A clean pantry makes me SOOOOO happy!

I HAVE HAD THIS READY TO POST FOR A WEEK, and blogger no longer accepts my photos. I have no clue why...  anyway, I was told to get a flickr account and try to post that way...  so we will see if this works....  I hope you can see my clean pantry!

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OK, my friend just came over and said this is a sign that I have a problem.... 
I happen to think it is a good problem.

I am reading the book The Eat Clean Diet and I love it. I have learned more about food and what my family should be eating in the last week than I have learned in a lifetime of stressing about weight and food!!  It is well written and very inspiring to me because it will not be easy, but I am going to clean up our eating. I want to be a strong example for the girls so they learn this stuff NOW and they can not have to worry like I have over the years.

So... onto the pantry. We are blessed with a big pantry. It started organized and was not horrible, but it has lost its true sense of order, and we simply had too much crap in it. I took EVERY SINGLE THING out yesterday. It felt GREAT to get it all out. Then, today, I got some organizers from Target, and I put everything we kept (and lots of new, much CLEANER foods) back in. I love it. I kind of want to sleep in there on a cot if I could fit! :)

And, earlier in the week, I attacked the fridge and freezer, too. I got new storage containers that all work together and that you can see through because we will become MUCH better at using leftovers to ensure that we get protein in between meals....  anyway, here are some fridge shots.

If you have struggled with weight or health issues...  it might be good for you to look at this book. I finished the EAT CLEAN book and just got (used on Amazon for only $2.00) the Eat Clean for Families and Kids. I love it, too. I have the EAT CLEAN COOKBOOK coming soon. (also used from Amazon for $2.00).  Even if I fail miserably at Clean Eating...  I have a nice looking fridge and pantry due to my efforts! :)

Hope you all had a productive Saturday. :)

Journaling Question

Someone emailed me and asked me to explain how I do my journaling on the computer...
This was my response...
 I simply use Word (computer progam) for my journaling. I know you are "supposed to" write everything my hand, but I know I would never tell the whole story unless I typed it.
I simply measure the space I have for journaling after I lay out my photos on the page.
I open a blank document in WORD.
I set the paper size to be the space I have available for my jounrnaling and I set the smallest margins I can...  usually .5 for each margin.

EXAMPLE:
If I measure that I have about 3" wide by 6" high for journaling on a page...
I hope a new blank document
I go to PAGE SETTINGS and tell the printer that I am working with a page size of only 3" x 6"
I adjust the margins to .5 for top, bottom, right, and left
I type my journaling and pick a font I love
I print it on white typing paper first to check sizing and make any needed changes
I then usually print directly on the paper I am using for my page

I rely on my computer journaling so much that I carry a tiny portable printer with me to crops. I do try to hand write things on pages and in books so they can see my writing....  and I know some people would tell me I am wrong to use the computer...  but, remember, I am not scrapping to win any awards or follow any rules...  I make pages to tell stories for my girls about their lives right now. The best way for me to do that is to use the computer, and for me, that makes it wonderful. I never try to tell people to do things a certain way - I just want you all to do SOMETHING rather than nothing at all.

If you have questions about how I do this on the computer, email me klsb@comcast.net and I will try to help you.

Remember, I am NOT saying that you should all do your journaling on the computer....  I am just answering a question and letting you know that the right way to do things is simply the way it works for you.

Here are a few photos because you know I cannot do a post without a photo.....  here are some samples of pages I have journaled using my computer.... 

This is not a great photo, but this page has computer AND hand journaling on it

Another example of some computer and some hand journaling....

Remember, I never feel like I have to do things one way or the other....  I just do what works for ME as I am making that page. I do not let myself feel pressured to make things a certain way, in a certain order, or with certain products. I just make things that I think will matter to my family one day. That simply makes me happy. Please do things in a way that makes you happy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Have a super day.

Some more photos and organizational tips

Some people asked me for some more direct tips on organizing things. I cannot respond directly to that this week as I am getting that sale prepared and I leave with the girls and Busia for the train to Colorado on Friday....  but, if you need some basic info, go here and you will have an outline of some of the classes I used to teach for Cropper Hopper.   I think this is a great place to start. If you have specific questions about how I would organize something and the answer is not here, email me and I will get back to you after the garage sale!!

Here are a few photos that I will explain at another time.  Just wanted those of you who asked for more detail to get a peek behind the closed cabinet doors.... 

