organization {dresser drawers}

in our bedroom, we only have one dresser. it's old. it's ugly. i have no idea why we haven't replaced it. we have looked at new furniture. but we never buy. i think we might have some commitment issues we need to work through or something... so, there is a lot of stuff crammed into our one little dresser. and it was time for some purging and tidying.

it was a pretty easy project that i was able to work through gradually - one drawer and a time. but ultimately, it is small projects like this that make daily life so much more bearable. the pictures don't really do the drawers justice. just trust me! i actually completed this project several months ago and i'm happy to report that all drawers are still neat & tidy!

here are before and after photos, starting with my underwear drawer. i can't believe i'm actually posting photos of my underwear drawer! anyway, the left side is mine and was a jumbled mess. now everything is folded and tidy, stacked by style. the right half is the "junk" half which is mostly my husband's stuff. got rid of lots of junk!

and then there's the sock drawer. which also contains bathing suits. and coverups. and miscellaneous undergarments. i honestly could not believe how much stuff was in this drawer. the photos don't really look that different, but there was a lot of purging for sure!

and then my tank tops...i had purged/organized this not too long ago so this didn't require as much maintenance. the left two stacks are more casual, ribbed styles. the right stacks are more camisole styles. i've kept them separated this way for a while and it works for me. i have a ton of tank tops, but i wear them all the time, year round. i wear them under things, to sleep and around the house. i probably wear 2-3 different ones a day.

my winter drawer. at the beginning of the winter, i tidied this drawer, so it wasn't too bad. it containers all of my hats, scarves and some gloves (most of my gloves are kept in the matching coat pockets). my husband's winter gear is in here too but he doesn't have that much. i was able to purge several things that i don't really wear and tidied up some more. as you can see, coleman enjoyed helping.

goals {april 2011}

it seems that some areas are coming easier for me (organization, for instance), while other areas are more of a struggle (scrap + blog). as i mentioned yesterday, i need to remind myself of these on a daily basis! i created an 8.5x11 printable that lists these goals. i will keep this at the front of my life binder to help me stay focused! i'm excited to see if this helps, particularly because april is a busy, busy month!
{organization}
-- purge downstairs coat closet
-- clean out & organize the kitchen pantry

{time management}
-- select one weeknight for "super productivity"
-- plan out meals for the week on sunday night

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start)
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!!
-- order photos from bridal shower & create album

{weight loss}
-- exercise at least once each week
-- lose at least 4 pounds

{faith + spirtuality}
-- finish reading one thousand gifts (while participating in the book club)
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning

{financial}
-- manage the best use of extra paycheck in april
-- contact at&t about strange charges

{writing}
-- write four journal entries
-- continue the creativity boot camp workbook.
related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals and february end-of-month progress report
march goals

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goal update {march 2011}

i'm not really sure what happened to march. i feel like i blinked and it was gone. we weren't even particularly busy. i think i didn't realize february was over until march was halfway gone! anyway...

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing :: YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!
      we actually did a total gut and reorg of our master closet! detailed post coming soon....
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer :: yup!
-- clean out my car ::  yup!
-- purge downstairs coat closet :: oops...not so much.

{time management}
-- select one weeknight for "super productivity" :: sort of...going to have to work a little harder on this
-- plan out meals for the week on sunday night :: failed miserably

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start) :: nope...that's two months in a row i haven't tackled this.
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog :: and again...two months, no progress.

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! :: no
-- order photos from coleman's birthday party :: no
i need to work on making this area more a priority!
{weight loss}
-- exercise at least once each week :: shame on me...
-- lose at least 4 pounds :: i think i lost about 2-3

{faith + spirtuality}
-- finish reading one thousand gifts (while participating in the book club) :: i haven't finished yet, but i've made my way through 9 of 11 chapters.
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning (as feasible while reading above book) :: i've made more of an effort to work this back into my morning routine. for a while i was putting the book before the bible reading. i've flip-flopped those. i wanted to keep this as a priority and work the above book into my quiet time when possible.

{financial}
-- work with matt to map out the use of my bonus :: we have reprioritized what we want to spend and pushed aside some bigger projects we were considering.
-- cancel rhapsody & netflix (two inexpensive services that we just aren't really using) :: cancelled rhapsody. after discussing our use of netflix with matt, we decided to keep it for now.

{writing}
-- write four journal entries :: yes...i've done a decent job of writing. it puts me in SUCH a better place!!!
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. :: i did actually start, but only completed the first two lessons so far. i like that i decided to choose writing as my medium (for the larger workshop last year where i chose photography).

