Soaked

Last night Ben suggested we went for a walk and checked out an antique store that caught our attention on a previous walk.


The antique store was HUGE and did not disappoint us. If you live in GR check out Blue Door. Everything was beautiful and Ben and I could have easily spend a couple thousand dollars there! It was quite pricey but we had fun picking out items that we would love to take home! We were so entranced by the store we didn't notice the weather had changed outside. We stepped out still discussing how amazing the place was and it took us a moment to realize it was raining, and hard! 


We half ran/half giggled and stumbled through the rain back home. The walk ended in a race a block from home soaking us more than we would have liked. (I won by the way.. but I think Ben may have let me..)


Of course I had to snap a picture for the blog!

This brought back similar memories of  time when our buddy Lance, and the two of us walked to our favorite ice cream shop and walked home in the rain. Made us miss our dear friend dearly and the fun we had jumping in puddles and enjoying our time in the rain! 

OH: Week Fifteen

Organize Your Home: Week 15

Home Office Organization

Steps to this week's challenge:
1. Designate Space For Your Home Office and Declutter
Thankfully we have an entire room. This is helpful since I am working from home most of the day.
2. Organize and Clear Off Your Desk
I was able to clean off and organize the desk while reducing some of the clutter from the top.
3. Organize Home Office Supplies and Equipment
I went through the office supplies, donated some, threw away others then reorganized them. 
4. Choose the Right Home Office Storage Solutions
This is a work in progress. Right now what we are doing is working for us but eventually we won't have a whole room to dedicate to an office so I'm on the lookout for something that will work for us in the future. 


This past week's challenge will be an ongoing challenge for me. I did make some progress in our office but it will take me probably all summer to get the room where I want it to be. 


Last week the office looked like this.

Before

Desk is organized but super cluttered.

Plastic organizers are slightly unorganized but filled with objects we don't really use.

Our bookshelf was recently organized. We went through the books and donated the ones we no longer wanted to keep. 

I have about 10 binders related to work! It was taking up too much of my space!

These four (only three pictured) drawers were mostly organized but filled with unnecessary objects. 

After:

I cleared off the middle part of the desk, moved binders from the desk to the bookshelf, cleaned out pencil/pen container and went through paperwork. That little pile is Ben's to go through. 

I brought half of the binders to school and the ones from the desk moved here. The binders aren't exploding from the bookshelf anymore. In fact there is even space for one more if needed! 

I emptied one drawer!!  Making progress to my eventual goal of getting rid of one of the two drawer systems in the office. 

The empty drawer! Yeah!

I put cords and small electronics in plastic bags and labeled them. 

Still on my To Do list for this challenge

(hoping to complete this challenge this summer)

1. Get rid of one plastic drawer unit.

2. Move craft supplies into coat/craft closet.

3. Go through paper/small keepsakes in office closet.

4. Start scrapbooking and reduce the number of pictures in the office closet. 

5. Continue reducing office supplies and clearing off the desk. 

To Do (or not to do...)

I am a To-Do list queen! I love making them, crossing off everything I do and seeing the progress I made. Sometimes I feel like I work hard and there is little to show for it but when I look at my list I can visually see the successes I have had. 


I usually have a few To-Do lists going at all times. My work To-Do list is broken down into my two separate jobs then broken down further by site and yet further by more specific categories. 


My home To-Do list is broken down by room then by a specific task. I also keep an Other category where I place the random tasks (sew button on a jacket, update budget, etc.)


Sometimes I make a Weekend To-Do list, other times I will make a daily one or maybe a weekly one. Other weeks go by without a home To-Do list. Just depends on the mood I am in or the time I have. This past weekend I made a huge To-Do list. Bigger than what I thought I would actually accomplish but I did pretty good. 

Take a peek.

What I accomplished as of Monday late morning. 

(Better than I expected!)

Ben is working nights this weekend so I will finish up this list then. 

My week is too crazy to work on it. It is hard enough keeping up on daily housework! 

So there you have it - a Behind the Scenes look at one way I keep organized!

