Category Archives: Home

Jan12

We’re Almost Halfway Into January?

Posted on by
Standard

goal

Its kind of hard to believe that we’re almost halfway through the month of January. In fact, I’m finding it hard to believe that I’m 31 years old, married and have a baby. Boy time flies! I feel like I should be a little kid still, hanging out at our pool with friends, and enjoying my summer vacation. But I’m not. I’m here, planning my grocery shopping list, cutting coupons and matching to sales, and praying that the food budget I created for this month holds (I’m so green at this thing!). It’s also not summer vacation by the pool. Its dreary out and I’m mad at the weatherman for giving me the impression that it was supposed to be sunny and 70 in January.

I’m already finding myself glancing back at my goals for 2013 to see if I’m making any progress whatsoever. I know we’re only 12 days in, but for me it is good accountability.

  • For my personal goals, I’ve managed to get out once with my new jogging stroller in an attempt to reclaiming my running ways. I was going to head out today, but I doubt that will happen (thank you Mr. Weatherman). My quiet times have existed, but they’ve not been so quiet. It seems most days when I’m trying to get it in during Jonathan’s nap, he chooses that day to go for the gold in sleep fighting. I’ve finished 2 books this month, but the soda/water thing hasn’t been going as well. I need to focus a little more effort on this.
  • The marriage and parenting categories could be much better, but its hard to measure most of those goals only 12 days in.
  • Our home is getting back to normal thanks to my personal challenge  - 30 Days to Reclaim My House. I’ve managed to make up my bed every day, which is probably just as much as I’ve made it up over the past five years. Don’t judge ;)
  • I’m doing my best to be a better steward with our finances. Coupons have been clipped and compared with the weekly sales flyer. I’ve kept myself from purchasing things that are not necessary. If I find something I like, I put it on my Amazon wish list for the time being, and then I can edit it along the way! It saves me from impulse buys! I’m also using this month (and maybe a few more) to test out the cash envelope system Dave Ramsey suggests. We’re starting with our grocery category and we’ll go from there!
Jan8

The Worst Part of the Holidays

Posted on by
Standard

The worst part of holiday season HAS to be taking all the decorations down. And to be honest with you, we don’t put that much stuff up! A tree we decorate, stockings, a welcome mat and some hand towels in our downstairs bathroom. Sometimes the cookie cutters will come out and a wreath may even get put up. Beyond that, there are no really elaborate decorations that go on in my house. Nevertheless, the worst part of the holiday season is packing it all away.

Everything was put away by January 2, except the tree. Oh the tree. I hate packing it up. Even though we have bags the parts go in, it stinks trying to get it all bundled up, and packed ever so tightly in bags that, even though they say will hold 1 tree, inevitably won’t. In fact, we have one big bag, one medium bag, and I still finding myself cursing this thing every year. I put one of the larger parts in the medium sized bag, and with all my inner thigh magic, squeeze until I either burst or get the thing zipped.

And then I stop for chocolate before attempting the big bag with the the other three parts of the tree.

But alas, the tree has now come down, its all bundled up and packed tightly away in its bags to be stored in the attic…until next year when I get to utter hatred for packing it away underneath my breath.

The real upside to taking the tree down is that our living room looks larger than it previously did, which is never a bad thing. I can scoot our recliner around, and now we have even more room for the play yard. Basically, Jonathan has more room to claim as his own ;)

Jan2

New Year, New Goals, New Me

Posted on by
Standard

2012 has come and gone. The number one thing on my goals list was accomplished-to have my baby boy and to love him like crazy. Everything else was just icing on the cake! I didn’t accomplish everything on my goals list, but I’m 100% ok with that! Motherhood is different than I was anticipating…at least the sleep deprivation part! I’m loving every single second of being a mom and cannot thank God enough for the blessing He has given us. Such an honor and privilege!

2013 is here now, and with it a great opportunity to seize each moment that the Lord has given us. I want this year to be significant. As a family, I hope that God will use us to  bring glory to Him, and give us opportunities to reach out to others and help those in need!

