One drawer at a time

You are about to notice a trend with my posts.  We are adopting and are in the waiting part of the process which has made me go into a bit of an organizing/purging fit.

Today's task was super simple and only took me about ten minutes from start to finish.  We have this cute little table in our entry way and hubs and I each have a drawer to keep stuff.

My drawer has gotten cluttered and full of all kinds of junk that didn't belong there.

First step, trip the dollar store. The nice people at the store are going to get sick of seeing me,  lots of my recent projects have included Dollar Tree storage. These two little sets were on an end cap and I didn't actually know what I was going to use them for when I grabbed them.

I cleaned out my drawer and these fit great! 

Now the fun part, putting back only what needs to be in the drawer.  Starting at the upper left and going clockwise. 

1. Some of my Scentsy smells and my extra phone screen protectors. 

 2. More Scentsy smells

3. Battery charger (I'm trying to switch over to all rechargeable because we go through them so quickly with little man's toys)

4. Batteries

5. Chap sticks

6. Gift cards (these get misplaced easily in our house)

7. Hand cream

The battery charger cord is run through a hole in the back and plugged in behind the table. 

Now I feel kind of guilty though.  I may need to make a trip back to the dollar store to get some bins for hubs drawer...

One last look at the organizational goodness...sigh, this makes me happy.

XOXOXO

Jeannie

Linen Closet Organization

Clever title for this post huh? 

I'm still on my nesting tangent that I mentioned here so I'll share another one I just finished.

Do you ever feel like one project will snowball into another...or in my case fifteen?  That is the case in our home right now.  I randomly decided to finish up painting the trim and ceilings in our hallway (after four years of procrastinating) and that lead me into clearing out this closet.  It used to hold random boxes of things and our board games and whatever else got shoved in at some point.  This wasn't planned ahead so I have no before pictures, sorry.

I cleared it out because, like our trim and ceilings, it hadn't been painted in a very long time and was an awful, dingy, off white color.  I painted it a crisp, clean white.  Ahhhhh so clean and simple. 

I knew I wasn't bringing the games or shoe box organizers back.  I wanted a real linen closet for once. This closet is placed between our two upstairs bathrooms so it makes sense to store toilet paper there.  I already had the basket and just changed its purpose. 

I'm going to go off on a rabbit trail here, stick with me for a minute. 

Notice the quilts?  We are very blessed to have a Grandma who quilts.  I love quilts!  I think they are the perfect weight for a nap or to snuggle under on the couch.  A bonus with all of our quilts is that they have memories attached to them.  I have the quilt Grandma made my mom when my mom was sixteen, the Strawberry Shortcake one she made me when I was little, the one she made my Grandfather before he passed away, each of my kids have a quilt from her and the list goes on.  Each time we snuggle under one of these it reminds us of my Grandma.  I have recently been pinning lots of beginner quilts because I really want to learn how to quilt and I want my kids and grandkids to also have memories of me that are warm and snugly.

Sorry about that, back to the closet.

I made another (one of many recently) trip to the Dollar Tree for these baskets.

The labels are chalkboard paint so I can erase them and fill the baskets with some thing new if when the mood strikes.  The baskets are for hand towels, dental stuff, soaps, first aid items, nail polish, and one for misc shampoo's and hand soap refills.

So simple but also effective.

I had visions of putting up wrapping paper or something fancy on the back wall but I just painted it so I'm enjoying the crisp, newness right now.

XOXOXO

Jeannie

I posted this on my back in the day at my old  blog but love it so much I wanted to share it again.  So much wisdom here. I especially love #15 and think someone should make a printable of it...if I figure out how to do that I will make one to share


Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.{amen!!!]
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never
blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up
to you and no one else
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift

Both Hands Project Day!

So, life has been crazy busy lately.  Here is a peak at one of the reasons why.

Hubs and I are adopting again!  Our son HB is adopted locally and we are excited to bring home another child but are working on getting the money in place first.  When we learned about the Both Hands Project that Lifesong for Orphans came up with we prayed that we would be accepted for the program.  Not only would we get to raise some of the money for our adoption but we would also get to bless a widow in the process...yes please!

The day of the project was amazing!  It was wonderful to see the people God has placed in our lives that are willing to bless us and Kathie (the widow).  I want to thank everyone who donated money as well as time and energy for this project.  We are truly blessed!



