Homestead Haven Beginnings

A bedroom makeover...

I wish I had before pictures, but I don't.  We have never had a nice bedroom, but in our new home, it is much larger and we even have our own bathroom.  I suprised my hubby on his birthday with a bedroom makeover.  I painted the walls, and we don't have a headboard, so I made a makeshift one out of fabric and fabric hooks.  I found a mirror on sale at Walmart, and I faux ficus tree for $20.  Decked it with little white lights (can't forget ambiance (sp)).  Then for Valentines day, he let me pick out some new bedding (What a guy).  So now we have a beautiful bedroom and it was all done for under $150!!!   Here are some pictures...how I love pictures!

Phil and I went to dinner the day before Valentines to beat the crowds!  Gabrielle took our picture.  Feel special because there are not many photos of the two of us.  Usually I am behind the camera!

Blessings, Rossie

My Friday...

Well, it turns out my roast last night was much larger than I had thought, so we had roast, carrots, mashed potatoes & gravy (little tip, I bought a huge bag of potatoes on sale, and they lasted so long...in the fridge), wild rice and stewed tomatoes.  So tonight we will be having the menu posted yesterday...I love when this happens!

Today is my "Deep cleaning" day as is every Friday.  If you do not have a home management planner and would like to build one, then head on over to Large Family Logistics.  She has a great system that I have followed for quite some time.  She is a list maker/planner/scheduler lady like myself, and I love it!

On my cleaning list for today:

Vacuum

Mop

Wash doorknobs and door frames

Wash windows

Scrub tubs and toilets

Dust

Sort laundry (tomorrow is "Laundry Day")

1 load laundry (I do one load per day, and finish on Saturday along with doing all the bedding Saturday)

Water plants

My daily chores

Of course, I don't do this all myself, that is why I have children!!!  After our morning routine and morning chores, we do school and then get on with the good stuff!  Deep cleaning day is actually fun for all of us...this is the day the kids get to switch around chores, and do the "fun" things.  My 3 year old especially loves the hand held vacuum that he uses to suck up all the dust bunnies under the beds and in the corners of the house.  Anyway, hopefully it all goes smoothly!

Happy Friday!

Works for me Wednesday!

My works for me Wednsday is paint!  For those of you who don't already know, I love to paint things...when I am just needing a change or want to "liven" up the house, I don't go buy something new (expensive furniture, bedding etc.)  Nothing gives a makeover like a good ol' paint job!  Sometimes it is an old piece of furnature like HERE, and other times it is a faux headboard like HERE, and then there are times like the present when a stinky boy's bedroom needs a good fixin' up!

If you don't live on a farm, you can create one on a bedroom wall...how??..you might ask!

WITH PAINT!!

Works for me Wednesday...on Tuesday!

Well, this morning my 3yo. looked outside and said, "Mommy it's sure FROGGY outside."  This is one of those moments I do not want to forget, and althogh I do have a "mommy journal" I am not always good about keeping up with it.  So, I wanted to share a little tid bit I have been doing for quite a few years to remember these funny little things or milestones that my kids reach. 

Drum roll please...

I write them on my calander!!!!!!!  Then at the end of the year, I transfer them into my journal, or if there are only a few (not likly...I have funny children) I just cut them out and put them in my journal.  This helps me remember and in the future, it will give them something to go back and look at.

Anyhow, just wanted to share that!

Groceries!

I went grocery shopping yesterday, a few days early, and there is nothing like having a full fridge and pantry!  I just love it...I go shopping every two weeks, so we get down to the nitty gritty by the end.  I spoke at MOPS the other day about meal planning and thought I would share a few helpful hints with you.  If any of you have any tips, please comment, I love getting new ideas.  This is how I do my meal planning:

1.  I have a master menu with about 60 dinner meals on it, all meals tested and approved by our family.

2.  I divide all those meals into index cards.  7 dinner meals on each index card (a week worth of meals).  They are labled Week #1, Week #2 and so on, and I rotate them every grocery day.   I have about 8-9 weeks worth, so we never eat the same thing within a two month period.  One of the dinner meals is always breakfast.  My hubby isn't home for breakfast, but likes to eat it, so we make a big breakfast for supper one night a week.  On the back of each index card, I list all the ingredients I will use to make all these dinners.  I keep these in my recipe box, and on grocery day, I pull out 2 cards, and there is my menu for the next two weeks along with everything I will need to purchase to make those dinners. 

3.  I have a master grocery list that I made on Microsoft excel.  It lists all my staple items, and all the items we buy on a regular basis, and I have it all listed in the isle that we will find it in.  On grocery day, I print of a copy, take my menu index cards, and after I do a quick inventory of what I already have, I highlight the ingredients I will need to make all my dinners.

All in all, on meal planning day, it takes but minutes to establish 2 weeks worth of menus and a grocery list.  I do like to try new things, so when this happens, I just substitute one of the other dinners. 

Well, I was going to share a few things we do to make food prep. easier, but morning chores are calling, I guess it will have to wait for now!  Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Blessings, Rossie

Fridge Me!!

I have been fridge tagged by YPAmy5 (Amy) at Home Sweet Simple Home, I don't know how to make that a link in my entry, so if anyone can tell me how, that would be fantastic!!  Otherwise, Amy is in my friends column on the right hand side of this blog.   Anyway, I have to post a picture of my fridge without changing anything and then tag three other people...here goes!

Terrible picture, sorry, I need a real camera!!  I am a list maker, and my fridge reflects that!  I have our family chore chart, 2 week menu list, and house rules on there.  Before kids, I had nothing on there, but now it serves as the place where if I want something to be seen or read, that is where it goes!!!  That way EVERYONE will see it everyday...if they want to eat!

Now I am tagging 3 wonderful ladies...southernbelle, lynjc and donnajoy!  Again, I don't know how to make them links, but they are all in my friends column!

Blessings all, I have missed you, and am happy to say I am back in blogosphere full force!!!!

Rossie

An organized garage?!?!?!

On my TO DO list for the summer is my garage.  Emilie Barnes (one of my favorite authors) has a fantastic system.  In a nutshell she separates all items into boxes...christmas, electronics, clothing...then she lables the boxes 1,2,3,4,5 etc.  For things such as clothes and tax paperwork, where you will have more than one box, you would lable them 5A,5B, 5C etc.  Then you get a file box and cards.  You will then take 1 card per box, and write the number on it, then below the number you will list the items inside that box.  Then you put the card in the file box. 

Sample:  I need to find my Girls clothes 3T-4T, so I go get my file box, and shuffle through the cards until I come across (5B), which lists: Girls clothes and shoes 3T-4T.  (5A) contains girl's 2T clothes and (5C) contains girl's 5T clothes.  Now I ask my DH to please go get box (5B) from the garage, because it has my girls 3T-4T clothes!

It sounds harder than it is, but it really is wonderful!  If you want it explained better, Emilie Barnes has tons of books all about organization:  The 15-minute organizer; The 15-minute meal planner;More Hours in My Day; Simply Organized and Survival for a Busy Woman just to name a few.  She is an awsome woman of God, and has been a huge blessing to our household.

Her web address is in my links on the left side of my blog.