Weird Food Issues

So BG has so kindly pointed out that I have some really weird food issues. He will eat practically anything, but I have some very weird rules. Here are the ones that I have come up with for now, I am sure there are more:

1. I refuse to eat food from a gas station unless it is prepackaged such as Cheetos. I do not eat anything in the little rolling roasters, I will not eat their sandwiches, etc. I will not even eat in a restaurant in a gas station. My rule is that if you can get to the connected restaurant only by going out of the gas station and entering into another door, then it is safe, if not...no go! This drives BG nuts, then again he likes Allsup's Burritos. BG has even gone so far as to take me to the stand alone restaurant of a chain that is normally connected to gas stations, because it is so good, but he knows that I won't try it if it is connected.

2. I don't really like meat in the morning. I am not a huge bacon fan, the thought of chicken in the morning pretty much grosses me out. I have heard that the Chick-fil-a breakfast sandwich is really good, but I just can't bring myself to try it. The only meat that I am sort of okay with is breakfast sausage. This is of course a carnal sin to my husband who has a love affair with pork, especially bacon!

3. I have a new theory about fried food....if you have to fry a food to make it edible, it is not food. The first food added to this theory group is catfish. Catfish is not edible unless it is fried, therefore it is not a food and I refuse to eat catfish, it totally grosses me out!

talk about gas station food, meat in the am

Project Pandemonium

I love projects, especially craft projects.  The problem is, I almost always buy a new project before I finish the last one...or the last 8.  Right now, I have a TON of projects, and I mean a ton!  Some I have had on hand for more than a year, some are newer and some are ongoing.  I think I am addicted.  I see great ideas in magazines or on TV and think...I can do that, so I buy the stuff to do it.  Well, effective today, I am officially on restriction from said purchasing activities until I finish ALL of the projects that I currently have in my house.  I do realize that it may mean I have to buy a couple of things to finish off the projects, but that is the only wiggle room I have.  So, in an effort to keep me accountable...here is the list of projects that I currently have waiting to be finished.

Sewing
1.  Christmas Countdown Tree (I saw this in a Pottery barn catalog and bought the stuff before last Christmas to make in time for last Christmas...still in the bag)
2.  Fleece Robes for the kids (bought before last winter, intended to be part of their Christmas gifts)
3.  SD's Halloween Costume - Aurora (I just bought this fabric)
4.  Summer dress for SD (was intended to be her outfit for her 4th birthday this past summer)
5.  Summer shorts for SD and Linus (again, intended for this past summer)
6.  Car Seat Organizers (I just bought this and want to try and get them made before we go to SA this Fall/Winter)

Needlework
1.  Nativity Figures (this will be an ongoing project, I got it this past year for my birthday and I intend to create a set each Christmas so that we can add to the collection, there are about 10 sets)
2.  Christmas Quilt (this is a baby afghan that I have been cross-stitching since BG and I got married, each square represents a year and has something to do with what happened that year, I am a couple of years behind and Christmas isn't stopping anytime soon)
3.  Needlepoint Purse for SD, we got this on clearance the other day, super cute and all PINK, for her to store stuff in



Scrapbooking
1.  I have an addiction to paper and 24 page workshops.  I host these as often as I can and do them at other times by myself.  It makes it really easy to get scrapbooking done, which is good since I am almost 3 full years behind now.  I recently purchased a bunch of paper packs when CTMH was having their big paper sale, and then again when the new papers came out, so I have 13 workshops that I need to do!
2.  3 years of scrapbooking behind!!!!!
3.  I want to do a book of our town and the places that we go
4.  I also have a scrapbook about me I need to do (from a Bible Study years ago, I did the Bible Study part, just not the scrapbook)
5.  Finish the scrapbook of my childhood pictures for my mom (part of a gift that started 5 years ago, hey...I got the other 3 siblings done, just not mine!)

As for prioritizing...I am trying to do 1-2 scrapbook workshops per week so that I can have them all done before my retreat in February.  I also need to have SD's costume done before Halloween and I would like to have the first round of needlepoint figurines done before my sister's wedding so that I can leave them in SA to be made into figurines before Christmas.

Closet Organization

 The "Yaffa" blocks now filled with BG's Hunting Clothes

The "dress-up" station

All SD's summer clothes (her winter clothes had to be stored in the attic)

The bottom half of her closet

Roller skates, suitcase and shoes!!!

