On organizing

{Dear Spring, please come soon. We're ready and waiting!}

We've been in the house now for a year. When we first moved in, things got put where I thought I might want them, where I thought they'd work best. It seems like I've been moving things around ever since. Some day, everything will have it's perfect place. In the meantime, I've been working on a bit of organizing. ~ My least favorite part of my "job" is planning meals for everyone. If it were just me, I'd likely choose yogurt with berries and granola for dinner. With two kids and a husband, that doesn't work so well. I finally put together five weeks of menus. So far, I haven't used a week as it's laid out, but it helps so much to have the list available to pick and choose from. If I need a recipe for what we're having, they are numbered on the menu page and the corresponding recipe with shopping list is found in the three-ring binder after the menus. My second binder is for coupons. I've always clipped coupons, but I've mostly left them at home in a basket, waiting to expire. Now, they are organized in card holders by type. I write my grocery list on a full piece of paper so I can put it in the front of the binder while I'm shopping. It's been so nice to actually use the coupons I spend the time clipping! And it's so very nice to save money.

After the coupons are full page protectors with "eating out" coupons...all in one place.

I have a lot of stamps. Many have been given to me, and some I purchased. They've been stored in stacks or tubs...never in a way that I can actually see what I have. Last month, I took some time and made a binder for my stamps. First, I went through my stamps and kept only the ones that I could see myself using. Then, I stamped every image from every set, numbered them on the page and then...

...put the same number on the stamp set case. Now I can look through my book for the set or stamp I want, and then go directly to the stamp set in the tub. If anyone needs a stamp set to borrow, give me a call!

One thing I've complained about in every house we've ever lived in has been the lack of closet space. Well, no more. Each of the kids' bedrooms have full closets, and our bedroom has two. There are three closets in the hallway. One is for the kids' games and activities, the second is for cleaning supplies, medicine, the vacuum, the kids' hamper. The third, well, it's a mess. Half of it is shelving and the other half has a rod for coats.

(This is why these doors are always shut when company comes!)

Right now, it's holding the recycling, storage tubs, the kids' play-doh, small appliances, phone books...a little of everything! It's just around the corner from the kitchen...

....which has very little cabinet space. Just after moving in, we added these two stand-alone cabinets to act as our pantry. They work, but I really don't like them. As we've been planning our painting, etc for the kitchen this spring, my thought was to have Bob build some low cabinets to go along this wall to store our canned goods, etc. Then, today, as I glanced once more inside the hall closet and promptly shut the doors, I wondered if it would work to take out the coat rod (we have many other places to keep coats and jackets) and have Bob add some more shelving to the hall closet. It's close enough to the kitchen to be convenient, and I think everything just might fit. That would also leave a wall free in the kitchen for a bit of decorating. And I think those cabinets would work perfectly elsewhere (maybe to store fabric and craft items?)

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Sure wish tax season would hurry up and end so we can get crackin' on this! :)

Felted Bag

Small felted handbag ~ made from portions of two 100% wool sweaters

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Our Weekend

{Photo credits: Ryan}

It's tax season.

That means poor Bob is at work very early in the morning, seven days a week, and in bed by 8 p.m.

That also means that I'm just about a single mom for three months. When the kids were little and we were living in Portland, tax season was veeerrryyyy long. Now that they are older, it's much more manageable. Now that we live near Mom and Dad, who take every opportunity to spend time with the kids, it's even better. This past Saturday, Mom and I signed up for a class at the local quilt shop on using color in your quilts. We asked Dad if he'd spend the afternoon with them here at our house. He said no. But he did offer to bring Mom up Saturday morning and trade her for the kids. He'd take them to the 'poor farm' and then we'd head out there later and spend the night. Works for us!!

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So the kids spent most of the day at the airport, working on Dad's plane, eating lunch at the restaurant there and checking out the air museum.

I think they had fun.

{This is the pilot's view in the plane. It sure seems like it would be hard to see!}

Meanwhile, Mom and I did a bit of exploring around town. We ended up going to two yarn shops, three fabric/quilting stores, tried to stop in and tell Bob hi (he was with a client), had a delicious lunch at a new restaurant, explored a huge antique store, bought the kids a little something at a children's store, and attended the class.

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Yea, I think we had fun, too.

{This was SO good! We had a flank steak sandwich with balsamic onions, smoked gouda and some kind of creamy sauce, with chicken orzo soup and fruity iced tea.}

I bought a couple of fat quarters to make some coasters for downstairs...they match the

quilt that I just finished for that room.

And I found another jelly roll to play with. This one will likely become two baby blankets.

I don't have anyone in mind for them; maybe they'll be for sale?

I found a book of Hymns from 1894~love old books!

Sunday morning started with the two cooks making breakfast...

...while the lazy bones hid in the blankets and wished he was still sleeping.

A few guitar lessons,

a nice Sunday morning chat,

and a sweet Mom and Nana (who gave me my first knitting lesson).

Oh, we love our times there on the poor farm.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Images from this past week

This past week was a fun one!

Ryan has wanted a basketball hoop forever, and, since we have a huge driveway to play in, we decided to get one. During the rest of the year, Bob is more than willing to throw baseballs or footballs with him, but tax season kinda puts a damper on that. Shooting hoops, however, can be done on your own, or with your mom (who throws like a girl!). He's been out every morning before school and every evening afterwards shooting hoops. One evening, the neighbor boy was here until dark. I envision lots of late summer evenings out front. Emma's practicing her dribbling so she'll be ready to shoot when she's a bit taller.

Reading together Bob's brother, Rick, and his family came to visit. Paul's fourth birthday was this past week, so we celebrated that. Ann and I did a bit of shopping.

I am SO glad we kept our Thomas toys.

Cousins!

Does Emma look a bit outnumbered?

Three of the original Beery boys (out of five), and six of the nine grandkids (two more boys and a girl not pictured).

Emma took this picture...it cracks me up!

Paul was practicing his ninja man skills.

Happy birthday!

My little boy is getting much too tall!

Emma started swimming lessons just down the road in a salt water pool.

She was a bit nervous before the first one...now she keeps asking how many days until the next one.

This week is "Read Across America" week. It would have also been Dr. Seuss' birthday.

On Tuesday when I volunteered in Emma's class, they happened to be making Green Eggs and Ham. The kids had a blast and every single one of them tried it!

I caught Emma and her little buddy doing this several times. They are such good friends!

Yum! Right?

Spotted some of Emma's artwork in the hallway.

{Photo by Ryan}

Sewing, sewing, sewing

Dogpile on Daddy!

I love that Bob still makes the time to play with the kids even though he's exhausted!

Just a few more pics of the finished quilt.

Here it is after it was washed and dried. I love how washing it afterwards gives it that wrinkled look.

Finished size was roughly 70" x 60".

I LOVE this photo of Emma and Trevor.

Right after this, he came over and said, "See? See? See?"

It was awfully hard to get any more photos since he wanted to "see" them (before I had a chance to take them).

Emma was teaching some of her dance moves to Trevor.

Emma brought me my camera and asked me to take pictures of her while she was tossing her ball. This one was my favorite. She threw it up and missed; love the look on her face!

Since I no longer have my quilt to work on in the evenings after everyone is asleep, I started a new project last night. Here's a sneak peak...more on Monday!

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We're hearing birds through the (sometimes) open windows, our two doves are back in the yard, and the tulips have poked through the dirt. We're starting to think about what to work on in the yard this spring and summer, and we're also planning some more inside painting. The kids and I are on our way this weekend to the Poor Farm to spend some time with Hop and Nana.

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Happy weekend to all! Enjoy the sunshine and warmer temperatures.