Butter Bell

If you're like me, when it comes time to serve fresh bread with.....well, anything, I like to have nice, soft, spreadable real butter on hand. Not margarine or a butter substitute. Real. Butter.

Not saying it needs to be done every day, but there are times. Considering that I usually serve homemade soup twice a week,

Open House Tips and Tricks

It's been 2 years since the last time there was a High School Open House on my agenda. Thank goodness. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Well.....if you're very wealthy and can afford a party planner to do all of the planning, work, and decorating for you, not to mention the catering part of the process to boot....then it's just money. Right? Riiiiigggghhhhht. Most people don't have that kind of disposable income to hire everything out. So out of fantasy land and back to reality, you'll do most of the work yourself. Planning, making decorations, actual decorating, cleaning, and probably some of the cooking. I can't actually help you physically do any of those items (sorry), but I am here to give you a round up of a few of my favorite ideas to help get you on the fast track to your Open House Day. Simple. Easy. Affordable.

If you have the space, consider having an Open House/Graduation Party right at home. Maybe a friend has a large screen tent your could borrow, unless you have one in storage. Tents can be rented as well, but it can be costly.

Open House 2011

Use inexpensive items and customize them by adding decorative elements in the color of your theme.

Christmas Stocking Hanger Makeover

It's not easy finding the perfect decorations.

Always in search of the perfect Christmas stockings and Christmas stocking holders, last year a compromise was made. I managed to find (or change) Christmas stocking holders to tide me over until I find what's perfect for me.

Decorating for Christmas is a fun, and expressive way to beautify your home. In the quest for the perfect look to suit our own style, we look; explore magazines, websites, catalogs, anything we can get our hands on.

Clever Christmas Tree Extras Storage

It seems that every year talk of Christmas, television ads, sales, and decorations come earlier. So this post should be no surprise to you. Christmas organization!!

But to be honest, I do start thinking of the Holiday Season early in an effort to be organized and have more time to enjoy the festivities with friends and family. Shopping early is something I do every year. Although it is spread out over a few months. It's just more enjoyable to me that way. With that in mind, I am here to put a little bug in your ear that it's really closer than it seems.

Open House Anyone?

Warning! Lots of pictures. Just to get me in the mood. (Cue the swanky 70's music.)

It's mid-March. Three months until "Open House Season" is well upon us. Time to get started! Are you ready?

A NOOK or a Book?

My sister has a NOOK and a Kindle. I think she's crazy for having both, but she assures me that there are books that you can get on Amazon for the Kindle that you can't get for the NOOK, from Barnes & Noble and vice versa. I'm a Barnes & Noble girl. I love going in there just to sit and browse, have a cup of coffee, and relax. Don't get me wrong, a small "Mom & Pop" book store is great as well, I just can't find one near my location that soothes me.

Countless times I've walked through the doors at Barnes & Noble to be greeted by the large display and counter for the NOOK. Countless times I've walked right past it and not stopped to look at it's sleek form and compact design. Why? Because I'm a book girl, I love the smell and feel of pages in a book. Especially an older book. Okay, not the old mildewy smell that one might encounter with a book that has been in a dark, damp place for years and not cared for, but that really good smell of paper pages in a book. I still stand by this fondness, even now, as I glance at my nice....new....NOOK!!!!!!!

I did not break down and purchase one for myself. Santa put it under the Christmas tree. Santa, being my wonderfully thoughtful and handsome husband, TM. This one is beyond his normal gift-giving realm. He tries so hard to find something that I'll like, and this year.....and I really don't know how he did it.......he hit the nail on the head! As previously stated, I have not stopped to look at them, and would never, never, never spend that kind of money on a toy for myself. However, my husband knows me quite well and thought that it would be something that I would love. He's right!!!!!! It combines two things that I love, technology and reading.

This little gadget is great. It can hold many books, magazines, catalogs, and lots of apps, all in one place. No more filling my carry bag with 3 current magazines and a book for reading when we go places. I always take my own magazine with me into the doctor's office or any other waiting room. Many years of getting half way through an article just to find out that it's time to go and I don't get a chance to finish reading the article. Problem solved, take my own. However, I've gotten some strange looks when I've left and others in the waiting room think I'm stealing magazines from the doctor's office. Oh well, let them think what they want. I know the truth. Now, I can take all of my magazines and books with me, all confined in the same small space, and it fits in my purse. Dang!!!!!! That's nice.

