Hi and good morning!
As I go about getting more organized, I have learned something. It's pretty common but still effective.
I do better with a list.
I do much better with a list with check marks.
I also do really well when things have containers.
I do amazingly well with things have containers that are labeled!

If things have a place, a truly designated place, I put it back there. I don't put things that don't belong there. It makes things easier. It is WONDERFUL! :0)

SO, my newest project is one I made last night. I'm not sure that I'll use it this week though because it's not completely finished.
I saw this idea at another blog and fell in love with hers (and therefore made my own just like hers!)
(as soon as I can find her blog again, I promise to post it!)

Here are mine:





I would show you the one for each day but some of them are still png format. These are the ones that are already jpg. :0)

I want to laminate these so I can mark on them each day but then clean it off. I am going to attach them all together with a metal ring and hang them on my refrigerator.
:0)

wish me luck!

Hi! I hope this post finds you happy and healthy. :0)

I am getting motivated.
Motivated to clean, create, and organize.
I have been doing a LOT of organizing in my home this past month. A lot. And I'm lovin' it!
I am also getting craftier than ever!
There are SOOOO many wonderful blogs "out there" with amazing craft ideas! I'm having a blast!
I have also taken a big step...a big step in my world. I am making the switch to PSE for scrapbooking. I started to scrap digitally about 5 years ago but have always used Microsoft Digital Image Suite. I love it. I love it completely. I have had PSE for 2 years, sitting in its box waiting for me to take the plunge. I've always been pretty scared about it. BUT with a great friend of mine, we took that step last week. She has since then been going nuts and learning all sorts of things, I haven't opened my laptop since. BUT I will. I am no longer scared.
I am also cooking new things. I REALLY enjoy it...but...well the mess doesn't usually seem worth it. I despise cleaning my kitchen. It's a never ending battle and it takes away the joy of cooking. I will continue to cook though (and continue to hate cleaning!)

:0)
SO...wanna try some things with me?
I challenge you to get motivated!
I challenge you to step out of your box and try something new.
I am!

I am going to try something new EVERY week...whether it is a way of crafting I have never done or a dish I would normally never consider (I never even really look at multi-cultural recipes!). I'm in! Are you?

Mine for the upcoming week are:
an asian-inspired recipe for the crock pot
AND
glass "etching" using my silhouette and etching cream

Should be interesting!

Have a great day!
~robin

Hi! I'm just stopping by to write something so I don't forget...

Caleb does something pretty often that I am so proud of.
It's something I don't ever know to expect, it comes from out of the blue.
It is genuine, it is heart felt, and it is just sort of second-nature-easy for him.

He asks people, total strangers, "Do you know God?"

We were at a nearby park playing the other day and he was over by a girl and her dad. They were climbing on this big fake rock/cliff thing....
I almost missed it.
I almost didn't hear him.
Thankfully I was paying attention and did (because it sure does make me smile).

He simply looked at the dad and said "Do you know God?"
The guy sort of paused and gave a "uhhh...yeah." answer.
Caleb said "Ok, I was just just checking."

It was wonderful!
I'm not sure how much the guy liked being asked, he didn't seem real pleased by it. BUT if my son's question made him ponder, made him give it another thought at all...I am thrilled!

Caleb has done this a few times now, to the cashier at Hobby Lobby, to a waitress at Chili's, even to a doctor. (the one about the doctor was awesome because the doctor was telling us that he was moving back to South America to help give medical aid to less fortunate people. After Caleb asked him if he knew God then he also said "GREAT! Be sure to tell people over there about Him too, they might not know.")

I have talked to him about being prepared with what he will say if someone answers "No." Caleb has shared with me that he would say "Well you should" or "He MADE YOU!" and such. This past weekend we talked and came up with a few better answers....just in case. :0)

I pray that Caleb is always bold enough to ask and loving enough to care.

:0)

I love the start of a new year!
I don't know about you but I LOVE CHANGE. I always have, I probably always will. Change of all kinds, big or small.
Yes...if I could pack up and move every 5 years or so I would LOVE it! Now, there are parts I wouldn't like~I wouldn't want to move away from friends and farther from family. BUT the packing and unpacking, everything being new to me, the change of it all...I would love that part.
SO, the beginning of a new year feels just like that...a NEW year. YIPEE!

I am going to try to do some things different.
I am going to try to be more organized.
more crafty
more frugal
more dedicated to my walk with Christ (more prayer time and purposeful prayer, dedications, etc)

I started cleaning/cleaning out/organizing this week and so far, so good.
I got a Silhouette SD machine for Christmas and can't wait to see what all I will create with it!
And for the FIRST time, we are on a budget...a real budget of writing down what we spend, etc. We've never done that before so it's going to be interesting.

What do you hope to do differently?


I think I'm going to take photos and post some of my progress...makes me feel like I will hold myself more accountable if I put it on here!

