The "Master" bedroom

(Picture credit: Designaward.wordpress.com)

Now, I know it may seem like cleaning is on my brain more than anything else in this blog and maybe it has been. But it just amazes me how I Spring cleaned everything and yet, my Master bedroom is back to looking like a landfill, not one with trash and dirty diapers mind you - no the one with random movies, books, and things it in. So, I was hunting for a strategy to help me with this problem and came across this article I thought I would share. This week has been odd with my husband being off during what is typically the regular work week and is beginning tonight to work night shift on Tuesday. I hoping Tuesday to get back to our normal schedule and do some more "schooling," before everything learned it forgotten.

Blessings,
Ashley


How To Cleanup Bedrooms In 15 Minutes - By Sarah Aguirre, About.com Guide

*Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary, a place where you lie down at the end of the day and let your worries drift away. Instead, our rooms turn into storage areas where we dare not let anyone enter. Learn a quick cleanup for your room that will let you find the bed and the floor.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15 Minutes

Here's How:
1. Grab your supplies. Few of us have supplies to clean the bedroom actually stored in our bedroom. Gathering all supplies together before beginning the job will keep you from getting distracted and failing to complete the job.

2. Grab all dirty clothing and put it in a hamper. Since you're in a hurry, don't worry about unrolling socks, and pulling shirts right side out. These tasks are easier to do while sorting the laundry. Just grab all of the dirty clothes and place them in the hamper.

3. Grab all clean clothes and refold or re-hang. If you have a significant amount of clean clothing lying around waiting to be folded and hung, skip this step and place the clean clothing semi-neatly on your bed after you complete Step 5. You can hold your bed hostage and remind yourself to take a few minutes to put away the clothing before bed.

4. Grab all trash and put in the trashcan. This is not the time to determine if you're ready to trash old copies of magazines, or that pair of shoes you've needed repaired for two years. We're throwing away obvious trash, not sorting through boxes and closets. Save the major trash sweep for when you have more time.

5. Make the bed. Yes, I know there is a major debate about whether or not to make the bed. You are just going to get back into it in a few hours. But if we used that argument for other areas of our home, we would never have clean floors, dishes, or laundry. Why wash something when it's just going to get used again? Making the bed changes the look of a room. It makes a room more inviting and uncluttered looking.

6. Pickup all the misplaced items on the floor, bed, desk, etc. Put them in a basket, box, or bag. These are items that belong in another room in the house. Don't try to take them back one at a time. Just put them all in one location for now and move on.

7. Straighten surfaces. If it has been a long time since you have cleaned in here, you may have large accumulations of your stuff that belongs in your room but is not in its proper place. Take a brief survey of this "stuff". If in a minute or less you can put it all away, do so. If not place it all in a container so that you can go through it and organize it later.

8. Sweep and mop or vacuum. Don't move furniture to sweep or vacuum. Just do a quick run through.

9. Put away your supplies. Allow yourself to reflect on how much nicer this briefly cleaned room is. If you keep up this regime regularly on your room, you'll always be able to find your bed. And isn't that what we all want.

Tips:
1. If you have a few minutes left over after vacuuming, grab the baskets and place the items in it in their proper areas. 2. Do not let yourself leave the miscellaneous baskets unattended for too long. The contents will pile up, spill over, and lead to more mess. If you do not have time now to sort through them, take another fifteen minutes sometime in the next day to do so. 3. Make sure you remembered the clean clothes. If there were too many to fold and put away, are the neatly waiting on your made bed?

What You Need:
• A basket, bag, or box to put clutter items. A vacuum cleaner or broom. A hamper. A trash container.

Imaginative play

Imaginative play, that's what's been going on around here lately. We've had a few things come up and now my husband is off from Wed-Friday because he will work the Memorial day weekend. Not that we are hardcore schoolers anyhow, but I tend to start feeling like he's not doing anything after this Diego show or that snack. But in Logan fashion on Monday he began messing with a foam puzzle at the table. At first I wasn't paying attention, but then he said," Look Mommy, animals are sleeping." He had put his animals in the fenced area and said they were napping. It floored me. "Where did my child get this?" And that's when the light comes in that he is listening to all that goes around him, watching everything, and "learning," and that is why we school the way we do, no?