***thoughts & insights***
the last two months i have really stuggled with working on everything i've set out to accomplish. i think the biggest flaw in my system right now is that i haven't implemented a way of reminding myself of these goals on a regular basis. i think about them once or twice a month...i should be looking at them daily. i will brainstorm some ideas for april.
related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals and february end-of-month progress report
march goals

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goals {march 2011}

even though it's halfway through the month, i still want to provide a list of march goals!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing carried over from february
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer carried over from february
-- clean out my car
-- purge downstairs coat closet

{time management}
-- select one weeknight for "super productivity"
-- plan out meals for the week on sunday night

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start) carried over from february
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog carried over from february

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! carried over from february
-- order photos from coleman's birthday party

{weight loss}
-- exercise at least once each week
-- lose at least 4 pounds
{faith + spirtuality}
-- finish reading one thousand gifts (while participating in the book club)
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning (as feasible while reading above book)
{financial}
-- work with matt to map out the use of my bonus
-- cancel rhapsody & netflix (two inexpensive services that we just aren't really using)
{writing}
-- write four journal entries.
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. carried over from february.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals and february end-of-month progress report

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goal update {february 2011}

i'm quite late in reporting on my february goals (which doesn't bode well on tackling march, but oh well). i will begin with a disclaimer that i knew my ability to accomplish much in february. hosting two parties at the end of the month meant a lot of free time was spent planning & prepping. my goals were a little overambitious, to say the least. i wish i had accomplished more but i'm trying not to beat myself up!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing nope :(
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer nope :(
-- bring home 2 binders from work (to use as home management & recipe binders) yes

{time management}
do laundry at least twice a week. yes. i've done well with this. i've been doing it over the weekend and at least once during the week. i also like starting on it as soon as the workday is done on friday (schedules allowing). then, i will do it again on sunday which allows me to start the work week with a clean (laundry) slate.

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start) nope
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog nope
in addition, i haven't been posting as often as i'd like...

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! unfortunately this got worse instead of better (because of the parties).
-- order photobook of christmas 2010 photos nope

{weight loss}
-- do the elliptical machine (30 min) at least once a week  nope. i did well at the beginning of the month, but then slacked off.
-- eat out no more than one meal per week doubt it.
-- lose 6 more pounds yes (i think)

{faith + spirtuality}
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. in order to do the item below, this has to be pushed aside slightly. it's still a priority, but second to finishing the book.
-- begin participating in the one thousand gifts (by ann voskamp) book club  yes. i'm working on chapter 8 right now (of 11 total). in addition to reading, i've been watching the book club videos, reading the blog posts and journaling.   

{financial}
-- finish reading "debt free for life". yes.
-- start making bi-weekly mortgage payments. oops...forgot!

{writing}
-- write four journal entries. yes, because of the book club mentioned above, i've been journaling a lot more lately!!
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. nope. again, took a backseat to the bookclub.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

organization {toys}

after christmas (also known as the day our house was taken over by toys), it didn't take us long to figure out we had to do something to regain control of our den. since we don't have a playroom or a bonus room or any of those toy-collecting rooms, we had to make our main living space fun for coleman, while bearable for the rest of us.

one thing that was a issue was our lack of space. we have a really large den but it's already pretty full of furniture. after some brainstorming, i came up with the idea to purchase one of IKEA's expedit bookshelves that is only one cube wide and turn it on it's side. it fits perfectly under a railing that separates our breakfast nook from the den. i purchased 5 fabric bins from Target to fill the cubes.

 this system has some really great perks...
1) the five compartments allow for categorizing toys. right now we have them divided into blocks, puzzles, balls, little people, and of course miscellaneous. i have a feeling these will be continuously revamped, which is perfectly fine!
2) it's the perfect height for coleman to access all his toys...and to put them away himself!
3) the long top serves as extra bench seating when we have a houseful of guests.
4) the piece of furniture is incredibly versatile. if it wears out its welcome in this room, it can serve as a shelf in several other rooms in our house (it's actually the same furnitue spencer has in his room now).

goals {february 2011}

i was pleased with my january baby steps and i'm excited about tackling a new set of baby steps this month!!!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer
-- bring home 2 binders from work (to use as home management & recipe binders)

{time management}
do laundry at least twice a week. since my work schedule changed back to going into the office daily, i have been doing laundry mostly on weekends. my goal is to try and tackle some of it mid-week so i'm not so bogged down with this during our family time.

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start)
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! this seems easy enough but right now it's a collection of items purchased for parties, computer cords, bags of "works in progress", piles of spencer & coleman's old schoolwork and artwork...just to name a FEW.
-- order photobook of christmas 2010 photos

{weight loss}
-- do the elliptical machine (30 min) at least once a week
-- eat out no more than one meal per week
-- lose 6 more pounds

{faith + spirtuality}
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. i will continue to plug away at this until i'm done with the Bible
-- begin participating in the one thousand gifts (by ann voskamp) book club i've already purchased the book. the club begins this sunday (feb 6th).
{financial}
-- finish reading "debt free for life". this book was a free download online that i printed and began reading a few weeks ago. my goal is to wrap it up this month and start taking some of his advice (see next item)
-- start making bi-weekly mortgage payments. the above book states if you make 1/2 of your mortgage payment every two weeks (instead of the full amount once a month) you should pay off your mortgage about 3-5 years earlier depending on your interest rate (this is based on making 1 extra monthly payment).
{writing}
-- write four journal entries. since i didn't accomplish this last month, i figured this should remain a goal.
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. my goal is to finish this before the live summer session in may.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goal update {january 2011}

in early january, i laid out goals for the month based on my goals for 2011. my plan is all about taking baby steps to tackling bigger things and was partially inspired by the concept of 3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee.

my concern was tackling eight mini-goals in a month might be too much. so, let's see how i did...

