Freezer organization

What I would have liked in the ideal shot is one my most prized things... my candy stash.  I pick up Halloween candy at 75% and 90% off at the end of the season and deposit it in the freezer for the following year... it's a huge money saver for Halloween, and mom tested to know that the candy is just as fresh as the day it went in the freezer ;o)  You KNOW I have to test... I LIKE to keep them in Target bags to keep prying munchies out of them.. so that there IS a stash at the appropriate season... but this is not to be in the new freezer setup.  Sad.

What I also didn't show was the sadly full trash can of freezer burned fish and odds and ends meats that had died a painful death from NOT being identified by date in this freezer!!

So - next up - some dates will be tagged on each of these bins to indicate the year contained... now to get everyone to ONLY get the oldest fish out first... that will be the trick!!

AND we will not even discuss the indoor freezer just yet.. I'm still debating if I'm up for that one.  So far the headache/earache that has been plaguing me for the last few days seems to be at bay... so maybe it will happen today to get the indoor freezer done as well.  Maybe!

It's a few days into the new year and what have *I* been up to?

Lot's - I joined a de-cluttering group and started on the "to do" list for this week.  All in the kitchen.  I skipped around a bit, but the list was:
Sunday, 1 January: Think about who you want to be in this coming year. 

• how about just sane??

Monday, 2 January: Set up a donation station.

• it's called my garage and I tote it to the thrift store when I can!)

Tuesday, 3 January: De-clutter the top of your kitchen cabinets and dust.

• I don't have this - they go to the ceiling

Wednesday, 4 January: Declutter the top shelf of ONE of your kitchen cabinets.

• OK, I started here - in my spice cabinet... so I went ahead with tomorrows goal too!

Thursday, 5 January: Go through your spices and discard expired and old ones.

• Done - oldest one found was 2001 - not bad since McCormick came out with a website a few years back to tell you the age of your spices based on the address... some of mine were 10 years - yes, YEARS old at that time.  Not much better this time, but in my defense they were just peppercorns!

Friday, 6 January: Put all of your canned goods together in one place.

• wouldn't you know it I just bought a can organizer just before Christmas, so this is done too :)  Yeah me!!

Saturday, 7 January: Go through your freezer to let go of old, freezer burned food.

this one will be my challenge, I have already gone to WalMart and picked up freezer baskets to assist in this effort... I'm going to need all the help I can get to put the BIG freezer in order!!  It will have to be by year of fish, then type of fish... fun, fun, fun.  NOT!  Wish me luck!!

So instead of doing THAT tonight, what am I doing?  Playing on the computer, surfing sights and finding cute vinyl to cut for the house...

should have done this one on a MUCH bigger scale, but I did plan it for a different wall, but was shot down :o(

New Years Eve projects

OK, so this was painted on New Years Eve, and posted (in reality) on New Years day... but my justification is that it really DID happen IN 2011

 I like the contrast between the VERY dark yellow in the laundry room

(note door shut JUST enough to hide the semi-permanent pile of laundry on the floor in there...

 yes, there IS laundry all over in there again!) 

You can even see the cucumber green of the dining room from here as well. 

Goes nicely together, don't you think?

Butch working on his computer at the breakfast table.

And a nice view from the living room - includes ALL the colors of the main part of the house... the tan in the upper walls, the green of the dining room and the yellow of the kitchen.

Fire in the Hole!!!

Dad came over today to help me with my lockers... he ground down the sharp edges on the open locker (ripped off the hinges) doorway and helped me swap out the bottom left door with the one that had been ripped off... the one with a working locking mechanism.

 Sparks flying!!

next up... paint...

I think I am going to let Liz have her way and go for a nice Tardis Blue

the center middle open one... and the interior of all the others... I'm really thinking a deep yellow/gold

Sound about right?

Thanks Dad for all your help today - couldn't do it without you!!!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve and Angela can NOT contain herself.  she switched presents about 10 times while the movie was playing (Scrooge with Jim Cary in the background!)

 She finally settled on a BIGGIE!!  Liz's reaction says it all...

"When I was her age..."

Can you hear it now??  ha!

 OH, SNAP!

 Appropriate for her!!

Now I know my kids are older when *I* have to wake them up and get them moving on Christmas morning :o)  What a pleasant change to sleep to about 8am!

Lizzie started into her stocking and kept pulling out 1's... more and more and more came out... until Grandma was shaking HER stocking to see if any had made it into her stocking too :)

 Pile of 1's for her trip money next summer!

 WOW - big stack!!  (looks more impressive than it was!!)

 Angela got a new camera and let me tell you - she is USING that thing!!!

 Grandma has a new monogram for her car (installed and everything!)

