Outdoor Wednesday

It is time for Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan over at http://www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com . Thanks so much for hosting this! We went on a hike this past weekend at Cloudland Canyon, one of Georgia's State Parks. The weather was beautiful! Hiking down to the waterfalls, we saw some amazing scenery. There were remnants of snow, but lots of ice! The trail was a little difficult at times because of the ice. But, when we got to the bottom, it was worth it! The waterfalls were just absolutely gorgeous! I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Be sure to check out all the participants in Outdoor Wednesday! There are sure to be some amazing pictures!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Kim

Mondays Musings, Challenge Update

Lately, we have had some fun playing board games. Most recently we have been enjoying Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. I absolutely love board games. I think they bring the family together to talk and share memories. Also, the games we play on the WII are fun. These are also great to get us physically active as a family!I don't know what is happening here in the South, but we sure are enjoying it!! Once again on Friday, we got the white stuff!! The snow has been so beautiful!! The boys had some good friends over to spend the night. I watched the Olympics. It was a great evening!

Sunday we went to Atlanta to go to church with my oldest son. We went out to eat afterwards using a certificate that I bought at Restaurant.com. I bought a $25.00 certificate. They normally sell for $10.00, but they were 80% off, so it was only $2.00!!! I just gave it to the server before we ordered and everything went great. Our family of 5 ( all adult eaters!!! ) ate, now this is including the 18% gratuity, for $27.00. Not too bad! I will definitely use these when we choose to eat out.

Our weekend and week's beginning was great. Good friends, lovely snow, worship and eating with my son===Wonderful!!

UPDATE ON CHALLENGE: The challenge I posted about, going on at Organizing Junkie, is going well. I did get the room cleaned and have been taking out what no longer belongs in there. This week I plan to put the items that will go in the room in their proper place, buy some files for my desk and get those organized, put a rug in the room, and finish organizing the bookshelves in the room. We are getting close to the finish date, so I better put high priority on this! I really want to have it all finished by the end date. I will say that in participating in this challenge, I am now pumped to tackle those other "undone" projects. This has helped me to put a plan in place and move forward, which I think has been the hardest part for me. Onward with organizing!!!

Have a super week!

Kim

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Be sure to check out all the posts at http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
For today...Monday February 8, 2010

Outside my window...The sun is trying to come out

I am thinking...About the things I would like to get accomplished this week

I am thankful for... My husband and my boys

I am wearing...Gray pants and a red shirt

From the learning rooms...Bible, Latin, Math, History, LUNCH!!!, Science Review, American Artist Study, Health, Grammar/Writing

I am remembering...Our vacation last summer with family, how nice it was!

I am going...To participate in a service project with my son

I am currently reading...Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock

I am hoping...To get a "new to me" dryer today

On my mind...Teaching my sons to stand strong in their faith

Noticing that...I need to clean my desk!

Pondering these words..."Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

From the kitchen...Coffee, tea, chicken in the crock-pot

Around the house...Laundry, cleaning bedrooms

One of my favorite things...Reading books and blogs while drinking tea

From my picture journal...Thoughts of Spring!

Enjoy your Monday!
Kim

Organizing Challenge

This is the first update on my endeavors in the February challenge going on over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/ . I have been able to go through quite a bit of stuff from the room. I have thrown things out that needed to go and I have sorted some papers that need filing. The room is starting to shape up to the point that I can now go in and clean the floors and walls.

My plan this week is to mop the floors, wipe down the walls, clean the windows, and clean the bookshelves. Our basement area flooded recently and we took out the carpet in this room. We painted the floor and I hope to put an area rug down. We have got to dig up around the perimeter of the house and put in a drain, so until that is done I will not be putting more carpet down. A rug might work better anyway because we use this room for school and I hope to make a craft area.

I also plan to put up my curtains and arrange any furniture that will be staying. I will plan to go through the bookshelves to see what stays and what goes. I REALLY need to de-clutter this area. It is hard for me to be productive in this room when it has so much clutter in it. I see this as my biggest challenge this week. I have a hard time knowing what to send on its way and what to keep. I may have to call my husband in on this. He is wonderful at tossing what needs to go. The only thing is, I might not can watch when he does it:)

I have found so much inspiration in reading everyone's plans for the areas they are organizing. This is such a great way to accomplish a task that has been looming for a while. It will be awesome to see all the "after" pictures!

Have fun organizing!

Kim

Grocery Savings

Grocery savings are in the air!! I had a great trip to our local Bi-Lo today. They are having a great week of sales. When you team the sales up with some coupons, you are in for some wonderful savings. I didn't take a picture of everything that I bought, but the total for everything before taxes or coupons was $237.51. I paid, before taxes and after coupons, $92.65. I was very happy with that!! The above picture is of the items that I got totally free!! The Wet Ones were actually a money maker. They were on the BOGO and I had $1.50 coupon on each one.

