Ready or Not! Here Christmas Comes!

Yeppers, Christmas is less than two months away.

Are you ready? Have you started getting ready? Have you thought about it yet?

If you've never visited Organized Christmas, you have got to go check it out! The owner/author has several different plans to get you ready for the season so that it can be as stress-free as possible.

One of the plans, The Christmas Countdown starts this week! It's not too late to get started! The main focus of this week is printing their materials for a Christmas notebook and getting ready to plan.

My sister and I are doing it this year, by golly. We ARE doing it! I made both of us the notebooks. Um, okay, hers was her belated birthday present from July. See why I need a Christmas planner.

I'm one of those people who starts my Christmas shopping in January and get most of it done. It's the rest of the stuff that hits me all at once at crunch time and I flat out crumble. I cry, I scream, I stamp my feet, I just absolutely fall apart. I've been getting a little better the past year or two. I just love my family too much to ruin their Christmas every year with my procrastination and my Martha Stewart demands on myself.

So, want to join us in planning for a fun-filled, stress-free Christmas season?
Mama Said

Just Eat The Frog!!!

Well, I may have found my waking up solution. I was reading some random article I got to by searching for something totally different. (Ya' know---"Oh, look. I'll click here. Oh, that's cool. I want to look at that. Click here, click there. What was I on here for?")

Anyway, the article mentioned "the old saying--Eat an ugly frog first thing in the morning, then everything else will be better."

I had never heard this saying before and googled it. Well, turns out everyone on the planet has heard of this but me. This old saying stems from some quotes of Mark Twain's and some other guy has even written a procrastination book based on this! Isn't that a riot?

So, Ol' Mark Twain said a couple of things to the effect of:

If you eat an ugly frog in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful.

and

If you're gonna eat the ugly frog, don't look at it too long.

This is just the best advice ever!!! Now, I know to some of you born-organized people this whole concept is very obvious. But for those of us who struggle to get one foot in front of the other each day, it's ingenious! The idea is to take your most distasteful (or daunting) task of the day and get it over with first thing in the morning. Followed with the idea, that if you leave all the ugly frogs undone, they are sitting around the house making you feel bad. Which is just so darn true! The messier my house gets, the less I want to do and the more down I get.

So, I've decided that my big ol' ugly frog to swallow is getting up early. The past couple of mornings, I've actually managed to get up kinda early. I lay there and instead of waging a battle in my mind of sleep more vs. get up, I keep repeating to myself "Just eat the frog! Just eat the frog! Your whole day will be better if you just eat the frog!!!"

And, ya' know what . . .

I've gotten alot more done than usual the past couple of days!!! Even some dreaded phone calls!

BTW, I have not read the book. I did read alot of the reviews online and it sounds pretty cool. Just google it and you'll find all kinds of blogs that review it and tell you the basic principles of it. The only thing is I think the author calls the frog your most daunting task and in my mind, my most daunting tasks are not necessarily the ones that need to be done first. To me, daunting is cleaning out a closet or planning a month's worth of menus. Frogs for me are things like calling and making appointments or unloading the dishwasher. I put them off and they drag me down. Seems to be worth a read though.

Also, BTW, how cool is the frog cookie! My sister had absolutely no idea I've learned about eating frogs and showed up at my house today with the froggie cookie! Don'tcha think God is getting a chuckle right now? I love coincidences like that!

Open wide and gulp down those frogs, ya'll!

Mama Said

BFG's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Blue Room

Aaaah . . . BFG's blue room finally! She picked the paint color. It just had to be Cinderella-blue. The actual name of the paint color is Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Blue. Isn't that so cute? And it was the perfect color. Maybe BFG has somehow inherited a decorating-gene that's missing from my DNA. LOL! I'm not totally finished with the nick-knacks and stuff. But I waiting to get some shelves out of storage. Check out the porcelain dolls on her chest-of-drawers. Are they creepy or what? They are all gifts from my parents . . . well, we'll just say--They're there and leave it at that.