{organization}
purchase and implement a system for organizing coleman's toys in our den. complete.
we are considering the addition of a toy box also, but right now, this is working well. my other small organizational project was the dresser in our bedroom.

{time management}
master using my new organizational binder and daily calendar. complete.
i have spent the month using these things daily. i absolutely adore my moleskin weekly notebook. it is truly perfect (particularly for work). though my new binder is bulky, it has been incredibly helpful to have everything together in ONE spot. i am thoroughly enjoying both pieces of my new process. i plan to post more detail on this now that i've tested it for a while.

{blog improvement}
choose a digital kit to use when re-designing the blog. complete.
i purchased a kit, at a great price. the colors are reflective of my *color crush*. as for blog content, i seem to be struggling the most with weekend posting. this is partially a good thing because it means i'm living life and enjoying my family. but i'd like to get better and scheduling posts to come out on the weekends.

{scrap studio}
re-claim the room from the havoc reaked during the holiday season. sort of complete.
i have worked on tidying up this room. a couple of times. and then it falls apart again. it's definitely in a better state than it was during the holidays, which is good. the bad thing is that i'm now planning two (back to back) parties in our house at the end of february. this room will become the "catch all" for party supplies and planning so i need a way to keep that organized and tidy!
as for scrapping...i didn't. but i did order a photobook from shutterfly of our december family photo shoot. i also ordered prints from snapfish that completes coleman's first year.

{weight loss}
this is actually going to be more of a three-fold goal. instead of just saying "lose 5 pounds" in january, i want more tangible & specific goals that will hopefully lead to weight loss. complete +.

1. do the elliptical four times
2. go on a walk four times
3. brainstorm healthier meal ideas with matt

i did a lot more in this area than i set out here. i joined weight watchers and lost 6 pounds. i did the elliptical machine exactly 4 times (though it wasn't consistent each week, as i would prefer). i nixed #2 because it's just too darned cold. and, amazingly i got on my bicycle once (for a very leisurely ride) for the first time in probably two years! i can't say that we accomplished much with #3...i am eating healthier but not doing such a great job of working with matt on that.

for more details on my weight loss adventure, check out my weekly *dieting for dummies* series: january 16 + january 23 + january 30

{faith + spirtuality}
read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. complete.
as of today, i've read through the Book of John and i'm currently in the Book of Acts.

{financial}
put together a realistic monthly budget and review in detail with matt. complete.
this one got put off to the very end of the month. but, matt and i did finally sit down and review our february budget. we have vowed to discuss our finances more openly and consistently (instead of just letting me deal with everything). we also made a "wish list" together of bigger projects/purchases and prioritized them. as a bonus, we had our taxes done on the last day of the month. Wooohoo! nice to have that out of the way so early.

{writing}
finish reverb 10 prompts here on the blog and write four journal entries. complete + half complete.
i did complete writing based on the reverb prompts, but i actually only completed two journal entries.

reflecting on the month:
i took a long look at this list after about 3 weeks into the month. i realized that i had done a great job in most areas. so, where was i struggling??? financial, scrap studio and writing. those became my priorities for the final week of the month. it's good to know my weak spots so i can make more effort next month.

coming soon: february goals

looking forward {2011}

if you are interested on my thoughts surrounding new year's resolutions, read the first part of my post from last year. i will spare you a recap.

with the new year here, i'm once again pondering what lies ahead. what has worked this year. what needs to change. i'm reviewing my major posts from last year: look forward 2010 and mid-year update, and sharing how i did.

i've been pondering goals for this new year, but more importantly, i've been pondering how to be better focused on making them happen. a blog i follow (ap freewriting 101) has put together a concept of 3 in 30. the idea is to set 3 realistic and attainable goals each month. these can be small, stand-alone goals or individual steps to bigger goals. i'm hoping to lay out the big stuff below and then work to break them down. i think i fell short of a lot in 2010 because i didn't make an attempt to break the "big things" down into "little things".

one significant change: last year's list consisted of a lot of conceptual things. though most of these things are still relevant to my life (patience, balance, etc), i feel my current list needs to be more concrete.

{organization}
i'm a pretty organized person. but i often feel totally unorganized. i'm not sure why that is. it might be because i have great organizational ideas that i never implement. or it may be that my type-a personality just leads me to believe i'm not organized, but i actually am. i typically don't lose things or forget appointments, so overall, i guess i'm doing ok. but there are parts of our home that are getting out of control (in my opinion) so it's time to deal with them.

{time management}
i wavered as to whether to combine organization and time management but ultimately decided to separate them. my biggest struggle with time management is actually based on motivation. after a day at work, it's difficult for me to find the energy to be motivated once i'm home - to do something beyond the standard taking care of coleman and feeding the family...something other than vegging in front of the tv. some days, i can't even find the motivation to get on the computer, and that's pretty sad!

{blog improvement}
i want to work my way through the online course that will (hopefully) help me visually re-design this blog. i also want to get better at planning posts ahead so that there are not so many peaks and valleys in my posting. i want more good quality content, but plan to still wiggle in my useless ramblings (if i didn't, it wouldn't really be *me*).

