SIMPLIFYING & CLEANING

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So, this week has been a busy week.  I have been reading Organized Simplicity. What a great book. However, Tsh’s process is not the same as mine. I am doing what works for me, one area at a time.

I had my husband go through all of his clothes and sort what need to be sorted and purged or thrown away. Not much but now his drawers are no longer over flowing and just full of the clothes he wears.

After seeing just the clothes that hubby wears in his closet, I looked at my cloths and there is no way I actually wear all of them on a regular basis.  I got rid of my clothes and left it uncluttered. It doesn’t look so overwhelming now.

I straightened the bathroom cupboards, they weren’t as bad as I was expecting. I will use all the close to empty bottles first.

Yesterday, I went through my pantry, spice cupboard and misc. cupboard. I prepackaged snack food for the car. Now when hubby is looking for snack food it is all in one place. I have a pantry upstairs and a storage room in the basement. I have lined two of the walls with shelves and stored food that I don’t use on every day that I buy in bulk there.

Today I have the rest of the house to take care of.  My living area stays fairly clean. It is my desk, the kid’s school cupboard and the kitchen/table that seem to get so messing. I will be working on paper clutter and trying to eliminate unless I absolutely need it.

What are you doing to simplify your life?

Sara

UPDATE ON GOALS FROM YESTERDAY

 

Well, I think I did pretty well on getting most of my goals crossed off.

· Pilates (I usually do this first thing in the morning if the kids are not up yet)  I didn’t get up as early as I usually do, but I got this done first thing.

 · Load of laundry (I have been really good about getting a load of laundry done every day)  I got two loads done, yay.

 · Make beds (more or less my bed while the kids make theirs)  done

 · School (the past week has been great with the boys getting their school work done fairly quickly) this went well today

 · Run on treadmill (not an everyday thing)  I ran 3.70 miles

 · Muffins I got a double batch of cranberry orange muffins

 · Granola - I didn’t get the granola made

· Dinner (have something pulled out in the morning to thaw and be ready before dinner) Dinner on time.

· Plow the driveway – We didn’t get as much snow as I thought, so I didn’t need to plow.

 · Read Ephesians 1:22-23 (study with Good Morning Girls)

 · Read in Romans (with couples study)

 · Have the boys take out wood shavings to burn pile (my dh has been working on a wood project) They got about half taken out.

 · Drink at least 8 glasses of water     I ended up drinking around 10 glasses.

 How are your goals going?

Sara

CHANGING MY PRIORITIES

So I’m back after a break from the busy holidays.  I have been working on setting up a schedule or plan; well it has all been mental. Talk about a bit of overload. 

I have noticed when I don’t stick with things then the boys don’t stick with them either.  Not setting much of a good example.  I realize that I need to change our situation especially before the boys start sports. 

I would like to get back in the swing of freezer cooking again. It has been quite a while since I have done this regularly.  I have had a bit of a hard time keeping enough foods baked and ready to go. I guess that is what I get with three boys. I will just have to plan better.

Friday nights are usually game nights with friends but this week has been cancelled. My list would be different on account of the  cancellation.

So to start off I have written down my goals for the day (not in any particular order of priority):

·         Pilates (I usually do this first thing in the morning if the kids are not up yet)

·         Load of laundry (I have been really good about getting a load of laundry done every day)

·         Make beds (more or less my bed while the kids make theirs)

·         School (the past week has been great with the boys getting their school work done fairly quickly)

·         Run on treadmill (not an everyday thing)

·         Muffins

·         Granola

·         Dinner (have something pulled out in the morning to thaw and be ready before dinner)

·         Plow the driveway

·         Read Ephesians 1:22-23 (study with Good Morning Girls)

·         Read in Romans (with couples study)

·         Have the boys take out wood shavings to burn pile (my dh has been working on a wood project)

·         Drink at least 8 glasses of water

I know it can be done; it is just a matter of me doing it.

Sara

PROVERBS IN 31 DAYS

Tuesday is already the first day of November. I am going to be joining in on the Proverbs in 31 days with Amy over at momstoolbox.  We will be reading through Proverbs for the month of November. I am looking forward to spending the next 31 days reading in the book of Proverbs and reflecting on what I am learning.

I will be blogging my 31 days as I take this journey in becoming better acquainted with my Maker and His Guide Book.

I hope you will join in.

PREPARING FOR WINTER

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Winter is about to set in here. It was 31* this morning, the coldest is had been at our house this year.  We even had snow flurries.  I am not ready for snow yet. It is almost the end of October.

My husband cut up some wood that was left by the previous renters. I split is all and my boys stacked in all on the porch. What great helpers they are. We will still need to get more wood to last the rest of the winter.

We are also hunters, so it is important to make time to go hunting, as this is our main source of meat. We are planning to can a bunch of wild game this year since we don't have enough freezer room.

We cube the meat into bite size pieces and I pressure can it. I use it for enchaladas, bar-b-que sandwiches, and I mix it with mayo like tuna fish sandwiches for hubbys lunch.

What are you doing to prepare for the winter months ahead??

HOMEMADE FABRIC SOFTENER

I make my own fabric softener as well as laundry soap.

It is super easy and I like it.

You will need:

• 3 cups white vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups hair conditioner (I use Suave or VO5 the cheap stuff)
• I don't even measure it, I just buy the 15 oz. bottle and dump the whole thing in.
• an old fabric softener bottle

Pour all the ingredients into the bottle and shake. Use 1/4 cup or half a cap full. I shake it before every pour.

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PROJECTS

Last week my husband brought home a bunch of garden goodies he got from the people he is currently working for. We got a couple heads of cabbage and small zucchini, a hand full of peppers (they are spicy but we are not sure what kind, I think I am going to make some salsa later in the week), and a large zucchini.

My mom had given me a zucchini from her neighbor as well. Saturday morning, I grated both of the large zucchinis and bagged them in 2 cup portions.  I got 11 bags, this will be great for lots of zucchini bread. I also chopped a bunch of onions to toss in the freezer.

I am always looking for opportunities to teach my children to work hard at what they do. Saturday and Sunday, the family got all dressed up in our warn work clothes (rain doesn't seem to make working more fun). We loaded and hauled some firewood for some friends of our.

And boy was I impressed with how hard our boys (almost 9, 7 and almost 5) worked. I don't think I have ever seen them work as hard as they did those two days. It pays off to be consistant. I am looking forward to continue to teach my children to have a good work ethic.