tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48270668872945413312024-02-19T17:42:36.131-05:00Abundant Chaos, Abundant BlessingsThe Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.comBlogger284125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-65423181128374902712013-09-06T15:23:00.003-04:002013-09-06T15:23:34.311-04:00We're Moving!!<div style="text-align: center;">
So after a very frustrating month with Blogger and not being able to get it to post or do anything in a timely manner I've decided it's time to move! Please come visit us in our new home...</div>
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<a href="http://stevenandkari1018.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">2 Parents, 4 Kids, 1 Chaotic Wonderful Life</a></div>
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We hope to see you there a little more regularly!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-42272101540359247402013-08-07T14:11:00.001-04:002013-08-07T16:35:11.406-04:00Fishkins Family Vacation Day 3:Destination Badlands<div style="text-align: center;">
Sorry for the delay guys! Off we go on Day 3!</div>
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We woke up to a cloudy morning in Niobrara State Park. We hoped the rain would hold off long enough to get packed up. Unfortunately while we were cooking breakfast (pancake and bacon sandwiches) the thunder started and the sky let loose. Luckily we moved the dining tent over the grill and trailer when the thunder started so we were still able to get breakfast done and started packing up what was under the tent to get ready to put on the trailer. While we were cooking a park ranger came by to see if we needed anything. He asked if he could take a picture of our set up and we agreed. Later it ended up on their Facebook page which was pretty cool!!</div>
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When we were able to get a break in the rain we tried to get things taken down quickly. Just as we got tents down the sky opened up again. In total it probably rained an hour and a half that morning. It slowed us down a little bit but we still were completely packed up and on the road by 9:30 am, just a half hour behind schedule. </div>
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The goal for day 3 was to make it to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm" target="_blank">Badlands National Park</a> and then on to <a href="http://www.devilstowerkoa.com/" target="_blank">Devils Tower KOA</a> in Wyoming. It was a long day of driving. Before we left people told us over and over that that was the hardest stretch of the drive. I couldn't understand what they meant, until we got going. The drive was beautiful and hilly and breathtaking in some places. But it also felt like it went on forever!! There was nothing but land, a lot of it Indian Reservations. In fact that day we drove through several of the largest reservations we would see,<a href="http://www.rosebudsiouxtribe-nsn.gov/" target="_blank"> Rosebud </a>and <a href="http://www.pineridgechamber.com/" target="_blank">Pine Ridge</a>. I was shocked and saddened by the intense poverty that was very apparent on both of these reservations (also could be seen on smaller reservations that we drove through as well.) You would drive by these houses that looked like they were 2 bedrooms, maybe 3 at the most, very, very tiny clapboard houses or dilapidated mobile homes. There were a ton of old cars in the yard, as well as old refrigerators, washing machines, etc. Broken windows, tarps on roofs where they were leaking, just junk everywhere! I wondered about all the cars and my brother said they probably had 10-12 people living in that one house together!! Yikes! And we feel like we're on top of each other in our 5 bedroom, 3 1/2 bathroom house sometimes! First world problems, ya'll! It really kind of put things into perspective! </div>
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The hardest part about the drive really was all the up and downs of the hills. You would climb a hill and think there was something on the other side, just to see there was just another hill! I'm not going to lie...I got a little testy after a while! It felt like we were never going to get there! We were waiting to have our picinic lunch once we arrived at the park because there was really no where else to stop. My blood sugar was dropping fast and this mommy got a little cranky!! </div>
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I haven't mentioned yet that we had walkie talkies with us on our trip. We had several in the van and several in my mom's car. I'll have to do a post on the handles we came up with for everyone, etc. but that'll be a little later! My brother radiod at one point and said "Look at that road ahead of us!" and I said "I can't! It just makes me wanna cry!!" A few moments later my mom was on the radio saying there was a stop ahead where we could go to the bathroom, stretch, etc. We stopped at this little gas station on the reservation and went in to use the bathroom. I apologized for being so cranky but that I was having a hard time that day. My mom said that I needed to speak up when I felt myself getting overwhelmed. It didn't do anybody any good to push and push and push and burn out this early. Unfortunately we just had to make it to our destination. We opened the trailer and got everybody a sweet and a salty snack to hold them over until we could reach our picnic destination. After eating those I felt much better and vowed not to let my blood sugar drop that low again...it makes me super cranky!!</div>
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After that I tried to really enjoy the landscape we were driving through. Especially because we started seeing formations like this out of our window:</div>
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It's kind of hard to not be impressed by that!! It took almost 5 1/2 hours with stops but we finally arrived in Interior, South Dakota at an adorable little gas station outside of the park.</div>
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Entering the Badlands feels like getting dropped onto Mars. It really just feels otherwordly and I think it's safe to say that it was probably my favorite thing that we saw on our trip. We got into the park and stopped to have some lunch. Afterwards we went through the Visitor's Center and drove through the park. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How's that for a view while you're eating lunch?!?!? Amazing!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some fossils that they have found at the Badlands National Park. </td></tr>
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We drove through this breathtaking park for a while and stopped in a spot that we knew the kids could get out and do some hiking and climbing. The formations look like they are very stable but in fact they are not. They actually start to crumble under your fingers when you touch it. In fact, they say if you go back in 50 years the formations will look completely different. They are constantly changing. </div>
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Steven, Michael, Chris and Shelly took Brianna, Jonah and Micah on a hike through some of the formations. Mom and I decided to stay behind in the shade of the trailer so that I could feed Eli and let mom rest for a while. I tried doing a little formation climbing of my own but didn't go very high because, well, I'm a bit of a wuss and worry about things like breaking my neck and being 100 miles from the nearest hospital! lol</div>
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The kids really enjoyed their hike and were kind of disappointed that they didn't see any black footed ferrets, which are known to live in this area. They also didn't see any Rattlesnakes, which made their mommy really happy!</div>
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Our favorite overlook came right before we exited the park. It was an amazing view of most of a good section of the park. It really was such an awe inspiring feeling to look out over these formations. They are massive and intimidating and beautiful! I kept saying if I was crossing the plains in a covered wagon and came upon those puppies I would have started bawling and turned back around! It was truly amazing and I hope to go back some day and spend more than just a few hours there. </div>
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After we finished in the park we drove to Rapid City, South Dakota (about 75 miles) and did the split up act again. Mom, Steven and Shelly took Brianna and Michael and drove to our campground at Devils Tower. Chris and I took Jonah, Micah and Eli to Walmart to pick up some needed supplies. We then drove on to Devils Tower. The strangest thing for me driving in this part of the country are the railroad arms that can close off the interstate when the snow gets too high. They literally will put the arm down, close of the road and flash a light saying that you must turn around and get off at the closest exit. It was wild and something I'm not sure I ever want to witness in real life! lol. We passed Sturgis, South Dakota, the Harley motorcycle haven. Not sure why it's so special just from looking at it, but each their own. </div>
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It was getting dark as we exited on to the road that would take us to Devils Tower. I hit a skunk and then saw a deer off to my left so I knew I was gonna have to take it slow. Not to mention that I'm getting some pretty significant night blindness. We didn't see anymore wildlife after that, thank goodness. Coming upon Devils Tower it was back lit by the twilight. It was a surreal beauty, even in the dark. But it was also a little eerie. The rock just seems to have this energy about it and driving around it at night it just felt like we weren't supposed to be there. It was kind of creepy, I'm not going to lie!</div>
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We got to our campground in the dark and found the others, thankfully rather easily! The tents were up so we quickly made dinner and got the kids in bed. Mom then shared with us that the car had started acting funny on it's way in to Devils Tower and she was afraid the transmission was having problems. We decided to let it rest for the night. Unhook it the next morning and let it sit. If we needed to stay another day we decided to do that but as you'll see that ended up not being necessary. I felt so bad for her though! She was devastated to think that we got that far and now it looked like we might be stopped! Unbeknownst to me she ended up having a pretty severe panic attack that night but the boys got her through! And the next morning things started to look a lot brighter!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-37617056817249858072013-07-31T06:00:00.000-04:002013-07-31T06:00:00.977-04:00Fishkins Vacation Day 1 & 2<div style="text-align: center;">
We pulled out of our driveway around 2:30 pm on June 25th. We had to pick up my brother Chris in Souix City, IA on the 26th and we wanted to drive as far as possible on the first day in order to cut down on driving time on the 26th. We hadn't made hotel reservations for the night because we didn't know how far we would get and we didn't want to pressure ourselves into going farther than we felt we could just because of reservations. </div>
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Everything started out great. The weather was wonderful, everyone was excited. We took Steven's sister Michelle with us as our graduation gift to her. She had never been to this part of the country before and she loves the outdoors so we knew she'd enjoy it. We had decided that we would rotate one kid out of our car each day and into my mom's car. That way they could spend some time with my mom and their uncles and they wouldn't be on top of each other in the backseat all the time. It was the perfect plan! We started out with Micah and Jonah in our car. And they were great together! The ride was always smooth when those two were in the car together! </div>
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We got through our part of KY, into a small corner of Indiana, into Ohio, back into Indiana and crossed into Illinois. It was in Illinois that we started to hit nasty weather. The rain was so strong, the wind blew really hard and it got super black. Come to find out later the storm we drove through spawned 2 tornadoes in Illinois so we got incredibly lucky! We had to stop at one point and take refuge in a local Dairy Queen until the storm could pass over. So sad that we had to indulge in a chicken finger basket and a s'mores Blizzard while we waited. It was awful! *wink*</div>
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But after the storm we were greeted by some pretty cool cloud formations.</div>
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We made it as far that night as Walcott, IA, a total of 498.9 miles and 10 hours of driving. We stopped at a Days Inn which, even though you could tell it was older and it needed some remodeling, was very clean. Plus we got it for under $100 a night and it included breakfast the next morning. </div>
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The next morning my mom woke up to a call from my brother that his connecting flight from Chicago to Souix City had been canceled due to the weather in Chicago. He was being rerouted to Houston and then in to Omaha, Nebraska instead. The kids had a little time to swim after they ate breakfast, which made them happy and us too because we knew that they would swim out some wiggles before we hit the road. Oh and we played with Eli's hair a little too! Hello mini Brianna! lol</div>
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We got on the road from Walcott around 10 am after a stop at the World's Largest Truck Stop for a fuel up, tire air up and some coffee from Caribou (for Michael and I). </div>
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We stopped for a picnic lunch at a rest stop in Iowa. It was a beautiful spot to stop and stretch our legs for a while. It even had a playground for the kids which helps so much when they've been locked in the car for so long. Like I mentioned in my last post we had packed egg salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, potato salad, bread, and chips so we could eat healthy and cheaply on the road. It was great to just be able to pull out what we needed and clean up was a breeze since we brought paper plates and plastic utensils for these kind of stops (we use reusable items when we stay put for a longer period of time but we don't want to have to worry about washing dishes at a rest stop!) </div>
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Over the picnic we decided it didn't make sense for everyone to go to the airport in Omaha to pick up Chris. So we decided to split up. Steven and Michelle went in my mom's car with Jonah and Micah and headed on to our destination for the evening, Niobrara State Park. Michael, Brianna, Eli and I headed on to Omaha to get Chris. I was really surprised by Omaha! It was a cute little midwest town. Well, in reality it's not that little, the population is almost 500,000. But it was clean and easy to navigate and I really liked it. I'd like to go back one day and actually explore it a little. </div>
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After getting Chris we drove through Nebraska and up into South Dakota to cross back over into Nebraska to reach <a href="http://www.stateparks.com/niobrara.html" target="_blank">Niobrara State Park</a>. We drove across the Niobrara River and the Lakota Indian Reservation of Santee on our way. It was a beautiful drive part of the way through the Loess Hills, but I'll admit that most of Iowa and southeastern South Dakota are pretty boring. </div>
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Once we arrived in Niobrara they had gotten some of camp set up. Our tent was up, mom's was ready to go up. We got the canopy up, even though my brother kept protesting we weren't going to need it. Well, we were awfully glad we had it the next morning when it rained for almost 2 hours straight and we needed to pack up and move on! For dinner that night we threw hot dogs and polish sausages on the grill, potato salad, pasta salad and strawberries. We got a campfire going and the kids got to make S'mores which is always a hit!</div>
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We got some rain that night but that made it all the more peaceful for sleeping. I love laying there and listening to the rain hit the roof of the tent. </div>
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By the end of day 2 on the road we had covered 923.2 miles. Not too shabby!! And everyone was still happy so that was awesome! </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-37461449525665187302013-07-30T11:43:00.003-04:002013-07-30T11:44:33.437-04:00Our Griswalds Family Vacation Part I<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't believe it's been 2 months since I've updated the blog! Why the absence? Well, there were a few reasons. 1. I was just kind of over it. I didn't feel like I had anything to write about and I hate forcing it, you know? 2. I started scrapbooking, a lot! And I honestly just didn't have time in the day to do both! Between the two I really love the hands on feel of scrapbooking. I love the feel of paper sliding between scissor blades. I love the creative process. It fulfills all of my creative urges! But I also can't keep up with scrapbooking the way I'd like to so I started the blog to record the memories until I could get around to scrapping them. The scrapping took over for a while, but I've realized I need to find a way to do both. 3. I kind of felt for a while like blogs were becoming the new school yard. I follow so many blogs, many by moms, and I absolutely love reading them. I don't always agree with what they might say or post but I love to see the day in and outs of other people's lives. But I became kind of jadded seeing the way that some of these women were being judged and ridiculed on their own blogs. It felt like blogs were becoming the new mean girl central and I didn't want anything to do with it! But after my hiatus of both reading and writing I'm missing it, so I guess it's time to get back!</div>
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Our 15 day sojourn out west was amazing! We covered 11 states in 13 days. It was incredible! It was long! It was hard at times. But I wouldn't trade a single minute we spent in the car, or a single dollar we spent on gas for anything in the world! We made some amazing memories on this trip and I can't wait to share it all with you!</div>
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I thought I would start by sharing some of the things we did to get ready that made our lives so much easier on our trip. Going such a long distance and being gone for such a long time with 4 little ones definitely takes more planning. You really have to prepare yourself for every possible scenario. You will over plan because if you don't prepare for it, it will happen!! lol</div>
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We planned for this trip for 10 months. 10 months of researching on the internet, talking </div>
to others who had done the trip, etc. We definitely planned to do more things than we actually got to do, but that was OK because we were prepared for sites that took less time than others, sites that were farther away than we thought they would be so driving took longer, etc.<br />
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For us, getting the trailer ready with all of our camping equipment was essential. And I'm not joking when I said we have a trailer.</div>
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She is probably our most important supply that we have!My mom bought this last summer and we took it on a few test runs. It is wonderful to have all of our camping stuff in one spot. We can drop everything on a Friday afternoon if we want and head out to camp, and all we have to pick up is some food. The trailer is set up with Rubbermaid totes in the rear for each tent (we have several). In each tote are the air mattresses for that tent, the sleeping bags and/or sheets, pillows and a rug. My back doesn't allow me to sleep on the ground and the kids sleep better on an air mattress too. Steven and I decided to buy a sheet set to put on our mattress and we cover up with extra quilts, which are stored in their own tote. The kids each have their own sleeping bag. And we also bought pillows just to be used for camping since they always end up smelling like campfire after a while. Each tent also has a collapsible dirty clothes hamper so that dirty clothes aren't strewn all over the tent or shoved back in suitcases and then we don't know what's clean and what's dirty. Eventually I want to get a shoe rack for our tent also since we take several types of shoes (tennis shoes for everyone, flip flops for the showers, water shoes for creeking or swimming in lakes). <br />
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We have several shelves inside the trailer that hold our <a href="http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/cast-iron-dutch-ovens/_/N-1100712/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104257980?WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104754780&gclid=CKzrndKp17gCFcmf4AodfDAAWw" target="_blank">Dutch Ovens</a> (we have several different sizes), various pots and pans, a wash basin that we store paper towels, napkins, etc in while we're traveling. We have hooks to hold cooking utensils, fire utensils, bungee cords, extension cords, hoses, etc.<br />
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We have several of the 3 and 5 drawer Rubbermaid organizers. In these we store plates, bowls, cups, eating and smaller cooking utensils. Flashlights and batteries get a drawer. Drink mixes to add to water bottles get another drawer. We also have a drawer for garbage bags and ziploc bags.<br />
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We have several other Rubbermaid containers that we store food in. We have a <a href="http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Outdoor-Cooking/Grills|/pc/104795280/c/104754780/sc/104201280/Colemanreg-Legacy-Roadtrip174-Grill/1188071.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fgrills%2F_%2FN-1100708%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104201280%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104754780%26gclid%3DCKzrndKp17gCFcmf4AodfDAAWw&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104754780%3Bcat104201280" target="_blank">camping stove</a> as well as a <a href="http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Outdoor-Cooking/Camp-Kitchens|/pc/104795280/c/104754780/sc/104248980/Cabelas-Deluxe-Campers-Kitchen/715223.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fcamp-kitchens%2F_%2FN-1100713%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104248980%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104754780%26gclid%3DCKzrndKp17gCFcmf4AodfDAAWw&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104754780%3Bcat104248980" target="_blank">camping kitchen</a>, which we all pitched in and bought my mom this past year for Christmas. We keep the kitchen under our <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-12-x-12-Gazebo/23428071" target="_blank">canopy </a>which we bought new this year. It has plenty of room to put it over the back of the trailer so we can keep the doors open while we cook or to load up the trailer in the rain (like we had to do a few times on this trip!) We also have folding chairs for each person to sit around the campfire. For Eli we have a high chair that will attach to the side of any table and takes up very little space. <br />
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We have a container that holds board games, card games, bubbles, some toys for the kids in case they get bored (which I have to admit didn't really happen but it's better to be prepared!) We decided to take Eli's Jumperoo and it was probably one of the best decisions we made. We were able to put him somewhere safe while we were setting up camp, cooking, etc. It gave him some exercise and it was also the only place he got a nap at times besides the car seat.We line the coolers at the door so that we can open it and get to them at any time. We came up with a general menu plan of our favorite camping meals (I'll share some later!) and went ahead and gathered up what we already had at home to help save on some of the cost. We had quite a few things in our freezer like chicken breasts, ground beef, hamburger patties, hot dogs and sausages. The day before we left we made up a batch of egg salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, and potato salad. We used these for picnic lunches on the way out and even once we got to a few of our destinations. This saved us a ton of money, not to mention was a lot healthier than stopping at McDonald's every day! We made sure to start out the trip with fresh bread and individuals packs of chips. We grabbed several trail mixes and different snacks in order to cut down on the junk at the gas stations. We grabbed pancake mixes and condiments. All of this pre-planning helped to make sure we were eating healthy and helped us with our bottom line (and our waist lines too! lol) In our cars we put our suitcases and a small cooler with drinks and a bag with some snacks so we wouldn't spend a ton of money at gas stations on drinks and snacks.<br />
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Now as far as the clothes situation, being gone for 15 days meant we needed a ton of clothes. I knew that we were going to have access to laundry facilities at several of the campsites we were going to be staying in so I knew we didn't need 15 pairs of clothes for each person. I decided to go with 10 per person in case it took a few days to get to a laundry mat, or if someone got messy and needed to use 2 outfits in a day. I also took several pairs of pajamas per person, including winter jammies since it gets cold out west at night. I took a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt for each person to change into once the sun started going down.<br />
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In order to keep all of these clothes in order I took the example of a pin on Pinterest and used gallon sized Ziploc baggies.<br />
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I wrote a name and a number on each bag and then filled it with an outfit complete with clean underwear and socks. I put pajamas in another bag. This was probably the best thing I did to prepare! There were several nights that we pulled in to a hotel at midnight or were setting up camp in the dark. This allowed us to get in each person's suitcase, pull out a bag and know that they had a complete outfit ready for the next morning. All we had to grab was a pair of jammies and the shower tote and we could leave all the suitcases in the car and not have to completely unload and repack the next morning. It also helped when we returned home because I knew that clothes that were in baggies in the suitcases had been cleaned on the trip and didn't need to be cleaned again. It was fabulous!!<br />
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Each child got to bring a backpack filled with toys, coloring books, books, etc. They also each have their own DVD player. I took CD cases and removed all their DVDs from their plastic cases and organized them into the CD cases. Brianna had her own and the boys had one with their movies. We also have a larger one that holds Disney movies or movies that would appeal to everyone. Each child took a blanket and their PillowPet to use in the car. They also got time on the Kindle to play games and read books if they wanted thanks to Kindle Free Time.<br />
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One of the other great things we did to prepare was to make Goodie Bags for each child. We got plain gift bags, decorated them with their names using alpha stickers from my scrapbooking stash. Then we filled them with things we picked up at the $ Spot at Target, the $ bins at Michael's, with snacks and candy. If the kids kept good behavior in the car they got to pick something out of their bags when we stopped for lunch or for the night. Just a threat of "If you keep up this behavior you are loosing your goodie bag treat for this stop" often made them stop what they were doing. For the most part they followed the rules of the car and loved the goodies they got to draw from their bags. They had everything from a new DVD (I love the $3 movies at Target!!), new books, candy necklaces, packs of Oreos and Goldfish. They couldn't wait to see what they might get next. And we filled those puppies so much that when we got home they still had stuff to eat, play with and enjoy. So it felt like vacation just kept going! lol I highly recommend Goodie Bags for your next trip. Yes, it cost us up front but it also was key to our kids great car behavior on 12 hour days on the road!<br />