One of my favorite things is how BFG's closet turned out. It has no door, but has that awesome cut-out wood at the top. Hey, in the 100+ yr old house, we're just grateful she has a closet at all. I found a shower curtain that just makes the perfect door and I painted her name "Princess ******" and a crown over the top. Totally easy to do. I found the font I wanted on the computer, printed it out huge, rubbed pencil all over the back, placed the paper, and drew over the letter which left a pencil imprint on the wall. It works like a transfer. Then I painted on top with acrylic paint and outlined it with a silver paint pen.

The wall clings and wall-cling border were the biggest hit for BFG. I found the big set of wall clings clearanced out a Target a long time ago for like $5 at the most, which is a steal if you've ever priced these things. I found the border at a friend's yard sale for $2.50.

Here's her dress up area that I was oh-so-proud of until she actually started using it and now it's a big messy heap. But still very functional. I'm gonna get a full length mirror for the back of her door, which will make this even more fun.

The beauty of an old, old house are all the nooks and crannies. This space behind the door was perfect for the highly functional, yet unpleasant-to-look-at milk crates. You don't even notice them when you walk into her room.

This room just makes me happy!

Mama Said

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Makeover Week #3: (Watch Out! It's a starchy week!)

Monday-Impossible Cheeseburger Pie (HBHW), Corn: This recipe is kind of quiche-y, but Rhett still liked it to my surprise. Actually, it was to my surprise that is was quiche-y which shows you how much cooking knowledge I lack.

Tuesday-Pinto Beans, Boiled Potatoes, Fried Squash, Corn Bread: Make enough beans and potatoes for Thursday leftovers

Wednesday-Steak (George Foreman is my hero!), baked potato, and frozen veggie medley (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

Thursday-Pinto Beans, Fried Potato Patties from Tuesday's leftover potatoes, hominy, corn bread: I can't really remember how to make the fried potato patties. I have to call my mom every single time I make them. But I think you kind of mash the potatoes up a little and mix in an egg and a little flour and fry 'em up.

Friday-Frozen Pizza

Have a yummy week, y'all!

Mama Said

Menu Plan Monday

Here's Week 2 of my Menu Makeover: This is a really easy week and is great for a busy week like this one where I'm knocking myself out trying to get BFG's clothes ready to consign.

Monday: Braised Beef Cubes in Gravy (HBHW), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday: Chili Pie--My own very simple concoction of Aldi's brand of chili and Fritos topped with shredded cheddar cheese in an 8x8 pan popped in the oven at 350 til cheese melts. Simple, simple and cheap!

Wednesday: Steak, Baked Potato, Candied Carrots (HBHW)--These carrots are delicious, but BFG still didn't go for them.

Thursday: Chicken Fingers, Knorr-Lipton Rice Side, Corn

Friday: Quesadillas--The frozen dinner kit at Aldi. Only costs like $4.00 and is super easy. A great alternative to eating fast food on a Friday night when I am just plain sick of cooking all week.

Have a blessed week, Y'all!

Mama Said

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my first menu of my Menu Makeover. Any recipes I use from Hillbilly Housewife will be designated with a "HBHW" and a link to the recipe. For this first menu, I'll include some meals I rotate for breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast:

-Scrambled Eggs, Bacon or Sausage

-Oatmeal, Cinnamon Toast

-Cereal, Toast & Jelly

-Pancake/Sausage Corndog with Syrup

-Bagel & Cream Cheese, Bacon or Sausage

-Muffins

-Poptart

Lunch:

-Muffin Tin Monday (Contents Vary)

-Ramen noodles, Cheese toast, Applesauce

-Salami, Chips, Apple

-Spaghettios

-Grilled Cheese, Fruit

-Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pretzels, Apple

-Stuff like Corn Dog Nuggets and Mini Tacos depending on if I have any from coupon buying.

Dinner:

Monday: Country Style Steak (HBHW), Green Beans, Rice

Tuesday: Creamed Chicken (HBHW), Biscuits, Leftover Rice

Wednesday: Leftovers from the Previous 2 Nights

Thursday: Vegetable Lo Mein (HBHW)--This tastes just like the "real" thing from a restaurant. I did add a little more sesame oil and soy sauce though.

