I guess I should give you the new website address and tell you about the new eBook. The website is about families and spending less. We have some pretty fab things lined up for the site and I'm so happy about it.
Hurry, go right now to see the website: www.keep-the-cash.com. It already has several tips for saving money, budgeting, cooking, crafts, and more! Very exciting.
This website is for help running a home, with special insights into coupons, organization, Natural Remedies, Diabetes, Parenting, French Bulldogs, Kids, Cleaning, Recipes, Crafts, Budgeting, Spreadsheets, and just being a woman.
We have articles we've written, articles from others, and links to several resource websites and blogs for help with family matters.
The specific goal is our dedication to helping families spend less money and less time on things so the family members can spend their time together.
Later this week, our eBook, "Keep the Cash, Pay with Coupons" will be available at an introductory rate. This is a compilation of several years of couponing and is a comprehensive tutorial with pictures and step-by-step guides on how to cut 50 to 100 percent off your shopping costs. We cover speed-cutting, stacking rolling and doubling, and the full spectrum of the coupon world complete with resource links. I've even designed a spreadsheet that has built-in formulas to help you easily keep track of your costs, savings, and status.
Woo Hoo!! Go check out the website here: www.keep-the-cash.com .
Hope to hear from you soon-
Connie
Monday, March 29, 2010
Lovin' Crafts Over Here!
Lovin’ Crafts Over Here!!
I’m just sayin’…
I am having the best time with this new fad of lingo going on. You know? I’m just sayin’… I love that one in particular: I’m just sayin’… You can’t leave out the dot dot dot. Don’t finish the sentence, just dot dot dot. It cracks me up. I’m approaching 50 so I am too old to pick up some of the lingo that runs through the teenagers. But this one is fun.
I’m just sayin’ dot dot dot. Okay, I’ve got to stop because this post has nothing to do with catch phrases.
Crafts. I love crafts. Does anybody love crafts? I cannot imagine being a person who doesn’t enjoy some kind of crafting. I can spend hours just looking at different crafts and I’ll make this list of about 5 or 6 HUNDRED that I plan to do. That is my biggest problem is that I start too big with crafts. I just love the whole crafting idea.
Crafting is economical (make a gift), personal (make a gift), and just downright fun (make a gift). And I always feel like I’ve really done something when I make something out of a batch of supplies. And when I see those articles on how to make things out of objects just lying around your house, I’m ON it. I want to run in the kitchen and empty my oatmeal containers and turn them into beautiful ceramic-looking vases or cute little pen-holders for my daughter’s desk.
I love sewing and decoupage and woodwork and painting glass and quilting and just all of it. I can’t enumerate them because there is always another one. I’ve wanted to have a craft shop for years and years. So this may be the closest I ever get to one. Indulge me, will you? Let’s talk crafting!
I want to use the craft section to post pictures and links to other crafty sites as well as posting some of my own little goodies. There are some incredible women out there that are unbelievably creative. My sister AND sister-in-law are both amazingly creative. I’m more of a “re-create” it kinda gal. I see things and think of how I could make them. Denise (sister) and Shelley (sister-in-law) just come up with stuff to make. They just wake up and have these great ideas and then they do them and they’re breathtaking and I think, WOW.
But I could re-create it and put a new spin on it. So, that is what I do. I look at things and figure out how to make them and/or re-make them. I rarely follow a recipe for cooking or a pattern for sewing or an outline for crafting exactly as it is written. It is pretty definite that I will change the idea along the way and produce something different about it. That is my attempt at creativity, I guess.
It works for me. When I first went through my divorce, Rebekah was 3 and I did NOT want to put her into daycare. So, Shelley had started this business online called “The Silver Spoon,” where she made and sold custom handbags and small machine-stitched throws and lots of other fabulous things. So I zoomed my antenna in on the throws and changed the idea up a bit, expanded here and there and soon, was selling quilts and full custom-made bedroom sets online. I supported Rebekah and me for almost a year before I went back to work when she was 4.
Loved it, but probably wouldn’t have thought of it had not Shelley come up with the idea that I bounced off of. My sister, Denise, decorates cakes. She has never taken a class in her life and creates these breath-taking wedding cakes that have bridges running from the main tiers to side tiers and waterfalls that flow into a lake with floating doves. I am NOT kidding and I am NOT exaggerating. She made my wedding cake and her daughter’s wedding cakes. I have pictures to prove it. She is incredible.
Denise does not decorate cakes for a living but I wish she would because then we would be famous. “We” is an automatic. If she gets famous, so do I. People ask her to make their wedding/anniversary/birthday (etc.) cakes and she does them for free. What a gal!
I’m just sayin’dot dot dot
Well, I guess I’ve rambled enough and should move on. But this section is for crafting. I want my readers to send in their ideas, too! How great would that be? Now, be warned, my repertoire is HUGE but not full. I have a list of hundreds of crafts but that doesn’t mean I’ve done all of them. Maybe we can do them together. Sounds like fun… once a week: you and me just lovin’ crafts.
I’m just sayin’…
Connie
I’m just sayin’…
I am having the best time with this new fad of lingo going on. You know? I’m just sayin’… I love that one in particular: I’m just sayin’… You can’t leave out the dot dot dot. Don’t finish the sentence, just dot dot dot. It cracks me up. I’m approaching 50 so I am too old to pick up some of the lingo that runs through the teenagers. But this one is fun.
I’m just sayin’ dot dot dot. Okay, I’ve got to stop because this post has nothing to do with catch phrases.
Crafts. I love crafts. Does anybody love crafts? I cannot imagine being a person who doesn’t enjoy some kind of crafting. I can spend hours just looking at different crafts and I’ll make this list of about 5 or 6 HUNDRED that I plan to do. That is my biggest problem is that I start too big with crafts. I just love the whole crafting idea.
Crafting is economical (make a gift), personal (make a gift), and just downright fun (make a gift). And I always feel like I’ve really done something when I make something out of a batch of supplies. And when I see those articles on how to make things out of objects just lying around your house, I’m ON it. I want to run in the kitchen and empty my oatmeal containers and turn them into beautiful ceramic-looking vases or cute little pen-holders for my daughter’s desk.
