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Spring+Cleaning.jpg. Menu Planning. Does dinnertime creep up on you and find yourself staring at the fridge trying to figure out what's for dinner 15 minutes before dinner time? Well I have an idea that may work for you. With a little organization you can have weekly menus for a whole year and eliminate the guess work! A while back I mentioned that I was gathering recipes to make weekly menu's for the whole year. It took some time, a lot of organization and finally I am done.

I am thrilled with how everything is working! This idea first came from Nanny Goat and their 30 meals program. I followed their 30 day meal plan for a year and it was great, but we got tired of some of the recipes and so I did a little tweaking to create a new rotating menu for the year! Here is what I did:I bought a small 6 x9 binder from Staples. It took several weeks for me to type them up but once they were done I used the handy excel sheet from Food Storage Made Easy found here to calculate how much of each ingredient is needed for each recipe.

Controlling My Chaos: Menu Planning Redo. As you may know, I've talked about menu planning a few times on this blog. What you don't know, is that it is a constant battle for me to keep up with my menu planning. My biggest problem is time, but couple that with the fact that I loathe menu planning, and it's practically a recipe for disaster. Well, a couple weeks ago the broccoli really hit the fan when we got our taxes done, and I realized that we have been spending way too much money eating out two and sometimes three times a week. That had to stop. I've been using this system for over a year now, somewhat intermittently. In spite of what some people think about teachers and their supposed part-time jobs, I regularly spend ten hours a day at my teaching job. That being said, I, and I'm sure every other mom out there as well, need every time saver available to me to manage my responsibilities.

So, as I was saying, last year I posted about menu planning and this laminated menu planner that I could write on and wipe off. 11.5 = x. Menu Plan Monday. I decided to take a shot at menu planning. Im really tired of trying to figure out every meal right on the spot with whatever we have in the cabinet. So after browsing pinterest for some ideas, I think I have a workable idea. Im using these free printables every monday - one for Justin and I and one for the kids.

(Ian and my niece Taylor whom I watch during the day). I liked this one because it had a slot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Once I had my meal ideas written in each block, I browsed the sale ads online. Once I had all the meals lined out with my lists of items needed at the bottom, I printed out another shopping list for my miscellaneous house hold items like toilet paper and paper towels. My last stop was Walmart and I bought two magnetic calendars to plan them out and hang them on the fridge for easy viewing. My goal is to do this every Friday so I can shop Saturday for the upcoming week. IHeart Organizing. Let's Meet For Lunch: Spotlight on: Home Organization (Free Printables!) 12 Creative Ideas that Will Change Your Life | Colby Almond SEO and Marketing. DIY 52 Things I Love About You. Posted July 1, 2011 | 64 Comments Happy Friday, lovelies! We spotted a really fun, really easy DIY 52 Things I Love About You project for your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse-to-be, husband, wife, or a friend.

Read on to see this fun project + get inspired to make your own! This ’52 Things I Love About You’ craft (and images) are via Craftster (spotted here) and the supplies are easy to find: supplies o one deck of cards o binder rings o standard hole punch o scrabble tiles (just two – one for each of your initials) o printer + printer paper o scissors o glue how-to Simply type up the 52 things you love about your gift recipient, print them out onto paper, cut ‘em out, and glue ‘em on.

Images via onetomatotwo Happy Crafting! Xo, -E. Some links above to Amazon as an affiliate; however, feel free to shop wherever you wish! Like this post? Leave your comments below! Joyful Homemaking: Framed Dry Erase Board. Make and Takes blog has a post with a gorgeous wipe off weekly menu board, and I just had to make one for myself using my kitchen colors. The best part is that it was incredibly easy and inexpensive! Here is what you need: A picture frame (I used an 11×14) Scrap of pretty material or scrapbook paper Frame stand (unless you want to hang it on the wall) Tape (I used packing tape) or craft glue Take the cardboard insert out of the frame and wrap your fabric around it.

Make sure you do it nice and unevenly like I did, and secure with tape. Put the insert back in the frame, set it on your stand or hang on the wall, and voila! I apologize for the pictures, as it was difficult to get a picture without a glare on the glass. You are all set to write on it with a dry erase marker. Use it for a menu board, to do list, phone messages, phone numbers, love notes, chores for the kids… I made a smaller one to hang on the side of my kitchen cabinet.

