Dreaming & Cleaning!

It's Week 4 and yet again, we're in the kitchen. This week we're cleaning out the Fridge and Freezer! And it's not only the Fridge and Freezer IN the house, it's also any freezers you may have in the garage or basement. So not only do I have to clean out 1 freezer, I have to clean out the 2 in the garage, so I have 3 freezers to organize. (See my "Organization" tab for previous weeks posts.)

As I've been cleaning and organizing my kitchen, I've come to realize just what type of kitchen I want. So to put off cleaning out my 2 Fridges and 3 Freezers, I'm going to share with you what my Dream Kitchen would look like. I already have our addition to the back of the house planned out, so now it's just a matter of finding the right contractor and money! Why can't I be lucky enough to be shopping at Home Depot and have some TLC/HGTV Show ask me if I'd like a new kitchen?

This is my DREAM Kitchen. I want an "open" concept and have for a VERY long time now. We tried to do that a few summers ago, but weren't able to fully do what I had intended. It helped, but still didn't give me what I really wanted. In case you didn't realize it, we are not a very formal family. We like to entertain a lot, mainly for big sporting events, but I don't want to be in the kitchen missing the BIG GAME! So my dream would be a kitchen that was open to the living room so I can stir the rotel while watching the opening kick-off or that last second shot.

I'm also a big fan of black! It's probably my most favorite color! It's slimming, it's sophisticated, expensive looking, and it can go with most everything! I wouldn't have enough guts to go with black cabinets, but I have an idea on how I can incorporate it! Unfortunately you'll either have to wait to see my dream kitchen or pictures if we ever update the one we have now.

The big thing is the bar! I want a bar big enough to feed the boys, large enough to make Christmas cookies, with plenty of room to spread out homework, and of course stylish! Pendant lighting would be awesome! Oh, and it has to have storage, lots of PULL OUT storage! I want to be able to seat an army if I have to! Like all of the boys' friends for football games, or our friends for adult-only parties, and then in the future the boys and their families when they all come home for Christmas.

Until then, I'll work on getting my Fridge and Freezers cleaned out and organized which is not nearly as fun as planning my Dream Kitchen. Maybe I could convince Eric that a Dream Kitchen would inspire me to cook more!

FOCUS!

Monday Eric left for LEGOLAND in Florida for the annual sales meeting. The boys and I miss him so much when he's gone on business trips. And if I had a dollar for all the "How many sleeps?" and "When's Dad getting home?" questions, I'd be well-off! I always hope he sleeps on the plane, because the minute he walks in the door, the boys are all over him. Tonight was no different. And even though he's tired from all the travel, he made Carston and Cooper's day by playing LEGO Memory.

I had played with Carston earlier in the day and I warned Eric that he's pretty good. Here's some of the smack talk that went down! Carston doesn't hold back when he plays. He lets you know every wrong move you've made and he rubs it in when he wins. He must get his competitive spirit from his Mom! Cooper is a little sweeter about it, but not much. And after you've played him he'll remind you every five minutes that 1: he beat you and 2: by how much. Everything in the Simmons' house can, and usually does, become a competition.

Carston - "FOCUS"

Cooper - "I'm a genius"

Carston - "Wrong!"

Cooper - "Take that Dad!"

Carston- "I don't think so!"

Cooper - "Mom, I got 36 cards, Dad only got 18!"

I'm so blessed to have married such a great guy! He's an amazing husband and father. We're so happy he's home and that it's the weekend!!! And I think the boys have it all planned out for him.

A Sense of Calm

It's amazing how much more relaxed you can feel when you walk in to a room that is clean. Right now the kitchen is letting off some pretty calm and relaxing vibes because in the three weeks I've begun this cleaning revolution, the kitchen has STAYED clean!!! And as promised, I am posting my BEFORE and AFTER pics! Maybe you can get an idea or two, or get motivated just enough to tidy up your pantry. Or maybe you just like a good BEFORE and AFTER pic like me!

