LIFE IS BUSY...

I have been a very bad blogger, but I have been very busy. With August comes the beginning of school and I have been very busy putting together my classroom.  There have been a lot of changes at work and it's been an adjustment. I want to show some pics of my classroom, but I'm still not done.. So until then, I'm going to tell you about my new business venture. In April, I began my journey with THIRTY ONE!!! If you don't know what thirty-one it's a company specializing in my most favorite thing in the world- BAGS!! My journey began because I wanted to buy an organizing utility tote, but could not find anyone in my area who sold THIRTY-ONE. So I decided to become a consultant. It's been pretty good so far.. but I admit I'm not the best salesperson, by nature I'm a bit shy and I hate having to bother people, lol! But I decided I would try harder, mainly because I love the product and I have heard of so many women who's lives have been changed by this company. So i'm going to try so hard... If you or anyone would like to purchase any products I will link my page to this site and show you some of the awesome new things for Fall 2013!! Also I've been organizing like crazy and have several areas in my life where I have utilized my Thirty-one products. so that's something I want to show you guys till then.......

Sorry for the absence, have a great day!!

Helloooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm alive......barely, lol! These past few months have been very busy and very hard, which in the process has led me to neglect my beloved blog. I have been doing lots of projects around the house, sadly my project life/crafting has also taken a back seat. I even missed my 1st bloggerversary, so sad :(
Our house has been bursting with lots of small and large projects, which I've documented and will share very soon...
    Since my last post, I have geared into a small business venture, which I will share soon. We've been doing some projects outside and inside the house, which I mentioned I will share very soon.
  After a very, very hard school year, I was looking forward to summer, working on things I don't have time to do during the school year and really just relax. In early May, my good friend Erika called me.. she was upset and told me that she was diagnosed with Leukemia. We were all in shock and very upset. These past few months have been some of the hardest. I met Erika when she started dating my best friend, Adrian. Very soon we became friends and throughout the years, she has become one of my closest friends and to think that I almost lost her- was heart breaking. I prayed more than I ever prayed in my life for the life of my sweet friend who was needed here on earth by her husband and 2-year old daughter. Erika is doing better, but still has the fight of her life to fight... and she's fighting! If you are reading this- please include Erika and her family in your prayers.
     We just recently finished doing a fundraiser for Erika and it had consumed most of my summer, but I wouldn't have had it any other way, I know they would have done the same for us and so many times they have been there for us. So.. with that I AM BACK!!!  

Stay tuned for some blog posts...
(( )) HUGS,
Michelle

Party Planning Binder and First Birthday Parties

My Sweet baby nephew turned 1 on January 9th, my sister organized a Dr. Seuss themed party that was simply adorable. My sister is super creative and I loved all the stuff she made for the party.  Here's a peek....

I also planned a small party for him in our hometown. Since there is so much I have floating in my head, I put together a party planner to help me stay organized. I got a pretty binder from Target and got to work.

 I put in some planning sheets to help keep all my to-do lists, checklists, and guest list together.

 I also separated the binder into sections, I'm planning to put in ideas I find  in magazines and pinterest

 and slip them into each section. I put in baby shower and bridal shower game ideas I found and put them in the shower section. The categories I have are Showers, children's parties, holidays, weddings/ anniversaries, and adult parties, which is not what you think, lol! ( that section includes reunions, bachelorette parties, birthday parties, etc

I also added a birthday chart at the end, so I could keep track of all the birthdays of all our family and friends. Sorry didn't take picture of it. Here are some pics of the party we planned for him- It's a Julius Paul Frank monkey theme.

How do you plan your events? Would love to get more ideas...

XOXO, Thanks!!
Michelle

Kitchen Orgnization

My kitchen is pretty tiny, but it's by far the most organized of all the rooms in my house. It didn't happen over  night, in fact I've been organizing my pantry since summer. I lived with some things- some I loved, some not so much. I adjusted as I needed  and  it's a work-in -progress. This is what I had to begin with....

Pretty messy, things just thrown into the pantry in no order. The over the door shelf, helped so much, but needed so much organization. I started by clearing out the pantry. Had these liners for so long, I got them at Lowe's. Not very stylish, but they will do for now.  

Here's how it turned out after all the organization.......

Let's start with the over the door organizer- I just went through it and organized it and much as I could by type and size.

The top shelf holds some extra unopened crackers, frosting, and other extras. The purple containers hold bread and chips.

On the next shelf, I added another shelf I picked up at dollar tree. I added three white baskets to hold some extras from Wal-Mart. The top baskets hold some muffin/biscuit mixes as well as seasonings, the other basket holds drink mixes and tea. The bottom basket holds breakfast oatmeal packs as well as cinnamon sticks.  And of course, the cans to the left of the basket.

