Saturday, January 30, 2016

ABFOL - Home Organization 101 Challenge : Week 3 - The Dining Room


Welcome to Week 3 of the Home Organization 101 Challenge that is hosted by Toni, at A Bowl Full of Lemons.

This week we worked on our dining room. You can see all of the details on Toni's blog, but the main thing was to clear clutter, clean everything, organize everything, and get it all put back together.

 before

I cleaned everything that could possibly be cleaned in this room and then I started scheming. It happens every. single. time.

after

During Week 1 - The Kitchen, I moved most of our coffee station from the kitchen counter to the corner of the dining room. I was convinced that we didn't have room in here for it to work, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I started out with this metal cart that was in my husband's office closet. We are liking it so much that we have decided to build a custom buffet and add the coffee station on top of it.

We are still in the process of gathering supplies and figuring out plans, but I'm still pretty excited about it. You know I will keep you posted.

 Check out the complete before and after tours on my YouTube Channel.





Friday, January 29, 2016

Five on Friday

I don't know about you, but I am happy that it is finally Friday.

1. We made it through another week of homeschooling! That's a win, folks!


2. I am still chugging away at the 2016 Home Organization 101 Challenge that Toni, from A Bowl Full of Lemons, hosts each year. It is going pretty well. At first I was staying nice and focused. Now I seem to be dreaming up new projects for each room instead of just purging, cleaning, and organizing them. (Sigh.) There is a pile of wood in my dining room right now that I am going to have to hide so that I can photograph and film the current after on the room for this week.

I'm still behind on writing these posts for the blog, but you can see the before tour on my YouTube channel.

3. My husband and oldest son are planning to spend the day in the woods tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending the day with my will little Henry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2stgDOuOnT4
(click picture to watch my newest setup on YouTube)

4. I have posted a few planner videos this week. My new set up is very functional and I am really enjoying it.

http://littlebitsofhome.blogspot.com/2015/06/dining-room-organization.html


5. I found a new to me blog this week that I am really enjoying. Samantha, from Little Bits of Home, has a beautiful home and blog that are full of inspiration. This cabinet is in her dining room being used as pantry storage. She's a smart girl! Be sure to stop by her blog and tell her I sent you.




 I'm linking up with High Five for Friday, Oh Hey, Friday, 5 on Friday, & Diary of a Real Housewife.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

CarryGrace 52 Wk Photo Challenge Wk 4 (Linkup)


Welcome back to week#4! Ok, so maybe no one else has linked up yet. I'm still going to keep moving forward with this. The idea behind the challenge was simply to challenge myself to do a better job of picking up my camera each week and taking pictures of the ones I love, not just pictures for the blog.

I personally want to use my big camera so that I am constantly practicing, but I failed miserably with that this week. It's just been one of those weeks. I did still capture this silly picture of Henry. He had just read his first book to me unassisted. I was so proud of him.


Link your pictures below.
-Please link directly to your blog post, not your blog's home page.
-Please leave a text link back to this post so that others can find it.
-Do not leave a link to a different linkup.

Don't have a blog? You can post your pictures on IG and use the hashtag #carrygrace52wkphotochallenge .


Monday, January 25, 2016

Meal Plan #25

Here are our meals for the next 2 weeks. Keep in mind that we will have leftovers twice and order pizza twice, and dinner at church once. We have a lot of activities these next few weeks in the evening, so we will be doing a lot of convenience meals.

Meatball Subs and Chips
Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast, Rice, and Steamed Veggies
Soup and Sandwich
Chicken Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Chicken Fajita Quesadillas with Chips and Salsa
Hot Dogs and Waffle Fries
Seared Tuna Steaks, Butterfly Shrimp, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Breakfast
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Rotisserie Chicken), Chips, and Fruit


You can check out my grocery haul right here.



Saturday, January 23, 2016

ABFOL - Home Organization 101 Challenge : Week 2 - The Pantry





It's week 2 of the A Bowl Full of Lemons Home Organization 101 Challenge. This week the challenge is to tackle those pantries.

