Wedding … AHOY! Part Deux August 20, 2008

It was a beautiful day for a wedding!

So many of you have asked about the wedding … thank you for keeping me on top of things (I had almost forgotten to post an update since I have started my reorganization projects ).  I am very happy to report that our sailing adventure (my cousin got married on a windjammer in Maine … there were about 60 people on the boat) was gifted with a perfect day.  Not too hot, not too cold and NO rain, although we packed our ponchos just in case.  Congratulations to Debbie and Dennis, and thank you for a fun day of sailing !

Here is a link to my original post http://jennlynnprin.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/wedding-ahoy/ .

Book Review #2 Follow Up ~ My Kitchen August 20, 2008

My cabinet after purging and reorganizing ... it feels great to have more space!

Okay, I guess you can tell from the time between posts that I was determined to fix my cookbook problem ! Of course, it was not a time consuming project, but it still took some thought to sort through my 14 years worth of recipe guides.

I did have a hard time parting with some, but here is what I did (the “got rid of” ones are going into my yard sale stash for September) …

1.  I got rid of most cookbooks that were too specific (vegetables, cookies, muffins … etc.).  I did keep one on chicken and another on cookies (I had 3 on cookies, so I only kept one).

2.  I eliminated my Taste of Home magazines.  This was HARD to do, and I still receive the magazine, yet I knew I would be excited about future issues and not look through old ones.  I am going to create a recipe folder to put new recipes in that I try and like from future magazines.

3.  I purged any that I considered to be “old” (some have ingredients, such as “kitchen bouquet” that I have never seen or heard of).

4.  I took out any that I have never used b/c I probably never will.

All of that left me with a nice stack of books.  My cookbooks are on the left, and I have a small stash of “kitchen wisdom” type of books on the left.  My ziploc baggie contains recipes that I need to put in a folder … most are ones that I either printed off of the internet and liked or ones that I have requested from others b/c I tried and liked the recipes.

Maybe this will give you a little bit of inspiration to do some purging yourself.  I even went through some other cabinets and got rid of some other things I was not using (I probably need to do more! ).  I do feel better b/c I actually have two empty shelves in my kitchen cabinet now (and that was even with moving my antique “Oven Serve” into the cabinet … yippee !) I also need to add that 4 of the books actually came from my kitchen counter. I was able to move them up into the cabinet … aaahhh!  Until next time … .

Organization – Restoring Order Book Review #2 August 20, 2008

My kitchen cabinet ... the first organizational step in my kitchen clean out!

Now that I am partly through Restoring Order to Your Home, I am even more encouraged to organize!  After diagnosing my problem (see post #1 for the first part of this review), I am now ready to conquer some areas that truly need my help.

Vicki goes through the “public” areas of the house to help.  She includes the kitchen, living room, dining room, family room and playroom and gives EXCELLENT ideas on organizing those areas.  Frankly, I do not have a formal dining or living room to change, but she suggests that you can repurpose those areas.  I actually have already done that (yay, a step in the right direction! ).  I used to have a more “formal” (otherwise known as not used) eating area, so I decided to turn it into our main eating area.  Vicki suggests that you can use an unused (or even little used) dining and/or living room for another purpose … an office?  a play area?  a studio?  You name it … it is your home!

I was greatly encouraged to abandon my “scoop and shove” bins to conquer my kitchen.  Hmmm … great idea!  I have SO many unused appliances, do-dads (many of which I purchased from nice kitchen companies, but I do not use them … for some of them I do not even have a clue what their purpose is! ).  My first order of business is my cookbooks.  They take up an entire shelf (plus a stack on top of the books themselves … that is where I keep shoving my cooking magazines), and I really do not use most of them.  Many I am saving “just in case”, but with the internet, I can pull up a great recipe quickly.  The great thing about the internet is that many recipes have variations and reviews, so I can pick ones that truly work.

So, I have included a “before” photo of my cookbooks … oh, and if any look interesting and they are not shown in my “after” photo (to come when I am finished) you can probably purchase them at my yard sale on September 13 … ha ha!

FREE GIVEAWAY! August 19, 2008

The Hadley Mother's Bracelet

Call me crazy, but www.moneysavingmom.com has inspired me to do a FREE GIVEAWAY for a mother’s bracelet.  Check out my jewelry site at www.baublemarket.com, and look under “Mother’s and Birthstone” to get a full description of the Hadley Bracelet.

It is made using Swarovski crystals and sterling silver, and it can showcase up to 16 birthstones … how perfect for yourself or a gift for another.  Post a comment on this post about one of my other posts (and how it inspired you! ), and I will pick the comment that inspires me the most … that will be our winner!  It is a $38 value, so post those comments!

