What a week

Hello - it's me Sizzle and I have a confession. 

I haven't really done anything crafty this week and I hate painting.  It is a lot harder then people make it look.  What I have done this week is the door frame but it is white so I don't think you'd notice a difference - it was hard for me too and I was three inches away from it.  I taped off the door and also the shelves in my craft room-which is a Super MESS.  That is probably why I am scared to death to go in there.  I need to finish painting and QUICK. 

However, today is a cold and gloomy day.  No sun.  And to paint the door I would have to leave it open and it is a little to cold for that.  I am hoping for a good day soon.  I ended up buying a color from KWAL called True Blue.  We compared a whole bunch to our bricks and this one looked really good to us.  The real test will be what it looks like after we paint it.  I have to take off the handle and thingy at the bottom and everything so I am thinking it is a full day project especially if I have to do multiple coats. 

Ick. 

On a positive note I am excelling on my time management.  I have accomplished all of my goals everyday and made big progress on those to-do list things.  It is amazing how a little schedule and time managent can change your life.  I worked out tues, wed and today and my house is a lot cleaner.  I am SO sticking with this schedule.

I had so much time left over I painted and cleaned the stove - you know--that gunk magnet.  Why didn't I start doing this sooner!  It is the key to a productive life I am a hundred percent sure. 

Also, I wanted to share this blueberry muffin recipe it is in my Martha Stewart Baking book and they are fantastic.  They kind of taste like sugar cookies with blueberries.  We had them for lunch today.  They are probably not the most healthy lunch but we were all up all night (no idea why no one could sleep) so we are just chillin out and muffins seemed a nice easy lunch.   I was going to take a picture but I burned them. 

Yep, I did.  I have a small oven and I put a mini pan in there too and they were too close so they burned.  I made these last weekend too for my sons birthday and they were perfect then.  Here is a picture of that batch and our little party. 

I love this picture:

The World's Greatest Commodity

Time.

Daylight Savings time is driving me NUTS. I hate it. Everything is off. Today I woke up at 8 which is usually when we wake up except today it was 9. Preschool starts at 9. Ooops. We got there 10 min late - but pretty good for what we had to work with.

The whole change though got me thinking about time. We all have the same amount of time per day. All over the world. Everyone. Yet, some people accomplish great things and others acomplish little.

 

I realized I need to do better with my time. How can I squeeze more time into a day? What can I give up to accomplish my goals? I have so many things I need to do that sit around for weeks, months...years before I actually get to them. Why is that?

 

Why don't I ever workout? Why have I gotten so behind on my journal and the boys'? Why have I never finished 2 kids first year scrapbooks? I have the same time as other people. The answer is I don't make time for it and time gets taken up by other things. I found that if I don't schedule my time it just disappears into the abyss and I have nothing to show for it.

 

So I have a resolution, a schedule for myself and for the kids. Because I have kids I need to make sure I get their things done too so I started job charts. For all of us...me especially.

 

There is something about marking off a little box that really gets you going. It really gets the kids going too. Yesterday we did it for our first time and lo and behold I got everything done. My house is clean, the laundry is folded and put away, the kids are playing outside more and being nice to each other (that is on the list).

 

I decided after they get a whole week completed, I will give them a YES card. So they can give it to me when I am saying no and get a yes instead. My 4yr old is excited about that. I don't like to reward with candy - except for potty training :) but that might change.  We will see.

 

Their charts are divided into morning, afternoon and night jobs.  They are laminated so they can mark them off themselves or scribble on them.  Mine is scheduled out in my planner by the hour.  Of course, I will have to be flexible but there are things that I have to get done EVERYDAY (workout, make bed, read scriptures, dishwasher, laundry etc) and hopefully this will help me better control my time. 

The things I have been putting off that I need my time for are the following (so I can remember in case I lose my list):

• Edit and publish BING book (my old blog chronicling 3 years of our families life)
• Finish kid games
• Pillows for couch
• Baby scrapbooks
• Frames for family pictures
• Painting

Thanks for following this blog.  Have you found something that works for you?  I'd really like to know what works for you.  Leave a comment. 

Valentines Day traditions

Today I wanted to share some Valentines day traditions that I am trying to start with my family. I think traditions have to be more than a one day thing and I figure my kids are getting old enough now "(almost 5 and 3) that they will start to make memories of things we do together so we have been doing one or two things each day to show love and appreciation to those around us.

I love Valentine's day because it is a good excuse to do things for people that might be considered corny other parts of the year but for valentines they can be "sweet" or "nice." You know? I COULD hide hearts with messages where my husband will find them when he gets ready in the morning but he might think that was a little silly but on valentines day you can bet he will find things like that and MORE. :)

For the boys, we made giant sugar cookies and decorated them as conversation hearts and delivered them to their teachers and good friends. They LOVED delivering them. We made some fun ones for the kids to decorate too. We MAY have used a whole jar on 1; but maybe not.

Of course I made a few for the husband too but he let me eat them. What a good man!

Another thing we started this year was heart attacking the bedrooms with notes of love and appreciation. The kids light up when I read them. They each wrote one for the others (they told me what to write) and got to stick them on the door.

I also planned out and got the candy for the candy grams I am going to stick on their doors so they will get them on Valentines day. I KNOW they will love these!

We also made some peanut butter blossom cookies because they are daddy's favorite. Most of them are gone now they were THAT good.

Yum!

Halloween Game: Pass the Goblin

Hi everyone, I planned to do a totally different post today but my hubby came home sick last night and we ended up taking his to the ER and he had surgery to get his appendix out.  (Is it just me or has this been happening a lot more often lately?) So instead of a Halloween easy sewing project I am sharing with you a Halloween game.

Haunt your neighbors/friends is a good way by playing Pass the Goblin.

Here's the message:
You have been visited by the Halloween GOBLIN, and you now have the curse on you.  In order to break the curse, place a plate of goodies at two homes with a GOBLIN (a note see below); at your house hang your Goblin on your front door, so all will know you have been visited.  Happy Haunting. 

To make it: 
1. Just pull a picture of a ghost/goblin or a halloween image off clip art or find one on the web and type the message on the sheet of paper.
2. create a plate of goodies to distribute to friends/families doors.
3. Attach the Goblin note to the plate of goodies.
4. Put the plate and Goblin on their doorstep, ring the doorbell and run

I think this is such a fun halloween activity and it was a nice surprise when we got visited this week with a plate of cookie.  Spook someone this Halloween with this clever message! 

Sizzle