Christmas is just over 7 weeks away — are you getting excited yet?
As I set out to prepare for the upcoming festivities, one thing I almost always do is declutter my home to make room for all the extra “stuff” that seems to accompany this time of year!
No matter how ruthless you are about bringing things into your home, I can almost guarantee you’ll end up with more stuff and less space after the festivities are over… see what I’m doing to plan ahead and declutter this year!
The holiday season is here!! And for those of you haven’t even started thinking about holiday gifts, I’ve come to your rescue with my all-time favorite clutter-free food gifts that are sure to please even the pickiest person on your list.
I challenge you to skip the busy stores, skip the clutter, skip the over-prices gadgets, and make {or buy} food gifts for everyone on your list this year!!
I really like the idea of a Bucket List — or a list of things, events, activities, experiences, goals, etc. that you would like to accomplish by a certain point in your life.
Dave and I have a few different Bucket Lists; but even before we got married, we had the “how many kids do you want” conversation as well as the “when do you want kids” conversation — and we made a Before Baby Bucket List.
And with only a few days left before our baby arrives, we’ve crossed nearly everything off our list!
One of the main reasons I wanted to start my own business is so that I could have some control over my schedule and be able take time off when I wanted to. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t, but if I’m not careful and if I don’t make a conscious effort to run MY business, over time, my business might just start to run my life instead! {can anyone relate!}
We have a jam-packed schedule this week and our quick, simple dinner menu definitely reflects that… but I figure I’m allowed an easy week since I am 8 1/2 months pregnant 🙂
If you don’t currently have a method for meal planning, feel free to follow our weekly menu {below}, and make sure to check out some of my free meal planning resources at the bottom of this post!
Have you ever noticed that we spend SO much of our lives “planning ahead”?
Yes, I DO realize that a large portion of my income is a direct result of helping others get more organize, better manage their time… and plan ahead! However, sometimes I feel like all I do is plan ahead.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to stop planning ahead {and neither should you}, but I am going to take some of the advice I’ve been getting lately and start trying harder to really “live in the moment”.
Even though I do almost ALL our banking electronically, I’m still in the habit of regularly checking our different checking and savings accounts to make sure everything balances out.
Maybe this is old fashioned, but you would not believe how many mistakes I’ve caught because of this! So I’m wondering, do you take the time to balance your checkbook register or do you simply rely on your online or paper statement from the bank to be accurate?
I used to feel overwhelmed with my email until I starting implementing a few very simple principles that have drastically reduced the amount of email clutter I have in my Inbox.
No matter what email platform you use or how many different email accounts you have, these simple tips will help you to drastically reduce the amount of email clutter you have and in turn, increase your productivity at work and at home.
Every year, I like to try out a new version of the traditional pumpkin pie.
Last year I tried {with much success} Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie and this year, when I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted to make cheese cake or pumpkin pie, I decided to make a Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie.
It is so delicious and has quickly become my all-time favorite pumpkin pie!
Over a year ago I showed you everything that was in my purse. And while I’m still using the exact same purse, the contents have changed a bit… and would you believe that it’s even MORE organized!
Yup, I just recently came across a new company, Invite L, and they specialize in really classy organizing products and tools {so of course I fell instantly in love with them!}
Our nursery is so close to being finished, but I’m NOT going to give you the full tour just yet… However, I WILL show you the super cute baby quilt that I made out of mostly scrap fabric {for a total of $8.00}!
I didn’t use a pattern and I didn’t really have any instructions to follow, but it’s honestly so straight-forward that I know anyone with basic sewing skills and a sewing machine could do this!
I often receive emails from readers {women in particular} who are interested in working from home. They ask me how I got started, if I have any good ideas for other stay-at-home jobs, and what the pros and cons of working at home are.
So while I’m not complaining one bit about my current working situation, I do think it might be beneficial to list some of the pros and cons I feel are part of running a business, working from home, and trying to juggle everything I do on a daily basis.
Over the next couple of months there is a good chance you will be doing some entertaining.
You might be having the gang over to watch the “big game”, organizing one last Fall bonfire, preparing a huge Thanksgiving feast, hosting a cookie exchange, celebrating Christmas at your house this year, or planning any other number of seasonal get-to-gathers.
Whatever the case, any type of entertaining involves planning ahead… and I have a few tips that will help you do just that!
Dave and I love almost any type of chili — and I love how quick and easy it is to make {and freeze for later}. So I’m always on the look-out for new and different chili recipes to try.
This sweet potato chili is one of our all-time favorites and I actually stumbled upon it by accident a few years ago… and now I’m hooked!
Not everyone has their dream kitchen…I certianly don’t! But no matter if you love, like, or even hate your kitchen, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it more if it’s organized.
And just in case you’re searching for a few more reasons to organize your kitchen {besides the obvious fact that it looks so much nicer}, I’ll give you FIVE really good ones — plus a chance to drool over some of the gorgeous kitchen designs from my Ideas Book!
Are you busy? Are You Overwhelmed? I know that for almost everyone reading this, the answer is a resounding YES!
We’re all busy. Busy with our jobs, our homes, our families, our hobbies, our “have-to’s”, our “want to’s”, and everything else going on in our lives.
Our family is always busy too, but thanks to the help of a few routines we’ve implemented in our daily and weekly lives, we are able to keep our busyness under control and not get overwhelmed. See how we do it!
As crazy as it sounds, I get at least one email a week asking about my short hair cut… or something do with my hair.
So, I thought it was about time to address all these hair questions… and to start out, I’ll take you on a little stroll down memory lane and share just a few of the many different hair styles I’ve tried over the past 26 years.
It’s been almost a year since I first blogged about my Ideas Book. And ever since then, I still get a couple emails or comments each week asking about my Ideas Book, what I put in the Ideas Book, how I organize my Ideas Book, etc. etc. I even get comments on other posts referencing my Ideas Book!
So, I figured it was time I revisited this topic… especially since I’ve significantly updated the way I keep track of all my ideas!!
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