Starting out with a Shine!

Here we are in a BRAND NEW YEAR already! Can you believe it's already 2013?!  It certainly is hard for me to wrap my mind around that at times... A lot of people are making their "New Year's Resolutions" and planning to do all kinds of "new" and wonderful things with this new year.  That is maybe OK in it's place, but I'm going to help us focus on a way that we can start our new year off with a shine and a sparkle!  "How?" You may ask... well, what else can make you feel ready to face your new year with confidence and hope than to start it off with a sparkling clean house?! :0)  I know... I almost HEARD that groan through the Internet connection... but before you run away...let me give you the BEST organized list I have EVER seen to help you get your house into tip-top shape for the new year.  I'm planning to use it myself and I thought I would share it with you to help you get a good start to your year as well.

Just click on this link to get started! The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

Before you get discouraged, don't think you have to tackle this WHOLE list all in one day... that WOULD be an insurmountable task!  Just take one room at a time and work at that list until it's finished, then move on to the next room.  I'll tell you right up front- that's what I'm certainly planning to do!! With a very busy and active almost 9 month old crawling around exploring our house these days I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands-and I'm sure you don't either!  So let's just take one room at a time and set a goal of when we would like to get it all accomplished.  By setting a goal for completion you keep yourself from procrastinating too much... I'm sure you NEVER have that problem, but I do! :0)

So... are you ready?  I know you can do it!! Go tackle that house of yours and remember.... ONE room at a time! :0)

Joanna LaVan

Unscheduled Plans

Immediately you thought I was losing my mind by that title. I really haven’t, although, at times I think I might. YET, God is faithfully walking with me giving grace and help. Life in a parsonage can change in seconds. A schedule is determined in our household of how the day and week is planned. Usually by the end of that week, it hasn’t turned out anything like what I thought it would be.

I have learned that you must adjust accordingly. You might get a phone call in the middle of the night saying that someone has been life – flighted to a trauma center. Or you might get a text in the wee hours of the morning with news that a person for which you have earnestly prayed has finally made the choice to serve God and wants you to come and pray. It could be an early morning call from another just wanting a friendly chat. Or a knock on the door mid-afternoon with a surprise bucket of fried chicken. Whatever the case, it is a joy to be of service to the King!

My Pastor husband is not simply a preacher. He has a “shepherd heart” for he dearly loves his flock. There are times when I will voice concern over all he is doing. Stop! Relax! Yet he continues on with God’s strength. The past few weeks in our life have been extremely hectic. Easter activities… convention out-of-town…a trailer parked in our back yard to provide housing for a couple of needy souls…a traveling evangelist and his family (who are dear friends) stopped for an overnight visit enroute to their next revival and a mile from our house their transmission went out on their truck. Their overnight stay ended up being 11 nights much to their dismay and our children’s delight!...a minister’s conference in our church hence added responsibilities and preparation…a sick pastor…a community outreach flower give-away honoring mothers…a SICK pastor…a church to clean and sweep…a sick PASTOR…children’s church activities and Sunday School lessons to prepare..
A SICK PASTOR…did I mention to you that my husband got sick with a severe case of strep throat? Oh, but he did!

So did the schedule change? Uh, yep! It sure did! But that’s okay because we had lots of unscheduled plans and we survived! You know what? God helped! He was there and blessed in the midst of each activity. For if you take time to look then you will see that in the midst of unplanned circumstances, He has something for you to learn, something for you share, and something that is a blessing to others, if we don’t get bent out of shape by the unscheduled plans.

-Tonya

Organization? Yes, Please!

Some people enjoy reading beautifully-worded poetry. Some pay big money to see a famous painting. Me? I swoon over photos like this:

From bhg.com

Ahhh! What beauty! How dreamy! What inspiration! Okay, so I get a little too excited about this sort of thing. Can't help it! I love organization! 

After all the Christmas pretties are stashed away it's rather inevitable that the house just looks like it's in need of a little TLC. Cleaning alone doesn't do the trick. There has to be yet another purging. And then some serious organization of whatever is left. That's especially true when it comes to "kid stuff" like stuffed animals (you know, the ones they fall in love with as soon as they're placed in the "donate" box? Not the kids. The stuffed animals.) games and puzzles, and the ever-multiplying little things that somehow wind up scattered all over the shag rug to puncture your unsuspecting,  tender toesies. Oh, and what about the works of art that your budding Picasso created for you? (All three hundred forty-two works of art. And those are only from last week.)

Here are some ideas I've found that I hope to utilize very soon:

We have lots of games and puzzles, and those chunky boxes take up lots of space. Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick came up with this brilliant idea: Ziploc Bags! They take up a fraction of the space! Just put the pieces in the bags, cutting out part of the box to place inside the bag for reference if needed, and toss the bags in a bin. Easy peasy! 

From thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

And now for those adorably cute but ever annoying little homeless stuffed animals. Is this not ingenious!? Flower baskets mounted to the wall! They're great for books and small toys, too!

From Better Homes & Gardens

Okey doke. Declare war on those mean ol' many-barbed little toys. The answer? Folger's coffee cans! We drink gallons of coffee around here and I always hate like everything to throw away those nifty containers. Thanks to Robin's Blog , I now know what to do with them! And she even provides free, printable labels for them. How great is that? =)

From heartofwisdom.com

Need more printable labels to help with organizing? You'll find some super cute freebies here.

From bhg.com

If you're a parent, you no doubt have been the recipient of enough paper goodies to account for nearly 150 acres of trees. And, if you're sentimental like me you have boxes of those keepsakes stashed under your bed, in storage, in the closet, and who knows where else. Here are a few ideas that some wonderful people came up with. Follow the links for further instructions.

Photo Book:  Kaye Winiecki Designs

Image from kayewinieckidesigns.com and Pinterest

Kid Memory Binders: Reluctant Entertainer

Image from reluctantentertainer.com

Framed Art: A Thousand Words

Image from jengrantmorris.blogspot.com

Ever-changing Art Display: Your Decorating Hotline

Image from yourdecoratinghotline.com

I don't know about you, but I think displaying in these ways the art that my children lovingly made for me seems a lot better (and takes up so much less space) than storing it all in boxes. 

And now...drumroll, please...I will throw in a totally random bonus. Do you tire of seeing techy "junk"? Much as I love technology, I do hate to see all those unsightly gadgets and cords. Turns out, I'm not alone. Kelly at Sweet Sanity shared a tip on how to hide wireless routers. What a wonderful idea!

Image from sweetsanity.typepad.com

I feel more organized already. How about you? Do you have any easy organizing tips? Please share them with us! It'd be almost as good as getting chocolate! A nice, organized, neatly labeled box of chocolate! 8-)