Friday: Hamburger Pinwheels (HBHW), Mac & Cheese, and French Fries--These hamburger pinwheels are awesome! Great for picking up and snacking on the rest of the weekend. They would also make the perfect sleepover food esp. if you add HBHW's Magic Milkshakes.

Menu Makeover

I've mentioned before to ya'll that I am doing a menu makeover. I was inspired by Kathy Peel's Desperate Households to get that area of my life in order. I just got sick of never knowing what we were going to have for dinner, scrambling to come up with something, tired of BFG eating junk all the time 'cause I didn't have a plan on what to feed her (now it's just half the time), and throwing away food that expired 'cause I'm buying crap I don't need or I have good intentions of being a gourmet chef when I buy it but never follow through with that particular meal.



I've read alot of organize-your-life-books and decided that I wanted to plan out 6 weeks of menus that I can rotate and to try to have different things for dinner for each night of the 6 week period. I started out by listing all the meals I could think of that I can cook or have cooked in the past. The list wasn't very long. I know I used to cook alot more different things, but I absolutely cannot remember what I used to cook. I don't know why I ever stopped cooking those thing either whatever they were. Is that really weird? Or did I cook? Do I just think I did, but I really didn't? That was before BFG came along and we had two incomes. Did we eat out alot? Or have coupons now changed the type of food I buy?



Anyway, I'll stop the psychoanalysis and move on. After reading through my list which mostly consisted of very easy things to make like Hamburger Helper, I decided that I was going to learn new recipes and I refused to reinvent the wheel. I turned to one of my sources of inspiration Hillbilly Housewife. She already has menus made out, she focuses on feeding your family cheap, she has conservative beliefs that support that this is a way to minister to my family, and I have tried some of her recipes before and loved them! Plus, bless her heart, she must know how lost some of us are in the kitchen. She tells you the absolute basics and takes you through step by step. If you've never cooked before, you could cook with her recipes. I always hate when recipes assume you know what something means. I can't even think of an example. That's how clueless I am. But if you're like me, you know what I mean. Plus, any good ol' Southern girl knows that good ol' Southern cookin' is throw in this and that with no specifics, which makes it quite difficult for the Southern girl who's trying to learn to cook. Hillbilly Housewife tells you how to cook from scratch with the specifics. Yea!



I know I've seen around cyberspace a blog that does a Monday Menu thing. So, I think I'm gonna do that and share my menus with ya'll. I know ya'll are just dying to know how Mama Said eats! I will warn you I don't eat healthy at all! In fact, the pounds are coming on 'cause Hillbilly Housewife's recipes are soooo good! So, follow my example at your own risk.



Here's a few notes about my menus before ya'll go and start thinking we're loaded or something:

• If it sounds like something pricey, I either bought it dirt cheap with coupons or at the grocery outlet.
• I get day old bread, bagels, and Entman (sp?) doughnuts and bites FREE in a nearby community. Yeah, it totally rocks! It's the same stuff I used to buy at the grocery outlet.
• You will see alot of beef in my menus including steak. The reason for this is we divvy up having a cow--hmmm, how do I say this delicately---okay, I can't, folks---we have a cow slaughtered, okay? We go in on it with my parents and it averages around $2.00 per lb. for all cuts of meat. So, when I fix steak, it only cost us $2.00. This does make our hamburger a little bit higher than I could buy, BUT it is like 90/10 hamburger with barely any grease, tastes like ground sirloin, and is basically organic meat. Free range, grass fed cows. If you can find a deal like this in your area, this is the way to go on buying meat!!!! And don't look for those people advertising that they sell organic meat. Start asking around just regular farmers or part-time farmers that have cows. Or heck, buy your own cow and raise it if your able.
  