Without further adieu, here are my goals for this year:

2013 Goals

Personal:

1. Lose weight (I do have a specific amount I’m targeting)

2. Read 1-2 books per month

3. Have a more regular quiet time

4. Drink less soda and more water

5. Stay off the computer more during the daytime, be wiser about time management

Marriage:

1. Resume reading the Bible together during the week

2. Have date nights, even if they have to be at home

3. Spend more time together

Parenting:

1. Cloth diaper on a more regular basis

2. Read to Jonathan more

3. Play more music for Jonathan

4. Successfully wean

5. Attempt to begin potty training by the end of the year

Home:

1. Make bed daily

2. Make one new dinner recipe per month

3. Keep kitchen table & island clear

4. Maintain regular cleaning & organization schedule

Financial:

1. Pay off smaller of two medical school loans

2. Create a monthly budget

3. Be better steward of our finances (for example, stack coupons with sales for smarter grocery shopping)

4. Shop less and reduce expenses where possible

5. Find/pray about ways to help those in need

There are other things I have in mind too, but we’ll just start here and adjust as needed!

Jan2

30 mini goals in 30 days

Posted on by
Standard

I’m not sure when the tornado hit my house, but it was probably somewhere around Thanksgiving. This place in an overwhelming disaster. There are toys, papers, boxes, packages, stuff…. EVERY.WHERE. I. LOOK.

To get it done, I’ve got to have a game plan. Realistically, it’s not going to get done overnight or even over the course of a week. While Jonathan is beginning to nap a lot better, I still need to allot time to do the basics around here like prepping dinner, making food for Jonathan, dishes, laundry, keeping my floors cleaned (a daily job), errands, etc.  I’ve decided on a 30 day plan, starting today, and lasting through the end of the month.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I’ve come up with a list of near 25 mini projects in my house that need to be taken care of. I’ve left room so that I can add as I go along, because lets be real, new projects are always coming up. Hopefully by the end of January my house will be somewhat reclaimed from the storm that blew through!

Today  I will focus on getting the Christmas decor down, linens washed, and all of it boxed up. The tree can wait another day or two since it’s the toughest part of it all!

What about you? Do you need to reclaim your house from the holiday craze?

Apr29

Transitions

Posted on by
Standard

This is a going to be a weird week for me as I transition from employed to not employed, but still waiting on the baby to arrive. My (now former) coworker made the comment that for the first week or so it will feel like I’m on vacation. I may feel like that, but I can’t proceed like I’m on vacation. There are numerous things I want to get done over the course of the next two weeks. And then, if baby boy decides he doesn’t want to make his debut, then we’ll take a day or two off! So for now, we pray that he stays inside for another week and a half or two, and that I can be very diligent in my work!

Last weeks goals were all met, to which I have to thank my husband for all of his help, as well as my father-in-law for helping too. There are things I just can’t do right now (climbing in the attic, climbing on a ladder, etc). This weeks goals I should be able to do without having to ask for too much help.

Goals for 4/29 – 5/5

Household organization-

- Clean master bedroom

- Clean downstairs bathroom

- Clean off kitchen table

- Clean kitchen desk

- Spray off deck one more time to rid it of the yellow pollen chalkiness

- Overhaul sewing room

- Clean front windows & doors, and back door

- Put away all childrens books

- Organize/clean up a few things in the garage

Baby & Nursery-

- Pray every day that I don’t go into labor this week! 

- Order all remaining necessary items (like the car seat!)

- Sew nursing cover

- 38 week doctors visit and ultrasound

- Contact and confirm photographer

- Begin making curtains for nursery

- Relaxation & visualization, 3 days, 30 minutes (update: 1 day down)

Marriage-

- Read Bible together at least two nights this week

Reading-

- Finish reviewing Bradley book

Life in general-

- Up water goals by 1 and meet 5 days during the week (update: 1 day down)

- Write thank you notes for gifts received last week from my very kind coworkers

- Stock up on supplies

- Follow up on work life insurance policy

Apr22

The Ends are Upon Me

Posted on by
Standard

This week is bittersweet on so many levels. For six and a half years I have worked for the same company. I’ve worked nights and days,worked  full time and part,  had battles and victories. I found my passion for organization and was able to weed out things I didn’t quite enjoy. I’ve made some friends along the way that are pretty special. During these years I met my husband, got married, and finally got pregnant. A lot of people say one day they’ll quit their job and do something else, something they would love more than what they currently do. And this week, its my turn! I leave a job and friends behind, but I get to be home every day with my child.

On Wednesday I will officially be considered full term. I honestly cannot believe that the end of pregnancy is officially upon me. Its so surreal. The pursuit of parenthood is finally reaching its desired destination. And all the glory must be given to the LORD! Years of battling infertilty and now we are finally going to be able to hold the titles of “Daddy” and “Mommy”! What a glorious day thats approaching!