And, remember - while it is important to get your supplies organized enough so you can find them - it is MORE important that you scrapbook. Never stop scrapbooking your supplies are all perfect. If we all did that - no one would ever make a page. Work to get your supplies managable and keep what you love the most closest to your workspace - box up things you no longer love - and MAKE SOMETHING! :) A lot of waste too much time sorting, surfing and shopping (right???) It is TOTALLY COOL to do all those things, but make sure you scrap, too. :)

Mom of the year....

When do they come bring me my award for Mom-of-the-Year??? 

This is a photo of my girls eating Spagettios in strollers in the rain as I had a lady come early for the garage sale!!  They polished off the Spagettios with Skittles...  NICE. So proud.  No veggies or fruit (unless lemon flavored candy counts??) Ugh. Oh well, when they bring me my MOY award, I will post the photo for you.

But, on a truly proud note - I had two people come by today to shop my sale because they are not around next week....  and we made $199 off just two people!!!  HOLY MOLY! We are thrilled. Kalli also picked up some chips and cups for her Lemonade stand for the sale next week.....  so it was a super productive day. Is that reason enough to feed your kids fake dinner and candy in strollers????  Please do not forward this post to social services. Please???  :)

These are the FOUR boxes of girl clothes a lady came and bought today for her granddaughter. I have all kids clothes priced at 25 cents, so she totally stocked up. I LOVED that it went to a good home, got out of my home, and we made some money, too!!  The girls helped her carry eveything to the car - and she said they are so well behaved (which made me feel a little better about the canned dinner in the strollers....).

Have a great today!

A couple shots of stuff priced and ready for the garage sale...

I am 36 years old and I have never had a garage sale, and I sooooooooooo hope I never have to have one again. Just the getting ready for it could kill a girl! BUT, I do feel like I am getting close. Sorting baby clothes by size tomorrow, and then there is light at the end of the tunnel. I already cannot wait for it to be over. :)
Here are just a couple shots of just a bit of the stuff the girls and I priced today - Kalli is a total helper - pricing, labeling, sorting...  Kaya just wants to take anything she can get her hands on back into our house. She is very troubled by the entire garage sale concept.

Idea books and magazines.... 

The 25 cent scrap bin, raffia and fiber, ribbon rolls and some stamps....

Salvation Army is set to come a couple days after the sale to pick up anything left behind.

On another note...  in just over 96 hours I board a train for an 18 1/2 hour ride to Colorado with my 84 year old Busia, a 6 year old, and a 3 year old.  This is either going to be an incredible memory for all of us or an unimaginable nightmare. The jury is still out on what it will be!

A few shots of my scrapbook space

I think I know how to do this now so you can read comments under each photo. I know some of you asked me to post photos of my space, and I did not want to do that until I could tell you under each photo what that photo was. I hope this works. Let me know of any questions.

This is an overall photo of my scrapspace/home office on the right side

This is the left side.

These are my ribbons, flowers, Extra Adhesive and Heidi stuff (organized like this by my friend Shannon and it was a GREAT idea because now I use this stuff ALL THE TIME. She is the most organized person I have ever met).

Dumping out the flowers into a photo case was an idea I took from Lagina in Iowa. I used to keep them all in the bottles and I never bothered to use them - now, I use them a lot more! :) I love sorting through them and digging a bit to find exactly what I need.

My IKEA rail that I love - with my most used Clear Stamps, Wooden stamps, pencil sharpener, inks, and paints. I love that this rail holds all this stuff up off my desk.

This is a cabinet of stuff I share when friends come over to scrap. Patterened paper, stickers, and embellishments.

The stuff on the left is stuff I do not share! :) My total favorites or brand new stuff!!

Also you can see my Stacy J binders (Things we do, All About Us, People we love and Places we go). I love this system of scrapping because I can make a page on anything I want and have an immediate home for it. This system gives me such freedom and peace to all of this. Upper left are my birthday and school day books for both girls (will explain this some other time), my travel journals, and my letter boxes for each kid.

Kid's Craft area - for all their stuff. Shannon set this up for me, and it rocks! It is the best. They love it. My ribbon jars (for small pieces) and a cool storage box for mini albums sits on top.

Kaya at the kid's craft area in my space. She simply pulls out the entire container of stuff she wants to use, and then I put it back when she is done. Don't even ask about my sweatshirt on her head! :)

These are my office supplies and 12 x 12 paper holders for on-going scrapbook projects - stuff I work on a lot little by little. I used to stack projects like this up on my desk which drove me insane. Now, they have a nice little place to go, and I have a place to stick in supplies I pick up specifically for one of those projects. This cabinet is right above my laptop where I do most of my work from home stuff..... It love this cabinet!

