Long time!

Wow!  It feels like forever since my last post....My apologies to anyone who actively reads here!  It's been quite the whirlwind around here.  Crazy busy/stressful at work, the whole kids in school routine and keeping up with my daily chores seems to have taken over my life...well that IS the title of this blog right?? MY KRAZY life!  Well it has been extra krazy lately to say the least!   What else did I expect???  I don't know, I think I expected to get into a routine a little quicker than this!  I guess time management redo is in order...as in ASAP!!!

So hopefully you all have been doing well and enjoying the beginning of fall.  I know I have.  This past weekend we went apple and pumpkin picking!  LOVE IT.  It's definitely up there on my list of favorite things to do.  We enjoy it just as much as the kiddos :)

I thought I'd stop in and let you know why  I've been MIA lately.   I'll try to get back tonight with some posts that have been put on the back burner.

Hopefully this is an awesome Monday for all of you!

Jen

Revamp!

Hi everyone!  I've been wanting to customize my blog design to reflect me a little better.  I've come up with this and will probably be tweaking it as time goes by.  It's hard for me to really pin down what I'm looking for, but I'll get it by trial and error :)  

Hope you are all having a great day.  I'll be back later with my Sweet Thursday post...

Weekly Menu Planning-9/17

Happy Monday to you all :)  Hope your week is off to a great start.  It's a beautiful sunny day in this neck of the woods, so no complaints from me!  I thought I'd share our weekly menu with you all once again.   I promise to get all my recipes up on the recipes page...please bare with me as it's a little crazy around here.  I will be sure to write the title of the recipes of the week in red so that you can locate it quickly.

I hope you decide to try a few of these menus.   If you have any meals to share, I'm always up for new foods!

***These recipes have been posted to the recipes page***

For our lunches this week, this is what we're looking like;

Monday: Leftover cream of vegetables with cheese and buttered bread

Tuesday: Leftover marinara meatballs with linguine

Wednesday: Ham sandwiches

Thursday: Homemade "lunchable"(rolled ham, cheese, crackers, veggies and dip)

Friday: Still working on this one!   Perhaps homemade pizza to make my little one happy

I shall return soon...

This post is linked to:

Friday night Fun!

Hi Everyone!  Hope you all had a great week.  It's been super busy this way. With work, the kiddos, school and all the rest, I've been finding that I'm running out of time {what's new???}  Well, tonight was a fast and furious type of night :)  I was definitely lit up! haha  I also want to apologize for skipping my Sweet Thursday post, but I will post a desert and it'll be my Sweet Thursday...on Saturday! lol

So my nights usually consist of putting the kiddos to bed and then making lunches, doing dishes, laundry and all the other fun chores that are on my list:)  Last night I decided I was taking the night to complete a few crafty {or not so crafty} projects I've been wanting to do!  The list is long, believe me.  Checking a few things off felt SO good:)  So I poured a glass of wine and enjoyed my evening.

Just like everyone else {or so it seems} I've been decorating for fall!  I love how it gives the house a little more warmth.  So I'll include a few pictures of that too.  

I am so thankful I came across Brandi's blog {Don't Disturb This Groove} a few weeks ago. She made these awesome confetti glasses that I just had to have:)  I've been thinking that it would be great to have custom wine glasses.  I hate having friends over and not knowing who's glass is who's.  Once I was done with the wine glasses, I had some fun with our regular glasses {which we've had for years}, they are so much fun now :) So here is my version of the painted glass:

All I needed was a little acrylic paint {I used $0.57 Walmart paints} some brushes and sponges to play around with and voila.  I cured the glass the same way Brandi did, I was a little skeptical of this and crossed my fingers that the glass wouldn't break:)  I put the glasses in a cold oven and set it at 350 degrees, then let them cure for 30 minutes and then let them cool down in the oven.

No more getting glasses mixed up!  They're not perfect, but I like the way they came out.  So after the glasses were done, I was on to the next project.  I went to Walmart and purchased a few items to make a wreath.  I've seen so many beautiful ones this week and thought I'd try my hand at one.

So I purchased a straw wreath ($2.97), and I purchased a few strands of leaves and flowers ($10.00).  A little hot glue, some cutting, twisting and gluing and this is what i had.  I wanted to put it on the outside of the door, but then my husband bursted my bubble reminding me that when it rains, the colors will probably run and the wreath would probably be ruined...so I settle for the inside of the door :)

While doing my fall decorating, I realized I really wanted to have something on our dining room table.  It can't be too much as we do eat all of our meals there.  I remembered I had some burlap and thought I could cut that and make a smaller runner.  I also had an empty jar of salsa that I kept to find some creative way to reuse it.  I thought it would make a cute candle holder.  I used some twine and hot glue and simply put a dab of glue and spun that twine all the way around to the top of the jar.  Then to make it a little fancier, I tied a ribbon to the top and took some of the leaves and flowers from my Walmart purchases and glued those to the front.  So here is what our table now looks like.

Some of the other things that I've done will go in another post on organizing .  So to finish, here are a few of the decorations I've been scattering around our house.  I really do love decorating.  The house feels so alive :)  

Thanks to Love, Pomegranate House for the free printable...I LOVE it!

Pretty self explanatory...instead of using the vases I had I thought these mason jars would look good.  I cut two strips of burlap and hot glue them around the top.  It was missing a little something so I added these button that I secured with hot glue.

Well there you have it!  So much for one post, but I was so excited with what I got done that I had to share :)  Hope you all have an amazing Saturday!