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So, that's what we did to prepare before we ever got on the road. Next I'll break it down day by day because we did so much on this trip and took over 1900 pictures so you just can't share that in one post! I hope you will enjoy seeing our trip! We definitely enjoyed it! Any questions as we go along please ask! Here we go!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-51213043494437319692013-05-07T08:57:00.001-04:002013-05-07T08:57:31.505-04:00More Scrapbooking<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been scrapbooking for over 14 years now. I still love it! I shared some pages with you a while ago that I created at a <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2013/04/crop-for-carenet.html" target="_blank">Crop For CareNet</a>. Over at one of my favorite scrapbooking sites <a href="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/" target="_blank">Two Peas In A Bucket</a> I joined in on a challenge for the month of May. It's a faux Layout A Day, or LOAD challenge. Basically how it works is that the woman who coordinated the challenge creates a thread in the forum every day with a prompt for the day. It might be a sketch challenge. It might be a technique challenge. It might be a topic challenge. Then you have that day to create a project and post it to the forum. We are on day 7 of the challenge and I've been able to scrap most of the days (except for last Friday, I was so busy getting ready for the baby shower, and Sunday, I was just exhausted!) Yesterday I created 2 layouts (LOs). I have found this challenge has been great for me! I've been able to get really motivated by the daily challenges and I'm putting out some of my best work in a long time! I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites!</div>
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This first LO was a 2 page spread that was made for a challenge called Old vs New. We had to choose from a list of new "trendy" items (I chose arrows) and older items (I chose flat stickers). I love how this 2 page LO turned out! </div>
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<img height="398" id="primaryProjectImage-0" src="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/saycheese/projects:ac01ca22-c467-4e2d-839d-8af5c0201b3b:07358d41ace14387a63b1847d2a25b0a.jpg?width=600&height=600" width="400" /> </div>
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This next 2 pager was for a National Scrapbook Day (NSD) challenge. The challenge was "Focus on the Photos" and we had to use photo related items on our pages. So I chose photo corners, a camera and Polaroid frames. I thought the stripes going down the paper had a very "film strip" feel to it also. </div>
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This page was made for the "Sketch It Baby" challenge. We were given a 2 page LO sketch and were challenged to make it our own. I chose to use just the left side of the sketch as I needed a 1 page LO to go opposite of a page I had done about the boys. I decided to use papers from the same kit that I had made the other page with so that it would tie in together, but still have it's own look. I love it! </div>
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<img height="400" id="primaryProjectImage-0" src="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/saycheese/projects:43747573-5dc5-4305-9c9f-444a9371c627:35247fc50cb244de841589d69907126c.jpg?width=600&height=600" width="398" /> </div>
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This final page was made for 2 challenges. One was a Cinco De Mayo challenge to use either 5 photos, 5 papers or 5 embellishments on a page. I also used the colors from another NSD challenge: Member Based Color Combo of grass green, navy blue, lemon yellow and soft grey. It's a color combination I don't that I would have ever used but I LOVE how this page turned out. It's my favorite in a while!</div>
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So that's how I'm trying to get my craft on! If you need some crafting inspiration I highly recommend you check out <a href="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/" target="_blank">Two Peas</a> if you've never been there before. It is a wealth of information and a lot of fun! (Oh and I did I mention you can shop there too!??! FUN!!!) And if you come by look me up, my screen name is NKUMomma. Happy crafting!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-709312174878346782013-05-07T08:39:00.000-04:002013-05-07T08:39:48.018-04:00Hi!<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm back! Did you miss me?! I can't believe it's been 10 days since I last posted...I guess I've been busier than I thought! So what have we been up to? Well, here's our last week in pictures and video:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jh4Zvle8Mj1mk0ZcG8Ssc6-5qy5g3hgGZZ_AwDRyxbBHQ5Dzs5biczfkxqVFqkI_vsaJV1l69Yewariq7RBo6mCVnQppxSS16q4zMgDnnpqLQj5rD-Ydg1B79ap3YMgF6tauvnxXpmc/s1600/IMAG0267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jh4Zvle8Mj1mk0ZcG8Ssc6-5qy5g3hgGZZ_AwDRyxbBHQ5Dzs5biczfkxqVFqkI_vsaJV1l69Yewariq7RBo6mCVnQppxSS16q4zMgDnnpqLQj5rD-Ydg1B79ap3YMgF6tauvnxXpmc/s320/IMAG0267.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday Brianna receives her 1st Communion. We are really excited, although I'm trying to figure out how I can possibly have a child this old! lol- this is the symbol that we made to add to the banner that hangs in the back of the church so everyone knows who is receiving 1st Communion. I think it turned out cute! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KenRS5zxI2Mws_KpXRByn6k_XcRjW9uzdYEUQ56jaEORMccRlU2AqDo1452LQjKgD52-KiFG3WQ5OUvYuR9iaSzx0n5PTtihsZUQ32Ck8AIJiG7eHmy2-Y1bQ0wjpyqWCqb3-UyMD6w/s1600/IMG_20130429_103934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KenRS5zxI2Mws_KpXRByn6k_XcRjW9uzdYEUQ56jaEORMccRlU2AqDo1452LQjKgD52-KiFG3WQ5OUvYuR9iaSzx0n5PTtihsZUQ32Ck8AIJiG7eHmy2-Y1bQ0wjpyqWCqb3-UyMD6w/s320/IMG_20130429_103934.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last Monday I was shocked when I received an alert on my phone that there was a shooting at a local high school. As the story unfolded we learned it was one student who walked into his 1st period class, pulled out a gun and attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. Fortunately (unfortunately??) he wasn't successful. He survived the attempt and is still in critical condition at a local hospital. It brought up all kinds of feelings and memories though as it happened right around the anniversary of the Columbine attack. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wFt6xK6HW1iEjTCoRyU7zFJqlySvPY4Nt0HYMKmUrDQ3ECytlLhIsu5sijfer5Ukon9EsUXeyfF8mmtnaPboll_64OYbFaaWwXIxgjj7Fg6EkpRKb2siq92L-ay4_CzF4qjFawkDbWQ/s1600/IMG_20130501_133725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wFt6xK6HW1iEjTCoRyU7zFJqlySvPY4Nt0HYMKmUrDQ3ECytlLhIsu5sijfer5Ukon9EsUXeyfF8mmtnaPboll_64OYbFaaWwXIxgjj7Fg6EkpRKb2siq92L-ay4_CzF4qjFawkDbWQ/s320/IMG_20130501_133725.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom picked up this Jumperoo at a local consignment shop for Eli. He absolutely loves it and got the hang of it very quickly! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDGLmMwMr_ZzWPvF3YohHrIjgV58qYZcbB5FrYwtJy0grK0ZJB8Q7CuTcazwBVR3tzLvMguM7heDTczS7V_BZOk7FNdAV1BE1sAUbqjuVNsPsGqgFW2_Jk1DcEz23d7yYSlgD9aQuek/s1600/IMG_20130503_203141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDGLmMwMr_ZzWPvF3YohHrIjgV58qYZcbB5FrYwtJy0grK0ZJB8Q7CuTcazwBVR3tzLvMguM7heDTczS7V_BZOk7FNdAV1BE1sAUbqjuVNsPsGqgFW2_Jk1DcEz23d7yYSlgD9aQuek/s320/IMG_20130503_203141.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micah was walking around Friday night while we were getting ready for a baby shower here on Saturday with a wrench up against his mouth saying "Mustache! Mustache! I got a mustache! Mustache!" It was hilarious...especially with the Handy Manny t-shirt that he was wearing! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWaSY-V4JKVxCJ8jpr51j82ioLOFGkEqxqKa6gHNiQ7tUIGXl4-x3LfKyf96qPbMgCCwSKb0ejzxq2EzO6szvDzspmnzECZiFBDq1zigCvNr45cxYH_rKwHhvh5dysxhyphenhyphenQxyWiMFD1Q4/s1600/IMG_20130503_095549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWaSY-V4JKVxCJ8jpr51j82ioLOFGkEqxqKa6gHNiQ7tUIGXl4-x3LfKyf96qPbMgCCwSKb0ejzxq2EzO6szvDzspmnzECZiFBDq1zigCvNr45cxYH_rKwHhvh5dysxhyphenhyphenQxyWiMFD1Q4/s320/IMG_20130503_095549.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursday Brianna brought home her ballet costume for her recital this year. I love it! I think it is so beautiful! We have really lucked out...since she started I think her class has managed to have the most beautiful costumes. I can't wait to see her in it on stage! It makes me such a proud mama!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYiB7-A-J5qju51o_8e9DqZR7_3BwIPSqH8QAD3dzPjJr66prgmZdq18XxLu-oOEIVmhef4Am616nEBq_beympFp6VNgGcJpvMzbhfT0GeY0JTV9khtERyPBMayci0LWiTyvDhmv-Eg4/s1600/IMG_20130503_095357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYiB7-A-J5qju51o_8e9DqZR7_3BwIPSqH8QAD3dzPjJr66prgmZdq18XxLu-oOEIVmhef4Am616nEBq_beympFp6VNgGcJpvMzbhfT0GeY0JTV9khtERyPBMayci0LWiTyvDhmv-Eg4/s320/IMG_20130503_095357.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This mess turned into an awesome luau themed baby shower. The mama-to-be loves ukelele music so I immediately thought of a luau when I started planning her shower. It came together perfectly! Everyone had a great time, especially the parents-to-be, which is the most important thing! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_eilsRQ4vo6BvI9UbqAZ0DpPRSiHgfh9A2AlqD9drtpuDevxlxe0eS0miq4eQ1qvVcECD_GHL9WGzYZaigs0RxAehPMNRd9wYgWqiNHGH6ynHn6aYn3UTbb9GbKeM7GHl-Ge70wYmQA/s1600/DSCF4215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_eilsRQ4vo6BvI9UbqAZ0DpPRSiHgfh9A2AlqD9drtpuDevxlxe0eS0miq4eQ1qvVcECD_GHL9WGzYZaigs0RxAehPMNRd9wYgWqiNHGH6ynHn6aYn3UTbb9GbKeM7GHl-Ge70wYmQA/s320/DSCF4215.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micah made it through his first year of Sunday school. He loved going to "school" and asked all week long when it would be "school day" again. He learned a lot this year and experienced time in a classroom which is really good for him. I'm hoping to get him into preschool next year so it was great training! They had their closing on Sunday which is always a hoot! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7CNd-8UXSzfAYZdWVEEPAFjMSnTDaQCXfBa1vPLoBgSfiWjRwh1pqG88EI1Fjdt3HEbCh5rvfPUdfANTZ7lrxn7vMenDYLaYGb3seu6WMu-yPjkNDnva3N2ZdQWXC56GwybKt9ZSwPM/s1600/IMG_20130505_193111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7CNd-8UXSzfAYZdWVEEPAFjMSnTDaQCXfBa1vPLoBgSfiWjRwh1pqG88EI1Fjdt3HEbCh5rvfPUdfANTZ7lrxn7vMenDYLaYGb3seu6WMu-yPjkNDnva3N2ZdQWXC56GwybKt9ZSwPM/s320/IMG_20130505_193111.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I leave you with one final picture...we wore ourselves out this week and it's not over yet. One more party for Brianna's 1st Communion on Saturday and then we get to rest for a while! While I love throwing a good party, I'm going to be all partied out for a while! </td></tr>
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-33931360063242144592013-04-27T13:03:00.000-04:002013-04-27T13:03:23.447-04:00Breakfast Pizza<div style="text-align: center;">
So yesterday I shared that we were going to make homemade pizza for dinner using the <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/2009/02/homemade-pizza-in-less-than-30-minutes.html" target="_blank">recipe for crust</a> from Crystal at Money Saving Mom. We made sausage, pepperoni and bacon pizza and I swear it was the best pizza I've ever had! The crust was so easy to make that from start to finish it took 30 minutes or less, I kid you not! Jonah was so excited he said he could eat pizza for every meal and suggested we have pizza for breakfast. Well, Steven embraced that idea so this morning we whipped up another batch of pizza dough and started brainstorming. In the end we came up with this:</div>
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It was so amazing we knew that we had to immediately share it with you! It's basically our favorite breakfast casserole on a pizza crust! What's not to like?!?! </div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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pizza dough</div>
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1 package of country gravy</div>
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6 eggs</div>
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1- 1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes</div>
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1 Cup of sausage browned</div>
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1/3 Cup bacon bits</div>
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2 Cups of shredded cheese (we like to use mild cheddar and mozzarella) </div>
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1. Make your dough. I really do love the recipe from Crystal. So easy and so yummy! I don't think I will ever use another recipe. Spread dough out on greased pizza pan and place in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes to pre-bake so the crust doesn't get all soggy after the toppings are added.</div>
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2. Brown sausage and drain on paper towel to soak up extra grease. Or if you made pizza the night before for dinner like we did just use the extra sausage! ;-) If you are browning a whole sleeve of sausage you will end up with more than a cup. Put the extras in the fridge for an awesome pizza on Friday night! </div>
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3. Soft scramble 6 eggs. We added a dash of onion and garlic powder and some fresh ground salt and pepper. When I say soft scramble I mean cook them until they are starting to form but are still pretty runny. If you cook too long when you put them in the oven they will turn rubbery. </div>
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4. Mix up a packet of country gravy according to package directions. </div>
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5. Microwave 1- 1 1/2 cups of frozen hashbrown potatoes for about 3 minutes. Basically you are just trying to warm them up and evaporate some of the extra water so it doesn't make your crust soggy. (I think next time we might use the potatoes O'Brian with the peppers and onions. That would add another dimension that would be awesome!!)</div>
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6. Once the pizza dough is pre-baked and the country gravy, eggs, sausage and potatoes are ready start assembling your pizza. We put the gravy down first (1 Cup of gravy, or 1 packet was perfect to cover the pizza crust). Then spread out the potatoes. On top of the potatoes layer your bacon bits and sausage. Pour the eggs over top and spread across the top. Add the cheese. </div>
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7. Bake on 450 for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown. </div>
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8. Let it cool for a few minutes before you try to cut into it or you will loose all your toppings. Plus, you'll burn the roof of your mouth and tongue and then nothing will taste good for at least a week!</div>
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So there you have it! Our new favorite breakfast pizza! So easy, so yummy! So perfect for your next brunch. I think it would be great served with some fresh fruit. I hope you enjoy! </div>
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Oh, and if you decide you want to make pizza for dinner tonight I highly recommend this sauce from <a href="http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/01/easy-pizza-sauce-simple-recipe.html" target="_blank">Smashed Peas and Carrots</a>. It was delicious! </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-28461991420394119002013-04-26T10:06:00.000-04:002013-04-26T10:06:19.199-04:00Weekly Wrap Up- Friday Phone Dump Edition<div style="text-align: center;">
Another busy week has come and gone in the Fischer home! Steven spent Monday and Tuesday at home, sick with an ear infection and sinus infection. I've been busy trying to finish up some organizing projects that got started but never 100% completed (like the playroom! It's almost finished and then I'll share it with you!). I've also been doing lots of laundry and dishes. We are winding down the school year- the kids get out on May 22nd, which means that we have 26 days left of til summer vacation, and 24 until Jonah's Kindergarten graduation! Being out before Memorial Day is kind of nice, but it also means that I have 5 weeks from the time they get out of school until we leave on our big road trip to Yellowstone! There is so much to plan, pack and figure out still. I'll be doing some count down to vacation posts soon and show you how we camp (and keep our sanity doing it!) with 4 kids!</div>
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I'm doing lots of reading still about the new "diet" we are trying to implement in our house. I found a great website the other day on Pinterest called the <a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/" target="_blank">The Gracious Pantry</a>. It looks like she has some awesome recipes, and I've gotten a lot of inspiration from her already. I can't wait to start following her! Today I'm hoping to experiment with making my own pizza dough so we can do homemade pizza tonight! I've never made my own pizza dough before but I'm going to be trying the <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/2009/02/homemade-pizza-in-less-than-30-minutes.html" target="_blank">crust</a> from Crystal at Money Saving Mom. I'll let you know what we think! </div>
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On tap for this weekend: nothing tomorrow. I'm sure Steven will be studying for his series 7 test that is coming up. I'd like to work on painting the bathroom. We'll see! Then Sunday we have PSR and church and then a birthday party for Steven's stepsister, Kayla. That's always a fun group to be with! No, really! They are really fun! I wasn't being sarcastic! lol</div>
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Now for photos from the phone from this week:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkRWj8ccSsBpxpveOoRMTEZ4mtiYh6r-_ta4SKSWEwRkRZL7vuQS-bpWkboYrB_yxx249FkmhwN1844ikrvojthOpCwZOWysgAxWQDPFzdFYjBpxqxTadZ2wzss7Uc_Oxx2-liSWqgW0/s1600/IMG_20130423_145605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkRWj8ccSsBpxpveOoRMTEZ4mtiYh6r-_ta4SKSWEwRkRZL7vuQS-bpWkboYrB_yxx249FkmhwN1844ikrvojthOpCwZOWysgAxWQDPFzdFYjBpxqxTadZ2wzss7Uc_Oxx2-liSWqgW0/s320/IMG_20130423_145605.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring is popping up everywhere! My Dogwood tree decided to show off this week! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlg2h8aKtBrvHKRNHsw73IeWZSsuXGWXDWEbeAEgN6iD6W0RStL8-IrnlSB3x4Bbzyt1KafOpfR7-wRjh_kgYOFuFnr0SRs_SR3krJQINED7YPqKI6jr9Wd-tnNE_sG8N9eFduRXn0A4/s1600/IMG_20130423_144914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlg2h8aKtBrvHKRNHsw73IeWZSsuXGWXDWEbeAEgN6iD6W0RStL8-IrnlSB3x4Bbzyt1KafOpfR7-wRjh_kgYOFuFnr0SRs_SR3krJQINED7YPqKI6jr9Wd-tnNE_sG8N9eFduRXn0A4/s320/IMG_20130423_144914.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love Fisher-Price Little People! Micah created a world with daddy's help on Monday. A little later they created a circus which I forgot to take a picture of before it got destroyed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAPQTysomGpMf59wAdxlQcHcKmbCpm2J8etvGpR-rszgOT_7Il4v396txeZfr5ydMwy-ypaxL0JYfp1HzXGsyelgnXmvER2pux0cyD1EYUwzsr4VNrxwhVL2UrHNfVaE1ZFVzBdWqC7M/s1600/IMAG0241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAPQTysomGpMf59wAdxlQcHcKmbCpm2J8etvGpR-rszgOT_7Il4v396txeZfr5ydMwy-ypaxL0JYfp1HzXGsyelgnXmvER2pux0cyD1EYUwzsr4VNrxwhVL2UrHNfVaE1ZFVzBdWqC7M/s320/IMAG0241.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting out invites for a cousins' baby shower. I can't wait til next Saturday!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKozQa43X2TMsdgSpTEI2pFygNP-ZfqChJlgsImis0KkUJJsDj4HuripXiku4Z0CQwKs2xJHUM5TK516dMlzyvb1PDRimoi6CIZDkcg0wZugvdfJFI6EQ4-bFJ_L-uXygf3SB4nEmu1I/s1600/IMAG0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKozQa43X2TMsdgSpTEI2pFygNP-ZfqChJlgsImis0KkUJJsDj4HuripXiku4Z0CQwKs2xJHUM5TK516dMlzyvb1PDRimoi6CIZDkcg0wZugvdfJFI6EQ4-bFJ_L-uXygf3SB4nEmu1I/s320/IMAG0229.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is perfecting the art of the temper tantrum! The funniest is when he throws his head back and "cries" while he rocks himself back and forth. But there are no tears to be seen. He's watching and learning very well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6p-OqxdaPuQVTaByq4VW5DQA43zUA-A6SqtQtJ7L2z7xgmF9xPcZZgrKjNoaNmHXgcQF6Y7YL3WbDzxh-kfIHy5ccfy_rzZui1lCduUN54bb0lCuVKc8kcHPY_Hs7TgE4EOOu5GzxlI/s1600/IMG_20130417_130632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6p-OqxdaPuQVTaByq4VW5DQA43zUA-A6SqtQtJ7L2z7xgmF9xPcZZgrKjNoaNmHXgcQF6Y7YL3WbDzxh-kfIHy5ccfy_rzZui1lCduUN54bb0lCuVKc8kcHPY_Hs7TgE4EOOu5GzxlI/s320/IMG_20130417_130632.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First batch of homemade taco seasoning. I really liked it, except that I felt like it dried out. I'm going to try to tweak it more to our liking and then I'll share it with you! </td></tr>
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So that's our week in a nutshell. How was yours? I hope you have a great weekend! It's FRIDAY!!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-18510797931269040152013-04-24T16:35:00.000-04:002013-04-24T16:35:05.566-04:00Crop for CareNet<div style="text-align: center;">
It has been FOREVER since I have shared any scrapbook pages with you all! I have been scrapbooking for 13 years now, and while I still love it I have less and less time to do it these days. So I get very excited when I can get my butt off to a crop and get some work done. Anyone with more than 1 kid will tell you that you will never get caught up, but it sure is fun to try!</div>
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A local church here hosted a 12 hour crop this past Saturday with the proceeds benefiting <a href="http://carenetnky.org/" target="_blank">CareNet of Northern Kentucky</a>. My scrapbooking buddy Jannene and I thought "Why not? We like babies!" Plus, it had been almost a year since we had done our last crop together so we were due. 12+ hour crops are my favorite! (We used to go to a 24 hour Crop for the Cure years ago...I miss those!) I get so much when done when I have nothing to focus on besides scrapping. Well, in between the eating, and talking, and eating, and talking, and talking...you get the picture! I was very excited with what I was able to get accomplished at the crop! All in all I finished 12 layouts-some 2 page spreads and some 1 page. Some were multiphoto layouts and some were single photo. Most of them were for Eli, who only had 1 stinkin' page done at 8 months (so sad!!) and a few for Bri and Jonah with school pictures from this year and last year. But enough talking! Here are some of my favorites that I got finished!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV8oSCn3nGA6iOuBrOqP62CNKAj7xOG1fhkyyXtMZehYNNBh-szdRe8X9krXsInZXWk2Ma4dV2G4NN9LQ8xkURc4yv84w2kB3IBz6hEwN2h1A3xoClrOAuYUwjNvrkA_O0ANIIZqQS5g/s1600/first+bath+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV8oSCn3nGA6iOuBrOqP62CNKAj7xOG1fhkyyXtMZehYNNBh-szdRe8X9krXsInZXWk2Ma4dV2G4NN9LQ8xkURc4yv84w2kB3IBz6hEwN2h1A3xoClrOAuYUwjNvrkA_O0ANIIZqQS5g/s400/first+bath+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see I still use the traditional method of scrapbooking, good 'ol paper, cutters and pens. I know a lot of people are moving to digital scrapping or <a href="http://beckyhiggins.com/products/what-is-project-life.php" target="_blank">Project Life</a>, but I enjoy the whole process of the "old" way too much to ever give it up. Plus, I've invested too money in it at this point to change now! I scrap mainly in 12 X 12 now and I love it! </div>
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I just found a program last night that will allow me to scan layouts and then stitch them together so that I can digitally back up my layouts and share them with you! I am super excited! It's a little time consuming because I have to scan each layout in 4 sections to make sure I've got everything on it but it's worth it now that I've gotten it down to a science! </div>
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So that's it! Hopefully I will be able to share more layouts with you in the future!</div>
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Do you scrapbook? What are your secrets to keeping up with it?</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-51812273773303064942013-04-18T09:06:00.001-04:002013-04-18T09:06:57.764-04:00DIY Laundry Detergent<div style="text-align: center;">
On our quest to save money this year and to give me an outlet to be more crafty (and feel like a Martha Stewart DIY-er) I decided I wanted to try making some of our cleaning products. Two of the biggest expenses for us in the cleaning department are laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. I easily do 3 loads of laundry a day, 5 days a week. I don't usually do laundry on the weekends unless there is something that is specifically needed by someone. I try to save in energy by using only cold or cool water (I tend to use more cool than cold these days, probably because I don't trust cold to get out the stubborn baby messes!) I would love to have a clothes line but I think they are banned by our HOA (pain in the butt I tell ya! Pain in the butt!!!) I might get a retractable one anyway and tell the HOA to shove it! lol I'm sure that would save some money too in the spring and fall (I don't think I could use it in the summer, it's too humid here in the river valley, and in the winter I'm sure our clothes would freeze!)</div>
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Laundry detergent is expensive! Even with coupons. I love Tide as much as the next person but when a large bottle costs $28.00 and I can use all of it in a month it's too much! The powder is usually cheaper but I found that using it cold water didn't work for me because it never dissolved all the way and I ended up with chalky residue on our clothes. Not cool!</div>
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I saw around that the "in" thing right now was to make your own laundry detergent. I was skeptical at first but as I started to read comments and reviews by others I thought it was worth giving it a try. Some said it worked really well for their kids who suffered from eczema. Since 3 of our 4 have eczema I thought, "Why not?!" The initial investment in all the ingredients seems like a lot but knowing that you will get multiple batches out of the same boxes makes it easier to swallow. There is also some time involved but I promise it's easy!</div>
