Monday, March 28, 2011

Hawaii Five-O

I've started watching Hawaii Five-O (the new one) I was never into the old one, I think it was before my time. It is really neat to watch it and scenes are from places where I live and places we've been to on a regular basis. It's also just a really good show. The last episode I watched Larisa Oleynik guest starred as Jenna Kaye. Does Larisa Oleynik not sound familier? What about Alex Mack? as in Secret World of Alex Mack? Well if it's still not ringing any bells...Alex Mack was a character from Secret World of Alex Mack. My husband and I watched this tv show when we were children and really enjoyed it. It was really weird to see her all grown up in this show!

This is her as Alex Mack back then...


This is her now...




She has also played in many other tv shows like Without a Trace, Psych, Mad Men, Boy Meets World, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Project Get Organized, Project #2

Project Get Organized
Problem: Chaos in Craft Area (this happens very easily when you have many different types of crafts you are interested in and you have multiple ongoing projects.
The peg board before I re-organized it...

I am obsessed with scrabble can you tell?

Great way to store all of my craft paints...I can see each color with ease...


Ribbon, Craft Punches & Buttons...


I somehow lost my cutting board so got this board at a thrift shop for $1 with of course scrabble games pieces that I love...and I use it for a cutting mat and it has lines on it which are great!






My favorite item on my desk, my daily planner with my daughters photo in it...love this daily planner it keeps me so organized!



Paper, stamps, ink pads, finished scrapbook pages before they go in albums etc...

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Interesting Organization Tips

As I've been doing Project Get Organized I've been reading some articles on the matter and I found this one to be a great help for me to know what is OK to get rid of: Click Here for Article or look below for some tips I found helpful from the article.

Here is a list of seven things that generally cost more to keep then the value they give you in return.
1. Things that you have printed off the internet that you've been meaning to read. They take up physical space and often weigh heavily on your mind because you haven't read them. The really good news is that should you need any of this information in the future you can reprint it.
2. Old, travel size, half used bottles of shampoos, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, etc., that you simply don't use. These items take up valuable cabinet and counter space. It is true that some of the products may still be good and someone else could use them but unless you are using the products you are not getting any value from them and neither is anyone else. Give them away or throw them away and benefit from all of the found space.
3. Clothing that you will wear again when you lose 10 pounds or are stained, don't like or don't wear. These clothes are preventing you from finding the things that fit you and look good on you. Another benefit of getting rid of these clothes is that when you lose 10 pounds you'll get to buy something that you will really enjoy.
4. A gift you received that you don't like or will never use. Even if the person who gave it to you is special or the gift was expensive. What value is that gift giving you? Do you think that the person who gave it to you would want you to feel burdened by it?
5. Something that you bought for yourself, even if it was expensive, that you simply no longer like, never use or won't use again. What benefit are you getting from keeping it? How much space does it take up? How do you feel when you look at it?
6. Tools or gadgets that work great for someone else but don't work for you even if others swear by it. Just because it works for someone else does not mean it's right for you.
7. Knick knacks, souvenirs and other little things that you've collected over the years that remind you of a trip or experience. Do you smile when you look at it or does it get lost in a collection of stuff? Just because you don't have the souvenir doesn't mean you don't have the memory.
As you go through your things use these questions as a guide: • What value or benefit does this give me?
  • Is it costing me more then I am getting from it?
  • Does someone else what me to have or use it?
  • Is it something I keep meaning to use but never seem to? 
  • Is it costing me more then it is worth to me? 

Far as Number 1 goes, I have something to add to that: Any old magazines you've been meaning to read (THROW THEM OUT AND KEEP THAT 1 ARTICLE YOU WANT TO READ) I have a box I keep that is small but large enough for magazine pages to fit and I rip out interesting articles, recipes, tips etc. and keep them for a rainy day!

Project Get Organized, Project #1

Project Get Organized
Problem: Toys EVERYWHERE!
Plan: Limit the amount of toys out at once and have a good place to store the ones out of rotation. 
I turned our linen closet into a toy closet! It worked great! Here are a couple pictures of the start of it all but I will soon post a picture of all the toys in their containers and it will be even more organized!

I also placed all the art/craft items in the closet, it works great to keep it all together and it's easy to see what we are out of!

Before this we had a bunch of our toddlers toys in our office and it was just taking over our office, we couldn't see the floor! I've had alot of her small toys in containers already to rotate out and even a few large containers for large toys but many of the toys were getting moved all over the play and not truly out of rotation because she still had access to them all with exception to art/craft stuff and a few other small boxed items I had put up for directed play.

