June's Declutter & Organize Challenge :: Day 5

Declutter & Organize Challenge!

One of my favorite bloggers is at it again! Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has offered her readers a 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home printable checklist to go along with her recent blog series. You can visit Crystal's blog and either subscribe to her 4 week challenge to receive daily emails or read through each of her individual posts.

Throughout the month, I'll be completing Crystal's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home with several of my friends and readers. I'll list each challenge daily on Texas Homemaking, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. I'll post before/after pics of a few of the tasks - as long as you all promise not to judge me too harshly if things might get a little chaotic.

Challenge #5 - Clean out the couch and chairs!

I didn't get a chance to conquer this task on Friday because I was preparing for a family reunion. However, after only finding a pair of socks, a doggie toy, and a handful of LEGOs I certainly should have.

I'm secretly wondering if you found anything interesting or unusual?

What I did Wednesday :: Summer Reading Program

Yesterday, the boys and I headed to our public library for the opening of the Summer Reading program. The children's staff and volunteers handed out popcorn and juice, signed children up for the program (we had pre-registered), offered face-painting and tattooing, and even had a bubble pool set-up for play.

Youngest playing in the bubbles!

Look, Mom, no hands!

Bubble fun!

After our fun at the library, we swung by one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants and brought lunch to Jake. We hadn't had lunch with Daddy in quite a while, so it was a treat.

June's Declutter & Organize Challenge :: Day 4

Declutter & Organize Challenge!

One of my favorite bloggers is at it again! Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has offered her readers a 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home printable checklist to go along with her recent blog series. You can visit Crystal's blog and either subscribe to her 4 week challenge to receive daily emails or read through each of her individual posts.

Throughout the month, I'll be completing Crystal's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home with several of my friends and readers. I'll list each challenge daily on Texas Homemaking, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. I'll post before/after pics of a few of the tasks - as long as you all promise not to judge me too harshly if things might get a little chaotic.

Challenge #4 - Clean out under the beds!

We have 3 bedrooms, but only one bed that accumulates things under it - mine!

I removed several old, broken boxes full of pictures: my childhood, highschool, college, the first day I met Jake, our family pictures, and more. I also found a box of greeting cards we'd sent each other, as well as letters Jake sent from his time away in the Navy. I even found a pennet from UT, which now hangs in my eldest son's room.

To go along with the boxes, I found a curtain rod (garage sale item), 3 pairs of socks, and a tank top I'd been looking for.

I think the best find under the bed was actually a gold ring I'd had forever. It wasn't anything I would want to keep and had believed it to have been gone a long time ago. I took it to the Cash for Gold place and sold it for $40. I've never been in one of those places, but the experience was pleasant. Jake said, "You could have got a lot more for it", but in the end, he agreed it was better than giving it away.

What to do with all of this stuff? I went through all the photos and organized them nicely. I threw away some trash - there wasn't much. I found 3 stacking boxes at Michael's Craft Store for $14.99 and placed everything inside. It will serve as a storage facility, as well as a recharging station for my husband's iPhone.

What did you find lurking below your bed?

June's Declutter & Organize Challenge :: Day 3

Declutter & Organize Challenge!

One of my favorite bloggers is at it again! Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has offered her readers a 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home printable checklist to go along with her recent blog series. You can visit Crystal's blog and either subscribe to her 4 week challenge to receive daily emails or read through each of her individual posts.

Throughout the month, I'll be completing Crystal's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home with several of my friends and readers. I'll list each challenge daily on Texas Homemaking, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. I'll post before/after pics of a few of the tasks - as long as you all promise not to judge me too harshly if things might get a little chaotic.

Challenge # 3 - The Freezer! Dun, Dun, Dun....

I've actually been putting the task of sorting and cleaning the freezer out for quite some time. (We do have a little stand alone freezer in the garage, but I organzied it last weekend.) I threw out a few older packs of veggies and soup cubes (I freeze my leftover soups and stocks), as well as, some older fish.

Surprisingly, this didn't take very long - about 15 minutes. I now have a lovely freezer to accompany the fridge. I'm really enjoying this challenge!

Let me know how your freezer cleaning turns out! 

Texas Beauty :: Cocoa Sugar Scrub

I love chocolate. Yet, I love the smell of chocolate even better. This simple truth has led me to concoct my first ever beauty product: a Cocoa Sugar Scrub.