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I have found a formula that I am in love with and I wanted to share it with you. I shared it with my aunt over Easter. They have 5 kids and she does about as much laundry as I do so I knew this could save her money too. She messaged me on Facebook the other day and said she had been using the detergent and she loved it! She couldn't believe the results, especially because you don't have to use very much. It's my favorite thing so far this year! :-)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVb8FMLP1H2fYj9Ru2xGyTAIsxoJKI9ArWHaqKQw37ERGFh479h8MWFPn9FsdNgQObq70XLAV-aIbmNUmCvmKyD9dqqjkKSa1eAWxa80bMccq7tIXUYKx3b8wNfS93a6xkMWNL8HNe5k/s1600/DSCF4060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVb8FMLP1H2fYj9Ru2xGyTAIsxoJKI9ArWHaqKQw37ERGFh479h8MWFPn9FsdNgQObq70XLAV-aIbmNUmCvmKyD9dqqjkKSa1eAWxa80bMccq7tIXUYKx3b8wNfS93a6xkMWNL8HNe5k/s320/DSCF4060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What you need: Purex Crystals (any scent-I love the blue one!), Borax, Arm & Hammer WASHING soda (some people will use both washing soda and baking soda. I have found this unnecessary, but the washing soda IS necessary!), Zote Soap (I like the pink!), and OxiClean (you could use a store brand too if you prefer.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5YoSnHaZZtwpeZQlXHVsVYVxk0M5xGd2p-5ATwGOfL_3C4FT8jdiP7TesqWpZ-ezQnKcF9AwgATthgX8K-Uliqo2yMrgu4aBmvU9kF-ezKRVssxOtamRTtRUNuiECEpgSTS6xpH2ZvY/s1600/DSCF4061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5YoSnHaZZtwpeZQlXHVsVYVxk0M5xGd2p-5ATwGOfL_3C4FT8jdiP7TesqWpZ-ezQnKcF9AwgATthgX8K-Uliqo2yMrgu4aBmvU9kF-ezKRVssxOtamRTtRUNuiECEpgSTS6xpH2ZvY/s320/DSCF4061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To make the soap you will need a cheese grater, a big mixing bowl and a blender or food processor (not shown). You will also need a 1 Cup measuring cup to measure the ingredients and a spoon to mix (I use a plastic spatula.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3Dz5tEQXkvfCMb5PzS0UXXzXPUIZaLOKLpJoHFzWvtX15NMNLsOxcL_lJ19zyJX95SOga-az26P9V-PCZcAgbZjlEhyphenhyphenqGgg7ye4wytqaVIr9hzbHNNx0WQfEfapf2U2tpNQ_3AaFRUM/s1600/DSCF4062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3Dz5tEQXkvfCMb5PzS0UXXzXPUIZaLOKLpJoHFzWvtX15NMNLsOxcL_lJ19zyJX95SOga-az26P9V-PCZcAgbZjlEhyphenhyphenqGgg7ye4wytqaVIr9hzbHNNx0WQfEfapf2U2tpNQ_3AaFRUM/s320/DSCF4062.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You need a container to put it in. I used to just use old Purex Crystal bottles but I found the detergent clumped up in them. I found this great glass container at Wal-Mart and fell in love with it. I also love the little measuring cup. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhZccTS7PPBhuHfv50BKIbN2HZOWkECGpaP7HKY8voLYBnOxAOYB6kShNQl7r-WBw-AVDTKpwL0Z3XM0Vt-SwPUcIstxFXHhwZ-Ix7fZBMta_SgL1omI2K_vOIxhIoD3erVd3Mt8b9jQ/s1600/DSCF4064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhZccTS7PPBhuHfv50BKIbN2HZOWkECGpaP7HKY8voLYBnOxAOYB6kShNQl7r-WBw-AVDTKpwL0Z3XM0Vt-SwPUcIstxFXHhwZ-Ix7fZBMta_SgL1omI2K_vOIxhIoD3erVd3Mt8b9jQ/s320/DSCF4064.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a close up although the quality isn't great. This is a little glass measuring cup from Anchor. It looks like a shot glass. It's probably meant as a liquid measuring cup but I use it for my detergent and it's worked out just fine. You can find one <a href="http://www.amazon.com/HAROLD-IMPORT-21GM-Measure-Glass/dp/B0000CFO3W/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1366287933&sr=8-13&keywords=anchor+glass+measuring+cup" target="_blank">here at Amazon</a> for $5.50. I think I paid around $5 for mine. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7oJhe4r-ma2pRbx2W9uo7fmJeQshTk_NhCjDx2K3HEq4RErUa4npW-ALhERAHYDA9vP_vasg2cnp7aIKFofeuQmUu206Wky4KJ6zY4UwU0GNYzu7MqhPDCbYJkXg-HsyGMbAnxJttlI/s1600/DSCF4065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7oJhe4r-ma2pRbx2W9uo7fmJeQshTk_NhCjDx2K3HEq4RErUa4npW-ALhERAHYDA9vP_vasg2cnp7aIKFofeuQmUu206Wky4KJ6zY4UwU0GNYzu7MqhPDCbYJkXg-HsyGMbAnxJttlI/s320/DSCF4065.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first thing you will do is grate the soap. I use the medium shred side. This can take a few minutes and gives your arms quite a work out. But stick to it. My kids love to help with this part so I put them to work! lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fDGpAupm7pig5uGdAHCDIYPjiH8QbiylI9uEzgkNLfuFW46aCzdHDL9Ofhr0x-2os0a8i2CvCQ_Nz0_Lfov9Q9-lWEW1GVsswipb7zmaUp-YoX-iq8Pv0GggF6BgAH9NxsB8eRenCW8/s1600/DSCF4066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fDGpAupm7pig5uGdAHCDIYPjiH8QbiylI9uEzgkNLfuFW46aCzdHDL9Ofhr0x-2os0a8i2CvCQ_Nz0_Lfov9Q9-lWEW1GVsswipb7zmaUp-YoX-iq8Pv0GggF6BgAH9NxsB8eRenCW8/s320/DSCF4066.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a measuring cup to add 1 Cup of Borax to the blender or food processor. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfr79MyvEYu8pOavsm2c25MPIddNuPrh-JkA8OIcQ4N6WSiWPqod1DBO7_8K-ATuT_8vOWeZVKEEJxbfF8zI3Ig2VTs4la1suZ4Mtil-dhopWP7f8MLM0JRFE2LIGrCZw1ld1QHW0ObI/s1600/DSCF4067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfr79MyvEYu8pOavsm2c25MPIddNuPrh-JkA8OIcQ4N6WSiWPqod1DBO7_8K-ATuT_8vOWeZVKEEJxbfF8zI3Ig2VTs4la1suZ4Mtil-dhopWP7f8MLM0JRFE2LIGrCZw1ld1QHW0ObI/s320/DSCF4067.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add half of the soap flakes and then top with 1 Cup of washing soda and 1 Cup of OxiClean. Pulse the mixture until the soap has been blended in with the other dry ingredients. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT3iQ4Bj6QZtw2fx7GXUCyyko9EY6zJ0L6waKRuEqVsPxB7gMj8d3TpgU4xdSEB5Ny6Osz0Ph1MAHVOWgLFDmtl-Cdjgco1OZup1QUBDbPlCaxDXcskte-NwxfBmSqrf3XqI7yuKii-g/s1600/DSCF4068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT3iQ4Bj6QZtw2fx7GXUCyyko9EY6zJ0L6waKRuEqVsPxB7gMj8d3TpgU4xdSEB5Ny6Osz0Ph1MAHVOWgLFDmtl-Cdjgco1OZup1QUBDbPlCaxDXcskte-NwxfBmSqrf3XqI7yuKii-g/s320/DSCF4068.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It should look fine and powdery. Put into large mixing bowl. Do another batch in the blender. Add to mixing bowl.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsc2iGdCF6pgbpSSKhzDk36lxwe80i-IYsOrjfKaLxRnYdTYg7qEDv0Zfnx2FA7XiLA36_O3Q_JUXA256d_ZKnRx_y9V1iCkAps2HmPy940ZAo1kPWtTcm7R0JTAaj2pTwWr9WhO4E0Us/s1600/DSCF4069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsc2iGdCF6pgbpSSKhzDk36lxwe80i-IYsOrjfKaLxRnYdTYg7qEDv0Zfnx2FA7XiLA36_O3Q_JUXA256d_ZKnRx_y9V1iCkAps2HmPy940ZAo1kPWtTcm7R0JTAaj2pTwWr9WhO4E0Us/s320/DSCF4069.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add in your Purex Crystals. I use anywhere from 2-3 Cups of these, depending on how strong I want the scent to be on my clothes. Mix it all up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-XInCeHFKENFFQphMaIj0KX_N5EsiIcixaZQaP5Wif4icJWybG6f2Xi0SA9nGtffLp8SUtqiD-pj-ACunVur5lVtke9d_V3FfDfAKBoQaW-NF5VROUZOatMTpJg7z4Zm6_2H2Ptn0HQ/s1600/DSCF4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-XInCeHFKENFFQphMaIj0KX_N5EsiIcixaZQaP5Wif4icJWybG6f2Xi0SA9nGtffLp8SUtqiD-pj-ACunVur5lVtke9d_V3FfDfAKBoQaW-NF5VROUZOatMTpJg7z4Zm6_2H2Ptn0HQ/s320/DSCF4070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pour in your cool container. Voila! Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy your handiwork! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCXurnfAdzgCUS81YdbWgg_wkJ3GB4vqZOWYy3ess3UUfAFDkj04JqvlrwqsjMXnLWsfsM-nlTxEX5hLxWRxYBIorr_m-0u6_lmRHa-Gzl0pGuSi10epLbqJP_YHug3KePz1zDfcTSZc/s1600/DSCF4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCXurnfAdzgCUS81YdbWgg_wkJ3GB4vqZOWYy3ess3UUfAFDkj04JqvlrwqsjMXnLWsfsM-nlTxEX5hLxWRxYBIorr_m-0u6_lmRHa-Gzl0pGuSi10epLbqJP_YHug3KePz1zDfcTSZc/s320/DSCF4072.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't it pretty?!?</td></tr>
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So, don't worry if you didn't get the recipe by reading that! Here it is in it's entirety!</div>
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2 C Borax</div>
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2 C Arm & Hammer WASHING soda</div>
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2 C OxiClean</div>
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1 bar of Zote soap</div>
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2-3 C Purex Crystals (depending on your preference)</div>
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1. Grate soap.</div>
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2. Add dry ingredients (EXCEPT for Purex Crystals) to the blender or food processor in layers and small batches. I like to do two batches and put in a layer of dry ingredients, then soap flakes, then more dry. This keeps the soap flakes from sticking to the blades of the appliance (believe me...this just makes a mess!!) Pulse until everything is combined and powdery.</div>
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3. Put in large mixing bowl. Add Crystals in the amount you choose. Mix well.</div>
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4. Put detergent in container of your choice. </div>
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5. Use 1 Tablespoon for a regular size load. Use 2 Tablespoons for a large or heavily soiled load.</div>
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A few notes:</div>
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1.When I first started making my own detergent I used Fels Naptha soap (made by Purex) because that's what I found first. Those bars are smaller so if you can only find Fels Naptha you will need 2 bars of soap instead of 1. I like the smell of the Zote better, but some prefer the smell of the Fels Naptha, it's just a fresh, clean smell.</div>
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2. Purex Crystals are NOT fabric softeners. I always thought they were but they are scent enhancers, just like the Downy Unstoppables or the Gain Fireworks. You can choose to use Unstoppables or Fireworks if you would like. I used the Unstoppables in the second batch that I made but they started to discolor and turn brown after a while. I don't know if this was from extra exposure to oxygen (maybe from the OxiClean) but it didn't look very pretty and it bothered me. The Purex Crystals haven't done this. And I like the pretty look better :-)</div>
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3. Because the crystals are not a fabric softener I still use distilled white vinegar as a softener. I just add it directly to the softener distributor in my washer. I know others who put it in a dispenser in the machine like the Downy Ball. </div>
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4. If you want to try this out without making so much start with half a bar of Zote soap (or 1 bar of Fels Naptha), 1 C of each of the dry ingredients, and 1 C of the crystals. A formulation like this lasted me about 6 weeks. That was enough time for me to determine if I wanted to make changes or not. For example, when I first started I didn't use OxiClean or scent enhancers. The 2nd batch I added those things but used the Unstoppables, which I mentioned I wasn't thrilled with. The third batch I switched to Zote soap (because that's what I could find, I wasn't intending to do this!) and I switched to the Purex Crystals. This is my favorite formula so far!! </div>
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5. How long will this last me?? Well, that depends on how much laundry you do. Like I said I do at least 3 loads a day most of the time, 5 days a week. If you only do a 3 or 4 loads for the whole week, halving the recipe could last you 3-4 months. I expect this doubled recipe will last me 3-4 months, but it could last you 6-7 months. It's all relative to how much laundry you do. I do all super sized loads, so I almost always use 2 Tablespoons at a time. I made this last batch the week before Easter...I've barely put a dent in it so far! </div>
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6. How much will this cost? That's a hard one too because it depends on where you get all of your ingredients at. According to Amazon all of the ingredients right now would run you about $42.87. But again, except for the soap you will get at least 3-4 batches of soap out of each box of the Borax, Washing Soda, about 2- 2 1/2 batches out of the OxiClean, and about 1 1/2 batches out of the Crystals. I figured I am probably making this and spending about $0.20- $0.25 a load. With Tide I'd be spending about $0.38 a load so that is a definite savings. And it lasts me a whole lot longer than a bottle of Tide would. So that's awesome. Plus, I'm LOVING the way it smells! </div>
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7. Can I use this in my front loader? Yes, yes you can! The Zote Soap and Fels Naptha are low sudsing soaps, which is exactly what you need to use in a front loader. I have read some people saying this gums up their detergent dispenser so they just started adding it directly to the drum and then added their clothes and it works fine. I still have a top loader so I can't give you much more information about that but I've read people have used it in front loaders with no problems. </div>
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8) I use the blender, cheese grater, etc. that I use to cook with. Some people might freak out about that but I figure I use a lot of the same ingredients in my dishwasher detergent recipe so they come in contact with our utensils anyway. All the ingredients rinse off really clean and I see no residue after I clean them that concerns me. If it concerns you you can invest in appliances just to make cleaning products but I find that very expensive and not necessary! </div>
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So there it is! My laundry detergent recipe. We love it! It gets everything out (even stubborn baby explosions!!) when I am diligent about pretreating stains like I should and it smells wonderful. I don't know that I will ever go back to commercial laundry detergent ever again!!</div>
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I'm still tweaking my dishwasher detergent. I loved it at first, but I'm not loving it as much right now. Once I get that perfected I will share it with you too! Happy cleaning!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-664119237999582712013-04-15T11:05:00.000-04:002013-04-15T11:05:10.644-04:00Family Field Trip...to Whole Foods<div style="text-align: center;">
You knew it was coming! This past weekend we took our first family trip to Whole Foods Market. We have two in our area, a smaller one that is 18 miles away and a larger one that is 28 miles away. We chose to go to the smaller one and just browse around and check things out. This trip was very informative for us and I wanted to share some of the things that we learned. </div>
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#1- Saturdays at Whole Foods are very busy! I think this is true for any store but it seems like on Saturdays Whole Foods pulls out all the stops. There were samples everywhere!! It was great because we got to try a few products that we ended up buying (or will be buying in the near future-but more on that in a moment!) We also learned that buying any premade products from the deli (like tuna salad) are going to cost you big! (A small container of tuna salad-the half pound size was $8! Yikes! But admittedly- it was the most amazing tuna salad I've ever had! lol) So that leads us to rule #2.</div>
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#2- If you want to save money at Whole Foods stay away from the premade items. Don't journey over to the salad bar unless you want to drop some major dough! The soups and various salads taste fabulous but they will seriously drive up the end cost. </div>
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#3- Not everything in Whole Foods is organic! I didn't know that! But everything in the store has to follow the list of banned ingredients so things there are considerably healthier than their counterparts that I might pick up at Kroger or Walmart. </div>
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#4- The store brand 365 Everyday is very good. We got several items just to try them out and we have been very pleasantly surprised. We got their ruffled potato chips seasoned with sea salt. They were yummy. But we also learned that there quite a few brands of chips that would be considered "acceptable". For example, Kettle brand and Tarro. And these are often on sale at my local Kroger. Now, having said that chips are still junk food so buying them is for treats only and are not something we will suddenly keep in the house all the time just because they aren't full of artificial colors. </div>
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#5- According to Steven "Eating healthy is expensive!" (I told him to shut up and stop being counterproductive! lol) And it definitely can be. But I learned that at Whole Foods just like other stores you want to shop the perimeter of the store and stay away from the inner aisles which house all of your prepackaged foods. That's where you are going to drop the money and get into the idea that "Well, it's from Whole Foods. It must be OK." Well, chips are still chips and boxed Mac and Cheese is still boxed Mac and Cheese. You don't want those things to make up the majority of your diet. But, I will be buying them occasionally because the break from cooking from scratch every meal, every day is one that I will be welcome I'm sure! </div>
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So what did we buy? Well, let's take a look at a few things we were especially excited about, especially after we tasted them. </div>
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We bought a couple different pasta sauces. One was this roasted vegetable. I guess it would be comparable to Ragu Chunky Garden Veggie. As soon as I got Steven to open the lid (Yup! I'm a wimp sometimes!!) I knew this sauce was going to be amazing! It smelled incredible in the jar. As we were eating dinner we just kept commenting on how it was so good. Steven couldn't believe I hadn't added anything to doctor it up. It didn't need it! It was just that good!<br />
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And take a look at the ingredient list. We were able to pronounce everything on it! Score!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato Puree, Diced Tomatoes, Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted onions, Roasted Red and Green Bell Peppers, White Wine Vinegar, Roasted Minced Garlic, Salt, Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil, Cane Sugar, Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, Savory, Thyme, Parsley. </td></tr>
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It truly was amazingly good. We have a roasted garlic sauce in the pantry that I can't wait to use. And at $1.89 a jar you better believe I will be stocking up on that stuff!<br />
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Next up was a cereal. It's made by a company called <a href="http://threesisterscereal.com/" target="_blank">Three Sisters</a>. This is their version of Lucky Charms. The marshmellows are colored with blueberry, pumpkin and other such natural colors derived from fruits and veggies. And the taste? Well, let's just say my kids will not miss Lucky Charms that's for sure! They love this cereal! And I will be going back for more of it, and <a href="http://threesisterscereal.com/our-products/" target="_blank">others in the line</a>. And the price- well, it was definitely comparable to other bagged cereals. One other thing I loved- they use 100% wind energy to create their product. How freakin' cool is that?!?!<br />
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What kid doesn't love Mac and Cheese- especially the kind that comes out of that blue box with neon orange cheese sauce?!? Well, I'm a little ticked off at the maker of that product right now so we are looking for an alternative. Yes, I know that making mac and cheese from scratch is super easy and much tastier (I make it, I know. It's awesome!) but sometimes you want an enjoyable shortcut. We haven't tried these yet, but I can't wait to see how they compare.<br />
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We wanted to try some of the body products so we snatched up the 365 Everyday Citrus Grapefruit body wash. It is yummy! It's made with essential oils, no artificial fragrances, no parabens and no sulfates. Win! Win! And this bottle was only $2.00! Not too shabby!<br />
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We also snatched up a big bottle of both the shampoo and conditioner. Again, no artificial colors, or fragrances. No parabens or sulfates. And it's is so scrumptious! And this big bottle of shampoo was only $3.89. Score again!!<br />
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As for toothpaste we are saying adios to Crest and Colgate and their neon blue messes! Our choice for right now is Tom's of Maine, which is a very reputable company. The good thing about Tom's is I can find it at any grocery or drug store around me so it's a good choice. The kids so far like the strawberry flavor, although I think the greyish tinge take a while to get used to when you're used to neon blue with sparkles! I'm already not missing the crusty blue mess left behind in the sink! lol<br />
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As an alternative to Goldfish crackers Whole Foods offers quack'n bites. Cute name. These little cheesy crackers are organic. And they are pretty tasty. They aren't as cheesy as Goldfish but since we don't buy them often I think these will be a good choice!<br />
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We got to try these awesome corn chips from <a href="http://www.shagbarkmill.com/" target="_blank">Shagbark Seed and Mill</a> at the store. The company is local-just outside of Columbus, OH. They are non-GMO certified (yippy!!) and in the next few years will be USDA certified organic as well. These chips were super crunchy. They will hold up to any salsa or cheese sauce out there. And I can pretty much assume that you could lather these things with some chili and they would not loose their crunch. The kids begged for a bag, and daddy was happy to appease! :-) These are going to taste awesome with my favorite local salsa from Remke! <br />
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Probably our favorite thing we tried was milk and butter from <a href="http://www.snowvillecreamery.com/" target="_blank">Snowville Creamery.</a> They are a local creamery about 2 hours from us. Their cows are grass fed, they don't use growth hormones or antibiotics. Their milk is sourced, pasteurized, packaged and delivered to the store within 2 days! How fresh is your milk? That's probably the freshest milk I've ever had! It was also the tastiest milk I've ever had. The kids went absolutely crazy over it, especially the chocolate, which tasted like a milkshake. It was amazing! It's as close to raw milk as we can get here since raw milk is illegal. And it is expensive- a half gallon was around $4! But we're discussing it because we think it would be worth it for good, quality milk. I wish they did home delivery in glass bottles. I'd totally be sold! lol I really want to try some of the <a href="http://www.snowvillecreamery.com/recipes.html" target="_blank">recipes</a> on their website. Wow! The custard style ice cream totally had me salivating!<br />
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So there you have it! Our first trip to Whole Foods and some of the things we learned and tried. I'm feeling very excited about this journey and can't wait to share more of it with you!<br />
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-37958165633513848682013-04-15T10:19:00.000-04:002013-04-15T11:05:26.632-04:00When a 3 Year Old Gets Your Phone<div style="text-align: center;">
You never know what you're going to end up with!</div>
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Sometimes it's fun to see what the world looks like through their eyes! :-)</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-34172716448961011432013-04-10T12:07:00.000-04:002013-04-10T12:07:42.049-04:00The ADHD Debate and Whole Foods<div style="text-align: center;">
I've mentioned on here before that we are pretty sure that Jonah has ADHD. We've discussed it with his pediatrician who agreed that it sounds like he has all the symptoms (is always moving, jumping, skipping, fidgeting, etc, he has almost 0 impulse control, he has no idea of personal boundaries or space, he is easily distractable, he has a hard time focusing on one thing for very long, and the list goes on.) He did say that if we became very concerned about it and it seemed to be giving him serious problems at school we could look at getting an official diagnosis. My only thing though is that I would like to keep him off of medications for as long as possible. I don't exactly like the idea of having my 6 year old on psychotropic drugs. Disclaimer here to say that I have no problems with people who choose to do things differently. My brother was on ADHD medications for years and did great with them. It's just that as I've researched I have found other things that I would like to try first. I don't want anyone to think I'm looking down on them if they choose to go with the drugs first. They work and if you're life has become insane dealing with a child with ADHD and you feel like all your time is spent yelling and redirecting and critiquing then yes, the drugs may be your best option. We aren't there yet so I feel we have time to try other things. OK, moving on!</div>
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One of the things that I have found as I've done some research is that there are a lot of things in our food these days that are less than good. And some of these things have been proven to cause behavioral problems in kids. These problems can be found in the form of hyperactivity and attention issues. So I think it goes to say that if you can cut out as many of these things as possible you stand a good chance at correcting some of these issues. Some of the culprits include artificial colors (did you know these are made from petroleum? Yup, the same stuff that is used to make the gas for your cars!?! YUCK!!!), artificial flavors (including our little friend MSG), artificial sweeteners (think aspartame and it's friends and the biggest culprit of all HFCS), and artificial preservatives (nitrates and nitrites, often found in lunch meats and BHT and BHA). There are also links to pesticides that are used on our foods as they are grown, which also have been linked to cancer and other diseases. </div>
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As you can see, that's a lot to keep track of. I have gotten things that I thought were perfectly safe and then later on have found out that they had yellow #5 in them (like Heinz sweet pickle relish! Why? Why does pickle relish need yellow #5 in it?!?!) Did you know that there is only 1 ketchup on the market that does not use HFCS and that is Hunt's. I've learned to like it but I have to admit I miss my Heinz ketchup sometimes. Actually, Heinz does make a ketchup without HFCS, it's called Simply Heinz but I can't find it in my market anymore, so Hunt's is my only option. </div>
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I got so frustrated the other night. I had made a really yummy chicken and rice casserole with the chicken my mom had gotten me for my birthday (I know it sounds funny but I was super excited for my case of chicken! lol) I seasoned the chicken with this:</div>
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I thought it was harmless, although to me honest it's been in our pantry for ages so I've never really investigated it that deeply. I mean, the front says it's 60% less sodium than salt. That can't be all that bad right?!! Then I turn it around to see the ingredients: </div>
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If you can't read that very well it says Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). Really!?!? We're trying to cut out MSG and I basically have pure MSG sitting in my pantry! I was so frustrated! After I went downstairs to vent to my mom I went up and threw it in the trash can. I'm pretty sure that is something we don't need in our kitchen! </div>
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But that's what I mean! It's hard to make these changes. These little buggers hide in EVERYTHING!! I think I understand why more people don't do it! As I've continued to do research into what we can and cannot eat the obvious solution has been to make more from scratch and use less prepackaged processed foods. And that's great. But what about the things like pickle relish that don't need yellow #5 but the manufacturer's put them in there anyway!?!</div>
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Enter Whole Foods Market. I've been to Whole Foods a few times and I love it! I love the look of the store. I love that things are organic. I love that a lot of the products are non-GMO certified (and in 2014 everything sold in their stores will have to be non-GMO certified!!) And I discovered their list of all the ingredients that aren't allowed in their products if they want to be sold at Whole Foods. You can find the entire list of unacceptable ingredients <a href="http://wholefoods.com/about-our-products/quality-standards/unacceptable-ingredients-food" target="_blank">here</a> but in case you're wondering some of the things on the list: artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, BHT, BHA, HFCS, MSG, nitrates and nitrites, Yup. Everything on our list, and then some. They also have high standards for body care products. You can see that list <a href="http://wholefoods.com/department/article/whole-body-quality-standards" target="_blank">here</a>. Their body care products also do not have artificial colors. Why is that important? Well, artificial colors can be absorbed through the skin. So for a child (or adult) with ADHD, washing your body or brushing your teeth with a product that contains artificial colors is just as bad as ingesting it orally. And it's almost impossible to find toothpaste or body wash or shampoo for kids that isn't artificially colored. </div>
