This idea was inspired by http://blog.giddygiddy.com/giddygiddy/2011/09/diy-yarn-font.html
It is just chenille stems twisted into words and wrapped with yarn.
I loved that the “T” in Easter looked like a cross, so I wrapped it in brown yarn for a great reminder of what we are celebrating.
It took some time to wrap all the different colors of yarn, but this was super easy and I love how it turned out!
Happy March!
Spring is just around the corner and that means it’s time to pull out the Easter decorations and start planning!
Easter Planning…
Eyes on Him
Before the planning begins, take a fresh look at the Easter story (Matthew 26 – 28, Mark 14 – 16, Luke 22-24 or John 18 – 20). Pick one or read and compare them all, but just enjoy spending some time truly appreciating all Christ endured to offer complete forgiveness of sins and salvation to each and every one of us. Thank Him for loving you that much.
Kick Start
Below is a list of 20 questions I put together to help kick start my Easter planning each year, but one overriding question stays at the front of my mind through it all – How can I truly celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection this Easter.
Don’t get overwhelmed by this list. It’s just 20 questions to get you thinking and planning. It is not intended to burden you in any way. Also, you can expect a tips, ideas, recipes and menus newsletter to come.
Now, grab your calendar, some paper and a pen and you are all set to start planning.
Tip – I find it helpful to start by dividing my list into sections or columns (To Do, Ideas, Shop, Groceries…)
1. When are Easter Sunday services? Mark it in your calendar.
2. Will you be attending an Easter pageant, egg hunt or some other community event? Mark it on your calendar. Do you need to look up the details or buy tickets?
3. Where will you spend Easter Sunday? Will you be at home or will you be in the home of a friend or relative? List any needed traveling plans on your calendar…
4. Would you like to do something special on Good Friday? If so, list your ideas.
5. Will you host an egg hunt? List any preparations you will need to make under the appropriate section on your list (buy or unpack plastic eggs, baskets, Easter grass, purchase candy or treats for inside eggs, send out invitations…)
6. Will you dye/decorate eggs? List eggs on your grocery list and dying/decorating supplies on your purchase list. Don’t forget to check to see if you will need additional supplies for the type of dye you choose – like vinegar.
7. Will you fill Easter baskets? If so, list each person you will put together an Easter basket for. Under their names, write any ideas you have for their basket and if you will need to purchase an actual basket or bucket. Choose a date you will shop for these items and mark it on your calendar.
8. Will you be purchasing or making Easter treats for anyone else like teachers, Sunday School teachers, neighbors, co-workers, coaches, friends… Add these names to your list.
9. Will you plan or attend an Easter party? How about at your child’s school? If so, mark this on your calendar and list any needed items. Will you take a food item or Easter eggs, candy…
10. Will you plan a special time to read the Easter story from the Bible or from a story book with your family? Do you like to use Resurrection Eggs? List unpacking your Easter story book and/or Resurrection Eggs under your list of things to do.
11. Will you plan special times and/or activities for your children or grandchildren to discuss Jesus’ death and resurrection? List these ideas.
12. Will you be planning a special Easter breakfast? Start thinking through your breakfast menu and list the needed items on your grocery list.
13. Will you be planning a special Easter lunch? Start thinking through your lunch menu and list the needed items on your grocery list.
14. Put locating any needed recipes on your To Do list.
15. Will you use fun Easter paper plates, dessert plates or napkins… Add this to your list of things to purchase.
16. Think through your Easter calendar with clothing in mind. Think about what you and your family will wear to church, to the Easter party and any other Easter events on your calendar. Will you purchase something new? If so, add needed items to your list and decide on a day to do this shopping.
17. Camera ready? List emptying memory card and charging batteries under your To Dos.
18. Check your calendar. Is it realistic for you to do all the calendar events you have listed? Remember, Easter is about celebrating Jesus. Nothing about that should be stressful. Cross off, cancel and move calendar items as needed.