I love sewing and decoupage and woodwork and painting glass and quilting and just all of it. I can’t enumerate them because there is always another one. I’ve wanted to have a craft shop for years and years. So this may be the closest I ever get to one. Indulge me, will you? Let’s talk crafting!
I want to use the craft section to post pictures and links to other crafty sites as well as posting some of my own little goodies. There are some incredible women out there that are unbelievably creative. My sister AND sister-in-law are both amazingly creative. I’m more of a “re-create” it kinda gal. I see things and think of how I could make them. Denise (sister) and Shelley (sister-in-law) just come up with stuff to make. They just wake up and have these great ideas and then they do them and they’re breathtaking and I think, WOW.
But I could re-create it and put a new spin on it. So, that is what I do. I look at things and figure out how to make them and/or re-make them. I rarely follow a recipe for cooking or a pattern for sewing or an outline for crafting exactly as it is written. It is pretty definite that I will change the idea along the way and produce something different about it. That is my attempt at creativity, I guess.
It works for me. When I first went through my divorce, Rebekah was 3 and I did NOT want to put her into daycare. So, Shelley had started this business online called “The Silver Spoon,” where she made and sold custom handbags and small machine-stitched throws and lots of other fabulous things. So I zoomed my antenna in on the throws and changed the idea up a bit, expanded here and there and soon, was selling quilts and full custom-made bedroom sets online. I supported Rebekah and me for almost a year before I went back to work when she was 4.
Loved it, but probably wouldn’t have thought of it had not Shelley come up with the idea that I bounced off of. My sister, Denise, decorates cakes. She has never taken a class in her life and creates these breath-taking wedding cakes that have bridges running from the main tiers to side tiers and waterfalls that flow into a lake with floating doves. I am NOT kidding and I am NOT exaggerating. She made my wedding cake and her daughter’s wedding cakes. I have pictures to prove it. She is incredible.
Denise does not decorate cakes for a living but I wish she would because then we would be famous. “We” is an automatic. If she gets famous, so do I. People ask her to make their wedding/anniversary/birthday (etc.) cakes and she does them for free. What a gal!
I’m just sayin’dot dot dot
Well, I guess I’ve rambled enough and should move on. But this section is for crafting. I want my readers to send in their ideas, too! How great would that be? Now, be warned, my repertoire is HUGE but not full. I have a list of hundreds of crafts but that doesn’t mean I’ve done all of them. Maybe we can do them together. Sounds like fun… once a week: you and me just lovin’ crafts.
I’m just sayin’…
Connie
Got Girls?
Got girls?
I had my daughter, Rebekah, late in life, after getting married in my 30’s. Now, I have always loved children and still work closely with children in different ministries. When I was young, I wanted to have 100 children and even went to the extent of selecting 100 names (first and middle) in preparation.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to seminars and workshops and church functions for YEARS to learn how to be a wonderful wife and mother. I used to lecture my younger sister and brothers, all of whom had children before I did. I would give advice to friends, family, and even unsuspecting strangers. I knew so much about raising kids.
Surprisingly, the equation changes when you throw kids into the mix of knowledge. Suddenly, all the things you learned and maybe even applied at various times to other children just don’t have the same impact when dealing with your own child.
I have been surrounded by girls a lot in my life. I have 6 nieces that I “helped” grow up and have been working with children’s’ groups for over 25 years. And then, I had Rebekah in 2000.
Okay, readers, do any of you have girls? For those of you who do not, have you ever heard the word ‘drama’? You will need to become familiar with drama if you have girls or work with girls.
First of all, drama has to be understood. “Drama” is inclusive of many things: perception, response, translation, conveyance… all of those types of things. There does not necessarily have to be any actual drama included in what is going on; it just automatically becomes a part of everything. You will need to recognize drama to fully appreciate girls and actually in order to survive.
Secondly, when I say ‘drama has to be understood,” I mean that you have to understand that drama is built deep inside of little girls. They are born with it. Things just naturally are a bigger deal to girls than boys. This is understood.
I am a girl. Well, I was for several years (more than 17). But it wasn’t until I had a girl that I recognized the true concept of drama. I mean really, how many men can appreciate listening to the entire repeat of ‘she said this and I said that and then she said that and I said well, okay, and then she said she didn’t like him and so I was like okay then what are you going to do and she said I don’t know because I’m confused and then I was so sad because she was confused and then she decided to just be herself and I was so happy that she felt that way that it made me proud of her but I was really angry with him because he had said that to her.”
So we covered four intense emotions in less than 30 seconds, right? And this little girl (or teenager) felt every one of them when they happened and get this: SHE FELT EACH EMOTION AGAIN IN FULL ASPECT WHILE TELLING YOU THE STORY. So she goes from sad to happy to proud to angry without taking a breath right in front of your very eyes.
Not everyone can follow that. But women can. “Oh honey, you did a great job by being a friend to her” we will say to our little girl. And a man might say, “so… was that good?” which leaves the little girl totally exasperated with Dad/brother/friend and eventually possibly husband.
I can talk about kids and girls all day long. All right, I can just talk about anything all day long. But this is one of my favorite things to talk about. Kids and girls. Some of the hardest belly laughs I’ve ever lived through were over kids, mostly girls. They are so fun and delightful. And bossy and dramatic. And just about every emotion rolls into every day. It is like a roller coaster at Six Flags, except those make me sick and I don’t like them.
In today’s times, children are sometimes rushed along and the natural movement of the stages of womanhood are cut short and maybe even deleted altogether. Unfortunately, this causes immature women who have major battles to face without their full set of equipment. Girls are beautiful artwork formed by the hands of God Himself. Know them, love them, teach them, train them.