This post was linked at: 





http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/

Welcome Wednesdays Blog Hop

After following Being Mom{me} for one whole day... you read right, one entire day :) I've just come upon her latest post, she has the spotlight blog for the Welcome Wednesdays Blog Hop.  Being new to this whole blogging world I appreciate every opportunity I get to find some new amazing blogs to follow...and let's be honest, I wouldn't be mad if I found a few followers myself to prove to myself that I actually have something a little interesting!  So much creativity and wisdom out there...some pretty funny people too :)  So I'm linked up to this awesome linky party that's hosted by Take It From Me

Hope you'll swing by to take part in this fun party :)  

Hope your evening....or what's left of it is a good one!

Weekly Menu Planning

Happy Tuesday to you ;). Hopefully your week started off on a happy note.  The weather is changing around here and I am loving it.   As much as I do love the summer, there's something about the fall...  Crisp air in the morning and the leaves changing colors, I love it!

I've shared my family binder with you and told you how much of a time saver meal planning has been for me {YAY! for extra time }.  In addition to being a time saver, this also saves me money on groceries.  I make my grocery list after doing my meal planning, this way I know what I need to purchase and don't get items that won't be needed.

I'm always searching for a new recipe to try as I like changing things up a little. I know I'm not the only one who is on the lookout for new meals so I thought I'd share our weekly menus with you and add my recipes on my "Favorite recipes" page. I'll also be adding a "School lunch" page. Since I'm always looking to switch things up for the kiddos as well I thought I could share with all of you.

Here is what our week looks like:

Just thought you should know that as I'm writing this...I'm salivating!  I'd love to hear what you're having for dinner this week.  As to the lunches, I use this to at have the main meal planned.  Then I always add yogurt, fruits, veggies & dip, homemade muffins, jello or nutri-grain bar, etc...

I'll be posting the recipes for these meals later today!  I hope you've had a chance to do your meal planning this week!  Happy cooking to all of you :)

This post has been linked to : orgjunkie.com/blog

Cleanliness is close to godliness :)

Happy Monday to you!  Hope your weekend was a good one and that you're ready for this week to start.  After a hectic weekend with the kids, I like to clean my house.  Monday is the perfect day for that...Sunday night too {if I'm not exhausted}!  I find that cleaning on Thursdays and Mondays works well for us.  Obviously I do some random cleaning, picking up on a daily basis as well.

Since I have children, it has become more important to me to know what I'm using for cleaning products.  I'm trying use earth friendly products that don't leave as much chemical residue in my house and in the ground!  So after reviewing and trying a few products I've chosen the ones that seem to clean well, smell good and that are environmentally friendly.  

I thought I could share the products I use, why I like them and how I use them.  I know sometimes products that are more earth friendly are more expensive, however that isn't always the case.  To each our own and I in no way, shape or form think that you "have" to use these greener products.  It's simply a matter of personal opinion and taste!

To start I thought I could show you how I try to keep my household as clean and organized as possible {sometimes this is just impossible}!  My cleaning schedule looks something like this:

Obviously some of the odds and ends of picking up aren't listed here, but this is the basis for my cleaning.

I've been using a meli melo of Melaleuca and Seventh generation products.  Every once in a while I'll grab some Method {but rarely}.  I also love to use Mr. Clean erasers...if you have children you know that these are the ultimate handy tool for cleaning :)

Here are the products that are always available in my cleaning closet.  

Sol-u-guard is a great disinfectant I love to use all around the kitchen.  I use it to wipe down my sink, counters, table, etc... One of these bottles last a while as you use 1/4 of this solution in a spray bottle and fill with water.

This smells awesome.  Leaves my floors nice and clean.  I have hardwood and tile and it does an amazing job on both.  This bottle lasts a long time as you only need a dime size in your bucket of hot water.

Great for cleaning our tubs and showers.  Again, this bottle goes a long way as you add 1/4 of this solution in a spray bottle and fill the rest with water.

I have to say this is on my favorite cleaning products list!  After washing your tub and shower, you spray some of this and wipe down.  Leaves surfaces nice and shiny and above all it helps keep it clean. It helps avoid scum build up.

This one is my go to if I have a stain.  Again, a little of this in some water and you've got yourself a great stain remover.  It definitely helps remove odors as well.

Second on my favorite's list is the Rustic Touch!  Great for dusting while conditioning your wood furniture.  Also, this works wonders on my stainless steel.  You just have to be careful not to get any on the floor, 'cause it gets pretty slippery.

I love the smell of this dish soap.  It has been working well for me.  When it comes to the dishwasher, I have yet to find an environmentally friendly cleanser that does the job for me.  I've stuck with cascade since that's what works best for me.

When it comes to laundry, I have to be careful what I use since I have two kiddos with eczema.  So far the detergents that we have done well with are the two above.  They smell good and you don't need much to get the job done.

Now I clip coupons and try to save every penny I can so at first it did seem like these products were a lot more expensive than my original crew of products.  I thought I'd try it and really pay attention and compare.  It turns out that it isn't more expensive.  You don't need a lot of product to clean well, which I think makes a difference.  

So here you have it.  These are my go to supplies when it comes to cleaning.  I love the efficiency of them all and love the smells even more!  Seriously, the smell of cleanliness just makes my heart melt :)   I'm always up for a new product.  I'd love to know what your using to make your home oh so clean :)

Melaleuca has an incredible line of products.   If you'd like to find out more about this company and it's products, go to www.melaleuca.com.  For more on Seventh Generation, go to www.seventhgeneration.com

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Jen