Desperate Households

I've been promising a review of the book Desperate Households by Kathy Peel for awhile now. I found it right after I read S.H.E (Sidetracked Home Executives). I liked what I read in SHE, but I went ahead and read Dsp. HH just in case it contained the magic cure in which I could have a clean house without actually cleaning. Uh, it didn't. So don't get your hopes up. I've read so many organizing books now that I think I have to finally face that I am going to have to clean day in and day out for the rest of my life. Sigh.

I liked Dsp. HH and would recommend reading it. However, it wasn't specific enough for me for that to be my only resource. She takes more of a decide on your priorities, decide how much mess you can live with, and how to fix problem areas approach. I am too loopy for that and all that deciding makes my brain hurt. I want a step 1-do this, step 2-do this, etc. (which is more of what SHE is). But I did like it and got some useful things out of it.

I will say that I did absolutely love her Christian viewpoint on maintaining your household. She explains and supports the traditional Christian roles for man and wife. I am thrilled to see her Christian perspective throughout the book since she has been on Oprah and The Early Show. I pray that people who might not have been exposed to the Lord got a chance to read about Him.

The premise of the book is that she divides managing the household into 7 departments and then each chapter is about how to "makeover" that department. Each chapter also includes a chart in which you can find your problem and she gives ideas on how to solve it. Pretty helpful esp. if you do have just some problem areas and are not living in a train wreck like I am.

One thing that stood out to me was she said that it didn't matter how shiny your sink was if your were screaming at your family to get it done. Seeing as I was screaming at my family while trying to get my SHE cards done, I realized the cards and a spotless house aren't worth it if I can't be kind to my family. So, I've laxed up a bit and luckily, the cards get easier and easier to complete taking up less time and lessening the need to scream at anyone or anything that gets in your path.

She says to make a Daily Hit list each morning for the tasks you need to complete. That is helpful. But with the SHE cards, I already have my "list" ready to go without having to take time out to do it.

Desp. HH did inspire me to redo my meal plan/menu or lack thereof. I am so excited about this! I'm going to post my menu makeover plan soon for ya'll. It helps so much. I've done it before but never stuck with it. So, I'm really trying to do something I can just rotate.

Dsp. HH also really, really, really encourages getting up early. This hit me hard 'cause I don't. But I have known for years that I need to get up early and I know that it would improve my household so much. Can you tell I still haven't done it? I'm going to though. Ya'll challenge me. I have GOT to do this. This is going to be one of my biggest struggles. But I'm determined to do it before I start homeschool preschool with BFG this fall.

And I guess I have to say after reading the book, I thought ya' know I really could be okay with some mess. Do I really want to spend time every month cleaning baseboards and dusting every nook and cranny? I seriously think I am just fine with doing a major spring and major fall cleaning for all that kind of stuff which is totally opposite of SHE. That is my complaint with SHE that when you do it fully, you spend hours upon hours cleaning every week. I desperately need my SHE cards to keep up. But I think I may limit the SHE system to help me with the basics to preserve my sanity and keep things rolling smoothly. But I'm not gonna worry about being spotless. I want to live my life and enjoy BFG. There is time enough for a spotless house later on down the road.

Mama Said

Addiction

I learned something about myself while Rhett was off last week. I am totally addicted to my S.H.E. (Sidetracked Home Executive) cards! I wasn't able to do them last week. I tried. Oh how I tried that first day. But my need to see the living room complete trumped the cards. So, last week, I was an absolute mess. Everything was out of sorts and out of order. I thought I was going to go insane! I was completely lost and couldn't keep up with anything. This Monday was a good day because I got to get back on track with the cards. It was such a relief and I felt so much better! And so did Rhett. I think he was as happy as I was to have things back in order.



