FridgeSmart

I am the type of person that forgets what I have in my fridge, and won't even think about cleaning it out, until one day I find something absolutely disgusting in there. I know, I am totally disgusting. I just don't have time nor the energy to do such a task all the time.

Last night, I opened my fridge, and I was looking for something to make for dinner. I haven't had to cook in three weeks since my husband has been gone. Well, now that he is home, the stove and oven seem to magically turn themselves on. I just don't understand it. As I was digging I found some lettuce. Ya'll are like, "big deal" she found lettuce. Well, let me tell you the history of this lettuce. Three weeks ago, To. The. Day! we had tacos for dinner. I went to the store that night to BUY the lettuce for the tacos. I recall the ladies reaction when I bought lettuce, Q-tips, and a candle. Yeah, it was pretty funny.

So I am expecting to open my lettuce container and see this nasty brown mush. You all know what I am talking about. I know I am not the only one that has left lettuce in the fridge for three weeks. Be prepared for what you are about to see!

Can you believe it?! I was so excited!!! 1- I didn't have to deal with the nastiness, and 2- we are having salad with our dinner (and probably for my lunch tomorrow, which I did)

Look how fresh and clean these little leaves are!

I used some Tupperware containers that I won at a show three or so years ago. At the one end they have these little buttons, which controls the airflow in the containers. On the side of the container, it gives airflow recommendations for 30 different vegetables. I tried taking a picture of the side, but I couldn't get the camera to focus on the words, and I got really frustrated. 

Tupperware didn't pay me to say anything about their company or this product; I am just letting you all know that these FridgeSmart Tupperware containers are DA BOMB!

Do you have any food storage containers that you absolutely love? Tell me about them!

AMAZING Silhouette Giveaway!

A fabulous lady named Traci is having a giveaway at Beneath My Heart. A silhouette machine!!! Now, click here and you can see some of the amazing things it can make. Need some inspiration to click over there? Well here ya go --

Vinyl Decor

Etched Glass

Scrapbook Pages

and so much more. Now go check it out!

Kitchen Cabinet Handles

For YEARS now, I have been wanting new kitchen cabinet handles. I can now officially say that, since we did just buy the house late 2009 and now it is 2011. Crazy how time flies! So yes, for years I have wanted new handles. You can clearly see why, right?

The picture doesn't show to well, the actual color of the metal. You know the 80's brass that was SO in style but honey it ain't no more! Well, it used to be that, but has rubbed off some of the brassyness (I love making new words) and now shows some silvery tones. I know that silver is not that bad, but the shine, and that plastic! Too much for me to handle. So, I am going to do it with out asking hubby ask, maybe even beg him if I can do another project. He hates how I have umpteen different projects started. I will get this one done though; I just would; I PROMISE!! I am just practicing on you. Thanks :)

Unfortunately, we just don't have the money to do anything right now. Except, A HA! I should have enough to buy a couple cans of spray paint, right? $10.00 shouldn't kill me. Well, I have never bought spray paint, so it could be more than that and I have no idea. But for now, we are going to pretend 10 buckaroonies to do a makeover of these handles. The next problem is that the nearest place for me to buy anything of the sort is 40 minutes away, so.... It might not get done any time soon :( Unless I beg ask politely if we can go there tomorrow.

Here are some inspiration pictures of what I would like them to look like, even though the shape it totally different:

 

I heart aged bronze!

 

So totally, freaken excited! I just hope that I could make them look half way decent. I've never spray painted before. Any suggestions? Let me know! Thanks :)

So This Is Love

Today, I want to write about the love of my life. Now, I do have many loves.

Shop - what girl doesn't!

Eat - bring on the chocolate, baby!

Cook - mainly because I like to eat, hehe

Read - especially in a bubble bath

and even -- WAIT FOR IT -- yes, Decorate!

But THIS LOVE is so much more than those loves. I LOVE my husband, Benjamin. I realize that him being gone for one.whole.week! isn't that bad, but I am still in that "my breath gets caught when you walk in the room" or "I blush when you look at me that certain way". You know what I am  talking about. Remember your wedding? When you just looked at each other and nothing could happen that could ruin the moment? I hope this feeling NEVER ends....

Okay, sorry, a little gushy, BUT I AM SO HAPPY HE IS HOME!!!, and I just had to let ya'll know. :P

What happened to UNcomplicated?!

As you have noticed, I haven't been posting anything. It is so sad. I want to be able to do this amazing thing, and I don't make the time for it! Actually, I have to do it during my lunch break each day, since I don't have the internet at home, which TOTALLY sucks by the way. So again, I am going to start blogging. I have found some inspiration. Now! I am ready. I just decided to come and start again, and as I was thinking of what I would like to tackle next, I ran into Traci at  Beneath My Heart. She is having a Organizing Your Heart and Home linky party during the month of January! Yeah ME! I have a new project. This week is Organizing the Closet! Well, as I was thinking about each one of my closets, I realized that none of my closets are unorganized because I never put anything in the closets. I put everything in my guest bedroom! Can you take a guess at what my project is? If you guessed my master closet, you are wrong! If you guessed my guest bedroom, you are absolutely, one-hundred percent RIGHT!