Homemade..

Hello Everyone,
After reviewing our budget, being convicted by the Holy Spirit, and putting up the plastic I have been looking for ways to save money wherever I can. Something that came up to me was birthday and events - so I did some research and thought I would share this article. I love the idea of do-it-yourself.

Blessings,
Ashley

Create Gift Baskets With These Homemade Gift Basket Ideas
http://www.homemade-gift-basket-ideas.com/

This website ... Homemade Gift basket Ideas ... is meant to be a helpful guide to inspire you to create gift baskets for family, friends, coworkers, teachers, and anyone else on your gift list. You will find dozens of gift basket suggestions for every possible holiday, occasion, or special event; with more new information added several times a week.

If you are one of us who has become more cautious with your budget, check out these cheap homemade gift ideas! You will find dozens of recipes as well as decorating tips that make wonderful standalone gifts or to place in your homemade gift baskets.

Gift baskets are very popular these days, but they can also be costly. However, with a little planning and creativity, you can create your own personalized gift baskets within your budget.


A personalized gift indicates your own creative expression for someone who is important to you.

This shows that you put effort, consideration, and love into creating a special gift. And, you can customize it specifically for the person and/or the event or holiday it marks.

Theme gift baskets are a great concept. Not only can you create theme gifts, but you can personalize them as well. As you read through these pages, I'm sure you will come up with your own unique homemade gift basket ideas.

Start by asking yourself these three questions: (1) Is this gift basket for a man, woman, or child? (2) What is his/her hobbies or interests? (3) What is my budget?

A personalized gift indicates your own creative expression for someone who is important to you.

There are many non-food inexpensive homemade gifts that would be lovely gifts for those special people on your gift list all year long.

Creating your own gift baskets can become a wonderful hobby. Once you get the process down, it will become second nature to keep your eyes open for empty baskets, decorative materials, and small gift items that work in many different theme gift baskets.

At this website, you will find detailed information on the following topics related to making gift baskets:

Detailed assembly information which will help you make gift baskets. Read through this information as you come up with your own homemade gift basket ideas.

Theme Basket Ideas: holidays, occasions, gourmet, hobbies, interests, and more.

Directions to tie bows like a pro.

Basket decorating ideas and finishing tips as well as the different filler materials.

Unique container suggestions as enhancements to your own homemade gift basket ideas.


Unusual gift ideas to place in your homemade gift baskets.

Bath products recipes with decorating ideas for the jars and bottles.

Recipes and directions to make gourmet vinegars.

Jar mix recipes for gifts-in-a-jar as stand alone gifts or utilize with your own homemade gift basket ideas.

Decorating ideas for gifts-in-a-jar.

Now let's get creative and save some money. Your rewards will come when you see smiles on the faces of your family and friends.

In addition to the detailed theme information, here are some gift suggestions to use with these Homemade Gift Basket Ideas. These ideas will work for many people on various occasions.

Wine and Cheese Gift Basket: Fill a wicker basket with cheese wedges, gourmet crackers, a cheese slicer, small cheese board, a bottle of wine, corkscrew, book or magazine about wine, or a gift certificate to local liquor store. It's a nice idea to line the basket with a tea towel or cloth napkin with a wine theme. Great homemade gift basket ideas for wine lovers!

Kids Birthday Gifts: Jump rope, Play Dough, Silly Putty, yo-yo, balloons, candles, bubbles, books, dvd, cd, puzzles, stickers, crayons, markers, gift certificates, snack food, candy, or gum. It's best if you personalize your homemade gift basket ideas for kids by choosing their favorite snacks, books, music, etc.

Travel Gift Basket: Travel mug, travel alarm clock, disposable camera, lint roller, compass, maps, travel book or journal, travel size toiletries, gift certificates, stamps, candy, or nuts.

College Students: Use a container, such as a plastic container or basket, that can be useful in their dorm room. Use these homemade gift basket ideas for graduation gifts. Useful gifts are a welcome by most students. School cap, mug, key chain, or banner. Pre-paid calling card, stamps, note pad w/envelopes, alarm clock, granola bars, pizza mixes, tea bags, instant coffee, hot chocolate mix, soup mix, hot cereal or soup mixes. Gift certificate to a local bookstore, grocery store, pizza restaurant, or movie theatre are good ideas also.

