what we've been doing...

i realize that i haven't blogged in a month...

it was actually a semi-conscious decision.

i kept looking around my house & thinking, "what business do i have being on my computer when i have this much unpacking, cleaning, organizing, menu-planning, shopping & de-cluttering to do??

not to mention playing with my children, spending time with my husband, caring for my friends, reading my Bible study lessons and preparing curriculum for my job? nope- no blogging until my life is under control."

so instead of blogging, i played on Facebook & read other people's blogs.

HA!

so much for being smart & disciplined!

actually, i did find some things online that have been helpful for me as we settle into our new home. i knew that i needed a system for menu-planning and cleaning that i could stick to while i tackled our unfinished home improvement projects & room full of unpacked boxes.

that's right: 2 entire rooms full of things still in boxes.

small rooms, but still... yuck.

so i started with the menu-planning.

i have made (small, feeble) attempts at this over the last 2 years. my friend Jane Ellis is always an inspiration for me in this effort- she works very hard to plan ahead & limit her grocery trips and her budget while still providing yummy meals for her family. she has even given me an entire month's worth of recipes before, complete with a calendar & helpful tips! love her! i took some ideas i found from her, as well as a few from my friend Jill, who also shares her menus on her blog.

so here's what i did:

7 breakfast & 7 lunches all assigned to days in the week based on

what we do those days.

for example:

Monday- Breakfast= Muffins

Lunch= Mac n Cheese

Tuesday- Breakfast= Toast (with toppings)

Lunch= Sandwiches (variable ingredients)

every monday is ALWAYS the same for breakfast & lunch.

so is tuesday, etc.

SIMPLIFY!

makes sense, right?

as a family, we don't eat more than about 10 different breakfast foods, anyway. rotating them through the week just lets me feel confident that i have something we like on hand & i can prepare it without having to think too much before my coffee kicks in! same with lunches... my girls are pretty consistent in what they like to eat, so i can rotate these 7 meals & everyone's happy!

add fruit with breakfast, a veggie with lunch... DONE.

dinners i did a little differently:

Monday= Chicken

Tuesday= Vegetarian

Wednesday= Beef or Pork

Thursday= Breakfast for dinner

Friday= Homemade Pizza

Saturday= Pasta

Sunday= Crockpot

dinners are different because i actually DO like to cook, and we do like variety in our diets! i also wanted to be sure i was keeping our budget under control- meat every night gets expensive, not to mention unhealthy! plus, i want to encourage our kids to try new foods.

7:00 in the morning is not the time to try new foods, but dinnertime is perfect for a little taste-testing.

or screaming & pouting, depending on who you ask.

so menu planning taken care of... on to the next task! how am i ever going to finish these painting & other DIY projects, unpacking our house, making it pretty & inviting, AND keep it clean all at the same time?

i went back to a resource i had glanced at years ago, but never really investigated & put to good use: FLYLADY.net

have you ever looked around on her site?

i'll be honest: she's a teensy bit cheesy.

lots of cute acronyms & fun little phrases, like "FLY babies" &

"27 Fling Boogie."

i'm not knocking it- cheesy is great.

i just had to get past my initial aversion to the cuteness & see what's underneath: a solid plan to help busy women (or men) maintain their homes & help their families.

i have adopted a few of her techniques & adapted others to fit my personality & our family's needs... and it's working!

matt even remarked the other day that our house seemed cleaner! i think he was worried i would take offense, but hey- clean is clean, and i'll take it!

here's what i have done:

i started a "Home Journal."