SD was sleeping in her tent and it was the perfect opportunity to get some organizing done.  Her closet has needed some organization for a long time now!  I removed the "yafa" blocks and baskets that were in them and re-arranged the entire floor of the closet.  It seems so much roomier now and less cluttered.  We have been given so many clothes that I had to pack up all of her winter clothes and clothes for next summer and put them in the attic.  Thankfully, I was able to use the "Yafa" blocks in BG's hunting closet.  We have a utility closet that has the hot water heater and a utility sink.  There are shelves in there and we added a closet rod and hung all BG's clothes in there.  The problem is that when SD got her bunk beds, we had to move the "Wreath O Fun" into there and it really didn't work to have BG's clothes hang in front of it because the wreath is massive.  This gets all of his clothes away from the wreath and they are actually more accessible for him...just in time for hunting season!

Ironing Sheets

As a child, I remember my grandmother having her sheets ironed. I thought it was so weird, because you sleep on sheets. Then I inherited a set of those sheets in college, I was too young to care about if they were ironed or not. Now...I iron Linus' sheets! I know, I have lost my mind! I only iron the pillow cases and the border of his top sheet. His sheets are 100% cotton and the border looks awful if you don't iron it. I know...I am crazy...but look!





ironed pillow case

wrinkly pillow case, not pretty!

Back on Track

After my half marathon last weekend, my daily schedule went to pot! Follow up a half-marathon with a late night on Monday, and it doesn't turn out well for the rest of the week. Then, for the icing on the cake, my mom was in town. All of those distractions were wonderful and enjoyable, but being the Type A girl that I am, I was glad to get back on schedule.

Last week, I barely worked out. I didn't stay on top of my cleaning. I ate way too much junk. I stayed up too late. I slept in too much.

So, this week is all about getting back on track.

Monday started out a little rough, but I had the best plans. I packed my gym bag for yoga and got up only a little late. Unfortunately I had taken Friday off from work and decided that working through lunch was the best choice, so yoga didn't happen. I even cleaned the kitchen and windexed (my Monday chores) so that started the week off on a good foot. I was exhausted from the week so I went to bed early, which set Tuesday up nicely!

Tuesday, I was on! I got up early, before my alarm went off. I got my run in and it felt great! Then I did all of my Tuesday chores and went to bed at a decent hour. Mind you, the sweets consumption was at an all time high, stupid candy corn, they get me every time!

Wednesday, I actually dragged my butt out of bed to get to the gym by 5:45 and I so didn't want too! Unfortunately, I worked late, so it looks like tonight's chores will just have to wait until tomorrow, because I am one tired girl!

Evidence...

That I am not OCD...

And my Daughter does not have nearly enough bows!!

I got a wild hair this weekend and decided to organize all of her hair stuff! I got the bows arranged by color on her bow holders and her hair stuff, in a basket, with smaller baskets holding her rubberbands and clips! This is normal, right?

May Cleaning

So, since I am back on my cleaning kick, I thought I would start sharing with you what I do each month! Like I said, I have broken our house into 6 areas and I focus on one of them each month and then repeat! Nice how that works out, isn't it!! Here is my area focus:

Jan/Jul - Formal Rooms (living and dining room)
Feb/Aug - Kitchen
Mar/Sept - Bedrooms
Apr/Oct - Bathrooms
May/Nov - Main Areas
Jun/Dec - Playroom

So, May is the Main Areas in our house, which consist of the front hall, family room and the study. Although there are 5 weekends in May, one is out of commission because it is Linus' birthday party. Here is what I have for the month of May:

2nd - Family Room - baseboards, dust walls, TV Cabinet and Fireplace Mantle
9th - Study - Baseboards, pocket doors, dust walls and organize the closet
23rd - wipe down and vacuum all furniture
30th - English Oil and Re-organize Study Shelves/Desk

Last weekend I actually did do all that stuff, and it was nice to get that extra layer of dust off. This weekend will be focused on the study. The hardest part is going to be the closet for a couple of reasons. First, we just don't have a good system of organization in there. BG works from home a lot of the time and he keeps all of his files, etc at home. The closet has a lot of it and he has a lot of stuff. We have a built in closet unit in there, but it is mainly shelves. I don't know, it is going to be rough. I think I need to get some storage units and get it a little more hidden in there. I have a feeling that my label maker is going to be in full swing today!! I will take before and after shots if I remember!

Have a great day!

Cleaning Again

I was looking through my prayer journal and noticed my New Year's Resolutions/Hopes for 2009. One of my goals was to stay on my cleaning schedule. I am HORRIBLE with follow through, and this has been no exception! I have done pretty well with the beginning of the week, but by Thursday, aka bathroom day, I fall off the wagon. And as for my monthly deep cleaning, I have done okay on it, but not stellar.