But before our little guy decides to greet us, I’ve still got loads I hope to accomplish. While I feel like I’m carrying a bowling ball on top of my bladder and its starting to hurt a little more, I pray that the Lord will give me bursts of energy over the next few weeks to knock out everything I want to get finished. Having this stuff out of the way isn’t necessary, per se, but it will give me a sense of peace after the baby is born.

Goals for 4/22 – 28

Household organization-

- Clean off sewing table

- Hang shelf in garage

- Have flooring installed in attic!!!

- Move boxes, lamps, bookshelf, etc from bonus room to attic

- Make a drop off at Goodwill

- Take  the newest round of cardboard to the recycling center

Baby & Nursery-

- Hang curtain rods

- Put away any items currently on floor and in rocking chair

- Try to figure out the breast pump before I actually have to use it

- Blow up birthing ball

- Begin packing hospital bag

- Relaxation and visualization exercises, 2 days for 25 minutes

- Make a few burp cloths

- Write out birth plans

Marriage-

- Read Bible together two nights during the week

Reading-

- Continue reading Bradley Method as a refresher

Life in General-

- “Celebrate” my “retirement” from my job

- Meet water goals 5 days during the week

- Write any pending thank you notes

- Fix my umbrella

- Enter outstanding Coke Reward points

Apr21

Squashing My Husbands Dreams…

Posted on by
Standard

…or so he says

Throughout our house, we have seven full sized book cases currently being used and one getting ready to make its way to the attic. We also have smaller shelves scattered throughout the house. Each book case is packed to the maximum, and some even have stuff flowing off the top. We just have that many books, texts, magazines and dvds. I would venture to say about 85% are books and texts. Now that we have Kindles, we don’t often purchase hard copies…thankfully. But the problem has arisen where we have more books than space.

Our child already has a full library and hasn’t been born! And his books are piled deep and high on top of another book case because we have no where to store them right now. I have one case filled with cook books. Joe has one filled with medical texts. There are boxes stored in Joe’s parent’s attic filled with books. It. is. CRAZY.

So, the time has come where we have to do something. As soon as I’m done with work, I’ll be weeding through my cookbook collection and trying to pare it down and take some to the used book store or donate to the library.  Joe went through his medical texts and really made a lot of headway. He’s also getting rid of his collection of Car & Driver. He told me that I’m crushing his dreams of becoming a hoarder and now we’ll never make it on the show.

Awesome.

Here is a snippet of one case we have cleaned out… medical texts that will be making their way to the recycling center (because the information is likely not 100% current, its not worth the effort to try to sale them to a used bookstore or donate them). It is pretty sad to see thousands of dollars of texts being tossed

I couldn’t throw this one out without taking a picture. Joe’s favorite medical text of all times… HA HA!

Apr18

A Sneak Peek

Posted on by
Standard

While the nursery is still in utter chaos, here is a sneak peek of what its going to be like. Mind you, we’ll still have stuff to purchase/hang once the little guy is here (and we’re 100% certain that his name is ____).

A zone of no hurries, and no worries! I found the sign at Home Goods and loved it right away because it reminded me of our honeymoon to St. Lucia. The staff at our resort always said “No Pressure, No Problem.”  So, while the two sayings are different, they’re very similar….at least to me!

At some point I’ll post a picture of my inspirational piece that I picked up in the Dominican Republic. We used it for the theme/color scheme of the room. However, we won’t be hanging it because 1)I think the amount of purple in it is just a little too girly and 2) Joe thinks it looks freaky!

Apr17

An Organized Closet

Posted on by
Standard

Back in January or February I decided that one of my organization projects would be our linen closet. While it wasn’t horrid, it needed a little TLC and a little more of a “system” to it. After I embarked on the journey, I quickly realized that I wanted/needed some sort of storage baskets to house items. Using Pinterest, I came up with a few different ideas. The only problem was finding baskets that were 1) my “style”, 2) affordable, 3) easily attainable.

After a few weeks of searching, I finally found baskets I loved from The Container Store. I decided to run by after work one day to pick them up, but was quickly disheartened when I saw they were out of stock.  I came home and went to their website to purchase them there…again, out of stock. I decided to put the project on hold because I loved the baskets that much. But my hold went from two weeks back order to almost two months on back order.

I eventually went into the store to ask about the baskets and the cashier told me I could go ahead and order them, and as soon as they were available in the warehouse, they would ship my order to the store. So I did. And I also stalked the website (which is really accurate, by the way) to see when they’d be available in my local store. The day they became available, I went to the store to inquire about my order. It was there and ready for me to pick it up. They didn’t even have time to call me!