I enjoy an online magazine called “The Girlhood Home Companion.” Here’s a quote from their mission statement: ‘The Girlhood encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him. Filled with the wisdom of writers from the past and present, each edition features encouraging articles and stories that center on one character quality per issue. Each theme is explored in-depth through editorials, articles, and stories that will minister to the heart of your daughter, while teaching her the practical skills of homemaking, cooking, crafts, sewing and other girlhood pastimes. There is nothing so lovingly designed with the heart of a Christian girl in mind as The Girlhood Home Companion. Ageless, it continues to inspire daughters, mothers, and grandmothers of all ages.’
You may have already figured out that I try to see the humorous side of everything. Or at least that is how I always try to present it. But sometimes before the humor appears, there are growing pains even as an adult. We still have growth into our senior years and ultimately forever in this life. There will never be a time when there isn’t something more to learn. So, I want this section to be a growing place for girls and women. For girls, teenagers, daughters, housewives, mothers, single parents, women of all walks of life.
“When life moved at a much slower pace, there were distinct periods of development in a girl’s life: babyhood, childhood, girlhood, and womanhood. One thing I firmly believe is that girlhood is a priceless training ground that should not be rushed.”– Mrs. Jill Novak
Let’s grow!
Connie
I had my daughter, Rebekah, late in life, after getting married in my 30’s. Now, I have always loved children and still work closely with children in different ministries. When I was young, I wanted to have 100 children and even went to the extent of selecting 100 names (first and middle) in preparation.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to seminars and workshops and church functions for YEARS to learn how to be a wonderful wife and mother. I used to lecture my younger sister and brothers, all of whom had children before I did. I would give advice to friends, family, and even unsuspecting strangers. I knew so much about raising kids.
Surprisingly, the equation changes when you throw kids into the mix of knowledge. Suddenly, all the things you learned and maybe even applied at various times to other children just don’t have the same impact when dealing with your own child.
I have been surrounded by girls a lot in my life. I have 6 nieces that I “helped” grow up and have been working with children’s’ groups for over 25 years. And then, I had Rebekah in 2000.
Okay, readers, do any of you have girls? For those of you who do not, have you ever heard the word ‘drama’? You will need to become familiar with drama if you have girls or work with girls.
First of all, drama has to be understood. “Drama” is inclusive of many things: perception, response, translation, conveyance… all of those types of things. There does not necessarily have to be any actual drama included in what is going on; it just automatically becomes a part of everything. You will need to recognize drama to fully appreciate girls and actually in order to survive.
Secondly, when I say ‘drama has to be understood,” I mean that you have to understand that drama is built deep inside of little girls. They are born with it. Things just naturally are a bigger deal to girls than boys. This is understood.
I am a girl. Well, I was for several years (more than 17). But it wasn’t until I had a girl that I recognized the true concept of drama. I mean really, how many men can appreciate listening to the entire repeat of ‘she said this and I said that and then she said that and I said well, okay, and then she said she didn’t like him and so I was like okay then what are you going to do and she said I don’t know because I’m confused and then I was so sad because she was confused and then she decided to just be herself and I was so happy that she felt that way that it made me proud of her but I was really angry with him because he had said that to her.”
So we covered four intense emotions in less than 30 seconds, right? And this little girl (or teenager) felt every one of them when they happened and get this: SHE FELT EACH EMOTION AGAIN IN FULL ASPECT WHILE TELLING YOU THE STORY. So she goes from sad to happy to proud to angry without taking a breath right in front of your very eyes.
Not everyone can follow that. But women can. “Oh honey, you did a great job by being a friend to her” we will say to our little girl. And a man might say, “so… was that good?” which leaves the little girl totally exasperated with Dad/brother/friend and eventually possibly husband.
I can talk about kids and girls all day long. All right, I can just talk about anything all day long. But this is one of my favorite things to talk about. Kids and girls. Some of the hardest belly laughs I’ve ever lived through were over kids, mostly girls. They are so fun and delightful. And bossy and dramatic. And just about every emotion rolls into every day. It is like a roller coaster at Six Flags, except those make me sick and I don’t like them.
In today’s times, children are sometimes rushed along and the natural movement of the stages of womanhood are cut short and maybe even deleted altogether. Unfortunately, this causes immature women who have major battles to face without their full set of equipment. Girls are beautiful artwork formed by the hands of God Himself. Know them, love them, teach them, train them.
I enjoy an online magazine called “The Girlhood Home Companion.” Here’s a quote from their mission statement: ‘The Girlhood encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him. Filled with the wisdom of writers from the past and present, each edition features encouraging articles and stories that center on one character quality per issue. Each theme is explored in-depth through editorials, articles, and stories that will minister to the heart of your daughter, while teaching her the practical skills of homemaking, cooking, crafts, sewing and other girlhood pastimes. There is nothing so lovingly designed with the heart of a Christian girl in mind as The Girlhood Home Companion. Ageless, it continues to inspire daughters, mothers, and grandmothers of all ages.’
You may have already figured out that I try to see the humorous side of everything. Or at least that is how I always try to present it. But sometimes before the humor appears, there are growing pains even as an adult. We still have growth into our senior years and ultimately forever in this life. There will never be a time when there isn’t something more to learn. So, I want this section to be a growing place for girls and women. For girls, teenagers, daughters, housewives, mothers, single parents, women of all walks of life.
“When life moved at a much slower pace, there were distinct periods of development in a girl’s life: babyhood, childhood, girlhood, and womanhood. One thing I firmly believe is that girlhood is a priceless training ground that should not be rushed.”– Mrs. Jill Novak
Let’s grow!
Connie
I do. Zero to 7.
The first thing I need to tell you is that I went to seminars and workshops and church functions for YEARS to learn how to be a wonderful wife and mother. I used to lecture my younger sister and brothers, all of whom had children before I did. I would expound to them the need for discipline and how to teach children the proper things in life. I had all kinds of advice and input and observations. Oh, I was full of it.
I had Rebekah late in life, after getting married in my 30’s. In my marriage, along with my new husband came 4 children from a previous marriage. Rebekah was born almost a year later, so within a year, I was a wife and mother of 5. Now, I have always loved children and still work closely with children in different ministries. When I was young, I wanted to have 100 children and even went to the extent of selecting 100 names (first and middle) in preparation.