How I store embellishments - I love these Cropper Hopper Embellishment Cases. I toss out all packaging as soon as I can and put them where they go to avoid cluttering up my containters. This was hard to start, but I love it and it totally works for the way I scrap.

Idea books, inspriational books, and binders. Shannon got me to get rid of a lot of idea books. Now I only keep the ones I love the most and I put them in this space - if I get a new one I love, one has to go. :) Also my binders.... this is where I put articles and pages I love from Magazines. I rip them out immediately and eventually file them into the correct binder. I used to hold onto magaiznes forever (as you will see if you come to my sale). Now, I am able to recycle it almost immediately after reading it because I have taken out anything I think I will reference again. MUCH easier to find ideas that inspire me now.

This is one shelf in my closet. I have lots of empty journals, and now I can find them all. I love how this let me know exactly what I have, and it is so easy to find what I need.

OK, more photos some other time. Have a ton to do - just wanted those of you worried that I was scrapping in a dumspter to see that I am OK, and that I have not left Cropper Hopper and developed a serious hording problem.... I just had a really messy attic and basement corner. Those are so close to being finished, too. :)

Remember, this system works for me - it might not work for you. Getting organized is personal. If you are in the process - look at as many people's spaces as you can, and take what you love from each one. There is no right or wrong way to get your space functional. Remember that and also know that you should never punish yourself and stop scrapping until your space is perfect. That is like not scrapping until your photos are pefectly organized. Just pick one thing (like paper, embellishments, stickers) and start there - choose a system and little by little work all your paper into that new system. Then move on to stickers or embellishments. You can do it. Take baby steps! Sorry for another huge long post. I am so glad I figured out how to post copy under photos so I could post these for all of you who emailed me to ask to see my space. Enjoy your Sunday!

5 hours and one headache induced nap later...

Kaya finally has an organized closet. She is the one that really does not care, so sadly, I left her room for last. It might not look like this for long, but it sure looks nice now. She is all about dressing herself, so I grouped clothes into sets and put it on the bottom for her to grab. Organized it by color to make the big one happy (she TOTALLY would have pointed it out as an error if I did not have her t-shirts in color order). A lot more small clothes for the garage sale came out of here.... Got her drawers back in order too..... need to get some money at the garage sale so I can go get her some drawer dividers at Lowes! I love those things, but they are not cheap!

Hope you feel just great about something you cleaned today or created today or a memory you made with your family today. If you made the memory, take a second right now and write it down.

We love Corn!

The Corn Roast was tonight and I am in the Rotary so I chopped corn all day and I also set up our Rotary booth for my new Sweat for Nets program I am bringing to our community. The booth looked really nice thanks to the amazingly large Mosquito net sent to me by Children for Children. I was stunned that you could buy this net and save up to three children's lives for only $5. I also set up Malaria Trivia for the kids to teach them a little about a different part of their world. I was really excited to give teachers and local families incentive to raise money for a global cause. The CFC programs are incredible and the people there are super to deal with. The Sweat for Net program guide is INCREDIBLE and if you are a teacher, it gives you full lesson plans by grade that you can do with your glass. I believe that teaching children to volunteer is one of the best gifts you will ever give them. I hope our town has success with this program. I felt lucky to be a part of it.

Here are a few more answers to some more questions about my infamous dupmster.....

1) It is gone (sniff, sniff). I mean, it was SO EASY to throw out anything with a dumpster on your driveway. And sort of fun, too. It was NOT close to full - but it did have all the extra wood from our deck project, a broken deck umbrella that we just replaced, and my grandma's broken chair, so it had some nice LARGE items. I loved the comment about I should leave it there and alter it! Not a bad idea. :)

2) I was not cleaning my scrapbook room for this project. That is already in pretty good shape thanks to a major clean out of that last year (I did not need a dumpster for that project, but I did make the kid's teachers VERY happy with my large donations to their classes). My desk top gets messy in the rush of life, but the cabinets and closets look pretty darn good and are filled mostly with stuff I use and love.... I was cleaning my attic and this nasty little unfinished corner of my basement. We quickly tossed EVERYTHING in my basement into my attic after the accident to allow us to finish the basement for my dad. This resulted in boxes of hand-me-downs, tons of older scrapbooking product, random files of bills and other life paperwork, and lots of our family memories being shoved away with limited access. I had some old stuff from our old house and from closing my parent's house as well.... it just became one of those things you like to shut the door and forget about..... And I am SO EXCITED to finally fix that problem. I love to throw things out, I just had such limited access to even know what was in these boxes.... so it became a major undertaking to get it all OUT and sort it. I am so happy that we are close to getting done..... The dumpster being here made it happen much quicker than is tolerable for most people (it was a lot of work and we worked very fast and hard), but I am glad we did it that way or this project could have drug out forever.... Our friend let us borrow her 12 year old daughter to play with the girls for a few days while Neil and I just took off work and totally focused on getting this all settled. I wish I could do things little by little... but I tend to do all or nothing when it comes to projects like this!