I totally believe in the cards. Now, I'm still not 100% on them as in doing all the monthly and seasonal stuff yet. But this is definitely the system for me. I have seen a change in myself. I am shifting from the haphazard out-of-control SAHM to a more calm and controlled SAHM. I can no longer just blindly walk through my kitchen with dishes piled up and overflowing. I have actually found myself putting the dishes in the dishwasher the moment I finish with them! Gasp! I know for you Born Organized folks that's a given. But for a S.H.E., this is a huge deal. The past couple of times I have been at my mom's, I literally jumped up and started cleaning up after we ate. I can't believe that either. I usually just laze around looking at the Sunday paper and saying to my sis, "We really should get in there and help Mama." If you knew how much I detest cleaning up my mom's kitchen, you would be even more impressed. I know everyone who eats there with us is related, but it just makes me sick to my stomach to have to touch the partially eaten food on the plates. It's made me sick ever since I was little. I don't have a problem with it at my house even when non-related people eat with us. Oh, well. Just one more way I'm weird and crazy. I know Freud would have a field day with me. LOL!
Anyway, point is: S.H.E. cards good. Me like.
Mama Said

S.H.E.: How's It Workin' For Me

As ya'll know, I started the Sidetracked Home Executive method of managing my household a while back. The system basically is using 3.5X5 index cards and dividers in a file box to keep you on track for daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal tasks. I've been meaning to post an update on how it's going. Today, my friend e-mailed me with questions about it and I told her I would address it here.

So, how is it working for you? In some ways, I think it's working great! I really like having what needs to be done organized. But I am working so hard that it seems I never get to rest. And that's with just the daily and weekly cards. I haven't even added in the monthly and seasonally yet. But, keep in mind, that I am also in the middle of home renovation while I am trying to start this. So, I'm trying to do major home projects while completing the cards. I have decided that there is no point in adding the monthly and seasonally until we are further along on the house. It would be ridiculous for me to be running around cleaning baseboards and light switches when I should be painting or unpacking boxes.

Do you think you accomplish more than you did before? I definitely am accomplishing more than before. I am actually able to pay our bills and pay them on time with this system! Rhett had to take over bill paying about a year ago because I was so overwhelmed that I could not get them paid on time and was in a wild panic on their due dates trying to run all over town or getting the computer to act right. Father's Day gifts were ordered and delivered on time. Library books are back on time. Laundry is done like clockwork. My purse is staying cleaned out. It's good stuff.
Are you more focused on what needs to be done are have you become a "slave" to your cards? On any given week day, I have like 30 cards to complete. That just seems insane to me and there are lots of time I feel like just a slave to my cards. Sometimes I find myself ill with BFG 'cause she won't leave me alone and I feel that I must get my cards done. In the book they tell you to put the frequency of the task that you want it to get done, not what you are doing now. I think I did that and now it's just impractical. Like I want to sweep the kitchen and dining area every day and have a daily card for it. But I have not done it one time. I am so exhausted by the time dinner is over that there is no way I'm sweeping. I refile it every day until I hit my vacuum day. Then, it doesn't matter. Or if someone is coming to visit, I run the electric sweeper real quick. I just think it's stupid to look at that sweep card all day every day and feel bad about something I am NOT going to get done. At least not yet.
I do think that it is a long process to get this system in place. It seems to get a little smoother and smoother each week. Hopefully, as time passes, I will be able to get the cards completed more efficiently. I have noticed changes, such as I'm starting to memorize the daily tasks and am developing routines that knock out several in 5-10 minutes. Also, I'm picking up more as I go 'cause I know if I don't, I'll be doing it with a card later anyway. One big thing I am realizing is that it is not good to let the house go during the weekend. I spend so much time on Mondays getting things back in order after a messy weekend.
Do you like the card format or do you prefer working from a list? I love the cards over a list!!! I think it is so much better. I really like the whole idea of the file box. I love completing a weekly task and chucking it to the next week and knowing that my brain is free from thinking of that task and I won't forget it the next go around either. I don't know if that really makes sense. I can't really describe it. I guess it just works for me.
Overall here's the thing: I do not like to clean house and this system has you doing 6-10 hours of moderate to hard cleaning per week. It just makes me mad to think about that and my poor feet really can't take that much. But, the thing is the authors are being very realistic. It really takes that long to keep your house clean. I guess I just wish there was some little super-duper formula where my house could be sparkling clean and organized with very little time and effort. Oh, well. At least I'm blessed that this does get to be my full-time job. I can't imagine working, having children, and taking care of the home.