It also works well as an organizer, with apps for To-Do lists, calendars, organizing tips, and much more, I'm just scratching the surface. And...with Wi-Fi bubbles, I can get on the Web. Brilliant!! Again, who would have thought that a book girl like me would fall so quickly for a NOOK? TM, that's who. He's good.

As for organizing, this cuts down my in-house publications, because I can pass them on to my friend sooner. Catalogs go straight to the recycling bin, or the school where the students use them for art projects or just for entertainment. So, a great big THANK YOU to my sweet husband. By the way, I got him shoes (Birkenstocks) for Christmas, oh and socks, lots of socks. See...you just never know.

Enjoy your day! Go read a book, or a NOOK, or a magazine. Just read something enjoyable.

Spinning in Circles

Yes, that's what I've been doing, spinning in circles. There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and can't seem to settle on one specific task to complete first. I've found myself going from task to task, and back to another task, repeatedly. That's right, spinning in circles. First off, life has gone crazy, lots going on here, but nothing exciting enough to share. It's just been family life, doctor's appointments (lots of them), teeth pulled, orthodontist appointment (different kids), cats, school, classes, dinner, boyfriend/girlfriend dramas. Yes, that's more than one set of drama. You get the idea.....family life. The one thing that I haven't had time to do, is be creative. I do so miss it.

One of the many things that has come up has been the catalog and order sheet for announcements, cap & gown, and all of the other accessories that go along with High School Graduation. That's right, time to start thinking about it. My youngest son, GG, will graduate in June, then it's time for an Open House. Not sure if that thought excites or scares me. We did this 2 years ago with the eldest son, CC. I learned a lot and am now prepared to open our doors and yard to all kinds of friends and family. Well, better prepared.

Two years ago, my son, CC, wanted a slight Asian theme to his Open House and invitations. This time around, I have a son that just shrugs and says, "I don't know." He's been most unhelpful trying to come up with any sort of theme to add to the mix. So it's idea gathering time and time to look at the past and see what worked and what didn't and what should be done differently to make the day easier for me. To get in gear, let's look at some pictures from the Open House 2 years ago.

We had 2 tents, one larger and one smaller. Paper lanterns with the school color ribbons hanging from the top.

Inside of the large tent. Vegetable garden in the background, and perennial bed to the right of the vegetable garden.

 What an absolutely gorgeous day it was, the weather was perfect. Sunshine, blue skies, and all of the plants were doing well. I love summer. It's a little hard to see the smaller tent, behind the umbrella on the right, it's more of a canopy than a tent.

Looking to the back of the yard while standing on the deck.

 As mentioned earlier, there was a bit of an Asian theme. The takeout boxes were filled with blue and yellow Jelly Bellies. The boxes were super easy to make, just a little scrap booking paper, ribbon and the printer. Easy and cute. The chopsticks were free. When we placed the order at our favorite Thai restaurant for a tray and half of Pad Thai for the Open House, and I can't remember how many countless egg rolls and spring rolls, my son and I decided to get carry out to take home. We asked for a couple of sets of chopsticks, and they gave us about 15 sets of plain chopsticks. I put them in a drawer at home and thought we would just use them...whenever someone got an urge to use chopsticks. This was well prior to me coming up the with the idea below, it just worked out well. A little paint that I had in my craft arsenal, and we were good to go.

Candy dish on the cheap and cute. Matching chopsticks to boot. 

 We had lots of seating. I wish there was a reason to leave the backyard like this more often. Someone needs to get married, or have a baby, or something, after this year's Open House. It was very peaceful and serene.

Inside of the small tent looking at the larger tent in front of the shed.

Again, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It started out a bit windy as we were setting up. The table cloth kept blowing up. But it calmed down later in the day. Perfect timing.

Inside of the larger tent looking toward the smaller tent. Loved the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. 