I still love children and have always wanted to work with children. I’ve studied and trained in every imaginable topic relating to children. Here’s the thing: once I had children, I stopped giving advice. My siblings were thrilled. Actually, they secretly giggled as I went through all the growing pains (multiplied by 5) that they had endured before me. They were supportive and helpful and not once did either of them mention that I certainly was quiet on the “teaching front” lately. They just watched. And prayed.
It was a lot to transition into: single woman in late 30’s suddenly has husband and 5 kids. I mean, what was the Lord thinking? Have you ever wondered that when you end up somewhere you didn’t remember driving to? I mean, I prayed for marriage and trained for marriage. I prayed for children and trained for children. I spent every day of my life waiting to have my family. So, I was thrilled!
Quickly after “thrilled” I was thrilled and overwhelmed and there wasn’t a big patch of time between those two stages. I’ve always been surrounded by lots of kids. I prided myself on being able to manage groups of kids. I was the director of this group or the teacher for that group. I had nieces and nephews and godchildren. I really knew a lot. Until the kids showed up.
I found out that the equation changes when you throw the kids into the mix of knowledge. Suddenly, all the things you learned and maybe even applied at various times to other children just don’t have the same impact when dealing with your own child. Certainly, the impact of all my knowledge was barely perceivable when in the mix of 5 children.
Wow.
But the Lord did know what He was doing and I changed in dramatic fashion within the years of going from single beach girl to Mom of 5. Let me just say that I have a high respect for training from those who know what they’re doing. However, no amount of training matches living the real thing. There are some things that just aren’t covered in books.
Literally, it was me and in the length of a marriage ceremony, it was “us.” A lot of us. And before I even settled into that, I soon was pregnant (okay there’s a topic that will need its own section). And then, there were 7 of us. So, I plan to write about it for those of you who may be getting or have just gotten married into an already-existing family. Sometimes they’re called “blended families.” Sometimes they’re called “disasters.” Either way, it is an adventure and worth writing about.
I learned so much. I grew so much. I hurt so much. I loved so much. I was blessed so much. So, the name of this section is “I do. Zero to 7” and boy, are you in for a ride. Some things I just can’t tell you, but I can tell you the principle that applies and how I learned to use the principle from God’s Word to grow into the woman He intended me to be. I can tell you how I use those same principles for my own daughter and still use them today in my life. I can tell you the strength I got from that time.
The marriage ended in divorce years later, but today I still use what I learned from my “crash course.” And they are some of the most valuable tools I have: what I learned in difficult times.
Get ready, set, let’s go!
Connie
I had Rebekah late in life, after getting married in my 30’s. In my marriage, along with my new husband came 4 children from a previous marriage. Rebekah was born almost a year later, so within a year, I was a wife and mother of 5. Now, I have always loved children and still work closely with children in different ministries. When I was young, I wanted to have 100 children and even went to the extent of selecting 100 names (first and middle) in preparation.
I still love children and have always wanted to work with children. I’ve studied and trained in every imaginable topic relating to children. Here’s the thing: once I had children, I stopped giving advice. My siblings were thrilled. Actually, they secretly giggled as I went through all the growing pains (multiplied by 5) that they had endured before me. They were supportive and helpful and not once did either of them mention that I certainly was quiet on the “teaching front” lately. They just watched. And prayed.
It was a lot to transition into: single woman in late 30’s suddenly has husband and 5 kids. I mean, what was the Lord thinking? Have you ever wondered that when you end up somewhere you didn’t remember driving to? I mean, I prayed for marriage and trained for marriage. I prayed for children and trained for children. I spent every day of my life waiting to have my family. So, I was thrilled!
Quickly after “thrilled” I was thrilled and overwhelmed and there wasn’t a big patch of time between those two stages. I’ve always been surrounded by lots of kids. I prided myself on being able to manage groups of kids. I was the director of this group or the teacher for that group. I had nieces and nephews and godchildren. I really knew a lot. Until the kids showed up.
I found out that the equation changes when you throw the kids into the mix of knowledge. Suddenly, all the things you learned and maybe even applied at various times to other children just don’t have the same impact when dealing with your own child. Certainly, the impact of all my knowledge was barely perceivable when in the mix of 5 children.
Wow.
But the Lord did know what He was doing and I changed in dramatic fashion within the years of going from single beach girl to Mom of 5. Let me just say that I have a high respect for training from those who know what they’re doing. However, no amount of training matches living the real thing. There are some things that just aren’t covered in books.
Literally, it was me and in the length of a marriage ceremony, it was “us.” A lot of us. And before I even settled into that, I soon was pregnant (okay there’s a topic that will need its own section). And then, there were 7 of us. So, I plan to write about it for those of you who may be getting or have just gotten married into an already-existing family. Sometimes they’re called “blended families.” Sometimes they’re called “disasters.” Either way, it is an adventure and worth writing about.
I learned so much. I grew so much. I hurt so much. I loved so much. I was blessed so much. So, the name of this section is “I do. Zero to 7” and boy, are you in for a ride. Some things I just can’t tell you, but I can tell you the principle that applies and how I learned to use the principle from God’s Word to grow into the woman He intended me to be. I can tell you how I use those same principles for my own daughter and still use them today in my life. I can tell you the strength I got from that time.
The marriage ended in divorce years later, but today I still use what I learned from my “crash course.” And they are some of the most valuable tools I have: what I learned in difficult times.
Get ready, set, let’s go!
Connie
Organization
So now, are you an organized person? I am but I don’t have time to maintain it. HA! Everything I see goes through this 5-second makeover in my brain and then I dismiss it and move on. Well, most of the time I can dismiss it, but some things just NEED to be organized and I can’t let it go.
I like to organize shelves, paperwork, finances, pantries, clothes, closets, drawers, cleaning supplies, music, oh the list is endless. I don’t like to make beds. Isn’t that funny? I can avoid making the bed well into the morning but can’t overlook the laundry supplies not being in orderly fashion.
