Friday, February 8, 2013
My Sweet Pregnancy Essential - 28 Weeks
Super adorable slip on shoes!!! These are a must for the last trimester- when it's getting tough to bend over and tie laces or do buckles. You can still feel super lovely in a low heeled pair of slip on mules.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Conquering Clutter Monday
Okay, I am going to be completely honest here today- I am letting you in to a dirty secret that I try desperately to control. I have a paper clutter issue... Let's say that it wouldn't be too over the top to classify my little problem as 'bordering on hoarding' paper. I watch that show Hoarders- and feel sympathy for the guy who has amassed a huge collection of useless newspapers over the years... It's bad!
Needless to say, having four children doesn't help matters much when they are bringing home all kinds of cute artwork, quizzes, and lovely school papers. Plus, having children puts me in a perpetual time crunch! I had to find a strategy that would help me work through this problem! Especially since I don't want my children to pick up this problem and think it's okay to live like this.
Here are some clutter management tips that I've found to work for me:
Don't bring unnecessary clutter inside the house. How I've employed this strategy is that I open my mail next to my recycle bin. Any junk mail and flyers go directly into the recycle bin, it doesn't make it into the house.
Today, I actually took about 20-30 minutes of the morning- after dropping off the kids and grabbing a huge cup of coffee, to declutter my kitchen counter. This space has become an easy catch-all for paper clutter items. It's right by the door as you come in- so it's quite an eye sore. I started by grabbing an empty plastic container to dump all the recycling, and organized all of the mail into piles- bills, bank statements, etc. Then I opened all the mail and recycled any envelopes and excess papers. I store my paper shredder close by this area, this makes it convenient to get rid of anything containing personal info.
The cardinal rule of organization is that 'everything must have a place.'Recipes go in the recipe box, bills, and important papers can be stored in a large filing system like an accordion style filing folder or a large binder. I even am starting a coupon area. Knowing everything has a designated area makes it a lot less stressful.
I'm always working on my clutter issues, but today is a step forward- it's sweet progress... And it feels good!
Needless to say, having four children doesn't help matters much when they are bringing home all kinds of cute artwork, quizzes, and lovely school papers. Plus, having children puts me in a perpetual time crunch! I had to find a strategy that would help me work through this problem! Especially since I don't want my children to pick up this problem and think it's okay to live like this.
Here are some clutter management tips that I've found to work for me:
Don't bring unnecessary clutter inside the house. How I've employed this strategy is that I open my mail next to my recycle bin. Any junk mail and flyers go directly into the recycle bin, it doesn't make it into the house.
Today, I actually took about 20-30 minutes of the morning- after dropping off the kids and grabbing a huge cup of coffee, to declutter my kitchen counter. This space has become an easy catch-all for paper clutter items. It's right by the door as you come in- so it's quite an eye sore. I started by grabbing an empty plastic container to dump all the recycling, and organized all of the mail into piles- bills, bank statements, etc. Then I opened all the mail and recycled any envelopes and excess papers. I store my paper shredder close by this area, this makes it convenient to get rid of anything containing personal info.
The cardinal rule of organization is that 'everything must have a place.'Recipes go in the recipe box, bills, and important papers can be stored in a large filing system like an accordion style filing folder or a large binder. I even am starting a coupon area. Knowing everything has a designated area makes it a lot less stressful.
I'm always working on my clutter issues, but today is a step forward- it's sweet progress... And it feels good!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
In the Kitchen - Superbowl Treat!!
From allrecipes.com - I tried the Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip. It turned out really yummy! It's also giving me a chance to break out my new casserole dish! I've been dying to use it. I picked it up at a local flea market, and I LOVE it!! The kids are loving the dip right now- they helped me to make this. Instead of bacon bits- I fried up some bacon and crumbled it into the dish. It's SUPER yummy!
In the Atomic Kitchen
Easy Mayonnaise Drop Biscuits with Fruit!
I got this recipe from GeorgieBrent on allrecipes.com and after reading all the positive reviews, I decided to try it out. I'm always on the lookout for versatile recipes that can be used in a variety of ways. I have a large family, so a quick recipe is golden for me. This was both super easy to make and super versatile! Here's the basic ingredient list from allrecipes.com
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
How it's Done:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until just blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
3. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
After spooning the dough onto baking sheets, I then plopped a spoonful of preserves over each one. Then I covered it with some batter I had reserved. My batch only made 9 biscuits, but they were really generously sized, and just enough for everyone to have their fill. Check out my photos for ingredients used, and how everything turned out.
Deviations from the original recipe:
I would recommend mixing the flour and mayo first... Then add the milk slowly until you reach desired dough consistency. I added all the milk and ended up having to use more flour.
I got this recipe from GeorgieBrent on allrecipes.com and after reading all the positive reviews, I decided to try it out. I'm always on the lookout for versatile recipes that can be used in a variety of ways. I have a large family, so a quick recipe is golden for me. This was both super easy to make and super versatile! Here's the basic ingredient list from allrecipes.com
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
How it's Done:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until just blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
3. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
After spooning the dough onto baking sheets, I then plopped a spoonful of preserves over each one. Then I covered it with some batter I had reserved. My batch only made 9 biscuits, but they were really generously sized, and just enough for everyone to have their fill. Check out my photos for ingredients used, and how everything turned out.
Deviations from the original recipe:
I would recommend mixing the flour and mayo first... Then add the milk slowly until you reach desired dough consistency. I added all the milk and ended up having to use more flour.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
S-N-O-W!!
It's a winter wonderland!! Left the gym this morning and the ground was covered!! Snow Angel time! :)
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