{Organizational Thursday:The Put Together Pantry}

About two years ago the hubby and I decided our chaotic, overly scheduled, disorganized life was in need of some major simplification. One of the ways we decided to do that was by meal planning. Since beginning our weekly meal planning, we’ve found that we don’t buy as much and that we don’t need as much. Now that we’ve got meal planning down to a science, it was time to organize other things, like the pantry! More often than not we find ourselves buying food that we already have stuffed in the back of the pantry.  In an effort to simplify and streamline our meal planning a pantry re-do was in order. Time for a change!




We have a relatively small pantry with pull-out drawers, which makes organizing somewhat challenging. After devising a plan, it was time to put it into action. We figured that the easiest way to organize our pantry was to divide each drawer into a “section.” We decided that the top drawer would be for baked goods, second drawer for canned goods (mostly things used to cook dinner), third drawer for lunch supplies (tuna fish, canned pineapple, pretzels, animal cookies) and the fourth and final drawer would be for the kids' healthy snack bins. The kids know that if it’s in the snack bin, it's mommy-approved.





We bought clear bins for all of our dry foods with the idea that we’d be able to SEE what we have. When in doubt, always go clear. If you can’t see it, either 1) it won’t get used or 2) you’ll buy multiples because you’ll think you need it.  We also clearly labeled all of our bins. We have a son with food allergies so it’s VERY important that we have everything clearly marked. All of his foods were marked with a big GF, for gluten-free, and given a green dot. He knows if there’s a green dot, it’s a “green light” o.k.-to-eat food.







After reorganizing the pantry, we couldn’t believe how much extra space we had. I am SO thrilled with how it all came together. Truth be told, I REALLY don’t like messes and this was a messy project. I’m glad I stuck with it, though. I hope this little overhaul inspires you to clear out those bulky boxes, get those shelves cleaned off and get organized!

If you’re pumped and motivated to get your pantry re-do going, here are some tips.
1) De-clutter - Clean out those cabinets, toss expired or stale foods and clean off those shelves.
2) Divide and Conquer - Divide everything into sections. Like items with like items, all cereals together, all snack foods together - you get the idea. Devise a plan and get ready to put it into action.
3) Restock - Pull out those super cute containers and baskets you bought. It’s time to pretty up that pantry! Use baskets to store cereal, crackers or cookie boxes. Use metal containers for those sticky things like honey and maple syrup.
4) Enjoy - Take a step back and enjoy the beauty that is your newly organized pantry. Way to go!


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{Organizing Dress Up Clothes}

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day.  We sure did.  It was a crazy, hectic day.  Both kids had school yesterday so I was back and forth between classes volunteering at one party and dropping off goodies at the next.  It was a long but very fun day.  We had lots of visitor's throughout the day too.  Grandparents and neighborhood friends came by to drop off goodies for the kids.  These children are loved, that's for sure!  Dave and I were joking about whether it was Christmas or Valentine's with all the loot they got.  

Gettin' their grub on at A's classroom party.  You can see her teacher whizzing by in the background.  Everything goes so quick during those parties and we only had 18 kiddos there.  

Our day wasn't complete until Daddy got home.  He does all the cooking and he made a great meal last night.  We had Eggplant Parmigiana served over gluten free noodles and a glass of red wine.  I got a pair of REALLY cute red TOMS.  And we watched our favorite "Charlie Brown Valentines"  We enjoyed that up until Benjamin came down with a fever, a sore throat and a tummy ache.  We managed to get the fever until control quickly and he was fine.  He woke up this morning happy little Ben and that makes for one happy mama.  

I knew having had a long night last night, today would be a quiet day.  We lounged in our jammies and finished up some classwork.  I love quiet days, especially since yesterday was so busy.  This afternoon while the kiddos were playing I managed to get a bit of organizing done.  

Yesterday was my bi-weekly Target shopping trip. I only bought three things on my shopping trip.  One of those was an area rug marked down from $70 to $49, thank you Target.  And the other two items were under bed storage boxes for Ava's closet.

Her "dress-ups" as the kids call them, have been hanging in her closet taking up some much needed space.  The dresses tend to be poofy and were just always in the way.  I've been looking around for a while for the perfect storage container for those dresses and accessories.  It needed to be  light enough for her to maneuver herself and be able to be within her reach.  So, yesterday I found the perfect thing.  Under bed storage boxes!  They were $13.99 each so not totally outrageous.  I got to work!  First thing, I folded up all the dresses, placing the larger, fuller dresses on the bottom of the box. 

There's a ton of room in these boxes.  I was surprised that I was able to fit all 10 of her dresses in there. 

The first box was solely for the dress up clothes.  The second box was for all the accessories.  A girl's gotta have her shoes, purses and jewels, right?  The shoes and purses were just placed in the box but her princess organizer seemed to fit perfectly, so that went in too.  