Clutter is a serious enemy of mine. I hate clutter. I would shove it all into a closet and under furniture but then I know it’s there so that bugs me and I have to drag it all back out. So I’ve learned to understand this side of me. I’m an organized person. I don’t go on trips without having everything organized. I don’t go grocery shopping without a plan. So why am I looking at a stack of papers beside my computer as I type this? Oh, nevermind. I’ll organize them in a minute; this is way more fun.
I blame my mom. She always said that everything has a place. That did not always filter into action in our home when I was growing up but it did get said a lot. My mom raised 4 kids alone in a 2-bedroom house, and we were very poor, so times were tough. She was and still is a very strong woman and from her, one of the life lessons I have learned is that we always keep going no matter what.
Anyway, four kids in an itty-bitty house with little money meant there was clutter. And sometimes, not much money for anything but bleach. So we cleaned mostly with bleach. We bleached everything: the counters, the floors, the walls, the furniture, the clothes. But bleach could not do anything about the clutter. I would dream of getting extra money to put up shelves or to build a little storage house in the back yard for stuff to go into.
I had a happy childhood, don’t get me wrong. Just difficult. But I treasure the life lessons I learned from growing up in tough times. So, back to clutter. I have wondered if maybe the reason I detest clutter so much now is that it reminds me of poverty or something? It just feels ugly to have clutter everywhere. I will pick up things from the floor before loading the dishwasher. Just don’t like clutter.
Fortunately, I love crafts. So, even as a child and teenager, I would come up with ideas to hide clutter. We didn’t have any extra space to put the stuff, but I would try to think of ways to make it look better. Like putting construction paper around cereal boxes and oatmeal boxes and then, storing things in them. Or putting paper around our toy box. Our toy box was a box. It was a cardboard box that would get replaced with another cardboard box when that one got worn. So covering it with paper and drawing on the paper made it look more fun.
Anyway, I’ve grown up and never gotten over my dislike of clutter. So I love finding new ideas on organization, even if I don’t have anything that needs to be organized at the moment (that never happens). I am immediately drawn to magazines that have a blurb about organizational tips on the cover. I cannot resist an email that mentions something about ‘how to get organized.’ I have a ton of tips and have tried lots of them, but really – there’s no way to try them all because I would never get anything done. I would have to organize my organizational tips.
But that doesn’t mean that I can’t hand them off to my readers. I’ll give you the ones I’ve tried and liked, ones I still use, those I tried and didn’t like, ones I didn’t like but you might like, ones that I haven’t gotten to yet but want to try. I’ll just give them all to you and you can run with it. What fun!
Some of the things I plan to cover are:
Getting the most out of small spaces
Storage areas you hadn’t thought of yet
Pretty organizing tips
Using crafts to organize
Teaching kids how to organize
Containers and more
Go vertical!
Camouflaging clutter
… and more!
This is going to be a fun series. I will post weekly into the Organization Section and will eventually come up with really clever names for all my sections as soon as I organize them.
Looking forward to working with you!
Connie
I like to organize shelves, paperwork, finances, pantries, clothes, closets, drawers, cleaning supplies, music, oh the list is endless. I don’t like to make beds. Isn’t that funny? I can avoid making the bed well into the morning but can’t overlook the laundry supplies not being in orderly fashion.
Clutter is a serious enemy of mine. I hate clutter. I would shove it all into a closet and under furniture but then I know it’s there so that bugs me and I have to drag it all back out. So I’ve learned to understand this side of me. I’m an organized person. I don’t go on trips without having everything organized. I don’t go grocery shopping without a plan. So why am I looking at a stack of papers beside my computer as I type this? Oh, nevermind. I’ll organize them in a minute; this is way more fun.
I blame my mom. She always said that everything has a place. That did not always filter into action in our home when I was growing up but it did get said a lot. My mom raised 4 kids alone in a 2-bedroom house, and we were very poor, so times were tough. She was and still is a very strong woman and from her, one of the life lessons I have learned is that we always keep going no matter what.
Anyway, four kids in an itty-bitty house with little money meant there was clutter. And sometimes, not much money for anything but bleach. So we cleaned mostly with bleach. We bleached everything: the counters, the floors, the walls, the furniture, the clothes. But bleach could not do anything about the clutter. I would dream of getting extra money to put up shelves or to build a little storage house in the back yard for stuff to go into.
I had a happy childhood, don’t get me wrong. Just difficult. But I treasure the life lessons I learned from growing up in tough times. So, back to clutter. I have wondered if maybe the reason I detest clutter so much now is that it reminds me of poverty or something? It just feels ugly to have clutter everywhere. I will pick up things from the floor before loading the dishwasher. Just don’t like clutter.
Fortunately, I love crafts. So, even as a child and teenager, I would come up with ideas to hide clutter. We didn’t have any extra space to put the stuff, but I would try to think of ways to make it look better. Like putting construction paper around cereal boxes and oatmeal boxes and then, storing things in them. Or putting paper around our toy box. Our toy box was a box. It was a cardboard box that would get replaced with another cardboard box when that one got worn. So covering it with paper and drawing on the paper made it look more fun.
Anyway, I’ve grown up and never gotten over my dislike of clutter. So I love finding new ideas on organization, even if I don’t have anything that needs to be organized at the moment (that never happens). I am immediately drawn to magazines that have a blurb about organizational tips on the cover. I cannot resist an email that mentions something about ‘how to get organized.’ I have a ton of tips and have tried lots of them, but really – there’s no way to try them all because I would never get anything done. I would have to organize my organizational tips.
But that doesn’t mean that I can’t hand them off to my readers. I’ll give you the ones I’ve tried and liked, ones I still use, those I tried and didn’t like, ones I didn’t like but you might like, ones that I haven’t gotten to yet but want to try. I’ll just give them all to you and you can run with it. What fun!
Some of the things I plan to cover are:
Getting the most out of small spaces
Storage areas you hadn’t thought of yet
Pretty organizing tips
Using crafts to organize
Teaching kids how to organize
Containers and more
Go vertical!
Camouflaging clutter
… and more!
This is going to be a fun series. I will post weekly into the Organization Section and will eventually come up with really clever names for all my sections as soon as I organize them.