These pictures were taken before the guests arrived, I wanted to get some pictures before everything was disturbed, and I almost forgot to take pictures.

Another look into the larger tent from the smaller tent.

This was a fun project, making name cards to go with all of the different foods. It really helped the guests know what they were eating, as many people had not tried Pad Thai previously. This picture was taken after everyone had eaten, as you can tell by the untidiness of the surrounding area.

Name cards for menu items made from the left over scrap booking paper that was used for the invitations.

Plasticware is a must for any occasion when you are serving food. I had these flower pots sitting in the basement on a shelf, already painted white from 2009. I was going to use them for my (step)daughter's baby shower, and decided to make bouquets instead of using living plants. Using the same ribbon that I used for the paper lanterns, I decorated the pots. The bamboo clusters are from a bunch that I had in the closet that I occasionally place them behind chairs in a corner or use them decoratively throughout the year. Using 2 stalks, I scored and broke them to the desired length, then wrapped them with ribbon and hot glued it to the pot. I will use these pots again this year, but will decorate them differently.

Quick, easy, cute, and very sturdy plasticware holders.

Loved the paper lanterns hanging around the yard and in the tents, I actually left them hanging in the trees for a few days after the Open House. It really made the yard feel like a little oasis. The lanterns are from Hobby Lobby, they came 3 in a pack for $6.99. Perfect! Even more perfect, they were on sale for 50% off, so just $3.50 for 3 lanterns, and I still have all but one packed away in the basement.

Lantern hanging in trees really helps decorate the yard.

Just beautiful!

Nice shot of some of the plants. The plants in the urn didn't grow so well that year.

So at this point, I am formulating some ideas for the big day, no reason to wait until the last minute to try to come up with something. This way I will have plenty of time to make anything that needs to be made, and still have a buffer just in case I change my mind. I will try, try, try to remember to take pictures as I go along so that I share my thoughts and ideas.

Have fun, bundle up and stay warm.

Christmas....Away in a box.

The Epiphany has come and gone. Today, I conquer the Christmas chaos that was left behind. All of the decorations have to go. NOW!!! Yep, time to put the house back together and feel some serenity and get organized for the year. My family had 2 weeks off, so everyone was home, and yesterday, they all went back to school and work. I love them dearly, but honestly, I am reveling in the quiet stillness of the house. Do you hear that? That's right, just the faint hum of the refrigerator.

Today was the day that I was going to start walking for exercise, starting with 30 minutes and then gradually increasing my time and speed. However, I have been up and down the stairs so many times today, and I'm just getting started, that I think I'm getting more exercise by putting away the Christmas decorations. Reaching and stretching, pulling, squatting, and all of the storage boxes are kept in the basement. Maybe tomorrow is a better day to start walking.

Love, love, love decorating the house for Christmas! Taking it all down and putting it away is a different story. Most of the items sitting around, and the garlands and swags are all put away. It's the tree that I just want to shove into a closet until next year. Leave the ornaments and just stick it in a closet and pull the whole decorated, inverted, cone of prettiness out next Christmas. If only I had a mega-huge house with a closet that would house that monstrosity, and still realize that it's a closet that I don't really need the other 11 months of the year. Oh well. What's a girl to do? Take down the tree. Ugh!

However, to make this process easier, I do have a little "system". I have two boxes of ornaments. Let me rephrase that, I have to large storage tubs of ornaments for the upstairs tree. Lots of ornaments. In one tub is just the regular store bought, 4 - 8 ornaments in a box, type of glass ornaments. In the other tub are the more personalized, one (or 2) of a kind on the tree ornaments. The store bought ornaments get taken off first. Get a large plastic bowl, or lined basket, and just take all of them off and fill the container. All of the surfaces are pretty clear in the living room. Just group them together on any flat surface. Then get the box for each group and put them away. It saves me from picking up a box more than once. It also saves the search and find stage of ornament de-clutter, by not having to search for the last ornament for a box. It's like playing "Where's Waldo" or looking in an "I Spy" book and trying to find a needle in a haystack. Fun in its own right, but not when you want to get something done quickly.  I continue in this manner with the rest of the ornaments until everything is off of the tree. Then I put them in their designated boxes, wraps, and papers, and directly back into the correct storage bin. Time to get started. (Imagine the music from Final Jeopardy playing.)