I really felt like it was time for a re commitment to this particular goal. This is a great time to renew my dedication to cleaning, because I am on a 6 month rotating schedule, so I am about to be on round 2 of the plan. I think that women are called to be happy at home. I don't think that this necessarily means that you have to be a stay at home mom or wife, but I do think that it means that your primary focus (on Earth) should be your family and your home. I think these days we are so busy outside of the home, that we do not focus on our biggest investment. You spend lots of money paying for your house, why not keep it nice and why not spend your time there instead of spending money spending time elsewhere! So, off my soapbox and back to cleaning....

I clean a little every night and try to stay on top of it. It is so much easier for me to do a little every night than to waste an entire Saturday cleaning instead of spending time with my family. I think it is also good to get your kids involved. SD helps me almost every time I clean, if she is awake. Most of the time, I do my cleaning after the kids go to bed, usually from about 8-9 and then that gives me time to relax before I go to bed, whether it is watching TV/cuddling with BG, reading, or scrapbooking. Some days it doesn't get done, but I am trying to get better about just picking it up the next day, instead of letting it throw my whole routine off!

I read in my Bible Study recently that it is a good idea to have a cleaning caddy with the proper supplies in each room. I think I am going to modify this to be by day. See, I do all one cleaning action in a day, I don't do it by room. I think this is more effective, because I don't have to drag out all of my supplies each time and my house is only about 2,000 sq ft, so there is not THAT much ground to cover. I think if we had a two story house, it would be a little different, but since our house is one story, this works. The only problem with getting more cleaning caddies, is I just don't know where they would fit in my organized laundry room!

Have fun cleaning!

Travel Time

We just got back from being out of town for a while. We went to see my parents and participate in Fiesta, but more on that later. As I was running around like a chicken with its head cut of getting a family of 4 ready to leave town, I started thinking, why am I doing all this to go out of town? But when I got home, I was so thankful that I had done it! So, what was I doing to get ready? Well...

1. Change all of the sheets
2. Get all of the laundry done (including the sheets)
3. Clean out the fridge (we were going to be gone for 5 days)
4. No dishes in the sink
5. All papers, etc. filed away
6. Toys picked up
7. Kids, husband and self packed
8. Ironing finished
9. All trash taken out

The things I wanted to do, but ran out of time:
1. Clean the floors
2. Clean the bathrooms

It was so nice to come back to a semi-clean house and not be stressed about getting it all done before going to work on Monday. Good thing too, because we didn't get back on Sunday until 5 and the kids were a little on edge after being in the car for almost 5 hours. I just had to get to the grocery store to restock the fridge, and get right back on my cleaning schedule :)

So, what do you do before you go out of town?

Cake has order too!

For my birthday, BG had his sister's friend make me a cake! It was so yummy and had purple icing, my favorite color. Anyway, we let SD have a piece (and Linus got a couple bites) and she was so excited. My little OCD girl ate the purple icing, then the white icing, then the cake!

I just don't know where she gets it!

Overwhelmed

Do you ever feel totally overwhelmed by all the stuff that you need/want to do? I totally do! This is one of my biggest flaws! There is so much that I want to do and so many things that need to be done, that my task list is 10 miles long. This used to overwhelm me so much. I have tried various ways to "solve" the issue, all of which have made me worry/feel overwhelmed more. I have tried not having a list, ummm, that pretty much made me certifiably crazy. I have tried to do it all, again, crazy! The solution....

I have come to the realization that it might not all get done. I know, shocking! But this was a huge weight of my shoulders, and funny thing, I am getting more of it done now. When I started using the time that was freed of from not worrying about it anymore to actually do some of those tasks, they actually started getting done. I am also doing this awesome Bible Study courtesy of Lauri and it is really helping as well. The more I write down, the more gets done. The other day, the Bible Study also had me walk through the house, room by room, and create a "Tackle List" of things in each room that need to be done. BG thought I had lost my mind, but it was so helpful. You were also supposed to write down how long each thing will take and then when you have "x" number of spare minutes, tackle something. I didn't do that part, but I am slowly but surely tackling each item on my list and it gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. There is not much that is greater than crossing something off your list as complete, at least for a Type A like myself!

What Happens When Mommy is Away

I ran a bunch of errands last weekend and so BG was at home with the kids. They took naps for most of the time, but after SD got up, and BG was still doing some home repairs, evidently SD took all of the buckets out of her storage unit and....

The funny thing is that she organized her dress up clothes in the empty boxes!