Looking forward to working with you!
Connie
Cleaning House
And then, the not so fun things… like cleaning. Oh come on, be honest. We ALL love having a fresh, clean, sparkling, spotless, perfect house but who likes to make it that way? Truthfully, I actually enjoy cleaning the house once I get started. But that is the problem: getting started. It is like getting up when the alarm clock sounds… hit that buzzer as many times as possible!
Some cleaning I do NOT enjoy even after I get started. I have 4 French Bulldogs and they never clean up after themselves! I also have a 9-year old daughter who would not dream of cleaning up her own mess without my constant prompting. But we will cover that later in another section called “Kids.”
All right, so admit that your house could be a LITTLE cleaner, a LITTLE more organized. Come on, you can say it. It will be like therapy to admit it so we can move on. Come on, SAY IT!!
I’ll just tell you a couple of things about me so you will feel safe to talk with me. I grew up in a poverty-stricken home that was not clean. As a young adult and into my early 30’s, I was a fanatic about cleaning and used every chemical that hit the market, searching for the one(s) that would eliminate all dirt and dust from my vicinity. After that, I was really involved in my career and cleaned house in “spurts” which is nice word for “sometimes.”
I never let the house get filthy or stinky, but I might leave the dishwasher loaded and just use it as a cupboard where some of my dishes were stored. I might have had a junk drawer or two. Still, I kept my house clean, just not sparkling every moment. And after a few days, I would feel guilty and have a cleaning spurt, where I CLEANED for hours and everything shined again.
Now, I will just go ahead and admit that I absolutely hate carpet. I hate vacuuming carpet. There is nothing about carpet that I like. I have always felt like carpet is dirty. Have you ever pulled up carpet to lay new flooring? Wow. For years now, I have had hardwood or Pergo flooring and every day when I sweep, I remember that I don’t like carpet. If you could see how much dirt sweeps up in one day, you would have to wonder where all that dirt would be if you had carpet. Surely you don’t think the vacuum cleaner is getting it all? Okay, enough of my soapbox and back to my story.
So in my 30’s I got married and had an immediate family with stepchildren and my firstborn within a year. Suddenly, cleaning was a never-ending part of my life. No matter what was up on the agenda for any given moment, something needed to be cleaned prior to or right after. There was no such thing as a series of days or even a series of minutes that my house was “clean.” Junk drawers? What a laugh. I used to feel guilty about unloaded dishwashers and junk drawers. HA!
I met myself all day long, running with sponges and cleansers hither and yon, back and forth. I did laundry every day all day and sometimes into the night. Dishes. I’m not even going to describe what that word included. I had gone from single woman to not-very-super Mom. My house was a wreck and I could never catch up with the cleaning. It was an awful feeling. It followed me around to other places. I would be at fun events and be thinking about what I needed to do when I got home.
And then, I just stopped worrying about it and learned to live in a “lived in” house. It was a really big transition for me. Eventually, I taught the girls to clean and learned to chill out a bit and things weren’t so consuming, but WOW, what a time that was.
In my 40’s, I had to go through a divorce and now, I am a single parent with my 9-year old daughter and our 4 French Bulldogs. I work a full-time job and have some church ministries I am involved with, plus I just bought a new house last year. So, my life is pretty busy. I am on the go a lot. As I mentioned, my dogs don’t clean up after themselves and seem to have no intention of ever doing so. My daughter is “in training” and does a good job trying to clean. But, she still sees nothing wrong with putting a tablecloth onto a table that is sticky. You know what I mean?
She knows Mom wouldn’t like it, but she really doesn’t relate to why.
So here we are. Working, schooling, living, learning, and trying to keep the house clean in the middle of everything. Sometimes it is tough to get everything finished. Any single moms out there? I never thought I would be a single parent; it just wasn’t on my list of things to be. I love being a parent and am blessed to have that honor, but let’s face the fact that going it alone can be… tough.
With all that said, cleaning house doesn’t need to be another hurdle for us. Having a dirty house would only cause stress to an already overloaded life. That would be problematic to say the least. So, I’ve had to come up with ways to keep the house clean and still manage to work, help with homework, cook, teach, spend time with my daughter, run errands, shop, manage finances, serve in church ministries, maintain family and friend relationships, and sleep somewhere in there. This list is nowhere near comprehensive, obviously. There is always more to do.
So cleaning is important for health and for my sanity, but sometimes does not make it to the number one spot for the moment. Sometimes I have to budget time. And speaking of budget, guess how much money I’ve spent on miracle cleaning techniques and products. So, some of the things I will present to you will be time-conscious and some of them will be money-conscious and some of them will be just great tips I’ve learned from trying so many things. You can use what works for you; I don’t plan to come by your house for inspection any time soon, so you’re safe.
I will be posting cleaning tips once a week in this section. Some of the things I will cover are:
Cleaning Tips vs. Cleaning Habits
Spot Checks
What Kinds of Cleansers Should be Used?
Secrets of Cleaning
Vinegar, Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, and other Helpful Solutions
Mixing Cleansers
Cleaning up Dog Areas
Budget Cleaning – Making Your Own Cleansers and Soaps
Homemade Air Fresheners
… and more!
I’m very excited about this section. Well, I’m excited about all the sections. But this one is a real eye-opener. Stay tuned… it’s gonna be fun.
Connie
Some cleaning I do NOT enjoy even after I get started. I have 4 French Bulldogs and they never clean up after themselves! I also have a 9-year old daughter who would not dream of cleaning up her own mess without my constant prompting. But we will cover that later in another section called “Kids.”
All right, so admit that your house could be a LITTLE cleaner, a LITTLE more organized. Come on, you can say it. It will be like therapy to admit it so we can move on. Come on, SAY IT!!
I’ll just tell you a couple of things about me so you will feel safe to talk with me. I grew up in a poverty-stricken home that was not clean. As a young adult and into my early 30’s, I was a fanatic about cleaning and used every chemical that hit the market, searching for the one(s) that would eliminate all dirt and dust from my vicinity. After that, I was really involved in my career and cleaned house in “spurts” which is nice word for “sometimes.”