Okay. The tree is now bare! Yippee!!!!! Here's the progression.

Four Paper Bowls that I have on hand.

Containers for holding ornaments.

 Christmas tree in all of its glory. Hmmmm. It somehow looks better standing next to it. Oh well.

Decorated Christmas tree. Picture was taken at 12:09 pm. For got to put a time stamp on it. Sorry.

 After gathering my courage and pulling the tree to the middle of the floor in order to gain access to the back of the tree easily. I started taking ornaments off.

First bowl filled with ornaments. 12:16 pm.

This started going pretty quickly. Moving right along with no problems. 2 minutes, not bad.

2 bowls filled. 12:18 pm.

 3 bowls filled within 8 minutes. Now we're moving.

3 bowls filled. 12:22 pm

All four bowls filled with ornaments, in less than 20 minutes.

4 bowls filled. 12:24 pm. Nice Job!!

 This is a little trick that has helped me every year. Quite a few years ago I took pictures of 1 ornament from each box, printed it, and taped it to the outside of the box. No more guessing which ornaments go in which box. Problem solved. This is a real time saver.

Tape a picture of the ornaments on the back of the box.

Putting the ornaments in the correct boxes is very simple with this method. Snap. Print. Tape.

Put ornaments in the correct boxes every time.

 The tree is un-decorated and waiting for TM  to come home and put it back in its box to hibernate until next Christmas season. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!

All of the ornaments off the tree. 1:42 pm.

Both tubs filled with ornaments and waiting for storage. 1:42 pm.

Bowls holding the extension cords waiting for storage.

So after whining and procrastinating, it's all done. It took approximately 1 and half hours and I also took a break for lunch during the process. It was actually really easy.

Just an update to this prior to posting.....I actually did get a short walk in today, 15 minutes!! Okay, so it's not great, but it's a start. Now, I just need to start increasing my time each day until I'm back to where I was before I stopped taking daily walks a couple of years ago.

Enjoy! Go forth and accomplish one little thing today that will have an impact on a long term basis. No...doing the dishes doesn't count. Clean one drawer, or shelf, or closet. Oh I have another one, take down your Christmas tree, I did.

Time To Get Started

Have you ever found a product that works for you, only to discover when you try to get a new one, that  you can no longer find the product which you so loved? Countless times this has happened to me. I find it a bit frustrating. But, hey! That's okay, you just keep looking for something to fill the void, or if it's something you can duplicate at home, then do so. Just don't try to sell it, or pass it off as your own creation. That's just wrong. Enough said.

Real Simple has (or had) this great Grocery Checklist (pictured above) that I found at Target a few years ago. It has the basics on it, with little check boxes, and extra lines for writing in items that you might need. Great product! It made it very easy for the family to "help" with the grocery list by checking off items that we had depleted. It really does help organize your grocery list making. You can grab the sheet and take it to the store with you, or use it to make a more thorough list. Either way, it's easy to see what you are out of on a daily basis.

Weill, I was down to my last 3 sheets, and a bit frustrated with the fact that after searching periodically for a few months, I was still unable to locate a replacement. Yes, I searched Target.com, organizing stores, Real Simple, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, the Web. Yes....yes...yes. I searched pretty thoroughly, or so I thought. Well, here's the kicker, I wasn't supposed to find it. I was supposed to, for personal use only, duplicate it and tweak to my family's basics. It worked out great!!!! I used Excel and made a sheet that looks just like the sheets that I have grown to love, but was able to delete some items that we never purchased, and add some items that we purchase quite often. Brilliant!!!! Unfortunately, I don't feel that it would be right for me to post it online, because it is for personal use, and I did use my old list as a template. But someone else worked really hard to produce that item for Real Simple and sell it.

