Organizing for the New Year!

Okay, so I have been out of the "blogging" loop for two weeks now........that's because in my mission to get my home clean and organized I found a great website and became addicted! It's http://www.organizedhome.com/ and they have the greatest ideas, solutions and game plans to get you cleaned up BEFORE spring! The theroy is that who wants to be inside cleaning once the weather turns warm and nice??? So get your yearly spring cleaning done now, while it's too cold to go outside! What a thought! There is a "challenge" on there to get you organized doing one room a week......I have found that doing 2 rooms a week is not hard to accomplish. I personally went through the website, read everything and then went room by room and made lists for each room of what to do.......I ended up with a full page for each room! I have since accomplished the laundry room, kitchen, dining room, hallway and hall closet......all in two weeks time! I have 3 boxes of yard sale items already!! Today we are tackling the living room! I have even pulled out appliances and swept and mopped behind them.......do YOU know what's under your stove??? I didn't ever really think about it......now I will do it AT LEAST once a year! How about those baseboards....ever get down on all four with a hot washrag and some pinesol and scrub those?? I never have....I will now! Here's what I found under my stove and here's my freshly cleaned out and organized pantry......YOU MUST CHECK EXPIRATION DATES WHEN CLEANING THIS OUT! I am a freak when it comes to those!

Get organized! It feels GREAT! Plus once I did the first room, it made me want to do more!!! Have fun!

New Year's Resolution.....

So, I told myself this year that I wasn't going to make a NYR (New Year Resolution) because they are only kept maybe 10% of the time.........and why subject myself to almost guaranteed failure??? The last Sunday of 2008, Brother David discussed NYR's and what the top 10 are and that the greatest NYR anyone should have is to be nicer to people. That is something we strive to do no matter what. Well after the sermon, I got to thinking and then my thinking turned into movements and actions and well let's just say I am a bit exhausted now....... I decided that instead of making NYR I am going to make GCMLD's........"God changed my life decisions".

So I got on a kick and got my house cleaned up........and I don't mean the typical cleaning the house and putting away the clothes and toys. I mean I literally started to clean anything I saw that may have a speck of dirt on it. Now I know some people may call that "nesting", I call it exhausting! I went on like that for 2 days! Maekayla was even helping me, I think we may have even wiped somethings twice! ;0) Since then I have devoted at least an hour each morning and an hour each afternoon to picking up "stuff" and cleaning something. Oprah says your house is a reflection of your life......."If you have a chaotic house, you will have a chaotic life.......have a clean house and things seem to be more easy going when you leave it".........she says it does a work on your attitude. Well, anyhow......I believe that now! Since getting the house cleaned....and keeping it clean daily! I have noticed I feel more light (which is saying a ton at 30 weeks preggo!). I also made Tony sit down with me for over 3 hours to get our year end stuff together for 2008 taxes and get our business organized for the year ahead. We set up a new filing system, came up with some "rules and regulations" for making sure things get done in the "office" and also worked out an arrangement for who is responsible for what with everything business related. It seems so far to be going very well. Tony is still adjusting to having some rules with being self-employed but I told him he is kind of employed by his family because we count on him to be successful. From there.........we had to define success for him. Success in my opinion is that our monthly bills get paid, we get to eat and go out on occassion. If we can do that and I get to stay home and raise my children.........we are WAY more than successful, we are BLESSED! Tony has been holding us together for almost 6 months now and although times get tough........we make it through TOGETHER! We are to set our sights on things NOT of this world anyways as they will not last.......BUT to set them on things that make God proud and to live in His word. I think we are doing a good job at that.

So house is cleaned, paperwork is organized and we are all getting closer each day because the drama of a "chaotic" life is diminshing. So what is the problem????? I am so EXHAUSTED! I feel like I have the energy of three 5 year olds when I wake up but by 8pm, I feel like an 80 year old woman! What in the world will I do when I have a newborn around needing me too! I am just praying that our new GCMLD's that we have implemented are here to make (and keep) life more simple and free. Obviously it has freed up some time......I have lunch plans with a girlfriend tomorrow, Bible study on Wednesday night and dinner with our friends across the street on Thursday...........

What will I do this weekend???????

Love to all!