19. Check the lists you have made. Is it realistic for you to accomplish all you have listed? Are you already feeling overwhelmed? Pray and cross things off so you are left with only the most important items that truly celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
20. Find an easily accessible place to keep the lists you have made and start making progress. Remember to enjoy every minute of it as you celebrate the amazing victory we have in Jesus!
Keeping a clean house often feels like an impossible task, especially if you have toddlers. I have often felt like I was shoveling snow while it was still snowing, but I have found that doing a few things each day helps me feel SO MUCH better about the overall state of our home. Establishing a short, but effective Daily Cleaning Routine can make a huge difference.
Before we get to the details of how to set up a Daily Cleaning Routine, I want to give you a couple of quick disclaimers -
Disclaimer #1 – You do NOT have to complete your entire Daily Cleaning Routine every single day.
Yes, it is called a DAILY Cleaning Routine and no, you do not have to do it every single day. Feel better? I know I do. Think about it, will the house fall completely apart if you take a day off? Of course not. Your routine is set up on a DAILY basis to ALLOW room for the unexpected thing you had to immediately take care of, or the day you decided to just play and cuddle with the kids, or the day you just didn’t feel like moving. If you are accomplishing your routine most days, you will see a big difference in your home.
Disclaimer #2 – Your Daily Cleaning Routine should NOT be a long, time involved list.
A Daily Cleaning Routine can be a tremendous help in the overall maintenance of a home but, if viewed the wrong way, it can become a long and frustrating list of things that never get done. To be sure that doesn’t happen to you, keep your routine realistic.
Establishing your own routine
The easiest way to come up with a Daily Cleaning Routine is to walk around your house and ask yourself this question…If someone were coming over in a half an hour, what things would I want done before they arrive? Remember, you only have half an hour, so your list can’t include any major or time consuming jobs.
Here is a Sample to get you thinking:
Dishes in dishwasher and sink wiped clean (5 min)
Kitchen counter tops cleared and wiped cleaned (5 min)
Clutter free living room, fluff pillows, dust coffee table (5 min)
Quick shine the bathrooms (3 min in each bathroom)
Quick shine the floors (5 min)
*Quick shine=use a dusting cloth and a disinfecting wet wipe to make a quick swipe of any obvious splashes, spills, dirt, dust bunnies…
Once you have your routine set, remember to stay flexible. It may take you a week or so to find what works best for you and your home.
Putting a routine in place to help maintain the every day needs of your home will pay off in big ways. Don’t take my word for it. Try it and see!
Who knew a simple question like “What’s for dinner?” could summon such stress? There are LOTS of ways to make coming up with an answer a little easier. Here are a some simple things you can do to make a BIG difference.
1. Narrow Down the Options
It is always harder to come up with a decision when there are an infinite number of options. I like to narrow things down a bit at my house and everyone has really enjoyed knowing what to expect during the week.
Monday is Chicken Night (chicken pot pie, chicken and rice, chicken tortilla soup…)
Tuesday is Taco Night (taco salads, crispy beef tacos, soft chicken tacos…)
Wednesday we eat out or order in
Thursday is Beef and Pasta Night (spaghetti, lasagna, tortellini, stroganoff…)
Friday is Fun Friday (I try a new recipe, put a roast in the crockpot that morning – my guys LOVE roast, order pizza…something fun)
Our weekends are too unpredictable to plan, but other ideas are a Soup and Sandwiches night, a Fish night or a Vegetarian night.
If you have a day of the week that is especially full you might want to designate this Crockpot Night and plan to give yourself time to put dinner on that morning.
