Wet Trash vs Dry Trash

At my house we have 'wet' trash and 'dry' trash.  Wet trashcans are in the kitchen and the bathroom.  In these trashcans anything that's considered wet goes into them including food, diapers, etc.  The rest of the trashcans are for dry trash.  Paper, tissues, etc.  I'm wondering if it's my OCD-like tendencies kicking in or do other people have wet and dry trashcans too.  So, do you have wet and dry trash or is all your trashcans designated as just trash?

Binder Bandwagon

I've jumped onto the family binder bandwagon.  Well, I've jumped and I came up short 'cause I didn't put everything in mine that others have put in theirs. Take the auto log.  Yep it sounds like a great idea, but I know that *I* am not going to fill it out like I should and then it'd be a started project that didn't get finished and that irritates me.

In my binder I have 6 two pocket folders.  If I have to 3 hole punch each and everything I want to file...well, that ain't gonna happen.  Each pocket is dedicated to a bill or the random monthly thing like investment paperwork that I get.  I've organized mine so that I file them in order that they come each month.

So, onto the grand reveal!

I cut to fit some pretty scrapbook paper that I got on sale at Target to jazz it up a bit.

I got the 6 two pocket folders at Target.  They are the plastic Trapper Keeper brand.

What do you think?  Do you have a Family Binder?  Does it work for you?  Do you have a better system?  I'd love to learn what works for your family.

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!

One of my favorite blogs is A bowl full of lemons.  She happens to be giving away Silhouette products right now!!!!!  Check it out!!
A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!: "My new Silhouette SD machine finally arrived and I'm dedicating this week to my Silhouette creations. I'm also giving away a Silhouett..."

Books, Books Everywhere

I decided to tackle my kiddo's bookshelf today.  My youngest is a mature 2 and no longer needs board books. Time to evaluate and eliminate.  Here's their book shelf before.  It was stuffed to the gills with books to the point where they could no longer grab the book they wanted without searching and putting the book away properly....forget about it.

Before.  Books, books everywhere and no room to spare.

After.  Ahhh much better.

In the smaller basket are their books filled with snapshots of themselves and their friends.  They like being able to go and look at the pictures.  They especially love the shots of themselves as a baby.  The large basket on the top of the bookshelf hold ALL their lovies.  I'm not a big fan of lovies so I try to keep the number down.  I wouldn't mind getting rid of a few more, but I can't convince my kiddo's of that just yet.

A Simple Thank You Goes a Long Way

When's the last time you received a thank you for something you've done for another person?  Let's take this a step further and I ask you when's the last time you actually received a thank you note in the mail?  If you're like me it's been a really long time.

As I was perusing the aisles of Target the other day I ran across these beautiful thank you notes.  They were calling my name just begging to come home with me and be sent off.  The first 5 or so went out the door with no problems.  After that though I got to thinking how small of a gesture should I be sending thank you notes out for?  I mean, yes you opened the door for me, does that get a written thank you?  So, what do you all think?  Which gestures, big or small, deserve a written thank you note?

Aren't they lovely?!?

Sorry for the blur.  The paper's shinny and I couldn't get a decent shot, but I wanted you to get the general idea.  :)

And the best part?  They were on sale!!  The blue notes were $3.24 for 50 cards and the leaf notes were $.98 for 10!!

We've lived here 4 years and...

...I had yet to put anything on the big expanse of bare wall above my couch.  We rent so I can't paint.  That means all my walls are a very serviceable white. Ugh. 

See, I wasn't fibbing about the white color.

Up until recently I just couldn't decide what I wanted on the wall there. As I was perusing the aisles of Target I ran across these babies super cheap on sale.  Like $3.64 each on sale.  SCORE.   This is what it looks like now above my couch and I do know that they are hung really high, but my kiddo's constantly climb and flip and dive off the couch and I didn't want wall hanging to be a danger.

What do we think about the arrangement?  Hubby wanted the sloopy look, but I'm not quite sold on it.  The mats are weaved grass and add texture.  They are intended to be used as bulletin boards, but I don't know what, if anything, I want to put on them yet.  AND I'd have to find nice, sleek pushpins to hold the materials on the boards. 

So, my fellow internet readers, what do you think?  Any ideas, suggestions, tips, comments, random musings???

And for the record I'd LOVE to get a slip cover for the couch.  I'm not digging the oatmeal color, but a free couch from my parents is a free couch from my parents.  My kiddo's play with the couch cushions daily building forts, or pretending they're safe zones from hot lava etc, making a slip cover not feasible.

Kids Artwork

If you kiddos are like mine they are budding artists.  Mine like to display their current artwork.  Before today the display location was our refrigerator (at least the pieces of art that I could pawn off on having them make for Grandma ).

Before.   The display area.

Now often times I think, "there should really be a product that does exactly what I want." and I look around and there is no such product available.  I wait months to years and then BOOM the product I want is finally on the shelves.  That's the case with the art frames that I picked up at Target.  I'm telling ya, I wanted buy this beauty years ago, but couldn't find it anywhere.

Check it out!  Awesome frames for my kiddo's artwork.  And the best part....

They are DESIGNED to be opened repetedly!  It's very easy to switch out the new art work.

It even comes with a folder to hold pieces in the queue or pieces that have already been displayed.