After Bi-Lo, I ran into Wal-Mart for a few items. The Post-It Notes, pictured above, were bought at Wal-Mart. They were a money maker also. They were 50 cents and I had $1.00 coupons for them. At Wal-Mart, I was able to find some Zip-Lock containers that were on clearance and I also had coupons for them.

It was a good grocery day. I am glad, because I need to buy a new dryer as mine gave out last week. It is so cold and rainy, it is hard to hang dry alot of items, so I have been going to the laundromat to dry clothes. It hasn't been too bad, but the industrial dryers are a little rough on some of our clothes.

We are gearing up for our movie and pizza night. It's a good night for it, because the weather is cold and rainy. We might get a few snow flurries tonight. We have the hot chocolate going as I type. Woo-hoo!!

We are also gearing up for the Super Bowl. I just love watching it. I am going to try a new salsa recipe for the special event. A few years ago we camped at Disney World during the time of the Super Bowl and it was so much fun. Alot of the campers decorated their campsites for the team they were cheering for. We enjoyed that!

Have a wonderful Friday night!

Kim

Recipes

"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings." Isaiah 51:7 KJV GLAZED BROWNIE HEARTS

1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
Water
Vegetable oil
Eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of 13x9 inch pan with foil. Grease foil on bottom only of pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make brownie mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Bake as directed for 13x9 inch pan. Cool for about 1 hour

Using foil to lift, remove brownie from pan; remove foil. With deep 2 1/2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut 14 brownies. Place brownie hearts on a cooling rack or waxed paper.

In microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 30 seconds. Stir; frosting will be thick and spoonable. DO NOT BOIL. Carefully spoon melted frosting over brownies to glaze, allowing excess to drip down sides. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles before frosting sets.
Prep Time: 30 min. Total Time: 2 hours 25 min. Makes: 14 brownie hearts

SPECIAL TOUCH: Mix 1/4 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting and enough red food color to make pink frosting in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on High 10 seconds. Drizzle over chocolate-glazed hearts.

I got this recipe from a Betty Crocker calendar. These would make a wonderful special Valentine treat for your sweeties!!

Have a super Thursday!
Kim

February Organizing Challenge

Welcome to the 28 day organizing challenge, hosted by Organizing Junkie over at www.orgjunkie.com . I am going to be organizing our schoolroom. My oldest son is a freshman in college this year and my other two sons are in 10th and 9th grades. This past summer our schoolroom became the "junk room". Everything got thrown in there, to be put away at a later date. Well, that date never came and, especially after Christmas, the room just looks like a tornado went through it. So, this challenge was very timely. The boys now do most of their work in their rooms, but I feel that we still need our schoolroom to hold all of our supplies, books, and such. Also, I like having a place to keep our maps and timelines up. Right now, I feel that I am carrying our school supplies all over the house, which at times is exhausting. I am embarrassed to show these pictures, but to make progress, I have got to be accountable in this area. Hopefully, you will come back to see the "after" pictures at the end of February. So, here it goes...(please no uncontrollable gasping at the horror you are about to see!!)

Notice the books on the floor. I had started to organize papers, then who knows what happened?????

Some of the items in the green box are things that I had to move a few months ago when our downstairs flooded. I know, excuses do not count:) If you notice, the window needs love and care. Our cat, who passed away a couple of months ago, would climb up there and rest. In doing so, he tore up the old blinds. I did come across some great curtains that I plan on putting up.

Okay, I have to say that I was trying to move the table when it collapsed. I am not sure why I just left it that way. Also trying to figure out what possessed me to take a picture of it that way.

This is my desk. I believe the tornado started right here:)

Well, I feel better that all that is out in the open. I feel like I can go and conquer this!! I believe my biggest challenge will be to stay on track with completing this project. I hate to admit it, but I have not always been the best in completing household projects. That is why I thought this challenge would be good for me and for my family. Hopefully, they will see how good it feels to complete a rather daunting task!!

I will post my after pictures at the end of February, but I will be updating the progress of this project every Monday. I feel that if I don't, my accountability goes out the window with the project.

Be sure to check out the other participants. It will be interesting to see what areas others are organizing and if you feel so inclined, join in the challenge with me!!

Happy Organizing,

Kim

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY: February 1, 2010

Outside my window... The sun is shining and the snow is melting...

I am thinking...I love the fresh start that Monday brings...

I am thankful for...My family

From the learning rooms...Lots of school on Mondays. We are home all day, so we try to make the most of it. Our favorite--HISTORY!!

From the kitchen...Chicken in the crock-pot

I am wearing...Plaid turtleneck and black pants

I am creating...a new organized schoolroom/craft room/music room

I am going...to be home all day!! What a blessing!!

I am reading...Praying God's Word by Beth Moore

I am hoping...to stay on track with exercising this week...

I am hearing...the news...

Around the house...Today is bedroom cleaning day

One of my favorite things...Planning my spring garden...

A few plans for the rest of the week:Outside classes, church, field trip...

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing: Enjoy your Monday! Be sure to check out all the Simple Woman's Daybook participants over at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Kim