2. Take the Time to Make a Reusable Grocery List
Are you wasting time by writing the same grocery list over and over? Take the time to create a reusable list of the things you always buy. Items on my list are bread, milk, eggs, yogurt, produce, cereal, sandwich meat… This list can be made on your computer, on your phone or just handwritten. You can laminate a printed list or slide it into a clear page protector and use a dry erase marker. I made my list by the aisles of my favorite grocery store. This makes my grocery trips much more time efficient. I know exactly what to get on each aisle. There’s no backtracking or going down aisles I don’t need. Yes, if they move stuff around I have to adjust my list, but copy and paste makes it super easy. I also love that I have the details and brands of toiletries everyone likes listed. This saves time too – have you ever stood on the mens deodorant aisle trying to remember which brand, scent, solid, gel…your husband or son prefers? I sure have. With the millions of choices on every aisle it is nice to have the details listed for me.
When it’s time for more groceries, I quickly scan the pantry and frig. If there are things on my Reusable Grocery List that we already have, I go ahead and mark it off my list before I leave for the store. Then, I add any new items we want to try or things I need for a new recipe. This takes so much less time than starting from scratch.
3.Two-Weeks, Just Two-Weeks
Menu planning can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. You can start simple and build from there. I recommend starting with a two-week dinner plan. Breakfast and lunch are easy – keep cereal, yogurt, fruit and sandwich stuff and your set for those meals. Dinner always seems to be a little harder. With homework, afternoon activities and battling traffic to get home, it is really nice to have a plan for dinner already set in place. Two weeks is a great start and you can easily build from there.
Just start by listing 14 meals. We all have easy favorites we enjoy. Start by listing those. If you like the idea of designating a type of meal for each weeknight (#1 above), reflect that in your menu plan. These meals don’t have to be super involved or fancy to make the list; just begin with your tried and true favorites. If you know you will eat out at least once a week drop your number to 12 meals.
Once you have your meals recorded, make yourself a grocery list (just the things you need for the listed meals). Items from this list can be worked into your Reusable Grocery List or kept separate – totally up to you. Now you can simply rotate through this Two-Week Plan twice in one month!
With these three things in place, answering “What’s for dinner?” will be a whole lot easier!
Focusing on 4 areas (yes, only 4) can make a huge difference in the overall feel of a home. These 4 areas are Paper, Laundry, Meal Planning and Daily Cleaning Routine. With these 4 areas working efficiently, your home will be much more peaceful.
We talked Paper yesterday. Now let’s talk about those lovely piles of Laundry. Laundry is one of those chores I would rather put off, but I have found a few ways to make it much more manageable.
If you struggle to keep up with your laundry ask yourself these 2 questions…
1. How easy it is for me to get the laundry into the washer?
Do you have to go to multiple rooms and multiple hampers to gather the dirty laundry and towels? How about sorting? Do you have an easy way to sort the whites from the darks…? Do you have to struggle to pull a loaded hamper or basket down the stairs and into the laundry room? If so, this could be one of the major reasons your laundry system isn’t working. Consider some ways to make this process easier…
Could you put one hamper in a spot that everyone can use rather than having a hamper in multiple rooms?
How about using a divided hamper so everyone can sort the laundry as it is tossed in?
A smaller collapsible hamper can be stored by or near the large hamper and used to easily take one already sorted load to the washer.
There are lots of ways to make the laundry gathering process easier.
2. Do I have too many clothes, sheets and/or towels?
Our immediate response is to answer “No way!”, but if you are struggling to stay on top of your laundry this really could be the problem. We have to admit that sometimes the thing motivating a load of laundry being washed is the fact that there are no more clean (fill in the blank). I learned to use this to my advantage. The key is – don’t let yourself have so many towels, clothes and sheets that you can ALLOW big stacks of laundry to pile up. For example, I decided that if I could go an entire week without washing towels – we had too many towels. Paring them down has really helped cut back on the stack of towels waiting to be washed. *I do have a stash of extra towels in case of an emergency or overnight guests.
Paring down my t-shirts means I always have a fresh and clean favorite to wear – no more wearing the ones at the bottom of the stack that I really didn’t like anyway. I also just have one extra set of sheets for each bed. If I want clean sheets in a week I have to wash the ones I just took off the bed (within that week). It really has worked to keep me motivated and moving and I love that there is less to wash.