 Ah... she's not grown up yet... she's loving the new Chloe :)

 Grandma is right - this shirt is sooo her...

it says:

I have been very good

for the last week or so

let's just focus on that

 Beautiful Christmas ornament for Sally's tree from Robin and Donald

(sure missed having them there this year!!!)

 checking out the new bobby pin holder

 Liz got her all time wish and got her Scoodie!

I think she likes it!

And a Sonic Screwdriver from the "correct" Dr - David Tennant.  ha!

A new mouse pad for Sally with the girls all over it!

SHARK!!

Her Sweet 16 book wasn't as big of a hit for her as it was for Grandma! 

I'm sure she'll appreciate it later in life...maybe

Butch was shocked to find I snuck in a cribbage board from Alaska for him while we were there this summer.. there have to be some surprises in life!!

One HAPPY girl!!

This is the "Oh no, you didn't" look....

When will he learn, I really DO listen.... he got his much awaited IPad 2

She REALLY loves that Scoodie!

We had a shortened holiday season this year.. Butch is busy with work, which I guess is a good thing, because it means in this time of uncertainty that he still HAS a job to go to... so we didn't complain too much when we had to head home early. 

We did get to cram a number of Push the Dummy game, a shopping trip for a little after Christmas shopping and a movie (We Bought a Zoo - LOVED it!) and had a GREAT time just sitting, visiting and being bums!

I, however, will be doing partial days this week in an effort to get a few things done :)

Paint, paint everywhere... and an organization backfire!

What do you think?  We voted the VERY pale yellow - what do YOU say?

I got a can organizer (or two) and I'm not sure it helps when you have SOOO many cans to begin with!  And boxes - oh, my!!!

Ice Skating with the kiddo's!

Skating fun - for most of the 8 kids this was the FIRST time they had ever been on the ice.

This is the 5 girls - three I brought, two met us there - two more joined later... and we also had three boys with us too - a good crowd of teens!

Where am *I*?  I learned my lesson with roller skates.. I was in the bleachers having a nice chat with Ms. T :o)

 NOT speedy, but in their defense... they did speed up eventually!

And no picture of Angela - she decided today would be a great day to start ditching photo ops... sigh... here we go with THAT stage!!

LOOK - a CAR full - and I do mean full - every single seat was taken!!

Wild hairs and lost minds...

Why lost minds too?  Well, I think I'm officially loosing my MIND.

I go into Goodwill, find a treasure (see below) I buy said treasure for $25 plus tax (bonus!).... I head out the door to put this in the car... I unlock the car, I get the seats all folded down and for the life of me can no longer find my kids KEYS  (thanks for the correction was stuck on partial KID fault!).. what the heck?  Did I have them in my hand and decide at some moment that it was just too much trouble to keep hold of them?  Where did I finally find them (AFTER dumping my treasure on the ground and breaking off a corner - insert wailing and crying here)??? UNDER the VERY back seat.  Apparently in my rush to REMOVE the head rest some child decided to wrestle out of it's hiding place under the VERY back of the car and put on -which it's NEVER on so I can drop the back seat at, well, the drop of a hat... goodness.... talk about loosing my mind!!  I thought I was going to have to have Butch get my keys from home and come get me... now THAT would be a pickle.

Anyway, keys found, mind still lost and pretty little treasure made it home and put back together with glue and a clamp.  Whew!

BEFORE:

After a bit of sanding, and I'm thinking I rather LIKE the distressed look and may not even paint it.. what do you vote?  To paint or not to pain?  Think of it as french shabby chic...

what do you think?

 All that is needed are some cute glass knobs - Target here I come!!!

Projects for the last few weekends.

Last weekend I got the wild hair to finally remove the boarder in the kitchen in prep for painting.  I started on the opposite side of the room and turned around to find Butch up to his elbows in the deconstruction... to which he fesses up that he HATES construction, but the deconstructing and tear down is so much fun.  Sigh... So, I had a little help and a few places to patch as well.  Ah, well - the boarder is now gone, gone, gone from the kitchen.  Believe it or not BOTH girls are sad to see it go.  I have to admit it does look a bit naked without it up there...

 And today, I finally put my my saying for the laundry.  I'm still unsure if I like this version...

but I can always change it out if it doesn't grow on me :D

How appropriate that the floor is FULL of laundry?  ha!

Where has all my time gone?

I was looking at my leave calendar, planning all my AWESOME upcoming trips for the new year and wondering just WHERE all my leave has gone.  I didn’t have much, but should have been earning this “much faster” now that I’m earning that big “pie in the sky 8 hours a pay period”.  Someone said I’ll earn it so much faster I won’t believe how fast it accrues.  I have to laugh at that theory, as I am firmly ensconced in the “earn and burn” philosophy.  Sad but true, and my leave records will attest to this too!