I don't know where she gets it!

Fixing the Sink

As part of my focus this month, the kitchen, I had it on my task list to clean out under the sink. So I took everything out and was wiping it down with the Clorox wipes, when I found a leak. Of course, it turned out to be a bigger project than expected, but nothing that BG couldn't handle! Once we finally got the right parts, etc. it was operating better than before and the disposal now does not throw up in the other sink when you run it.

Because of the part issue, the contents from under the sink spent a good deal of time on the kitchen floor. Thankfully, SD didn't really mess with them and Linus can't move just yet! But, what did SD do, well she organized them of course!



Lining up the spray bottles.

Organizing the soaps/

And last but not least, lining up everything!

The cool thing is that now underneath my sink is really clean and really organized!

Circle, meet Square

I was very fortunate to meet with one of my really good friends last week. She is one of my best adult friends (meaning that we met as adults, not college, etc.). We used to go to church together and since we moved to the other side of town, she is the one that I have seen the most of! She is a great friend and met me more than halfway to just hang out. She has also come over to our house, more times than I have ventured her way!

We met up at a Starbucks and actually closed the place down (they close at 10:30 evidently). We easily could have talked another couple hours, but were force to leave by the friendly barista. I guess it was a good thing, because it was a "school night." As we were sitting there talking she said she couldn't believe that we were such good friends, because we are pretty much opposites. As she puts it, she is a circle and I am a square. Pretty much everything about how we do things is different, but that is what makes our friendship so much fun! We each bring something different to the table and in a sense, complete each other. We did decide though, that we are just opposite ends of the same crazy spectrum!

She is also like a mentor to me, although she is just a little older than I am, she is much wiser! She is a fabulous mom, wife and an amazing Christian. I know that I can always ask her for advise in those areas! I do miss living closer to her, but thankfully, our friendship has survived the distance. Now if she up a chooses to move somewhere crazy, I might have to re-think! Just kidding!

Works for Me Wednesday - Ironing

Since I am totally in to cleaning, I thought I would post about it once a week, you know, give little tips, etc. So my friend Erin told me I should do the Works for Me Wednesday thing, so here it goes!

One thing that really helps me with my ironing, is to sort it before I do it. Let me explain. As I get clothes out of the dryer, I sort them, on my hanging rack, first between whose they are. Mine, my husband's, my kids, etc. Then within each large category, I sort them by clothing item. So, in my husband's group, there are pants, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, etc.

This makes it nice for a couple of reasons. First, it gives me little goals to accomplish, i.e. I finished all of his pants! This breaks up the big job of ironing into little attainable chunks so I don't get overwhelmed. The other reason I do this, is because it makes it so much easier to put them away. I have all of the pants together and I can hang them all at once instead of hanging each piece of clothing in the closet. This really helps because while our closet is a good size, we have a fair number of clothes to put away, so there is always smooshing involved to fit the clean clothes. After typing this, I realized that this only really matters if your closet is organized. Mine of course is, Type A - I can't help it, even down to the hangers, only white tubular and I have different kinds for different types of clothes. I know, I know, I need help!

The other thing I do with ironing, is I do all of the clothes before I hang them in the closet. This way, there is not a rush to do it before someone needs to wear it. I also try and do it right after I wash the clothes so that it doesn't become too daunting of a task!

The First of the Month

The first of the month is a busy time at our house. That is the day that we change everything. BG does most of it, but I do some of it as well. We change the air filters, give the dog their heart worm and flea medicine, change the bathroom stuff that wears out (razors, toothbrush, etc.). We are creatures of habit and live by schedules. It is nice to start out the month feeling refreshed and like everything that was worn out is new. It gives us a chance to start fresh, start over and try new things.

What do you do on the first of the month? Do you start a new exercise routine? Start eating healthy? Start a new cleaning schedule? How do you remember to change all of those things that need changing?

Cleaning Schedule

Monday - Front Rooms (Formal LR & DR), Floors (sweep & mop), Study

Tuesday - Laundry, Iron, Kids Rooms, Vacuum (the day I work from home)

Wednesday - Bathrooms

Thursday - Playroom

Friday - Kitchen, Laundry

Saturday - Floors, Iron, Windex, and Dust



The night before the day I worked from home I did bigger stuff since I didn't have to get dressed the next morning, I could wake up a little later. Also, the day I work from home, I can multi task, like do laundry while I work, so I usually do!



When I do a room, like the front rooms for example, I pick up, dust and windex if need be. When I say floors, I have all hard floors in my house, so this is all of the hard floors, unless that "room" is done another day. For example, the playroom, I will do those floors when I do the playroom.

