simplify the season - part 1

A couple of weeks ago our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Coordinator (and my good friend!!) spoke about holiday traditions and the things we could do as mothers to help bring family together for the holidays...without losing our sanity! She talked about having traditions, but making them simple and meaningful. She had some GREAT things to say, and I even took notes (did you hear that Sarah?) She helped validate the things that I already do to to help simplify the busy Christmas season, but she also reminded me of things that I need to do! It's about making the most of this season without all the stress...enjoying it along the way!

I thought it would be fun through the next month leading up to Christmas to share some of those thoughts of simplicity with you, so today's "Simplify the Season" comes from something Sarah said...

Tip #1 - "It's OK to take short cuts."

She said that if you like to make cookies, think of what part you (or your children) like best. Is it the baking or the decorating? For Mikayla, it's both, but for this momma who knows the list of things she wants to do for the holidays is quite long, I figure that it's the decorating part that is truly the fun part. So, during my last shopping trip I picked up a giant box of sugar cookie mix from Costco. It will save a little on the time to make them from scratch, but we still will enjoy the Christmas activity...I'm just taking a quick shortcut.

My other shortcuts included purchasing a gingerbread mix and refrigerated pie crust. Just thinking ahead, you know! And keeping it simple. (Please note: For those who have a love for baking, you're probably cringing right now, but for me, it's OK that I give up this little piece of holiday stress. It doesn't mean that I won't bake other kinds of goodies (there's still plenty other holiday treats to be made!), it just means that we'll have more fun in the decorating when it comes to frosting sugar cookies and making gingerbread men! And maybe because I bought the pie crust, I might actually make a pie this year!)

What are you going to do this year to simplify the season, so there's more time to think about the reason we celebrate?

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On another note: Just look at this poor pathetic face.

We're still battling sickness in our household. I thought we were in the clear, but then Mikayla had another high fever early Wednesday morning. No fevers all day and then both Austin and Mikayla had a fever close to bedtime Wednesday night. There's only so much eye watering, coughing, and nose running a little one can take. It breaks my heart! We're going on one week with the kiddos feeling not so great!

works for me wednesday - organize it!

Welcome to this little place of mine where I am proud to admit that organization is an obsession!!

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is a themed edition...
can you guess what it is?

Yep...

ORGANIZATION!!

So, I thought it might be fun for you to choose your own adventure by clicking on any of the posts below to find exactly what you might be looking for. Some of you are new to my blog, but some of you faithful followers may have seen all of this before.
Either way...have fun browsing!

Organize your camping stuff

Organize your car

Organize with baskets!

Organize your gift wrap

Organize your dessert recipes

Organize little girl hair accessories

Organize your scrap paper

Organize all those toys!

Organize your holiday decor

See?
I told you it was an obsession!

works for me wednesday - creative gift wrapping

Another week of Works for Me Wednesday is here!

I don't like to buy gift wrapping supplies if I already have them (and, trust me I'm always stocked up...check out my gift wrapping storage here), but sometimes I don't have the right size of gift bag to hold those larger sized, oddly shaped presents.

Here are a few ways to get creative with what you already have!

Idea #1

Don't you love those packages that have the open part in the front? If you wrap them in wrapping paper all that happens is a big hole in the front with one little slip of the hand.


Find a piece of cardboard and tape it over the front of the gift...


And voila! Wrap it up easily without any holes!

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Idea #2

Wrap your gift in a basket and tuck in random bits of tissue paper to "hide" the goodies inside.

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Idea #3

Use something other than wrapping paper to wrap an oddly shaped gift. For this particular toy, I couldn't find any cardboard to cover the front (like idea #1), and I didn't have a gift bag big enough to fit.


I found this GIANT gift bag in my stash, but then realized that it was way too big for this toy. So I got a little creative with it!


And cut it into two pieces...


It was more flexible and durable to work with without the fear of poking a hole in it.

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Idea #4

Match the birthday card with the wrapping paper. Why use an envelope? Show off the card by taping it on top of the gift.

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Idea #5

Wrap it up with cellophane. This little toy wagon given to a friend's daughter was so awkward to wrap, so I decided to just wrap it with some polka dotted cellophane. It didn't fit at first, so I just cut out the bottom and slipped it through leaving the wheel and handles without cellophane around it.


Check out more Works for Me Wednesday tips and tricks at We Are That Family.

Or for more creative gift giving ideas, check out more of what I've shared here.

get organized...camping style

A couple weeks ago, our little family of four went camping at the Oregon Coast (a mere 2 hours from where we live!). This was our first camping trip since Austin was born. He'll be 2 years old in September. Obviously, we don't go camping much. Which means TENTS. A thin piece of plastic between us and the rest of the campground. I knew our neighbors were going to love us! We decided to split up and Austin and Ryan were in the large tent and Mikayla and I were in the {teeny tiny} small tent. We figured this way the kids wouldn't wake each other up. The bad thing was I got stuck with the early riser who wanted to be up and riding her bike at 7:00 in the morning! I love that girl.

Onto my point...