BEFORE AND AFTER PANTRY

BEFORE: I'll admit, I just threw things in the pantry during the week last week because I knew I'd be tackling it this week. So even though I'm sure you think my house is a wreck all the time, which usually it is, the pantry really is never this bad. It got to the point we couldn't walk in it, but not close to hoarder status.
AFTER: I decided to make the bottom shelf our breakfast shelf. Anything and everything breakfast (that doesn't need refrigerated) is on that shelf. Shelf #2 is our chips and crackers shelf. Shelf #3 has a bin for our spaghetti noodles and a bin for our taco shells and rice. Shelf #4 has our extra bottles of BBQ sauce and salsa. I'm still thinking I might add another little shelf on the bottom for tubs of icing and cake/brownie boxes. Then under everything is the boys' trays. The other wall contains all of our big appliances that we can't put in our kitchen cabinets because we are unable to adjust the shelves.

BEFORE AND AFTER CABINETS

BEFORE: As I just mentioned, we don't have the luxury of adjusting the cabinet heights in our kitchen, which is annoying and sometimes a problem. I didn't like not being able to see the cans, and because we can't adjust, we can't stack the bigger cans. So, I decided to get the tiered shelves. That seemed to do a good enough job and I just stacked the same cans one in front of the other.
I've also come to realize that I married a man that loves to cook, loves to grill, and LOVES to marinate and season. Before I married Eric, all I knew was salt and pepper. Now I have a cabinet where I could dedicate two entire shelves, if not the entire cabinet, to spices. And rarely is there a duplicate. I'm not complaining though, because his cooking is amazing!

AFTER: I threw a TON of old food away. You know, the boxes and cans that get shoved towards the back. I've also learned that a pantry/cabinet inventory sheet is probably well worth it. If I hadn't cleaned out the cabinets, how would I have known I have 12 packets of brown gravy mix?? I mean, what was I planning on making? So I used the inventory sheet that was on the website, but am going to adapt it more towards our family's needs. Then I'm going to put it in a clear sheet protector so I can use a dry erase marker to mark things off as I use them. It will also save me some time when it comes to making the dreaded grocery list.

Too bad a clean, organized, and tidy Kitchen hasn't provided a love of cooking. Maybe by week 5 when I've already cleaned out the fridge and am challenged to work on organizing my recipes.

If I Could Write a Letter To Me!

It's week 3 and I'm still going strong and just as eager to get my challenge for the week. Yes, I'm weird like that. When I think about how much I actually enjoy seeing the new post for the week in my inbox, I'm reminded of that song by Brad Paisley "Letter To Me". He's talking about writing a letter to himself and sending it back in time. Right now, I think that would be the superpower I'd want most. I'd send myself emails, under a different name of course, giving me challenges every day. There's just something different about an email from someone else saying "Let's clean the pantry" then looking at the To-Do List I wrote myself telling me I HAVE to do laundry.

My kitchen organization has made chaos in the Simmons' house a little less. Well, at least in the kitchen. No matter how tired I am, or how bad I want to go lay down instead of cleaning the pots from dinner, I have my counters, sink, and tables all wiped down before going to bed. I find myself so much happier when I wake up to a spotless kitchen.

Cleaning the kitchen may have a few downsides. As I was cleaning out my cabinets and drawers, I thought this would be a perfect time to wipe them down inside and out. Which led to calling Bill Verga to see how much new cabinet doors would be. Oh, and a floor guy to see about refinishing those, and my contractor about the possibility of building out and flipping the kitchen towards the back. A girl can dream!

I've decided that Before and After pics will be posted shortly! Because who doesn't like a "Before" and "After" pic? Now I'm just debating if I throw more stuff in my pantry like I'm sure they do on all those TLC "Clean House"-like shows so there's a greater WOW moment when you see the after??

I have my "Pantry Inventory List" printed out, I've turned to Pinterest for pantry organization inspiration, and I'm geared up to buy containers and print labels. Yes, if I could write a letter to me, and send it back in time to myself at 17, my 17 year old self would think I would grow up to have issues. Or maybe I wouldn't, since at 17 I really was pretty organized! Happy Organizing!

Today's Post Brought To You By the Letter "C"

So I'm still on my cleaning kick! I have 1 more cabinet to clean out and I'm done with cabinets and drawers. Well, the ones without food anyways. Next week's focus is on the food cabinets and pantry, so I figured I'll wait to get started on those. I have other things, like bills to pay and bedrooms to clean, that I have neglected and need to get to. My kitchen is looking fabulous, but the rest of the house is suffering.