{scrap studio}
though this kind of falls under the umbrella of organization, i feel it's large enough to deserve it's own official goal. i have accomplished absolutely nothing in 2010 as far as improving this year. no improvements to work flow. no adapting so that coleman can be in there with me. very little purging. as a result - very little creating.  i need to get the room under control and get back to creating!

included in this, i should mention library of memories. i haven't done much of anything with this in 2010. right now i'm not feeling the *pull* to work much on it, probably because of other priorities. but a year is a long time and hopefully other things will come together so i can put more emphasis there. my focus will be on general organization of that room and improving my ability to create. the LOM process is secondary.

{weight loss}
you knew it had to be on there! this was on last year's list. i didn't lose any weight. but sometimes people asked if i did. when i look at pictures from last christmas, something is definitely different. i think what happened is that my body shape kind of recovered from the whole "having a baby" thing. even though i didn't lose pounds, my body resituated itself back to where it was. NOW it's time to lose the poundage. luckily, matt's on board with this. his focus is more on "toning up" which involves exercise (something i hate). my focus is more on controlling diet (a tougher thing for him). i am hoping that by our focus & strengths being different, we'll be able to support each other in the areas where we are weaker. in other words - i can help him eat better and he can motivate me to exercise.

{faith + spirtuality}
matt and i have continued to fail at finding (or even searching for) a church home. i have been consistent in my daily time with God and the Bible in the mornings. i've worked my way through the Old Testament and will continue my current plan until i'm done with the New Testament. then i will find a daily devotional plan that will allow me to dig deeper into scripture. as coleman gets older, i need to search for ways to share my faith with him.

{financial}
matt and i totally fell off the dave ramsey bandwagon and both agree it's time to hop back on! again, matt is on board with this and will take will power from both of us!

{writing}
continue to focus on writing, not only on this blog, but in journals. i am sometimes able to do this during my morning quiet time but not often. during december, i've used the reverb10 prompts for my writing, but i want to get back to the "pen to paper" journaling more often. this seems to be an "ebb and flow" type thing for me. i'm aiming for consistency.

so there you have it. eight main goals for 2011. stay tuned for my focused january plan.

organization {wrapping station}

today, i'm over at one of my favorite blogs, marta writes, with a guest post: how to create a gift wrap station. it addresses ideas and tips on how to gather your wrapping supplies for the holiday season (and beyond). it doesn't have to be fancy or expensive (though, those are nice!). to correspond with the "how to" post, i thought i'd share some snapshots of how i organize my stuff.

as you can see, i was serious about "not fancy" part! click the image to view it larger.

my wrapping supplies are organized in a variety of containers. but the important thing is that they are (1) organized (2) easy to access and (3) kept in close proximity to each other.

wrapping rolls: stored in a tall plastic container designed for this very purpose. it came with a top cover, which i've chosen not to use so that i can store longer rolls that wouldn't fit with the top closed.

gift bags + large gift boxes: stored in two plastic containers (which i believe i purchased at home depot design center). the boxes are stored folded flat with the smallest sizes in the front and largest in the back. gift bags are also stored folded, by size. the only difference is that the largest ones are actually in the middle with christmas on one side and all other designs/themes on the other size. 

tissue paper + tools: in a smaller version of the same plastic containers, i keep my tissue paper (folded) and my tool stash. my "must have" tools are a pair of scissors, a sharpie (or two), invisible tape, double-sided taped and/or tape runner. since my wrapping area is also in my scrapbook room, my tool stash is minimal. i have lots of tools at my disposal if needed (punches, paper trimmer, etc).

ribbon: on the inside of my closet door, i attached racks intended for kitchen use. in them, i store large and small rolls of curling ribbon.

other stuff: on shelving right outside of the closet, i have a few helpful things (1) a container of paper scraps - great for creating last minute tags (2) a box of greeting cards - handmade or store bought (3) card making supplies

if you ended up here from marta writes, welcome to the chronicles and thanks for swinging by.

{planning to plan}

today, i seem to be in a mood that is lending itself to both planning and being reflective. over the last few weeks things have been different, and changing. change can be good, change can be bad. but ultimately, life is what you make of it and when things change, you must adjust. i'm at the point where i need to shift, once again finding my balance. with an anal quirky personality like mine, you can only function out of balance for so long before you fall off your rocker completely. today, i've decided that it's time to realign. with that, comes the need to plan for some planning (yes, you know you are truly type-a when you have to plan to plan).

if you read the chronicles regularly, you know i was pretty obsessed with the maximize your mornings concept introduced at inspired to action. i still am, but i've fallen off the bandwagon a bit lately due to the changes i mentioned...partially the changes in my work schedule, definitely due to my toddler who has decided to rise at the butt-crack-of-dawn, partially due to spending as much time as possible wrapping up HOA details so that i can let go. i've been able to stick with my daily Bible reading (usually with aforementioned toddler *helping* me). but i haven't really been using my weekly planning sheet and the other parts of my morning routine have fallen off. when i don't do these things, i can tell. i can really tell.