So, I'll be back!
:0)

It's the first day of Thanksgiving holidays and I am as giddy as a school girl! :0) I absolutely LOVE having Caleb home, having him NOT go to school, having a change in our routine where everyone seems happier. I don't know what it is...maybe because two years ago I was working part time and it made the time off more hectic (much more I had to do during the time off that had been building up) or last year when I worked FULL TIME and wasn't home at all really! If there is anything to have come out of that year, that year of working WAY too many hours, then maybe this is it (well, and a better wardrobe and shoe collection!)....that I CHERISH and truly ENJOY my time with my kids.
It's not a conscious thing...I don't think "Ah, Caleb is home and a year ago I was working. I need to make the most of it and realize that it is time to make special and enjoy". That's not it (although that's GREAT!). It's truly inside of me and just sorta' there... it's a happiness and joy that I'm not trying to have. It's a giddiness that makes me grin all day long. Yes, I am also planning some great activities and crafts to do together this week. Mainly though, I am just plain happy. So happy it brings tears to my eyes to think about. A deep, resounding, pure happiness.
I love being home with Georgia. This is the FIRST time we've EVER had it... this year. When she was a baby either Caleb was here or when he went to preschool I started keeping a little girl in our home full time. So I never had EVEN ONE DAY alone with Georgia. Now I do. And I love it. I love it every day.
BUT having Caleb home makes both of us happy. All of us happy.
They love playing together.
Making things together.
just being together.

and i love it too.
So, I pray that you are enjoying this time...if you have more of it than you're used to. If you find yourself with more kids home during the day than usual.
If you find yourself with time off of work.
Whatever it may be, I pray you enjoy it.
That it doesn't fray your nerves but instead finds you giving extra hugs and cuddles, extra time of watching your kiddos just be themselves, or time of all curling up together to listen to a good book or watch a good movie.

i love this day
i will love every day we have together
i thank the Lord for each minute of it.

:0)

I love a challenge...and I should do ones like this more often! My friend and I try to scrapbook every Friday together. For a while we were doing a good job...but lately we get together on Fridays but hang out instead...without doing any scrapping. SO, last week we challenged each other. At first we were just telling each other what our goal was and then try to hold one another accountable BUT I upped it a notch. I threw out "what about whoever does the most layouts wins and the other person buys them a large iced tea?" (we are both sweet tea lovers). She agreed and the challenge was made. It wasn't spoken of again for a week..until I reminded her today. Our deadline is midnight tonight so I still have time to do more.... this is what I have so far though....













Technically I have 11 pages done BUT some of those are super easy...I just put a few different photos in and change the journaling, then it becomes a page for the other child. For example the Halloween ones....4 different pages but only had to make 2 from scratch. All of them are like that. So only 6 from scratch and 5 other "pop-ins". :0)

Hope she doesn't see this and see how much I have so far!
:0)

I love Fall.
It's my all time favorite time of year.
It actually gets cool here in Texas (for at least part of Fall).
I LOVE football.
and I love the food that I can enjoy.
MMMMM MMMMMM...my mouth is watering just thinking of it all!

I love homemade chili when the nights get cool.
Homemade Tortilla soup too!
Smores are also a tradition in this house...starts on the Sunday after Thanksgiving~we make some after decorating the tree. Then I pretty much eat them almost every night until Christmas! We enjoy them earlier in the Fall as well (have already made them twice so far, over the fire pit in the backyard, but the tradition is for after decorating the tree).
I have a new apple crisp recipe I love so that will be made a few times this fall.
I have also already made one batch of my favorite PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE.
That is what I will share with you today.

Now first off, it's not really a cake. If you are familiar with "Dump Cakes" then you know the basic idea...you pick a pie filling of some type, pour it on the bottom of a pan then pour DRY cake mix on top. You just sort of DUMP everything in, giving it the name. :0) This pumpkin one though, if you've never tried it, you are going to be delightfully surprised with how good it is. I have shared it with many people and they all LOVE it and ask for the recipe.
So, here ya' go:

One LARGE can of Pumpkin Pie Mix (I use Libby's 30 oz easy pie mix)
2 eggs
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter~melted...maybe even 1 and a half sticks
2 cups of finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 dish with butter flavored nonstick spray. In a large bowl, mix together the pie mix, eggs, and evaporated milk (it's just the directions on the back of the pie mix). Pour it evenly into the dish. Then simply pour the DRY cake mix on top of that, spreading it out (gently) evenly and breaking up any large clumps. Next sprinkle the nuts on top all over evenly. I've made one side without nuts in case some people don't like pecans. It works just fine. :0) Last, pour the melted butter on top as evenly as possible. You want most areas to have melted butter on it but some won't.... depends on how much butter you're willing to use.
I let that sit for about 5 minutes just to let the butter soak in a bit.
Then bake for 35-45 min, until it starts to turn golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean...don't let the nuts burn. :0)

UNBELIEVABLY YUMMY!
There won't be leftovers! (well, if you're sharing this with others)
:0)

P.S. You can make a "dump cake" with almost anything! Cherry pie filling is another one of my favorites and many people like apple too. Simply dump in the pie filling, the cake mix on top, and the butter on top of that! :0)