When I started cleaning this week I made mention of the gazillion coffee cups and only 1 coffee drinker in this house. See exhibit A below.

The bad thing is....these are just the cups in our "glass cabinet". We have 8 more cups that match our plates, and then 8 additional cups that match the plates we received from our wedding. And I can't get rid of those...they are a set. You would have thought when I told Eric he had to give up half of his coffee cups he was going to die. But we narrowed it down, and he survived. So now we have a total of 28 cups instead of 40. UGH! But hey, it's a start. And when we have 28 people over for coffee, we'll be set!

And how about the "Megan" coffee cup from Legoland! Nope, I've never been there. Just a thoughtful gift brought home from Legoland, CA when Eric started working for my Dad and a week after he'd asked me to marry him. I don't know if he thought I just needed the right cup to become a coffee drinker or if it was the cheapest souvenir he could find. Either way, it's stayed in our cabinet for 12 years and was 1 of the chosen to stay.

Now here's where the letter "C" comes in even more.

So as I'm cleaning, Carston was supposed to be taking a nap on the couch, and I thought Colton was in his bed taking his. Well, something woke up Colton and when I went in the living room to see what was going on, I saw this and just had to take a picture!Colton had snuck in next to Carston on the Couch. It didn't last long, but was so cute while it lasted!
Couch + (Carston + Colton) = Cute
or
(Couch + Carston) + (Couch + Colton) = Cute
I think that's the Commutative property as well!
I threw in a little math there just for fun!
I think I'll stick to cleaning.

Organization Challenge Week 2...BRING IT!

Yes, I'm actually getting excited to clean.

Week 2 of the Organization Challenge is to clean your kitchen cabinets and drawers. If you want a more detailed description, click on my ORGANIZATION tab at the top of my page.I've got my vacuum, dust rags, and trash can ready. I mean, do we really need 20 coffee mugs when only 1 person in this house drinks coffee?

Now the crazy side of me would empty everything out and start from scratch...which I WILL DO! But, I'm only going to do a few drawers or cabinets at a time. I don't want to clutter or make dirty my spotless counter tops. And because this is a week-long challenge, I may only get done with a few today. I'm okay with that because with the kiddos, work, and running around I don't want to get overwhelmed! Overwhelmed = tired = losing the luster = NO organization = messy kitchen = ultimately, the rut of 2011. But then again, who knows, I may just go crazy and get it all done today! Guess I better go get a move on. Those darn Tupperware lids won't find their partner on their own!

Wow, who would have thought?

So the first week of 2012 is all but over. I started out the week strong by knocking out the first organization challenge in one day. And I'm happy to report that my counter tops and sink stayed clean and spotless the entire week. It's amazing how much better I feel with a cleaned off kitchen table, counter top, and sink. I feel as if I'm already ahead of myself when I start the day. Who would have thought?

Yes, dorky me is already excited about tomorrow's challenge. It must be the competitive part of me that really drives me. I perform so much better when I have to earn points, get something accomplished by a deadline, or out-perform someone else. I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow's challenge is cleaning out the pantry and cabinets. If you are joining in, be sure to check my Organization tab tomorrow! I'll post it as soon as I get the email! Yes, I'm weird like that!

So through out the week I've visited a few blogs and have scoured Pinterest and came across Becky Higgins' "Project Life". Basically it's trying to get you to take a picture every day and journal about it. Well, I know taking a picture every day is kinda pushing it, but taking a picture every once in a while and journaling or jotting down a thought every day seems do-able. Maybe in 2013, once I'm completely organized, I can really dive in to Project Life. Until then, here's what went on in the Simmons' house the first full week of 2012.

M-1.2.12
Began the Organization Challenge and conquered it in one day! Ready for some routine again!

Tu-1.3.12
Carston went back to school wearing Bengal pants, shirt, jersey, and sweatshirt. He wore orange socks and took his Bengal pillow pet for Show and Tell. Can you say "WHO DEY"! :)

Wed-1.4.12
Carston turned 4!!! The day started with the balloon tradition, then the Lomshek boys helped us celebrate at the bowling alley, and to top it off Zac Dickey stopped by for some cake. The Jayhawks beating the Wildcats while wearing his brand new jersey was priceless!