The point of this story? Stop pining away for something that you want and either can't find or don't want to pay the kind of money that is being asked, and make something for yourself. It's fun, and I won't lie, depending what it is you're making, it might be difficult for you. But......just try.....you'll surprise yourself. It's extremely gratifying and you'll love it because you made it yourself. It's also a great way to learn how to do something that you didn't know before, or just hadn't thought of doing at all.

Enjoy! Go forth and try something new!

The Meal Deal

Here's the deal, I abhor cooking without a plan. A set of guidelines to keep me on track so I know what I'm doing. Okay, you got me. I just don't want to put that much effort into trying to fix something fabulous for dinner, and running to the store at the last minute because said recipe calls for some ingredient that is not a fixture in my pantry. NO!! It's not called laziness. It makes me cringe just to think about the stress and anxiety that go along with trying to come up with a meal at the last minute. MEAL PLANNING DAY!!!!!

It's been really busy around here. Springtime in the great state of Michigan. It's impossible to stay indoors and get anything done. I just want to go outside and play in the dirt. Really!! We've waited so long for this beautiful weather and now it's here. With an exclamation mark!!  Everything is growing so well and looks so lush and inviting. However, as we all know, if you leave something for too long, you end up with a mess on your hands and must use a lot of extra time to get back on track. Like my household duties. Things are a bit, shall we say, out of sorts. That's putting it mildly. My new laundry schedule was working itself out, the meals were planned, my desk was clean and most things were in their place. As in, "A place for everything and everything in it's place." Well, back to the drawing board. Shall we? Of course we shall. First things first: dinner menus.

Since it's already Tuesday, we just returned from camping yesterday, I've planned meals for the rest of this week from what we have on hand in the house, which was purchased last week. But for next week and the week after, a plan of action is in order. Doing this now will save so much time and frustration in the next two weeks. I will have everything on hand for all of my dinners for the next two weeks, minus any perishables that won't keep that long, and produce.

How to plan your meals:

Grab your grocery store ads and coupons for the week, from the Sunday newspaper, or get them online. Circle any deals that interest you. Pay special attention to see if you have coupons for any items that are on sale, try to cash in on the double coupon, plus the sale price, and possibly the special store coupons.

Use a menu planning sheet to write down meals for each day. Below is an example of the one that I have created for myself using Excel. (I am only posting a jpeg of it right now. Let me know if you'd like for me to post a file you can download.) Look at your calendar and write down any activities next to the corresponding days. Days that are really busy, plan an easy meal. Something that you can make ahead the night before, make ahead and put in the freezer, or even a meal you can put in the crock-pot in the morning.

Ask your family for ideas for meals, or even just a list of their favorite meals. We played a little "game" one night at dinner and just went around the table telling what our favorite meals and soups were. I kept a list of everything we came up with, and on those days that I seems to draw a blank as far as what to plan, I just take a look at that list (stored on my computer) and pick something fitting. I try to mix it up a bit so everyone gets their favorite meal sometime. This is also a good time to look at the grocery store ads and plan meals according to what is on sale for the week. If ground beef is on sale for the week, maybe make a meatloaf, or something that contains ground beef. You get the idea!!!

At this point I like to transfer my meals to a grocery list planner. This is a way to jot down all of the ingredients that you will need for each meal. I only write down the items that I don't have in the house and will need to purchase at the store, like ground beef for a meatloaf. Again, you got it!! Real Simple Magazine had a nice tear out page, that was a year, maybe two years ago. Anyways, here is a link to the Real Simple website in order to download the Weekday Meal Plan and Shopping List sheet that they have posted online. I recreated it for myself in Excel to include Sunday and Saturday

Add these items to your regular grocery list....and you are good to go shopping for two weeks of meals. Perishables that won't last until meal day, or produce can be purchased closer to the week you are going to use them. Shop for those items the weekend before, or at the beginning of the week you will need them. Plan ahead so you don't start cooking Sunday and find that you are missing items because you planned to go shopping on Monday. If so, purchase Sunday's items during the prior week's shopping trip.

