIR ROOM!! Make things accessible by them by keep totes under their bed, making sure all boxes and bags are light enough for kids to carry around, and LABEL EVERYTHING!
****Turn clean-up into a learning. “Pick up the blocks and put them in the PURPLE box” “all the cars go in the box with a C on it”
****make an area where your little one can display their art work and special projects. You can hang a tack board, put up a wire for a clothes line over a window, or nail up clipboards on a wall. It wont take up any space, and it keeps from all those art work paper from getting cluttered up!
****Make Stations!!!! Put a bean bag in a corner for a reading station, keep shelves or large totes in the closet for toys-they can quickly and easily be hidden by closing the closet doors.

i hope this helps you (and me) and good luck to you!!!

my pintrest t-shirt scarf

Me, like tons of other people have become OBSESSED with Pintrest! its like all of my favorite blogs, website and google combines in one! Ive already tried doing a few things ive pinned, but this has to be my favorite because i have a slight obsession with scarfs!

THE T-SHIRT SCARF

it was supper easy

they are super cute

and i made more than one :)

Cut and t-shirt right under the arm pits of the shirt.

cut strips horizontally all the way down. (i cut mine about an inch think)

once all your strips are cut, holding each end of the strips, pull on them to make the fabric curl.

arrange your strips order you like. i tied a few of the strips to make them short, and pulled a few a little harder to make them longer. i used a thin piece of fabric cut from the sleeve to tie them all together.

and here you go!

i used a regular Cotton t for my gray scarf, but my black and blue one was made from a polo. i like it just as much, but little pieces of the fabric shed, and u have to pull harder to make them curl, which mines the loops are longer.

and i HAD to make one for my little tritters! i ever reused to flowers that were on the shirt i used!

Happy New Year!

This new year is coming right at the right time! The lord truly does know our needs! Im not the type of person to say "new year, new me" EVERY YEAR! but this year...its "new year, better me" I say the new year came at the right time for so many reasons.... I needed a change in myself, motivation for myself, a change in our household, my marraige, my finaces..EVERYTHING!

Its like trying to do your 1st workout on a Thursday....it just doesnt feel right. Thats why you wait for Monday! You need that fresh start lol.

My husband and i sat down.....like we do at the beginning of every year, and made a goal sheet. But this one was a little different. Our goals were realistic and needed. Not only where they goals for ourselves and our marrige. but goals for every aspect of our live(s)

Marriage:
1 date night/month
More intamate time.
Couples devotional/pray for our marriage more
Devin-Communicate more

Family/household:
Family devotional
1 family outing /month
Rewarding system
Spending more time with each individual child/parent
Clean as family/give more responsibility
Organize house.
Save energy

Things to do/Places to go:
Go to the beach/water park in summer
Go to the zoo & museum
CALM @ Christmas
Summer Trip

I kept out a few areas and a few goals. Those are only for me and my husband to know :)

Wish us luck, and Happy New Year!

"You cant change your life IN one day. But you can change your life FOR one day. Just take one day at a time"

Pulled Pork Chili

This is the 1st time Ive ever made chili of any kind! and I'm not just saying this because i made it, but.....it was AMAZING!!! for one- i love pork. for two- its made in a slow cooker, so it cant get any easier!

(this is a picture off the Kraft Food website-where i got the recipe)

What You Need:
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) chili-ready diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15-1/2 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 boneless pork shoulder (2-1/2 lb.)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1-1/4 cups Sour Cream

* * * * *
Combine all ingredients except meat, cheese and sour cream in slow cooker. Add meat; cover with lid. The recipe says Cook on low 10 to 12 hours or on high 7 hours. ((I cooked mine on high, and after 4 or 5 hours it was already done, So i cooked it a couple more hours on low, then on the "warm" setting))
remove meat from slow cooker to shred the meat--which i pretty much used a fork for! it was so tender! then return to slow cooker. Stir.

Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream and cheese. I also put some oyster crackers in mine :)
(Here's MY picture of it)