I never let the house get filthy or stinky, but I might leave the dishwasher loaded and just use it as a cupboard where some of my dishes were stored. I might have had a junk drawer or two. Still, I kept my house clean, just not sparkling every moment. And after a few days, I would feel guilty and have a cleaning spurt, where I CLEANED for hours and everything shined again.
Now, I will just go ahead and admit that I absolutely hate carpet. I hate vacuuming carpet. There is nothing about carpet that I like. I have always felt like carpet is dirty. Have you ever pulled up carpet to lay new flooring? Wow. For years now, I have had hardwood or Pergo flooring and every day when I sweep, I remember that I don’t like carpet. If you could see how much dirt sweeps up in one day, you would have to wonder where all that dirt would be if you had carpet. Surely you don’t think the vacuum cleaner is getting it all? Okay, enough of my soapbox and back to my story.
So in my 30’s I got married and had an immediate family with stepchildren and my firstborn within a year. Suddenly, cleaning was a never-ending part of my life. No matter what was up on the agenda for any given moment, something needed to be cleaned prior to or right after. There was no such thing as a series of days or even a series of minutes that my house was “clean.” Junk drawers? What a laugh. I used to feel guilty about unloaded dishwashers and junk drawers. HA!
I met myself all day long, running with sponges and cleansers hither and yon, back and forth. I did laundry every day all day and sometimes into the night. Dishes. I’m not even going to describe what that word included. I had gone from single woman to not-very-super Mom. My house was a wreck and I could never catch up with the cleaning. It was an awful feeling. It followed me around to other places. I would be at fun events and be thinking about what I needed to do when I got home.
And then, I just stopped worrying about it and learned to live in a “lived in” house. It was a really big transition for me. Eventually, I taught the girls to clean and learned to chill out a bit and things weren’t so consuming, but WOW, what a time that was.
In my 40’s, I had to go through a divorce and now, I am a single parent with my 9-year old daughter and our 4 French Bulldogs. I work a full-time job and have some church ministries I am involved with, plus I just bought a new house last year. So, my life is pretty busy. I am on the go a lot. As I mentioned, my dogs don’t clean up after themselves and seem to have no intention of ever doing so. My daughter is “in training” and does a good job trying to clean. But, she still sees nothing wrong with putting a tablecloth onto a table that is sticky. You know what I mean?
She knows Mom wouldn’t like it, but she really doesn’t relate to why.
So here we are. Working, schooling, living, learning, and trying to keep the house clean in the middle of everything. Sometimes it is tough to get everything finished. Any single moms out there? I never thought I would be a single parent; it just wasn’t on my list of things to be. I love being a parent and am blessed to have that honor, but let’s face the fact that going it alone can be… tough.
With all that said, cleaning house doesn’t need to be another hurdle for us. Having a dirty house would only cause stress to an already overloaded life. That would be problematic to say the least. So, I’ve had to come up with ways to keep the house clean and still manage to work, help with homework, cook, teach, spend time with my daughter, run errands, shop, manage finances, serve in church ministries, maintain family and friend relationships, and sleep somewhere in there. This list is nowhere near comprehensive, obviously. There is always more to do.
So cleaning is important for health and for my sanity, but sometimes does not make it to the number one spot for the moment. Sometimes I have to budget time. And speaking of budget, guess how much money I’ve spent on miracle cleaning techniques and products. So, some of the things I will present to you will be time-conscious and some of them will be money-conscious and some of them will be just great tips I’ve learned from trying so many things. You can use what works for you; I don’t plan to come by your house for inspection any time soon, so you’re safe.
I will be posting cleaning tips once a week in this section. Some of the things I will cover are:
Cleaning Tips vs. Cleaning Habits
Spot Checks
What Kinds of Cleansers Should be Used?
Secrets of Cleaning
Vinegar, Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, and other Helpful Solutions
Mixing Cleansers
Cleaning up Dog Areas
Budget Cleaning – Making Your Own Cleansers and Soaps
Homemade Air Fresheners
… and more!
I’m very excited about this section. Well, I’m excited about all the sections. But this one is a real eye-opener. Stay tuned… it’s gonna be fun.
Connie
Things About Food
Wouldn’t you love to have a meal or 3 you can present to your family that is good for them, tastes great, and even looks good – all prepared by you? And you will know what is in each dish because you put it together. I want to show you how to have that any and every day you wish. You can take it as lightly or as far as you want.
AND guess what? You will spend less money using these tips, so you can KEEP the CASH to spend on other things. Oh the possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to get started.
I spent several years living “on my own” as a young adult in a state where I had not grown up and so, knew very few people for a while. I was accustomed to cooking and eating in large family settings, so the first couple of times I tried to cook for myself, I automatically bought and cooked and wasted a LOT.
Knowing nothing about cooking except to prepare large quantities, I eventually just went on to eating fast food. That lasted for a really long time. Whatever the reason, we all get into a rut of poor eating habits. Whether it be due to a busy schedule, fatigue, boredom, cravings, pressure, or just poor planning, at some point we are not eating like we should.
My path didn’t go very far because I always ended up in the hospital. I am insulin-dependant Diabetic from childhood and therefore, my body cannot handle overloads of poor eating without significant consequences and sometimes, permanent damage. My fast food adventure lasted for a while and I was in and out of the hospital frequently.
In my early 20’s, I just wanted to have fun like the rest of the world, so I tried to ignore my body’s needs for nutrition. To make a long story short, I finally had enough trips to the hospital and decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. Sometimes we get our focus back and sometimes we don’t. There are people who continually make bad choices and never turn around. This is true in all walks of life, but we’ll just stick to food for right now.
I’m not here to tell you that you MUST do it a particular way, but I do want to tell you that if you don’t eat right, your life will less vibrant than it could be. In many cases, poor eating damages and can even kill a person. Wow, this is getting depressing, so I’ll move to the happy side of life.
