Just for Randi

My cousin-in-law, Randi, requested a picture of Nathan folding his arms. I tried to get it while he was mad because that is just the "cutest", but this was the best I could do. He's such a clown and quite the animated little booger... :)

Simple and Slow Fridays: Secret Places Challenge

This week's review of Mitten Strings for God is entitled Secret Places.

I had secret places as a child... did you? When I think back to these places that were mine there is a wonderful feeling that runs through me. I can't explain it. To remember that it was my place, my rules, my decisions, my secret... what special memories these places hold for me.

... these secret spaces were the real domains of childhood... (p 58)

Such is the province of childhood - questions that float in the air, unburdened by answers; hidden places that are beyond the realm and ken and comprehension of adults. Every child needs such a place, a place that invokes the processes of the imagination and the possibility of transformation. A place that is at once a haven from the adult world and a source of mystery and wonder, a place that a child can discover and shape and lay claim to, simply by virtue of his or her own quiet presence there, and deep observation. ( p 62)

Children need their privacy just as we adults do.
In the secret places of childhood, the soul drinks
deeply, is refreshed, and flourishes. ( p63)

To me, this is a fun challenge. Those secret places hold many dear memories for me and I want to make note of my children's as well!

************************************************************************************

[Thanks to Barbara and Notbefore7's suggestion (see comments), I'm switching this up a bit to give you some time to think about the challenge and then post. Duh! :) ]


This week's post challenge:

Post about your secret places or your children's secret places; if possible snap a quick picture for remembrance sake. Mention Simple and Slow Fridays with a link back and include your permalink on Mr. Linky NEXT FRIDAY.

Future challenges (like this one) will continue to be suggested each Friday but, I'll do a separate post on my thoughts from the previous challenge and include Mr. Linky for yours. Make better or worse sense? :) Basically, you'll post on last week's challenge in one post AND then pick up the next week's challenge in another on the same day. I had tried to do them both in the same post when I started this, but it just got confusing...

Now we'll have a whole week to think about our Simple and Slow posts. Let me know what questions you have; I hope this works better! If it doesn't I'll change it again... :) I'm still new to this Mr. Linky and challenges thing... bear with me, please. :)

Organizing Round-Up: Kitchen

I am participating in Org Junkie's Monthly Organizing Round-up.

This month is the kitchen.

I have a very small kitchen with a total of six cabinets (pantry not included). Three cabinets are filled with plates, mugs, glasses, casseroles, etc. and are nicely organized on a consistent basis, so I chose to organize the inside of the three really cluttered cabinets: spices, medicine, and cookbooks. Whew!


Also, please note that I have been using the organized cabinets for a week now. I opened the doors and didn't put things "back in place" for the pictures. I figure that's only fair right? My hubs says that it's easier to get organized than to stay organized and I agree, so... here are my cabinets as I actually see them:


My spice cabinet before the Round-up:


I couldn't find anything quickly! And now, take a look... I'll even give you a minute to "Oooo and Aaaahhh!"



Oh, but you need a closer look to appreciate it even more. Not only is everything in a labeled bin, but I've labeled the spice containers alphabetically: A - C, D - O, and P - Z. (That's just how it worked out for them to fit.)


And even a closer look, shows that I've labeled the tops of each of my spices so I don't have to pull the bottle out to look at the label. Just a quick glance is all I need now! Can you tell I'm impressed with myself? :)



The medicine cabinet was a bear, too! I had it (barely) organized with the kids' stuff on the bottom shelf, Jeff's on the top, and mine along with shared meds in the middle. (Well, hmm, just noticed that that really isn't true as the kids' vitamins are on the middle shelf and a pack of my iron suppliments are on the bottom shelf... HA!)



But NOW, the kids are on the bottom, Jeff and I are on the top shelf in our own bins and the shared stuff is separated into three bins: heartburn/stomach, cold/flu, and sinus/allergy (each with their own label of course - heehee!).


The kids' medicines are separated with the infants' on the right and children's on the left. (And now the vitamins/suppliments are where they belong!)

Yes, that is a massive amount of Allegra you see... Booger Boy is doing well with it and the nurse gave me 3 boxes of samples (about 4 months worth)!!!! Woo Hoo!

Back to the Round- up: More labels! I love my P-Touch!


The cookbooks... I am a collector. I use them, too, but I mostly collect. Here is the shot with *some* of my cookbooks before the Round-up. Note all the loose recipes in the burgundy book top left... drives me nuts!


And here is after, with *most* of my cookbooks (I think there is more in the garage somewhere).

The ones I frequently use are on the bottom shelf and the dairy free cookbooks are on all grouped together on the left. I also use the burgundy one on the top shelf - it wouldn't lay flat or fit on the bottom shelf. One of my other goals was to get rid of those loose papers - I wasn't able to get rid of them, but I did contain them better in the orange folder on the bottom shelf.

I also wanted to add more to Must Follow Recipes; I added seven. (I haven't been cooking much - my oven and stove are dead... that's another post...)

So, overall, I am completely happy with the results of this month's round-up! Sometimes I even walk by and open the cabinets to see how nicely put together they are! :)

BEFORE

AFTER

(I need to learn to turn the flash off...)

Next month is the DINING ROOM. Join us!