a place for everything

2012-02-17T10:00:00.075-05:00

I haven't tried Pinterest. And I don't plan to. Because I hear it is absolutely fabulous.

Don't get me wrong friends, you are more than welcome to try to convince me to join up. I don't believe it will work, but you are welcome to nonetheless. The reason I won't join? Well, considering my personality, I only see two scenarios.

Scenario numero uno, I don't like it. I wish I knew how to explain my thoughts better here, but pretty much, I'm not into a lot of stuff. I think there are so many wonderful ideas on the internet and I'm so grateful. I share a lot of them here and plan to continue doing that. But spending time "gathering" stuff, even if it is housed elsewhere, makes me feel kind of cluttered and claustrophobic. I'm well aware I am strange and that is okay with me.

Scenario numero dos, I really like it. I have to be extra vigilant when it comes to how much time I spend on the computer. I have five children. And a husband. And at this season in my life, I want to focus on them and being the best mom and wife I can be. And because I love to spend computer time reading blogs, keeping in touch with friends, recording our family memories, updating this blog, etc., I know how easily I can become addicted to time on the computer. And I can guarantee you, I don't need something else I really enjoy doing on this here computer. At least at this time in my life.

I do have to say though, I love that other people do it and I wouldn't mind being a beneficiary of the fabulous ideas, recipes, articles, crafts, etc. they find. So if you would like, I would love for you to share (in the comment section) your favorite thing you "pinned" recently on Pinterest. (Is that how you say it?) And if you, like me, don't use Pinterest, you can obviously still share anything you have recently seen and love.

I adore seeing new ideas and would also love to feature some of them here if time permits.

Thanks friends! Happy weekend and happy Pinteresting!

(What? That it totally a real word.)

1-2-3 Magic

2012-02-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

About three weeks ago, I read a parenting book that came highly recommended by someone I greatly admire. And I would, in turn, highly recommend it myself to anyone who has younger children and would like to take the emotion and stress out of discipline.

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 is truly just like magic. In fact I promise anyone that chooses to follow this incredibly simple plan, really follow it, that it will work wonders with your children--in a shorter amount of time than you would ever think possible. And as a bonus, it will help you to remove the emotion and frustration that naturally comes with discipline. That part I love! Because I want to save every bit of emotion, for the fun and loving part of parenting. Because doing so makes me happy, our children happy and our home happy. And what isn't fantastic about having a more joyful home and family?

Happy reading friends!

Hanging storage baskets

2012-02-15T10:00:00.068-05:00

I came across this tutorial for hanging storage baskets that are absolutely darling! I really think these
would make anyone's life more organized. And more pretty. And while they would be perfect for
kids' toys, I can think of several other places they could work just as well. I completely love them.

{Sigh}

Now to learn how to actually sew well.

Photo borrowed from post shared above

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T10:00:00.006-05:00

May your day be filled with love, laughter and sugar.

Valentine's Day treats

2012-02-13T10:00:00.004-05:00

And because I'm sure you won't be having enough sugar tomorrow, here are thirty-nine additional ideas for delicious and not very nutritious Valentine's Day treats. You are welcome.

The windowpane heart cookies are absolutely darling. These crunchy sesame candy squares look a whole lot like a treat my mom used to buy us occasionally when I was younger that I loved! And while I'm not a huge brownie fan in general, I have a feeling these sweet heart brownies would quickly change my mind. Oh, and this eat your heart out dessert...okay, I'd better stop while I'm behind.

But before I go, anyone have a favorite Valentine's Day treat that they must buy/make/share every year?
I'd love to know. Not that I'm going to go out and get it or anything. {Cough, cough, okay I might, cough}

Valentine ideas

2012-02-10T10:00:00.071-05:00

Not only is this fabulous tutorial for muffin tin crayons perfect for Valentine's Day, but obviously it would be a big hit any day of the week, at least with my kids. I definitely love the idea of giving them to friends for Valentine's Day because giving something that isn't a big envelope of sugar is a plus in my book. (Now if I only didn't love receiving a big envelope of sugar.) In fact, last year our kids used this idea to create valentines to pass out to their friends and it was a big hit. This year, we went the regular route because I had a bunch of credit at Shutterfly that needed to be used by the first of February and I didn't want it to go to waste.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have fun with it! Creating valentines each year is a definite favorite at our house and I'm pretty sure I get as excited as the kids do. In fact, I'm counting the seconds until the kids get home from school and we can get started on their cards that arrived in the mail yesterday. Happy day at our house!

Photo borrowed from post shared above

One of my favorite quotes

2012-02-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

“We cannot do everything, all the time, all at once. We can, through the years, do many things,
at different times, one at a time. It is important to see choices as opportunities, not as frustrations."