planning to plan:

weekly planning

begin using my weekly planning sheet again. the meal planning and blog schedule really take the pressure off and i've missed them.

daily planning

spend a few minutes in my morning "quiet time" to think about the day even if coleman is already awake. it's still totally feasible. i need to work on going with the flow, instead of caving when my "quiet time" is interrupted.

party planning

lay out a detail plan of execution for the anniversary party (oct 28) and make additional progress on the invitations. continue brainstorming ideas for coleman's party (in february...yes, you read that correctly), and a possible un-birthday party for spencer in the spring.

blog planning

i've done a good job of documenting blog ideas in evernote but i need to increase the level of execution on some of the stronger ideas. one of the things that has suffered in this few week period is this blog. though i've still posted somewhat regularly, the quality of content has been less than i'd prefer. for those of you that are hanging in there with me, it's greatly appreciated. it'll get better. soon. i promise.

holiday planning

we are in the holiday season. in my mind it all starts now with pumpkin patches and carvings, trick or treating and fall hikes...gradually leading us into the thanksgiving season and then the craziness of christmas! i just read a christmas planning e-book that emphasizes planning out your entire holiday season (starting now) and that's what i plan to do (seriously, as if my arm had to be twisted to spend time with a calendar and some lists). this includes thinking about december daily.

• quick digression: as part of the "reflective" mood i mentioned...for the past month or so, i've been sad that summer is gone. by this i mean, school started again and our extra time with spencer is over. i had a list of wonderful, fun ideas for our family to do this summer. we didn't do them. seriously, none. it makes me sad. so, this holiday season, i am committing to making the most of it with my three favorite boys. i'm not talking about over-scheduling a season of craziness...i just mean making the most of everything the season stands for - faith, family and making memories. planning will make this much more feasible...i think this is where i fell short this summer. and summer 2011...watch out! i'm coming full force next year!!!

planning to write

i'm not sure what happened but for a while i was able to journal daily in my "quiet time". but i have been struggling to fit that in now. i haven't written in a while. and my blog posts haven't been of the quality i'd like either. i want to change both of those things, plus i have a guest post to write for publication at marta writes in november! exciting!


so, that's my plan to plan. interestingly, we have a very busy weekend ahead and i don't know how much time/energy i will actually have to accomplish any of this...but i'm hoping to stay inspired and motivated. knowing a plan is in my future is my *light at the end of the tunnel*.

inspired {progress update}

today, i want to talk more about how i've been doing with things related to the motivating website inspired to action. if you aren't familiar with the site and my recent motivation to follow kat's inspiration, please check out the list of links/resources at the end of this post. i will not be doing weekly updates, as i have been, so i wanted to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings on the topic.

the benefits
it might sound a little overdramatic, but putting this plan into action has been life-altering. my execution is far from perfect and i still have goals on which i really need to work. but the things i've accomplished so far have made a noticable impact on the flow of my day, my outlook & mood, and even my energy level.

improved energy & motivation
you might think that getting up early would make you more tired, but on the mornings where i get up at 5:00 and have my quiet time before getting ready for work and heading to the office...those are the days that i feel more energized and less tired. not only do i get "me time" but i also tend to have extra time to knock out a few chores before heading to work! the mornings where i cheat a little and get up later because i'm working from home or it's the weekend...they never feel quite as good as the super early days. i tend to be more focused on providing for coleman when he's awake and i'm less able to concentrate on the aspects of my morning routine. my goal is to work towards getting up at 5:30 on those at-home mornings.

improved relationship with God
earlier in the year, i began a journey through the Bible based on a plan provided by another blog. unfortunately, the guidance at that blog has dropped off, but i'm sticking to the plan (and then some). i am currently reading at least 4 chapters per day and it feels great to start my day that way. i have implemented what i call "purposeful prayer" in the mornings, where i am able to really focus. i use two prayer calendars to pray for matt and the boys. i also developed a weekly schedule for me to follow. i really feel that these 15-20 minutes in the morning have helped strenghten my relationship with God so much.

organization
my planning is very easy with the weekly sheet i created for myself. the checklist really helps me stay focused on small goals (like drinking 8 cups of water daily). i love having somewhere to jot down blog posts and meals for the week. i have never been a meal planner, and this has made the evenings so much easier!

write to the heart
and i love that i have designated time to journal. i love to write but was not previously making time to write for me. i have found some good writing prompts online and have truly enjoyed rediscovering this part of myself. hopefully the continued habit will improve my writing here on this blog, and i have a feeling some of my prompts will end up being blog posts as well.

get up and *move*
as i've stated many times, the biggest hurdle for me is exercise. my goal, right now, is to just do 10 minutes each morning and i have a super easy routine that fills that time perfectly. but i'm still lacking the motivation. i'm trying to take baby steps...last week i only exercised twice. so, this week, my goal is three times.

now it's your turn: if you are inspired by my story or by kat's blog (linked below), i encourage you to read her e-book and get started. take baby steps. tweak the system to fit your needs. if you follow only one blog...follow hers. at first glance, it may seem like a lot to tackle, but it's really not. break it into realistic steps and you will love the results! do i sound like an informercial???