(Flylady calls hers a 'control journal,' but i prefer 'home.'

just a personal preference! everything in them is essentially the same)

in my notebook are the following:

1. Menu Plans for the month

2. Morning Routine

3. Evening Routine

4. Daily Schedules (different each day)

*this is still a work in progress, but the basics are there & each day includes a section of the house that i clean according to #5

5. Room by Room cleaning lists

sounds simple- and it actually is, strangely enough! i'm a decently organized person, so it didn't take me long to adapt FlyLady's lists to my own needs.

i already described my menu plans, so i'll give you a snapshot of #2 & #3:

these are things that i do every morning without fail and every evening without fail.

every morning (after feeding pets, running, etc):

1. shower & wipe down the bathroom quickly

2. get completely dressed

3. make bed

4. gather laundry from all 3 bedrooms &

take it straight to the washer

5. empty the dishwasher

6. check menu plan & feed the family

yes, this does leave some things out... i didn't think it was necessary to mention that i have to change julia's diaper, empty caroline's potty, grab my toothbrush out of julia's mouth, tell caroline she can't wear a sundress to school when it's 30 degrees outside, keep julia from putting her blanket in the toilet, etc.

the list includes the basics of keeping my morning

simple, smooth & family-focused.

if laundry is already going & the dishes are clean, i can sit at the table & tell 'fairy princess' stories over breakfast with the girls.

FUN!

my evening routine has a similar focus:

1. think about tomorrow: lay out kids' clothes, make lunches, etc.

2. gather items that need to go to school, work, etc &

put them by the door.

3. hit the 'hotspots,' which means clear these areas &

put stuff where it belongs:

family room

dining room/foyer

mudroom/my desk

KITCHEN*

*this is the most important one for me... a clean, sweet smelling kitchen makes me happy! i put away food, clean the counters, wipe down appliances, shine the sink (you HAVE to read about this on Flylady.net- i can't describe it better), layout clean (pretty) dishtowels, and run the dishwasher.

sounds like a lot to do... but since i've been doing it every day for a few weeks, it takes literally 15-20 minutes to do ALL of that. and i wake up to a clean, de-cluttered home and i'm ready to move on with my day.

lovely.

having these 'little' tasks taken care of leaves me free to unpack a few boxes each day or paint a wall...

or my entire foyer in 2 days, which was no small project!

i have made great progress toward the settling of our home, which feels great. and even in the midst of unpacking & settling, it is still a comfortable place for my family to live and i'm not embarrassed to have friends over... yes, there is still some dog hair on the floor. yes, caroline still strips completely naked every time she goes to the potty, leaving her undies laying everywhere. but it's not chaos, which is nice!

i realize this has become a long, boring post... if i cared about being a 'good blogger,' i would have broken this up into little chunks & added pictures & witty remarks. too bad! HA!

beautiful princess capes!

i have been meaning to post pictures of the girls enjoying the beautiful princess capes they received for Christmas from their Great Grandma Toomey... or G2, as they refer to her. (get it?)

she asked me for the girls' measurements and whipped these together so quickly! i am so impressed with them... such heavy, rich fabrics in beautiful colors. they are a far cry from the flimsy little princess dresses & dance costumes they usually play dress-up in!

the girls love them! though, admittedly, they don't enjoy wearing them as much as wrapping dolls & animals in them! : ) these are the best pictures we have so far... more to come, i'm sure!

opening stockings on christmas day- the capes were underneath their stockings!

we love to look at ourselves in the mirror... : )

sorry for the blurry pictures- we're always moving & jumping around here!

Thank you, G2! we love them!

kitchen... the mostly 'After' pictures

i say 'mostly' because i have several little projects to finish... like another coat of paint on the walls & filling some nail holes and putting up a backsplash.

so this is the 'Almost After' post, okay? : )

let me preface this entire post by saying how much i LOVE our new kitchen! it's not crazy fancy or high tech or custom made, but it is REALLY perfect for our family & how i cook. and i've cooked 5x as much since we've moved than i did the rest of 2009 combined!

i have heard that truly great chefs need very little counter space...

well, whoopee for them!

i need LOTS of counter space & storage & a deep sink to hold the 11 pots and pans i use to make a casserole.

seriously.

and i have those things now, and i LOVE IT!

