Not Too Late to Sign Up

April 1st is soon arriving, and I'm trying to mentally prepare for the 21 days of praying for Christian.  If you're a mom of boys, it's not to late to sign up here.  The commitment is to pray for your son(s) 10 times each day!... I'm still trying to figure out specific times I can pray each day: as soon as I get up, breakfast, snack time, lunch, etc etc.  

I'll be giving an update each Friday during that time, and if you're a family member, I'd welcome your prayers for my little guy as well, that he would have a heart sensitive to God's leading (and his parent's instruction) and for his character in general.

Thanks everyone!

Crayon Wrap

I made a little project the other day for my niece's birthday.  I had wanted to make a crayon wrap (carrying case) for a long time, but never had a good enough reason.  But I thought it was a cute gift for a 5 year old girl (who will probably actually care enough to keep her crayons nicely organized, obviously not something Christian is ready for yet!).  It turned out to be pretty simple.

You could make a double layered one for up to 64 crayons like the one here.

Or an apron like this one. (cute to wear, but not very practical if you want to sit or lay down while you color).

I have seen these occasionally in the DIY blogging world, but I can't remember seeing a tutorial for one (although I'm sure there are probably dozens).  Would anyone be interested in a tutorial?

Home Contentment

When I read THIS ENTRY about being content with our homes for seasons so that we can focus on other things, like raising children, I was challenged.  She talks about your home being "good enough."  What if you had to stop changing it and DIY-ing, would you be content with the way it is?  The point is to realize that there are things (people) more important than how your home looks, and that at times, you just have to say "It's Good Enough!"

I've been living in the "good enough" stage for a few months, but confession: it's starting to bug me and I'm getting the itch to finish our family room.  I struggle a bit with the quote above, can I be content but want to make things better at the same time?  Can I be content with my home and want to make improvements also?  I think the answer is yes, but maybe it is more about your attitude towards your home and how much it consumes you.
Another reason it has to be "good enough" sometimes is because of the kid-factor.  That just throws all plans of perfection out the window.

And what do you think of this saying?

The Nester

Can you read it?  It says: "A perfectly kept house is the sign of a misspent life."
Mmmm hmmm.  Us Momma's like this one!

Anyway, just some good reminders for myself.  Hoping that you are feeling content with your blessed abode this week!

Project:Simplify Paper Clutter

This week's HOTSPOT was paper clutter.
I had three spots to clean up, my counter "mail" area, my desk, and some books that had been sitting on the floor for months.  BEFORE:

And AFTER:

It didn't even take very long, but it makes everything feel so much better.  I confess, I didn't do the in-depth purge the website was suggesting, but I did what was necessary to have a fresh start.  I even snagged a basket out of the girls' room to put unread magazines in.
Anyone else do some paper purging recently?  Visit Simple Mom to see their results.  It does feel so good to get extra papers out of the house!
Have a great weekend!

Reader Update: Early Mornings

I had the realization today that I have been posting "Reader Opinions" for your insights and suggestions in areas of my life....AND I have never let you know what I ended up deciding.
So we'll start at the beginning and work through the previous Reader Opinion Posts.

My first inquiry was about how to get my kids to sleep in later in the mornings.  You gave great ideas about possibly taking away a nap, pushing bedtime a little later, etc.
To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what happened to get them sleeping later.  But as of the time change this past weekend, I really like the way our schedule falls.  They wake up at 7:30 or 8 with the current time.  (Of course last week, this would have been 6:30 or 7.  Strange).
Christian goes to the bathroom by himself then comes into our room for help getting his shorts back on.  He is then told to go back to his room until his music alarm comes on, at which point he can go downstairs and turn the tv on (we have it set to PBS).  I then bring the girls down about 15 minutes later and the day begins!

Thanks for your opinions!

Reader Opinion: Mexican Shirt

See this beauty?  Ha--- or maybe you don't think so?  

I got it when Simon and I were in Tijuana a few years ago and I've worn it maybe 2 times (a realization I had to face after cleaning out my closet a few days ago).  I love the embroidery on the sleeves and edges, but I'm not such a fan of the giant flowers that land on my stomach.  I also really like the general "peasanty" look and style.  

Here's the back (I've been tempted to wear it backwards with a button up sweater to hide the flowers on my back).

But since I don't wear it much, I was trying to think of another use for it.  Any ideas?  

Or maybe you think I should just wear it more often?  I have several ideas in my head, but want to see what the reader's opinions are.  

Surprise me!

Project:Simplify Closet Complete

We have been quite blessed to have enormous closets in each of our 3 bedrooms, including two separate walk-ins in the master bedroom.  I have my very own closet that is bigger than most bathrooms.  Crazy!  For the first time ever, I don't have to swap out clothes for changing seasons.  

I took the challenge(from Simple Mom's Project Simplify) to declutter my closet, but realized that I do wear most of my clothes.  I guess that is what happens when you move three times in a year... you get rid of the unneeded items.  But I did find a few things to clear out.  

This also means that my before and after pictures aren't extremely different.  Before:

And after: shirts:

Pants, skirts, dresses, etc.

(see, not that different)

The biggest change is that I hung my belts and jewelry (along with a mirror so I can decide which one I want to wear):

I used Simon's old tie rack for my jewelry: wonderful---highly recommend!

And you can see the reflection in the mirror of my belts, hung on one of those kitchen utensil holders (at least I think thats what it is?)... 

There we go.  A nice little box of things to clear out:

I am looking forward to the next "hotspot!"  Anyone else clear out their closet?