The Evolution of Our Schoolroom

I've never been one to leave stuff alone!  Like ever!!!  After I "finish" a room Graham asks his age-old question, "How long will it stay this way?"  I can never know for sure how long I'll keep a space one certain way.  If you visit my home, chances are it'll look different from your previous visit.  That's me!  I was the kid who rearranged her bedroom once a month--just ask my parents! It's not that I'm constantly spending money to re-do things, but I move stuff around often, add, take-away, sell stuff, replace stuff...change!  There are a number of reasons why rooms change around here, but mainly it's to better fit our needs.  That's especially true for our office/schoolroom.

First time around:  I painted my childhood desk, painted the walls brown, and added some personal touches. At the time, I thought I really liked it and I probably did.  Now...not so much! :)  These pics make me cringe just a little!

Take two: I repainted the walls to lighten the space up, added the girls' desks, purchased some shelving from IKEA, and prepared the room for our homeschooling adventure.

Take three: I added my Instagram photos to the "H" and a few more school items.

And presently... 

I rearranged the room by moving the desk and shelving.

We purchased another bookshelf from IKEA.

I moved our filing cabinet from the closet to the office.  Man, I sure wish it was tan and not black! That's sure to change!! :)

It just makes sense that our files are next to my desk.  Before, I would walk across the house to file things away or grab papers that I needed--not user-friendly at all.

I added some IKEA curtains that had stashed in the attic.

 I added one of Mamaw's little frames to my desk.

 I'm still loving my Instagram pics displayed on the "H".

I added more organizational bins!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to organize!!!!!

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Like I said earlier, things are ever-changing around here.  Case in point: the entryway is now on it's 210th look!!!  It's morphed too many times to count and now it serves as a workplace for the girls!!  I'll be posting about the "new" table (and make-over) and entryway re-do in the coming weeks.

 Are you a "decorate and leave it alone" person? Or, are you like me? Do you change it up often?  

Be warned:  This room is sure to change again!!  I'll be sure to keep you posted when it does!

Weekly To-Do List

I shared my weekly to-do list in a previous post and several people have commented or asked me about it.  I didn't realize it would spark so much interest.

Do you really do everything on the list?

Do you print it off each week?

Do you add things to the list?

That's crazy!

You're so funny.  

You make me laugh.

I could never do that.

We are all wired differently. It's what makes us unique.  

Yes, I print this list off every week.  Yes, I try to complete each task.  Yes, I add to the list.  Yes, I mark off things I add to the list...because I'm weird like that.  Yes, I'm crazy. 

In all honestly, I'm completely scatterbrained.  If I don't have a list to go by, I get off course.  The way for me to stay organized and balanced is to keep a list of weekly to-dos so I don't get overloaded. 

And about the weekly activities...

I've compiled a list of activities so my kids don't do the same thing everyday.  It's goofy, but it keeps us from getting in a rut.

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Up next: Weekly A Day in the Life {Tuesday}

For more posts in this series, 31 Days of Balance as a Homeschool Mom, click HERE

Getting Organized {and staying that way}

No bones about it--I love to organize.  Some people like to scrapbook, some people like to garden, some cook. My thing is cleaning and organizing.  It's how I'm wired.  In turn, if my house isn't organized and cleaned, I feel anything but balanced.

For me, everything has a designated place. It makes staying organized much easier.  Yes, I have a "junk drawer"...if you want to call it that. But even so, it's organized with bins for change, pens, scissors, etc. 

Oh! And where would I be without my trusty LABEL MAKER!?!  It's my best organizing friend!


I've posted on the topic of organization several times, so I won't repeat myself too much.  Check out these posts if you are interested in reading more:
Coat Closet Transformation to School Closet
Put a Label on It

weekly to-do list

 

I have a printed weekly to-do list that really helps me stay balanced.  Each week, I print off my list and cross through the tasks as I get them accomplished.  

Another way that I stay organized is to pick up the house before leaving or going to bed.  That means occasionally I'm late places due to rushing through the house putting things away, but I also come home to a "picked up" house and it's so nice.  Rarely do I go to bed without everything being put away.

*I know some of you are thinking I'm coo coo for cocoa puffs, but like I said, it's my thing.  It's how I'm wired. And to answer the question--Yes, it is necessary. I'm scatterbrained.  If I don't have these systems in place then life is chaotic and I crumble.  I am easily overwhelmed and being extremely organized eases the tension and helps me stay balanced.

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Up next: Reading Lessons and Books We're Reading

For more posts in this series, 31 Days of Balance as a Homeschool Mom, click HERE.

makeshift office

Graham's new "office" is a tad bit comical, but a good bit practical.

In a nut shell:

• For years, he has been waking up around 5AM and working/studying at the kitchen table while the rest of us sleep.
• At the end of the work day, his laptop and bag, iPad, etc. pile up in one of the kitchen chairs. *I hate it!
• On Thursday, he goes to Tyler to a coffee shop for some uninterrupted sermon prep time away from the church office.

This summer, I made it my mission to find an old executive/roll top/or secretary's desk to go in our bedroom for a nice, quiet work space for G in the mornings and on Thursdays.  I totaled up that it would save us around 50 bucks a month if he would work from home on Thursdays instead of going to Tyler.  

I let the ball drop on the desk hunt and let a good deal slip through my fingers but, I remembered an old laptop desk/chair I had stored in the attic from my school teaching days.  For a quick solution, I put it in our master closet (equipped with outlets and air vent).  To my surprise, Graham loved his little getaway. 