Child Centered

Ben and I both adore kids. We love every second we get to spend with Addison and Erin, try to do special things with our cousins, and make it a point to keep in touch with cousins far away with holiday cards and phone calls. I can't say I am surprised to find both Ben and I in a career field working with children. Yes, I am proud to finally share that Ben got a new job! 


Ben got a new job that is very child centered. A week and a half before Easter Ben was talking to a friend of ours from church about looking for a new job. Come to find out our buddy worked at Pine Rest, one of the places Ben was looking at applying to. Within a week our friend contacted his previous employers and recommended Ben, Ben applied for the job, got a phone interview, a real interview and started working! He is a Care Provider in the Child and Adolescent Unit. A few weeks in and Ben has been through training, has been shadowing different staff members and went through clinical training. So far Ben is really enjoying the new job and feels that this position is a great fit for him. 


For now Ben is still working at the bakery but is hoping to make the Pine Rest position his full time job in the next few months. Until then Ben is working most days out of the week (including every other weekend) and is a bit more exhausted then usual - but he is happy so I am too!

Ink

Ben and I got a little crazy and long story short we both are now the proud owners of a tattoo!

Longer version of the story...
After High School I lost touch with one of my good guy friends. After moving back to GR we have rekindled our friendship. Our pal, Jordan, among many talents, does tattoos. Over the course of our get-togethers we started discussing the possibility of Ben getting a tattoo done by Jordan. Now I have a policy when it comes to tattoos. Ben had to want the same tattoo in the same place for a GOOD LONG TIME before I even began to consider the option. Over the course of the last few years Ben has changed his mind numerous times but one idea stuck.

Ben and I searched the internet for ideas and sent a few to Jordan. Jordan combined what we liked from various images and came up with the finished product. A few weeks later Ben was inked!! I FELL IN LOVE with Ben's tattoo and the whole process so a few weeks after Ben got his, I GOT ONE! Ben and I got the same one and we both are so happy we went through with it. 

www.jordanwho.com

OH: Week Fourteen

Organize Your Home: Week 14

How to Organize Passwords, Warranties and Manuals

Another challenge that I really didn't do. But I'll cover this week's challenge like I have done in the past. 


Steps to complete this week's challenge:
1. Organize Passwords Into A Password Journal or Organizer
2. Organizing Warranties and Manuals For Easy Access


1. Not a lot of information to share here. I have a system to organize my passwords but not feeling like the whole world needs to know my system. :) On the challenge's official page she suggests using an internet site that is password protected where you place all your login information for the various sites that are used. I just write mine in where I feel is a very logical location. 
2. As part of Week 12's challenge I went through my manuals and recycled anything that we no longer had. All other manuals are placed into a file that is found in my paperwork crate next to my desk. 

OH: Week Thirteen

Organize Your Home: Week 13

Organizing Magazines, Newspapers, & Catalogs 

Steps for this week's Challenge:
1. Declutter Your Old Magazines, Newspapers, and Catalogs
2. Make Time to Read and Enjoy Your Magazines Or Stop Getting Them
3. Create Files for Any Inspirational Pictures or Ideas You Want to Save
4. Corral Your Periodicals Into Logical Locations In Your Home
5. Consider These Catalog and Magazine Storage Solutions


Some good tips mentioned from this week's challenge. 
* Only keep the most recent issue.
* Consider going digital and getting your subscriptions through the IPad, Kindle, etc. 
* Stop subscriptions to anything you are not consistently reading. 


I have two subscriptions; Reader's Digest and Family Fun (not sure how I am getting this one..I didn't pay for it!). But I get People (from Lauren) and a couple from my Mother-in-Law and Ben's Grandma. Here is where they stay until I get to read them. 

(Reader's Digest sits on my night stand)

Looking at the steps from this week's challenge.
1. Declutter old magazines - I recycle every magazine after I have read through it. No old magazines for me!
2. Make time to enjoy the magazines - Almost every Sunday afternoon is spent going through my magazines. I love this time to relax before the week begins. 
3. Create files for anything I want to save - recipes go on a bulletin board next to the recipes books until I can file them and everything else goes into my paperwork organizer.