Handmade type drawer jewelry display necklace by Cloud9Jewels. The Grocery Shrink Blog: Need a Sewing Room? Wherever we live, I need a sewing room :), a place to cut out fabric and leave my machine up all the time. It should be a place out of the direct path of traffic, since I am a bit of a mess. A lot of my sewing students just don't have an extra room to dedicate to sewing, and I'm so pleased to find some alternatives.

Below is a photo from Martha Stewart. They converted a pair of bookcases to a craft studio with a set of castors and hinges. The same idea can be adapted to use an extra closet. I love how they used the doors for extra storage space with pegboards on the bottom half and cork board on the top. In these photos and the photo in the post about closet curtains I noticed that I loved the look because of all the work the designer put into choosing colors and making the area feel cohesive and coordinated. It's not an office closet, but this pantry photo from Martha Stewart is another example. The Great Pantry Makeover | Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time.

Well, well well! I never thought I could love a pantry as much as I do now. Actually, I never thought I would even give the pantry a makeover. After all, it’s just a pantry. But boy oh boy, how life changing this pantry makeover was. Seriously. Let me first give props and a BIG thank you to my Dad. Ok, so here is our pantry before. We don’t live like pigs I promise. So instead of me showing you the afters right away, I’m going to take you on a little journey first of what we did to the pantry. First off, I removed everything. When the pantry was emptied my dad put up beadboard wallpaper for me.

Sorry, in that last photo the paper was still wet, but that’s the only one I took with the whole pantry wallpapered. Here is the wallpaper I used and got it from Lowe’s. Next up came the installation of the amazing shelves/carousels my Dad designed and made. Don’t let the picture fool you. I actually did install them, with supervision of course. :) It was very easy though. Aren’t those awesome?!?! {OrganizedHome} Day 5: Fabulous Pantries. My absolute favorite organizing tip is to make things pretty. If a space is both pretty and functional, we are so much more likely to maintain it than if we aren't very fond of it. If it looks fabulous when it's clean we will likely be motivated to keep it that way!

I've assembled a collection of some of the prettiest pantries in blog land. Please click through to these blogs to get the full tour of each space, and leave a lovely little comment there for the ladies who worked hard to create beautiful functional spaces. You just might make their day! You can see my own pantry makeover here: 30 Life-Enhancing Things You Can Do in 30 Minutes or Less. Many of us attempt to measure our happiness based on the duration of certain favorable experiences in our lives. The longer a favorable experience lasts, the happier we think we’ll be. But the truth is, life is simply a string of small, independent moments that are always changing. Thus, a few minutes well spent here and there can make a big difference in what we get out of life in the long-term. Here are 30 things you can do in 30 minutes or less that will have a positive emotional effect on you and those closest to you.

Learn something new by starting a free course at one of the hundreds of online self-education resources bookmarked here: 12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free.Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth, or Khan Academy.Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time you’re at the library. What simple life-enhancing activities do you participate in on a regular basis? Photo by: Rachel Sian Related. 15 minutes of cleaning? - How to have a {fake} immaculate house (part 2) To see the whole series on how to have a {fake} immaculate house, go HERE! Ok...I have lots of friends who are seriously skeptical but I'm telling you, it's TOTALLY possible to keep your house clean with just 15 minutes a day of cleaning!

Really! I did it for years....when my kids were babies. It was not possible for me to spend an entire day cleaning. I must tell you, this doesn't mean if your house is right now a complete pig-stye mess that you can get it cleaned up in 15 minutes. To have to cart around and get the job done quickly! Years ago, I was inspired by Emilie Barnes,the author of MANY organizing books. 892K+You see...it's not much. Time yourself...how long does it really take to do that? If you need to vacuum daily....you may have to give that up - let it go! Now, let me tell you, there will be days you won't even have time to get to your assigned "chore" - potty training, baby crying all day, having your period, whatever! 15 Minutes a Day Cleaning Schedule or Connect with me: Step 3: Three Month Food Supply.