Craft Supply Storage...did I metion that it was free!

Something you should know about me, I have two addictions 1. Organizing, I love it!  Much to hubs dismay I can always find something to organize in our house so things are always moving and changing.

2. Is this Chai Tea mix.  I don't drink coffee or soda and I've always been an ice water girl who avoids caffeine.  That is, until I decided to try this tea and now I'm hooked.  I faithfully have a cup in the morning and usually a cup during HB's nap.  I wish I had thought up this craft earlier because I've already tossed a bunch into the recycle bin.

So, I didn't have anything specific in mind once I decided to save them but it hit me that I am in desperate need of organization on my craft room shelves and these were sitting empty on those same shelves waiting to be used.

Once I realized what purpose they could serve me I washed them out with a soapy sponge.  These are the same material as a pringles can so I think getting them to wet would ruin them.  I thought that I would be using scrapbook paper to cover them but look how pretty and shiny they are once the label is off.

Next step, labels!   Labels fall under the category of organizing and it makes me down right giddy to get to label something.  I already had some chalkboard vinyl that I got off of Pick Your Plum that was just sitting and waiting for the perfect project.  I used my silhouette to cut out a sheet of these oval labels and stuck them on. 

Please don't feel that you need a silhouette to do a project like this because I haven't had mine for very long and I traced and cut lots of projects like this by hand before I had one.

They are cute, but didn't look finished to me.  I took some nail heads that I bought at Lowe's, by the eye hooks, and used two sets of pliers to bend the nail part back and forth until it came off.

Hot glued those suckers on and called it good!

Now I need to buy some of those chalkboard markers I've read about.  Brighter colors and easier to write with.  I adore how this project turned out, it didn't cost me anything and gave me more excuses to drink my chai.

Let me introduce myself...I'm Jeannie, #2, Middle Child and a Brooks Girl

I am the second oldest of the four of us and am a very blessed woman.

This is an old picture of us but still one of my favorites.

 I am always amazed that I get to be married to my best friend.  Matt is someone who understands me completely and loves me for who I am, annoying faults and all, and I can honestly say I feel the same way about him.

One of the major hats I wear is mom, within that title, I am a bonus mom to a sweet and lovable ten year old beauty named Aubree

  and an adoptive mom to our adorable, funny, and full of life almost three year old son Hildon.

  I can’t tell you how amazing it has been to watch God put our family together, I feel like we are a puzzle that has been spread out but once together couldn’t be more perfect.  I get to be a stay at home mom and all that goes along with it.  I love, love, love all things crafty and am always adding new types of crafts to my repertoire.  I am excited to share some of my random projects and recipes with you, alongside my extremely talented and inspiring sisters.

Lemons into Lemonade...or Something Like That

OK, I messed up.  I was watching a friends little guy for her and didnt' think anything of putting him in Bree's room for his nap.  It never occurred to me that A. she had scissors in her room or that B. this little guy would find them on her desk and use them to cut up her pillow cases instead of sleeping.  I was seriously shocked when we discovered the mutilated pillow cases. 

Luckily he made his cuts on the closed end of the pillow cases so I was able to use a lot of the fabric for this project.

Poor Bree just got his bedding set from her Grandparents.

Within minutes of finding the pillow cases in this condition I had a solution in my mind.  First step, buy new white pillow cases.

Disclaimer: I am self taught when it comes to sewing.  I am sure there are many, many better ways to do this project but this is what I came up with.

I used my rotary blade to cut the open end of the pillow cases off at the seam.

With the piece I was sewing on I gave it a 1/4" of excess fabric past the seam.

See where I'm going with this yet?

Turn the trim piece inside out and pin at the right sides of the trim and pillow case together.

Pretty easy and quick project.

Still matches the sheets, but you know I didnt' stop there.

I cut a piece of the old pillow cases out just big enough to fit two letter a's for her name (Bree is a nickname).

Ironed on some wonder under and traced my a's on backwards so that when I put them on the new pillow cases the a would face the right way.

Cut out your letters, still with me?

Remove the paper backing (I've totally forgotten this step before and its no fun) and iron to the center of your pillow cases.

I did a straight stitch around the a's to keep them secure and because I like how it looks.

Finished!

I love how they turned out!  And now I know to check Bree's room for scissors but will probably just put extra kiddo's in our room where I know there isn't anything they can get into...live and learn.