Now, I know you are thinking “But you are washing more often and I don’t want to wash more often!” I wondered the same thing as I was working to pare down. The truth I found is that I am still washing the same number of loads each week. I washed a load of towels every couple of days before, I ran a load of clothes every day before – the difference? No more stacks of stuff I didn’t get to! LOVE that.
Happy January!
The Christmas decorations are packed away and the kids are back in school. I hope you had a really nice holiday break and that you are enjoying the first weeks of 2012! I love the natural motivation that comes with a new year. Most everyone starts January with a few things they would like to improve. If organizing your home is on your list, continue reading for some easy ways to make a BIG difference…
Focusing on 4 areas (yes, only 4) makes a huge difference in the overall feel of a home. These 4 areas are Paper, Laundry, Meal Planning and Daily Cleaning Routine. With these 4 areas working efficiently, your home will be much more peaceful. Today we will talk about Paper. I’ll continue with the other 3 areas throughout the rest of the week.
We all have paper entering our homes on a daily basis (receipts, bills, mail…). The fastest way to come up with your own plan to tame the piles of paper (that can quickly stack up) is to evaluate what is in the piles. Go get one of the smaller stacks – yes right now.
Starting with the thing on top, evaluate each item in the stack by asking 2 questions…
A. Is this in this stack because I don’t really have a place for it?
B. Is this in this stack because I have a place for it, but it just didn’t make it there?
If you answered A, it needs an established spot.
If you answered B, it needs an easier to access spot.
Establishing a Spot:
I like using 3 ring binders for most of my paper organizing. I keep them in a super easy place to grab and file new additions. I have a binder for each child with dividers for school info, activity info (dance, piano…). I have a binder with dividers for the house info (appliances, the lawn company, trash pick up, recycling info…). I have a personal binder with dividers for my own things (ideas I want to try, things I want to read, special things I want to save…). I keep bills I need to pay in a small box that stays on my desk right where I can see it. If you don’t think binders would work for you, try file folders or simply take a walk down the office supply aisle for lots of great paper taming ideas.
Establishing an Easier to Access Spot:
Evaluate why your current system is not working well. Is your file drawer packed and hard to use? Take some time to clean it out. Does your current filing system use a stack of boxes with lids? Drawers are much easier to slide open and closed. Did you find any junk mail in your pile? Maybe a small trash can should be added to the place you open mail, or you should move to opening mail closer to your trash can. Do you have a set of binders, but your paper stacks up to be filed in them? Make sure a three hole punch, extra dividers (for making new sections as needed) and page protectors (for things you don’t want to punch holes in) are all within easy reach of your binders. Little adjustments can make all the difference.
After Christmas Organizing…
1. Reorganize your decorations as you put them away. Take your time to be sure you make pulling them out again next year a pleasure rather than a chore. Make notes about which decorations are stored in each box and put the list in your notebook. That way, you will have an inventory and can easily find everything you are looking for. Taking pictures of your decorations before you take them down is a great way to remember what you did with your decorations from year to year. Print these pictures and pack them away with your decorations or file them in your notebook so they will be a help to you next year.
2. Take inventory of needs and take advantage of the after Christmas sales. Make a list of needed additions and supplies and take advantage of all the after Christmas sales on Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, ornaments, cards, tags, storage containers…
3. Make necessary changes, additions and updates to your Christmas card list. Double check the addresses you have with the return addresses on the cards you received. Track down new addresses for any cards that were returned to you as undeliverable.
4. Establish your budget for next year based on experience. Evaluate how you did with the budget you set for this year. Was it on target? Make the necessary adjustments and start a savings plan now so you can shop early and eliminate financial stress.
5. Double check your gift list to be sure you recorded what you gave everyone this year. Also, start making a list of gift ideas for next year. Did you have a great idea for someone, but ran out of time to find it? Did you see a great gift idea used by someone else that would be perfect for someone on your list? Write it down or you will forget!