Addiction Recovery

They say the first step to overcoming an addiction is to admit it, so here I go. I am addicted to lists. I make lists for everything. I have pads of paper all over my house with various lists on them. I add things to my list, just so I can cross them off, it gives me a rush! While on maternity leave, I even made a list of projects I wanted to get done while I am home, never mind that I have a two year old and a newborn. I don't even have to write my lists down, I even keep some filed away in my head, there is always a running list.

The next step, overcoming my addiction. I am trying to stop making physical lists. I can't really stop the ever growing list in my head, but at least I can try and stop the cycle of writing them down. I will probably have to return to making them once I get back to work, so I can keep everything straight. Why you ask am I doing this? Well, they stress me out. I look at them and see all that I have not accomplished and get worked into a tizzy. I am trying really hard to be a source of peace for my family and I can't do this if I am stressed out. Like I said, I still have my mental list and I try and work through a couple of things on that list as time allows. But I am really trying to just take things as the come and do stuff as it pops into my head. So, can you help keep me accountable? Ask me when the last time I made a list was when you talk to me or email me. Don't ask about my grocery list because really I have to have one of those! Anyway, this is one of my steps into letting go of my OCD and Type-A personality and trying to live in the moment, even when that moment is a whiny toddler and a screaming newborn! God wants me to enjoy every minute, not just the rosy ones!

The Clean Team

I have come to the conclusion that clean/neat does not mean the same for everyone. What I mean is that when you say someone is really neat or clean, there are different types. I have observed the following:

Messy Clean
This describes my MIL. She cleans the most out of anyone that I know, but she is a mess!!! Let me explain, when she does stuff, she makes a mess, but since the cleans so much you would never know it unless she does it at your house. She was cooking at our house a while back and when I came home, I noticed that there was flour in weird places, spots of who knows what on the counter, etc. (not that I am complaining, just observing here) The thing is, I am sure she wiped up a little, but expected it to really get cleaned when I did my cleaning . This is not the case, because I am a different kind of clean (see below). My husband is this way as well. He can not, not make a complete mess when doing anything, he shakes spices from 10 feet above the pan and can't believe that it doesn't all make it in the pan. On the same note though, he does a good job of "cleaning" his areas (read garage or outside) when he is done.

Cluttered Clean
This describes my mom. She has stuff everywhere, nick knacks, pictures, baskets, etc. but she is always cleaning. Always wiping down the counters after every time she is in the kitchen. Constantly cleaning something, but there is clutter, so it doesn't always seem as "clean" as it would if there were not so much stuff.

Me, well, I am totally OCD and do both. I call myself

OCD Clean, De-Cluttered, Really Needs Therapy for this stuff
Let me explain how I clean/obsess. I am a total no-clutter person, well let me rephrase, if there is clutter, it has a file. That is how I roll. Everything has a place and it has to be there, not on some random counter or I pretty much will have a melt down. I clean constantly, I am constantly wiping down counters, sweeping up a mess, vacuuming, dusting, something. I have dark hard woods and it about sends me to the loony bin to see dust on them which is very visible when it is sunny outside. This is slightly hard to maintain with an almost 2 year old, but I try. They funny thing is that she is picking up on it, I think she likes that she knows where stuff is, etc. I even clean her playroom every night and the toys go back in the same place every time! I let it go last night only because I worked late and I couldn't even look in there this morning, one day is about as long as I can let it go. I have gotten better about deep cleaning every weekend, but only slightly, and while I may be able to leave it for a while, it makes me crazy every time I see it. Also, I don't make messes when I do stuff, I do them neatly, or if I spill something, it does not sit there for any amount of time, it is immediately cleaned up. This works really well for me, because then I don't have to scrub and deep clean all of the time if it is always clean. This does cause slight complications when I live with a man who doesn't do this and his mom who is at our house during the week doesn't do it either. Oh, well, I guess it is a small sacrifice to make.

What kind of clean are you? Do you have any other types of clean?

OCD at it's Finest

Does this bother anyone else? In our new house, our bedroom furniture is in a different arrangement than it was in our last house, go figure, since it is a different house. We of course, being the typical accountants that we are, kept our same side of the bed (if we didn't, I think I would have to breathe into a bag). But now, the dressers are on the wrong side of the room. BG's dresser is now closer to my side of the bed, and my dresser is on his side. A normal person would probably change dressers, or say, "Does it really need to be close to your side of the bed? It is not like you need to change clothes in the middle of the night." But it just bothers me. That is all for now!