Th-1.5.12
Basketball practice, math homework, and studying for Spelling. Yep, back in the swing of things.

Fri-1.6.12
Cooper had practice. No more pee-wee. Now we have two sets of practices to go to. I'll be living in the van soon enough.

Sat-1.7.12
Busy day at the Simmons' house. It started in Lamar, MO at 9am with the Gorillas. After the game was over Colton, Cooper, and I headed back to Pitt for Coop's 11 o'clock game. Cooper scored a basket and according to Coach Simmons, Cade had his best game this year. We were all excited for the Bengals' playoff game....and then bummed. :(

Sun-1.8.12
12 years ago today I married my best friend! And what better way to celebrate than in Lamar, MO watching 5th grade basketball. One of these days I hope we'll get to go somewhere really neat and celebrate!

All in all, a very good week. Looking forward to trying a few new recipes this week. And hopefully cleaning out those cabinets and pantry!

Hello 2012

So I didn't start this on New Years Day, but I thought about it. Does that count? It's also day 2 of 2012 and I have yet to exercise or stop drinking pop. And we'll forget about the handful of M&Ms that were calling my name and I couldn't resist eating.

The good news is, I don't feel defeated. With sick kids this past week, the in-laws in town, football to watch, and a birthday to celebrate, I didn't have the time or the energy to pre-plan my New Years Resolutions and expectations for 2012. No, my house is a wreck, laundry still needs done, cabinets cleaned, new toys put away, and Thank You cards written. I need a good week to recoup and really get my mind in a good place.

I am thinking about my resolutions though. I know I want to become BETTER ORGANIZED! So I found an organization challenge on Pinterest and signed up for the weekly email. This week's challenge: Kitchen Organization (Countertops and Sink) Which I've already accomplished thank you very much!!! Now my goal is to keep it that way the rest of the week. I feel so much better already. We'd be silly to talk about the overflowing cabinets, the pantry that is in disarray, and the fridge that needs cleaning out. I'm sure I'll be tackling those issues in the days/weeks to come, but right now I have sparkling clean countertops and sink, and that makes me happy!

So what are my other resolutions or goals for 2012??? I'll list 'em and then that way I'll feel accountable. But it all comes back to my overall goal of being more organized!!!
*Lose weight-As if you didn't know that was coming. My goal is to be down 40+ pounds by 2013. My 6 month goal is to be able to wear a women's cut shirt and feel good about it. I really don't care about the scale, but more about how clothes fit.
*Eating better-Not just for me, but for the boys too.
*Exercise-It all goes hand-in-hand.
*Drink more H2O-Going to be a tough one for me!
*Get Moving-I found myself in a rut in 2011. I lacked motivation to do anything. So in 2012 I want to get both my body and my mind moving. I'm hoping to do that with exercise and planning. I'm a calendar, planning, list-making, and schedule freak. I'm also competitive and have a love/hate for deadlines or time limits. Therefore all those "challenges" I'm starting will be just what I need to get me moving!
*Finish What I've Started-I have a playroom still waiting to be completed and other projects as well. This year I want to tie up all the loose ends and be better about finishing things.
*Blog More-Let's face it, it's the new way to scrapbook. And until I can pull out the paper and glue, it's how I'll remember what went down in 2012. So prepare yourself!
*Read-I was going strong at the beginning of 2011 but something happened, not sure what. So my first book of 2012...The Help. Yes, I just saw the movie, but I'm hoping the book is even better.
*Try A New Recipe-I'd like to do this once a week, but since I really despise cooking, I'm going to settle for maybe once every two weeks. I'm hoping that I'll learn to enjoy cooking in 2012. We shall see. You know, it's not so much the cooking I don't like, it's constantly having to think about food. When Eric and the kids are gone, I could be fine just eating cheerios. Seriously.

So that's a pretty good start to begin 2012. I'm excited for this year and can't wait to see what it has in store for our family. Here's to wishing you and your families many blessings this coming year as well.