HOWEVER...

i still burn the chicken sometimes, and i always make dense, chewy pancakes instead of light, fluffy ones. hairballs still collect in the corners, and the dishwasher is constantly running.

yes, i love our new home & our lovely kitchen... but my prediction from this post came true: i brought myself with me to the new house!

it's a new building, but same me.

i'm a work in progress, what can i say?!

(Phillippians 1:6, anyone?)

now on to the pictures!! yay!

here is the view from our dining room into the kitchen... mostly the left side. see the patch of wall that's unpainted above the sink?

i don't want to talk about it. i'll get it eventually. : )

yes, i baked fresh pumpkin muffins just for this picture... OR i made them for my kids... who hated them. awesome.

anyway- the kitchen: the cabinets are a Shaker style full overlay door- the brand is Kabinart, and the color is Starlight. we got them from Cabinets, Flooring & More here in STL. and i have to say: although it was still a large chunk of money to get this many cabinets, their prices beat Lowes & Home Depot by 25%. yup- that's a whole lot of savings. and we are SO pleased with the quality and service we received. it's worth checking out if you're looking into kitchen or bath remodel/repair. ask for Lori- she's hilarious. : )

here's the view facing to the right...

i got my open shelves! love 'em SO much. i use those plates, bowls & cups so regularly that there is NO dust. well, the snack plates may get a bit dusty, but i'll wash those before i use them. they're just too cute to hide away!

and yes, that crock pot is pretty much a permanent fixture on the counter. i'm a big slow-cooker fan. it has chili in it today.

i know you wanted to see the open shelves again...

and again... okay, i'll stop now.

are you wondering why we don't have a refrigerator?

we don't believe in cold food. it's part of our religion.

or we're Presbyterian, so we are very much okay with refrigeration. in order to give us LOTS of cabinet & counter space, our contractor Mark put our pantry & fridge just around the corner.

seem strange?

i am really happy with it! i'm sure you professional chefs are just counting the extra steps & seeing the inefficiency, but i assure you:

my macaroni & cheese has not suffered a bit! just ask my kids!

so here's the view turning to the left:

see? there it is!

we bought a repaired refrigerator from Lowes...

i don't recommend buying refurbished appliances, if you want to know.

yes, we got a HUGE fridge & freezer for almost half of it's full cost.

and it's covered under warranty, which is nice.

but we've had 2 repairs so far, and i'm anticipating the freezer needing some additional help soon.

to their credit, Lowes' service department has been VERY courteous & helpful to me. how often can you say that? maybe it's because i usually go in with 2 screaming kids... the nicer they are to me, the sooner i'll leave with my kids.

hmmm.

here's what you see if you turn even more to the left- towards the family room & mudroom. the door you see in the picture is a closet (i have closets now!), and the kitchen is on the right.

this is a random picture, i know... but it shows that big wall on the left that i'm pondering lately. what will i put on it? i have some thoughts. however, decorating is taking a backburner to actually unpacking boxes & feeding my family. and occasionally bathing.

sorry this one is blurry- i believe Julia was grabbing my legs & saying, "up-a-dee??" that means, 'pick me up now before i fall into a weeping, mushy puddle on the floor!!'

but in the above picture you can see the pantry- i have a pantry!!

it's this really cool thing that stores food! i can bring home groceries and put them in there- not in the basement or in baskets on the floor!!

and it has pullout shelves for easy access.

i'm kind of happy with it, i guess you could say. : )

below is the breakfast bar... although we don't eat breakfast there. maybe i should call it the 'place i lay things until i want to take a picture & pretend that my house is clean' bar. too long? then 'breakfast bar' it is.

it's a simple thing, really. just a small piece of counter between the pantry & the family room. but it has been great for putting appetizers and snacks on when we have company (and BOY have we had company this Christmas season! 8 days in a row... fun fun fun, i tell you! i love it!)

anyway- at some point there will be stools here. i'm saving my dollars & looking for something specific. i'd like them to have a back on them because 99% of our visitors have small children:

i don't want any kiddos falling off our stools!

