HOUSEHOLD AGENDA

As I've shared on my blog several times before, I do LOVE to be

O R G A N I Z E D …

in fact, I love anything  to do with organization.  I love all those cute boxes, bins, baskets, folders, notebooks, etc., etc., etc. that are sold by the likes of Ikea, containerstore.com, Target, seejanework.com and other wise businesses that understand us organization junkies!  I saw the c-u-t-e-s-t green boxes at Wal-Mart today…I just stood there drooling.  I may have to go back and get those for an upcoming project. 

Here is my newest addition to my "organized everything" mentality…

I read about setting up a notebook for anyone who wanted to run their household more smoothly.  Without children living at home anymore I don't have to worry so much about a dozen different schedules, but we do still have grandkids' soccer and baseball games and school programs to attend, church and work responsibilities to get done, and of course all those enjoyable dentist and doctor appointments.  There's just something about seeing all that organized and down in print that I like!

I divided my HOUSEHOLD  AGENDA into various sections including:

Calendar

Menu Planner

Online Banking

(for helping me to remember all those pesky passwords & login names!)

Projects

Miscellaneous

(for everything else)

Look at these too cute Calendars…

My birthday month:)

I have to give credit for these to this wonderful blog site…

anythingbutperfect.com is owned by the cutest gal named Angela who describes herself as creative  (I definitely agree) and slightly OCD (oh, yeah…I can identify with that!)  She has sooo many cute freebie printables on her blog and I have grabbed my share.  Thank you, AngelaJ  Everything she creates is rather perfect to me!

Here are my Weekly Menus…well, the blank pages anyway.  I'm still a work in progress on setting up these.  I do think though that if I can get used to doing them they will save me time and money…both of which sound great to me!

This is my grocery list...yes, it's in ABC order:)  For the almost 42 years we've been married I do the bulk of my grocery shopping once a month.  I use this list monthly to help me keep up with what I need to buy.  I just check the pantry and cabinets against the list to see what we need.

Here are my TO DO LISTS...also a work in progress. I tend to write down notes all over the place and stack them up near the phone. This was my Jan. list and I did manage to accomplish some of it!

I always try to keep a running list of PROJECTS…there are always things to be done, both "now" and "in the future".  I love it when I get to √ off an item or two…mission accomplished!

I do still have some empty sections and haven't yet decided what all I want to include, but I'm sure as the year progresses I'll think of something!  I have been pleasantly surprised at how often I go to my AGENDA...just seeing it sitting there next to the phone gives me an organized feeling.  We all gotta get our highs somehow! 

Better go check the calendar and see what's up for the rest of the day!  Hope all is well with you and yours.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

I've recently read several blog posts with titles such as MY FAVORITE THINGS.  It's amazing…and interesting…to see what people like (and don't like).  Since I'm having trouble thinking of anything sensational to write about, I'm going to steal this idea. 

THINGS  I

                                                                                               

For the past two years I have ordered a large number of Christmas presents from Amazon.  Why?  I don't have to fight the crowds, shipping is often FREE (another thing I love), more often than not they have either better or comparable prices.  And…NO, I am not being compensated by Amazon.

You probably already know about Pinterest…I'm usually the last person to know about anything!  I have recently fallen head-over-hills in love with it.  If you by some twist of fate haven't jumped on the bandwagon, then take my word for it and JUMP!  I have found so many recipes, craft ideas, cute photos, etc., etc.  One problem though….it's ADDICTIVE and I spend way too much time over there!

  So  You  Think  You  Can  DANCE!

I am a fanatic about this show!  I took years of dancing as a child with the intention of becoming the next ROCKETTE when I grew up!  These dancers are awesomely talented.  (And, NO, I never became one of the high kickers!)

                 Love this one too!

READING…oh how I love a good book.  My son asked for a KINDLE  FIRE for Christmas (and got it) and has tried to convince me I need one too.  But I just love the feel of a great book in my hand and the anticipation of turning each page.  Right now I'm reading THE  HELP.

Organizing…anything!   

I love to organize.  Give me a messy closet and I'll have it cleaned out, sorted, and labeled in a skinny minute.  This week while my sweet hubby was out of town I organized every drawer in his office…and prayed he wouldn't kill me when he got home.  (He didn'tJ)

Teddy  Bears...for years I collected these adorable little characters.  Finally had to stop as my collection was getting a tad LARGE and I was running out of room.  Students usually added to my stash every year at Christmas or the end of the year.  I have been known to hear more than a few whisper to me "take me home." 