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So, now I know that almost everything that I could buy at Whole Foods would be safe for Jonah to eat. Even snacks. Even ice cream. You wouldn't believe how disappointed I was to buy vanilla ice cream one day (Velvet brand if you're curious) only to turn it around and see that it had yellow #5. Vanilla ice cream is white (or should be!). Why is yellow #5 necessary?!?! GRRRR!!!! </div>
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The only question now is: Is it possible to shop for our family of 6 at Whole Foods and not kill our budget?? I know that a lot of people joke about Whole Foods and call it Whole Paycheck. Yes, it is expensive but food costs are rising everywhere. Wouldn't it make more sense to buy organic, safe foods if we're going to spend more money on food to begin with? I think so.</div>
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I know there are ways I can keep the costs down. Whole Foods accepts manufacturers coupons. They also put out their own store coupons. Some Whole Foods will let you stack a MFC with a SC so you can save even more. I would continue to make our own baked goods, especially our bread. I would continue to make our own laundry detergent (post on that coming soon.) We have cut back on sodas since we got our Soda Stream for Christmas but I think we might cut back even more buy using 100% fruit juice with carbonated water to make "soda" (like <a href="http://switchbev.com/thejuice" target="_blank">Switch brand</a>. If you've never had it, it's amazing!!) and making fruit infused waters. We don't drink Kool-Aid or Country Time anymore since they both contain artificial colors so we buy the Simply line. Making lemonades from scratch would save money too. </div>
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Meats are going to be considerably more expensive at Whole Foods, but I think I can continue to shop meats by watching for Manager markdowns or buying in bulk from <a href="https://zayconfoods.com/" target="_blank">Zaycon </a>(Just to give you an example, the chicken my mom got me for my birthday ended up being about $1.78 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken breasts that actually tastes like chicken. That's a great price! And the pieces are so huge I literally used 1 chicken breast for my chicken and rice casserole the other night. 1 chicken breast that I pounded and diced fed all 6 eaters in this family with leftovers. Not too shabby! That 40 pound box is gonna last a while!!) If you take a look at Zaycon and decide you want to give them a try let me know. I'd be happy to email you a referral!</div>
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And apparently the Whole Foods store brand, Brand 365 is very affordable (a 16 oz bottle of shampoo is $1.99. I can't get Pantene for that and it's probably full of all kinds of crap!!) so buying store brand will help save some money. </div>
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I also don't feel like I have to get everything at Whole Foods. There may be weeks that the Natural Foods section at Kroger or the organic produce at Remke might be cheaper. So continuing to shop around is going to be key. I just feel like Whole Foods would make my life a whole lot easier. It's going to take the guess work out of the equation for me. And I don't have time for guess work! Plus, once I shop there and figure out what brands are acceptable, watching for sales of the same brands at Kroger or Remke (or even Walmart-some Walmarts are jumping on the organic train too!) will be easier!</div>
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So that's where my brain is at the moment. Trying to figure out how I can feed my family the healthiest diet possible without breaking the bank. Do you shop at Whole Foods? Any advice that you could give me? I could really use it. I want to find a way to make this work! Because it's all about giving our son the best advantage possible to help him through his ADHD. And I think he's worth it!</div>
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-47421890308210835002013-04-09T10:26:00.002-04:002013-04-09T10:32:30.253-04:00Thoughts on 31 (the age, not the company!)<div style="text-align: center;">
Saturday I turned 31. It wasn't nearly as hard as turning 30! I guess once you hit that milestone every year after that is just gravy! And I am totally starting to believe that old adage "You're only as old as you feel!" Although on days that the arthritis is really bad I feel 80! But in all honesty, I was talking to a friend from high school the other day and we were commenting on how it doesn't feel like we've been out of high school for 13 years. It just doesn't! I don't feel that far removed from high school (not sure if that's a good or bad thing! ha!) but then I look around and realize I have 4 kids, I've been married for 10 years this October and I realize yup...I'm a full fledged grown up now. And I'm OK with it! </div>
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Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day! The weather is finally shifting to spring here and I'm loving it! The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing. It was 75 degrees. I wore sandals to show off the pedicure that I treated myself to on Friday afternoon. Steven made breakfast (pancakes and bacon...yum!)</div>
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We went to lunch at my dad's new cafe and ate in the yard next door (it's a carryout only cafe but he has some seating next door and will be getting even more this spring. And there is a park across the street and a promenade too! So lots of options!) The food was so good. He follows the local food movement so everything he uses is from local companies and suppliers. And because he uses whats available his menu changes often which people really like. All the meat is grass fed, cage free, hormone and antibiotic free. He doesn't add unnecessary salt or sugar. The sodas he serves are made with 100% cane sugar and no HFCS and no artificial colors or flavors. I had the grilled cheese sandwich. It was delicious. Steven had the burger. Dad only uses Angus beef and Steven said it was awesome. Mom and the kids had the hotdogs. He only uses 100% beef hotdogs, so no pork fillers and things you'd never want to eat. The rat tail fries (named as such because they are skinny like rat tails!) are very tasty and he makes the ketchup and mustard from scratch. Try the Switch soda if you've never had it before. It's made from 100% fruit juice and carbonated water. It's incredible! And I highly recommend the Goetta Guinness Chili. Yes, as the name implies it is made with Guinness and it is genius! Especially on a hotdog!! He's going to start serving ice cream at the end of this week and it's actually going to be dairy free because he's had so many requests for it. And he says you'll never know that it's dairy free (except that I just told you!!! lol) So if you live in the NKY/ Greater Cincinnati area and want a great dining experience check out <a href="http://www.piperscafe.biz/" target="_blank">Piper's Cafe</a> in Mainstrasse Village. It's located in Hamelin Square across from the clock tower, next to the Magic Shop and Wertheim's. OK, plug for Piper's is finished! lol. I am super proud of my dad though! He's wanted to own his own restaurant for a long time and I'm so happy that he's finally realizing his dream!</div>
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After we ate lunch we went over to the park and the kids got to play for a while. It was so fun to watch them run and slide and swing. Eli got to go to the park for the first time and swing like a big boy!</div>
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After the park everyone went home and laid down for a while (Micah was especially super whinny!!) Then around 6:30 we left the house to go out to Chuy's for dinner. If you have a Chuy's near you I recommend them. It was super yummy! I had chile rellanos and an enchilada. And a strawberry margarita. Oh how I love me some Mexican food :-) </div>
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And of course I was spoiled to death by my family. Like I said I got a mani and a pedi on Friday. Steven got off work early and took the boys and I got several hours to myself. I needed a pedi so badly (especially since I was going to be wearing sandals and flip flops with the weather warming up!) I ended my afternoon alone with a double chocolate chip frappacino from Starbucks. Yum-O!! Then Friday night the kids were dying for me to open my present. So I obliged. Boy was I surprised!</div>
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I got a Kindle Fire last year so I definitely wasn't expecting a new Kindle Fire HD!! But I LOVE it!!! And the kids have inherited the old one to play games on so they'll leave this one alone! lol</div>
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I also received a new food processor and an electric wine opener from my mom. She also got me a case of chicken from Zaycon. That might sound weird to some but it is the best, freshest chicken I've ever had and will probably last us all summer (it was 40 pounds!!!) I love gifts like that!! My MIL and FIL got me a new purse and some body spray from Bath and Body Works. And my dad and Charles sent me these beauties:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they came with a box of chocolates from the Sweet Tooth, which is a local candy store.</td></tr>
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My brother Michael came over on Sunday and brought me some Sunflowers (my favorites!) and a cheesecake! Oh how that boy knows his sister! lol. My brother Chris (who lives in DC) got me a years subscription to Pandora 1. Totally awesome for this music lover! </div>
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I also received several cards in the mail from grandparents (all of whom live out of town, with the exception of Steven's grandma.) that were lovely! I love getting a card in the mail don't you? It just makes you feel so special and loved!<br />
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Oh and I forgot to mention that Eli decided to end my birthday weekend by crawling! Yup, that's right! Nothing is safe anymore!!<br />
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Let me know if the video doesn't work. I'm trying to upload it with a link from FB but I'm not sure if you guys will be able to see it or not!! </div>
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So yes, it was a wonderful birthday! I felt super spoiled by the end, but that's what birthdays are for right??! Now to start planning the next celebrations around here: a baby shower for Steven's cousin Kristi the first weekend in May, Brianna's 1st Communion the next weekend and then Steven's sister's graduation party June 15th. Luckily, a week and a half after that we leave for vacation. I'm gonna need it after all this partying!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-51626614195061783832013-04-05T16:45:00.001-04:002013-04-05T18:07:00.610-04:00Ultimate Blog Party 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrZxFiAqhQz4GUQ2_ckdO_s9zYWlRWHLb4RUYn9O-zx9gHTr7etPUeq2_aITHjjHKbtfjwfDc9dtF2rv5aa4xtmuni2U-_yeGzNloKFV2rHRW0sR8eGxL3tgE6WQhVkhyih4WcKVXjlA/s1600/ubp2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrZxFiAqhQz4GUQ2_ckdO_s9zYWlRWHLb4RUYn9O-zx9gHTr7etPUeq2_aITHjjHKbtfjwfDc9dtF2rv5aa4xtmuni2U-_yeGzNloKFV2rHRW0sR8eGxL3tgE6WQhVkhyih4WcKVXjlA/s320/ubp2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's time again for the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom. I did a <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2010/04/ultimate-blog-party-2010.html" target="_blank">post several years</a> ago for the UBP and it was great! I "met" a lot of bloggers whose blogs I still read to this day and consider them to be great "bloggy friends"! So here I am again hoping to meet some more like minded moms (and dads! We forget there are a lot of blogging dads too!) I'm hoping to find some more great blogs to follow and maybe get a few new followers myself! :-)</div>
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So, to all of you who are new here a big welcome! My name is Kari and this is my little corner of the world wide web. I am a child of the a '80s, a teenager of the'90s and a lover of life. I met my amazing husband Steven when I was 17. We married when I was 21. This year we celebrate 10 years as husband and wife, and 14 years as a couple. If you're good at math you can calculate my age from that! (If not, I'll just tell you that I turn 31 tomorrow, April 6th!) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first happiest day of our lives: October 18, 2003.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeficHM89Lb2LkctMCi9_pVD8TBC4cIx2CJ41EobkQXU2QjqKBX8ANWNpr4QQxwITX-wjdymFu12eXYwlAoi8PJstUyiXTdCDokt6YttJ54WxKER_UKYcH_W-O-8IHh7PABeZt5MKh44s/s1600/steven+and+I+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeficHM89Lb2LkctMCi9_pVD8TBC4cIx2CJ41EobkQXU2QjqKBX8ANWNpr4QQxwITX-wjdymFu12eXYwlAoi8PJstUyiXTdCDokt6YttJ54WxKER_UKYcH_W-O-8IHh7PABeZt5MKh44s/s320/steven+and+I+2013.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 years later</td></tr>
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I have a degree in Middle Grades Education, with an emphasis in math and science but I've never used it. After <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-birthday-to-jonahhappy-graduation.html" target="_blank">graduating</a> from <a href="http://www.nku.edu/" target="_blank">Northern Kentucky University</a> in 2008 (my mom, husband, and brother are also alums!) I already had 2 children and I was pregnant with my 3rd. We calculated how much daycare, gas, food, a professional wardrobe and money that would inevitably be spent on my classroom (since teachers get zip to use in their classrooms in most school districts!) and discovered there would be nothing left! So instead of choosing to work outside the home for bupkiss I decided to be a stay at home mom for the same salary! ;-) Well, not exactly the same salary...I get paid with all the hugs, kisses and snuggles I can handle! I'll take that over hormonal teenagers any day! In 2012 (after <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-heartbreak.html" target="_blank">loosing a baby</a> in 2011) we welcomed our 4th and final child Eli into our world. He has brought more to our lives than we could imagine. Our family of 6 is complete!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our blessings: Jonah (6), Micah (3), Brianna (8) and Elijah (who was 4 months when we took these pictures.)</td></tr>
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When I'm not chasing around boys, fighting off temper tantrums and diva moments from our daughter, changing diapers, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking another meal, cleaning up another mess, breastfeeding, changing a diaper, cleaning up another mess (wait! I repeated some of that!) I like to scrapbook (although I rarely have time to do that these days), surf Pinterest (you can follow me by clicking on the button on the sidebar.), watch old TV shows on Netflix (currently watching Brothers and Sisters again. Remember that show?!?! Love it!!), go on fun dates with my hubby and work towards creating an inviting and organized home. </div>
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We share our home with my mom, 3 generation living under 1 roof. You will hear about that here too, the struggles and joys of being a multigenerational home. It has been one of the biggest blessings of our lives. I come from a thoroughly modern family. My parents divorced when I was 14. My father is a gay man. He has been with his partner, Charles for 18 years. Both of my younger brothers are also gay. I feel very blessed to have all of them in my life. I know that the relationships with gay individuals and their families are not always easy. We try to be a picture of what tolerance and acceptance can look like if we can move beyond ourselves and learn to love each other unconditionally. We aren't perfect, there is always room for improvement, but we try to be the best we can be! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our modern family, my mom and dad are in the middle. My dad's partner Charles is in the back next to Steven. </td></tr>
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We are also a Catholic family. You will from time to time hear about our faith here. It is a big part of our lives, and we are very active in our parish. We love being Catholic (even if from time to time I tend to lean a little left in a few areas that the Church teaches...I'm sure you can guess which ones! lol) and we love to share what we are doing for holidays, Holy Days and regular days to incorporate our faith into our lives. </div>
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So there you have it! An introduction to us and our blog! I hope that you'll stay and browse around for a while! And hopefully you'll come back to visit again soon!</div>
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And if you are one of my regular readers (Hi guys!!) be sure to stop by <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/" target="_blank">5 Minutes for Mom</a> and check out some of the other blogs joining in on the <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/75741/ultimate-blog-party-2013/" target="_blank">Ultimate Blog Party 2013</a>. </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-40133005298190002222013-04-02T14:46:00.002-04:002013-04-02T14:46:20.326-04:0031 Day Organization Challenge- Closet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the 3rd and final post for Org Junkie's 31 Day Organization Challenge. For this post I will be focusing on the walk in closet of our Master Suite. You may remember in my original post about this challenge how I couldn't even comment about the closet. It upset me way too much! It was beyond out of control and so it was what I spent the longest amount of time trying to fix. I think you will be blown away by the results! On to Laura's questions!</div>
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1. What space did you decide to organize and why?<br />
I organized my Master Suite (bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet). This post focuses on the closet. I chose this space because it was in desperate need! I dreaded walking into the closet each morning to find clothes. Trying to spend any amount of time in there was enough to bring on a migraine. You couldn't go in without tripping over something or stepping on something. I kept the blinds closed all the time, even though we are on the 2nd floor, because I didn't want to think that anyone might have the slightest chance to see inside. It was depressing and overwhelming!<br />
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2. What steps did you take to ensure you completed the space within the 31 day timeline?<br />
I chose to dedicate the last 2 weeks of the challenge to this space. It needed the most work and I knew it would take the most time. I worked on one section at a time for however long that took before I moved on. I used Eli's naptime to work on it most days because I knew that would give me a 2 hour window to dedicate. Micah usually played in his room during this time or he might watch a movie.<br />
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3. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and how did you overcome it?<br />
The challenge was the amount of stuff! There was an overwhelming amount of stuff! I had boxes and baskets filled to the brim with papers and things that needed to be sorted through. I spent a good chunk of time sitting in the closet sorting things into piles (garbage, recycle, shred, donate, relocate). When I emptied a box I would get all the piles taken care of and then I would be done for that time period, or if Eli was still sleeping I'd press on.<br />
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4. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?<br />
The garbage can got a huge lawn bag full of garbage, the recycle can got another, the shredder saw a lot of paper. Goodwill got a drop off of two bags, a book donation box got a visit also. A container is ready to go to Dress for Success in downtown Cincinnati, and another box is getting prepared for the Urban League downtown (Steven is still going through clothes). Some things got moved to other places (sleeping bag in the camping trailer, books to bookshelves)<br />
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5. Tell me one of your proudest moments during this challenge?<br />
When Steven walked into the closet as we were entering the 2nd week and said "Where did everything do?" He was pretty pleased to say the least! He told everyone that he talked to about what I was doing. That made me feel great and made all the work feel very worthwhile!<br />
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6. Explain any organizing “tools” you used to help you create additional space and to establish some limits and boundaries?<br />
I used the file cabinet in there to it's fullest. In the beginning the filing cabinet wasn't being utilized, it was just there taking up space. We used banker boxes, hanging file folders, and some new bins we bought at Ikea. We also have shelf extenders that help give us more space and Steven also has a tie organizer. We both have shoe racks to hold shoes (all but my boots, which don't fit and my tennis shoes). I told Steven when he runs out of room on the tie organizer, no more ties unless he gets rid of some. We got rid of a few and he now has room for 8 new ties. :-) No new shoes for me until I get rid of some because there is no room on my rack. :-)<br />
<br />
7. What is ONE piece of organizing advice you’ve learned on this journey that you could encourage someone else with?<br />
If you don't have room, don't get anything new. And if you want something new you need to get rid of something to make room for it. Shoving things in a space where there is no room to contain will quickly result in chaos!<br />
<br />
And now, on to the pictures!! None of you have seen any of the after pictures yet so I'm super excited to show them to you!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mE_eW3rTZE9VO3apc3QjG1upVwxdgHqbw9rH-FdfxCiROXahoPda61ydRHffIaoEUBF0AYm9hQR3tMTBszBSHvM9NvpRJSCT1uividjOF2u1Jl3pZMV2cOE9eIyg49yqtY-SHTXljUY/s1600/closet+before+17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mE_eW3rTZE9VO3apc3QjG1upVwxdgHqbw9rH-FdfxCiROXahoPda61ydRHffIaoEUBF0AYm9hQR3tMTBszBSHvM9NvpRJSCT1uividjOF2u1Jl3pZMV2cOE9eIyg49yqtY-SHTXljUY/s320/closet+before+17.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: the bane of my existence! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWvTAzh64WJVf2JEI27ja5VqPZ1tXNCpkF9E-ojpQ4WwtH8tXtjOFHdvLSQkfW0PStyFr_IjDQODPZD-iIPVLScGVhdXZIr1JZuUp05Tv4utLxq8XCOpA8kAzVaVEb1x08eM-LpzISaE/s1600/closet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWvTAzh64WJVf2JEI27ja5VqPZ1tXNCpkF9E-ojpQ4WwtH8tXtjOFHdvLSQkfW0PStyFr_IjDQODPZD-iIPVLScGVhdXZIr1JZuUp05Tv4utLxq8XCOpA8kAzVaVEb1x08eM-LpzISaE/s320/closet+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: sorry it's so dark! That window makes it hard to photograph into! But you can see it's a drastic difference!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVo7Lxxn63orgGzCuAcxwebUXs7w8kq5G3gFgthKREWLLgzBb8HH-oc8UaU3W_62jPnESl0fkg_hJCjRFTg1mH8y5vNkIzouLpwaCmKpVjTKD3C9hPCsw8Fd8qJeQ1EIcVluR6gkJaFHk/s1600/closet+before+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVo7Lxxn63orgGzCuAcxwebUXs7w8kq5G3gFgthKREWLLgzBb8HH-oc8UaU3W_62jPnESl0fkg_hJCjRFTg1mH8y5vNkIzouLpwaCmKpVjTKD3C9hPCsw8Fd8qJeQ1EIcVluR6gkJaFHk/s320/closet+before+16.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My side of the closet right inside the door. Piles of shoes, weights (not even mine!!) and a box of light fixtures we've had for years and never installed and a box with Steven's shot glass collection.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERwoVATvJ_1uVrmEyCYan0Bg9Mly7MDlb3RSYKUkNmO0-OvUuw5npu-Vg5aOzzuNmHl60HE0A1K3FES0v9pCwMJXx4Dw19s6E1qSznHDACm51l2NSWgAZnt8T5tuMg0pbu6TAGWSPF3w/s1600/laundry+basket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERwoVATvJ_1uVrmEyCYan0Bg9Mly7MDlb3RSYKUkNmO0-OvUuw5npu-Vg5aOzzuNmHl60HE0A1K3FES0v9pCwMJXx4Dw19s6E1qSznHDACm51l2NSWgAZnt8T5tuMg0pbu6TAGWSPF3w/s320/laundry+basket.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My side after. Piles gone! Moved the laundry basket into the laundry room to get it out of view. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliCbjDB45qOzWdk276fvTnXsu66v4m4-FkCgBdHEnmTOTyteWrHJmfQLPrNQcF9N7-PEdjoepd1OGiEzgfphB1gZjx8lhLvewTczdzyK10JDQlGZPAUvGjmbnbzsufP-blExHtzPsfZ4/s1600/closet+before+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliCbjDB45qOzWdk276fvTnXsu66v4m4-FkCgBdHEnmTOTyteWrHJmfQLPrNQcF9N7-PEdjoepd1OGiEzgfphB1gZjx8lhLvewTczdzyK10JDQlGZPAUvGjmbnbzsufP-blExHtzPsfZ4/s320/closet+before+14.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the shoe rack before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOQYvOH2YtqtPtbgLxSgDIS1szVhV6M2wUHPRcqEfHFIUNVKz7LhyphenhyphenvuAFjGhw034k0vgwvSFAL3VE20c_mQn6njheoXnYkjW_nelR5VjdkysayDsVH7J2xjQ6wPuieemuRPtEjyO1DP0/s1600/my+floor+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOQYvOH2YtqtPtbgLxSgDIS1szVhV6M2wUHPRcqEfHFIUNVKz7LhyphenhyphenvuAFjGhw034k0vgwvSFAL3VE20c_mQn6njheoXnYkjW_nelR5VjdkysayDsVH7J2xjQ6wPuieemuRPtEjyO1DP0/s320/my+floor+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoe rack after. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP5DeW_0Eah8AUl-f9L565omIUBFxDtRUPuJgDN1DQ3dsiz1cKYnq0po_9LQjUoz4PCI8C1V_9AenNwjbj0mTZFX-nveYMu8lKkiC9qyaS8Q3qaZQff9uk3nLq3sC21h2nRqUrqjSLEQ/s1600/shoes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP5DeW_0Eah8AUl-f9L565omIUBFxDtRUPuJgDN1DQ3dsiz1cKYnq0po_9LQjUoz4PCI8C1V_9AenNwjbj0mTZFX-nveYMu8lKkiC9qyaS8Q3qaZQff9uk3nLq3sC21h2nRqUrqjSLEQ/s320/shoes+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See...no more room! No more shoes :-( Or just buy another rack! lol</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdBk0bBc84ZN17srghJSkQVTlzi8zBPjYFS1T_p0qqDMvWQBEnmTfwQLgBVGGnGXSkhyF0XUkdCzd3ZuycAqm6O1R5aEPYRp6zk-c0qz2CgyQ3lAmOPGOnxFb6bhXfgGhZJyDIgze5y8/s1600/boots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdBk0bBc84ZN17srghJSkQVTlzi8zBPjYFS1T_p0qqDMvWQBEnmTfwQLgBVGGnGXSkhyF0XUkdCzd3ZuycAqm6O1R5aEPYRp6zk-c0qz2CgyQ3lAmOPGOnxFb6bhXfgGhZJyDIgze5y8/s320/boots.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My boots and tennis shoes (minus the ones I was wearing when I took the pictures!) Love me some boots! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojSeDO4uTfrrt_VSmdWQrOZIqriKYTjuXhBT1pxq9AM_-bdGWwqDhvkNF_1-FdnSNmcNL-sRKNO7HxRFeX0U3_TXrsOQn57fYKUbvOTFY7pz6kWFsmQwqKwNmA7PXmizfbYS6g8YdE38/s1600/closet+before+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojSeDO4uTfrrt_VSmdWQrOZIqriKYTjuXhBT1pxq9AM_-bdGWwqDhvkNF_1-FdnSNmcNL-sRKNO7HxRFeX0U3_TXrsOQn57fYKUbvOTFY7pz6kWFsmQwqKwNmA7PXmizfbYS6g8YdE38/s320/closet+before+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top shelf on my side before. That Luvs box had every journal I've ever written in since I was 11. The box on top is my daughter's Baptism dress. The pink box is my wedding dress. In front is my purse, shoes and the guest book from our wedding. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgIS3KxNALFcCQ1WqsXHJcz324JW9ESYY2A0GjEFC2SQItjc_1lUOzhsoA5ZJXyn-jsy8M0uNldyXX2Ojw3xDw6iSoOCCZf_-FD3_vmM-YHpUB-A59ybX8oPO-7GCySfiJLo8eFr-I3w/s1600/closet+before+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgIS3KxNALFcCQ1WqsXHJcz324JW9ESYY2A0GjEFC2SQItjc_1lUOzhsoA5ZJXyn-jsy8M0uNldyXX2Ojw3xDw6iSoOCCZf_-FD3_vmM-YHpUB-A59ybX8oPO-7GCySfiJLo8eFr-I3w/s320/closet+before+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bankers box has held memorabilia of mine for probably 20 years! It's been through I can't remember how many moves. I did go through it and try to thin it out to the lid would at least close! You can see my purses next to it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fqXMVUrejcGKvd62Q7BBuNib4MmGlF_rRgVaJR-71RBz0bY6csBeKBOXr8W9Wj0sY6h-KHFib0LDf51nxElppBGai9cF1ryuGRfiCqNWB3DSEACNr4bpUbbXQo8lVyFBDIzd3IUGl54/s1600/purses%252C+belts%252C+scarves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fqXMVUrejcGKvd62Q7BBuNib4MmGlF_rRgVaJR-71RBz0bY6csBeKBOXr8W9Wj0sY6h-KHFib0LDf51nxElppBGai9cF1ryuGRfiCqNWB3DSEACNr4bpUbbXQo8lVyFBDIzd3IUGl54/s320/purses%252C+belts%252C+scarves.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same shot after: The big black bin on top holds my purses. Bankers box is gone. The smaller black boxes hold scarves and belts. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdW_6XpM2T3j7z763q-DMlf7BWsk3VlijS4oxvsF51tKAJZaBZb9UbIx2xKJ0s4TJ0aJVzH2bF6-KX6qQwkUXM1PbFiWYI95VcGMfhyphenhyphen5c7qPEfgFOXjMfzhIGzyUVryzhohADWLtQYkfA/s1600/my+sweaters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdW_6XpM2T3j7z763q-DMlf7BWsk3VlijS4oxvsF51tKAJZaBZb9UbIx2xKJ0s4TJ0aJVzH2bF6-KX6qQwkUXM1PbFiWYI95VcGMfhyphenhyphen5c7qPEfgFOXjMfzhIGzyUVryzhohADWLtQYkfA/s320/my+sweaters.