Did I mention how much I LOVE this thing??  And now the only things on my fridge are my things.  As a rule before the top freezer door was mine and the bottom fridge door was for the kids.  Now the bottom fridge door is nice and cleaned off.  Oh and the freezer door?

It currently looks like this.

The pad of paper is my ongoing grocery list.  The penguin magnet was a gift from my brothers.  The picture is of me and my BFF Chris at the Dance Marathon.  Her daughter has PKU and we go every year to support her.  The black strip on the white paper says, "U R who U think U R."  That's one of the motto's I try to live by.  And the yellow card has a Frank Lloyd Wright quote that struck me.  "If you ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it... But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life."

Do You Scrub Your Kitchen Sink?

I figured out a long time ago that if there are items in my kitchen sink my kitchen just doesn't look 'clean'.  The floors could be freshly scrubbed and the counters wiped down, but as long as there was something in the sink all my other work didn't matter.  As part of my nightly routine (and I loves me my routines) I scrub or at least wipe down my kitchen sink, faucet included.

I was surprised to learn that not everyone does this.  So, here's my question: Do you scrub your kitchen sink everyday and why or why not?

What to do About This Space??

I hate the way my linen closet is organized.  It's not very efficient and it doesn't look good.  I like the rolled towel look that many people are sporting these days, but I don't have the funds to buy the cute containers needed to achieve this look.  Plus this is a functional closet.  We are in and out of this sucker every day.  And get this.  I have never once bought towels.  They were all given to us as gifts.  Time to thin the herd?

Any tips, hints, suggestions?  I am open to try pretty much anything. 

This is what I got going on now...not so good...

I Just Happened to Look Up...

...and saw this..ewwwww so I quickly grabbed some baby wipes (we always have those on hand) and quickly wiped down the fan blades.

Much better!  It took me less than 10 minutes to do all 3 fans that we have. I know I feel better.  How about you?

YAY!!! I Have a Follower!

Hi Mandy!  Thanks for following me!  *bigcheesygrin*

Follow me on Twitter :)

I have a twitter account. HappyChibiko1 <---that's me.  Now THERE I post something daily.  Come join me!

Spicy!

The kitchen is not my domain.  I would rather not eat than have to figure out how to cook something.  But those darn kids like to eat.  A lot.  So I spend much more time in the kitchen then I would like.  Now I've pretty much got most things quasi organized in the kitchen.  But the spices were bugging me.  I tried using a spice rack from Target, but that just didn't fit right.  Back that baby went.  I took everything out of the cupbard, wiped it down and put everything back waiting for inspiration to hit.  Then it did.  Back to Target I went to buy the organizer I was looking for.

Before.  Did I mention that Hubby's a Chef so we have lots of cooking stuffs.

After.  The same amount of stuff is in the cabinet.  The spices were just hiding behind all the other crap.  Now we can see what we want without having to dig around.

Much better, no?

UPDATE: We've been using the new spice organizational system for a month now and we LOVE it!  No more hunting and digging around spilling spices all over.  It makes cooking (almost) something I enjoy.  :)

Kids Clothes

I don't know how it happens, but my kiddo's end up with a ton of clothes.  I mean, honestly I don't buy them any clothes.  Period.  Most of their clothes are hand-me-downs from various friends, which I am VERY thankful for, but even the hand-me-downs seem to multiply at night. 

My kiddo's share a room, part necessity because we live in such a tiny space, part because they love sharing a room.  Harshest punishment I have dealt is separating them at night.  True story.

Up until this point Celina's clothes were kept in my closet.  Now it's a fairly good sized closet, but it wasn't handy for her to dress herself in the morning.  Time to move her clothes into their room.

Jack's clothes had been kept in 2 small dressers.  One for summer clothes and one for winter clothes.  Time to consolidate.

I hauled my happy behind to Target where, on sale, was exactly what I was looking for to aid the consolidation process.  I do already have one of these 9 cube organizers in my living room that hold all their toys (we only keep toys in the living room.  Stops them from breeding somehow.).  Behold, below are the before and after pics.

Celina's Before

Jack's summer clothes before and as you can see I staged nothing.  This is as real as it gets folks.

Jack's winter clothes before.

And After....ahhhhh so much better.  And I have since added one more cube for each of them thus eliminating the need for any of their old dressers.

Time for a Change

Before

 

 

Yep, there it is for all the world to see.  My bed in all it's unmade glory.  Really, who makes their beds now-a-days anyways...I mean I'm just gonna sleep in it again, right?  Well, *this girl* has been reformed.  After a trip to Kohls, where I got everything on sale, I just can't help but make my bed every morning.

After

 I love the chocolate brown duvet cover.  The sheets are a high thread count blue (which is hands down one of my fav colors).  I also got a new comforter too because my old blankets just weren't cutting it.  Read: I was freezing my ass of  each and every night.

I made the curtains that are hanging there in the back ground.  I did that years ago so I don't have any pics of the process.  Now, to tackle my bed side table.  :)

Because Mandy Told Me To

And yes, I know the title ends in a preposition.  My friend, who we'll call Mandy 'cause that's her name, has been bugging me to blog.  Now, little did she know that I already had started and miserable failed the whole blogging thing.  But, it's been months so I'll give it another go.  I have no idea what I'm gonna put on this thing so everyday it'll be a surprise (if I actually post something or not....and the content too).

So here's to Mandy and to me giving in to peer pressure...  :)