6. Make final notes in your notebook for next year. Keep a record of EVERYTHING – what worked, what didn’t, what you particularly enjoyed, record your menu and make menu planning a breeze for next year, make notes about changes/specifics on recipes you used, note things you would like to do differently, note what your family liked best…and remember to keep your notebook handy to continue to add notes as they come to mind. Remember, every note you make to yourself now – while it is still fresh in your mind – will serve as a BIG help to you in years to come.
7. Save your December calendar. Put a copy of your December calendar in your notebook. From year to year I always seem to forget the specifics of how VERY full December can be. Having the month’s activities from the previous December helps as you make plans for coming years and also serves as great motivation to get started early!
8. Wash towels and linens from guests and do a quick recovery cleaning on your home. Take the time to return your house to the order you like to maintain. Find homes for new items and make a quick de-cluttering and cleaning run through each room.
“God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heavenand on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11
What’s left in your boxes?
If your Christmas decorations are up, take a look in your storage boxes. They should be empty right? If not, take a good look at what you have left in them. Are they things you could donate to allow someone else to enjoy? This is the perfect time to do some decoration purging, so take advantage of it!
Keep the change and end up with a clean house for December!
Everyone works to have a clean house for the holidays and with all the added activities it can be tough to find the time. Here is an easy solution. Find a fun jar or bottle and put it in a place where you can easily add your coins to it each day (mine is in my closet). They make your purse heavy anyway. Do this beginning in January. By next Christmas you will have enough money to hire a maid service for a one time cleaning. Be sure to call and get on their schedule early. They are really busy this time of year.
Organizing Christmas decorations.
This is also the perfect time to think about better organizing your Christmas decorations. You can easily do it as you put everything away, so start thinking about your storage options now. Do you like where and how your decorations are currently being stored? Can you think of a way to make improvements so that decorating will be even easier? Do you need new storage boxes/tubs? Go ahead and make the needed preparations so that you can easily organize everything as you put it away.
Make yourself a decoration reference.
Even if you do not need to do any reorganizing, make yourself a decoration reference to keep in your notebook. As you put your decorations away, number your boxes or containers and list all the items that are in each one. Next year, when you are looking for a particular decoration, you will be able to go right to the correct box! No more opening, closing and searching.
Glue station.
Every year, as we unpack our decorations, we seem to find a few broken pieces. I think many types of glue finds itself to be no match for the hot Texas summers in my attic. Anyway, it is always sort of sad, in the middle of all the decorating fun, to find the pieces of a precious ornament or decoration. This year, before we pulled out our decorations, I set up a gluing station. I just grabbed my glue gun and some super glue and had them ready on the counter in the kitchen. As we found something in need of repair, off to the gluing station it went. It was easy to go ahead and fix it. No sad faces.
Did you make a list of Thanksgiving notes?
Grab your notebook, right now, go get it. Take a few minutes to make some notes for next year in the Thanksgiving section of your notebook. List your menu while it is still fresh in your mind. Write notes about what you did this year that you are really enjoyed. Make notes about things you learned not to do. Make notes about things you would have liked to have done. Make notes about things your family really enjoyed. Make notes about things you want to be sure to do next year. Make notes about things you want to be sure NOT to do next year. The more notes you make the better! Write down everything. Maybe your brain is less cluttered than mine, but I am always amazed at how quickly I forget. Now is the time, while these things are fresh on your mind, so be sure not to miss this opportunity to make things much easier for yourself next year.
A picture is worth…
Once your decorations are up, take a few quick pictures to print and file into your notebook. Even if you make some changes from year to year it will be really nice to be able to look back at ideas from previous years.
Spread joy everywhere you go.
I love taking little gifts with me as I am out running errands this time of year. The reactions I get are always such a blessing to me. Try it!
Think beyond Christmas.
One of the common complaints I hear from those who purchase their gifts early is that while they are out in the stores in December, they come across a great gift for someone they have already bought for. I always tell them to think about using that gift (or the one they already have) for another occasion. You could end December with all your Birthday gifts, Father’s Day gifts, Mother’s day gifts, Valentines and Easter gifts all done too! (just kidding)
Just for fun.
