Where's Micah?

Sunday mornings are always busy around the Fischer house.  The boys are typically the first ones up so the cartoons are turned on and I hop in the shower to get ready for Church.  Kari is laying in bed still trying to wake up and Bri is still sound asleep.  As I get out of the shower I noticed that Micah wasn't watching TV.  I look in the boy's room thinking he went to play and he isn't in there.  So I go to Bri's room thinking he went to her, but she is sound asleep and still no Micah.  So that just leads to me thinking he went to visit Nina so she would feed him.  Where's Micah? Low and behold this is what I found as I came down the steps and turned the corner.

BUSTED!!!

 This little man pushed a chair up to the pantry, grabbed his Lucky Charms, and started to eat them on the couch.

You caught me!

I'm cute and you love me!

 Ok now since you found me I will continue to eat my Lucky Charms.

Nina did come up and actually poured all the kids a bowl of cereal.  She doesn't know how we get away with just turning on the TV because as soon as her kids were up they had to be fed.  I guess we are LUCKY!!!

Valentine's Tree

This year Mom really wanted to leave one of the Christmas trees up (yes, I said one! We had three this year!) and decorate it for more holidays. So the first up is the Valentine's Tree. Everything on this tree was bought at the Dollar Tree (where everything is $1. lol) It was really fun to turn Valentine's into ornaments and poke hooks unto hearts that had been broken off of sticks. We also made bows (or I should say Mom and Brianna made bows, I tried a few and then I was done!)  It turned out beautiful! And it was so easy-not a bad way to spend $10! I can't wait to put together the St. Patrick's Day and Easter trees. It's gonna be a fun year! (There's that word again!)

I am posting this for the first time to the following parties:

Daybook-January 13, 2010

I decided that I wanted to try getting back into the habit of joining in on The Simple Woman's Daybook. It's a simple way to spend a few minutes contemplating what is going on in my life.


FOR TODAY, Thursday, January 13, 2011

Outside my window...it is cold and snow is everywhere. But it sure is beautiful!

I am thinking...the new design of the kids bedrooms. We will be moving all the rooms around upstairs (except for the master) in a short while and I'm trying to get everything mapped out before hand.

I am thankful for...My mom, who helps us out so much with the children during times when our life gets really crazy (like right now!)

From the kitchen...Golden Mushroom pork chops and potatoes are cooking in the slow cooker. Yum!

I am wearing...blue jeans and a long sleeve purple t-shirt

I am creating...a peaceful home by following FLYLady.

I am going...to pick up Brianna after school and then take her to dance class.

I am reading...at the time nothing. I just finished The Pact by Jodi Picolut. Loved it!

I am hoping...for warmer weather...I am so sick of being cold!

I am hearing...Micah screaming in his room because he doesn't want to be down for a nap. So much for "quiet time!"

Around the house...Things are a mix between messy and organized. I'm working really hard on getting organized this year and I'm making progress, but that always means I'm making another area messier in the process.

One of my favorite things...Apple TV!!! My brother Chris got it for us for Christmas and I am obsessed. I am currently watching the National Geographic documentary Inside the Vatican. Amazing! I want to go there some day!

A few plans for the rest of the week (the weekend!):
Hosting book club at our house tomorrow
Maybe popping in to help start set building for the play
Choreography rehersal on Sunday

Here is picture for thought I am sharing..Jonah at Chuck E Cheese's for his 4th birthday. He had so much fun! And I loved watching him enjoying his special day.

Well, that's it for this week! You can see many more day books here.

California Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day

It has been a rough winter so far, for most of the country. I think we have seen more snow this winter (and late fall) than we have seen in years! The kids of course are loving it, but I'm already sick of it and ready for spring! Yesterday after a snowfall of about 4 inches school was canceled so the road crews could work on the roads. What do you do on a day home from school while stuck inside? Well, we decided to bake a cake! 

 We decided on a cherry chip cake, which I hoped would bring a little bit of springtime to this freezing day! 

 The kids love being in the kitchen. They had so much fun adding the water and the oil and cracking the eggs. They are pros at cracking eggs! And of course, they both needed a turn with the hand mixer!

 Even Micah got in on the action...licking the spatula! YUM!

Here is the finished product...I don't know why I make bundt cakes...they are so hard to ice! But it sure tasted yummy! 

It turned out to be a pretty enjoyable snow day, even if I did spend most of my time dreamin' of warmer weather! Doesn't look like we'll be getting it this week though. We are looking at snow for the next 7 days!

52 Weeks of Organizing

One of my ever existing goals is to get myself and our home organized. I am NOT an organized person! I'm really not! Chalk most of it up to the fact that I'm really just lazy and it makes it even harder. That's why I love FLYLady. I have found such inspiration and an actual plan that I've been able to follow now for almost a year (off and on) with pretty good results. Our house is getting cleaner and more organized...one room at a time.

One of my fave websites for a few years now (especially when I was menu planning) is Org Junkie. Laura hosts several really great challenges, along with the Menu Plan Monday (MPM) meme. This is something I'm hoping to get back into this year, but one thing at a time right!?!?!

This year Laura is hosting 52 Weeks of Organizing. She has a great planner that you can print out and then every Friday she will have a post where people can show what they've been doing to get more organized this year. You work on your projects one at a time, week by week. I was really excited when I read about this and decided right away it went great with what I was learning to do with FLYLady. So I decided to join in! 

My first project was our mudroom. I've been working on our mudroom pretty much since we moved in, about 2 1/2 years ago. I could never get it to be the functioning, welcoming space I wanted it to be! It's not big by any means, but it is the first place you encounter when you come in through the garage. Because of my tendency to pile instead of put away the mudroom very quickly became a disaster zone! But no more!

One of the first things I did was move in the sofa table that used to be in the living room. I decided to rearrange the living room a little bit when we put away the Christmas tree to make it feel a little more open. When I got finished there was no place to put the sofa table. Then the light bulb went off. The mudroom was the perfect place to put this wonderful piece of furniture to good use. So I started dragging things out of the mudroom and pulled the sofa table in. It was a perfect fit! 

Now we have a perfect "launch pad" or "command center". The bottom shelf is where Brianna will keep her dance bag and her back pack. The basket on the top is being used for out going or incoming mail. Also being kept on here will be my Control Journal (not pictured because it's being used! lol) and our emergency information binder, once it is finished. 

The two drawers are being utilized. Inside the left drawer is our address book, return address labels, stamps, envelopes and checkbook. Also going to add our tithing envelopes, I just hadn't put them in here yet when I took the pictures! In the right drawer is where we will be keeping our cell phone chargers and things like that will be kept. 

Above the table is this great mirrored coat hanger that my mom didn't have room for, so she gave it to us. On it will be hung my purse, the diaper bag and of course, the fly swatter! lol

On the opposite wall is the key holder, next to the alarm pad! hehehehe No more misplaced keys! 

And finally right across from the door is our dry erase calender. We also attached a hanging file to gather things that need to be filed away upstairs in the office. I guess that will become part of my weekly desk day routine. Gotta add that into my control journal! :-)

I am very happy so far with the way things are working now in this room! Steven walked through it last night as we were heading out into the garage to clean up a little and he said "Man, it looks clean in here!" *grins*

So there's my week 1 of the 52 Week Organizing Challenge. Thanks Laura for the motivation! Can't wait to post this weeks project this weekend...the coat closet/game closet.