Purchase a three month supply of foods you normally eat. You can come up with meal plans for the full 90 days, or just buy extras of things you use a lot. Key Points Ask yourself these five three month supply questions to help you get started with the planning process.Make a list of foods you eat on a regular basis, and determine how much you would go through in three months.Gradually purchase these foods in bulk as they go on sale (check out Deals to Meals if you live in the Western U.S.).Combine sale prices with coupons for even more savings as you stock upUse and rotate these foods in all your daily cooking.Constantly replenish the stocks of these foods as they go on sale again.Don’t forget to include non-food items in this step as well.

Get a 3 month supply of NECESSITIES such as diapers, medications, toilet paper, toiletries, etc. 3 Month Planning Tools We highly recommend viewing our short BASIC Tutorial Video before you start inputting information into your spreadsheet. Kudpx.jpg 1,920×2,560 pixels. Forget The Fridge: Using Chemistry And Nature To Store Food. The refrigerator is a paragon of modern convenience. A magic box that keeps your food so cold it doesn’t spoil. It’s a miracle. But it’s the kind of miracle that can make us a little lazy. You get home from the store and just throw everything in the fridge. But, in fact, many foods aren’t so happy sitting in the ice box, and would be tastier and last longer if stored on the counter. That’s the object of Save Food From the Refrigerator by the artist Jihyun Ryou.

About the project, Ryou says: "Through the research into the current situation of food preservation, I’ve learned that we hand over the responsibility of taking care of food to the technology, the refrigerator. Click through the slideshow above to see some of the ingenious devices and combinations, like a way to keep apples and potatoes happy together or to easily determine whether or not your eggs are still fresh. Delightful country cookin': my online "cookbook" I recently discovered (thanks to my awesome mother-in-law) the coolest thing in the world....livebinders! What is a livebinder, you ask? Well, it's literally an online binder. If you are like me, you have a binder somewhere filled with recipes that you've saved. When it comes to online recipes, many of you probably print them.

I, for one, have always just bookmarked them. Livebinders have essentially solved all of my problems. Go to www.livebinders.com and set up a free account. When you create an account, you can create your own "shelf" full of binders. (PS - sorry that these pics are so small! This is my "shelf". If we click on the binder for Delightful Country Cookin', you'll essentially find an online cookbook or recipe box.

Here, I'm showing you my "desserts" tab. Click on one of the recipes, and guess what comes up...the blog post! Delightful country cookin': homemade air freshener. "Don't you get fresh with me, ya hear! " Oh, I love it when adults (especially grandparents) say that to little kids. What does it mean exactly? Does it mean we'd rather children get dirty with us? Haha...who knows? Today, I'm going to ask you to actually get fresh with me. I digress. I was roaming around on Tasty Kitchen one day when I came across a recipe for homemade air freshener. To make these little beauties, you first need a heat-proof jars (I found mine for $0.99 each at Michael's), food coloring colors of your choice, and essential oil.

Into each jar, drop a few drops (I repeat...a few...it doesn't take more than 2 or 3) of food coloring. Now for the fun part. Why salt? Get one cup of water boiling on the stove. Then, pour in the other cup of cold water and the salt, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Quickly pour the hot gelatin mixture in each of your jars, and then use a disposable stick or spoon to stir it into the oil and food coloring. Craft/tool station with wall organizer. This project is what Elizabeth would call “finding crap on the curb and making something fabulous.” I found this mint green railing (from a crib? Shelves?) In a pile of debris. Add galvanized wall pocket planters (on clearance at Jo-Ann for $1.50 each), daisy hooks (thanks, Kristi), spice rack ($3.50 at a thrift store), paper/pen bin (thanks, Jim), dowels and wire for hooks (Freecycle), and I’ve got a cheap craft organizing solution.

A power strip and a salvaged bench vice (thanks, dad) attached to the rolling toolbox make it complete. How to make a craft and tool station Supplies salvaged railing (from an old crib, porch railing, etc.)wood screws16- or 18-gauge wire (or a wire coat hanger)3/8-inch dowelspower stripnuts, washers, and boltsprimerpaintscrap 1×4 piece of woodnewspaper or drop clothdrywall anchors or molly bolts (optional) Tools plierswire cuttersdrill and drill bitsscrewdriversanding block and sandpapermiter box and pull sawsmall sponge paint brushstud sensor (optional) 1. 2. The Freecycle Network.