Related Links:

Inspired to Action blog
where it all started! kat has several free downloads that are worth your time, including two prayer calendars and two e-books.

So I Married a Mennonite blog
michelle hosted a four-week challenge in august to walk folks through the *maximize your mornings* concept.

Here at the Chronicles
i jumped into this concept *gung ho* so there are several related posts here:
     free downloads - daily & weekly cards
     totally inspired
     mission statement
     morning maximization
     week 1 report card
     week 2 report card
     week 3 report card

photo credit

tiny tip tuesday {donating *stuff*}

sunday, spencer and i spent hours gutting his room. cleaning. organizing. you know the drill. i had no idea it had gotten so out of hand. we had done a marvelous job of masking the mess it had become! we ended up with two and a half trash bags of actual garbage. PLUS two trash bags of items to be donated (along with several large items that wouldn't fit in a bag). yesterday, i made a goodwill run on my lunch hour to rid our home of the clutter. these activities inspired me to provide some tips here related to donating your stuff.

our culture encourages the collection of *stuff*. that's another whole blog post in and of itself, so let's focus on what happens when we no longer need that *stuff*. whether it's outgrown, unused, or just plain ugly...i can't throw something away unless it's 100% worthless to anyone. therefore, i donate. whether you already donate and need some help getting organized, or if you never donate a single thing, here are some pointers...

• just do it. if you don't donate your *stuff*, you should really start. if you aren't already doing so it means one of two things. (1) you have a house full of things you should considering giving up (2) you are trashing items that could be treasures to someone else and a nice tax deduction for you.
• write it off. though i've always donated stuff, i used to never keep track of it or do itemized deductions with our taxes. then, our accountant shared with us how much more money we'd get back with a standard amount of donating. WOW. what an eye opener. needless to say, i keep track of everything that's donated to a tax-deductible charity now!
• pick a place. you need to make donations super easy so find ONE charity that fits these three requirements:
1. donations to them are tax-deductible
2. they accept a wide variety of items
3. the drop-off location is convenient for you
• be realistic. don't try to clean & reorganize your entire house in a weekend. tackle one room or closet per weekend, or per month...whatever works for your schedule (this is assuming that you haven't done this in a while...it may not even be necessary). regardless of how organized you are, chances are that each room in your house will need de-cluttering at least once a year.
• pack and go. when you do a "big" purge of a whole room or closet, have three piles as you sort: keep, donate, trash. once you are done, immediately put the donate items in your vehicle. the next time you leave your house, drop them off. this is why it's so important to pick ONE donation place that is convenient to you (for instance, i go to a drive-through goodwill that is only minutes from my office).
• keep it up. the best way to prevent clutter is to stick with the mentality of getting rid of stuff you don't need. if you run across something that you (or someone in your family) truly should discard, go ahead and set it aside for donation (see next step). you do not have to wait for a large purging day! this will save you so much time in the long run.
• create a central location. find somewhere in your home where you can collect items for donating. you want it to be out of sight, but relatively easy to access. the container should be disposable so you can dump it at the drop location. i keep a medium-sized cardboard box in our garage marked "donation" (so my husband doesn't accidentally take it to the dump). when i find a shirt that i no longer love or a knick-knack that's not worth the dust it collects, then i place it in the box. when i notice the box is full, it goes into my car and to goodwill the next day.
• hand it down. all of the above are geared towards donating to organizations. don't forget the beauty of handing down gently used clothes, toys, etc to friends who have children younger than yours. everything above can be applied to those situations (except for the tax deductions). try keeping a shopping bag in your child's closet to collect clothes that no longer fit. when it's full, give it to your "hand-me-down" receiver!

so...*tiny* tip tuesday was a bit more detailed today, but i hope this helps someone de-clutter, save some money and help a good cause! do you have any tips for de-cluttering & donating???



images found at goodwill.com

inspired {report card - week 3}

luckily, coleman was on the mend after monday of last week, allowing me to return to a normally scheduled world as of tuesday. so here's how i did...

{report card - week of august 16 to 22}

• to-do list = 6 of 10
• woke up early = 5 of 7 days
• stuck to the meal plan = 5 of 7
• cleaned = 7
• Bible & prayer = 6
• blogged = 5
• took photos = 4
• water intake goal = 3
• exercised = 2
• worked on editing process = 2

{august challenge update}

as presented by michelle at so, i married a mennonite, here is how i did with the WEEK THREE challenge: DEVELOP AN EXERCISE PLAN

1 - Pick a Workout: done...i have a 10-minute morning plan in place
          i do sets of 12 for each of these: crunches, push-ups, squats, jumping jacks & leg kicks. i do as many as i can accomplish in about 7-8 minutes. the last 2-3 minutes i use 3lb weights for some arm exercises.

2 - Make it Fun: is she serious??? i have NO idea how to do this :)

3 - Create your Habit: What is the one thing you'll do everyday? this should be #1 above...but i don't do it everyday.

4 - Set a Goal: i would really like to lose 10 pounds by mid-October. but at this rate, it's not going to happen!

So, I did OK on the four goals above...i just haven't done well at implementing the actual exercising!