So my project was finally back under way! A few months later than planned, but I was finally able to get it done! I wish I had before pictures, but I don’t. Just imagine your average closet was stuff stacked, piled, and shoved in…with no organization to it whatsoever.

- The top shelf houses a sleeping bag, pillows (more will be returned there, post pregnancy), our travel cooler for our car (an unexpected, yet very useful wedding gift we received), and a queen duvet cover that has been shrunk to the size of a towel

-The second shelf keeps our blankets and quilts

-The third and fourth shelfs are home to these baskets… which contain sheets organized by size, hand towels and wash cloths, extra curtains, kitchen/dining linens, etc.

-The floor is MUCH more organized now than it was before, and these wheeled baskets are the reason why. One basket is home to our TP (which, when you buy in bulk, can easily get out of control!). The other basket contains our beach towels, travel towels, and a bag with all of my cleaning rags.  Extra boxes of tissues fit right in between! (Note: I also purchased another one of these baskets to corral our paper products for our pantry. Its working out beautifully!)

I also loved the idea of using the doors for added storage, an idea I found on Pinterest. I purchased a towel bar on the clearance rack at Lowes and had my father-in-law trim the bar down to the size I needed. The bar now keeps our table runners nice and straight so I don’t have to iron them again when I want to use them.

While the linen closet project was on hold, I decided that the laundry room needed a little TLC too. The main reason behind this was because with a little baby on the way, we didn’t want any chemicals stored near the floor. Once again, to The Container Store I went. I love when they have sales, because I can stock up on things much cheaper!  Again, no before picture, but here is the result of my efforts:

Everything now has a home and everything is in its home! Sure I could have done it without the bins, but it feels so much more organized now than it did! I’m also able to really keep an account of how much of a product I have. I was buying Febreeze Air Effects like you wouldn’t believe (thanks to sales + coupons). I don’t use THAT much, so I need to stop buying it, even when I get it so cheap. Now if I don’t have the room, it doesn’t get purchased!

Apr15

The Final Four

Posted on by
Standard

I’m not talking about college basketball here, I’m referring to the fact that we’re down to the final four (and a half) weeks left until our due date! Which roughly translates to “oh my goodness, where has time gone, I have so much left I want to get done, but not nearly enough time nor energy.”

One thing I won’t miss too much is the twice daily finger pricking, blood sucking tests for my glucose. I’m happy to report that my gestational diabetes has been strictly controlled through diet alone. No meds needed! I do miss milk…and cereal for breakfast…and fruit. I’m looking forward to eating less eggs, and not having to cook breakfast every day.

This past week was a little rough. I got a bit accomplished, including things I hadn’t planned on, such as cleaning out from under the kitchen sink and reorganizing that space. Sadly though, I never made it to the gym to work out. At the end of the week before, I started coming down with a head/respiratory funk that has stuck with me since. I am tired of it for sure! And then there was the issue with one of the informational displays in my car deciding it didn’t want to work anymore. Lucky me, this hasn’t been documented happening on any other Prius in the country.

This week is back to first shift work. The two days I have off, really aren’t going to be time “off” considering the amount of stuff I’ve got on my calender. Joe has FINALLY been approved for Xolair, after years of denials from insurance. He has his first shot at approximately the same exact time I have my 36 week check-up. Thankfully they’re across the street from each other so we can ride together (hello $4/gallon gas).

Goals for 4/15-4/21

Household-

-Clean master bathroom

-Dust baseboards and ceiling/corners throughout the house

-Clean all ceiling fans

-Try to make a little headway in cleaning out the sewing room, which has become the “throw everything that doesn’t have a home into it” room.

-Touch up paint throughout the house

Baby/Nursery-

-Search for birth announcements  Search turned up thousands of options. I was really hoping to use the same (local) company that we used for our wedding stationery, but they’re pricier than other companies. I suppose we’ll decide when the time arrives

-Hang sign

-Continue search for clothes hamper Found one! On the clearance rack at that!!!

Marriage-

-Read Bible together 2 nights during the week

Reading-

-Begin reviewing Bradley book

Preparing for natural childbirth/health/general well-being-

-Try to make it to the gym at least once, obviously this is schedule and health dependent.

-Meet water goals 5 days during the week

-Breathing, relaxation, and visualization techniques – 2 days, 30 minutes each

Life in general-

- Write 8 thank you cards for gifts

- Return baby clothes, and order different one

- Blog “after” pictures of our linen closet

- Enter Coke rewards points