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other side of the bin holding my purses is my sweaters.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhF30RWePZCd-RtgY_qOeATSlvTIBP23b4vdhNySMH6jGEpK3o11oxH5bJ-3pvahc-E2MwRKxMeTP3LKAxBGQEfqOnLu3mKtYFVIhwR_KqT54xPtrG-P-P0c8ne2-xO1g65L7PJxwtxx4/s1600/jewelry+box+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhF30RWePZCd-RtgY_qOeATSlvTIBP23b4vdhNySMH6jGEpK3o11oxH5bJ-3pvahc-E2MwRKxMeTP3LKAxBGQEfqOnLu3mKtYFVIhwR_KqT54xPtrG-P-P0c8ne2-xO1g65L7PJxwtxx4/s320/jewelry+box+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My jewelry box. I realized it didn't show up in any of the before pictures but not too much happened here! I removed a tray on top that had jewelry I was no longer wearing. My mom went through it. Then we are going to give it to my mother in law to sell on Ebay if she so desires. The bag next to the box is full of PSR stuff that my husband needs to go through. He's the CRE of our program (coordinator) so he needs to make the call about this stuff, not me!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu-5CICljntaC5RxQf2giNETBUFZTKOVYYL7rwlEp1IlkU-QhSfhCxAPVBJxZXQTDzOUXutqWlf-bqIFODNqlf7mjE9Kb7HpEjKTEOx2NluMiA0N4vBPystGsh_BwOmyCpTIWEosFWng/s1600/closet+before+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu-5CICljntaC5RxQf2giNETBUFZTKOVYYL7rwlEp1IlkU-QhSfhCxAPVBJxZXQTDzOUXutqWlf-bqIFODNqlf7mjE9Kb7HpEjKTEOx2NluMiA0N4vBPystGsh_BwOmyCpTIWEosFWng/s320/closet+before+11.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the filing cabinet before. It was two layers deep up there!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsBO-lDI7oJbqMygu5U1ly8NEIWIZJVTefLPSAzU1K5Wrfebki9qT1Q1_g6NOAbKcuPqhpRyf9E822mZBYFpNSoZrCGebz9tzIEpZGhEc5LfKYz8IGC-MqDpaT7KTvnxses07wofckVg/s1600/closet+before+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsBO-lDI7oJbqMygu5U1ly8NEIWIZJVTefLPSAzU1K5Wrfebki9qT1Q1_g6NOAbKcuPqhpRyf9E822mZBYFpNSoZrCGebz9tzIEpZGhEc5LfKYz8IGC-MqDpaT7KTvnxses07wofckVg/s320/closet+before+10.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better look at the top with a look at Steven's shelf on that side. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_XA8qdt8DPxuzaN6cEKgpuKOn7VM6iAQ4EOnFnUtPbEekKPkYlWcs56Q3HyUB5RbEin522AHriWwucyArDcpFz_hAFppNB8eH1jRqEV29Y1jtvKKhn3UpMc0Jze7YPVzQsrk1OaMYm8/s1600/top+of+file+cabinet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_XA8qdt8DPxuzaN6cEKgpuKOn7VM6iAQ4EOnFnUtPbEekKPkYlWcs56Q3HyUB5RbEin522AHriWwucyArDcpFz_hAFppNB8eH1jRqEV29Y1jtvKKhn3UpMc0Jze7YPVzQsrk1OaMYm8/s320/top+of+file+cabinet+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of the filing cabinet after, with view of the shelf. Steven and I each have a bankers box filled with memorabilia we wanted to keep from our childhoods, etc. In front of each box are our degrees from NKU. Gotta show them off somewhere! ;-) </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnlyOXw3dUKIp-UKEM6K081Gh8zA8UzAspfrx-O_4p6RNhZLvTcrc3ipyJHFuMYauyg0-rkcTKiN9mRQh07J7j1MUpPwHFnxfQ-vCk9Sj1mLJKUiLPoN2OtmELPDZ6tbhJIyhGuzK6_8/s1600/baseball+cards%252C+travel+momentos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnlyOXw3dUKIp-UKEM6K081Gh8zA8UzAspfrx-O_4p6RNhZLvTcrc3ipyJHFuMYauyg0-rkcTKiN9mRQh07J7j1MUpPwHFnxfQ-vCk9Sj1mLJKUiLPoN2OtmELPDZ6tbhJIyhGuzK6_8/s320/baseball+cards%252C+travel+momentos.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the shelf next to the wall, Steven's baseball cards. Anyone who has a husband who collects (or collected) baseball cards knows you don't touch them. You don't even suggest getting rid of them. You just make it work! lol In the container is memorabilia from trips that haven't made it into scrapbooks yet or wouldn't fit in scrapbooks (like Steven's plate from Maine with lighthouses.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzd39iryXhdaceXvxsa4nKhcErqCbz2822iFbWiT3R8zGgFSJoL37rk5ntFPpRm9pr70XK-lNmgO_Mh2Nrsn2kLz6i8w9HN5eYoOSa2FSojh3h6NCnfWdzrfRuFygsJk5vMvUENoFa3g/s1600/real+estate+documents%252C+shot+glasses%252C+cards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzd39iryXhdaceXvxsa4nKhcErqCbz2822iFbWiT3R8zGgFSJoL37rk5ntFPpRm9pr70XK-lNmgO_Mh2Nrsn2kLz6i8w9HN5eYoOSa2FSojh3h6NCnfWdzrfRuFygsJk5vMvUENoFa3g/s320/real+estate+documents%252C+shot+glasses%252C+cards.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the clear drawer is real estate paperwork. This a drawer that I need to go through with both my mom and Steven. I don't feel like I can get rid of stuff without us all going through it together. The brown box is Steven's shot glass collection. I'm hoping this can be displayed again somewhere soon. He has some really cool ones! The Banker box on top holds cards. Yes, cards. I have almost every card I've ever been given in my (almost) 31 years! I also keep all my children's cards and Steven has a lot of his. I'm having trouble getting rid of them, but I know I don't need to keep them. If anyone has any great ideas I'd really appreciate it!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn4tDzCwQQsudKNeMlz2MB7h3i1QUAz4tUvqSs6BEMhTdhST_xKoS2EftBIXwZYT71ExL-2NqqWu4p9fjrqhjlYAxB3AHFUDMCels7miuh_No-w6hbiiDol65UqIDTfFG6Ve6XbLXHtg/s1600/closet+before+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn4tDzCwQQsudKNeMlz2MB7h3i1QUAz4tUvqSs6BEMhTdhST_xKoS2EftBIXwZYT71ExL-2NqqWu4p9fjrqhjlYAxB3AHFUDMCels7miuh_No-w6hbiiDol65UqIDTfFG6Ve6XbLXHtg/s320/closet+before+12.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floor in front of the filing cabinet before: boxes, bins, baskets full of crap! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKJNgjK1ax4H5MYv_ydy6tIwXmfCpveK-PbnteLMy94m8XhMww4pqsLSYd1QH6bQnvCjYAJyfkqTyfm0UxmkiWbqxLPAROcrcluU6eXfQwmxL7BXGLNHkU4lFs0OpM7sFUP15rkKnM1U/s1600/top+drawer+file+cabinet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKJNgjK1ax4H5MYv_ydy6tIwXmfCpveK-PbnteLMy94m8XhMww4pqsLSYd1QH6bQnvCjYAJyfkqTyfm0UxmkiWbqxLPAROcrcluU6eXfQwmxL7BXGLNHkU4lFs0OpM7sFUP15rkKnM1U/s320/top+drawer+file+cabinet.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer of the filing cabinet after. Before this held hanging file folders that weren't being used. Now each member of the family has a file to hold pertinent information (birth certificates, etc.) In the back are files for taxes, manuals, warranties, etc. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTv8HmgaF359WDon50bv8KkXv4FR14d4XxcYY4pcRUiypz68eJBf4DYkQwtuJ7tYK7DnmkisZQNsRFYzAxBDqzHBqk0TglXVo6HzYuayJdqvt5jlo1MEjB0E93WgTa8yP92UVFrFm4ww/s1600/2nd+drawer+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTv8HmgaF359WDon50bv8KkXv4FR14d4XxcYY4pcRUiypz68eJBf4DYkQwtuJ7tYK7DnmkisZQNsRFYzAxBDqzHBqk0TglXVo6HzYuayJdqvt5jlo1MEjB0E93WgTa8yP92UVFrFm4ww/s320/2nd+drawer+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left side 2nd drawer after: music books and sheet music (in the blue binder)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMejr36zsHX9WlolkLdBSJLXvDxef-ilxGOiY2QTcCHUxiA1KxJavwVP7UElR5cnU_gtGy2X-hJFv8GqcUPrlWe5jQLyPV67H7kn7qMTQ2XlLE5WGuDBj72B5syP8m4DTDeUfsR5yNLo/s1600/2nd+drawer+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMejr36zsHX9WlolkLdBSJLXvDxef-ilxGOiY2QTcCHUxiA1KxJavwVP7UElR5cnU_gtGy2X-hJFv8GqcUPrlWe5jQLyPV67H7kn7qMTQ2XlLE5WGuDBj72B5syP8m4DTDeUfsR5yNLo/s320/2nd+drawer+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right side 2nd drawer after: every journal and scrapbook I've kept since I was a tween. The journals were in the Luvs box in the before picture. I can't get rid of them. They're too funny! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtr5omPZ1v8kwLe3-j3LdeiF6WEQQpcjJIA-pMcinRHxWbYJVUa5MAY9Hx0ULu_OAuhWJnbGjg25EIaTOzWg0jUdkIdKbt0lTqcVzKQ49JgemT3Hc9BeJalcKs_dga0iPxOmhorJgUPbg/s1600/3rd+drawer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtr5omPZ1v8kwLe3-j3LdeiF6WEQQpcjJIA-pMcinRHxWbYJVUa5MAY9Hx0ULu_OAuhWJnbGjg25EIaTOzWg0jUdkIdKbt0lTqcVzKQ49JgemT3Hc9BeJalcKs_dga0iPxOmhorJgUPbg/s320/3rd+drawer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd drawer after: photo albums and photos in frames. Also a few canvas portraits. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqX4UfaKX1i06jj2rw437QnumaIRwwzFWfvh-VDgcVyBbE1Fb3Hp-47CH-lIPFqyuMv6lmBRvFEaFTW9tDJDqyeYBOv8JOWfzL8IG75Ld1HfFP2NUmuINymDHMCC-Y1wOM-Bd-PQDHsA/s1600/DSCF4163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqX4UfaKX1i06jj2rw437QnumaIRwwzFWfvh-VDgcVyBbE1Fb3Hp-47CH-lIPFqyuMv6lmBRvFEaFTW9tDJDqyeYBOv8JOWfzL8IG75Ld1HfFP2NUmuINymDHMCC-Y1wOM-Bd-PQDHsA/s320/DSCF4163.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th drawer after: more photos. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpRk_tBaCZk1_l_MXtRkY7_qVBYR5UhU2Oz5S3qGv4NG6kCK39FB25rOhOcsvFsmLzCAtYcA6kHD5Uwb44mAJCHg7VWj5TBgYajke6kgtTIGMsCrEMhhaHOt06obv2Lpajbj_3YVbqQU/s1600/closet+before+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpRk_tBaCZk1_l_MXtRkY7_qVBYR5UhU2Oz5S3qGv4NG6kCK39FB25rOhOcsvFsmLzCAtYcA6kHD5Uwb44mAJCHg7VWj5TBgYajke6kgtTIGMsCrEMhhaHOt06obv2Lpajbj_3YVbqQU/s320/closet+before+9.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next the filing cabinet on Steven's side before. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_RGlWan6hyqcUusG0EC12DEfCE-puwo3HGljUIE2FfVqOuP58uM62kcfhelZ3szxUBIfYI7LrPoIpVtSv8Xjfe-gZec8n6oEzLKcpFfbyXr8QPMBjwIXLgA-iRGCizSszVqOh1VQc7c/s1600/steven%2527s+floor+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_RGlWan6hyqcUusG0EC12DEfCE-puwo3HGljUIE2FfVqOuP58uM62kcfhelZ3szxUBIfYI7LrPoIpVtSv8Xjfe-gZec8n6oEzLKcpFfbyXr8QPMBjwIXLgA-iRGCizSszVqOh1VQc7c/s320/steven%2527s+floor+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next to the filing cabinet after. The box of binders is genealogy stuff. I don't have a better place for it right now. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp6MOKjlooWLmHLG5yZTGExUXCS3V9WiL5r6rPPdP6XGp6-fnzTNGlhNKrW0te451Xek2GcuoFadP7bl7tkqHfHwVQ1hzOc_qsF1ZbV_FOryNAthxJy_iUGIU0a0O6-XywH6kYD5RFtY/s1600/closet+before+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp6MOKjlooWLmHLG5yZTGExUXCS3V9WiL5r6rPPdP6XGp6-fnzTNGlhNKrW0te451Xek2GcuoFadP7bl7tkqHfHwVQ1hzOc_qsF1ZbV_FOryNAthxJy_iUGIU0a0O6-XywH6kYD5RFtY/s320/closet+before+6.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the floor on Steven's side before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr-jQYjbm9lgfhkI3xG4Az2Kwk_i6EObYT7JC25uzDXRG92aiZUO259mnf5God2oZSkvIDCWS7KNyXHHSsc4oTi_bHMNmrtOk6r7lNIQ1H15xbsCOwqkp5ZbqGn8nc-w_fC7DMoHI8Kk/s1600/closet+before+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr-jQYjbm9lgfhkI3xG4Az2Kwk_i6EObYT7JC25uzDXRG92aiZUO259mnf5God2oZSkvIDCWS7KNyXHHSsc4oTi_bHMNmrtOk6r7lNIQ1H15xbsCOwqkp5ZbqGn8nc-w_fC7DMoHI8Kk/s320/closet+before+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of a pile of crap!! Can I tell you how many clothes I found in there that I was wondering where they had gone to?? Annoying!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqusTPS9M4hT0TPk_Tofa4KYIUWxHzWxuq7ujGc6lmHLAjXU4sLm3RV9rknUT7_y_bJv9UhOxPk0JWbaavS0c9T1mYv9D8xx0e6Tqw0-gbh3-FGFPvC77-LGkMBv5g73XCD11mXRV35WE/s1600/steven%2527s+floor+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqusTPS9M4hT0TPk_Tofa4KYIUWxHzWxuq7ujGc6lmHLAjXU4sLm3RV9rknUT7_y_bJv9UhOxPk0JWbaavS0c9T1mYv9D8xx0e6Tqw0-gbh3-FGFPvC77-LGkMBv5g73XCD11mXRV35WE/s320/steven%2527s+floor+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floor on Steven's side after! Much, much better!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoPGNegK3i0vF4cEJJQDn2CSbmwPKgJDL-0tBut3ReKTw0JVgKPvEyLrGN_Z70z1aOKLrDUczgGMpJIlIXHsohho9hwDSVRikgvzFY9LtPwwWWn52Xy_noDv3ky-iTEA_smvInV3mle0/s1600/closet+before+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoPGNegK3i0vF4cEJJQDn2CSbmwPKgJDL-0tBut3ReKTw0JVgKPvEyLrGN_Z70z1aOKLrDUczgGMpJIlIXHsohho9hwDSVRikgvzFY9LtPwwWWn52Xy_noDv3ky-iTEA_smvInV3mle0/s320/closet+before+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's shelf before.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiaJ-C2f5L1SKE-K370VHteakmqt6CXDq_VogcmvNzTsluAlj_AnARh-NaPoj6Xx_ozjs78Bsw2qb-JO2daruuq4YFfU8ABG4ji20Uc1sHcdAw9wH9OeLPg0CVsht78OZJzcP8m6xUDE/s1600/closet+before+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiaJ-C2f5L1SKE-K370VHteakmqt6CXDq_VogcmvNzTsluAlj_AnARh-NaPoj6Xx_ozjs78Bsw2qb-JO2daruuq4YFfU8ABG4ji20Uc1sHcdAw9wH9OeLPg0CVsht78OZJzcP8m6xUDE/s320/closet+before+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the shelf before.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv0VKO3_IsFtIP_W7Bs29t3BcIGqsk7SDNri_80zkXGRqRABOh2nd9qOxVm29NiltvfplvVQmRLb97Hlhyphenhyphen4kAQNxkv62ZuEoONTDgqHPHoHZ-4Phpxk9UPQ8akZCHQEWBmQ3unSLMQMk/s1600/hats%252C+shorts%252C+jeans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv0VKO3_IsFtIP_W7Bs29t3BcIGqsk7SDNri_80zkXGRqRABOh2nd9qOxVm29NiltvfplvVQmRLb97Hlhyphenhyphen4kAQNxkv62ZuEoONTDgqHPHoHZ-4Phpxk9UPQ8akZCHQEWBmQ3unSLMQMk/s320/hats%252C+shorts%252C+jeans.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelf after view 1.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5vj0S-NNnPUZ_3FWJTktt_MeePhAICi0i9PzQJ_pNxRkKzF3mRRdpeQPuL946Vf5eVhWUGj5mNNXN_ZyOr0YfyHSvw9eUBHZkdv9vsfT4LWF0DlcOHcuGHbhwmj2i6sTd5CzVmbDftU/s1600/steven%2527s+sweaters+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5vj0S-NNnPUZ_3FWJTktt_MeePhAICi0i9PzQJ_pNxRkKzF3mRRdpeQPuL946Vf5eVhWUGj5mNNXN_ZyOr0YfyHSvw9eUBHZkdv9vsfT4LWF0DlcOHcuGHbhwmj2i6sTd5CzVmbDftU/s320/steven%2527s+sweaters+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelf after view 2.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbk5-ZY29gEsaQtAz-HzVCF3p2v9yLYXKMc9beFCRcO4lsQjnAZa097CJaLjbf9X4-4qHro4Mase6Xez6AkUd7spKhNIUpWLQG8BHYX-uoi0mtpYz59AbPqVjDYm9rmyz8O57VaIJr7k/s1600/closet+before+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbk5-ZY29gEsaQtAz-HzVCF3p2v9yLYXKMc9beFCRcO4lsQjnAZa097CJaLjbf9X4-4qHro4Mase6Xez6AkUd7spKhNIUpWLQG8BHYX-uoi0mtpYz59AbPqVjDYm9rmyz8O57VaIJr7k/s320/closet+before+7.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mess of ties before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgzlF9wFpQdkbCB_lM_6kkl5mgwodyP3RO4zGBQljUjG0O7KnPBm9i5BDqRE8Y9mjvDt7M9ms0hKQ6gCfLtt754fH4tR5NadTEZnA8_TonvhkLt5ddc7jBoylhMhFZassccBknpLECbw/s1600/ties+and+belts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgzlF9wFpQdkbCB_lM_6kkl5mgwodyP3RO4zGBQljUjG0O7KnPBm9i5BDqRE8Y9mjvDt7M9ms0hKQ6gCfLtt754fH4tR5NadTEZnA8_TonvhkLt5ddc7jBoylhMhFZassccBknpLECbw/s320/ties+and+belts.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ties after with belts on a hanger next to them.</td></tr>
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So that's it! I am LOVING my closet right now. I'll be anxious to see how long we can keep it looking this good. Hopefully it will last! Once again, thanks to Laura at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2013/03/31-day-organizational-challenge-final-link-up.html" target="_blank">Org Junkie </a>for hosting such a great challenge. Apparently all I needed was a little was some motivation to light my fire! I'm already making a list of what to tackle next!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-31314897770550821632013-04-02T12:54:00.002-04:002013-04-02T12:54:41.811-04:0031 Day Organization Challenge- Bathroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAYKVWufFpZCkaVJN4_3L1Sznw0mUAN-iZm1zJTC5GUsPn0eGfZC4xRQ9j7jTqtDp1SuNCzJdpKN3KdWhpj51AhyphenhyphenjcFrIaHWbLbLMwB3k4N8_L2if1z7eSkQZL5umIJ00XGGrRAGTjbM/s1600/31-Day-340px-Border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAYKVWufFpZCkaVJN4_3L1Sznw0mUAN-iZm1zJTC5GUsPn0eGfZC4xRQ9j7jTqtDp1SuNCzJdpKN3KdWhpj51AhyphenhyphenjcFrIaHWbLbLMwB3k4N8_L2if1z7eSkQZL5umIJ00XGGrRAGTjbM/s320/31-Day-340px-Border.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, the challenge is over! I have worked my butt off over the last 31 days and I am so excited with what I accomplished! It is time to link up the final results to <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">Org Junkie</a> and celebrate our successes! Laura has asked if we did more than 1 space that we post more than 1 post showing the before and after pictures. I guess I qualify for this since I did my master bedroom, master bathroom and our walk in closet. This post will be for the bathroom. </div>
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Laura gave us some questions that she wanted to answer to evaluate what we did over the last 31 days so here it goes:</div>
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1. What space did you decide to organize and why?</div>
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I decided to focus on our Master bedroom, Master bathroom and walk in closet. I chose to focus on our Master suite because it is the one space in the house that we've never done anything with! We've always been so focused on areas of the house that people see when they come over or areas that kids use that we always put ourselves last. Well, this time it was our turn!!<br />
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2. What steps did you take to ensure you completed the space within the 31 day timeline?<br />
In order to complete the space in time I broke it down and figured out how much time each space would require. The bathroom which this post is about I figured I could knock out in less than a week, so I devoted the 2nd week of the challenge to the bathroom. I set aside an hour a few days a week to get in there and work hard, and then every day I would work for another 15-20 minutes to keep up the progress.<br />
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3. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and how did you overcome it?<br />
The hardest part of the bathroom was that we have almost zip places to store things! We have one sink, so we only have one cabinet. We also have a medicine cabinet. We brought in a couple of organizers for towels when we moved in (5 years ago) and a 4 drawer organizer to sit on the vanity, which became a catch all. Because we have less places to put things it really became a game of where can we shove this?? Chaos had definitely taken over!<br />
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4. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?<br />
The garbage got a lot of stuff from the bathroom (like the 4 boxes of hair dye that I found! I don't dye my hair! And I've had it for years so I figured it had probably gone bad!) The garbage also got a lot of expired meds, sunscreens, and beauty products. My children's bathroom will benefit from the fish decorations in our window once we get the new shelf hung up in their bathroom. <br />
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5. Tell me one of your proudest moments during this challenge?<br />
When I walked in to the bathroom sometime during the 3rd week of the challenge and it was clean! There was no clutter on the counter top, nothing fell out on top of me when I opened the cabinet door. We could find everything when we needed it! Yup, that felt pretty darn awesome!!<br />
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6. Explain any organizing “tools” you used to help you create additional space and to establish some limits and boundaries?<br />
For me it was using baskets, bowls, and containers I already had to hold items that needed to be corraled. I have a bowl in the top drawer of the 4 drawer organizer that holds nail polish. All little beauty tools (nail clippers, tweezers, etc) are in a zipper bag. I used a jewelry box from IKEA to hold hair items (bobby pins, elastic ponytail holders, etc.) A basket under the sink holds extra tubes of toothpaste, bars of soap, cough drops, etc. That basket is pretty much full right now so I can't buy more toothpaste, etc. until there is room in the basket for them. Finding things around the house and thinking "Hey I could use that to hold (insert item here)" became a really fun game!<br />
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7. What is ONE piece of organizing advice you’ve learned on this journey that you could encourage someone else with?<br />
Get rid of the junk BEFORE it takes over! There was no reason for me to have 4 boxes of hair dye when I don't even dye my hair! There was no reason to have 8 candles (yes, 8!!!) under my sink when I only light 1 or 2 when I'm soaking in the tub. Throw away stuff every year as they expire instead of 3 years later!! Doing a regular purge will help me be able to keep it from ever getting like that again.<br />
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So, without further ado here are the before and after pictures.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn9KhqDhxYddmLjU64NRR1lzF65pTUROSJ6X6Gg3anBVY2dDTszLjSxADDMITNZVW8hjG7He5pGukZT4rlbflUt5cCW2hZ4xnPtPn-wwmNu7b1MJWPLCyW_TQ30mcIGQECkckq5D3qpk/s1600/bath+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn9KhqDhxYddmLjU64NRR1lzF65pTUROSJ6X6Gg3anBVY2dDTszLjSxADDMITNZVW8hjG7He5pGukZT4rlbflUt5cCW2hZ4xnPtPn-wwmNu7b1MJWPLCyW_TQ30mcIGQECkckq5D3qpk/s320/bath+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom before. Our bathroom is hard to get a good picture of from either inside or outside! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CZOdZKBgZJCcECKpYgD298mXRJ9YbySuvKcw0Ay3kllfGqYKsemp5wau5E2-pgWYX9KL-Rj-9XJXjk5vGVGcjbpuu9aYtDCgwB_bpmcjMiSbpYff_yYuzDFKAhBSzAR6rMQqi7Gillw/s1600/bath+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CZOdZKBgZJCcECKpYgD298mXRJ9YbySuvKcw0Ay3kllfGqYKsemp5wau5E2-pgWYX9KL-Rj-9XJXjk5vGVGcjbpuu9aYtDCgwB_bpmcjMiSbpYff_yYuzDFKAhBSzAR6rMQqi7Gillw/s320/bath+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom after. You can clearly see less on top of the medicine cabinet and the counter is clean.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvQwSuac4_o3SnpAd2XgrHL-3cjp0h6HjuhFT3XH4K1kEUQ2r8aYOUFJL4mm9dXnZNImkJ2r2oWXctiFywCOu2-RbYIXXvl1DGMyvFbuxlA4RNhh7k2rzADuJxwzJKKPW5js-nHGVRX4/s1600/counter+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvQwSuac4_o3SnpAd2XgrHL-3cjp0h6HjuhFT3XH4K1kEUQ2r8aYOUFJL4mm9dXnZNImkJ2r2oWXctiFywCOu2-RbYIXXvl1DGMyvFbuxlA4RNhh7k2rzADuJxwzJKKPW5js-nHGVRX4/s320/counter+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the vanity area when you first walk in. You can see the two organizers we added to give us more storage. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAyduJwI18loaWcNFqcA2wOK5oySlwmOrBTIbLlR0VWbH06XJ6uMe8vAKE2Qw2ZANfpJ5ENO3KWXrkLZZwFGAlIYe8Tm-f8M7sm49z8Kh-B-ExNgvEV8X-WYd5BNJyPbndQ5OeC7PZvw/s1600/counter+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAyduJwI18loaWcNFqcA2wOK5oySlwmOrBTIbLlR0VWbH06XJ6uMe8vAKE2Qw2ZANfpJ5ENO3KWXrkLZZwFGAlIYe8Tm-f8M7sm49z8Kh-B-ExNgvEV8X-WYd5BNJyPbndQ5OeC7PZvw/s320/counter+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vanity area after. Oh yea. I'm liking this! And I'm loving the Windex Touch Up (see it there in the corner?) Have you tried it yet? I have one in each bathroom and in the kitchen. I LOVE it!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerrRUDcuC5wTlFpkXUw7EKm9GiXPBTWMjfjk03_pYunV88NlOYB_xlRvTtW1d_1-njRFaKz0R7XguiLmEG3aeXeHE_osp2ysnNuXUR5FVlQYygMEZ-ac01UpDRUD8yE0ZEPKIM8kxNno/s1600/bath+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerrRUDcuC5wTlFpkXUw7EKm9GiXPBTWMjfjk03_pYunV88NlOYB_xlRvTtW1d_1-njRFaKz0R7XguiLmEG3aeXeHE_osp2ysnNuXUR5FVlQYygMEZ-ac01UpDRUD8yE0ZEPKIM8kxNno/s320/bath+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer of the 4 drawer organizer before. A holy mess!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqV67ZDauZCCjE1WQppYPAl7l9ybuEV7nDx4ml6Y9zGE37ohNUy_Bhg89QG9lR_rIqtxhhoybAWIO4GdMcg12rTAY70_EJV-oE155sJuxMFu7kd0J2W4ulb4bIfUOiRpDsh671ZIzisw/s1600/bath+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqV67ZDauZCCjE1WQppYPAl7l9ybuEV7nDx4ml6Y9zGE37ohNUy_Bhg89QG9lR_rIqtxhhoybAWIO4GdMcg12rTAY70_EJV-oE155sJuxMFu7kd0J2W4ulb4bIfUOiRpDsh671ZIzisw/s320/bath+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer after: bowl with nail polishes, striped bag holds makeup, black bag holds beauty. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAUF_E3P8eRzZHqyIij5_EX3jBh4rkokLVLN-_ncmgzMy6E8Qp8PM5vaYlenMha4H8bIEMmwBpwcXy1rfc-DR8Sf-EnDCG8UO3z-TvAg3X2cSsmVFizrQR3sMhdt3iFr7bSJA-qfYf0s/s1600/bath+2nd+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAUF_E3P8eRzZHqyIij5_EX3jBh4rkokLVLN-_ncmgzMy6E8Qp8PM5vaYlenMha4H8bIEMmwBpwcXy1rfc-DR8Sf-EnDCG8UO3z-TvAg3X2cSsmVFizrQR3sMhdt3iFr7bSJA-qfYf0s/s320/bath+2nd+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd drawer before. A lot of this stuff hit the trash! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSl_cBgb0Rpsn_OR-U2hEn6XC8Y5UQ239S4I-dDRjZTaTv6FhmPL0ZA4K3iGGYFZSVd80vGrqDZFaxGcrSh_m9ow2VBRWXFH-e6XOqEpUUb-AfOqkR8eQiOgL1uNs0MQfx7CQMfEMkJA/s1600/bath+2nd+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSl_cBgb0Rpsn_OR-U2hEn6XC8Y5UQ239S4I-dDRjZTaTv6FhmPL0ZA4K3iGGYFZSVd80vGrqDZFaxGcrSh_m9ow2VBRWXFH-e6XOqEpUUb-AfOqkR8eQiOgL1uNs0MQfx7CQMfEMkJA/s320/bath+2nd+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd drawer after- now holds paper products: Q-Tips, travel tissues, makeup sponges.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdptZPnO68JH0scetONQF4DK1cHW8Otpek17TtAwJPRRV7HutLPz7NazX0oTTzccEC4PVKYKFEnNe5q1Zqgb1wHsNi_IDrZGgFWj_UWcVu0NoACePjjOKrHDPjtJ1_shfnFixzeHaUNhA/s1600/bath+3rd+drawer+before.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdptZPnO68JH0scetONQF4DK1cHW8Otpek17TtAwJPRRV7HutLPz7NazX0oTTzccEC4PVKYKFEnNe5q1Zqgb1wHsNi_IDrZGgFWj_UWcVu0NoACePjjOKrHDPjtJ1_shfnFixzeHaUNhA/s320/bath+3rd+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd drawer before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKU2kJ8zO8rvbsJ8vpdlQNrnqpCvPEU7kt_iVVgpvZx5NzSp-N_Hej-rs3yPJRTiToI2xdHZTh3HBOQfPcuI823h_AuPkNT4fihiiTnBdWkaaPxk88yuN0rQ0DYIxJaUsfwAeRJAAUAU/s1600/bath+3rd+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKU2kJ8zO8rvbsJ8vpdlQNrnqpCvPEU7kt_iVVgpvZx5NzSp-N_Hej-rs3yPJRTiToI2xdHZTh3HBOQfPcuI823h_AuPkNT4fihiiTnBdWkaaPxk88yuN0rQ0DYIxJaUsfwAeRJAAUAU/s320/bath+3rd+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd drawer after: contact supplies in front, travel products and extra razor heads for Steven in the basket, travel toothpastes and floss in the zipper pouch. A bar of soap for travel in the yellow case.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINXhM8Kzvv0JfhBA3IsJDNings_Mi5LiVgdHgEpR_jV_ueoMg0JtMPce4giqI5p2g0aLPYtcHqJYJg_O1YJjhYo-ud8dt7Kh7WgevIpRHLgGFEni72lAgiUKA5lUdR1iYSzZYHpFbg_o/s1600/bath+4th+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINXhM8Kzvv0JfhBA3IsJDNings_Mi5LiVgdHgEpR_jV_ueoMg0JtMPce4giqI5p2g0aLPYtcHqJYJg_O1YJjhYo-ud8dt7Kh7WgevIpRHLgGFEni72lAgiUKA5lUdR1iYSzZYHpFbg_o/s320/bath+4th+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th drawer before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjberIEuL1hROLK_jSoyoZsjOgdA2Cr0CkJHmjrePrNvHdvzdDMeXMrkGjckcsUDud7hUhGOXmVWYhvMLafjGPtFdKxRezII9dWGSkBaYya_qVsCvhV0JqcYRav_GaJ3N-BgYXw8qBHXLI/s1600/bath+4th+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjberIEuL1hROLK_jSoyoZsjOgdA2Cr0CkJHmjrePrNvHdvzdDMeXMrkGjckcsUDud7hUhGOXmVWYhvMLafjGPtFdKxRezII9dWGSkBaYya_qVsCvhV0JqcYRav_GaJ3N-BgYXw8qBHXLI/s320/bath+4th+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th drawer after- hair products, brush and combs, sponge curlers for Brianna, hair accessories in the black box (from Ikea).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyh9X-LQcx322yxKxAiFYBmRbvPKiQoYdtQX1MYLK7InjyEiewaE-hvdozEMyTv8jKVd6qEwBYCPXW5hhwlzyjWuVmHGil4NbWfAPacrPHLmfJbi2eBqDM4Bo5weRlfyeAzCk80fqS2Io/s1600/under+sink+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyh9X-LQcx322yxKxAiFYBmRbvPKiQoYdtQX1MYLK7InjyEiewaE-hvdozEMyTv8jKVd6qEwBYCPXW5hhwlzyjWuVmHGil4NbWfAPacrPHLmfJbi2eBqDM4Bo5weRlfyeAzCk80fqS2Io/s320/under+sink+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under sink cabinet before. YIKES!!! What else can we throw in?!?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWbFCvFxDanAekwDSHIcmklBiC4zAtKCbBVV3ARWK_n-hnKCem1P29I6inw8aptvW7nLP9JcuRFUlG8GiS4NWRvgoWxOijy3Z9pR9eTUnR2antQ9vvon2eXcD0UbHRbitfa9Pccgtr_I/s1600/cabinet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWbFCvFxDanAekwDSHIcmklBiC4zAtKCbBVV3ARWK_n-hnKCem1P29I6inw8aptvW7nLP9JcuRFUlG8GiS4NWRvgoWxOijy3Z9pR9eTUnR2antQ9vvon2eXcD0UbHRbitfa9Pccgtr_I/s320/cabinet+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under sink cabinet after. Nothing falls out on top of us when we open the door! Success!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfpXsza_yEvwzf27Czri3hHW1chinRQ56EUmhY0GUpzI-GrrEg0pjqn_-jdR8uudaiRkKlE_ujgNQJYUFzGmI8mas8oXZ9o3hhy-J6dF4YLZ3uAabL2iLI26POUFCyuoxNEnlNxdBNGA/s1600/left+side+after+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfpXsza_yEvwzf27Czri3hHW1chinRQ56EUmhY0GUpzI-GrrEg0pjqn_-jdR8uudaiRkKlE_ujgNQJYUFzGmI8mas8oXZ9o3hhy-J6dF4YLZ3uAabL2iLI26POUFCyuoxNEnlNxdBNGA/s320/left+side+after+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up left side: hair appliances, hair spray and heat protector. You can also see toilet paper and breast pads hiding in the corner. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9MxYLnP2ZlVlPHaAq4D6GW4B9gh4HQRzCxYzre-TCTGVYzultBf_h8iB1Gvx6Bn6OK8_ktmehjd_sKcQ9juOE5qPu74aTi67C8-LLsBWABhni9xeDN79p3zO4xPPVD2mvE3hzi84iKg/s1600/right+side+after+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9MxYLnP2ZlVlPHaAq4D6GW4B9gh4HQRzCxYzre-TCTGVYzultBf_h8iB1Gvx6Bn6OK8_ktmehjd_sKcQ9juOE5qPu74aTi67C8-LLsBWABhni9xeDN79p3zO4xPPVD2mvE3hzi84iKg/s320/right+side+after+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up right side. The basket holds extra toothpaste, bar soap, contact supplies, etc. Behind that is extra hairspray, hand sanitizer, liquid soap refill and my husbands electric hair trimmers. I'm not allowed to buy more of this stuff for a while, no matter how good the sale because I just don't have room for more right now! :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKeD3ijeWnct5Xl4YwEcCDI4vG_JxixfQyTcIVm2RPKJSTj81WnHKm-CgvsLMUP7UtfeYCQEFSnWgLQ_aZV0_w_pTyN2TSAVRiY-An68cGy3qUz5rCVWV1JvDJi0bTfrEX9Oe3cxUke8/s1600/medicine+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKeD3ijeWnct5Xl4YwEcCDI4vG_JxixfQyTcIVm2RPKJSTj81WnHKm-CgvsLMUP7UtfeYCQEFSnWgLQ_aZV0_w_pTyN2TSAVRiY-An68cGy3qUz5rCVWV1JvDJi0bTfrEX9Oe3cxUke8/s320/medicine+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine cabinet before. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Uzsz0yY-eZ45ZvCkUhyZlpn8e-eG4CA-4K5L-DASRvstrp88T5ugGGKT3_SBrv8f6GsIzFV_Bdw6FeYLoFoeMROtjibTKOFoTBZcVqEtzYYsEE6XEjmHVKSSfW_PS0kVlO3ROcxy2m0/s1600/medicine+cabinet+after+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Uzsz0yY-eZ45ZvCkUhyZlpn8e-eG4CA-4K5L-DASRvstrp88T5ugGGKT3_SBrv8f6GsIzFV_Bdw6FeYLoFoeMROtjibTKOFoTBZcVqEtzYYsEE6XEjmHVKSSfW_PS0kVlO3ROcxy2m0/s320/medicine+cabinet+after+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine cabinet after.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhAT-aY7Izg1-xDolfqJRTSWfPVIVfhGCWcdzdpBlYLr99YGUQuzJvyUTfXVA7vac7Y9Y-Lkqiv6F9mg7CejgND6WF99GejYpaSX70SLsYgoeNolSHGrHFwUr2CD00YKy9S70xCbr4ys/s1600/inside+medicine+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhAT-aY7Izg1-xDolfqJRTSWfPVIVfhGCWcdzdpBlYLr99YGUQuzJvyUTfXVA7vac7Y9Y-Lkqiv6F9mg7CejgND6WF99GejYpaSX70SLsYgoeNolSHGrHFwUr2CD00YKy9S70xCbr4ys/s320/inside+medicine+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of medicine cabinet before. A lot of meds got thrown out because they were expired. As did some beauty products that were hiding in here. They were several years expired for the most part. Yuck!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte7HHy2QlVEilnJokJbXB2XF0DBfSA_ML6ElYz5W832bJDVNiv174pCF-KRwg-0T6NOWuUeKZsZ_hv86rmcO444usvv8PhG95SxS9QhpGKuyeXE2jEcBM_Gx94Vr9NGZZaAMqSQHwgCk/s1600/medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte7HHy2QlVEilnJokJbXB2XF0DBfSA_ML6ElYz5W832bJDVNiv174pCF-KRwg-0T6NOWuUeKZsZ_hv86rmcO444usvv8PhG95SxS9QhpGKuyeXE2jEcBM_Gx94Vr9NGZZaAMqSQHwgCk/s320/medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside view after. You can see I decided to put baby powder up on top, as well as some medicated mouth wash in order to try to keep them out of reach of kids who make big messes!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoXLaHHpgmcAXBhptix0-YEPnqcHlDF0y5XhH9T4bYB5Z9X8JRZMwGzt5xuXa7it570CnbRKBk1nXLt0sPaShaj_3apcSiAl1JF06AhS34ikeSht5NwhPSHEPEQ__Vc_KQAexRolsOdE/s1600/shelf+1+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoXLaHHpgmcAXBhptix0-YEPnqcHlDF0y5XhH9T4bYB5Z9X8JRZMwGzt5xuXa7it570CnbRKBk1nXLt0sPaShaj_3apcSiAl1JF06AhS34ikeSht5NwhPSHEPEQ__Vc_KQAexRolsOdE/s320/shelf+1+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of bottom shelf: 1st Aid items, pain relievers, tummy aides, foot treatments. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-w7tfGQq1n9i-J6RZWtHCjK1PHU4SSAZRyTnYZG55frlCiwRyMuJj8_nhEO5KcVvq9gJpcaM4_vINs5kHJ8ESbJHut6fHWsleHfTKYjPYNaP3stsuzQnAc90L2wWDw2y2zqO2QUiIbw/s1600/shelf+2+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-w7tfGQq1n9i-J6RZWtHCjK1PHU4SSAZRyTnYZG55frlCiwRyMuJj8_nhEO5KcVvq9gJpcaM4_vINs5kHJ8ESbJHut6fHWsleHfTKYjPYNaP3stsuzQnAc90L2wWDw2y2zqO2QUiIbw/s320/shelf+2+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of top shelf: Cold and flu, allergy, prescriptions and asthma. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfznkOITKbD6XBVZ8j7hHCTRDU9WVB7xNMwRS-sAiE__8j5dMam9YdyAyd7UtT8bEtR7qcFzkE0hS-XZwo37uPqLKtcS0qnzbf1DWEyOFSp9wK-Nnu329X3sx5PynaLcMtCXAx8MwG9V4/s1600/medicine+cabinet+shelf+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfznkOITKbD6XBVZ8j7hHCTRDU9WVB7xNMwRS-sAiE__8j5dMam9YdyAyd7UtT8bEtR7qcFzkE0hS-XZwo37uPqLKtcS0qnzbf1DWEyOFSp9wK-Nnu329X3sx5PynaLcMtCXAx8MwG9V4/s320/medicine+cabinet+shelf+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the outside shelf. My stuff corralled in a box on the left. Hubby on the right. Still looking for a box similar to mine to hold Steven's stuff. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWshcY6wNhLCz9x2VrKk0b-v6GGcdD-mLZnafXTtzDr7aTvyJqmtqmEO8AkJ9oqOXymtr2aY4DtZGhQISRHm4z3O0QdgpvjYfxfTSLQIRaJmygsz0JWEh0MYJGFKW-gXgmFNNhDDKWtc/s1600/bathroom+window+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWshcY6wNhLCz9x2VrKk0b-v6GGcdD-mLZnafXTtzDr7aTvyJqmtqmEO8AkJ9oqOXymtr2aY4DtZGhQISRHm4z3O0QdgpvjYfxfTSLQIRaJmygsz0JWEh0MYJGFKW-gXgmFNNhDDKWtc/s320/bathroom+window+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window before and after! We've bought a shelf to move some of these fish items to the kids bathroom (they have a fish theme) but we haven't hung it up. Hopefully that will happen this week and this stuff can move on and out! </td></tr>
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So, that's the bathroom! It is so much more functional now that we can find everything. Thing's are being put back where they belong (so far!) and the countertops are staying clean! I don't know how we ever survived using this space before we had some organization in here. What we were doing was clearly not working!! <br />
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Going over to link this up at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2013/03/31-day-organizational-challenge-final-link-up.html" target="_blank">Org Junkie</a>! Come check up on everyone! </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-34007034868657125302013-04-02T12:02:00.001-04:002013-04-02T12:02:50.943-04:0031 Day Organization Challenge- Bedroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsG-NspmbnGGiQSj3UYPQaz-5KxANLPMhS65mpmcRLquJoCmONSkQGSQG6LvT_lh_LFPmmGsvtNNbYsegNZK4BuA7UryMnYtQuS09FT96LR_wZR5cyYG5HMe84AxCg1Lc41BoANkzjM0/s1600/31-Day-340px-Border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsG-NspmbnGGiQSj3UYPQaz-5KxANLPMhS65mpmcRLquJoCmONSkQGSQG6LvT_lh_LFPmmGsvtNNbYsegNZK4BuA7UryMnYtQuS09FT96LR_wZR5cyYG5HMe84AxCg1Lc41BoANkzjM0/s320/31-Day-340px-Border.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, the 31 Day Organizational Challenge over at Org Junkie is over! Laura has asked if we did more than 1 space (which technically I guess I qualify for since I did my bedroom, bathroom and closet, even if they are in one spot!) to break this final post down in to multiple posts. It will definitely make it easier on her for grading purposes (lol!) and it will make it much easier for you to follow. For this post I'll be focusing on the Master bedroom. Laura gave us some questions she wanted us to reflect on before I get to the before and after pictures. So here's my answers.</div>
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1. What space did you decide to organize and why?<br />
I chose our Master Suite- bedroom, bathroom and walk in closet. We've always focused on every other room in the house except for ours. Because of this our room started to fall apart! It became a catch all for everything! No wonder we woke up tired every day. All we saw was clutter and chaos. And that really zaps the energy out of you! It was time for us to have a space where we could get away and find calm and serenity.<br />
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2. What steps did you take to ensure you completed the space within the 31 day timeline?<br />
I started with the bedroom and I gave myself a full week to work on it. I dedicated at least 1 hour 2 to 3 days that week. Then every day I spent at least 15-30 minutes maintaining what I had accomplished so it didn't get back out of control. <br />
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3. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and how did you overcome it?<br />
The hardest part of the challenge was figuring out what to do with the stuff I was finding! Trying to figure out where to move things to when you don't know if you're going to have enough room in that space for all of it is hard. For example, I found tons of pens, pencils, and other office type supplies in my husbands' top drawer of his dresser. But we don't really have an office or space for all of that stuff. So figuring out what we were keeping and what we were tossing and then getting it to the right place was difficult for me. I tend to be a pack rat, so when I ran across things that were halfway sentimental it was hard to get rid of them, even if we weren't using them anymore.<br />
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4. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?<br />
Goodwill got a lot of stuff from our bedroom. A local consignment shop also got some old clothes that had been piled in the corner (and I made $62! Sweet!!!) The garbage can got 1 large lawn size bag full of garbage, the recycle can got a bag also. And we have a diaper box full of papers to shred. Several other rooms in the house got things (like the office space in the playroom, the craft room downstairs and the attic).<br />
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5. Tell me one of your proudest moments during this challenge?<br />
Well, that came at the end of the challenge because, as we all know, as you work the space tends to get messier. So there for a while it looked like I was undoing everything I'd gotten done. But at the end of the challenge when all the bags of garbage and recycle were gone, all the items that belonged somewhere else were gone I walked in to the room and just felt calm. It felt peaceful. And that was what I wanted. That's when I knew all the hard work over the last 31 days had been totally worth it!! That,and when a teething baby woke up in the middle of the night and I knew exactly where the medicine dropper and teething gel (in the middle of the night basket next to my bed!!) and the Tylenol (in the medicine cabinet with the pain relievers) were. That felt awesome!!!<br />
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6. Explain any organizing “tools” you used to help you create additional space and to establish some limits and boundaries?<br />
I used a lot of tools that I already had. A desk organizer that my husband had had on top of his dresser is now inside the newly cleaned top drawer. A crystal dish holds loose change and Chapstick. A basket on top of my bedside table (my middle of the night basket) holds a medicine dropper, teething gel, a thermometer, etc. A few small gift bags are inside my bedside table drawers, holding the heads for my personal massager, and "fun" things for the hubs and I ;-P A small basket is on our prayer alter and holds our Rosaries and prayer books.<br />
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7. What is ONE piece of organizing advice you’ve learned on this journey that you could encourage someone else with?<br />
The one piece of advice I learned for this space...clean up after yourself!! Our bedroom would have never gotten that bad if we had picked up things and cleaned out spaces before they got crazy. Finding containers to hold what needs to be corralled and emptying them before they overflow will help us to keep it together. Clean up after yourself!!! I'm gonna make a huge sign and hang it on the wall! lol<br />
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So now for the before and after pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZX-U7HS7QdYrtAcFQ5Kr2rvfkfYzVZOQd7LvS0Df27JTyj5E2Dcv5voTMwi8nQT4SO5csqYkR6Q9ZLzwfKIHbahbFLIcL6Vwh2y6dIcoKC6AizuM4sdUXEehFVMKNSczvkMjkk0X96jw/s1600/looking+in+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZX-U7HS7QdYrtAcFQ5Kr2rvfkfYzVZOQd7LvS0Df27JTyj5E2Dcv5voTMwi8nQT4SO5csqYkR6Q9ZLzwfKIHbahbFLIcL6Vwh2y6dIcoKC6AizuM4sdUXEehFVMKNSczvkMjkk0X96jw/s320/looking+in+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking in from the door before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR6vhzlwDjrKpXcyCUF3W5ym58-seZtMRM4S3cmG01xoy-pL8a065USz9WOvdMj7BtjsjXS11t_z1Vu7nfibdQPuRLxCxxUIMIalOaFRKdQPgxdo_RQjtIPNdwX-uF6-5YVJhWcoTZLE/s1600/looking+in+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR6vhzlwDjrKpXcyCUF3W5ym58-seZtMRM4S3cmG01xoy-pL8a065USz9WOvdMj7BtjsjXS11t_z1Vu7nfibdQPuRLxCxxUIMIalOaFRKdQPgxdo_RQjtIPNdwX-uF6-5YVJhWcoTZLE/s320/looking+in+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking in from the door after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2lr3QL3j5iqEzjyiuqYfct4R6svCIVPehXYCSbOEpIfIa_u9ruQ6ExnTa-T72IhXAwXm_hBCudTds77bB1aYt8j-nbbmA9oN8-5vk5zYxi5PevdXZ9VCJDpB7Hj6Rvfo0pwqq5ySD8/s1600/steven+dresser+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2lr3QL3j5iqEzjyiuqYfct4R6svCIVPehXYCSbOEpIfIa_u9ruQ6ExnTa-T72IhXAwXm_hBCudTds77bB1aYt8j-nbbmA9oN8-5vk5zYxi5PevdXZ9VCJDpB7Hj6Rvfo0pwqq5ySD8/s320/steven+dresser+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's dresser before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMaFpSTpfALAdpOoL_igH9RLSm8461vHCiHCy0JpSA_qTdJpfZ-9blo5b0MQk8Yr0FPnB0pdFy15hGzXhX-WXM6uZ_UHJhR8w0fBukxlnRj0XkW94rAy7mNZPl3tbCBeq7kfMrvCmiEM/s1600/steven+dresser+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMaFpSTpfALAdpOoL_igH9RLSm8461vHCiHCy0JpSA_qTdJpfZ-9blo5b0MQk8Yr0FPnB0pdFy15hGzXhX-WXM6uZ_UHJhR8w0fBukxlnRj0XkW94rAy7mNZPl3tbCBeq7kfMrvCmiEM/s320/steven+dresser+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's dresser after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYYCz7PxB85j4BD9Ydtgasb5I5FeRttE0QekTf2Y4fH38zqbVE9NGM0K-oh5CvS_YzN9ZaDlp3LOtYx9-_0UAUJByiNBwknUvQIZvWmHDxrxvczNo7vfWkkDc93lek2_rfvmjeJOiCP8/s1600/steven+dresser+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYYCz7PxB85j4BD9Ydtgasb5I5FeRttE0QekTf2Y4fH38zqbVE9NGM0K-oh5CvS_YzN9ZaDlp3LOtYx9-_0UAUJByiNBwknUvQIZvWmHDxrxvczNo7vfWkkDc93lek2_rfvmjeJOiCP8/s320/steven+dresser+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top dresser drawer before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdQJ6zowSmMs22-57fchdOccdGKI-gd9y5zGmqrPj7NsK9Y6YR4Vl3rslW5LuPHRUQ3rvIssJHRbTENJvnpFNmaYERELl2V4OwoVmfu2AjvUXSvAs3wnJ_bOZGzeHzCjSE_AS_0vyI1s/s1600/dresser+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdQJ6zowSmMs22-57fchdOccdGKI-gd9y5zGmqrPj7NsK9Y6YR4Vl3rslW5LuPHRUQ3rvIssJHRbTENJvnpFNmaYERELl2V4OwoVmfu2AjvUXSvAs3wnJ_bOZGzeHzCjSE_AS_0vyI1s/s320/dresser+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOWzzZWPoTb1claLkHv1Uc6O8jK2sl4xLEADZemkKOPVcl8n_tMTOA77eGmKrv26Uzi1BXae9hB5y240PMv6D9ZVEwJ9H1b7Wbwvd91kUcAnybabAhXeeNXMbyb3YeubUtpDxBfcMWNI/s1600/top+drawer+closer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOWzzZWPoTb1claLkHv1Uc6O8jK2sl4xLEADZemkKOPVcl8n_tMTOA77eGmKrv26Uzi1BXae9hB5y240PMv6D9ZVEwJ9H1b7Wbwvd91kUcAnybabAhXeeNXMbyb3YeubUtpDxBfcMWNI/s320/top+drawer+closer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">left side close up. I love the crystal dish for change and chapstick.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6VyWhyphenhyphenTD6i1M05Fmk-cSktzAZmpAk0GPsvIS5f5Bg7jcBTicHL_an2-HsaFu2SJS2EZjgPwAtd_Xwu-ptgl59Ik-7WTvdQH8IEIpIyYY7mj218DOZYWuXMmiRW_-IyGMBTnNbF5FUFk/s1600/top+drawer+closer+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6VyWhyphenhyphenTD6i1M05Fmk-cSktzAZmpAk0GPsvIS5f5Bg7jcBTicHL_an2-HsaFu2SJS2EZjgPwAtd_Xwu-ptgl59Ik-7WTvdQH8IEIpIyYY7mj218DOZYWuXMmiRW_-IyGMBTnNbF5FUFk/s320/top+drawer+closer+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">right side close up. The desk organizer that Steven already had is working great in here! Perfect place for a watch and wallet at the end of the day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOXF_74Re4w2JBx9VeaxtFhsEmG36uK8UdVfmZFCfniOhyphenhyphenPENNcArt4Hhr45xs96PvUTgqxY3Aw5SYRAzhaUl9bkqmETueOVeE9o5yV6dwNGXiS9ZXcLRfLeYFU7OdV7Eq-KcI6TYmm0/s320/closet+view+before.JPG" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the closet before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v-wmkyHcGEBWAQWkeq9F5oPqsW2VMh_UjSt03TV40U5LUD7bczeSgxndSNJ41zF0e3hq3tsxuZj_kzK_BcW0oXdVR1pCk7gFxXVG6lMWldz3_fz-bWo01hGMeKy19jeid7N2_hb89AE/s1600/closet+view+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v-wmkyHcGEBWAQWkeq9F5oPqsW2VMh_UjSt03TV40U5LUD7bczeSgxndSNJ41zF0e3hq3tsxuZj_kzK_BcW0oXdVR1pCk7gFxXVG6lMWldz3_fz-bWo01hGMeKy19jeid7N2_hb89AE/s320/closet+view+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the closet after.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOoaHbZqx2OJKbMwEhf1wsBtZuJw1HoFkJLT7uOzzDb6cwFyKTIvWcbu9RPBNeDgE934c97_aa7uBqUH635eTM4MTwGb2eSZVbv6ou8TlcOwF3Jzp-bnHR9RtrYGujjIQKFZo2aAhIUk/s1600/steven+nightstand+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOoaHbZqx2OJKbMwEhf1wsBtZuJw1HoFkJLT7uOzzDb6cwFyKTIvWcbu9RPBNeDgE934c97_aa7uBqUH635eTM4MTwGb2eSZVbv6ou8TlcOwF3Jzp-bnHR9RtrYGujjIQKFZo2aAhIUk/s320/steven+nightstand+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's bedside table. It looked like this before and after. He doesn't pile much on his!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnwPxdbgYpZUdMAbSL_tojWkip63GpXku4MBe2m0RK5CAdbtm3jE1dAeSEN6DT0gJ6SgQC9twSwyZbU4NLO_bxQ8TKHd0DQQX3FHw-BYBqKH-r3WrdUCwARu64LJutgCTnxnR1bHUijE/s1600/steven+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnwPxdbgYpZUdMAbSL_tojWkip63GpXku4MBe2m0RK5CAdbtm3jE1dAeSEN6DT0gJ6SgQC9twSwyZbU4NLO_bxQ8TKHd0DQQX3FHw-BYBqKH-r3WrdUCwARu64LJutgCTnxnR1bHUijE/s320/steven+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer of his bedside table before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnckx2ezzgKRb4QASeAYLCl2Nv_qSRGsTN1HYyH6pahyphenhyphentYm2I3Hmt2LifFbu2l1MDdGi_qDtlfz1EBhtt8BGuYmZBwA6wL7cEXI9Wqa9Zry0ZAJPbR6T5ARoQET-K695IvXqPwl3lXUk/s1600/steven+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnckx2ezzgKRb4QASeAYLCl2Nv_qSRGsTN1HYyH6pahyphenhyphentYm2I3Hmt2LifFbu2l1MDdGi_qDtlfz1EBhtt8BGuYmZBwA6wL7cEXI9Wqa9Zry0ZAJPbR6T5ARoQET-K695IvXqPwl3lXUk/s320/steven+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer after.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMhaBIHvpFXqs_kMUG7i67_H2Ry1IJRw7cXcJzC0MUkAhBh4soKsy3rh8Ryy5_JRoM5svSmK35ArwshLLyqX3IJxy9-y79GW8S_GqxrtejsCnK1VjBU1BSZ4vyd9zCbkCglFMlyUvmmk/s1600/bed+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMhaBIHvpFXqs_kMUG7i67_H2Ry1IJRw7cXcJzC0MUkAhBh4soKsy3rh8Ryy5_JRoM5svSmK35ArwshLLyqX3IJxy9-y79GW8S_GqxrtejsCnK1VjBU1BSZ4vyd9zCbkCglFMlyUvmmk/s320/bed+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved our bed before but I'm loving how it looks now with the whole space clean and organized!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSveFnRufl4iWbFOe9kEJ_1MSA80VVaDND7O8bOZdQrjBlemVjZ2GoUNkCyt-s6cAq-No9V9GOlrCK38L2ZwxOaxwxJQ0Nnf2Ij5Lgs6LvN5Z8tsg2sajM63mJEoBoLaV__c8CbI_ZOGk/s1600/kari+nightstand+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSveFnRufl4iWbFOe9kEJ_1MSA80VVaDND7O8bOZdQrjBlemVjZ2GoUNkCyt-s6cAq-No9V9GOlrCK38L2ZwxOaxwxJQ0Nnf2Ij5Lgs6LvN5Z8tsg2sajM63mJEoBoLaV__c8CbI_ZOGk/s320/kari+nightstand+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bedside table before. Yeah...I'm a piler!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf4-FC2dtkCA9FiZTrmgLauSmkriKVU249be7kV-ZWjtaULT4_IPTnVlLckCKmjxFvR1gABCFWVVFzJPY5N8NN6K5Kq-pEdAtBdRsKkNTuPXuqNHJIGPMHx6RSNEmaSUch8SUpZ5mXmQ/s1600/kari+nightstand+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf4-FC2dtkCA9FiZTrmgLauSmkriKVU249be7kV-ZWjtaULT4_IPTnVlLckCKmjxFvR1gABCFWVVFzJPY5N8NN6K5Kq-pEdAtBdRsKkNTuPXuqNHJIGPMHx6RSNEmaSUch8SUpZ5mXmQ/s320/kari+nightstand+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bedside table after. I have another book that sits out here that I'm working through. My middle of the night basket on top is my favorite new thing in here. It holds a medicine dropper, thermometer, bulb syringe, tissues, nail clippers, highlighters and pens (I use those while reading...I'm a nerd!"), etc. It has been a lifesaver on a few nights already!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi_zHpp2kXitNkpDaDD0r11N4jBPiqy_lhJ47xQ6Dqswtqym8Dmpjq7mnyJvW7xRnaLpR4FzwXcRm811lPYHHXsECSRi_BGojDkpCel4FIjmWI7MW8muRo3l_d8u8iYvhMU8JYPv7MxQ/s1600/kari+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIi_zHpp2kXitNkpDaDD0r11N4jBPiqy_lhJ47xQ6Dqswtqym8Dmpjq7mnyJvW7xRnaLpR4FzwXcRm811lPYHHXsECSRi_BGojDkpCel4FIjmWI7MW8muRo3l_d8u8iYvhMU8JYPv7MxQ/s320/kari+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My top drawer before. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy5gw7gNPe9SZE1ltitQjEsiupaoBU5_Jtq1YjczhXkNh-B1UlTp8vMYFgF8Ty9Xr5XJqn6I3PgVf_VN5COXRh4HK1QbsGY1DnvVAFFeUMUazOcEvbWL8lG4Dl6CWaYes0szFgJL2ysw/s1600/kari+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy5gw7gNPe9SZE1ltitQjEsiupaoBU5_Jtq1YjczhXkNh-B1UlTp8vMYFgF8Ty9Xr5XJqn6I3PgVf_VN5COXRh4HK1QbsGY1DnvVAFFeUMUazOcEvbWL8lG4Dl6CWaYes0szFgJL2ysw/s320/kari+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer after. I know it still looks full but I've narrowed it down as much as I can. The little bag in the back holds "fun items" that I don't want the kids immediately finding if they get in here! ;-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_gAzatwGVFuC6CIO8NodxH6l9899hQAJiiUQbhAse7WZdQRhrPokq3PgWqmBBjma8zBCxN8DbIHjHc2qgmLLfAyzGHn5409qphv4o9H4MpkLJqrYgmMJ_Tiy_UNUqFRRGpOqYR3jnug/s1600/kari+bottom+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_gAzatwGVFuC6CIO8NodxH6l9899hQAJiiUQbhAse7WZdQRhrPokq3PgWqmBBjma8zBCxN8DbIHjHc2qgmLLfAyzGHn5409qphv4o9H4MpkLJqrYgmMJ_Tiy_UNUqFRRGpOqYR3jnug/s320/kari+bottom+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bottom drawer before. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6b4v80BeuvQS28yQ6pux7EUSYnI2nw_MHU2o9FEunLXBVdlMf1-sIKejqO2gWyLiBNrIiGPkmOkajyLH9B7_wlkLoGgzBHCuHJqG-y8BNzzfu2yiErgoAfE8kei6Lt82_TOu99KzuuA/s1600/kari+bottom+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6b4v80BeuvQS28yQ6pux7EUSYnI2nw_MHU2o9FEunLXBVdlMf1-sIKejqO2gWyLiBNrIiGPkmOkajyLH9B7_wlkLoGgzBHCuHJqG-y8BNzzfu2yiErgoAfE8kei6Lt82_TOu99KzuuA/s320/kari+bottom+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom drawer after. Just my massager, the little switchable heads are in the little bag and my heating pad. It's nice to have those things at the ready when aches and pains strike without warning! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBNPhlwVrStsUNNxlxaBkc5FmV-rzzSRl7wnEQ43n8RoHlvj1JcCnVz-E5JLFL05cQAnE0WS0ybkkANvspAWsPR2fmG7ZK3L49ieAe7vpE9ogX3rs5NpmscJAWldQI0t0cnpX-H6nh2Y/s1600/prayer+alter+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBNPhlwVrStsUNNxlxaBkc5FmV-rzzSRl7wnEQ43n8RoHlvj1JcCnVz-E5JLFL05cQAnE0WS0ybkkANvspAWsPR2fmG7ZK3L49ieAe7vpE9ogX3rs5NpmscJAWldQI0t0cnpX-H6nh2Y/s320/prayer+alter+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer alter before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcNEL0tvkU2Yju3lWe4fykadT65yZayy-ZyA6sZKHY9OArEmxbLcnila92In55ulSxOz8l4hpBBA7xASWEKIQBmaZvor0kcSPWsakFjVHZHlq69wl2U_fzBSnE3Fy0xOmBoocgJ7_f2U/s1600/alter+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcNEL0tvkU2Yju3lWe4fykadT65yZayy-ZyA6sZKHY9OArEmxbLcnila92In55ulSxOz8l4hpBBA7xASWEKIQBmaZvor0kcSPWsakFjVHZHlq69wl2U_fzBSnE3Fy0xOmBoocgJ7_f2U/s320/alter+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer alter after. We need a new picture of Pope Francis :-) The basket on the 2nd shelf holds Rosaries and prayer books. The books on the left are religious books. On the right is a stack of Bibles (you can never have too many Bibles in your home!) On the 3rd shelf is our school box with stuff from the kids (the red one.) The pink crate is something I had gotten when my daughter started school to organize papers I wanted to keep. We've decided to scrap this idea and go digital by scanning in items and putting them on the Cloud. Until we can do this these will sit here. At least they aren't overflowing anymore!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnXeEXrbCPVa7SDFRsJl7PPZsUm7TNMcqqDqToWSt984cHldeI-lyr8Cy-GKMQor-Jp_CquwFHOB0p37nyqOJq862S4XmhvwPVcvOv-8Qh8FjVW-iLBdVz_hYM3zPv3M9LNXRcHkqHLI/s1600/cosignment+shop+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnXeEXrbCPVa7SDFRsJl7PPZsUm7TNMcqqDqToWSt984cHldeI-lyr8Cy-GKMQor-Jp_CquwFHOB0p37nyqOJq862S4XmhvwPVcvOv-8Qh8FjVW-iLBdVz_hYM3zPv3M9LNXRcHkqHLI/s320/cosignment+shop+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile of clothes that got boxed up and sent to the attic. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hV6pw5e0az5SstziDlmnmdp2l0HeXPQ-GlvFHJRKzjWe0SIikud_ptqAtFm1UVlkgsArmJW-eJID2mFcN8fjsF3KC3KKB4YcAqgG_9gRYrqJSP60Ica_xJ0cQt_ftFBlCOYJeMPfvWc/s1600/consignment+shop+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hV6pw5e0az5SstziDlmnmdp2l0HeXPQ-GlvFHJRKzjWe0SIikud_ptqAtFm1UVlkgsArmJW-eJID2mFcN8fjsF3KC3KKB4YcAqgG_9gRYrqJSP60Ica_xJ0cQt_ftFBlCOYJeMPfvWc/s320/consignment+shop+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile of clothes that went to the consignment shop (and made me $62!!) What they didn't want they donated for me so they didn't even come back into the house. Win-win!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv9dfkjOh2XlKEgF2__UzDupNwEAbKfuJwU9ew2iKh7jjhOuIh48tK3Lelu7BKjmra-bF74lGP-k8dZVeh7Wfkajuvr57s_jMv_yfIAY_-i3vHtdVE6bZ6BpNxecVTfgv0Gvp7VjqvjY/s1600/after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv9dfkjOh2XlKEgF2__UzDupNwEAbKfuJwU9ew2iKh7jjhOuIh48tK3Lelu7BKjmra-bF74lGP-k8dZVeh7Wfkajuvr57s_jMv_yfIAY_-i3vHtdVE6bZ6BpNxecVTfgv0Gvp7VjqvjY/s320/after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What that side of the room looks like now! Love!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqQ3rxXbJQcRgqFsAIuWmTrPhdncCCTrZlyK44cCTCUDj5791_xy8YVmHRRWjJAWVaj4mCr28Ms5aQptKyWAoGFm34oavhmz1zzViqubYgUH7qzcDboR0KE0TljzaGXd0t-lxyR5Ah74/s1600/behind+bathroom+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqQ3rxXbJQcRgqFsAIuWmTrPhdncCCTrZlyK44cCTCUDj5791_xy8YVmHRRWjJAWVaj4mCr28Ms5aQptKyWAoGFm34oavhmz1zzViqubYgUH7qzcDboR0KE0TljzaGXd0t-lxyR5Ah74/s320/behind+bathroom+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the bathroom door before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DoEDzT-RXpi11DqwaThZRk6Xp0QncJ-NcvsHAT9a_ep4UbVUA2fmdU6xxCd-9BRlww7gfQJXALjtKd3-Kn4Du_-z1i9SFITf6i2DNWn1LBTfvUPuGOmE2fIjcj0bsrtXDSwiZz22NXE/s1600/behind+door+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DoEDzT-RXpi11DqwaThZRk6Xp0QncJ-NcvsHAT9a_ep4UbVUA2fmdU6xxCd-9BRlww7gfQJXALjtKd3-Kn4Du_-z1i9SFITf6i2DNWn1LBTfvUPuGOmE2fIjcj0bsrtXDSwiZz22NXE/s320/behind+door+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the bathroom door after. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWswuqVvbORMlBJHyg4z2J62iUHSn5nIDF8LK3Y7K2M35pTo2mLKzmHrBDXtkZMFwUriwS-3LbpglDGcYHr3A1LZCM9VFFF8PnT73hl4e7fgdyh_vNjbsVDdQNEbDNYFLRZU-LYQBWM2s/s1600/kari+dresser+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWswuqVvbORMlBJHyg4z2J62iUHSn5nIDF8LK3Y7K2M35pTo2mLKzmHrBDXtkZMFwUriwS-3LbpglDGcYHr3A1LZCM9VFFF8PnT73hl4e7fgdyh_vNjbsVDdQNEbDNYFLRZU-LYQBWM2s/s320/kari+dresser+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dresser before. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqbfMziPxI9DyIIhvey6kRq2a1gQIWUT5kiPShG8fEkAlikv2tU25EEjoXfUketHAp6ROlOtRH_prc0Z13vpjziiOB2pCcgM4zoQGy6OLDC4kOU0DxV6b5VrlKtAbeqg07l_fsUtA9-w/s1600/DSCF4193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqbfMziPxI9DyIIhvey6kRq2a1gQIWUT5kiPShG8fEkAlikv2tU25EEjoXfUketHAp6ROlOtRH_prc0Z13vpjziiOB2pCcgM4zoQGy6OLDC4kOU0DxV6b5VrlKtAbeqg07l_fsUtA9-w/s320/DSCF4193.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dresser after. Looks pretty much the same. We are looking at getting a flat screen TV to hang on the wall. When that is done I'll get rid of the mirror (we'll put the TV there) and move the current TV stand to the wall by the window. The egg collection will move there so all that will go away. That should happen pretty soon (we're thinking a combined Mother's Day/Father's Day gift!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvlGPYvZPqUqHWjVL_W_uO8PYFxEXQJeTgXV0_Vaw5hNbhPUR5wiYXeyQprXQisSDTKbny-jQVFKFXBL-xOK2gvi6gNWGuqGLh5YdR-2MK5bSztpF5x-be-1EolqF55XOVbvmwdAYZxw/s1600/door+view+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvlGPYvZPqUqHWjVL_W_uO8PYFxEXQJeTgXV0_Vaw5hNbhPUR5wiYXeyQprXQisSDTKbny-jQVFKFXBL-xOK2gvi6gNWGuqGLh5YdR-2MK5bSztpF5x-be-1EolqF55XOVbvmwdAYZxw/s320/door+view+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TV stand with view of door before. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCl-k9b0Ku7u-FQALahETY78_xiRcRMm2Qw1rAQawxBfftk16aSrBuLY4eL4Hi2OrVLgKx_FXWEtJtBQoil9DJvRZAAGcwhr9nbfPRW1uS2tSDe7vdPjOynynIR7Bt2QOxhAHWfeuqu0/s1600/tv+stand+before+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCl-k9b0Ku7u-FQALahETY78_xiRcRMm2Qw1rAQawxBfftk16aSrBuLY4eL4Hi2OrVLgKx_FXWEtJtBQoil9DJvRZAAGcwhr9nbfPRW1uS2tSDe7vdPjOynynIR7Bt2QOxhAHWfeuqu0/s320/tv+stand+before+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoGErs1pC-qu5RCgTHDK4ruU1QXBDIeGh90f_Y-fuQ65vKfO5ayf0Js-SSjg4bRtfM5IanDkLzzvIzAxQnoX64cdUjAnEtYt-tWYSKSuc6cZ8ZbKIS0asLxktPOER2_QlTxpFWxGpmpE/s1600/TV+Stand+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoGErs1pC-qu5RCgTHDK4ruU1QXBDIeGh90f_Y-fuQ65vKfO5ayf0Js-SSjg4bRtfM5IanDkLzzvIzAxQnoX64cdUjAnEtYt-tWYSKSuc6cZ8ZbKIS0asLxktPOER2_QlTxpFWxGpmpE/s320/TV+Stand+after.