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE (WEEK 4) CAN BE FOUND HERE

~ if you missed it last week, i shared some downloads that are perfectly matched for this week's challenge!

~ sidenote: if you feel like you need a swift kick in the butt...watch the video in this post at inspired to action

~ and remember all of this *maximize your morning* goodness was started by kat at inspired to action.

free downloads {daily & weekly cards}

as part of maximizing my mornings and being inspired to action, i created these daily and weekly cards as mentioned here. i discovered that i didn't love using the daily card, which is why i developed the weekly version, which i am currently using. please note: i take no credit for the *brain* behind this idea, as it was taken from kat at inspired to action. i simply customized them to my needs. since i had done so, i thought i would share the downloads here. these are both WORD documents and therefore are fully customizable. you can use the format i created and tweak it to fit your needs.

Daily Version can be downloaded here

Weekly Version can be downloaded here

enjoy and i hope this helps some of you maximize your mornings & days!!

inspired {report card}

i am still on the path from inspired to action and working the challenges presented weekly at so i married a menonite. this week started off strong, but came to quick halt when coleman got sick wednesday night and stayed that way the remainder of the week.

let's start with seeing how i did with my own weekly plan:

• i completed 7 out of 10 items on my to-do list
• i did not exercise at all
• i cleaned daily and read the Bible every day except one
• i had quiet time for prayer only four times, and journaled twice
• i missed two days of blogging
• i took photos and worked on the editing process four days each

considering four days were devoted almost solely to caring for a sick child, i think i did pretty well. hoping for a healthy and productive week ahead.

the week 2 challenge over at so, i married a mennonite:

• select morning worship music - i worked on this a little at the end of the week and finished up today. i don't actually listen to christian music, though i don't know why. so, i dug into my past to find some music that was familiar to me (i began with amy grant and michael w. smith)
• create or select a Bible study plan - i have been working on the plan set forth in the journey and continue to work through that (which should have me reading the entire Bible in about a year)
• create or print a prayer calendar - i have been using kat's free download calendars to pray for my husband and children. i created a daily prayer schedule for other people and aspects of my life.
• be quiet and listen - i need to work on this! it was a bit difficult to do this with coleman being sick much of the week (most of my "quiet time" was with him in my lap).

you can find week three's challenge here

inspired {report card}

let's review...
almost a month ago, i introduced you to my new favorite blog in this post: inspired to action
the next day, i shared with you my mission statement.
and then the next day, i talked about her concept of morning maximization.

i thought it might be time for an update on how things were going, three weeks after discovering the site.

i was already getting up early on "office mornings" but wanted to do so on "at home" mornings. it is still more difficult to get up early on the mornings i work at home (even though i get to sleep later), but i have been doing better. last week had a few hiccups because of some rough nights with coleman. it doesn't help that his wake-up time tends to vary. my *goal* should be 6 a.m. which is an hour later than office mornings and pretty much should guarantee me atleast 30 minutes of time. weekends, my goal is 6:30.

i was already reading the Bible and journaling. i wanted to add planning and exercising. the planning piece - no problem for this type-a girl (more detail on that in a minute). exercising?? ugh. i did ok at first. sadly, last week...7 days...NO exercise. my goal is only 10 minutes a day!!! why so hard????

for the planning portion, i shared with you this daily card i created (based on kat's @ inspired to action). i used it. it was ok. i didn't love it. i decided it would work much better for me if it covered a week at a time, rather than just a day.

so, i created this (pardon the horrible photo). two of these fit on a standard piece of paper for printing. and the individual week fits right inside my notebook. i've only used this for one week, but so far i'm loving it. this includes all of the same information as the daily cards, but for a full week. i left room for 10 things "to do" for the week and i like having the somewhat bigger week-long list better. i also like how, at the end of the week, i can see how i've done...what went well, where did i struggle.

report card: so how did i do last week???

• i completed seven of ten items on my to-do list
• i read the Bible and blogged every day
• i did not exercise at all and i only worked on photo editing and took photos twice.
• i did much better with my water intake, hitting my goal or getting close 4 days
• i did (focused) prayer, journaled and cleaned almost every day.
• we ate what was pre-planned every night except saturday, where we decided to go with the relaxed option of ordering pizza.
• i kept to my blog topics almost every day (but fully expect some variation each week in this, as many of blog topics are time-relative things that just come up).

there ya have. not complete success. but definitely not complete failure. a good start.

in addition to the inspired blog, there is a blog that is now hosting a month-long challenge to maximize your mornings based on kat's blog & e-book. last week (week 1) was just to get out of bed. which i did! check out the challenge at so i married a mennonite.