The bottom shelf holds containers for cereal, snacks, and crackers. Want to get a container for croutons and salt. As well as put the Quaker oats into one of the containers.

I also added a 2-drawer plastic container, I put a basket on top with napkins, paper plates, and plastic utensils.

The first drawer holds all my baking supplies like sprinkles, cookie cutters, cupcake cups,and  birthday candles.

The second drawer holds ziplock bags, saran wrap, and foil.

I was trying to find a place to put all our plastic bags that we have left over from the grocery store... I know, plastic bags...bad, but we use them for trash. So I put up a 3M hook, and a pretty blue bag I don't remember where I got. This is where we will keep all those extra plastic bags.

 I also worked on my kitchen drawers. My entire kitchen only has four drawers- 4!!!!! My bottom drawer holds all the attachments I have for some kitchen appliances and gadgets. It also holds our electric carving knife.

 The next drawer holds stuff like cheese grater, whisk, pizza cutter, and among other things, the all important wine bottle opener!! :)

 The second drawer is my favorite!!! It holds all the stuff I would need for baking, from my spoons, spatulas, measuring spoons, and hand mixer.

The top drawer holds knives and standard eating utensils...

Last, but not least I tackled the cabinet under the sink.This is where I keep all my kitchen cleaning supplies, furniture polish, etc.. We also keep our lantern in there in case of an emergency.

Still have my cabinets and hutch to finish organizing. I have to re-work some stuff and move things around. But I will share as soon as I finish.

Thanks for stopping by..
Michelle

Valentine's Day Crafts!!

Better late than never!! This Valentine's day I made some simple, easy gifts for my friends at work, as well as for my students. 

I used some ziplock bags and added some fundip, toy, crayons, and other candy for a simple gift for my students. I stapled a little owl card at the top. For my co-workers, I put together some simple gifts I found on-line-thank you PINTEREST!!

Lastly, we put together these cards for the kiddos to give to their parents- LOVED how they turned out!! Again, Thank you, Pinterest!

Nothing Special, but I'm so happy I got to do something crafty!!! I missed out yet again on the Pinterest challenge over at YOUNG HOUSE LOVE/BOWER POWER, but I'm going to start planning for the spring one, so I can be ready!!

What did you give your Valentine???

Lots of LOVE,

Michelle

Quick Update

January has been a very busy month and February is just as busy... But I have lots to share. My biggest project is conquering are laundry and clothing clutter. It's a huge problem, but we've gotten rid of lots of stuff, organized some drawers. I also want to do the kitchen challenge with Jen over at I heart organizing. I missed out on the Office organizing month :( ... but I'm also planning a major overhaul of our office/craftroom very soon. Also I got my seafoam kit in the mail, but with all the stuff happening around here I haven't even opened it. I also have another binder/planner idea to share. I'm still motivated and things are coming along slowly.

Are you still motivated???
Till next time...
Michelle 

Purse Organization

Well I know I'm not the first to show you how they've organized their purse, but I love how it turned out! I've actually gotten complements about my little purse organization. My purse is small, I don't like carrying around a big purse, especially when I had to dig through it- to find what I  was looking for. Cute huh?? I love it!!!

This is what I can fit into the purse... My Christmas gift- My brand new clutch/wallet, lotion, lip balm, hand sanitizer, my pill case, coin purse, and an accordian file.  I also put my sunglasses and my cell phone in the purse.

I put my credit cards, ID, Insurance cards, cash, and checkbook into my wallet. And if I want to leave the house without my purse, I just pull out the wallet and head out.

Next, my accordian file- I bought this at Wal- Mart a few months ago. I had bought it to organize receipts by month, but my hubby has a whole different system, so it sat there- until I saw this post on the SUNNY SIDE UP BLOG- GENIUS!!! We live in a very small town, the closest mall/target is 80 miles away.... ;(
soo... I made a tab for receipts. Every time we go on a shopping outing, we use this tab to put all our receipts that would otherwise get lost in bags, purse, car, hubby's wallet, etc...  Next is reward cards- We have so many that they would stay behind at times and we would be kicking ourselves, when we missed out on savings. :(   Next tab is gift cards- We got a lot this year for Christmas and I kept forgetting them- finally put them to use!! Next is coupons, then a tab for "lists" - cause I am a notorious list maker!! We make a list of things we need and I put it in there and take it out as I need it. Next is pics and notes- this is where I keep things like window dimensions for when I'm buying curtains or blinds, paint swatches, etc.. My last tab is school stuff this is where I keep receipts from school or lists of things I need to get for a school party, or anything else school related, I need to shop for.

Here's the finished product pretty satisfied with the outcome. :)

 How do you organize your bags??
Till next time,
Michelle