A peek inside the organizer.  A spot for her necklaces, bracelets, rings and er...eye patches?

We also had a second princess suitcase which I filled with all the extras like sunglasses, microphones, phones, crowns.  Basically, anything you'd need if you were a princess, doctor or superstar.  

Now, when friends come to play, we have a portable dress up case.  Perfect to grab and go!   Next project... finish up her closet.  

Make sure you join me tomorrow for a VERY special post on pantry organization.  See you then!

{My Day Just Got A Bit Brighter}

Sorry for the delay in posting.  I finally went to the Dr. on Thursday to have my foot checked and am now wearing a removable cast.  They believe it's a stress fracture and that I tore my ligaments.  I bet you're wondering how all this came to play?  That would be training for my first 5K.  Heading into my second week of training, yes I said second week.  Clumsy me.  Anyhow, I rolled my ankle. Feeling no pain, I kept running and walking on it.  Within a week it was swollen and had no range of movement. The worst part of it all is not being able to get around as quickly as I'd like to.  I know...blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine.  That's enough of my pity party!  

It's raining here in San Diego.  Never can make up it's mind, sunny and 75 degrees one week then rainy and cold the next.  This week, I guess we're going cold.  My favorite apple scented candles are burning away and you bet the fireplace will be lit tonight. Today was a quiet and uneventful day until the doorbell rang.  "Ding-Ding"  I was helping the little one on the potty, so I couldn't make it to the door.  But once I did, low and behold...in all it's glory!  

The excitement started building...it was MY....FIRST PUBLISHED WORK!!!!  I could hardly contain myself.  I managed to not jump up and down leading to further injury. :)  I did give out a giant scream!  "It's here, it's here!!!"  My poor kids, they had no clue  what I was babbling about.  So...

Here' it is... the January 2012 Home Decor Edition.

I was so excited to have my actual piece and the the magazine that I haven't even looked through the box of goodies.  Woot!  My day just got a little brighter.  :)

{Valentine's Decor Round Up}

Nursing a sprained ankle today so I'm posting from the couch, foot propped up on a pile of pillows and icing away.  The upside?  Getting to Pin some seriously awesome stuff!  If you don't already follow me on Pinterest, find me here.

Source: themcclenahans.blogspot.com via Jess on Pinterest

Let's start with my favorite from one of my favorite blogs.  If you haven't read Jess' blog,

you need to now.  Besides having AMAZING style, she has an AMAZING heart.  I can't 

pinpoint {pun intended} what it is that I love so much about this set-up, I think it's just 

PERFECT!

Source: google.com via Jess on Pinterest

I love bunting, honestly who doesn't? The letters are great, the vintage valentine's are great and red & white baker's twine-great too! I can so see myself setting something like that up to take pictures of my kiddos. Then again, I can see myself chasing my son and the crying ensuing.  Never mind, it's just pure eye-candy!

Source: etsy.com via Jess on Pinterest

This one is a keeper.  This would be perfect on our family room gallery wall.   And I love the red, black and white, of course.  

Source: shelleyreynolds.blogspot.com via Jess on Pinterest

Again, lovin' the red, black and white-the perfect combo!  I really like those little cupcakes too-I may need to get some of those :)  Oh, I just noticed the chocolate kisses sitting on the mantle-too cute!

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Jess on Pinterest

This is really simple and cute. It would be easy to make.

.  

Just a few decor ideas to get your creative juices flowin.'  Tune in tomorrow for some a crafty Valentine's roundup!  Have a sweet day!

{Project Life Tuesday & A Free Printable}

This week has been crazy busy with deadlines to meet, homeschooling packets to finish up, papers to grade and conferences to prepare for.  I just didn't have an extra 20 minutes to put together a quick layout but I did manage to get together a few pictures of our week.  

We took a trip to IKEA this week and came home about $130 lighter.  We found this table in their "as-is" section for $25.  A steal, for sure!  The second we got it home, my son went right to work putting the chairs together.

Once we had that done, I left the room to get a few things done in the office and heard lots of giggling and chit chatting so I poked my head out to find this. Ava had set up a tea party for Benj and her American Girl dolls, complete with a trash bag tablecloth :) 

Laundry Day!  While Daddy thought it was important to bring Benj. to get the tires changed, I thought it was equally important to teach him how to fold the laundry.  

Another highlight of our week was gearing up for the Superbowl.  I didn't know what I was more excited about; the food, the commercials or the Pat's playing.  The menu consisted of Bratwurst's cooked in beer and chips & guacamole, which we munched on the entire game.   

Okay, so the Patriot's didn't win and my throat was sore from yelling at the t.v. and my kids were bummed because their team didn't win. Amongst it all, I still had one high of the day...

my son falling asleep in my arms.  Not even a Patriot's win could beat that!  

