Works for Me Wednesday - Container lids

This week's Works for Me Wednesday is about kitchen organization.

My favorite tip about organizing my kitchen is that I always store the lids for my containers ON the container! I used to have my lids filed in a spare dish drainer that I had put up in my cabinet. Then I'd have to look all through my lids to find the one I wanted. It was always the last one I looked at.

I also used to have 47 lids but only 35 containers. Or something like that. Now, if I see there is not a container for that lid, I get rid of the container.

Since I have the lid on my container, I can pull out the container in one fell swoop (wasn't that poetic?) and be ready to go. Also, with lids on, my containers stack neatly on top of each other.

It just works for me!

For more ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Six Quirky Things

Gwendolyn over at All's Fair in Love and Chocolate wrote a post listing 6 quirky things about herself and then tagged whoever would want to participate.

Well.

I am totally quirky so I thought I'd join in. My only problem will be narrowing them down to six ...

1. I can't hear without my glasses on. I know it sounds crazy but the minute I take my glasses off, conversations become muffled and I have no idea what is being said.

2. However, this DOES not mean that I am a lip reader. Far from it. When my granny was alive, she used to mouth words at me from across the church. I would have no clue what she was saying. I'd think she was saying, "this is a really hot summer!" I would nod my head in agreement, all the while wondering why that was so important to tell me during church. Turns out she was asking if I wanted to come to dinner.

3. If I really get tickled at something, my laugh will turn into a wheeze. The funnier I think the situation is, the more asthmatic I sound.

4. I embarrass myself at funerals because random thoughts will appear in my brain and I get tickled. I am a "full-body laugher", so even though I am trying to squelch the laughter inside, my whole person will shake with trying to keep the giggles inside. I inherited this malady from my aunt; therefore, I have forbidden myself to sit anywhere near her at funerals -- or weddings. It's just ridiculous to see two women shaking and turning red during a solemn occasion.

5. I love to randomly belt out a line from this song: "Love is a many splendored thing" as I do things around the house. I also like to pretend to be the Everly Brothers and sing, "You say you're going to leave me, you know it's a lie, so tell me why, baby, why, baby, why baby why-y-y!" See, my family gets free entertainment, but do they appreciate it?

6. I love to read -- not just interesting books and magazines but important things like labels, the backs of cereal boxes, all the print on shampoo bottles whilst in the shower, road signs, license plates, etc. In fact, I am usually so busy reading license plates that I never see the drivers of vehicles. Which is why I am known for passing my relatives on the road and never noticing them. Once, I passed my husband as his vehicle was broken down on the side of the road. He was jumping up and down as I passed by and I never saw him!

Well, this has been fun but I have to save something for next time. If you'd like to participate, here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.

• Mention the rules on your blog.
• Tell about six quirks of yours.
• Tag six fellow bloggers to do the same.
• Leave a comment to let them know

I'm going to do like Gwendolyn and open this to anyone who'd like to participate. If you'd like to see what she had to say, go here.

Friday Fill-Ins #91

1. Cooler weather, fall decorations and homemade chili and soups are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of the things I am passionate about and all the things I want to accomplish! There are not enough hours in my day!

3. I used to say that I would never live in a certain town, then I married my husband who lived in that town and we lived there for five years, and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I think about positive things. I'm never down for very long -- it's just not my nature.

5. Home or church is where you'll find me most often. (I work at a church besides worshiping there!)

6. A rainy day is good for reading.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to doing my grocery run (ok, I'm not looking forward to it), tomorrow my plans include working at my second job and then later that evening, going to our Women's Retreat and Sunday, I want to nap (after church, of course)!

Head over to Janet's Friday Fill-Ins blog to see what others had to say about this.

Thankful Thursday #2- Thankful for my Country

Today, I'd like to express appreciation and thankfulness to the Lord for allowing me to be born in America. Yes, I know America is not perfect - she has many faults; however, she is still the greatest country in the world. If that were not so, why are there so many people who want to immigrate here?