Sooooo.....here's the weird part. I actually print out a menu for the week and post it to the side of the refrigerator. This frees more time by not having to answer the age-old question, "Mom, what are we having for dinner?", again and again, every day. My family knows where the menu is posted. It only takes a few times of them being instructed to "look at the menu" and your family will also catch on the location of answer to the aforementioned question. As I have not yet printed menus, we just got back yesterday, I will have to post an example later, but I change them often, so they are always different.

Okay, peeps!!! Guess what? Meals are planned for two weeks in advance, my mind is clear of that task. I just have to look at the menu to see what I'm cooking for the day, taking out any frozen items to thaw the night before. Easy. This frees up more time to for me spend outdoors and.......go play in the dirt!!!

A small side note to make my meal planning easier. Tuesday and Wednesday is soup night in our house. Fall, winter, and spring, always. During the summer, it depends, soup in 90 degree weather just doesn't sound good sometimes. Anyways.....I make soup on Tuesday night, but I make a really big pot. Wednesday night we have the leftovers. I always tell my family that soup is usually better the second day. That's one day that cooking is diminished, it's a good night to make a nice dessert or fresh bread to go with the soup. The other side note, Friday is pizza night. Busy Fridays we have Little Caesar's Pizza, it's hard to beat a $5 large pizza. Other Fridays we try our hand at making pizza different ways. Lots of fun. It also depends on the kids, if they aren't around for the evening, TM and I are more spontaneous with our meal. Have fun with it!!!

Now go forth and play in the dirt!!!

Happy New Year?

Yes, this is a question. Are we truly happy that it’s just after the new year? Really? We all realize that it’s early January, and we’ve barely had any snow. That’s just wrong, by golly, by gum. Mother Nature is playing a cruel trick on us right now. Right? Near 50 degrees? In January? Sunshine? Blue skies? In Michigan? A mild winter is one thing…this is just scary. Scary in the sense that you it’s coming…with a vengeance when it gets here. Winter is coming people and I have the odd feeling that it’s not going to be pleasant. This does not make me happy that the new year has come and we are still waiting for winter to bare its cold, frosty, gray, windy, icy, slippery, slushy, dirty (in the city) little head.  Oh well. What do you expect?

So now that we’ve established that it’s a new kind of year, let’s make with the happy!! How can you get any happier than organizing your home? The thought of it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I could only be happier if I had some organizing guru who actually knows what they are doing, but there’s only me. I dream of having a completely organized home, this is my goal. Wish me luck! 

That brings me to the subject of this blog, it’s about home, not one of those big fancy homes, with the perfect kids, dogs, husband and lots of shall we say, and I quote my teens here, “Papah”…as in cash…money…bills to be more specific. 

Nope, just an average family with one parent working and the other one stays at home, to be there for the vast array of our children’s needs. Translation: “Papah”, not in abundance. So let’s try to stretch the “Papah” and still provide a wonderful, cozy, and hopefully organized, home for our family. The easiest way I can think of doing this is to streamline the stuff that we have. Get rid of the clutter, in every aspect and start seeing things in a new way.

Many parts of organizing a home are not just what you can see, but it’s more about what you can’t see, the overall workings of the household. As a wife and mother it’s my job to keep everyone on track and keep the house running smoothly. Okay, so here we go. My first organizing task for the year, actually my first two tasks for the year were getting back on track with my weekly menus and the laundry. Both of which fell by the wayside with the holiday season. To date, the laundry is now caught up, as we had run out of clean towels, and school started on Tuesday, that was a must. Still need to create a laundry schedule to stay on track.

While playing Wash-o-matics R Us for a couple of days, I had time to go back to planning the meals for 2 weeks at a time. This is probably one of the biggest helps to me on a daily basis. Dinnertime is so much easier when I already know what’s for dinner. It makes grocery shopping easier as well, not so much waste and buying only what’s needed for the upcoming week’s meals is more economical that trying to buy a lot of items that might, or could possibly go together for a dinner.  Week one is almost at an end, and next weeks meals are already planned. This weekend I’ll work on planning meals for the following two weeks, which will be January 15^th thru the 28^th. Fun stuff! Oh…did I mention the need to take down the Christmas tree? I know, I’m late, or really, really early for next Christmas. This is good; one year I left it up until the end of February. See, don’t you feel better about early January now?