I am reading Kathy Peel's Desperate Households and it's pretty interesting and a different approach based on what I've read so far. I'm gonna post my findings from that soon.
I'll also try to post my weekly schedule from SHE soon, too.

Thanks for asking,
Mama Said

Hee, hee! Ha, ha! Look What I Found!

Look what I found at the thrift store! Sorry, Jac! I know you are crying your eyes out right now! I found TWO of these. They will hold 30 Stampin' Up! ink pads each! And I only paid . . . are you ready for this . . . I'm waiting for the drum roll . . . that's better . . . 99cents each!!!!!!!! Yes, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I accept the prize for Deal of The Day! And to make it even better, they are actually a "name brand" of stamp pad storage boxes if you can imagine that. They are Napa Valley Box Company boxes. I researched them just a little. You can buy them off of ebay. I didn't get to investigate enough to see how good of deal I got. Regardless, it's a deal to me 'cause I need them! I probably could use even another one. I am just so tickled 'cause I just saw them laying in the floor at the store and thought Huh, I wonder if my stamp pads will fit in that. I'll just buy 'em and see and I'll bring them back if they don't. Ha! Okay, I'm getting a little to full of myself off of this deal. I'll stop. BTW, I also got 3 dresses and a pair of Liz Claiborne chocolate brown slacks all for 99 cents each.

Sunday Mornings

Man, Sunday mornings are just terrible for me. I'm wondering, am I the only one? It starts off with me getting up just about 15 minutes too late and then I probably spend just a little too long in the bathtub. (But, hey, if I had a shower, maybe I could speed that up a bit. Ha!) Then, it falls apart from there. Rhett is trying to get BFG ready and she's basically screaming for me. This has been going on since she was about 3 months old. I just do not understand why I can give her a bath and get her dressed with her being all smiles and when Rhett does it, she screams bloody murder. Then, I get mad and start screaming, I just don't understand why you can't just one time get her ready without making her cry!!!!! Then, as he gets her ready, I have to keep stopping my getting ready process to answer questions or go get something because for whatever reason, I am the only person on the planet who knows where anything is in this house although the stuff is in the same place as always. Then, I'm screaming, can ya'll just leave me alone for five minutes? After Rhett gets BFG dressed, he sees we are going to be late and is mad and he sits down in the recliner, which totally peeves me because can't he be up doing something to make this process move along like fix BFG's cup and what not? So, every Sunday I yell at him to do something. Then, I somehow get my five minutes and I'm just about ready and eyeing the clock know we have about two minutes before we have to walk out the door and I start feeling pretty pleased, a little lipstick and squirt of perfume, turn to leave and BAM! I see BFG and remember I have to fix her hair. Somehow, I always forget that I have to do this task on Sundays and I sometimes have to redress her because Rhett still hasn't learned that the buttons on dresses usually go in the back and he still hasn't mastered putting on fancy socks. So, then it's a mad dash to brush BFG's hair and get us out the door and to church late as usual. The whole drive to church I'm saying I'm sorry to Rhett and go into a whole pity party thing of how I'm just such a terrible wife. See, Rhett was always at least 15 minutes early to everything before he met me. Now, we are 15 minutes late to everything and I know he hates it so much.

The thing is I really am being a bad wife and mother. It is ridiculous to put my family through this every Sunday. And, yes, I 've read all that stuff about how if you're yelling at your family getting ready for church then you are negating the point of going and may as well not go. This makes me feel more guilty about it although I think it's a little extreme. I mean, come on, I can't get any benefit out of going? That's a little silly. Anyway, I've just been getting a little disgusted with myself lately and how chaotic and disorganized my household is. I want it to be so, so different. I've really got to do something. I'm not sure where to start though. Any ideas? I think one thing would be to start getting up earlier on a daily basis and to quit staying up until 11:00 or 11:30 every night.

Gotta hit the laundry, girls.
Mama Said