I haven't participated in Works for Me Wednesday in quite some time, and I couldn't help but share this little tip that helped shred hours of packing for our camping trip. Since we don't have a trailer, we depend on Rubbermaid tubs to hold our camping gear. We have two large tubs that stay on the shelves in the garage for 361 days out of the year. So, after brushing off the dust, we opened up the tub and lo and behold there was a typed out list right on top of everything that was inside the tub...including a small list of things we needed. Hello, organization! It's so good to see you! I was so thankful that I had taken the time 2 summers ago to do this. I didn't have to take the extra time during the chaos of packing to dig through the tubs to see what we had or needed.

tub #1 holds misc. camping supplies
tub #2 holds camping cookware

And, while I'm chatting about organization, I thought I'd share my handy little organizers I use for camping. You know those plastic bags that infant onesies, curtains, sheets, etc. come in? Save them! They make great little organization tools for lots of things. (I even made a ribbon holder out of one.) These two tubs are filled with these plastic thing-a-ma-jigs.


You better believe that I took the time to take inventory again after we got home from camping (even if it took a week to get to it). So, everything's ready to go for camping in 2011! *wink*

**FYI: I learned these storage tips from my mom when we would go camping when we were younger. She had the exact same organization method: tubs and plastic thing-a-ma-jigs. Thanks, mom, for passing along your wisdom and knowledge for camping organization (and a whole lot of other things, too!)

Check out We Are That Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.

tackle it tuesday - getting my groove back

I'm trying to take baby steps in claiming my house back from the mess of dis-organization! I have definitely let some things go and it's really starting to get to me! So, in honor of Tackle it Tuesday, I'm choosing to get things back in order...little by little. (In true Heidi fashion, I chose to start tackling the unseen things first, so it still looks like the house is a total wreck, but you have to start somewhere!)

First up: Organize the hallway closet. I chose the ugliest looking mess of a cupboard (out of 3) and started there. It once had the potential of being organized, but then I got lazy and just started throwing things on top of things and it turned into this...

BEFORE
(check out that middle shelf!)

It may not look much different (or maybe it does?), but now there's a place for everything and it's more easily accessible. Originally, I had the first aid supplies in a container where I had to lift the lid all the time and that just kept getting old (hence, the reason for just throwing things in there). So, I found a 3-drawer organizer in Mikayla's room that wasn't being used to its full potential, and used it here instead. I love going shopping in my own house! Saves time and money.

AFTER

Next up: Time to restock the car! In the last 2 weeks, we have taken two mini road trips (2+ hours) and so it was time to get the car back into working shape again and replenish a few things. I thought I might as well show you some of the things I keep in my car so that I'm always prepared!

My first aid kit: I used an old wipes container, dolled it up a bit with some stickers, and added the necessities for any sort of minor accident. I keep this in the car for all of those "just in case" moments. (click on the picture if you want to see up close what I keep in there)

Look! It really does all fit!

This next one is for those "I forgot diapers and wipes" moments. Although, it's kind of funny because I forgot that I actually had this in the car until I was cleaning it out.

Everything fits quite nicely in this
little bag and I keep it in the side door.

I posted about my snack container awhile back when I went on a road trip in February, and ever since then I have kept it in my car and I can not begin to tell you how much this is a lifesaver! I don't ever have to worry about throwing something in my purse for the kids. As long as I remember to re-stock it every now and then, I know I'll always have a snack for the kids when they need it! Thankfully it fits quite nicely underneath the middle console of the two front seats.


Last little car tip, is that I keep snack cups, sippy cups, and bibs (which we really don't use much anymore, but just in case!) in the drawer underneath the passenger front seat. (I love my mini van because it has all of these hidden places to store stuff!) This is another great thing if we are in need of a container or cup for anything. It's nice to know that they're there.


Along with these things, I cleaned out the TWO glove boxes that hold pens/pencils, notepads, an envelope with car registration, insurance, etc., cell phone chargers, car manual, Kleenex, extra napkins, a whole bunch of electronic mumbo jumbo that plugs into the cigarette lighter that I have know idea what it's used for (ask the hubby!), and a few other odds and ends.

It feels good to have these things cleaned out and organized. However, I'll be sure to have Ryan look at the ONE cupboard and inside of the car when he gets home before he begins wondering what I did all day!

My next tackle? This little hiding spot behind our door to the play room. Yes, this is my worst nightmare!! I must figure out a new system because I think I have tackled this once before, maybe twice, oh I'm sure at least THREE TIMES! Maybe I'll update later with the "after" picture!

your basic black suitcase

Just a quick tip for today's Works for Me Wednesday!

I've been brainstorming some ribbon projects for tomorrow's Monthly Craft Challenge party. And somehow I got to thinking how you could use ribbon as a luggage identifier. When my husband and I got married we, of course, registered for the basic black luggage set which everyone else also owns! So, when we would go on vacation (which really isn't that often) we had a hard time trying to figure out which luggage was ours in the mass amount of black luggage.