 


4. Corral magazines into logical locations - Reader's Digest I read before bed so it is on my night stand. All other magazines I read on the couch so they are in the living room. 
5. Consider Magazine Storage - Nope! I don't want to store them. Just read and recycle! :)


I didn't do anything for this week's challenge but I still wanted to explain what I do! 

OH: Week Twelve (Part 2)

I have truly completed this challenge so here is an update to 52 Weeks to an Organized Home: Organize Files in Your Home

Before:

Annoying blue crate that stuck out in a room filled with browns. 

Two REALLY full crates. One half filled with our paperwork and teacher files and another crate dedicated solely to teacher goodies (lesson plans, craft ideas, resources, articles, etc.) On the right is a desk organizer that I have been using to put papers that needed to be added to my teacher files (typically ideas pulled from magazines)

Steps I Completed For This Challenge:

1. Bring all the paperwork together.

2. Sort through every file, every pieces of paper. If I kept the paper it went back into the file but then I had a recycle pile and a shred pile. 

3. Erased old file titles from the old folders and put them away for future use. 

4. Flip-flopped the files that were in the two crates. Blue crate files now in the brown crate. 

5. Put all the newly acquired papers into the appropriate files. 

6. Put everything back! 

 During:

 After: 

It may not look like a big difference but my recycle bin is half full and I recycled a paper bag filled with shredded documents. There is room to navigate the files, before they were in there pretty tight. 

I put the brown file crate in the office and the blue one in the closet. The blue file folder is a bit obnoxious but it looks better than it did! 

CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

OH: Week Twelve

I am far behind in the 52 Weeks to a More Organized Home. I kind of got discouraged when the last few weeks I already have accomplished the week's goals and add in extra busy weekends - well needless to say these challenges have been put on hold. But I am getting ready to get started again beginning with

Organize Your Home: Week 12

How to Organize Files in Your Home

Steps from this week's challenge:

1. Choose a Place and Storage Solution to Store your Home's Files

2. Create Your Home Filing System and Organize Files

3. Purge Some of Your Files Annually to Keep Paper Clutter From Taking Over

Here is a look at my paperwork system.

1. Choose a Place and Storage Solution

My place is in our office and my storage system is a plastic file crate.

We are in the process of finding a cheap file cabinet but I haven't found one I especially like yet.

(see the little blue crate, that's it!)

We also put our most important documents in a fire safe box. 

2. Create Your Home Filing System and Organize Files

Some examples of my file categories:

* Insurance 

* Automobile (separate file for each car, past/present)

*Banking Records

* Loan documents (one for Ben and one for myself)

* Vital documents (birth certificates, marriage license, passport, etc.)

* Monthly bills (organized per bill - energy, gas, etc.)

* Instruction Manuals

* Tax Paperwork (separated and labeled by year)

Make sure to leave space (and maybe even a few extra folders in the system) to grow!

3. Purge Some of Your Files Annually to Keep Paper Clutter From Taking Over

Take a good look at the files and shred items you no longer need. Every family's paperwork is unique to them so there is no perfect list of the items you should keep and the items you could purge. Items like utility bills and grocery receipts could be purged on an annual basis. I'd recommend keeping the last few months on those documents. 

This filing system has saved me so much time even though over the years I have put hours and hours into this system. When it came time to filing taxes Ben would ask me for information and I could pull out the information within 30 seconds! I highly recommend to everyone to take some time to further organize your paperwork! I will be purging and shredding today! 

Easy Easter Baskets

This year I made my first Easter baskets! I made two types but unfortunately didn't take too many pictures of the process! But here are two fun ideas for only a few dollars each! 

Target Basket

I bought these baskets in the dollar section at Target. 

At the same time I bought an eight pack of foam eggs (including 4 glittery ones!), also in the dollar section.

Using paint I already had I added a big A and E on each basket for their names and painted some flowers on the sides. 

I also shredded pink and white paper to add to the bottom of the baskets.

Then added in the eggs! 