You can see the before here.




And the after here.




Be sure to check out A Bowl Full of Lemons for complete details for this Challenge.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

CarryGrace 52 Wk Photo Challenge Wk 3 (Linkup)



Welcome to the 52 week photo challenge.  The challenge is simple, get your camera out and take a pictures of a family member. There are no fancy prompts.





The pics that are the hardest for me to get are candid action shots in my house. This is what I really want to work on. My boys were working together to build a fort. 

Did you capture any special moments this week?



Saturday, January 16, 2016

ABFOL - Home Organization 101 Challenge : Week 1 - The Kitchen - AFTER


I am so happy that I decided to tackle the annual Home Organization Challenge that ,Toni, from A Bowl Full of Lemons hosts each year. This year the challenge flows perfectly with her new book. (not an affiliate link)

My kitchen is so clean and organized!

I really didn't think that I had much to do in here, but I was wrong. I spent the bulk of my time lining my cabinets with shelf liner, but it was totally worth the extra effort.

The main change that I made in the kitchen was the coffee bar. I was CONVINCED that I didn't have room for a coffee bar elsewhere in my house, but I was WRONG! You will see it in an upcoming week, but it is working beautifully and my counters feel nice and spacious again. Just the way I like it.


I'm going to be real honest and tell you that I was really disappointed with most of the after pictures I took in the kitchen. (sad face) I have got to make myself keep picking up my new camera until I master it. It's hard to blog without good pictures.



You can still see all of the details and get the full tour on my YouTube Channel.




Did you miss the before pictures/video tour? You can check them out HERE and HERE.

Have you been doing any organizing in your kitchen lately? If so, what have you been working on?



Linking this post to:
The DIY Collective

Thursday, January 14, 2016

CarryGrace 52 Wk Photo Challenge Wk 2 (Linkup)

Welcome to week 2 of the 52 Week Photo Challenge. Pick up your camera and snap a pictures of one of your loved ones each week.

The other day I walked outside with my camera because the boys were outside playing. I am terrible at taking pictures of them when they aren't sitting perfectly still. Cade had picked up some sticks and was drumming on a pile of fire wood. That boy is always banging on something!


Link your pictures below.
-Please link directly to your blog post, not your blog's home page.
-Please leave a text link back to this post so that others can find it.
-Do not leave a link to a different linkup.

Don't have a blog? You can post your pictures on IG and use the hashtag #carrygrace52wkphotochallenge .


Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Meal Plan #24

On a Tuesday.

It's been a while since I have done a meal plan post. These will be our meals for the next 2 weeks. We eat leftovers 1 night each week and pizza on Fridays.


Steak Fingers and Gravy on Toast, corn, and Mac n Cheese

Chicken Sandwiches and Chips


Tacos


Seared Tuna, Rice Pilaf, and Broccoli

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast, Potatoes, and Peas


Chicken and Rice Casserole and Okra

Soup and Sandwich


Stuffed Shells, Salad, Garlic Bread

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Potatoes, and Corn

Chicken Fried Rice and Egg Rolls




Saturday, January 9, 2016

ABFOL - Home Organization 101 Challenge : Week 1 - The Kitchen


I am so excited to be starting this challenge this week. I knew I wanted to take on an organizing challenge at the beginning of this year. There are so many good ones floating around, but this one is exactly what I was looking for.

Toni, from A Bowl Full of Lemons, has been hosting this Organizing challenge annually for years. I have always sat back and watched, but this is the year for me to jump in. I purge and organize frequently, but I have a few areas that need a little attention. Sometimes your needs change and things need to be revamped.


The thing I like the most about this challenge is how well it is laid out. There is a schedule, free printables that include check lists and detailed instructions, and plenty of inspiration. You don't really have to plan anything out on your own before you begin. Toni did all of the planning, You just have to follow the plan.