The contest ends on the 23rd of August at midnight Eastern Time, and I will post the winner on Sunday.  Thank you!

Organization – Restoring Order Book Review #1 August 16, 2008

This book is a gateway to help me get organized. It may help you, too!

Currently, I am trying to figure out how to tackle all of the clutter in my home and also how to effectively manage (or get rid of! ) my unseen disorder (see previous post).  I am reading Restoring Order to Your Home by Vicki Norris (www.restoringorder.com), and I am learning a lot as I start delving into the book.    

Vicki is a professional organizer, and let me say that I would love to have her come to my house!  Let me also state that I think we live in  a blessed country.  Any nation that has SO much stuff that they do not know what to do with it and need to pay someone to help them manage it/organize it is a spoiled populace … myself included.  I have been on missions trips to Nepal (www.allowthechildren.org) and China, and I have seen people in such extreme poverty that they hardly have what they need, let alone having extra things that they need to deal with.

That being said, I purchased her book in hopes that I could bring back the tidiness that may not have been there in the first place (restoring order? ).  I believe that striving to be orderly is something that God has planned for us … just look at His creation.  Take our bodies, for example.  Right now you are digesting, blinking, breathing, pumping blood, fending off toxins and balancing hormones all without thinking about it.  Not only are our bodies designed into systems, but they are highly organized on the cellular and even molecular levels.  What a creator!  We are definitely “fearfully and wonderfully made” as His Word says.  I think that order honors God and His plan for us. 

In her book, Vicki talks about the trap of most organization methods.  Most articles encourage you to buy systems and boxes to maintain tidiness, but she states that there is a root problem that needs to be corrected before neatness can take place.  Is your problem a time deficiency, lack of knowledge or being short on space?  Well, I wish those were my main problems, but I actually think that my problem is laziness … OUCH!  She did not even cover that one in her book .

My “scoop and shove” methodology is purely is from being lazy.  I do have a lot on my plate (along with having 3 children), so when I get home, I bring in things (whether it is from shopping, an event, mail, things from my children … etc.) and plop them down.  Or, I get in the middle of a project, tire of it and save it for later.  Plus, I am a self-diagnosed packrat.  If I would take the time to put things away when they are in my hand, then I would have a much easier time with keeping track of things, plain and simple.

She says that the first step to getting more organized is identifying the problem (or the “why” you do not have order) and then identify the pain that it causes.  Does the disorganization cause strain in your marriage (yes), does it cause you a financial burden because you are repurchasing things that you thought you had but could not find (yes), and/or does it cause anxiety when you think about the space you call home (yes)?  Even though a lot of my chaos is hidden, it still causes a great amount of anxiety for me when I take a “mental inventory” of my home.

I am learning a lot, and I am looking forward to learning more (and I will share it with you! ).  Boy, do I need this book … you may benefit from it, too!

Trying to Get Truly Organized August 9, 2008

Totes can be used for organization and storage, but beware (at least I need to!).

Remember when I talked about being transparent?  Well, get ready for revelation #1 (aka self-deprecation … yikes!).  Although I am proceeding with trepidation to admit this, I still want to accomplish my goal of striving to be a godly woman while encouraging others.  I do not think that I can achieve that goal by maintaining my created “persona”.

People come to my house and think that I am highly organized.  I have actually spoken at several MOPS (www.mops.org) groups about organization.  I do think that on some level I am organized, but I am unorganized on a whole different level.  Straight kitchen cabinets … check!  Orderly playroom … check!  A place for everything and everything in its place … hmmm.

Let me explain.  When I was young, my bedroom was flanked by two eaves that connected with the attic.  In order to clean my room, I would do as much as I could, which was followed by what I call my “scoop and shove” routine.  Literally, unsuspecting items would be scooped up and shoved into the eave.  Not that I did it haphazardly; everything was always in a box or bag, so it appeared to be neat … great plan (until I moved out and got all of those boxes and bags delivered to my new home once they were discovered! ).

I would definitely say that is my method still today.  Sure, I will clean up what I can, but if I am in a hurry or have items that I just can not find a place for, I will imply the “scoop and shove”.  I still can not believe that I am confessing this!

If you look in my storage room, you will find a great load of Rubbermaid totes (www.rubbermaid.com) that make such a falsely ordered statement because I literally have NO clue what is in those bins!  I have shoveled so many items into those totes, slowly piling things on top of things, that I have lost control of the muddle.  I must have 20+ bins!

Okay, no confession would be complete without a solution (I do not even know if I would be admitting this if I was not planning on changing my ways … accountability is key!).