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TV stand after. Much better!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, that's the Master bedroom. I love it and I hope I gave you some inspiration and ideas! Thanks to Laura for such a great challenge. Heading over to <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2013/03/31-day-organizational-challenge-final-link-up.html" target="_blank">link</a> up my post! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-67983138507909251252013-03-26T10:01:00.001-04:002013-03-26T10:01:23.765-04:00Surprises in my Mailbox!<div style="text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago my friend Kaysi from the craft blog <a href="http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/" target="_blank">Keeping it Simple</a> hosted a couple of giveaways. One was a box from <a href="http://www.pickyourplum.com/" target="_blank">Pick Your Plum</a> valued at $50. And guess who won it!?! Yours truly! I was so super excited! I stalk Pick Your Plum a lot but I've never ordered anything! I was stocked to be getting a box filled with some of their favorite products right now and I was not disappointed! The shipping was really quick, I received the package in less than a week. And when I opened it up it was filled to the brim! Here's a peek inside.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_SWfm18EKMwjydWpmYrZxkCMx-IzbhtJb520D1zC1Ei3Iw2-yNeGtChx_qm5ahj7H57NT079dhFcoMeTX8Ktp0qQ1Kp7Md8V9_uorPtHt7vgxmFJFZmWr8uSTzNRg6AgmqbvAYlUsak/s1600/DSCF4044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_SWfm18EKMwjydWpmYrZxkCMx-IzbhtJb520D1zC1Ei3Iw2-yNeGtChx_qm5ahj7H57NT079dhFcoMeTX8Ktp0qQ1Kp7Md8V9_uorPtHt7vgxmFJFZmWr8uSTzNRg6AgmqbvAYlUsak/s320/DSCF4044.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It felt like Christmas opening up the box!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMaZ7tJtT5jA6LqyrSggjXl-eowtd8xtIgQw5GUNCh1dEpNAUggIhUE_ZCyzvnruMctPXt0mMBEXaDJuZvK6NOQtJCcmnz48Xcg5CzeGxLubLW1SqYO3JtZ-KcQX-X2uBqgpBCHEW-so/s1600/DSCF4046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMaZ7tJtT5jA6LqyrSggjXl-eowtd8xtIgQw5GUNCh1dEpNAUggIhUE_ZCyzvnruMctPXt0mMBEXaDJuZvK6NOQtJCcmnz48Xcg5CzeGxLubLW1SqYO3JtZ-KcQX-X2uBqgpBCHEW-so/s320/DSCF4046.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reusable piping bag and four different decorating tips. These are the extra large decorating tips like you would use to decorate cupcakes! I'm thinking about making some fun cupcakes for Easter using the top tip on the right hand side to make little nests on top, putting a Peep in the center and then hiding jelly beans underneath. I'll post and let you know how they turn out if I do in fact do them! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nz9fV2uu_82WmwnCjFQd0wiQCV25LVIYWBl6j5ikmHJ5rI_GaVRp2C6-Sku_KqYWsBShjSoOD8vZ1aohG0MnlXMbUXQ8qS2SNPKd3ul0JOpMEZyC8DtSbbLaqiLmQKpQA1htWN3K0vk/s1600/DSCF4048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nz9fV2uu_82WmwnCjFQd0wiQCV25LVIYWBl6j5ikmHJ5rI_GaVRp2C6-Sku_KqYWsBShjSoOD8vZ1aohG0MnlXMbUXQ8qS2SNPKd3ul0JOpMEZyC8DtSbbLaqiLmQKpQA1htWN3K0vk/s320/DSCF4048.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wooden spoons. I have seen these all over the crafting world right now! People are taking Washi tape and decorating the handles. So fun! I'm thinking these will be used for a certain little girls birthday party this year. (And if I like them I'll have to get some more for Jonah's birthday party!) And aren't their little tags cute?!?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TFfCoJRbLy0vL37ZQjRjK9CG0BSgFJKtGM8eWgHv_Tn62dnjsLTmgAwKeYW9Xtjva1UD2KVeCHLRMPtnvB9hHlB3058nW403IL9eE4e61pyWjUZaXAT3rR-EtxDLvtg5DDx7iOHV02Y/s1600/DSCF4056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TFfCoJRbLy0vL37ZQjRjK9CG0BSgFJKtGM8eWgHv_Tn62dnjsLTmgAwKeYW9Xtjva1UD2KVeCHLRMPtnvB9hHlB3058nW403IL9eE4e61pyWjUZaXAT3rR-EtxDLvtg5DDx7iOHV02Y/s320/DSCF4056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paper straws- AWESOME!! I've wanted these FOREVER!!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj9nyR7RwBifGhf58MVe155Wx97UshVccwkhfxvy685wTIy8W0S4r-zk9KU_QHmdud46tG8oyR-9rWqLMh_WEP4POhh58h2DjVM-2likWkSXThaM5u-4SSkkkYLDGDcOhgLAHr2c3f74/s1600/DSCF4050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj9nyR7RwBifGhf58MVe155Wx97UshVccwkhfxvy685wTIy8W0S4r-zk9KU_QHmdud46tG8oyR-9rWqLMh_WEP4POhh58h2DjVM-2likWkSXThaM5u-4SSkkkYLDGDcOhgLAHr2c3f74/s320/DSCF4050.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An assortment of tags in lime green, coral, light gray and light blue. I can see these ending up on some scrapbook pages. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPx116-OvzetMZ0aaksnhHMc4nVaiPyFbaTG1DpW0eDqCjIvTOokRv-6DZuSQTflX9q6LPx6DrmXjZnZWSEItLHeOVyzS6eSyMJ-GAIlTv7ilnBc8i7-olajvFQiTJnGVwu_eUlBi3AM/s1600/DSCF4051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPx116-OvzetMZ0aaksnhHMc4nVaiPyFbaTG1DpW0eDqCjIvTOokRv-6DZuSQTflX9q6LPx6DrmXjZnZWSEItLHeOVyzS6eSyMJ-GAIlTv7ilnBc8i7-olajvFQiTJnGVwu_eUlBi3AM/s320/DSCF4051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray and white twine. Not sure what I'm gonna do with this yet. Any ideas?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdltYyNklYzhSk2pWdDenPvT3KNPQlzQe-mGpL2VWZCbi9Ro1uDmE_zBGfdPASkeRfP9Omsxz5wDjAu_GzBrR8lLONLbLxiTmusshAUIL1AjgBlfRpJ8EbUytcMjPku59QSA8TVPNuI8/s1600/DSCF4052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdltYyNklYzhSk2pWdDenPvT3KNPQlzQe-mGpL2VWZCbi9Ro1uDmE_zBGfdPASkeRfP9Omsxz5wDjAu_GzBrR8lLONLbLxiTmusshAUIL1AjgBlfRpJ8EbUytcMjPku59QSA8TVPNuI8/s320/DSCF4052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink and white chevron gift bags (earmarked for a little girls birthday party!) and cardboard gift boxes. Those hold so many possibilities! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPWBanSf-lnLq9tKhJutSdEXrcr649vVfjnGN0b9pNyNecpOVm6-tArigNXUR4mgDz7TkmXQtTcFREZ6OSWCoHarSyV3foY2YFosLcEerIPQtn-t3DtJeCO4I2l3PjqNesLkpeWyBslc/s1600/DSCF4055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPWBanSf-lnLq9tKhJutSdEXrcr649vVfjnGN0b9pNyNecpOVm6-tArigNXUR4mgDz7TkmXQtTcFREZ6OSWCoHarSyV3foY2YFosLcEerIPQtn-t3DtJeCO4I2l3PjqNesLkpeWyBslc/s320/DSCF4055.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two different kinds of clips. I love the curly Q ones. So fun! Hello scrapbook pages! But the silver ones are really fun too! I'm thinking add some really cool initial "jewels" to them and use them as bookmarks in Brianna's gift bags for her birthday party. She loves to read and they would be super cute I think! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk0Lktm4TVPxMbonz4AongRuCpZqIqDMaixfj7-bLwhGW0xK1VN1Mn9cKoWFOA3G_zjd1OlCcH4r5XKL95Vp6xyexcgMEDsO6ln51yIwp12DObEOrVbfHfO-i577kh0PEQquN6CVLu4Y/s1600/DSCF4058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk0Lktm4TVPxMbonz4AongRuCpZqIqDMaixfj7-bLwhGW0xK1VN1Mn9cKoWFOA3G_zjd1OlCcH4r5XKL95Vp6xyexcgMEDsO6ln51yIwp12DObEOrVbfHfO-i577kh0PEQquN6CVLu4Y/s320/DSCF4058.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so excited about this one! I love stamps! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v2GRbGMjSPY6kcrLwyBAe5IQCzBXFPeWh7OEuODVfYD0JWuwR7y554RPl66ORR6QhiMGqWnVCg2N1-xVWU70Z8rTRoWVjEFFagNHFhCiG4e9rEsSAuo2hJHpfC_lh9FN0phunnVmLVo/s1600/DSCF4059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v2GRbGMjSPY6kcrLwyBAe5IQCzBXFPeWh7OEuODVfYD0JWuwR7y554RPl66ORR6QhiMGqWnVCg2N1-xVWU70Z8rTRoWVjEFFagNHFhCiG4e9rEsSAuo2hJHpfC_lh9FN0phunnVmLVo/s320/DSCF4059.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how fun!! Scrapbook pages, cards, tags...oh the possibilities! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-95e8OU1hOMKw1mIjjRTddUqca2sQ5R53P-SbNjDGrCOsfmUHPNPP7fzwsjvc9PQkKl5uPB3uVyFJhSX5cVdSKn8z6joGlyk3UepcYzyHXxgsfI5Zy6so88tte9vwEGxFUw4l6tRE1k/s1600/DSCF4053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-95e8OU1hOMKw1mIjjRTddUqca2sQ5R53P-SbNjDGrCOsfmUHPNPP7fzwsjvc9PQkKl5uPB3uVyFJhSX5cVdSKn8z6joGlyk3UepcYzyHXxgsfI5Zy6so88tte9vwEGxFUw4l6tRE1k/s320/DSCF4053.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were probably the kids favorite-glow in the dark balloons! You fill them with air, pull down on the tab and they glow in the dark! I mean, seriously! How cool!!! I'm thinking these are going to join us on our big camping trip this summer! How fun would it be to fall asleep at night to the glow of a glow in the dark balloon!?!? Whoever invented those is a genius! </td></tr>
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So that's what was in my box! What a fun surprise and a great giveaway! A big thank you to Kaysi from hosting such a fun giveaway and a huge thank you to <a href="http://www.pickyourplum.com/" target="_blank">Pick Your Plum</a> for all of the fun surprises! Be sure to check out both sites and follow <a href="http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/" target="_blank">Kaysi's blog</a>, especially if you like to craft! She does really great crafts that are easy but make a big impact. And believe me when I say they are easy...she's a soon to be mom of 5 (4 boys!!!) so she doesn't mess around when she gets down to crafting!</div>
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Oh, and did you notice my new button on the sidebar?? If you're on Pinterest and you don't follow me yet come on over and join the fun!!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-7242676871582098472013-03-22T16:48:00.000-04:002013-03-22T16:48:12.577-04:00Organizational Challenge Progress Report 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8HmK4N3913EMPA6BqWf7aPs0P6RftKyLpqk-5FgIVfBntcVwkKGpvyooyo3H8f9-JByAPSwOuYF7zyUgged9MZ0vb0nPOo0GTK4qu4m6lltuU1oyIr2vC4odFRJPDNzHvYUnWF53dOo/s1600/31-Day-340px-Border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8HmK4N3913EMPA6BqWf7aPs0P6RftKyLpqk-5FgIVfBntcVwkKGpvyooyo3H8f9-JByAPSwOuYF7zyUgged9MZ0vb0nPOo0GTK4qu4m6lltuU1oyIr2vC4odFRJPDNzHvYUnWF53dOo/s320/31-Day-340px-Border.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, you might remember that I'm joining in on the 31 Day Organizational Challenge over at OrgJunkie. I think I've mentioned it a few times :-) (You can see the before pictures <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2013/03/31-day-organization-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a> and my progress report after week 1 <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2013/03/31-day-organization-challenge-update-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) Well, we are on week 3 now! I can't believe only 1 more week, but I feel like we will make it! (except for maybe all the painting...I'm not sure the master bath will be painted the way we want by next weekend, but we'll see!) I didn't post a progress report last week. I lost my cable that connects my SD card reader to my computer so I had no way to upload my pictures. But, I found it today so we're back! (I noticed I don't post very often if I don't have pictures to share. It's weird but that's just me I guess!!) So this weeks progress report is actually for last week. I worked on the master bath. It looks much better now! The only thing that needs to be done now is to get the shelf hung on the wall that I bought to house some of the collectibles that were in the window. I'm getting rid of some of them, but there were some that I wanted to keep. Also, like I mentioned it's not painted yet. We also need to get new rugs for the floor to go with our new color scheme, and new towels, but since all those things are more decorative than organizational I can let that slide a little longer! lol This week I've been working on the closet. You might remember what a disaster it was but just in case you forgot go check out my post with the before pictures. If you dare!! I got some good progress made but then got side lined by illness this week so I didn't get much done. But there's always this weekend (if I'm feeling up to it! They think I have pancreatitis AND an ulcer so it can be pretty painful at times!!)</div>
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Now, onto the pictures!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM2rD9h3hsQMK14UbwyqhRK7Fmi9lHmo4R0pJnqrTFTNZW-OjU0qjLUcUas6MRl25y77kwD9i6QELR1sHzlokf6I0vXJx5ZKfYMO-wKYbrOoVkogM73CVnWgrR5hpBBKdUC6KPvyT2Qc/s1600/bath+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM2rD9h3hsQMK14UbwyqhRK7Fmi9lHmo4R0pJnqrTFTNZW-OjU0qjLUcUas6MRl25y77kwD9i6QELR1sHzlokf6I0vXJx5ZKfYMO-wKYbrOoVkogM73CVnWgrR5hpBBKdUC6KPvyT2Qc/s320/bath+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master bath before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNY4BuPpz2Z3O098kXB-8HgcQuXcXmO0JsZCJZCNZ1VwN9d5J_UI-XMeZgNgUWc556XQxwvPP7lUU6XL49RsX05gRgVtmXzDzeto5wuoqdf84zWBvhLMEZZ_8rtqiuHT6yYYAcpsFuwE/s1600/bath+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNY4BuPpz2Z3O098kXB-8HgcQuXcXmO0JsZCJZCNZ1VwN9d5J_UI-XMeZgNgUWc556XQxwvPP7lUU6XL49RsX05gRgVtmXzDzeto5wuoqdf84zWBvhLMEZZ_8rtqiuHT6yYYAcpsFuwE/s320/bath+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master bath after! Yippy! Let's go look closer!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Since the only storage we have in this bathroom is the one cabinet under the sink and the medicine cabinet we had to bring in some extra pieces when we moved in. We bought two Rubbermaid organizers. One to hold miscellaneous items and one to hold towels and wash clothes. This is the mess of the smaller organizer. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u0_BpLZm7AtTClR1h_9y1tgeIEwT9e1_LdTG2_sGXLjQrV5OfEZjq9jEuMc3eUakE36lLibNJWnCOVMJVw74kRrgzpDv_ipBf5gZzPcxvm_HAtopVDbeSV3MVEbcUfKhjNnckbI0hrg/s1600/bath+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u0_BpLZm7AtTClR1h_9y1tgeIEwT9e1_LdTG2_sGXLjQrV5OfEZjq9jEuMc3eUakE36lLibNJWnCOVMJVw74kRrgzpDv_ipBf5gZzPcxvm_HAtopVDbeSV3MVEbcUfKhjNnckbI0hrg/s320/bath+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer before. Yeah, just a catch all for anything and everything! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8cgNiVP_ulfk5l_909mqPw9jXpqqXeHapWfl-B-yufvPPeYlOiYHjvVd4-aIG82PT-gwwoo5bt8a8qVG7px3Z1LzbD8WhYQSJtN35XcJpFOexLL0byvU_GpLUz0ovrCxygizRAidJ3Q/s1600/bath+1st+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8cgNiVP_ulfk5l_909mqPw9jXpqqXeHapWfl-B-yufvPPeYlOiYHjvVd4-aIG82PT-gwwoo5bt8a8qVG7px3Z1LzbD8WhYQSJtN35XcJpFOexLL0byvU_GpLUz0ovrCxygizRAidJ3Q/s320/bath+1st+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top drawer after. A bowl holds nail polish and my Mary Kay Satin Hands products, the striped bag holds makeup. The black bag in the back holds beauty tools (eye lash curler, eye brow trimmer, tweezers, nail clippers, etc) The bag of makeup sponges ended up getting moved as you'll see in the next set of pictures. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ze34OgQmdVE9PsqqGS4YMhDWdo2Pg7mklPpVOoqBQDnL0sjOvhbCPopT56PM0lCONQb3wCNIGj2Lok3iqfWaajPoUvlLoZJcNyodFc3yqDexK7UNMEXJtzcTwF6-vOTnHb14iGaYYFk/s1600/bath+2nd+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ze34OgQmdVE9PsqqGS4YMhDWdo2Pg7mklPpVOoqBQDnL0sjOvhbCPopT56PM0lCONQb3wCNIGj2Lok3iqfWaajPoUvlLoZJcNyodFc3yqDexK7UNMEXJtzcTwF6-vOTnHb14iGaYYFk/s320/bath+2nd+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd drawer before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsA8MIYQMxShqywsU2P5AoC63e-SB3T-awraAmp_MVMeVDXeZdodBd68VRrOh9nRI7ukHXOx19fDY1Wm20DNecWlPnYNk1XnvMId9O_GfCoczkOPSS0WrQgRqA1vilG-n-PoIqKvquYs/s1600/bath+2nd+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsA8MIYQMxShqywsU2P5AoC63e-SB3T-awraAmp_MVMeVDXeZdodBd68VRrOh9nRI7ukHXOx19fDY1Wm20DNecWlPnYNk1XnvMId9O_GfCoczkOPSS0WrQgRqA1vilG-n-PoIqKvquYs/s320/bath+2nd+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd drawer after: paper products- QTips, makeup sponges and pocket tissues. That's it! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LLkvERBdCuppOB_UWis0Y5LNF8KJc8gqwKrYR0Ym6qa67aDfANZgbiw_B5tBMneld-skYJ4gNby2b5f6phRBomtKgarjR9IH2-uofMIzsZr6GRMtwOQsybqpqWin5qHGuhv2tor9Mf4/s1600/bath+3rd+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LLkvERBdCuppOB_UWis0Y5LNF8KJc8gqwKrYR0Ym6qa67aDfANZgbiw_B5tBMneld-skYJ4gNby2b5f6phRBomtKgarjR9IH2-uofMIzsZr6GRMtwOQsybqpqWin5qHGuhv2tor9Mf4/s320/bath+3rd+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd drawer before: again a catch all. What amazed me the most were all the sample sizes of toothpaste! I mean really!! How many of those do we need!?!? I think we get new ones at every dentist appointment. I set some aside for 72 hour kits and some for travel and any that had been opened got thrown out. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijeUvNwmKbVDT3q7_747LiG0anDViHKIJKhvn9PPo8-k1PWd5Skwr5yC2nrNJXyvwISEFYUJVNIvmLLHuJGDcEYsWMO7SsvTg3GjnE7BYAphmF3umbPWyRgYWvRv9BzpBcIgti5OTb9I/s1600/bath+3rd+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijeUvNwmKbVDT3q7_747LiG0anDViHKIJKhvn9PPo8-k1PWd5Skwr5yC2nrNJXyvwISEFYUJVNIvmLLHuJGDcEYsWMO7SsvTg3GjnE7BYAphmF3umbPWyRgYWvRv9BzpBcIgti5OTb9I/s320/bath+3rd+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd drawer after: the basket holds travel size items and extra contact lens cases, the zipper bag holds travel toothpaste, extra dental floss and picks. In front are our boxes of contacts and a travel size bottle of contact solution. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSPUVWLz5eIenyhE81Dz8n7vabGd8x6XIgkZEDcDMokXsXICGFwlPzX6YJddLXuobCQeN6cUwW80pKKkyS_ZqoLy8oCBrqefgWmq4W6yN5850B0JT-DBNqOXAYjWxrW37cggZQilT7n8/s1600/bath+4th+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSPUVWLz5eIenyhE81Dz8n7vabGd8x6XIgkZEDcDMokXsXICGFwlPzX6YJddLXuobCQeN6cUwW80pKKkyS_ZqoLy8oCBrqefgWmq4W6yN5850B0JT-DBNqOXAYjWxrW37cggZQilT7n8/s320/bath+4th+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th drawer before- hair stuff and some random ace bandages and asthma separators. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXSICKKQ-UF2Lj7QqVOOMrE6Go_dpbibcNgbmvN1zAQ-Q9KoXcZCWgWac7OsvQ5z1ESQ5DVBGZkQaIGSIQx_ibFKTrtR0CKLZHVxOMHit4mQcjNEp_6DVEXipGMicDY_dhqyItRPJ0hM/s1600/bath+4th+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXSICKKQ-UF2Lj7QqVOOMrE6Go_dpbibcNgbmvN1zAQ-Q9KoXcZCWgWac7OsvQ5z1ESQ5DVBGZkQaIGSIQx_ibFKTrtR0CKLZHVxOMHit4mQcjNEp_6DVEXipGMicDY_dhqyItRPJ0hM/s320/bath+4th+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th drawer after- still hair stuff, but this time just hair stuff! This drawer has since changed a little too! We went to Ikea last weekend and I got some organizers for my closet. They had some small ones that were perfect for the bag of hair bands, bobby pins and barrettes. But all that will be updated in the final post! :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To say that the under the sink cabinet is the bane of my existence is an understatement! I HATE this sink! We are hoping to redo the bathroom in about a year or so with pieces from (you guessed it!) IKEA but until then I have to make do! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9mYUBqzBkrTdcJTjL1SorKIMDutMZlbSyPwOchSMmpAE4uani5q5Nf6kVNjwUS7up2xwrYWM3TJp_PmLxzlPb1D7n8wZntNQX9iiAh4-HsO0TG9YPSLs78W4JZLVAaSY7umPA8xJk0c/s1600/under+sink+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9mYUBqzBkrTdcJTjL1SorKIMDutMZlbSyPwOchSMmpAE4uani5q5Nf6kVNjwUS7up2xwrYWM3TJp_PmLxzlPb1D7n8wZntNQX9iiAh4-HsO0TG9YPSLs78W4JZLVAaSY7umPA8xJk0c/s320/under+sink+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The before! I got rid of all the various candles, hair dye (I don't color my hair, I'm not sure why I had all that!) tampons and pads (don't really need that when you're using Depo Provera and don't have a cycle anymore!!) I also threw out any expired sunscreens and lotions and put the ones that were still good in the swim bag in the laundry room. That took care of a lot of this mess. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7tlJzWQ56ANhJ2YPuzbN2SF9LQQ4va8bs2GSTfy_t5JW0-c8NHim36s7B9wX8U5FmxVkMMsQpDJw8hIuJAZ49cd0pcrsH4ejCACN2YDAxPWnYs6dwb7SS15AL35oscG-jJBJm6WD26c/s1600/DSCF4008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7tlJzWQ56ANhJ2YPuzbN2SF9LQQ4va8bs2GSTfy_t5JW0-c8NHim36s7B9wX8U5FmxVkMMsQpDJw8hIuJAZ49cd0pcrsH4ejCACN2YDAxPWnYs6dwb7SS15AL35oscG-jJBJm6WD26c/s320/DSCF4008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under sink cabinet after. So much better!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4vA6Clnx0wp01DH2rZin-qZYkSYpJqVZlL-b68NmW6ApjTNKbvayBDBmfrNzp8ndLgot94J7x4zpEAvB2iPFPaJSZyL7dWhZhgrNyK97ZtsIFLVNY9sa5_Le0QR1P14d_n6IjL4rJ64/s1600/DSCF4009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4vA6Clnx0wp01DH2rZin-qZYkSYpJqVZlL-b68NmW6ApjTNKbvayBDBmfrNzp8ndLgot94J7x4zpEAvB2iPFPaJSZyL7dWhZhgrNyK97ZtsIFLVNY9sa5_Le0QR1P14d_n6IjL4rJ64/s320/DSCF4009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left side: hair items (straightner, crimper, curling iron, hair dryer, heat protecting spray, hair spray), breast pads (a nursing moms best friend!), toilet paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwj9vjYZ8Pthe2x_nFmSConWxl0CuwY3cHAAcWQN7TVs7LPpKZWuDfAKtfY-4HEh7buKixRz08G3LDQNXIJfrvkyViXsOixtuQRRz5gm8CkREfJSbwReEi-dKO9ZXsOOk436MKeyJeAI/s1600/DSCF4010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwj9vjYZ8Pthe2x_nFmSConWxl0CuwY3cHAAcWQN7TVs7LPpKZWuDfAKtfY-4HEh7buKixRz08G3LDQNXIJfrvkyViXsOixtuQRRz5gm8CkREfJSbwReEi-dKO9ZXsOOk436MKeyJeAI/s320/DSCF4010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right side: in the back are my husband's hair clippers, hand soap refills, extra contact lens solution, hand sanitizer, hair spray and the basket holds our extras (soap, toothpaste, scrungies, throat drops, Neosporin, panty liners...can you tell I'm a couponer!?!?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODps8yiK1w4h1LWP3lpgoDFxOgR5flhYEbK6ZmCeq2nA0heswsK5xw57a1OkZAQWfOdhst1ITBxXHplhJh3GMH5hBwWT9odF4wcNpSqSV77SrBrQ7kbHLXyazz61YiFE-yxb_6rQxfsk/s1600/medicine+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODps8yiK1w4h1LWP3lpgoDFxOgR5flhYEbK6ZmCeq2nA0heswsK5xw57a1OkZAQWfOdhst1ITBxXHplhJh3GMH5hBwWT9odF4wcNpSqSV77SrBrQ7kbHLXyazz61YiFE-yxb_6rQxfsk/s320/medicine+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine cabinet before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW43cG_atvJikunSMOjJwUNuOjFT_nChhfEdOvmRlWQR2ZIgsl1duZMLWTeGx5c6FjJYGwUBcMyw4aZhcVdKRlg3W5DNN7ti63EcV6d-ocVKXGeoIhftjXKwRiWDkbJ9qVX0aA0gfIrmI/s1600/inside+medicine+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW43cG_atvJikunSMOjJwUNuOjFT_nChhfEdOvmRlWQR2ZIgsl1duZMLWTeGx5c6FjJYGwUBcMyw4aZhcVdKRlg3W5DNN7ti63EcV6d-ocVKXGeoIhftjXKwRiWDkbJ9qVX0aA0gfIrmI/s320/inside+medicine+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine cabinet before 2.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxJxDLPw9uCEJ5KW9Ypdo2aG-BX250-izRK5vGLNvgbj7liI9FJfBSulGkLK6hL7nhPSD7hZnENO74vWy6_KY_tG3aGw9E1AQbEXfqfAjM8oaCSsudXpj2IW8eXqEUJedfu_kuWHyrbM/s1600/medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxJxDLPw9uCEJ5KW9Ypdo2aG-BX250-izRK5vGLNvgbj7liI9FJfBSulGkLK6hL7nhPSD7hZnENO74vWy6_KY_tG3aGw9E1AQbEXfqfAjM8oaCSsudXpj2IW8eXqEUJedfu_kuWHyrbM/s320/medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medicine cabinet after. I got rid of all the expired medications, that helped a lot! Then I separated medicines by category and put each in their own section. I'd like to find some baskets for in here but they'd have to be pretty skinny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcFmDUsM_FSLash4UdN0yTTlxQ9o0LYZjd_J0WkmKsRkyYtOkx7uIptfwxGD1euhBcdJqsrshaZ52enMYhOzERJW9Rz4q13h5KvVWqOaRNXFNM8pgYYo5V5X8EHHC1n9UY4jVjTz-NxQ/s1600/shelf+1+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcFmDUsM_FSLash4UdN0yTTlxQ9o0LYZjd_J0WkmKsRkyYtOkx7uIptfwxGD1euhBcdJqsrshaZ52enMYhOzERJW9Rz4q13h5KvVWqOaRNXFNM8pgYYo5V5X8EHHC1n9UY4jVjTz-NxQ/s320/shelf+1+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom shelf: 1st Aid, pain relievers, tummy issues, foot issues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbKoBENGuSOTooCGPDAhAvEaomjZRb2jSu-o7aY4tHf3qUmoqHWimOoF7rcbECKA445PVRbWRZjiv9ZughatpbGNtToSrNAMhaD3o7LocUjr6cK9sTZRrNY3Gppwj8YOx_b23rThAY3k/s1600/shelf+2+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbKoBENGuSOTooCGPDAhAvEaomjZRb2jSu-o7aY4tHf3qUmoqHWimOoF7rcbECKA445PVRbWRZjiv9ZughatpbGNtToSrNAMhaD3o7LocUjr6cK9sTZRrNY3Gppwj8YOx_b23rThAY3k/s320/shelf+2+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top shelf: Allergy/Sinus, Cold and Flu, prescriptions, asthma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i0oZP6ZEPJv3GLDmLU7FE2FweHn44ZnDyyfvWwgb07HRADPceN-Exq0meaVxM3JQYhhEHi7Rj6cAuETGTZL5SX1dl1yAtzqeJ1LoQZWlmxhJmzDTGcF9wj8dPgtjiNthqglJui2XSbw/s1600/top+of+medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i0oZP6ZEPJv3GLDmLU7FE2FweHn44ZnDyyfvWwgb07HRADPceN-Exq0meaVxM3JQYhhEHi7Rj6cAuETGTZL5SX1dl1yAtzqeJ1LoQZWlmxhJmzDTGcF9wj8dPgtjiNthqglJui2XSbw/s320/top+of+medicine+cabinet+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: Baby powder (because the kids can't reach it and make a mess), medicated mouth wash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOkR5emM6eVsAUYtFND5Tj7z44RTOYelWMHQ7fRNsWvKV7XqENjTpqQSu5sbvG99kI_RqGqGCAGzbJlPXZ3r4OEnRIEMhfmPcVg50bFuwW9t2EbCttohR5jtPKociCEqa2Y6iOhdFwlo/s1600/medicine+cabinet+shelf+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOkR5emM6eVsAUYtFND5Tj7z44RTOYelWMHQ7fRNsWvKV7XqENjTpqQSu5sbvG99kI_RqGqGCAGzbJlPXZ3r4OEnRIEMhfmPcVg50bFuwW9t2EbCttohR5jtPKociCEqa2Y6iOhdFwlo/s320/medicine+cabinet+shelf+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside shelf after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKaxJQdQtKqAYN8vazrFCejbtB8PbRrq_O-b8WRqRk1fqjHXSDCAhYax5xp8HGaWgXP-3pWcwILXpJMHVxhyphenhyphenx73h7bQuPY_p39OTlzJcZKfZ60f2TxBt7_dYP5Ow5dVx4ItGFJGdzFos/s1600/my+stuff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKaxJQdQtKqAYN8vazrFCejbtB8PbRrq_O-b8WRqRk1fqjHXSDCAhYax5xp8HGaWgXP-3pWcwILXpJMHVxhyphenhyphenx73h7bQuPY_p39OTlzJcZKfZ60f2TxBt7_dYP5Ow5dVx4ItGFJGdzFos/s320/my+stuff.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My stuff on the left, corralled in a little box. I threw out a ton of perfume samples, old lotions and body sprays.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVVj6McnXZJQ35Kriafhjah0KS7mAl1h2QArOjQjznuZKin-2c4qhMiBAKAIKJZcHrm3QMg5LWTcpr_1hQpUqnttZdIXVb5NtrZJ8G82QbfaEr9ME2SCC3U6vAFGCHI2S9nIECN4o_OI/s1600/hubby%2527s+stuff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVVj6McnXZJQ35Kriafhjah0KS7mAl1h2QArOjQjznuZKin-2c4qhMiBAKAIKJZcHrm3QMg5LWTcpr_1hQpUqnttZdIXVb5NtrZJ8G82QbfaEr9ME2SCC3U6vAFGCHI2S9nIECN4o_OI/s320/hubby%2527s+stuff.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hubby's stuff. I want to find a little box for him too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So that's the bathroom. As I noted above (and throughout) I still have a few things I'd like to do but overall a vast improvement! Make sure you stop by <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2013/03/31-day-organizational-challenge-3rd-progress-link-up.html" target="_blank">OrgJunkie</a> to check in on the others' progress!<br /> And once again, thanks to Laura for hosting the challenge!</div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-5644180928106971772013-03-14T09:04:00.000-04:002013-03-14T09:04:33.271-04:00Habemus Papam!<div style="text-align: center;">
It all started with this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasCRVKDPvrCBHQ6y-avXC0eK-t21QBDrlmk68mhM8nQDHOuMZpJFLxLAwOkM2PNoJv9jhLyZyTneverA91DGWEiLaUTu_oImaJnEx8JlY5u9AHQY728QYexbx2KKLkTdmOOhBGFL8zSQ/s1600/white+smoke.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasCRVKDPvrCBHQ6y-avXC0eK-t21QBDrlmk68mhM8nQDHOuMZpJFLxLAwOkM2PNoJv9jhLyZyTneverA91DGWEiLaUTu_oImaJnEx8JlY5u9AHQY728QYexbx2KKLkTdmOOhBGFL8zSQ/s320/white+smoke.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then the bells of St. Peter's began ringing. Habemus Papam! We have a Pope!! </div>
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The resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI came as such a shock to the world. I think many people believed that it would take all this week and maybe into next week before the Cardinals would be able to install a new Pontiff. But on the 2nd day, the 5th vote the white smoke appeared. My phone started ringing (my mom calling from DC to see if I had heard the news!) and I started jumping around the room like a little kid. Conclave is exciting! This is only the 2nd of my lifetime and my first as a Catholic (I came in to the church in 2007, 2 years after Benedict had been installed.) I too was prepared for it to last a little longer. I tuned in around the time of each vote to watch the chimney. At first when the smoke started it looked so dark I was unsure, but then it got lighter and lighter. All I knew was that if this Pope chose the name Peter I would freak out! (lol- if you haven't read the prophecy of St. Malachy, which the church doesn't back and believes to be a fallacy, you probably won't understand that, but if you have then you know!!)</div>
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Then the waiting game began. We knew it could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to be introduced to the new Pope. It took over an hour this time. But when the lights turned on on the Vatican Balcony we knew it was any moment. Like Savannah Gutherie said on Today this morning, there are very few moments of pure suspense anymore, but this was one of them! </div>