My little friends love stickers so I bought a pack on clearance for a few dollars, wrote an Easter message in a plastic egg that I already had and added a chocolate butterfly (bought in a five pack at World Market)

Each Easter basket only cost about $3 and took about two hours (with drying time in between paint coats) to construct. 

Paper Baskets

This was an experiment. I had no template but just drew out a design. There are templates you could find on goggle to make this project easier! I folded the template in various directions making sure the template was as even as possible. I folded down flaps on two of the sides. 

It doesn't matter if your template is messy, it is only a template! Mine was all cut up and held together with tape!

I then traced the template on three different pieces of paper. Then taped the basket together using double sided sticky tape.

I then added a strip of paper for the handle with the scraps. 

I also added a little name tag with the scraps and tied it on with colorful ribbon!

My favorite part was filling the basket!!

Each basket had some green shredded paper in the bottom.

The finished baskets!

My dad got Twizzlers and snickers.

My mom got a notepad, thank you cards and chocolate butterflies.

Ben got Kool-Aide, Pringles and Snickers.

I forgot to share what I got from Ben! He blew our $4 Easter budget.. by quite a bit and surprised me with..

NEW TOMS!! It was an Easter/thanks for working so hard gift! I love them!! 

Ben looked for a HUGE Easter egg to stick them in but couldn't find one so in true Ben style he gave them to me a few days before Easter instead! :)

Easter Wrap-Up

Easter at our house was a fun one this year! Last year my parents visited us while we were in Sioux Falls and hid eggs all over our apartment! We were up until 11pm searching for the eggs after Ben came home from work! This year we were lucky enough to have my family here again for Easter! This Easter was egg-stra special (haha) because we spent it with both sides of the family, the Boye family, and the DeRuischers! We are so blessed!! 


A few weeks before Easter I spent some time preparing! I had a few craft nights and did crafty things while on long boring conference calls for my job! :) 

Easter Cards
Idea from here

I made some Easter Cards for the kids in our lives and my little cousins. 

Easter Baskets

I made an Easter basket for my dad, mom and Ben! (left to right)

My youngest friends, Addison and Erin, got a basket too!

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a big Easter egg hunt at work with all our kids!

We celebrated Easter with the girls by giving them their baskets and taking them to the park. Inside their personalized baskets were foam Easter eggs, stickers to decorate their eggs, chocolate and an egg with a secret message inside!

Of course, we were spoiled too! My parents gave us (and Tia/Justin and Tia's brother and his friend!) an Easter basket filled with goodies! Ours included gummy worms, Cliff Bar Granola Bars, Snickers for Ben and Reese's Eggs for me and other yummy chocolate and candy! 

My brother, Justin, slept over on Saturday so we were able to spend Easter morning together before my parents and Justin went back to their respective homes. My mom hid plastic Easter eggs for us to find and I hid baskets. We spent some time laughing and eating candy (for breakfast!) before everyone left. Ben and I went to church then had lunch with this family! It was a blessed Easter!! 

Spring Break

My Spring Break was FABULOUS!

To break it down...
Friday - leave at 5:30am, stop to get bagels then drive to Menominee, surprise cousins and pick them up from school, chill with family
Saturday - family time, wedding in Wisconsin
Sunday - family time then trip back home
Monday-Wednesday - hung out with Lauren and the girls, worked on super secret projects, cleaned the house
Wednesday - dinner with pals, Jordan and Lindsey, got tattoo, parents came to town
Thursday - visited Lauren and the girls and took them to the park, lots of hanging out, Ben's parents came over and we made both sets of parents dinner
Friday - Justin came, bought a new truck, made the Pinterest recipe Salsa Chicken again and hung out
Saturday - Boye/Walk lunch, 3 in 1 surprise birthday party for my dad, brother and Tia's dad, more family time
Sunday - parents left, Justin left, Easter service, Raena's birthday party, major crash time when Ben and I sat around for hours.... 


There it is!! SUPER BUSY BUT WONDERFUL! Spent it with everyone we love dearly! Now here is the fun part.. pictures!

Overall, I did not take too many pictures. But I was too busy enjoying every second away from work and with my family to grab the camera! :)