I Didn't Know I Had It in Me

You know me as the self-proclaimed, non-creative type, lacking even one "artsy-craftsy" bone in her body. While I don't expect that to change in a big way, I did manage a minor breakthrough.

My ten-year-old "bought" a small bulletin board through a rewards program her school teacher uses for her 4th grade class. She was very excited about having my husband hang it on the wall in her bedroom so that she could attach important papers and notices to it.

I thought there had to be a way to dress up the board, and my light-bulb moment produced an idea for covering the plain wooden border with ribbon.

Two trips to Michaels later, I came home with a ribbon I thought my daughter would like since it included her favorite color - blue. (Just to show you how much of a novice I am at this type of thing....I measured the perimeter of the board and thought I would need 3 three-yard rolls of ribbon. Well, I didn't even use one whole roll. I'm thankful that I could return the rest!)

Yes, I actually do own a glue gun - which worked perfectly for attaching the ribbon.

My daughter has thanked me several times and told me how pretty she thinks her board looks.

I fear that this burst of inspiration, however, has exhausted me for the time being, so I imagine it will be awhile before I have anything else like this to share!

The Waiting Season

A fair amount of my time these days is spent sitting and waiting.

Waiting in the pick-up line at school. Waiting for piano lessons to be over. Waiting for basketball practice to finish. Waiting for the 4th Grade Cleanup Crew to tidy the classroom when school is over.

Some of this waiting I do alone, reading a book or jotting down a list; some is done with other parents, chatting and catching up on each others' lives.

However, they're called the seasons of life for a reason. This season is actually only beginning for me. I foresee a number of years ahead where I'll be waiting for something or another to be over so we can get on with our day.

So, I can embrace this season or grumble my way through it, wanting to be somewhere else.....why? To get one more thing crossed off my to-do list? To hurry home and fold the laundry? To catch up on my blog reading?

I'm challenging myself to enjoy this season, with its waiting. And just as winter is giving way to spring, so this season of shuttling my children from one location to another has begun in earnest.

How will I know when this season is beginning to fade away? Well, that would be when our oldest child begins driving. And let's just say that's a season I'm definitely not ready for yet!!

photo courtesy public domain pictures

A Family Puzzle

I can't take credit for this idea. I read it somewhere many months ago and have been wanting to try it in our home.

Last week I purchased a couple of puzzles, one at the Dollar Tree and one at Goodwill. I'm setting up a space in our living area where we can have a puzzle out all the time so that anyone can stop to work on it as they wish.

Right now it's sitting on a small wooden table. My goal is to find a large, decorative tray that I can place on the bench under our window. (I'm hoping a few visits to Goodwill can provide me with one!) We hardly ever use the bench for seating and, if the puzzle is on the tray, we can move it to different locations as needed.

The girls and I spent a couple of nights getting the outer pieces put together. I think it will be a bit harder to complete the rest, but I'm hoping to promote family unity - along with a little entertainment - as we work on accomplishing this project together!

Peace Keeper or Peace Killer?

Have you ever been reading along in a book, only to have a phrase or sentence seemingly leap off the page and convict your heart?

Hopefully that happens often when encountering the truths of the Bible, but last week it was another book that brought that about for me.

I have come to believe that the two most potent peace-killers are the need to be right and the need to assess blame. ~Donna Otto in Finding Your Purpose as Mom

How often, especially in my marriage relationship, do I feel the need to do one of those two things? Even worse, it is often over small, insignificant matters.

If I seek to have peace in my home, I should show grace as I interact with my family members. When we get lost following someone else's directions or an argument arises over what day we last had spaghetti for supper, there's no need for me to find fault or assert my own judgement as flawless.

Just as I often need their grace extended to me in my mistakes, so I must be willing to do the same for them in every circumstance, that our home might be filled with a spirit of love and peace.

photo courtesy public domain pictures

Saturday Salutes

This week I tried Laura's Taco Seasoning Mix, made with spices I already had in my pantry. It's wonderful to know exactly what went into the mix and I like having a jar of it ready to use for future meals.

Why did I need taco seasoning? So that I could make Kathryn's Taco Casserole. I really enjoyed this dish! It could easily be put together ahead of time and baked when needed.

For fellow bloggers, Darren at Problogger offers helpful advice in How to Write in a More Personal and Engaging Tone.

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May you welcome April with a wonderful weekend!

photo courtesy public domain pictures

Spic and Span

The kitchen has been called the heart of the home. It is certainly the most trafficked room in our house.

Our Project: Simplify assignment this week was to clean out and organize the pantry, refrigerator, and other areas of the kitchen.

I admit to keeping my pantry fairly organized at all times. I like to easily see what I have on hand so that I don't buy duplicate items at the grocery store. Nonetheless, it can always use a bit of straightening up.

Before.

After.

Once in awhile, my refrigerator can get out of hand, but it's more often the freezer that's a mess. I will quickly toss in a few bags of frozen vegetables or pull out a package of ground venison, letting things tumble where they may. Once again, a little organization helped out.

Before.

After.

Rearranging this one particular cabinet had been on my agenda for awhile. It holds the mixing bowls and baking dishes that I use most frequently. I was constantly having to lift up a whole stack of items to get to the one that I wanted. I'm hoping that removing some of the lesser-used dishes will help make this space more effective.

Before.

After.

There aren't drastic changes in these before and after pictures, but I am hoping that getting these spaces a little more organized will inspire me to keep making small changes in other parts of the house.

What section of your kitchen tends to get the most cluttered?