Project Get Organized...

Project Get Organized
Since my daughter came along in November 2009 I have felt I've not been my usual totally organized self.  My challenge to myself was to get organized no matter how long it takes...if I only get one little drawer done in a week it's okay as long as I am trying to get everything back in order it will eventually happen. Well we are almost there! These post will be in a series starting with my first project until I do my last! Pictures and helpful solutions soon to come!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Trying new recipes....

We were in a food rut for a while so we've been trying some new things, this is what we tried tonight:

 RITZ Parmesan Chicken


 

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
25 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

MIX mayo and lemon juice in bowl; set aside. Combine cracker crumbs and cheese in separate bowl.

DIP chicken in mayo mixture, then roll in cracker crumb mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Place on baking sheet.

BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion 
Serve with a hot steamed vegetable and mixed green salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Dressing.

Substitute 
Substitute 1/4 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing or KRAFT Ranch Dressing for the mayo and lemon juice. 

Nutrition Information

Calories
360
Total fat
20g
Saturated fat
5g
Cholesterol
80mg
Sodium
440mg
Carbohydrate
13g
Dietary fiber
0g
Sugars
2g
Protein
29g
Vitamin A
0%DV
Vitamin C
0%DV
Calcium
15%DV
Iron
8%DV













It was pretty good although we are thinking of adding some cheese next time also this time we used Ritz Veggie Crackers instead of the original ones.

Uplifting Song

Here's a uplifting song I thought I would share...Every time I listen to this song it brings up lots of joy and emotion. I've listened to this since I was a child.

Here's one more from Dolly that is great but more recent:

Friday, March 11, 2011

Craigslist Deals, Bust & Funnies...

These post will be about bad deals on Craigslist and funny ads I find...I often check Craigslist for items for my daughter (outdoor toys, strollers, etc.).

Bad Deals...
As a rule of thumb, you should never pay more than a third of the full price for used items that aren't of collectible value such as baby gear.
Bad Deal #1-

Little Tikes Slide - Has some sun fading but is in excellent condition.  $10 (You can find this same slide for $20 new with No Sun Fading)

Bad Deal #2-
I am selling a Bright stars bouncy chair, vibrating, babies loves it, neutral colors, good condition, from clean and smoke free home. email if interested, thank you for looking$15
(You can buy this new for $29)

GOOD DEALS (Assuming the ads aren't misleading and items are in good shape)
Good Deal #1-
Baby Einstein baby gym in good condition, $10, cash and pick up only. thank you!
(You can buy this new for $54)
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235013472.html

Good Deal #2-

Fisher Price papasan bouncer in great condition. $15, cash and pick up only. Thank you.
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235017550.html

You can buy these new for $60-$70 online.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Spring Cleaning

You ever get attached to things and can't let go even though you know you don't need it? I do. I use to not have this problem at all, I cleaned out stuff and threw it out with no problem but since I had my baby I can't seem to let go of some of her things. She is 15 Months old and I still have most of her baby cloths and shoes...even some baby toys she doesn't enjoy anymore, but getting rid of them is like admitting there is no baby here anymore...it's a little sad but I know it's time to let go of some things and keep only what I really want for keep sakes or in case we have another girl soon.  It's just not feasible to keep everything in case another one though because I know I'll want new things and it's crowding up our  home.  So today I walked around with a bag to donate some stuff out and I filled it up! Now I just got to go threw our storage containers and see what else I can let go of. The house feels neater already! I have donated plenty of her stuff since she's been born but there is still plenty more than can go. I am making separate bags for how I want to get rid of things...some for friends who have little babies, some for donation, some to sale on e-bay and of course some to keep!

I like how this mom did her childs closet but MacKenzie has so many outfits in her closet this would never work...but I have bought little containers like in this picture to organize little toys that I want to rotate out or things that aren't to be played with during free play but in parent guided play (playdough for example)...I just don't know where I want to put them maybe in our linen closet...I just got to clean it out too! One project leads into another one! This picture is from: click here. 

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ronnie Dunn

(A song about forgiveness)
This song is so sweet. I've always been a overly forgiving person but really it's a good thing, it's what I was brought up to do. My mom forgives and taught me to forgive, we had a conversation about this recently about how we should forgive others who have wronged us. One thing I've learned is that forgiving someone doesn't mean you have to give them a chance to do you wrong again it's more about letting your heart forgive and forget not always giving the person another chance to hurt you...I'm not one to blog much about emotions but this song I wanted to share and I figured it needed a little explanation. Hope you all like it!