Week 1 is here

Week 2 is here

will you join in on the challenge?

don't forget kat offers several great free downloads on inspired to action.

tiny tip tuesday {consignment}

it's the time of year for consignment sales. i decided last year, that i wasn't going to bother putting coleman and spencer's clothes in one of these sales (though i do enjoy shopping them). however, i did find a consignment store that i use to unload their outgrown stuff.

why did a chose a store over a sale? for me, it's just easier. i can bring things in gradually, if necessary (assuming it's the correct season). the store i use doesn't have a lot of crazy requirements. there are certain brands they will or will not accept, and you have to have everything on a plastic hanger. that's it. no special tagging or logging things into a computer. too much hassle for an extra 10%. the store i use gives me the option of spending my earned money in their store or getting a check.

photo credit

so what's the tip???
regardless of how you consign, keep a large rubbermaid type container somewhere easily accessible for clothing collecting. i keep mine in our bedroom, tucked out of sight, but easy to get to. when i realize that something no longer fits one of the boys, i immediately put it in the box. and when i obtain a plastic hanger from a store, those also go in the box. then, when it's time to take clothes in, it takes me about 10 minutes to go through the box, put everything on a hanger and in a bag. voila!

optional idea: if you have a closet with some extra hanging space that you aren't using, the best option would be to go ahead and hang clothes there. then you are even one step ahead when it's time for consignment. unfortunately, we don't have the extra closet space!

inspired {morning maximization}

another update on my inspired to action progress. today, i'm talking about her concept of maximizing your mornings (the basis of her e-book, which is free, so go download it).

i was already partially doing what she suggests...which is basically to get up early enough to have a daily "retreat" before your family is up. the days i go into the office, i get up at 5:00 so that i can have 30 minutes of "me time". i try very hard not to allow myself to do chores, etc. typically i'd spend this time reading the Bible and journaling based on devotionals. on the mornings when i work from home, i tended to sleep later, waiting for coleman to wake me, but now i'm changing that.

so, the big difference between what i was doing and what she recommends is how i was spending that time. she suggests dividing your 'extra' time between prayer, exercise and planning. and now that's what i'm doing. i spend 10 minutes doing a few exercises in my den, i read the bible for 10 minutes and then i plan/journal for the last 10 minutes. go here to read more about creating a morning routine. i know it sounds a little silly that i exercise for 10 minutes, but keep in mind that is 10 minutes MORE than i used to do!

i also totally stole her idea of using daily cards for planning. this is a totally new concept for me, but i liked it so i'm going to try it for a few weeks and see how it goes. instead of printing hers (which are in the e-book), i created my own so they could be personalized a tiny bit. i can print 8 on a legal sheet of paper - enough for one week plus an extra.

so, during my 10 minutes of planning, i jot down the date and circle the day of the week. i look at my calendar and write down any "planned" events (meetings, games, appoinments, etc). i fill in the three "to do" spots after looking at my master to-do list and choosing 3 things to tackle. these are not everyday chores like laundry and grocery shopping (i jot those down on the back, if i feel i need to list them). i note what topic i'm going to blog about, what topics i will focus on during prayer, and what i plan to make for supper. ta da!!!

at the bottom are 9 important items that i should do each day. at least three of them should be checked off by the end of my morning routine (bible, prayer, exercise). "water" means drinking 8 glasses (64 ounces). blog is checked when i do a post. journal is checked when i do any type of writing outside of my blog. cleaning is complete when i've done something to tidy up the house (pick up, empty dishwasher, laundry, etc). photo is checked after i've taken at least one photo. edit is complete if i spend 10-15 minutes working on my photo process. i love the idea of this concise planning tool!!!

inspired to action also offers a free prayer calendar download designed for mothers. highly recommend this as well (it's in the e-book).

in addition to the things above, this process inspired me to create two useful lists that i now keep in my notebook.

(1) list of supper ideas. we are often "in a rut" at our house when it comes to meals because there truly aren't that many things that all of us like. so, this is a list of any meal ideas for the family. i also have a list in our kitchen of meals which we actually have in the house at that moment. i've done this for a long time now and it makes meal time SO much easier.

(2) weekly prayer calendar. this lists each of the five weekdays (not weekends), and assigns specific prayer topics to each day. a typical day might include one immediate family member, an extended family, a family we are friends with, something we are involved in, and something "bigger". for example: tuesday is spencer + michelle & her family + the herron family + my job + the economy. obviously my prayers aren't limited to these things, but it's more of a starting point. i have considered doing this for a while now, inspired by this post.

{tiny tip tuesday}

one of the things that i feel pretty confident that i'm decent at doing, is organizing. i decided i would share a "tiny tip" on occasion. these are nothing groundbreaking. just little things that i use to keep myself sane.

today's tiny tip is this small, black laundry basket. it's an extra (in other words, it's not actually used for laundry). i keep it in our laundry room, which is located on the first floor of our home and right off the kitchen. if you live in a two-story home, you probably know how many times you can run up and down those stairs a day! i use this basket to gather anything that needs to go upstairs. then, when it gets kind of full, i take it upstairs and put everything up. sometimes i do this once a day, sometimes every few days, and yes, some days it's multiple times per day!
if you really want to know my process, which spencer thinks is a bit bizarre...i take the basket upstairs to the hallway, sit in the floor and separate everything into piles based on the room in which it belongs. then, i knock out the mini piles, room-by-room. NOTE: i actually put away the items where they belong. i do not just dump the piles into the room -- that would just cause additional clutter and work!

like i said, super simple and certainly not ingenious. but anyone with a two story house should have some type of container that serves a similar purpose. it really helps our downstairs stay less cluttered and saves me time by not running upstairs a million times a day.