Here's a freebie, just for you!  Perfect to add to your Project Life albums.  If you'd like more freebies, follow my blog as I will be adding one each week.  

Have a sweet day!

{Valentine Decor & A Craft}

Yesterday was filled with a little decorating and a little craftiness.  I finally had a chance to  pull the Valentine's decor out of the garage.  I decided to only take out half our decorations and keep it simple.  I put a few decorations in the kids room but mostly everything's in the family room.  

Simple decor on the fireplace and mantel.  

A cute printable here.

A mini banner there.

A scrapbook layout and some holiday books on top of the toy shelf.  

Some of our favorite Valentine's books or even just books about love.  I basically love anything by P.K. Hallinan.  All the books have a fantastic message about loving and caring for yourself and others.  I highly recommend them.  "Oh My Baby, Little One"  is such a GREAT book.  This was one of those books I grabbed at the store for my daughter to look at when mommy needed to get the shopping done and it turned out to be the GREATEST.  O.k., I already mentioned that :)  But, seriously...it's really good.  It's about the love between a mommy and her child and how the love that they share is so great that it surrounds them even when they are apart for the day.  What's also really cool about this book is a heart is hidden on mostly every page.  

I used this book when helping my daughter transition into preschool.  I bought a sheet of heart stickers and would put one on her shirt, or in her shoe to let her know that Mommy's love was always with her no matter where she was.  Even now, when I know she's feeling a little unsure of herself or needs a boost of confidence, I give her a heart sticker as a reminder.  She stills LOVES it and she's almost a big 7 years old!  Long tangent over....back to the decor.  

I added a small banner to the shelf in the kids room.  A. and I agree that it's so perfect in there-it may need to stay.  Who wouldn't love a bit of Valentine's all year round?  And, with the house all decorated and ready for our day of love, it was time to get our craft on!

{December Class Craft}

Somehow, I was looped into organizing and teaching the craft for party days in my daughter's class.  In December, I volunteered to put together a craft for the kiddos to take home and do with their family.  Well, when I arrived in class to drop off the kits to the kids, Ava's teacher caught me off guard and asked me to give the class their kits and teach them how to do it, NOW.  O.k....again totally off guard.  

Anyhow, it went VERY well-short, simple and sweet.  They were done in about 5-10 minutes and were completely pleased with the work they had done.  The teacher came to me and said "you're doing every craft from now on...that's exactly what they needed, a simple and quick project they can all do-no matter if they're artistic or not."  So...I guess that's how I was looped into this gig.  My daughter gets a big kick out of seeing mommy teach and I get a big kick out of seeing my daughter's smile :)

Mission: Create a quick & simple craft for first graders.  It needs to hold the kid's Valentine's.

Project: Tissue paper hearts glued onto a white paper sack.  Easy!  

Here's the how-to.  I've also done a couple of adaptations for the younger age group. 

Gather your supplies: precut hearts {cut on my cricut}, Elmer's school glue, glue stick, scissors, several pieces of tissue paper {the printed tissue paper comes out really cool}, pencil and white paper sack {found at most craft stores}.  And, yes-that is a muffin tin.  I gave the kids an old muffin tin to organize their craft supplies.  They LOVE it because they can see everything they have to work with.  

Step 1:  Pick out your heart die cut.  Grab one piece of tissue paper and wrap it up around the top of your pencil.  

Step 2: Dip it into the glue.  Do not use a lot, as too much will make the tissue mushy.  

Step 3: Gently stick tissue onto the paper heart.  Working your way from the outside in.  

Once your heart is all filled in, use the glue stick and stick onto the white paper bag.  You can do this step first, if you'd like.  The only reason I didn't is because I didn't want the kids to be distracted by the paper sack.  I just wanted them to focus on their craft at hand.  

{A. with her finished bag}

Here's one for the younger crowd.  My son's 3 and didn't want to have anything to do with  the project above.  The quicker the project, the happier the boy. He doesn't slow down for much.  :)  If you that's your child, check this out!

{"Stained glass" hearts}

For this project, you need the same supplies listed above AND some clear contact paper. 

You can find this at Target in the kitchen section.  

Step 1: Cut a small piece of clear contact paper off the roll.  

Step2: Fold it in half

Step 3: Cut a heart shape along the fold so you have this...

 Step 4: Cut TWO of the same size heart.  You will need a top AND a bottom.  


Step 5: Peel the backing off one of your hearts. Once you have that let your child design their "stained glass"  Place pieces of tissue paper all over the sticky heart to create a design. 


Step 6: Peel the backing off of the other contact paper heart and gently place it over your child's design, almost like you're laminating it.  Press down to smooth any bubbles.  Hang it up on a window and ENJOY!!!

Hope you enjoyed this craft!  If you questions or if you decide to do this with your child, I'd love to see it.  Email me at brixtonlane@gmail.com.  

Happy Superbowl weekend!!!