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My Favorite Mexican “Base Mixture”

January 21, 2012

We eat a lot of Mexican food around our house… and since I’m a huge fan of simple dinner recipes, I’ve created a really delicious Mexican “base recipe” that I use almost once a week.

I usually make a double or triple batch of this mixture and store several 2-cup portions in the freezer. Then anytime we have a Mexican meal on our weekly menu plan, I defrost one container, add any other necessary ingredients {tortillas, lettuce, sauce, etc.} and can have dinner on the table in a matter of minutes!

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She Looks Just Like Her Mom

January 19, 2012

I’ve been getting lots of emails and comments about how much Nora looks like me… and I have to say I agree!

However the other day, as I was looking through my old pictures {on our portable hard drive}, I came across this picture of me — crying in my bouncy seat. I have an almost identical picture of Nora crying in her bouncy seat…

What do you think? Does she look like her mom?

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Creative, Decorative, and Inexpensive Storage Solutions

January 19, 2012

Whenever I work with organizing clients their #1 question is usually “what type of storage containers should I buy?”

And while I agree that storage containers are a big part of any organizing project, I ALWAYS tell them not to buy anything because, I first try to take something they already own and re-purpose it as a storage container for their specific space — saving them time, money, and space.

Here are a few of my favorite creative, decorative, and inexpensive storage ideas from around our house!

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My Favorite Beauty Products

January 18, 2012

I get a lot of questions about the different beauty products I use… which is kind of hilariousness because I’m definitely not that into cosmetics. I usually just use whatever I can find for free after rebate and coupons!

However, I’ve received enough emails that I thought I should write a post with a few of my favorite beauty product… you know, the ones I’d buy even if I didn’t have a coupon {and that means I really like them!}

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Tips for Being “On-Time” With Kids

January 17, 2012

I’ve always been a pretty punctual person — often arriving a bit early to meetings and appointments. I hate being late or feeling rushed, so thankfully it’s almost second nature for me to plan ahead, leave early, and arrive on time!

I had a feeling all of this might change after Nora was born, but thankfully I got some great advice that has helped me to still be somewhat on time…. even with a new baby!

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Slow Cooker Vietnamese Chicken

January 14, 2012

Earlier this week I shared a few slow cooker receips I want to try in the coming months — and I mentioned that I already had one very successful and extremely delicious meal to share with you… Vietnamese Chicken!

Since I had all the other ingredients in our house — and since this recipe specifically calls for FROZEN chicken, I quickly whipped it up and threw it in the crock pot. The chicken was absolutely delicious, full of flavor, and actually quite “Asian tasting” — which is something I’ve never been able to achieve with other recipes!

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I’m Trying Out a “Block Schedule”

January 12, 2012

Ever since we brought Nora home from the hospital {7 weeks ago today!}, I’ve been diligently trying to figure out the best way to schedule my day around the intense needs of a newborn. It has been a bumpy road so far, and we most definitely do not have it all worked out yet; but I recently got an email from a reader who sensed my frustration and told me about how she implimented a “block schedule” to help her better manage her time with small children.

I’ve been trying a block schedule ever since then… and it seems to be working!

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Taking Down Christmas Decor

January 11, 2012

As much as I LOVE putting up our Christmas decorations… I also love taking them down again.
Yes, it takes the better part of an afternoon to gather them all into my storage bins and bring them downstairs, but after I’m done, the house feels so open, light, and un-cluttered.

I packed up our decorations this past weekend… and have a few tips to simplify and organizing the process.

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Slow Cooker Recipes I Want to Try in 2012

January 10, 2012

I got a new slow cooker for Christmas and have already used it a couple of times. I actually have 3 different slow cookers — all different sizes — but to be honest, I haven’t used them as much as I should.
So this year, my goal is to use a slow cooker once a week — or at least a few times each month.

I’ve already made a few really delicious meals {recipes coming soon}… but here are a few more I definitely want to try this coming year.

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Cleaning Your Shower in 10 Minutes a Month

January 10, 2012

Several years ago, {after not cleaning my shower for a few months} I decided I had to come up with some type of system for cleaning my shower so I wouldn’t put it off for so long ever again.

From then on, I’ve been cleaning my showers the same way every month and it only takes me about 10 minutes total!

Here’s what I do…

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Clear Your Clutter… with a Clothes Basket

January 9, 2012

As you can probably imagine, January and February are busy months for anyone involved in the “organizing industry”. Just think about how many people made a New Year’s resolution or goal to “get more organized” this year!

And even though I’m normally quite organized, I find myself with an even stronger urge to purge at the beginning of a new year. If you’ve had this same urge lately, I’ve got a really SIMPLE tip that always seems to help me get rid of even more stuff around our house.

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Our New Year’s Card and Baby Announcement

January 7, 2012

I absolutely love sending our holiday card to family and friends each year!

I had so much fun coming up with the ideas for this year’s holiday card… and then bringing those ideas to life with the help of Angela from Tilly Claire’s Design. She took all my ideas and turned them into the most beautiful, custom, 2-sided holiday card with our family’s New Year greeting on the front and Nora’s birth announcement on the back.

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Do You Check the Expiration Dates?

January 4, 2012

The price of groceries is already high enough, so I figure there is no point spending money on something that’s going to expire before we have time to eat it. Right?

Lately, I’ve been doing one simple thing to assure that I don’t waste my money on expired foods… and it has saved me a bunch of money and extra trips back to the store!

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Favorite Photo Memories of 2011

December 30, 2011

I think I’ve mentioned this before… but for the first 4 years of our marriage, Dave and I have less than 100 pictures total! Neither one of us really loves taking pictures OR being in pictures, and I often forgot my camera or simply didn’t feel like hauling it out to take a couple quick pictures.

So, last year, I made a goal to start taking more photos — and I’m happy to say I followed through with that goal.
Here are just a few of my most favorite photo memories from 2011… I’m hoping we’ll have lots more photo memories in 2012!

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What Will You Purge First?

December 29, 2011

If your holiday parties were anything like ours, you probably left with a lot more stuff than you arrived with.

And even though I took my own advice and got rid of a bunch of stuff BEFORE the holidays, we’ve gotten rid of even more since then… I’m guessing you might be able to purge a few more things too!

If so, then I have a few tips and a bunch of resources to help you get started… what will you purge first?

22 Comments

Tips to Keep a White Couch White

December 28, 2011

A few months ago, I showed you our new ALL white couch that we purchased on our crazy IKEA shopping trip!

Well, it’s been 5 months; we’ve eaten on our coach, we’ve napped on our couch, we’ve had spit-up on our coach, we’ve spilled on our couch — basically, we’ve used and abused our couch, but it’s still white! So I thought I’d give you a little update and a few tips for keeping a white couch clean.

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Make Your Own Play-Doh

December 27, 2011

A couple months ago, I got an email from Brenda, a loyal reader, with instructions on how to make homemade Play-Doh. I was honestly surprised by how simple an inexpensive it was — so I knew I had to try it out!

Now, even though Nora is still way to young for PlayDoh, I thought this might be a fun Christmas break activity to do with your children, grand children, nieces, nephews, etc.

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Simple Projects for Christmas Break

December 26, 2011

Yes, I know — you’re not supposed to be “working” on Christmas Break. However, if you are anything like me, you LOVE to take advantage of any spare time you have and fit in a project or two!
So while I completely intend on relaxing and enjoying my Christmas Break, I’m also planning to tackle a few simple projects as well — especially since Dave has almost two weeks off from school and can help with Nora.

Here are some of the projects I’m doing over break:

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