While all the Christmas things are out in the stores, look for something fun to add to your notebook. You might find a fun Christmas pen and/or pencil. I found some holiday post-it notes to add to mine. I love having these fun little things to use in my notebook year round. It automatically helps me to think Christmas, even in July!
Don’t forget to add scripture.
Be sure to add your favorite verses to your decorations. You will love the way being surrounded by scripture helps keep your mind on celebrating Jesus throughout December.
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:5&6
Here are all the crafts for our Super Saturday! (:
Calendar Planning
“Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.”
I Corinthians 10:23 NIV
I am convinced that keeping a calendar is one of the single biggest stress reducing and planning tools I have. It helps me be realistic about our available time and shows me possible conflicts in our family’s schedule in plenty of time to work out the needed details. Having all our events and activities recorded in one place makes a huge difference in the peace and order of our everyday.
I also use my calendar to help map out how to tackle a several day (or several week) project. Writing down what I want to accomplish on certain days and giving myself deadlines helps to keep me on track and motivated. I would like to suggest you try this for your Christmas plans.
Even if you normally keep everything on an electronic calendar, use a hard copy to map everything out. Being able to see the entire month at one time makes a big difference. Once your plans are set, you can add it to your phone and/or computer…
Step 1 – Be willing to say no.
Read the verse from I Corinthians at the top of the page. This is the verse the Holy Spirit brings to mind every time I am praying about adding something new to our calendar. If I said yes to everything we would never be home. Prayerfully consider everything you add to your calendar. Remember, just because it is physically possible, does not mean it is wise. Staying too busy robs us of so much. Be very intentional about not packing your calendar beyond your limits.
Step 2 – Claim your special times to celebrate now:
I just got back from a fun trip with some girlfriends of mine. We put this trip on our calendars several months ago. We all agreed that we would never have been able to go if we had not simply put it on the calendar and planned everything else around it. That is exactly what I would like to encourage you to do for the month of December. Claim and set aside your special times to celebrate Christ with friends and family now.
Read back over the notes you made during your Christmas in September party. Go ahead and choose dates for your plans and list them on your calendar. List all established traditions as well as new plans you would like to include.
You may decide to set aside some extra quiet time one morning just to enjoy reading through the Christmas story or to make a special Happy Birthday Jesus pancake breakfast. You may want to plan a special dinner for friends or get tickets to see a Christmas program or choir special at a church. No matter what your individual Christmas celebration will include, be sure to take this opportunity to give these special times to worship and celebrate Jesus top priority on your calendar.
Step 3 – Record dates as you get them:
Go ahead and record any dates you already know are important (like school holidays, work holidays, office parties, church special events…).
Step 4 – Map out your Christmas plans to keep you on track and motivated throughout the months prior to December.
Gifts and Stockings
Be sure your gift and stocking strategies are listed on your calendar. If you have chosen the knock it out in one weekend approach, pick your weekend and write it down. If you are dividing your list up among several weeks, list the weeks you will shop. You could even decide who you will shop for on each week. One week you could focus on the children on your list, the next week could be your parents and siblings…If you will be making gifts, break the work down and give yourself deadlines for each part. Writing all of this down on specific dates will help you stay on track.
Establish and record a wrapping plan:
Just as we established a gift buying plan, we need to also decide on a wrapping plan. If you will be buying a few gifts each week, you could wrap each one when you get home from shopping. If you will be buying all your gifts in one weekend, you may want to divide up the wrapping among the following weeks. Be sure to write your plan on your calendar.
Record your Christmas card plans:
If you are sending Christmas cards, you should have a plan for the date to have them completed as well as a strategy for completing them. Remember to be specific as you record your plans.
Step 5 – File your calendar in your notebook.
Once your pre-planning is done, file this calendar in your notebook so it will be easy to access and add to as needed. If you use an electronic calendar, add your special dates there and set the needed reminders.