Why have I been blessed to live in freedom? It is a sobering thought. It's only by the grace of God that I enjoy living in one of the most prosperous countries in the world. I could be living in another country where my main daily focus would be how to get safe drinking water to my family. I could be living in a location where I would be afraid for my life if it were known that I am a follower of Christ.

At this time in our history, we are considering electing another president. How awesome it is that we have the right to make our opinion known by casting our vote. Let's don't waste this opportunity. Please be in prayer and vote the way the Holy Spirit leads you.

Even though we have to listen to all these political ads that are so aggravating (after listening to them a couple weeks, you get to where you despise all politicians) yet I'm so thankful that we have the right to express our political passions. In countries led by a dictator, there are no political ads, just propaganda! At any rate, we are free to turn media off.

When I was a child, I used to have a fantasy about George Washington returning to America in today's world and what he would think about America. Would our founding fathers feel that the price they paid for our freedom was worth their sacrifice? Would they feel we have squandered it?

Please use the gift that has been preserved for you: the gift of voting your conscience.

To find out what others are thankful for, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

SFMTY #5 - Then and Now

Another blog carnival that I really enjoy participating in is Kristen's "Sincerely Fro' Me to You." Now the idea is to use embarassing photos or photos you know you will never scrapbook. Actually all the photos I use are ones that I'd like to put in a scrapbook, but the problem is I don't have time to do it. So I consider my blog the next best thing to a scrapbook.

When my girls were babies they truly looked very similar. In fact, a lot of people think they look alike now, and even ask if the older two are twins. Today, I want to share with you a picture of my youngest, Malia.

Then

And here's my baby, Now!

Where'd my little pudgy blonde baby go? She had the lightest hair of all the girls - now she has the darkest. When she was a baby, her eyes were green, now they're hazel, and actually look brown most of the time. When she was little, she loved to hang around me, often with her little arms wrapped around my neck. Now, not so much.

So, mama, enjoy that little one. And take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. They change so fast, you won't believe it!

Now, head on over to We Are That Family to see more photos and learn the stories behind them.

Works For Me Wednesday-Tickler

Today, I’d like to share with you something that helps keep me organized. With a full time church secretary job, a part time job, a home, 3 daughters, a Sunday School class, and responsibilities at church, I can often forget all the many details floating around in my cranium. To help me remember things that need to be done, I rely on my tickler file.

I first heard of a "tickler" years ago when I worked at a bank and trust company. It was a rolodex filed by date and each day you flipped to that day’s date and read on the card what needed to be done that day.

Years later, I learned of a tickler filing system and that is what I now use. Each day I pull out the file for that date. Inside are things I need to do that day.

To make my ticker file, I first picked out 12 orange folders, one for each month of the year. [You can choose your own colors.] Next, I got 31 folders of another color, one for each day of the month. I chose purple.

Now, when mail comes in, I sort them into the corresponding month’s folder. At the beginning of the month, I open that folder and sort its contents into the daily folders. A bill needs to be paid on the 16th? I put it in the folder for the 11th, so I can have time to mail it. My BFF has a birthday the last day of the month? I put a reminder in the folder two weeks before the actual date. A lady in the church lost her husband in November? I put a note in the November file to have pastor call her on the anniversary of his death. VBS materials need to be ordered in the spring before all the good stuff is sold out? I put a reminder in the March file.

It works great at work and it can be adapted for home. Are you always forgetting to send permission slips or field trip money for your children? File it in the tickler! We all know the state sends our license sticker renewal forms way early. File it in the correct month’s folder when you get it. Then you won’t have to tear the house apart looking for the registration on the last day of the month that the sticker is due for renewal. [Ask me how I know!]

I’m planning on having three tickler files, one for each job and one for home. Nowadays, you can even find fun patterned folders to use.

There is only one drawback to this system. You have to remember to check each day’s folder! It takes 21 days to make a new habit, and for some of us, twice that. I suggest putting a note on your monitor or your refrigerator (somewhere you know you look everyday) to remind you.

For more great ideas, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!

Wonderful, Blissful Sleep!