To solve that problem I decided to tie on a few ribbons, so that now when the luggage is passing through the carousel we can instantly spot ours! I know this isn't quite a genius idea. My mom actually uses a fabric scrap for hers, so I kind of copied the idea from her, but I thought I would share it anyway because I know it will work for me (maybe we should plan a vacation just to test it out!) I wanted to be all cute and tie on lots of colors of ribbon, but then I got to thinking...every now and then my husband goes on solo business trips and I'm sure he doesn't want to be lugging around a "frilly" looking suitcase. In fact, this might be pushing it a bit. (Good thing I did it on just the large suitcase, huh, babe?)


Come to find out...today's WFMW is the Frugal Edition. This would definitely be considered frugal...just head to your ribbon scraps and with just a few pieces of ribbon you're good to go. Go check out more frugal tips at We Are That Family.

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Don't forget to come back tomorrow so we can all share our ribbon craft projects. If you want to come back to join us, please do! We're linking up new or old posts that showcase ribbon projects so that we can be inspired to keep creating!! Want more information, go HERE. If you don't have something to share, that's OK...just come on back anyway to see what others have been up to!

WFMW - the greatest hits

Today over at We Are That Family, Kristen is hosting WFMW - Greatest Tips/Hints Edition, which really couldn't come at a better time since we're battling some sickness around here, and I haven't come up with something new to share.

After the fourth day of a high fever, we finally took Austin to the doctor. First he tested him for strep throat, but that came back negative. Then it was onto his ears, and after cleaning them out because they were so plugged with wax he couldn't see in them, the doctor determined that indeed he had an ear infection in one of his ears.

So, it's antibiotics for this little guy...

Let's hope he's on the road to recovery. It's been a little rough around this household!

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So, back to WFMW! I thought I would share my TOP FIVE favorite Works for Me posts as part of this week's Greatest Tips/Hints Edition.

**click on each picture to head to that particular post**

#5 - Themed Baby Shower Gifts

#4 - Gift Wrap Center

#3 - Gift Tags Made Simple

#2 - Baskets!

#1 - Organizing Hair Accessories

Or, I suppose you could just click HERE and visit all of my WFMW posts!

And, of course, HERE for more of WFMW at We Are That Family.

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**And just a quick reminder - TOMORROW is the big day to link up your posts for this month's craft challenge using a scalloped craft punch. Visit HERE for more information and grab the button on the left side bar to spread the word. Don't forget...there will be a giveaway!!

who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

I'm trying not to keep too many sweets around these days, but it seems like the cookie jar that I have on the counter always looks a little odd with nothing in it.

I thought it might be fun to fill it up with something different, so I put some Satsumas in it and the jar came alive! Now, instead of reaching for a cookie, I can have a healthier snack instead.

When the oranges are gone, what else do you think I could put in the jar instead of cookies?

making it extra girly

Updated to add on 5/5/09: I'm so excited to share that this post was featured on Tip Junkie in her Spring Cleaning & Organizing posts!!

Welcome to all those coming over from Tip Junkie! So glad that you stopped by. You might want to check out my obsession with baskets if you're looking for some more organizing tips. I have also shared my top 5 ways to organize toys! Or if you're in the mood to stay awhile, you can browse all of my organizing posts! And, because I can't quite keep everything the same for too long, I have already done a little makeover project with the hair accessories container.

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Over the weekend, I had a few extra minutes during the kids' naps, and so I decided to work on a couple of little projects I had been hoping to get to for quite some time.

I've been needing something other than a basket I was already using that would help organize all of the many hair accessories that are starting to accumulate, especially with my daughter's hair getting so long. Nowadays her hair most often has to be (should be) done...at least the knots brushed out.

Here's my little cutie with some bed head going on...see what I mean? It can get a little crazy!


My first project was to find a little container that could hold her curly ribbon barettes, rubberbands and some of the other larger barettes. I found this in my scrapbooking stuff, added a few alphabet stickers to spell "hair stuff" just for fun, and called it good. The see through container shows off the curly ribbon, which added a cool look, so I didn't feel like it needed any embellishments.


My second project I had been planning to do for awhile, and since my sister made Mikayla some adorable bows (sure, Kim, I'll take more!) over Christmas break, I knew I needed to get this done sooner than later.

I made the bow holder by using a wide ribbon and looping it through a key chain ring so I could hang it. I had found a cute, pre-painted wooden butterfly at JoAnn's Crafts sometime at the end of last summer, and it added the perfect touch to the top of the ribbon. Just what it needed to look complete.


My last project was the one that took the longest. I have quite a few of these little babies (empty, of course) sitting around in my garage just waiting to be used for some craftiness...


I pulled one out, got a little crazy with some Modge Podge, paper, and ribbon, added another pre-painted wooden cutout like mentioned before, and it transformed into a cute little container that can hold the much needed detangler spray, water spray bottle, brush, and comb.


These little projects have now joined Mikayla's room decor and they fit in quite nicely with the purple. I love that I can find things easily without digging through a basket.


Organized hair accessories for an almost 3-year old works for me, especially because it's fun then to do her hair like this...


Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me tips.