About a year ago, I purchased a book that I am intending to read on this vacation of mine in Maine (did you read about the proposed rain in my last post … plenty of time to read, although the forecast is getting better! ).  It is written by a professional organizer, and I can not wait to get started.  I am anxious to arrive home with a fresh perspective, and hopefully the book will be able to offer that so that I can have the orderly home (in areas seen and unseen) that I crave for myself and my family.

Wedding … ahoy!? August 8, 2008

Grace Bailey Windjammer; Camden, Maine

Today, I truly wish I were a child.  We are getting ready to go away for 9 days … into the great “unknown”, at least as far as the weather is concerned.  My cousin is getting married on a windjammer named the “Grace Bailey” in Maine, which is very romantic and fun.  She met her husband on the boat, he proposed on the boat, and now they are getting married on the boat … what a story!

My quandary is this … when I think “wedding”, I immediately think “cute dress with heels”, but I have been warned that this is a SAILING boat.  We will have to climb up small steps to use the potty and we could fall if it is turbulent at any time, so the skirt/dress is out.  Also, we have been instructed to wear “rubber-soled” shoes, so I am thinking that I will be looking less cute by the minute!  I have finally gotten it into my head that we are sailing, and there just happens to be a wedding going on … got it!

The real packing dilemma comes in play because my husband keeps checking www.weather.com on his blackberry … 40% chance of rain, high around 65 or so.  Hmmmm … what to do?  That is where my wishes of childhood come into play … you know, when you had nothing to worry about and just got in the car to go on a trip (no packing or anything b/c mom did it for you)?

While my children are “nestled all snug in their beds” I am left to pack the following for myself and my three offspring (thankfully my husband fends for himself! ) for the wedding day alone: #1 – adorable warm weather outfit, #2 – cute partly warm outfit, #3 somewhat cute, but possibly mismatched cold outfit, #4 bordering uncute slightly rainy, cold outfit, and #5 the who-really-cares-what-it-looks-like-because-I-am-wearing-a-yellow-rain-poncho-anyway outfit.  At least my kids have pink, blue and yellow slickers, but my husband I are were stuck with the school bus and khaki colored ones at Target.

The weather forecast looks a little glum for the week, and we (7 of us … my parents will be there, too) are renting a 750 square foot cottage on an island in the middle of a lake in Camden, Maine, which adds to the interest when you add the fact that we have to ride a 6 person aluminum boat to get to the shore!  I am praying that God will give us good weather … especially for my cousin’s sake on her special day.

All in all, I am looking forward to a memorable vacation on a lake in Maine … no matter what the weather.  I will be sure to post some pictures of our sailing/wedding attire when I get back … I am curious what it will be!  I do know that after all of the packing, I definitely appreciate all the trip preparations my mom did for me.  Hmmm … maybe my kids will feel that way too someday! To check out the Grace Bailey see http://mainewindjammercruises.com/gracebailey.cfm.

Transparency August 7, 2008

 

Before I reveal myself, let me tell you that one of the goals of this blog is to be transparent.  In my life, I feel like I have given myself a “persona” … someone that others think I am.  I am told that I am organized and appear to have things “all together”.  These writings are not to be unkind to myself, but I truly feel that we can learn from one another if we are willing to be ourselves and admit our faults/shortcomings/worries … etc.

For example, a friend of mine started a mom’s group when my oldest (now 9) was an infant.  We started out as an assortment of moms who did not know each other well, but we ended up being close friends and “sisters” of a sort.  I remember one of our meetings when someone (it could have even been me, but I truly can not remember  … I honestly believe that we push out brain cells as we push our children out! ) mentioned that they had a rough night and actually felt like harming their baby after being up so much with him/her in the wee hours.

The mother obviously did not act on those feelings, but after she confessed, there was a silence (I do remember that).  One by one we admitted that we ALL had thoughts like that at some time.  Now, I hope you understand that I am not supporting hurting babies in any way, but I am saying that we found comfort in the fact that we had all experienced distress at one time or another when we were tired and up all night with an infant.  The moral of the story is that someone was transparent enough to share their struggle and success, and all of us felt normal because none of us had ever realized that others were going through what we felt like was an individual problem.

That is one of my goals that I can accomplish through this blog … transparency & camaraderie … the fact that others are going through the same struggles as women, and we can learn from each other.  Hopefully my willingness to share my life will help with this epidemic, and I also hope to share some triumphs with you, too.

Who am I? August 7, 2008

 

My kids and me enjoying a treat at Starbucks. Aubrey, 9; William, 7; Hadley, almost 5.

This is my little family (minus my great husband of almost 14 years! ).  Read more about me in the “about” section … I am looking forward to getting to know you better!