As a wonderful and powerful antioxidant, chocolate protects the skin from free radicals that cause significant damage to skin layers. Flavinoid, a compound found in chocolate and cocoa, helps promote healthy cellular tissue throughout the body. Epicatechin is also found in cocoa; it is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. These two natural chemicals are found in greater concentrations in dark chocolate.

Want to improve your skin texture, density, and hydration while smelling like your on a Hershey Factory tour?

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweet)

2/3 cup of olive oil

Combine the dry ingredients. Then, slowly add olive oil; you may need to add a little more than 2/3 cup to get the desired consistency. Place is an air tight container.

Use like you would any other sugar scrub. Enjoy!

{As an added bonus, I've got a recipe for a Cocoa Face Scrub to share. Combine 2 tsp. cocoa powder (unsweet), 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. raw sugar, and 1 tsp. oil. Leave on for 30 seconds and then rinse with warm water.}

June's Declutter & Organize Challenge :: Day 2

Declutter & Organize Challenge!

One of my favorite bloggers is at it again! Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has offered her readers a 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home printable checklist to go along with her recent blog series. You can visit Crystal's blog and either subscribe to her 4 week challenge to receive daily emails or read through each of her individual posts.

Throughout the month, I'll be completing Crystal's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home with several of my friends and readers. I'll list each challenge daily on Texas Homemaking, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. I'll post before/after pics of a few of the tasks - as long as you all promise not to judge me too harshly if things might get a little chaotic.

Challenge #2 - Cleaning out the refrigerator.

This didn't take long at all; maybe 15 to 20 minutes tops. I removed leftovers, out of date yogurt and pie crust, over ripe fruit, cheese past its prime, and more.

I actually took a before photo to share with you all. Brave, I know! However, the SD bandit had struck again and my SD card was not inside my camera as I began cleaning. So, while I can offer up a very clean fridge, I'm thankful you don't get to see how truly messy it was.

Enjoy today's challenge! I love opening a neat and organized fridge!

June's Declutter & Organize Challenge :: Day 1

Declutter & Organize Challenge!

One of my favorite bloggers is at it again! Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has offered her readers a 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home printable checklist to go along with her recent blog series. You can visit Crystal's blog and either subscribe to her 4 week challenge to receive daily emails or read through each of her individual posts.

Starting today, I'll be completing Crystal's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home with several of my friends and readers. I'll list each challenge daily on Texas Homemaking, as well as via Twitter and Facebook. I'll post before/after pics of a few of the tasks - as long as you all promise not to judge me too harshly if things might get a little chaotic.

Challenge #1 : Clean out your purse and/or diaper bag!

For those of you whom don't already know, I wear several different hats; and because of this, I need to carry several different bags. I started this challenge with three bags, and I promise I'm not trying to win the "challenge award!"

This mess was from the little canvas purse with the pink flower.

I have not carried this purse in a week. But, I was amiss to find $2.61, a handful of pens, an application for a women's gun safety class, and mostly trash.

This is what went back inside the canvas purse! Gee!

My most carried bag is the Lands End blue canvas. It is my go-to bag because of its volume capacity and its durability. I absolute love this bag!

The Lands End bag shows several of the hats I wear!

I carried this bag all last week. Notice the 4H record book info, the JMG manuals, the calendars (two of them), another huge stack of pens (so, that's where they have been hiding), stamps I thought I lost, and more trash.

All that was left of the 3o pound bag...good grief!

 Now, I usually carry my black 31 bag to meetings or in the Fall. This one hasn't been cleaned out in a while.  

 

Are those last year's football tickets and how old are those peppermints?

This bag surprised me. I honestly did not expect to reach inside a pocket and pull out a pretzel stick, an expired coupon for a DVD, and more stinking pens! Everything went either in the trash or in the office, this bag is officially empty!

It amuses me at the amount of pens discovered in 3 bags. I've been looking for all my pens for weeks and blaming the kids, the husband, the dog...ugh, now for a round of apologies!

I have to be honest with you all. I did find another purse put away that was not cleaned out. I found $2.25 in change, more pens, tissue, and the receipt for my washer & dryer.

It's been an adventure! Let me know how you do!

Sunday Sermons :: The Light of the World

This morning, our pastor, continued in our congregation's study of John. We opened with John 8:1 - Jesus in the temple being asked to condemn an adulteress, to which he responds, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." No one commenced with the stoning and Jesus did not condemn.