Our Janae Blissfully Asleep!

Returning to my theme of being thankful for the gift of sleep, one of my favorite verses is Psalm 127:2

"... for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep."

However, today I read on in Psalm 127 and noticed the next verse:

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

What? Having children makes you have less sleep! Believe me, I know! When they are babies, they wake you up wanting to be fed or diapered [or both!]. Toddlerhood [is that a word?] means they will wake you up with having to go potty or nightmares. Young teens make noise at night with their music or having giggling sleepovers. Older teenagers keep you from sleeping because you can't go to sleep until they get home.

It just didn't seem like the two verses went together until I had a brain wave -- when you are a mother and you CAN go to sleep, you can sleep veryyyyyyyy deeply. After all, you're all worn out!

When I was a young married, I think I can remember back that far, I woke up all the time whenever I would hear a strange sound. When my babies came along, I always heard them cry in the night. As little kids, they could talk in their sleep and I would hear everything. Maybe I didn't understand it, but I could hear it.

However, when they got bigger, say, after the youngest was in first or second grade, I developed the wonderful ability to sleep through anything. Now there can be a party in my house and I wouldn't know it!

My husband, Mr. Night Owl, often has random home improvement projects come to his mind in the middle of the night. He has no fear of awakening me if he decides to do something, say, at 2 a.m. I won't ever hear him.

I read somewhere that you know you are sleep deprived if you can be asleep within 5 minutes of laying down. I venture to say that I can be asleep by the time my head hits the pillow! I don't know that I would call that deprived, I call it a gift. Why waste time? Let's get to the main event: wonderful, blissful, restorative sleep!

Hmm, maybe there is a cure for insomnia! Let an insomniac be responsible for a child in the house. I bet they'll sleep then!

What about you? If you have children, do you sleep better or worse since becoming a parent?

Yawn* I'll read and reply to every comment ... after my nap!

Friday Fill-Ins #90

1. There is no need to worry. God has everything in His control and He does NOT need my help!

2. Where in the world did the time go? It feels like Tuesday instead of Friday!

3. Get further behind is all I managed to do this week!

4. Prospects for weight loss are looking dim ... I had too many M & M's this week!

5. Freedom is the message! I am free from condemnation.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are the result of removing clutter from your life.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going to the Olive Garden with friends, tomorrow my plans include work and laundry (ugh!) and Sunday, I want to sleep! (Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, right?)

Thankful Thursday

Sometimes I think we need to remember the simple blessings we've been given. For instance, I love to thank the Lord for the gift of sleep. Sleep is very important to me, and I love to do it! (Actually, I'm a champion at it!) There are those who have trouble sleeping, so I need to be thankful that I am not of their number.

Beyond thanking the Lord for the ability to sleep, I thank God for all the things that help me sleep. The following things really help me to enjoy peaceful sleep: first and foremost, my wonderful king-sized mattress, my soft sheets that feel so cool when I slip into bed, fluffy pillows, a ceiling fan to give me a gentle breeze, and a comfortable night gown.

One of the reasons why I started thinking about my night-time blessings is I saw a story on Life Today with James Robison about a little family that lives in a little shack in some third world country. A mom, grandma, and three children sleep on a piece of cardboard with one thin blanket under a patchwork roof of odd pieces of lumber and plastic. No pillows. No comfy sheets. When it rains, it has to be downright miserable.

Why was I so blessed as to be born in America and have a roof over my head? Granted my home is a humble one. Probably those who see my house as they drive by would not want it. Yet every night I feel grateful that I am not sleeping on a cardboard mat!

I want my kids to realize how God has blessed us. Every night, I will say out loud, "Thank You God for my bed, thanks for my mattress" and on and on. (I remind myself of watching the Waltons on TV. "Good night, Jim Bob, Mary Ellen ...") I know my children think I'm goofy, ok they know I'm goofy, but I hope being thankful rubs off on them.

It's not enough to think grateful thoughts, I think we should say them out loud!

To read other posts about thankfulness, visit Sting My Heart.