~ Jaroldeen Edwards

Quick and easy breakfasts

2012-02-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

It is so easy to become stuck in a rut when it comes to what we serve for breakfast each morning.
I definitely need to be better at serving a variety of breakfasts to my family. If you struggle in this area also,
this link will give you twenty-nine ideas for a healthy and filling breakfast recipes that your family will love.
That parfait would be a big hit at our home. I'm definitely going to give it a try.

My organization secret

2012-02-07T10:00:00.019-05:00

So, do you ever wonder how you can make life a little more organized and a little less complicated? I do too. Way too often, my husband would tell you. So instead of pestering him once again with my ideas, I get to pester you. And today I’ve decided to share with you my secret to organization. But be ready, it is pretty complicated and fancy. Or not really. So without further ado, here you go...

Get rid of it! Plain and simple, five things are easier to organize than ten things. Hence my secret for organizing...get rid of it! The “what if I need it someday?” question needs to change to “when is the last time I used it?” The “what if I regret throwing it away?” question can turn into “when is the last time I even thought about it?” Of course there are things that you do not use all the time, which you do not think about daily, that are important to keep. You know which things I am talking about. And you also know that partially complete board game from two years ago do not qualify, nor the fancy wool jacket that you haven’t worn in six years. It stands to reason that the next six months are not going to be any different. Be honest with yourself and see what you can come up with that is cluttering your home and your mind. For me, the stress of parting with my “treasures” is worth the glorious feeling of order when the garbage has been taken out and the donation box has been donated.

Try it. I promise you will like it.

This Week for Dinner

2012-02-06T10:00:00.005-05:00

I have a friend. Her name is Jane. She has an awesome food blog. And I wanted to share it with you.
Because if there is one thing that makes my life easier, it is regular meal planning. Enjoy!

This Week for Dinner

How to fold a fitted sheet

2012-02-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

Friday seems like the perfect day for a good laugh. So while I could find endless videos on wise people who know how to fold a fitted sheet to share this great skill with you, I had to share this one. Because honestly, I laugh so hard every time I see it. I've been following this darling person on her blog for a while now and she is funny stuff. But her lines at the end of this video are beyond hilarious. Watch it all the way through folks, I promise it is worth it. And seriously, I am such a nice blogger because you not only get to learn how to fold a fitted sheet (if you didn't know already), you also get to laugh today.

You are most welcome. May you always sleep on wrinkle-free sheets.

Happy weekend all!

"I'm sorry that won't work for me"

2012-02-02T10:00:00.004-05:00

Many years ago I had a phone conversation with my dad in which he gave me some wonderful advice. We were talking about what was happening in our lives and I mentioned that I had some kids over at my house that I was tending for the day. I commented that there were a few people in my life that seemed to call only when they needed a favor. My dad responded with "Linn, repeat after me. I'm sorry, that won't work for me." I laughed. He replied, "No, I am serious." And he waited for me to say the words. After I did, he told me that if I used this phrase often, I would rid myself of a lot of stress in my life. He said that it was important to serve others and give of yourself, but it is not a good idea to continue to enable people to take advantage of you. That last thing he told me is not to make an excuse. Just simply say, "I'm sorry, that won't work for me."

One of the top reasons our lives are chaotic is because of over scheduling. We do not want anyone to feel bad, we do not want others to look down on us, we just cannot think of an excuse fast enough--so we agree to do something that we spend the next two days dreading and the following three days complaining about. This not only takes time, but more importantly, energy. I would venture to guess that everyone reading this can think of one area is their life, where implementing this phrase would be beneficial.

Okay now friends, repeat me after me, "I'm sorry, that won't work for me."

My organization philosophy

2012-02-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Benjamin Franklin is credited with the line, “A place for everything, everything in its place.” More times than I can count, during a seminar or a friendly conversation, I am asked what I consider the key to organization. My reply is always the same, “Everything has to have its own place--and it needs to be there a majority of the time.”

I truly believe the key to organizing and simplifying our lives is taking the few minutes or seconds each day, each morning, each hour, to put things in their rightful place. When we do not know where something goes, we spend most of our time moving it around (pretending like we are actually accomplishing something with it) or passing by it several times a day frustrated that we have not taken care of it. Both options are not only maddening, but chaotic.

Now it may sound like I am only referring to the order of your home or office. This same principle applies to memories, schedules and well, life. When we do not know where something should be put (the time to exercise, the photographs from two years ago, a visit from a friend, our home movies, a child’s soccer game, our mother’s birthday or a date with our spouse) we either rush around pretending something is being accomplished or pass by moments, memories and opportunities, missing them time and again.

Life does not have to be lived this way. I created this blog because I truly love to create order in all aspects of life. I know that when we discover a way to do something that works for us, we truly feel lighter and happier. Thus, a place for everything, is more than just the name of this blog—it is the philosophy that I have found that makes a lasting difference in my life. And I hope it can do the same for you.