Stationery Gift Baskets: A basket or tote bag with handles would make a handy container. Include gifts such as note paper with matching envelopes, personalized return address labels, pens, stamps, stickers, an address book, daily planner, herbal teas, small jar of honey, refrigerator magnets, votive candles, or scented hand cream.

Espresso: A small wooden crate or wicker basket is a good container and easy to work with. Fill it with gifts such as espresso coffee, demi spoons, espresso cups/saucers, Anisette sugar, small bottle of Anisette, biscotti, shortbread cookies, chocolate truffles, or anisette cookies.

Sympathy Gift Basket Ideas: Book, magazine, or puzzle book. Playing cards, cd of soothing music, hand lotion, scented candle, dried fruit, gourmet coffee, tea bags, hot chocolate mix, cookies, nuts, or candies. This theme is also appropriate as hostess homemade gift basket ideas.

Gifts for Tennis Players: A wicker basket or canvas tote bag make nice containers. Fill it with tennis balls, a ball holder,wristband, visor or cap, sun block, copy of Tennis magazine, book about tennis, the recipient's favorite snacks and cans of beverages.

How to Make Your Own Gift Baskets: Guidelines for creating your own theme gift baskets.

Making Bread..

Today is Sunday. Well for some it's still sleepy-time from Saturday, but it is actually Sunday morning here in North Caroline - 0404 to be exact. I got my 4 hrs. of usual sleep and got up to use the restroom. Then I got online and began looking for and printing only grocery coupons. While doing so I was think about homebaked products, more specifically breads and I looked up several bread recipes and thought I would share.

Hope you try some out, I will be!
Blessings, Ashley

Making Bread is Easy as One-Two-Three-Four!
By: http://bobaganda.blogspot.com

1. Put 1 cup of warm water plus one tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Add two tablespoons of yeast. Let sit for about five minutes.
2. Add three cups of flour, 1 cup of milk, dash of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3-4 tablespoons of oil or melted (and cooled) margarine or shortening. Stir 50 times clockwise, and then 50 times counter-clockwise.
3. Add another 3 to 4 cups of flour and mix until the dough forms a good ball. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Let rise in a greased bowl for about an hour (it should double in size). Punch down the dough. Let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Divide into two equal parts and shape into loaves. Place in loaf pans and bake at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Simple Whole Wheat Bread
By: All Recipes.com
By: Nita Crabb "Simply a great-tasting and easy-to-make whole wheat bread."
Makes 3 loaves

Ingredients
• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees

From the Website: http://www.bigoven.com
Quick Cake Mix Banana Bread
Minimum effort, Maximum Taste! A favorite recipe for using those ripe bananas.

Ingredients
• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
• 3 -5 Bananas mashed
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• nuts; optional
• Raisins optional
Preparation - Mix thoroughly, put into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees until done. Yield "2 loaves"

Two Ingredient Beer Bread
This is the simplest bread you can imagine. The loaves look rather rustic, but they're delicious, especially hot and with a smear of butter. Only two ingredients -- and no kneading! You can try different beers for different flavors. We like it made with Budweiser.

Ingredients
• 2 2/3 cups Self-Rising Flour
• 12 ounces Beer

Preparation - Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan. Combine the flour and beer in a large bowl until flour is completely moistened. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake the bread at 375 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool in pan five minutes before removing to cool completely.

Friday: Food for Thought...

Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (NIV)

Wednesday and the letter,"O."

I am not sure why, but my son is obsessed with "s," and "o," letters. Sometimes I wonder if I should just skip the others and do these two, but I won't! Anyhow, this is a picture he drew yesterday. HE said it was the letter O, he drew one good one and then the picture got crazy. So, what do you say?



All in good fun,
Ashley

A - Lapbook from Tuesday..

Sorry, yesterday proved as difficult as Tuesday, although God did show me a lot through the events, it was exhausting to say the least. It is 9am and I am finally awake this morning and able to post the pictures of the lapbook. It is our first one and very basic, but I think you'll get the idea. My son had a great time and told me yet again," I love this."

Blessings,
Ashley