and i'd like a cushioned seat, or at least the ability to tie a cushion on to the seat. i have some fabrics already- bargain bin at Hancock's on Veteran's Day was 50% off!! $2.00 a yard is my kind of fabric!

so a couple of details for those people who like details:

paint is Topsail by Sherwin Williams.

love the color, but i need to do another coat.

the drawer pulls are from Lowes- i don't remember the brand. and yes, they are a 2009 stereotype- cup pulls in oil rubbed bronze. i don't care to be a trend-setter... i like what i like!

the faucet is by Price Pfister. i like the high-arched faucet & separate handle... it's nothing crazy, but it's good.

pendant lights are from Schoolhouse Electric: Willamette pendants with 'Vintage Blue' shades. 2 small ones over the breakfast bar:

and one larger one over the sink:

love those lights- they were a splurge, but i preferred to spend $$ on those and save it on other things.

such as the countertop: it's laminate, and i'm very pleased with it!

i'm not a granite lover, although i appreciate how nice it is in other homes. if i had a few thousand extra dollars, i would have loved butcher block- it has always been a favorite of mine. too pricey, though. my second choice would have been a solid surface such as Corian or a similar brand.

but i'll be honest- i'm 100% happy with the look of this laminate! it's exactly what i wanted. it is Formica, and the color is Creme Quarstone. it's a matte finish- no 'granite simulation' or 'texture.'

the only problem is that it hides dirt REALLY well.

don't think that's a problem?

maybe it's not if you like preparing food on dirty countertops, but i'm trying to remember that i need to wipe them down even if they look clean! i should have taken a picture of the cloth i used to wipe them... yuck-O.

and i don't have a backsplash anywhere yet... i may not put one anywhere but behind the stove. i'm crazy like that! and i'm thinking of using some ceiling tin that i bought years ago... the real stuff, not the new shiny ones. those are lovely, but i like my old rusty, scraped up tiles!

so that's the end of the kitchen tour!

from this:

and this:

to this:

happy new year and happy cooking, my friends! thanks for stopping by!

i linked this to The Inspired Room, Thrifty Decor Chick and Between Naps on the Porch!

all wonderful blogs- check them out!

Christmas has come & gone...

a belated posting of Christmas pictures

(i'm having trouble re-arranging my pictures on this post, so they're all in the EXACT OPPOSITE ORDER OF WHEN THEY HAPPENED!!! grrr. i could delete the whole thing & start over, but it took over an hour to upload them all. did i say grrr?? i mean it. grrr.)

julia decided this is the most fun ever: climbing on things & then yelling for help getting down! see the stickers on the table? that was caroline's art project earlier in the week.

standing in the snow for approximately 6.5 minutes- it was SO windy!

modeling their new winter hats from Mimi!

this is julia's first time to play in the snow! last winter she was too little... i'm not sure she's impressed!

i think this is a hug? looks like a suffocation attempt, huh?

Cinderella and 'baby cinderella' taking a juice break... : )

most fun of the morning? playing with trash, ribbon & cat!

who needs toys?

she REALLY loves Cinderella!

climbing monkey attacking the lamp... again, who needs toys?

she does love sitting in her new doll cradle, though!

notice that the tiara goes on TOP of the hat...

opening stockings together

helping julia open a present

coming down the stairs...

first peek!

santa's helpers putting together the trampoline! thanks simon!

one gift to open on Christmas Eve

it had 350 pieces, so we didn't actually play with it... : )

trying to decide which one to open...

licking the spoon after helping make Jesus' birthday cake! i don't think she liked it...

but she did like stirring!

first Christmas at the new house... i'm impressed we even found the decorations, much less put them up! ha!

Julia in her Christmas dress... i had to tuck it into her tights to keep her from tripping on it!

i tried to get a picture of caroline in her dress, but she kept checking herself out in the mirror!

i think she was pleased with her dress & giant bow!

happy new year, everyone!