3) THE SALE - I am definately having that preview night some of you asked about on Thursday, August 21 from 6 - 8 PM. I will be in Colorado from the 15th to the 20th so I cannot do preview night any sooner. I live in Schererville Indiana. About 60 miles from O'Hare airport in Chicago - so the North East Corner of Indiana. I have tons of back issues of CK, Memory Makers, Rubber Stamp Madness and other magazines. Lots of idea books. Boxes of older 12 x 12 and 8.5 x 11 cardstock and printed papers. A few albums. Some stamps and other crafting supplies. A lot of storage and organizers, too. Non Scrapbooking stuff includes SO MUCH girl clothes (and I price things SUPER CHEAP because I just want it gone), Franklin Covey Planner systems, TONS of photo frames, baby stuff, books and more. It would really not be worth it to drive a long way, but if you are from around here, you might find some cool things. I already have Salvation Army set to come pick up ANYTHING left from the sale right after it. I cannot wait until all that is over. :)

My last thought on this garbage topic is this.... please do not be afraid to toss stuff out. I know it took us a lot of time to take on this massive project.... but you can also do it little by little. I know you all have stuff in your drawers (especially in your kitchen) that you do not love or use. Think about WHY you are keeping it. If you do not use or love it RIGHT NOW - Toss it out or give it away. I struggled getting rid of some things that were from my Mom. Other than that, it felt GREAT to lighten our load. You do NOT need to drop a dumpster and spend four days sorting stuff... that is just totally the best way I saw my family accomplishing this project. Do it little by little. If you have areas of your home or your scrapbooking space that bother you, decide to fix it rather than ignore it. It is not going to go away on its own. You can really make yourself feel better by even just tackling one little thing like your pantry or junk drawer and creating peace and order in that one place.

Sorry for the totally longest post ever. Have a great weekend.

You guys CRACK me up!

Ok, I have got to tell you, I really thought only 4 people read this blog. And, there were so many comments yesterday and none of them were from the 4 people I know read it! I cannot believe it was the DUMPSTER that made you comment. It just made my day. I received a kind email thanking me for being "real" and she said that she appreciated knowing that I was real back when I taught at CKU and I am real now as well. It made my day. I am sooooooo real it might shock you all!!

Here are a few answers to questions I have been asked....

1) The dumpster was FREE because I work in construction for my dad now (since my parent's accident, I left the industry full time and help my dad in building new homes - my Mom used to run his office, now I do it for him) and we are sadly SO SLOW in home building that we had that extra dumpster just sitting in our lot. It seemed so much more efficient to toss stuff into it rather than bag it all and store it until garbage day.

2) If there is a rule against having a dumspter on your driveway, I guess no one has turned me in (yet)!!

3) I think it is leaving today or tomorrow. (So, if you live nearby and want to toss anything into it, or take a photo of your kids hanging off of it - you better come by quickly)

4) As of now, I do not plan on shipping anything that is in the garage sale (way too much effort on my part) or listing it on ebay. If it does not sell, it is being donated to the first charity that will come get it all.

Thanks for making me laugh, for reading this blog, too. I hope to post something NOT about garbage soon. Enjoy your day.

And, this photo was a joke.... Kal said something so my dad and husband pretended to toss her into the dumpster.... well, my three year old super sensitive daughter started SOBBING and screaming "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo do not toss my sissy in the dumpster!!!" She was a wreck. I took the photo THEN quickly put down the camera and comforted her in case you were wondering.

"those neighbors..."

Have you ever had "those neighbors"? The ones that just seem a little odd??? Just not quite like everyone else? Well, I think I just realized that my family is actually "those neighbors" in this nice neighborhood. I mean, I guess sitting in your garage (in the intense heat) for days sorting stuff and throwing a lot of it into the LARGE dumpster on my driveway just sort of seems normal to me. But, it seems that it really might NOT be considered normal by others... who knew? Oh well, there is light at the end of the tunnel - still TONS to do, but we are pricing, stacking, still sorting and organizing what we are keeping. AND, I am trying to arrange a charity to come immediately after the sale to pick up ANYTHING that does not sell. I am totally not keeping ONE single thing. I mean, really, if I had it in a box to sell for a nickel or a quarter, there is no good reason to ever touch any if it again, right?? Am I known as a freak to those of you who read this, too??? Oh well. I love it. I love it all being sorted and gone - heck, my 84 year old Grandma even is having Neil and Dad come by tonight (while I have the dumpster) to pick up and FINALLY get rid of an old chair she has had forever. Just seeing a dumpster sort of makes people want to throw stuff away. I hope it inspires you to purge a little - if only to make it easier to locate what you use and love in your memory keeping.