Now, I apologize for the pictures, because I wasn't going to take any pictures because I still hadn't found my camera cord. Until I was cleaning out "the closet"!!! Yeah ME!!! So here are some pictures of EVERYTHING that was in "the closet".

NOTHING was in boxes or totes. I was able to put everything in

a total of 3 totes, 7 boxes, and few items went into the appropriate bags.

Hint: Tennis rackets are allowed to go IN the tennis bags. :)

My desk was pilled with junk. This wasn't even the worst of it. 

(This is where I found my camera cord!) 

That is when I started taking pictures. 

Now please remember before you start looking at the next few pictures, my goal was to do this without spending any money. While everything was out of the room, I did paint it a soft gray, but I already had that in the basement just waiting for a room to call it's name. Hopefully, sometime in the near future this room will actually get decorated, but I would like to do my bedroom first :)

So ignore, the cords that are hanging out behind the desk, because I don't have any of those valcro-ee things, but instead LOOK at the binders, and baskets that are now all neatly organized!!!

And LOOK at this! My futon is uncovered and can actually be used! Okay, futons are sad items, but at least we do have a place for a single company to sleep...

Hey, we are recently married and are broke, so don't judge me people, because I am SO proud of myself and everything that I was able to accomplish :)

Thanks Traci for motivating me!

Halloween Birthday

My husband and I hate traditional. What is sad is that we are exactly that- Traditional. However, this year we are breaking the mold. We are stepping out. We are becoming new people. We are being innovative. We are not having a plain cake for our Halloween birthday! Okay, I know that it isn't THAT crazy, but we are getting there people!

Benjamin's birthday is October 22nd. We, mhm, I mean, I like to have people over, and I am very excited to try this new cake design I found.

HOW FUN!!! Now, that is NOT a traditional cake :). I think this will go really good with the candle project I just completed. Again, I can't show you MY pictures, because I still haven't found my camera cord. :( Someday, I will have money to buy a new one, but until then you get my inspiration pictures.

Instead of the Christmas lights in them, I found a few candles around my house to put in each one. That way I have a dual purpose. I have these little guys lining my kitchen window right now. They look (and smell) great!

I think with the perfect brown tablecloth and burlap (LOVE burlap) runner, my kitchen and dining room will be decorated just enough for the birthday party next Friday.

Do you have any other suggestions for me?

Decorators

I have always enjoyed decorating, but never had the time or money to be able to do it. Now, I will let you know, that I still do not have money or time, BUT I want to a little something here and there. These ladies have inspired me to go to the next level:

Lindsay from A Design Story

Kristi from Addicted to Decorating

Diane from In My Own Style

Rhoda from Southern Hospitality

Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick

I am learning that I can reuse some of my normal everyday decorative items, which are very few, since I am a new homeowner (YEAH ME!!!). Now, I haven't done anything yet, but tonight when I get home, I am going to put a few fall items out. I think I might have a red sheet that I can reuse for my tablecloth. I know I have a some vases. Maybe I can find something around the yard to put in it. I do have some gourds from the garden that need to be picked. That might work for my table anyway. I can almost guarantee that I can find some candles around that are a fallish look. Even if it isn't much, I am excited to try to do SOMETHING to get ready for the next season.

Thank you ladies for inspiring me!

Blessings! - Heidi

Label Everything!

I was so excited last night as I was digging through a box of chords. I thought I FINALLY found the cord to my camera. (my computer is too old to have a SD slot so I have to connect it via USB.) I brought it to my computer at work, so I could upload all my pictures during my lunch break. The time had finally come and I was sitting in front of my computer screen ready to plug in the camera, only to my dismay - it was the wrong cord!

New lesson for me - label everything even if you don't think you need to. I have a label maker even, the question I really need to ask myself is -"Why don't I use it?"!

Tonight's project ...... Oh, label maker! Where are you?!?

Aaahhh... The Smell of Accomplishment

I love the feeling of accomplishment. I have accomplished much this last week, and that is why I haven't been on to tell of things that I have done.

I have finished up all the pastys. There are a total of 89 of them made. They all looked really great, and tasted pretty delicious as well. One landed on the floor and my puppies gobbled it up.

I have started practicing again for volleyball. I am hoping to be able to play in the APAR league here in Munising. It is a fun time of competitive volleyball.

My garden has produced many vegetables throughout the summer and yesterday was probably the last picking. I was able to make an additional 4 pints of garden salsa from all the veggies in my garden. Not a ton, but enough to last me for the year (as my husband doesn't like salsa).

This past weekend, my husband was out of town, and I hosted a girls night. I had three little youngsters (Amanda, you are not a youngster!) running around my house. We did the girly things such as eat ice cream and watch Princess Diaries :) It was a blast!

Also this weekend, my parents hosted a missionary family that is raising money to go to Togo West Africa. Their story is quit remarkable and very

exciting. Rory Moore is going to be an administrator and accountant for The Village of Light, a school for the blind. You can read a little more about the program by clicking on Village of Light. Rory, his wife, and his two boys have been raising money for almost three years. They are getting close and the dream will soon turn into a reality.