So I went back and was looking at where my leave started to take a nose dive this year… I was going along great – just a few hours here and a few hours there max of 8 hours in any given pay period, which in and of itself will kill your leave when you only earn 6 in that given pay period.  Ok, it’s growing quite well then July happened and a glorious trip to Alaska with my family for Dad’s 80^th birthday.  We had such a ball fishing and sight seeing and just enjoying our time in the great outdoors!  We did celebrate his actual birthday last night and not a single picture even with Mom bringing her camera with her to the restaurant.  We went to Olive Garden and had a yummy dinner then on to the High School for Liz’s band concert.  All in all a great night in my books.  Could have been better with a little push the dummy, but beggars can’t be choosers some nights J  Tonight we get to go to Middle School Band concert – yeah us.

Ok, back to the leave count down! (Leave – 48 hrs)

Moving right along and little leave taken here and there to take care of doctor visits, braces, and chiropractor visits.  No complaints… did I mention I enjoy my time off no matter how it comes to me.  Well, with one exception, and we’ll get to that at the bottom!

Next big chuck of time was my Trip with Angela to Jekyll Island.  Now that was an experience… bugs and heat and LOTs of hormonal pre-teens.  Fun, fun, fun!  An experience I will not repeat, thanks.  I think I’m more of the lay on the beach on a blanket than a trudge through the swamp person.  Especially in September in Southern Georgia.  You would have thought it would have been a bit more breezy, and cool – no such luck! (-24 hrs)

The very next pay period was my saving grace and a week in Orlando at a very nice resort and our first visit to Universal Studios (-40 hrs)

The last few nails in the leave coffin was 1) Thanksgiving but only a little as I did partial days off and used comp time I had on the books (-13 hrs) 2) Christmas – I’m still not sure how much time Christmas will cost me… it will either be 28 hours (two full days and three ½ days) or 5 full days for 40 hours… time will tell

Sick leave is a whole other story.  This was my year for visits to the docs.  Mostly the dermatologist, but we’ll throw in some chiropractic visits for good measure.  This was the year for skin cancers and partial ear removal and lots of time off between grafts not taking quickly and the actual surgery itself, thus my one reason I wouldn’t be happy about THAT time off.  I think I racked up 90 hours alone for all of that.  Add to this – Elizabeth had to have all 4 of her wisdom teeth removed this year as well along with orthodontist visits and actual sick kids and I am NOT looking good on sick leave this year either. 

But all in all, I can look back at Alaska, Jekyll and Universal Studio’s trips along with a short trip to Utah to scrapbook and I’ve had a VERY good/bad year for leave.  I had a ball burning through it all!

Christmas... what little I have up...

Was in all reality in place on or about Thanksgiving... and it consists of this:

One nativity that Grandpa Ashwood made.  Butch's mom was sweet enough to bring this down for us this year, so it was promptly put up on the entry table.  I think for safety we should move it to the one behind the couch, but I haven't gotten that far yet!

Another thing from Sally - some very cute place mats with snowflakes stitched on them, matching napkins and some cute napkin rings the girls helped make - such a festive table isn't it?

... up on the roof top reindeers pause....

Oh, wait, no… that’s the squirrels above the drop ceiling running around, disregard.

Ha!  Can you imagine what will happen if one of those ceiling tiles happens to fall with one of those chubby little squirrels on it?  All heck is going to break loose!!!  There is a missing tile in one gals office and she turned around one day to see a squirrel peaking out at her.  Ha!  Love it!

The Bench with promise....

One more of my MANY projects that are ongoing is this lovely (?) bench... to it's defense, it is a very sturdy and comfortable little bench... and it has springs... and for $10 it was really screaming to come home with me as my FIRST ever upholstery project.  I MAY regret this decision yet!

 the bottom is looking OK, but not knowing what those strings are all about.. to keep the springs from springing too far up?  It's a mystery for now...

 So, let the great reveal happen... Angela and I grabbed some pliers and started ripping off the cover to find THIS underneath... EWH.  NOT what I was thinking would be under there.  I'm not SURE what I expected but lovely 50's bridge scenes was not it. 

 Looks like the original/original fabric was in oranges and reds.  No telling what that looked like.

 Angela is definitely my helper of helpers, but she is getting grossed out by this fabric and it's age as well - ha!

 string mystery solved.  Apparently the buttons came off ages ago and the "fix" was to pull the string through the bottom of the bench and affix them to the side with nails.  Interesting approach.  I don't think I'll do it that way.  But OK.  Also the batting is very loose batting, so we opted to chuck it as well.  The strings are stiff with age and heaven knows what else, so I think it's time to go back to the basics for this poor thing!

 all that is left is the burlap.  I debated removing it too, but it's stapled to the springs, and that's just a bit more work than I plan on doing.  I will have to put another layer of fabric over the burlap to "help" it stay in one piece, but for now, it stays.

I have painted the legs white... but pictures of that process will come in a few more weeks as we make progress.