Toni also has a beautiful new book (not an affiliate link) available that covers everything you need to complete the challenge plus tons of tips and projects. I am looking forward to ordering the book very soon.

Make sure you go to her website for complete details of the challenge.

Today starts Week 1 - The Kitchen.



My kitchen is pretty organized as it is, but there is always room for improvement. I do have one cabinet that is kind of bad. I am looking forward to finally lining my upper cabinets and purging some items that we didn't use throughout the holiday season. I'm sure I will come across other items to get rid of in the process.



I will be sharing my progress here each week as well as on my YouTube Channel. You can checkout my latest video to get a peek inside all of my cabinets before I get started.




Thursday, January 7, 2016

CarryGrace 52 Wk Photo Challenge Wk 1 Linkup



Today is the first week of the Photo Challenge. I am excited to see everyone's photos! (And hoping that there will be more than 2 people link up.)

This challenge is simple. There are no fancy prompts. Just get out your camera and make an effort to capture your sweet family each week.


My little Henry's curls vanished as soon as the temperatures dropped. I needed to capture that smile before it changes again. He will soon lose another tooth. He is growing up way too fast.

Link your pictures below.
-Please link directly to your blog post, not your blog's home page.
-Please leave a text link back to this post so that others can find it.

Don't have a blog? You can post your pictures on IG and use the hashtag #carrygrace52wkphotochallenge .




Tuesday, January 5, 2016

52 Week Photo Challenge

I started thinking a month or so ago that I would like to host some type of organizing challenge once the new year rolled around. The closer the end of the year came, the more that wasn't the route I wanted to take. There is no shortage of organizing challenges starting this week if you are looking for a good one. I will most likely join one myself.

I got a new to me camera in early December. My previous DLSR was a Sony.  The new one is a Nikon. They are so very different. I feel like I am having to start over with my photography skills. I'm am no photographer, but I got to where I was happy most of the time with my pictures. I began thinking that a 365 day photo challenge would be good for working on my skills. And then I laughed, because anything for 365 days would be a stretch. Then I started looking for a good 52 week photography challenge. There were several that looked fun, but none of them where really what I was looking for.

I finally realized that while a picture of something orange, the night sky, and what is in my cup might be fun and really stretch my skills, I will not be excited to look back on these pictures at the end of the year. I want to focus on taking pictures of my kids. My family.



Welcome to the #carrygrace52wkphotochallenge !

The challenge is simple. Pick up your camera and take pictures of your family each week. Take pictures of your kids, your husband, your uncle, and your grandma. Bonus points if you jump in the picture with your family. There are no fancy prompts. I don't want to have to wait until week 37 to take a particular picture of my kiddo. I want and need this to be simple so that I will stick with it.

I will be using my DSLR, but you don't have to have a fancy camera to join this challenge. Use whatever camera, smartphone, or iPhone you like to take pictures of the ones you love.

There are 2 ways to join in on the fun.

1. Post your photos each Thursday on IG using the hashtag #carrygrace52wkphotochallenge
2. If you are a blogger, you can post the pictures on your blog and then link your blog post here each Thursday with a linkup party that will be set up.

Pick up that camera and then come back on Thursday for Week 1 of the 52 Week Photo Challenge.

I can't wait to see pictures of your sweet families!

Let me know if the comments if you have any questions.


If you want to hear me talk about the exact same thing, you can view the video here.


Friday, January 1, 2016

My Planner Picks for 2016


I spent last year doing the planner shuffle. It was exhausting constantly changing, but I learned a lot a long the way about what works for me and what doesn't.

This year I have a nice stack of planners that I will be using to keep all the different areas of my life organized. I like having separate planners for the different areas that I need to keep up with.
 

I filmed a video for my YouTube channel so that you can get a closer look.




How do you keep all of your schedules and lists organized? Do you have one planner for everything or do you like to keep things separate?

Let's talk about it in the comments.