The Homemade Cornish-Swedish Decedent

Above is a picture of a pasty. It is a food of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I live. However, it did not originate here. The Cornish came to the U.P. in the early 1800's to work in the mines. They came bringing in the prospects of a new food group. Because I wasn't there, I don't know exactly what they brought, but in the later 1800's, the Swedes (that were also here working in the mines) tweaked it, until it is what it is today. A pasty is a pastry shell filled with beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions. There are many variations; some people use pork, a combination of pork and beef, chicken, rutabaga, or turnips. There is no right or wrong ingredient in a pasty, as long as it has meat and a couple of vegetables. OH SO YUMMY!

Last night, Amanda (she is in almost every post isn't she?) and I chopped many potatoes and carrots. My husband wanted to say he helped, so he used a pampered chef chop master for the onions. (Thanks for ALL the help sweetie.) Tomorrow, we will be finishing them up; adding the ground beef, making the pastry, and partial cooking them. We only partially cook them, so we can put them in the freezer and pop them out, bake for 20 minutes, and vaw-la dinner is done!

I love to eat them topped with a beef gravy, but many people eat them with ketchup. I am looking forward to eating a homemade pasty tomorrow night for dinner! :)

Challenging Ourselves

It is always good to have a challenge to face. Whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. I believe it strengthens and refines. This weekend was the 7th Annual Tour da Woods Mountain Bike Challenge. It is a great race; always fun filled. The motto of the race is "Your Race; Your Pace". You don't have to be fast or the best to ride it. Click here to learn more about it. Anyway, every year I have volunteered on putting together packets, cutting fruit, handing out water, and chip timing; and every year I tell myself, "next year, I am going to race." And every year comes and goes, and I volunteer and have no time to train for this challenge. So, I am on a hunt to find a new challenge, preferably not mountain bike racing, because I am not all that good trail riding, but a challenge non-the-less.

A new challenge (along with the FLYlady system) is about to start. The only question is, what is my next challenge?

The End is Actually the Beginning

I love summer. I especially loved this summer. I was able to enjoy the sun, the beach, and the love of friendship. Even though I was hesitant about the summer ending (mainly, because I didn't want my fun times to end!), I am starting to look forward the fall. The first thing I have to get done though is buy a Dairy Queen Blizzard Cake.

See, where I live, the Dairy Queen is a walk up to the window outside type. You don't go inside to order, nor do we have all those burgers. But, what we do have are this amazing blizzard cakes. I LOVE the blizzard cakes. Every year, I have to order one last me throughout the winter. (Read it again! THE WHOLE WINTER!!!) They stay good in the freezer for as long as it lasts in my house, which can be up to 10 months.

The DQ closing and school beginning is the marking to the end of the summer. BUT it is also the marking of the beginning of all the fun fall activities! Sitting wrapped up in a blanket sitting on the stands cheering on the football team, or going to the pumpkin patch to get lost in the corn maze. Or raking up the leaves just to jump in the pile, or sitting in front of the fire reading a book with a cup of hot apple cider.

I don't need to be sad or upset that summer is ending. The possibilities of what lie ahead are exciting! I just have to remember to embrace what is given to me!

I am a Procrastinator

I started the FLYlady routine, sort of. I started it in my head. As I keep reading, I am realizing that I just need to buckle down and get things done! Yesterday, was a very hectic day in our lives. Amanda and I "revealed" my mother's office to her. It was so awesome to see her excited face and tearful eyes. It was a beautiful moment. She is ready for us to do the next room.

Anyway, after that, grandparents, husband, bosses, dogs, and friends all needed me. I love the feeling of being needed, but I just didn't have time yesterday. Want to know why? Because I am a procrastinator. I have procrastinated on this one project for almost two weeks. It needs to be finished by Friday afternoon. It is easy for me to get caught up in everything else - help everyone else.

Here is a quote from FLYlady herself. I has helped me tremendously.

Ask for help: this is tough - this means that we will have to admit that we are not Super Woman.

Guess what I found out when I hung up my cape for good? I FLY a lot higher and happier without it weighing me down. I also found that asking for help allowed others to feel as though they matter and are important. How about that? Who knew that being a martyr and carrying around burdens made others feel left out and unimportant? Asking for help allows you to lighten the load that you have been trying to carry around all these years. When you want to ask for help, go to the person that you want help from and using very few words.... Just ask for what you need.

I am trying so hard to take this to heart. I even called up my bestie and asked if she would come out and help me with my project. Now, I have to remember there is a line between laziness and overburdened. In this case, it was pure laziness. I wanted to hang out with the family that was up this weekend. I wanted to do the makeover room. Things that were important, but I didn't need to waste the whole weekend on them.

So today is a brand new day. After work, I am going to do some laundry, finish the project, and get caught up with my cleaning. I am NOT going to procrastinate any longer.

Ready, set, HERE I GO!!!