Random

Dora's class is studying Japan, so she decided to make these little necklaces for everyone in her class. She traced and colored the country from her world map and asked me to scan and print copies.



Our Advent calendar! I've been wanting to do this for a few years, and this year happened to remember BEFORE December 1st. I've collected enough holiday books over the years to wrap one for each day. The books are labeled with numbers, one color per kid, so they get to take turns opening them and then we all read the book together. Also a nice way to use up lots of scraps of paper from previous years. (I have a problem: all Christmas gifts for the year must all be wrapped in the same paper. The paper selection changes each year, but I love when all the gifts coordinate. It's a sickness, I know. But my sister is also afflicted, so at least I'm not alone.)



Organized my tea cupboard ... ahhh ... it makes me so happy. Any time spent with my label maker is quality time.

Shopping Lists

This is something I've been fiddling with for awhile, and finally have a workable item, so I thought I'd share with the locals. I've been wanting to make a shopping list for awhile, since I always shop at the same places for the same items. Originally, I started with an itemized list and checkboxes, but it was way too complicated. That evolved into a categorized list written according to the layout of the store, which is how I always used to make my lists, but if I wrote an item in the wrong place on my list due to space, it would typically be forgotten.

I guess I should back up ... I need lists. I need things written down. When I get in the store, my mind is on such overload that if it is not on the list, it will not be purchased. I am crippled without my shopping list, seriously the most I can handle without a list is about three items, max.

So, after using this list for several months, I'm thrilled to say that it has made my life MUCH easier. (Though only in the area of making grocery shopping lists ... I assure you, everything else is still chaos.) I even made checkboxes at the top to remind me to bring recycling back to the store and remember to bring my shopping bags. I also a special checkbox for eggs, because that is the one item I was most always likely to forget.

These lists are specific to the Johnson City Wegmans and the Vestal Parkway Giant (which I will continue to call Giant until they change the ginormous sign in the front of the store.) Maybe they'll work for other stores, too. Notice that on the Giant list, there's a category called "Aisle 1", because there is such a variety of items in that first aisle (juice, applesauce, granola bars, rice cakes), I couldn't think of what to call it!

The lists are two-up on a page, so they can be printed out and trimmed in half. I keep a stack in the kitchen and write meal plans for the week on the back.



Download Wegmans list here.



Download Giant list here.

Christmasing

The tree is decorated ...



Stockings are hung ...



Snowmen have come out to play ...



Little touches everywhere ...



Even if I'm not ready for Christmas, the house is and it feels good.

So, Where Was I?

Oh, yeah ... having the house torn apart. We're replacing the dingy white tile, white carpet and white vinyl floor with hardwood. The kids and I got out of town for a few days while Jeff ripped up the old and put down a new subfloor. The new floors should be in next week (fingers crossed.) We're also adding a gas stove and replacing the sink and countertop in the kitchen.





Jeff let Dora draw on the subfloor.



The Bakugan gang.



Our family. I like my long pigtails with ribbons!