Ever feel sluggish, tired for no reason? Ever feel distracted and unfocused and can’t seem to concentrate? Ever have aches and pains that seem to have no cause? Ever have stomach aches, headaches, blurred vision? How about stomach and gastric problems? Any of these, all of these? BAM!! Look at what you’re eating. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before.
Each week I will present a section to focus on food – good and bad. I have 42 years of experience invested into eating and boy, do I have lots of things to say. The best news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, tasteless, and confusing to eat better. You need to make the move in steps. I plan to cover:
Good foods, bad foods
Yummy substitutes for bad food
Portioning
What to do when you eat badly
Recipes for Life
Meal Planning
Cooking Ahead
Making your own TV Dinners
Desserts and Treats
Cooking for Diabetics
… and more!
Connie
AND guess what? You will spend less money using these tips, so you can KEEP the CASH to spend on other things. Oh the possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to get started.
I spent several years living “on my own” as a young adult in a state where I had not grown up and so, knew very few people for a while. I was accustomed to cooking and eating in large family settings, so the first couple of times I tried to cook for myself, I automatically bought and cooked and wasted a LOT.
Knowing nothing about cooking except to prepare large quantities, I eventually just went on to eating fast food. That lasted for a really long time. Whatever the reason, we all get into a rut of poor eating habits. Whether it be due to a busy schedule, fatigue, boredom, cravings, pressure, or just poor planning, at some point we are not eating like we should.
My path didn’t go very far because I always ended up in the hospital. I am insulin-dependant Diabetic from childhood and therefore, my body cannot handle overloads of poor eating without significant consequences and sometimes, permanent damage. My fast food adventure lasted for a while and I was in and out of the hospital frequently.
In my early 20’s, I just wanted to have fun like the rest of the world, so I tried to ignore my body’s needs for nutrition. To make a long story short, I finally had enough trips to the hospital and decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. Sometimes we get our focus back and sometimes we don’t. There are people who continually make bad choices and never turn around. This is true in all walks of life, but we’ll just stick to food for right now.
I’m not here to tell you that you MUST do it a particular way, but I do want to tell you that if you don’t eat right, your life will less vibrant than it could be. In many cases, poor eating damages and can even kill a person. Wow, this is getting depressing, so I’ll move to the happy side of life.
Ever feel sluggish, tired for no reason? Ever feel distracted and unfocused and can’t seem to concentrate? Ever have aches and pains that seem to have no cause? Ever have stomach aches, headaches, blurred vision? How about stomach and gastric problems? Any of these, all of these? BAM!! Look at what you’re eating. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before.
Each week I will present a section to focus on food – good and bad. I have 42 years of experience invested into eating and boy, do I have lots of things to say. The best news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, tasteless, and confusing to eat better. You need to make the move in steps. I plan to cover:
Good foods, bad foods
Yummy substitutes for bad food
Portioning
What to do when you eat badly
Recipes for Life
Meal Planning
Cooking Ahead
Making your own TV Dinners
Desserts and Treats
Cooking for Diabetics
… and more!
Connie
Saturday, March 6, 2010
New eBook about to be released!
I will have a full 45-page eBook available hopefully by early next week. I will post the link to it here on my blog as well as on our website.
This eBook is on "Keep the Cash... Pay with Coupons" and shows how my sister-in-law and I have learned to save hundreds of dollars a month and even make money on grocery-shopping. It is incredible! I will post more info on it by Monday and then plan to have it ready to go by Thursday or earlier. You've got to get into the couponing world... very fascinating.
More eBooks to follow...
So far, the next eBook I am planning is on organization. "Keep the Cash by Keeping your Life Organized." There is nothing more annoying than having to buy something because you cannot find the one you already bought. LOL. You know what I mean.
In the meantime, as eBooks are published, I will post tips and news onto this blog. So, check back often and stay tuned always.
Okay, enough said. I'm looking forward to all this blogging stuff.
conniemailbox@aol.com
This eBook is on "Keep the Cash... Pay with Coupons" and shows how my sister-in-law and I have learned to save hundreds of dollars a month and even make money on grocery-shopping. It is incredible! I will post more info on it by Monday and then plan to have it ready to go by Thursday or earlier. You've got to get into the couponing world... very fascinating.
More eBooks to follow...
So far, the next eBook I am planning is on organization. "Keep the Cash by Keeping your Life Organized." There is nothing more annoying than having to buy something because you cannot find the one you already bought. LOL. You know what I mean.
In the meantime, as eBooks are published, I will post tips and news onto this blog. So, check back often and stay tuned always.
Okay, enough said. I'm looking forward to all this blogging stuff.
conniemailbox@aol.com
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Start-Up
Well, I've finally moved into the blog world. I've always used a website and email, but blogs are GREAT, aren't they? I'll be transferring info into here hopefully at a rapid rate. In the meantime, feel free to respond to my post(s) to ask questions or request information from me.
As those of you who already know me are aware, I will be posting information related to creating and maintaining a beautiful home. "Beauty" is broad in my world, so it encompasses all kinds of things:
Saving money
Organization
Coupons
Raising Kids
Crafts
Decorating
Cooking & Recipes
Cleaning Tips
Homemade tools (cleansers/clothes/gadgets)
Makeup
Sewing
Decoupage
Dehydrating
Do it Yourself tips
French Bulldogs
Flute and Music
Spiritual Inspiration
More... as soon as I can remember all the categories we've covered.
Check back frequently, as I will be transferring, adding, and posting over the next few weeks.
Looking forward to the Blog world!
As those of you who already know me are aware, I will be posting information related to creating and maintaining a beautiful home. "Beauty" is broad in my world, so it encompasses all kinds of things:
Saving money
Organization
Coupons
Raising Kids
Crafts
Decorating
Cooking & Recipes
Cleaning Tips
Homemade tools (cleansers/clothes/gadgets)
Makeup
Sewing
Decoupage
Dehydrating
Do it Yourself tips
French Bulldogs
Flute and Music
Spiritual Inspiration
More... as soon as I can remember all the categories we've covered.
Check back frequently, as I will be transferring, adding, and posting over the next few weeks.
Looking forward to the Blog world!
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