Since the trial run went so well, I jazzed the small space up a bit for a little fun.  I thought G would think it was cheesy, but he absolutely loves it! 

I moved our coats from his side of the closet, rolled the small laptop desk into the tiny nook, added a lamp, a filing cabinet, hung some framed photos, and this little makeshift office getaway was complete!

  

 

Since our closet is in the furthermost part of the house it is absolutely quiet which makes for a perfect workspace complete with all you can drink coffee!

Cheesy?  Maybe.  Practical and Savvy?  Oh yeah!


 It's Overflowing, Be Different...Act Normal, Tater Tots and Jello, Six Sisters Stuff, The Shabby Nest, Craft Dictator, Redoux, Texas Women Bloggers

put a LABEL on it

By now, I'm sure many of you have heard of  the "Put a Bird on It" short made popular a couple of years ago by Portlandia.  Basically, this post has nothing to do with that skit. It's just a lame segue to my post title, "Put a Label on It". See how I did that?

Here's a better seque:

Any lovers of the sitcom, The Big Bang Theory?  It's one of our favorite shows.  Sheldon is a label-making fool. 

Sheldon: Wait, put this in the bathroom.
Leonard: What for?
Sheldon: I need to measure my fluid intake and output to make sure my kidneys aren't shutting down.
Leonard: I mix pancake batter in this!
Sheldon: No, that measuring cup has always been for urine.
Leonard: You had time to make a label for everything in this apartment, including the label maker, but you didn't have ten seconds to make a label that said "urine cup"?
Sheldon: It's right here on the bottom.
Leonard: Huh, I guess I owe the Betty Crocker Company a letter of apology.

Also... 

Last week, Howard told Bernadette: not only does Sheldon have a label on his label maker, but on the label maker's label, in a teeny-tiny font, are the letters l-a-b-e-l.  

Love me some Sheldon.  I realize he's a fictional character, but he's a man after my own heart.

Graham pokes fun at me about my labels, but he secretly loves it (really!) and here's why...

 Here it is...in all it's glory!

One of my spring cleaning jobs included updating all of the labels around the house...Happy, happy, happy!

  

school closet 

pantry

In my closet, I cut scrapbook paper and printed my labels on opaque craft paper.

 

my closet

 same thing in the girls' closet

I've got a few friends, who shall remain nameless, that tease me about my label/bin obsession.  It's true, I've got labels/bins in every closet/drawer, but I'm a freak-a-zoid for organization.  Bins/labels/sharpie markers/and everything else organization--it's just my thing!

Life is much easier when you #putalabelonit!

Coat Closet Transformation

 The entry way of our home has a coat closet that is directly across from my office/schoolroom.  Since the office is quite small, I turned the coat closet into a schoolroom extention/storage space.

I removed the bar for hanging coats and added two more shelves...

 I put scrapbook paper in my plastic storage drawers a while ago.  I love it because it hides all of the stuff inside and it's easy to change the look.  Got the idea from Pinterest, duh!

two added shelves

Finished product!!!

We are getting so excited to start our homeschooling adventure.  Our official start date is September 10th!  As always, I'll keep you posted!

{crock-pot}Meals & {life}Planner

First of all, if you aren't on Pinterest, you need to sign-up now....Go!  Hurry!

A few weeks ago, I pinned some crockpot meals.

I had to try a couple of those recipes and I planned my grocery list accordingly.

The other night, I compiled the ingredients for Chicken Curry and Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken.  

It took about 30 minutes to chop, mix, and store the ingredients.

I loaded the ingredients into freezer bags and put them away for later.  

Yesterday, I pulled the Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken out of the freezer and put it in the Crock-Pot (cooked on low for 8 hours).  I'm going to show you the finished product in a bit, but before I do, I had to take a minute to show you this...

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I got a new{life}planner.  I've been reading some recent blog posts on planners (everybody has the same idea these days).  I would have loved one like this or this, but mine works great too.  Next year, I may need to jump on the Erin Condren bandwagon and get a coupon for one of her awesome {life}planners because they are just too cute plus very useful!  I can't even begin to explain how much I love pens, paper, markers, paperclips, O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N, etc.  SO, my new planner has fulfilled my obsession.........for now anyway.

Now that that's out of the way........

Here's last night's dinner:

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

This meal was a hit. 

What's Under My Bed...

...lot of bins filled with lots of clothes

It's true, I have been saving certain clothes along the way for Edy to hopeful wear SOMEDAY!

Unfortunately, the girls were born at totally different times of the year and a lot of the clothes don't coordinate with the current size and/or season that Edy needs.  But, there is quite a bit that we can make work.

The best part are all of the shoes and coats that were saved.  That will be a big money saver!

The crazy side of me is a little disappointed that AG doesn't have matching outfits to go with the stuff that Edy can wear, but I might be able to come up with some cute coordinating looks! *even better*

This is just another fabulous perk to having awesome little girlies!

I pulled out an old nightgown of AG's for Edy.  She was SO excited to have a princess nightgown to match her big sister's.

I also came across the old squeaker shoes we loved so much. *sarcasm*  Remember those?  AG got a new pair for Christmas, but they were a little too big.  Thankfully, they fit perfectly now! JOY! *again...sarcasm*  Here is a video of the girls getting acquainted with their new kicks!

Just in case you are wondering, those darn squeakers are very easily removed!