T E A C H I N G…it's part of my DNA…what I truly believe God put me on this earth for.  I spent 31 ½ years in my own classroom, have taught Sunday School to several different age groups, and now supervise and teach student teachers and sometimes mentor beginning teachers.  Teachers are underappreciated but those of us who do it for the love of the children and the love of teaching find it a privilege to do our work each day. 

And, of course,…….

B L O G G I N G…once again, it's an ADDICTION…but one I hope not to overcome any time soonJ 

So….what are some of your favorite things?

Getting Creative: JUNK JOURNAL

I'm not an overly-talented crafter but I do enjoy a go at it from time to time.  With all the craft supplies I have, you'd think I was an expert! 

Recently I read about a product by K and Company (I think that's the name) called a SMASH BOOK.  Basically it's a plain, empty journal that you decorate and then "smash" things inside…things like recipes, or articles from magazines, or inspiration pictures, or concert tickets, or….whatever you want to stash and smash inside.  About the same time I read about what some people call a JUNK JOURNAL.  You can see great YOU TUBE videos about both if you're interested.

 Anyway….since I'm cheap frugal I wasn't going to buy the $ mass produced SMASH BOOK, although it seems to be a nice product, so I decided to make my own.  Thought I would share it with you.

(By the way, I heard on a You Tube segment that since the term SMASH BOOK is copyrighted, you shouldn't use that name for your custom made ventures!)

 I began with one of those wireless composition notebooks with the sort of cardboard cover (sorry…forgot to take a before picture).

They are very cheap and readily available.  You can often find them at Wal-Mart or Target at the beginning of the school year for like 25 cents each!  These days they come in all sorts of patterned covers, so you really wouldn't have to cover it if you didn't want to…but I decided to cover mine.  And here's what the finished project looks like….



I had all of the supplies on hand so this project basically cost me nothing!  I like the sound of that!  I also covered the back and inside covers.  You could use most any type of adhesive you liked but I used some from my scrapbooking stash.

 Since I like the "cute factor" I added some embellishments….

 

"SHOES" are one of my greatest vices pleasures!



I also like the addition of the ribbons for a little extra bling and, of course, had to add some cherries!

 

Inside I used some red & white polka-dot wrapping paper (love, love polka-dots!) and covered a few pages to divide my journal into sections.   Also added some clear colored tabs.  Not sure yet what I will label them.

So far I've added some quotes, inspiration pictures for projects, and various things I've found on PINTEREST...oh, how I love PINTEREST!  It was a fun and relatively quick little project.  Nice to know I now have a place to corral some of my JUNK!  Think I'll make another one or two….I've got plenty of JUNK to go aroundJ

HAPPY 2012

HAPPY  NEW  YEAR  to all of you!  I do hope 2012 is our best year yet.  2011 was not my best year.  It began with me having surgery (in Jan.) and ended with me being in the emergency room (Dec. 30) with a very nice young doctor trying to remove a SPLINTER from my eye…and it isn't the Smiley face kind!  Don't ask me how I got a splinter in my eye because I have absolutely no idea.  The dr. removed a small portion so that it is no longer uncomfortable but I am now waiting to get in touch with my ophthalmologist who hopefully will be able to remove the rest of the offensive foreign particle.  I do hope 2012 will spare me any further medical traumas.

Last year (this post) I set forth some goals for the new year.  Looking back on those, I see that I did manage to accomplish some of them…but definitely not all.  I've decided not to set goals or make resolutions for this year.  Think I'll just go with the flowJ

I do have some "wishes" for the New Year:

*that our economy will improve so that more jobs will be created
*that we will have wisdom enough to elect a great president who will lead us back to the roots from which our country began
*that we will get enough rain to make up for the deficit that we are experiencing (at least here in the south)
*that our society might learn to be more understanding and accepting of each other so that crimes against people would decline
*that each of us would be more caring of our earth and each other; that we would look for ways to serve each other
*that cures for cancer and other diseases might be discovered

I guess that's asking for a lot, but a girl can wish, can't she???

If you make resolutions, I hope you have the strength and wisdom to carry them out.  If you set goals, I hope you achieve them.  If you (like me) make wishes, I hope they come true.  Have a wonderful year!