Making Signs Today....

For our upcoming garage sale (August 22 & 23 with a Scrapbookers Preview Night on the 21st I think). I have never had a garage sale before if you can believe that!! I want it all to be SUPER cheap and pretty organized! We are so close to seeing the light at the end of our attic! It was SO HOT up there today. I am happy to finally be back inside and I am SO GRATEFUL for air conditioning. Hope you are all having a productive week. I cannot wait until all this frantic cleaning is over. I need a break. It stuns me how much stuff you simply accumuate in places that no one really sees. I feel SO GOOD digging through it finally and letting almost all of it go! Since my parent's accident and we quickly finished our full basement, I have been bothered by all the stuff that got shoved into the attic or the one unfinished corner of the basement. Now that Dad is moved out, we were able to take EVERY SINGLE THING out of the storage room, sort through it all and only put back in things we need, use, or love. We are doing the same thing with our attic. It all makes me nervous because everything feels disorganized right now... but I know it will be incredible once it is done, and it gives me peace knowing that if anything ever happens to me, Kalli and Kaya will have so much less to sort through one day.

Make Something Monday

Today I really just made a MESS - but that is SOMETHING, right?? :) When I taught organizing classes for Cropper Hopper, I always said to REALLY get something organized you have to make it MUCH worse before it honestly gets any better... well, we are in the middle of the WAY WORSE phase of a major cleaning project. I even have a dumpster on my driveway if you can believe that!

We have a friend's 12 year old daughter helping us watch the girls while Neil and I (we are both off work today and tomorrow) work like CRAZY cleaning out our basement and attic. It is AMAZING how much stuff you amass with over 10 years in this industry. My workspace is pretty darn organized (thanks to a cleaning visit from my best friend Shannon) but my attic still stored lots of stuff I would never need!! So, we have spent the past three days working on it. We are preparing for a garage sale on August 22 & 23rd here in Schererville. If you live close-by and want to come, email me klsb@comcast.net and I will get you more info. There will be amazing deals on tons of back issues on magazines, storage products (lots of them), paper, rubber stamps, and even some albums - there is a lot of stuff, and my goal is to price it so well I have nothing left! Anway, I also "made" a newsletter. You can link to it here in case you are not on the list.

I hope some of you made something more fun than me!!! Happy Monday.

I do love getting things organized....

I know this might seem extreme to some, and it really has NOTHING to do with scrapbooking, but this is what Kalli (my 6 year old) and I did today! I wish I had taken before photos. Her room is always pretty organized, but she had way too many clothes that had gotten too small, and her larger dresser was too deep, and it had become a mess. We took EVERYTHING out of her closet and dresser today – every single thing – and started over. It took a long time, but MAN, it felt great. She was so excited. We ran to the store for Drawer Dividers (these are totally the best invention EVER!) and also picked up some cheetah fabric covered bins (totally her choice, not mine, but they do look adorable). Ahhhhhh, I could just keep looking at it. :) So could she. My husband was not nearly as impressed with us as we were! I thought some of you out there might like to see what totally rocks my world at 36 years old. Surprising, isn’t it! The sheer peace and joy I found today at accomplishing this large task! It will make every day this fall easier on both Kalli and I as she gets ready for school. And, she is my kid that loves order. It was actually fun and she LOVED using the label baby to create all the labels. We are labeling the cheetah baskets tomorrow – she made me promise to wait for her.

And, CHA was cool. I actually left before the show started! :) After 12 years of being on the show floor setting up a booth and working the booth all day, it felt AWESOME to just come in and do a presentation, help Danelle a little the next day, and see some old friends. I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor stamping an amazing project from Melodee Langworthy – she rocks and she made me fall back in love with STAMPING!! I love love love Danelle's new Art Warehouse stamps, and I used some older ones, too, and they made my heart race I loved them so much!! I hope to add photos and get those two projects posted tomorrow….. today, it was all about Kalli! Hope you are having a productive weekend. Get yourself a task or project in mind for Make Something Monday…. having a plan will really help you accomplish at least one little thing each week.