Further along, we came to 8:12, which our pastor believes is a life changing verse. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

With this statement, Jesus allowed the Pharisees to condemn him for blasphemy. It is odd to me that they didn't mind the miracles he performed, as long as they weren't performed on the Sabbath. Through his acts of mercy on the sick, the invalid, the blind and others, the Pharisees had to have known he was more than a mortal man. How could any mere man perform these feats of awe?

Yet, because of Jesus' definitive and truthful statement, they condemned the light of the world.

In today's modern lifestyle, Jesus' words still apply. They are comforting for no matter the hardships in life, with Him, you will never be alone.

Weekly Goals :: 6/4 - 6/10/2012

Last week I posted a few of my weekly goals. I've crossed out and added to the goal list. Did you get your goals accomplished? Did you set new ones?

Goals for 5/28 - 6/3/2012

Home
1. Plan out major goals for the month of June
2. Clean back patio and prep for summer
3. Wash windows
4. Clean out front garden beds; prune and feed roses; inventory garden
supplies; make more Garret juice
5. Repaint Adirondack chairs While sanding the chairs for my re-paint job, I decided I actually liked the distressing on the stain, so Jake sanded his chair too. : )

Family
1. Design a birthday cake
2. Pick out games for family reunion
3. Take boys on an adventure We visited a botanical garden/art museum on Tuesday morning - it was like exploring Monet's Water Lilies portrait in real life!
4. Sign the boys up for several summer reading programs

Volunteering
1. Prep JMG class on propagation; canned food drive flier; create JMG garden
sign Working on part of the sign
2. 4H leaders meeting
3. Schedule fall home school field trips

Personal
1. Vote in Texas Primary on Tuesday
2. Work on several projects: sugar cocoa scrub, burlap signs, dog treats
3. Continue working on my book and writing blog articles
4. Continue reading The Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor and How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal and Our Island Life by H.E. Marshall (Yes, I've somehow managed to start 3 books simultaneously, and each one is decisively unique.) I finished How to Bake a Perfect Life - a very delightful read; be looking for more recipes from Ramona's bakery!

Goals for 6/4 - 6/10/2012

Home
1. Have A/C 6 month maintenance performed
2. Touch up paint throughout house
3. Price and organize garage sale items
4. Wash car and vacuum out
5. Weekly chores

Family
1.Transfer digital pictures
2. Bake and frost birthday cake
3. Take the boys on another adventure
4. Begin planning out upcoming school year
5. 4H record book with eldest

Volunteering
1. JMG class
2. Canned food drive

Personal
1. June Challenge: declutter and Organize
2. Mom's Night Out with fellow homeschoolers
3. Work on a Pinterest project
4. Continue reading The Lady in Gold by Anne Marie O'Connor and Our Island Life by H. E. Marshall. I've also just started The Truth about Forgiveness by John MacArthur.

What I Did Wednesday :: Gardening with Children

There is something magical about watching a child harvest the first produce they have ever planted. A sense of awe overtakes their little being as they realize those tiny seeds they sowed weeks ago have become something real. As they pluck the first squash or pick the first pea, I don't think the immediate thought that crosses their mind is I can eat this!, but rather more along the lines of Look how yellow, It's so smooth, or I grew this? Their curiosity is peaked; the simple wonderment sparkles in their eyes.

Earlier this year, I began a Junior Master Gardener program for our 4H club and county. The children have learned about seed dispersal, plant needs, photosynthesis, monocots and dicots, and plant parts. We will be discussing propagation at our next class. But beyond the book lessons, the gardeners are quickly gaining the knowledge of working their own garden plot: watering schedules, beneficial insects and pests, planting requirements, and now - harvesting.

Tiny cherry tomatoes, a large yellow squash, and fresh basil were all plucked from the garden this morning. The children await the ripening of the okra, peas, and peppers. They talk amongst themselves about which dishes they hope to create from their bounty. Already anticipating the fall planting, they speculate about which vegetables will make the final list.

I believe if we had a larger plot, they would take their wares to market. I can visualize these little entrepreneurs informing customers about their organic produce hand tended by none other than themselves. I can see them tallying their sales and finding a cause to donate too, as well as reinvesting in their garden.

Our little garden is by no means perfect. I'm sure we've made mistakes in our layout and our plantings, yet, to the gardeners, there is no finer plot. I feel blessed to be able to lead these children, but also to learn alongside them.