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When they came out and announced Habemus Papam the crowd went crazy! It was amazing to see all those people crammed into St. Peter's square (they estimate over 150,000!!!) They were truly celebratory, waving flags from countries all over the world. I imagine most of them were Catholics, but a large part of them probably were not. They were every different race, spoke many different languages. Some were there to meet their spiritual Father for the first time, others were there just to be part of history. But they were there, in the rain, in the cold, waiting to see him. When they announced his name I missed it (I don't speak Latin!!!) but when he walked out on that balcony I immediately liked him! He looks so sweet, so genuine, so humble. Even a little bit shy! And his smile is so warm and welcoming! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqp6y30YRet9rasRjwH4IaeSdfWBc-35Z1maTSBXurPx69Sj07Sm5wYKf9nV-RgHWO2dBw5V7dzgNHQLR3PGj9cgQsQY5q7No21m1F6xNGLVaVoLfji65zj2G_CkqyXN4S3KIk2d-pBI/s1600/pope+francis+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqp6y30YRet9rasRjwH4IaeSdfWBc-35Z1maTSBXurPx69Sj07Sm5wYKf9nV-RgHWO2dBw5V7dzgNHQLR3PGj9cgQsQY5q7No21m1F6xNGLVaVoLfji65zj2G_CkqyXN4S3KIk2d-pBI/s320/pope+francis+1.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope Francis I</td></tr>
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I love that he took his name after this wildly popular Saint:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy5aZm4y_BZbVdbjDmfiq2PaQig3_mfobMiMjf4XRoz3DRHyXmd1bGMfHpBRUffzvougHukDEjrO_w8iYdKTvz_GM5M2Ag7qzmz7rkaoj44OoVqLajHi1MN80vE3HxYFYUvahTmsvbIc/s1600/st+francis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy5aZm4y_BZbVdbjDmfiq2PaQig3_mfobMiMjf4XRoz3DRHyXmd1bGMfHpBRUffzvougHukDEjrO_w8iYdKTvz_GM5M2Ag7qzmz7rkaoj44OoVqLajHi1MN80vE3HxYFYUvahTmsvbIc/s320/st+francis.jpeg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Francis of Asissi</td></tr>
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It's an interesting choice and immediately people began asking "So is he a reformer then?" St. Francis was definitely a reformer in the church, receiving his call from God who told him to "Rebuild my Church". And looking at Pope Francis's record as Cardinal of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires I think he is indeed a reformer. He isn't going to change doctrine. The churches position on gay marriage, contraception, women priests, etc will not change under his leadership. He will be a Pope of the People. I think he will mandate a call to get back to the basics: caring for the poor, the sick, the lonely, the downtrodden. This is a man who regularly traveled to the slums to be with the poor (on the bus mind you, not chauffeured by a driver!). He ministered to AIDs patients, washing and kissing their feet. He ministered to single mothers, even chastising other priests who were refusing to baptize the babies of unwed mothers. I heard a commentator on CNN last night say that Pope Emeritus Benedict showed us the teachings of Jesus, Pope Francis will show us His face. I LOVED that!!! We all know that the church needs reforming. I like that Pope Francis is not a Vatican man. He hasn't spent the last few decades in Rome. He has spent it among the people, serving them, loving them, watching their struggles.The Church needs to return to her roots of serving and loving ALL people. In the politics of the times LOVE has been lost. It's time to return to it! Jesus said when asked which of the Commandments was the greatest "You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength. And the second is like unto it, You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself." (emphasis mine.) And I think Pope Francis will be the one to lead us there!</div>
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A friend commented on Facebook that he's so old and we'll be doing this again before we know it. My thought was he must be exactly what the Church needs at this exact moment in time. Yes, we might be doing this again in 5 or 8 years, but think about how amazing these 5 or 8 years could be for the Church under his leadership! It makes me excited, and hopeful, to think about! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zc0t8DFZzCUhumV_5_YHRpLZnpeKvUrFD1TMW9PTWLQr34AtqcAspVokMFXilra7qshVZuYHWx0Pz2Qo0Oz62m9_rPt1-gPTuPsyqve51CqrZjjVdbwLo2A7vXyozZtkPoM-LSlRR0s/s1600/pope+francis+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zc0t8DFZzCUhumV_5_YHRpLZnpeKvUrFD1TMW9PTWLQr34AtqcAspVokMFXilra7qshVZuYHWx0Pz2Qo0Oz62m9_rPt1-gPTuPsyqve51CqrZjjVdbwLo2A7vXyozZtkPoM-LSlRR0s/s320/pope+francis+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/s2963057.shtml" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-89695904045929792262013-03-12T11:11:00.000-04:002013-03-12T11:11:58.995-04:00Menu Plan Monday- Tuesday Edition- Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLWL0dxC5BGaH28XIXgSU8_fngEQQzBQfoIvWVeKJgTfiKDRXZo2G3XrOQWRqP1vNKunoFTW1imkclH693hXHgN6gwv3Ein0ABV9kmpKMDVolf7wmt_s0bPsL5lzVruKYBRSfeLkcMrg/s1600/greenmpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLWL0dxC5BGaH28XIXgSU8_fngEQQzBQfoIvWVeKJgTfiKDRXZo2G3XrOQWRqP1vNKunoFTW1imkclH693hXHgN6gwv3Ein0ABV9kmpKMDVolf7wmt_s0bPsL5lzVruKYBRSfeLkcMrg/s1600/greenmpm.jpg" /></a></div>
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I haven't posted my menu in a while and to be honest I've been flying by the seat of my pants. Not working so well, so here we go again!!</div>
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This week's plan:</div>
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Monday: Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken and broccoli, salad with fresh pears and Italian Herb Artisan Bread</div>
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Tuesday: Pinto Beans with Ham, Green Beans, Corn Bread </div>
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Wednesday: Chicken Stew, Biscuits</div>
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Thursday: Dinner on the Run- Dance night</div>
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Friday: Beer Battered Fish, Chips (British style french fries), Cole Slaw</div>
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Saturday: date night</div>
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Sunday: I'm going to let mom decide what she wants for dinner. She's been in DC since Saturday for a Conference and doesn't get home til Thursday night. I'm sure she'll have something she'd love to have since she'll have eaten out so much all week. </div>
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I have a question for all you meal planners out there. How do you plan breakfast and lunches? I feel like I do a good job with lunches in general. Breakfast around here tends to be cold breakfast cereal or oatmeal during the week and then pancakes, french toast, egg dishes on Saturdays when everyone is eating at the same time. During the week everyone is staggered at the times they need to be up and I don't want to cook 3 or 4 different times. But I feel guilty sometimes that they aren't eating anything other than cereal. Any advice??</div>
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Check out other menu plans at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">Org Junkie</a>. Happy Eating! </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-37688492956465195132013-03-12T10:40:00.002-04:002013-03-12T10:40:56.107-04:00I'm A Big Boy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This little guy:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lY5vcn7fysA9IrKdjloRKtJKe6dOVrq4bGXIkb3R6_QkiYdgTSLBU98LI2GNswYpf91VLdZfDq-9QKDi1sR19ybrbgigBag-wwfO07dqI68s-_LN-pPPydg-EfA5A_SH_7XXBsqPAZU/s1600/DSCF3963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lY5vcn7fysA9IrKdjloRKtJKe6dOVrq4bGXIkb3R6_QkiYdgTSLBU98LI2GNswYpf91VLdZfDq-9QKDi1sR19ybrbgigBag-wwfO07dqI68s-_LN-pPPydg-EfA5A_SH_7XXBsqPAZU/s400/DSCF3963.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Yeah, this one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf0SldLeSLbshaAf4VWBTqdwJ4t_p7ad7uwbjTvr8clUT4dK8boE0IRU0QZLXx66pCHgTSqiUcPAUUDGQhFWEzMpO8QLgHRGtwWGHBYAHFGD-a2XWCXRo5aXaKM6NvT1jfAib0tMRND8/s1600/DSCF3965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf0SldLeSLbshaAf4VWBTqdwJ4t_p7ad7uwbjTvr8clUT4dK8boE0IRU0QZLXx66pCHgTSqiUcPAUUDGQhFWEzMpO8QLgHRGtwWGHBYAHFGD-a2XWCXRo5aXaKM6NvT1jfAib0tMRND8/s320/DSCF3965.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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is becoming a very big boy!!</div>
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We had Elijah's 6 month well appointment on Friday. He weighed in at a whopping 15.9 pounds and is 27.5 inches long. Basically he's tall and skinny in the 9th percentile for his weight but 64th percentile for his length! And that head? Yup, it's up to 16.9 inches or 15th percentile, up from the 7th 2 months ago. That must be a big brain in there!! He is still one of my smallest kids (Micah was smaller at this age but not by much!) but he's right on the curve he should be on from where he started so the doctors are very pleased with his growth and development.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlscLzkcRg6jdYTXr4QOMQLYbcu2r-ZgxZUJ_jGTR9WF1JDf4knvT1eI6ZIRcIzmiyqrAAgaYwfDBRnnl0GCbKh3B6BLVacBdgZaciNtff2u7zmJbP6ZP9C5hVApvHJVXBxp9oiHUrzF8/s1600/DSCF3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlscLzkcRg6jdYTXr4QOMQLYbcu2r-ZgxZUJ_jGTR9WF1JDf4knvT1eI6ZIRcIzmiyqrAAgaYwfDBRnnl0GCbKh3B6BLVacBdgZaciNtff2u7zmJbP6ZP9C5hVApvHJVXBxp9oiHUrzF8/s320/DSCF3966.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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He is absolutely the joy of my life! As parents you love every child equally, I fully believe that. But I also believe that you love them a little bit differently. As each child's personality is different, the relationship with each child is different. And I think when you get as close to loosing a child as <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-back.html" target="_blank">we got to loosing him</a> it changes the dynamic of the relationship. As I hold him and love on him I thank God that he is here. I know I've said it before, but he is just what this family needed! And knowing that he is the last baby makes it all a little more precious and a little more enjoyable! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF1c0ljCBoYbgWMpaO6L2WPxz1vVNBjgBEVGyOap1jP0_w2W1UatkKLOPoerKwnoRI2pVSda4uq0SpZTdmKhJqs5dwiRHZG7xZlyEv15gI5HLozcj7t6y2OJM7uF1tJ3X_QCO8T8FxKs/s1600/DSCF3971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF1c0ljCBoYbgWMpaO6L2WPxz1vVNBjgBEVGyOap1jP0_w2W1UatkKLOPoerKwnoRI2pVSda4uq0SpZTdmKhJqs5dwiRHZG7xZlyEv15gI5HLozcj7t6y2OJM7uF1tJ3X_QCO8T8FxKs/s320/DSCF3971.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, just look at that face! </td></tr>
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He is so affectionate, even at 7 months. He gives kisses! He pats your arm and snuggles into your neck while he's sleeping. He reaches out with arms up when he wants to be held. He laughs all the time and is becoming quite a chatterbox! He was telling me a story this morning and he was quite adamant about it! He is a wonderful eater, an amazing sleeper and has the calmest, most chillaxed manner I've ever seen. He loves to play with his toys, especially anything that he can get a noise out of. He is sitting unsupported. He is starting to turn himself when laying on his belly to get closer to something that might be out of his reach. He'll be crawling before we know it (Heaven help me!!) He likes nursery rhymes (This Little Piggie, Pat-A-Cake, To Market to Market are his favorites). And he is so ticklish! I know it's mean but I love to find that spot at the back of his neck and get a good laugh out of him! It absolutely makes my day! He is pure joy, through and through! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqSRtMBjEmXeg_5LGHMIAXulixxrygMX-uLzWaD3-LSRPZlfBPbsjb3SOy3Mp96xSvTVLTTIPTZrdR7rJ7F2y8gz9nDJHunfe4Vt4hDgfMXIjL-odpdkDaCp53FNMAjKheBS0SpzqQq4/s1600/DSCF3968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqSRtMBjEmXeg_5LGHMIAXulixxrygMX-uLzWaD3-LSRPZlfBPbsjb3SOy3Mp96xSvTVLTTIPTZrdR7rJ7F2y8gz9nDJHunfe4Vt4hDgfMXIjL-odpdkDaCp53FNMAjKheBS0SpzqQq4/s320/DSCF3968.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little monkey butt! I love pants and sleepers with character faces on the butts! They are just so cute!! lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqyI8q5yLdWmVQQhRgIfMJnokPSSHn8NRi2At9bEBGEz-uLeQGIkTJ7x3Chd8A1R7OKOY6BQVdDI2S-cFHB6akoFreud2lKTtQNCZF8q-hS3mMVmKtBPjxsiet5AzYV8Tn0FH3k8tPzo/s1600/DSCF3975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqyI8q5yLdWmVQQhRgIfMJnokPSSHn8NRi2At9bEBGEz-uLeQGIkTJ7x3Chd8A1R7OKOY6BQVdDI2S-cFHB6akoFreud2lKTtQNCZF8q-hS3mMVmKtBPjxsiet5AzYV8Tn0FH3k8tPzo/s320/DSCF3975.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enough pictures mom! I'm done! </td></tr>
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The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-70563412788983445532013-03-08T17:47:00.001-05:002013-03-08T17:48:17.482-05:0031 Day Organization Challenge- Update #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWqxKLCmmbdBnBORkuGf8iKRVsO6rot48NAa8dSl8-mc9AQQnUCXGK1IZ18ibx7d9q-otwoMQRvlXmDUShKlP7PQdJuVg7aI2Hg2lsHoHblO0U68FentQ_Gugk09vpR1u9iF43TNaej0/s1600/31-Day-340px-Border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWqxKLCmmbdBnBORkuGf8iKRVsO6rot48NAa8dSl8-mc9AQQnUCXGK1IZ18ibx7d9q-otwoMQRvlXmDUShKlP7PQdJuVg7aI2Hg2lsHoHblO0U68FentQ_Gugk09vpR1u9iF43TNaej0/s320/31-Day-340px-Border.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, Laura over at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">OrgJunkie</a> is giving us an opportunity if we'd like to give an update on how our spaces are shaping up for the 31 Day Organizational Challenge. Since I was so embarrassed by my <a href="http://blessingsabundant.blogspot.com/2013/03/31-day-organization-challenge.html" target="_blank">before pictures</a> I'd LOVE to show you what I've gotten done! I needed some quick results to give me some pride and a kick in the pants so I started with the obvious...cleaning up the space!!! Going around the room in the same format I'll show you the before and after. One thing you'll notice right away is that the walls are painted! This is one of the only rooms in the house that was never painted or decorated in any way since we moved in 5 years ago. My husband and I agreed that if we are going to do a total purge we might as well get it painted and decorated too! I love our color scheme (French Country Blue, Charcoal Gray, White and Black). It already feels like a different room and I haven't even touched the bathroom or closet yet! (The bathroom is on tap for this weekend...hopefully!) So without further ado, here's my progress from this week!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHYY0MJmX00G1pjPirOLmKbWFcufY6ADWg5kckvWF50vd79EB-GcnZDDsLC9AvrUHi9KgoR6jhPauIrSKexSGG_b52kQbMi1Pxp9Ofmr9Rb9bKDran61Um_cs_g0quBDL_zThyimMVDo/s1600/the+process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHYY0MJmX00G1pjPirOLmKbWFcufY6ADWg5kckvWF50vd79EB-GcnZDDsLC9AvrUHi9KgoR6jhPauIrSKexSGG_b52kQbMi1Pxp9Ofmr9Rb9bKDran61Um_cs_g0quBDL_zThyimMVDo/s320/the+process.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started by making sure I had bags for garbage and recycle and a box for shred items. After I took the picture I realized that I needed boxes for sorting and donations too so I grabbed those, but I didn't retake the picture :-)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5hDo0Zv4VzUDnLSAlA1VGSoUaeq05PlpxyFjo8dfHB9vmfe8n_i6ilDoWphcnpKgJDNJf543tSgzi2SaEN9B-jmxLItcKwn8GGo-CUD3Wb7skO6KtxorNDBPS2Q83okP9_G2ts3D9n8/s1600/door+view+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5hDo0Zv4VzUDnLSAlA1VGSoUaeq05PlpxyFjo8dfHB9vmfe8n_i6ilDoWphcnpKgJDNJf543tSgzi2SaEN9B-jmxLItcKwn8GGo-CUD3Wb7skO6KtxorNDBPS2Q83okP9_G2ts3D9n8/s320/door+view+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the door and TV stand before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUVmdICf9VtnMcNmJEmm8Snp1gZexqeOFcNbLer7au02qv35rEarkQIkjOzF4QayhG5MJhX3dZuRtaNHlP5r20HsT801nipg2IN6TGYrblHpPqx76x6QMMBsKju-L8Reh2KGkoZdSHSE/s1600/door+view+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUVmdICf9VtnMcNmJEmm8Snp1gZexqeOFcNbLer7au02qv35rEarkQIkjOzF4QayhG5MJhX3dZuRtaNHlP5r20HsT801nipg2IN6TGYrblHpPqx76x6QMMBsKju-L8Reh2KGkoZdSHSE/s320/door+view+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of door after</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBPCtZSReI6Y5W1WH48DtTQ8nmcgZR09fBcE9drCCpAfYGGlVWKGlS8wF95H65YJI8mgFhcY2mEned7EsIoGxgz0zoiptEfQGJVH_cAu6pvShAZnxMlgaMAdZlXeoaJGSxNpPXoZpS-w/s1600/TV+Stand+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBPCtZSReI6Y5W1WH48DtTQ8nmcgZR09fBcE9drCCpAfYGGlVWKGlS8wF95H65YJI8mgFhcY2mEned7EsIoGxgz0zoiptEfQGJVH_cAu6pvShAZnxMlgaMAdZlXeoaJGSxNpPXoZpS-w/s320/TV+Stand+after.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TV stand after</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qHsGTjgDTGDvoxGuiS4l4_a4UrMzyiMxgSmiocMCTgrbm55b7Zju2y-1lGKCX4ZPiz9w3kXPZstQgCRSZndRHsnj7XwlvWtfgMZdrYU32WTof6dBkfdAxPWxnegBTyNYYyZO72mOlqg/s1600/closet+view+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qHsGTjgDTGDvoxGuiS4l4_a4UrMzyiMxgSmiocMCTgrbm55b7Zju2y-1lGKCX4ZPiz9w3kXPZstQgCRSZndRHsnj7XwlvWtfgMZdrYU32WTof6dBkfdAxPWxnegBTyNYYyZO72mOlqg/s320/closet+view+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Steven's side (closest to the closet) before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0axfqNDN1b01ekr9PjTlx9E5E1RfDiBgm6Lqrg0WhBUX-q35VeNDZ-G6SQCtOWEFg8HvUqG-vj7djXUDuuoeu6q9bs4OlpbccngxMfwEkllHOEERgV6d1j9hEO3AFWkSqfyf6tyFolW0/s1600/closet+view+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0axfqNDN1b01ekr9PjTlx9E5E1RfDiBgm6Lqrg0WhBUX-q35VeNDZ-G6SQCtOWEFg8HvUqG-vj7djXUDuuoeu6q9bs4OlpbccngxMfwEkllHOEERgV6d1j9hEO3AFWkSqfyf6tyFolW0/s320/closet+view+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Steven's side after</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zTONZkUYnp1i6qEkNq3pO9FJeGyv1bcgMkdUAsnq4bkyeTJSH7WTh7hPOwTzNytTjFAfs_vzETrljgHh4_40k82Ih3XIC_Nmpm-KIbl8YmS4D1XotSeqPSNniNrWqt7OtJWbi9dkUSA/s1600/steven+dresser+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zTONZkUYnp1i6qEkNq3pO9FJeGyv1bcgMkdUAsnq4bkyeTJSH7WTh7hPOwTzNytTjFAfs_vzETrljgHh4_40k82Ih3XIC_Nmpm-KIbl8YmS4D1XotSeqPSNniNrWqt7OtJWbi9dkUSA/s320/steven+dresser+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's dresser before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo4PfnGLHyIiemELFdO5GTpUye4-8CCAjqjk_EWn6Q8KvoOnyOu59W63gfGWMicx-rZh8sGT8VC_Xdp5IVwx4eTmOuXpXO2X95w133wAWXrsqx_4bDRq3Gv8KJjNm9O-FqGRsMRgDsL8/s1600/steven+dresser+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo4PfnGLHyIiemELFdO5GTpUye4-8CCAjqjk_EWn6Q8KvoOnyOu59W63gfGWMicx-rZh8sGT8VC_Xdp5IVwx4eTmOuXpXO2X95w133wAWXrsqx_4bDRq3Gv8KJjNm9O-FqGRsMRgDsL8/s320/steven+dresser+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven's dresser after- the candle decoration on the top is from Wal-Mart. It only cost $5!! The votives inside were only $0.50 each. $6.50 total for a chic decoration...not too shabby!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WnH3YU2QaXEx1NSttdl5aHiTIZCwbxfztYJ8pz2iQ-QsOz0NErW2VmPpll9uq-mSiadrwhzauuBsCgL_spXJ6RLP5OK-8iCMtgsug0gJx7eh1__cPtMGy011qjAp8Op8Ppg188Pe-bw/s1600/steven+dresser+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WnH3YU2QaXEx1NSttdl5aHiTIZCwbxfztYJ8pz2iQ-QsOz0NErW2VmPpll9uq-mSiadrwhzauuBsCgL_spXJ6RLP5OK-8iCMtgsug0gJx7eh1__cPtMGy011qjAp8Op8Ppg188Pe-bw/s320/steven+dresser+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer of Steven's dresser before. I can't believe all the stuff that was in there!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4SKzAxijlYpElrM-yQddz4hlXsUJqPuVRY4CKAFQuFqVYgKkMtm2WUoP63A0efcfCSjRHYN98s57fEK1hCQlOmuFF1Q0uMqYMrma_Xyfs5PRTNXWEULkmc3bnHLzv85YbxK_R6ZyrhQ/s1600/dresser+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4SKzAxijlYpElrM-yQddz4hlXsUJqPuVRY4CKAFQuFqVYgKkMtm2WUoP63A0efcfCSjRHYN98s57fEK1hCQlOmuFF1Q0uMqYMrma_Xyfs5PRTNXWEULkmc3bnHLzv85YbxK_R6ZyrhQ/s320/dresser+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer after! Ahh...this is so much better!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfZiQvbW6_glWfe9HX7wJBcV5FFBqsptXyxcjzmrluT2u4FyHaKUSDu1EvTIXL_-H2S9_CWLu5u6Ha4YiaAfmet-NheyrjJUcfBSCDsUxV9B7_ZslnTCWxr_OOrz1JRRqiDrhJ7VKU_g/s1600/top+drawer+closer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfZiQvbW6_glWfe9HX7wJBcV5FFBqsptXyxcjzmrluT2u4FyHaKUSDu1EvTIXL_-H2S9_CWLu5u6Ha4YiaAfmet-NheyrjJUcfBSCDsUxV9B7_ZslnTCWxr_OOrz1JRRqiDrhJ7VKU_g/s320/top+drawer+closer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer look: a lighter (gotta set the mood sometimes! lol), shoe polish, a crystal dish to empty loose change and Chapstick and the box with the kids picture holds some keepsakes like our daughter's teeth that she's lost! lol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvs30rR5Q8rV5sOOfuwYdo_x6Au92KDXcctkPKF7lEkcFC3JlxfRvPZB2SsnjCSwFWDKECZWLAxkWsdpJq7FtpFyPR50I-IqJsMxsumCvtEKe8Ix0A3gk5KNOunAX_TH4bkpVQIJUGJc/s1600/top+drawer+closer+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvs30rR5Q8rV5sOOfuwYdo_x6Au92KDXcctkPKF7lEkcFC3JlxfRvPZB2SsnjCSwFWDKECZWLAxkWsdpJq7FtpFyPR50I-IqJsMxsumCvtEKe8Ix0A3gk5KNOunAX_TH4bkpVQIJUGJc/s320/top+drawer+closer+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this side is the organizer that once sat on the top. It holds his eye glass cleaner, inhaler, some religious items, a watch and watch batteries, tie clips, class ring and lapel pins. The closed compartment also holds foreign currency that my husband kept on some overseas trips. In the back is his lonely pocket square. He'll probably never need it but you never know! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjv2q29g3mTjjSWQhaZeLR0MIu7zf3eafmiZfU_zy2I3iLmK1LaOJ-V3NEghcSxVop1XEbUz783GpFfa_dk928Qoy_jzPupZNNg6UhCVNpXZFOT08_6VJrtZZMrz61uztTtkKL9Ma-Gg/s1600/the+crap+from+top+drawer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjv2q29g3mTjjSWQhaZeLR0MIu7zf3eafmiZfU_zy2I3iLmK1LaOJ-V3NEghcSxVop1XEbUz783GpFfa_dk928Qoy_jzPupZNNg6UhCVNpXZFOT08_6VJrtZZMrz61uztTtkKL9Ma-Gg/s320/the+crap+from+top+drawer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This box holds things that came out of that top drawer that I didn't know what to do with. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VCV7fM3XoRjPpqCgTN5vxvAHPAJpjvPPNzYg8f0Ian9qCxmmyVpYBcUab7WDS3Gbv-zGT1xD49EnSLsiijo_ebryNslxDGn-y9zSMTIwl8n5fnEscfyjGnPszOifuZzBiYBFXDKZH5o/s1600/steven+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VCV7fM3XoRjPpqCgTN5vxvAHPAJpjvPPNzYg8f0Ian9qCxmmyVpYBcUab7WDS3Gbv-zGT1xD49EnSLsiijo_ebryNslxDGn-y9zSMTIwl8n5fnEscfyjGnPszOifuZzBiYBFXDKZH5o/s320/steven+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer of Steven's nightstand before. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5nSxYS1GtL8QWSr3S0i9ihK0yCqPnvX0dUCiNp_228BHH30LYpc96IhJ7922Lee_GcsB8CQ64vO8rGEcj3caRJ-uxo6oZqSlcC0bCAnmMKTSJqZdECwv9vWEmgr_ZW027VUtm-HxbV8/s1600/steven+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5nSxYS1GtL8QWSr3S0i9ihK0yCqPnvX0dUCiNp_228BHH30LYpc96IhJ7922Lee_GcsB8CQ64vO8rGEcj3caRJ-uxo6oZqSlcC0bCAnmMKTSJqZdECwv9vWEmgr_ZW027VUtm-HxbV8/s320/steven+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top drawer after. I left him his Bible, our Liturgy of the Hours book, a journal, his eye glasses and his bag of Snickers minis from Valentine's Day. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMoQwVixSyQwmrRIEha44iIOgv7aeN8qEC_pSQ0KMpC3EyTzbinCJlfTlMSyYdR99sCigvJc7bVSyPxiZ0fEjl07yaGgrNn-dUFo8EXefGh4QjEhY6mOojgfoiAnkf_FpFWue5Wioh1o/s1600/steven+nightstand+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMoQwVixSyQwmrRIEha44iIOgv7aeN8qEC_pSQ0KMpC3EyTzbinCJlfTlMSyYdR99sCigvJc7bVSyPxiZ0fEjl07yaGgrNn-dUFo8EXefGh4QjEhY6mOojgfoiAnkf_FpFWue5Wioh1o/s320/steven+nightstand+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of Steven's nightstand after. If you look in the above picture from his side of the room you can see what the before looked like. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7BLpbHuv5pp5-V3JjAnjdfqVHbA4yc-gV4fZoUmQVIDZWosJLvmwBBLauNmx_o3uU9zQ9rX21RGjccdVVgRKtnDU0UkO1v_-jRBUbt6DopnJSLZ3wfpq5oSTnRVQzIy_8F5x-9zZXOg/s1600/kari+nightstand+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7BLpbHuv5pp5-V3JjAnjdfqVHbA4yc-gV4fZoUmQVIDZWosJLvmwBBLauNmx_o3uU9zQ9rX21RGjccdVVgRKtnDU0UkO1v_-jRBUbt6DopnJSLZ3wfpq5oSTnRVQzIy_8F5x-9zZXOg/s320/kari+nightstand+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My nightstand before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxR65RIiv6k9ZYitBOPLT6P4KzuMFuE1jbXVWCURHxmTK8tu-Rn6rMzEb5KruADqeO7JZnlpToKfZTaMcI913QyrH030ddmXzPa84dHMfeb8tkk6Rl8YAKyLA1o8sVnfNpv4Fg6oXJEdg/s1600/kari+nightstand+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxR65RIiv6k9ZYitBOPLT6P4KzuMFuE1jbXVWCURHxmTK8tu-Rn6rMzEb5KruADqeO7JZnlpToKfZTaMcI913QyrH030ddmXzPa84dHMfeb8tkk6Rl8YAKyLA1o8sVnfNpv4Fg6oXJEdg/s320/kari+nightstand+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My nightstand after. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhzS2bD-5mzfDKGV4NyezUegWqoNdIF8UrI_4_GS7ifXTcGnQxubKn5_c3unJqNLzn6v5FJgmW384K_T0-owbqt-B2-3q057vn1ae_gDtKkNiwYSeh7rHXh4nKJce_hKjT3sHG6m9w9M/s1600/middle+of+night+basket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhzS2bD-5mzfDKGV4NyezUegWqoNdIF8UrI_4_GS7ifXTcGnQxubKn5_c3unJqNLzn6v5FJgmW384K_T0-owbqt-B2-3q057vn1ae_gDtKkNiwYSeh7rHXh4nKJce_hKjT3sHG6m9w9M/s320/middle+of+night+basket.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my Middle of the Night basket. It holds things that I wouldn't want to be searching for in the middle of the night if I have, say a sick child wake up. Things like a themometer and covers, a medicine dropper (don't worry, no medicine!), a dosage sheet for Tylenol and Motrin, etc. It also holds a few pens and highlighters (I often read with a highlighter), some hand cream and my lavender linen spray. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYnMdOyLJipOmQ9QplIMRCYdlNQ9D3B_ljXXWwWlyG1ylT3wi13QrjEPLciMAqM6QUs9hdaMOky0yQRWp3HFDGDAojAfkRRa6gIiWCmSCp4oCQKNjqtRce9m6rgnmsN-5Ra64dbtduDw/s1600/kari+top+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYnMdOyLJipOmQ9QplIMRCYdlNQ9D3B_ljXXWwWlyG1ylT3wi13QrjEPLciMAqM6QUs9hdaMOky0yQRWp3HFDGDAojAfkRRa6gIiWCmSCp4oCQKNjqtRce9m6rgnmsN-5Ra64dbtduDw/s320/kari+top+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My top drawer before. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy0791qnIJnsD4QKd_4it9weD2fhRggyokeArk_O_OlbIReOMD4G6e9C2qF4R9y3o8uCdUCoMjN-nl_bHzeox0HKmM_9DG4bmesygQ1BEDsYMcHUks3j3VqEq8NEOkzo9SM3DMRIlO_I/s1600/kari+top+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy0791qnIJnsD4QKd_4it9weD2fhRggyokeArk_O_OlbIReOMD4G6e9C2qF4R9y3o8uCdUCoMjN-nl_bHzeox0HKmM_9DG4bmesygQ1BEDsYMcHUks3j3VqEq8NEOkzo9SM3DMRIlO_I/s320/kari+top+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My top drawer after. I know it still looks like a lot but I had a really hard time whittling it down to less that this. Our remote controls (TV, DirectTV, and Sony TV), a bag of "fun" items (wink, wink...hey! I don't have 4 kids for nothing! lol), some journals, prayer calenders and a devotional book, Post-It notes (I read with these too!!), bookmarks and several books I'm working through (Sudoku, The Happiness Project, The Total Money Makeover) and a reading journal. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiKx35s6SxB7Ojty7SQ0hF_E9JF0-w_l04iYpucdzV-7qegSOuqiCMUbiQcBjKHvXZs2uo6Pd0_QCFW28ROCiv2qJPO-rDf6e4rLo5FmROMaCb4KGBP2Bxlyi6bl_wQc4_utz8oRFt7k/s1600/kari+bottom+drawer+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiKx35s6SxB7Ojty7SQ0hF_E9JF0-w_l04iYpucdzV-7qegSOuqiCMUbiQcBjKHvXZs2uo6Pd0_QCFW28ROCiv2qJPO-rDf6e4rLo5FmROMaCb4KGBP2Bxlyi6bl_wQc4_utz8oRFt7k/s320/kari+bottom+drawer+before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom drawer before.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA86dyMP2XkBn4vZMZ86BpQP91lz_B6iHduoJNIrkzRLj_Tkk6P-MFvydgXJPdzwoULhTS43jrARMzssPt9MmSyaDamtDo9KI6cdhZJTYjqyhN8SCq3XoTNkjH-rZbl0LAwzk0WFgwMPw/s1600/kari+bottom+drawer+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA86dyMP2XkBn4vZMZ86BpQP91lz_B6iHduoJNIrkzRLj_Tkk6P-MFvydgXJPdzwoULhTS43jrARMzssPt9MmSyaDamtDo9KI6cdhZJTYjqyhN8SCq3XoTNkjH-rZbl0LAwzk0WFgwMPw/s320/kari+bottom+drawer+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom drawer after: now it just hold my hand held massager, the different heads for the massager (in the bag) and the heating pad. </td></tr>
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Remember these insane piles of crap?!?! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA48thcWnb1cHCht-FVnYIpCnXF6i7x8C5fQPui-zbmm1MnuK8_HJ3abnJgXhKdSYBVstmxB6ApFsaWtL3_iSFbr_TSwT-8ZPnuHJx76ynQ5M-SmvVn_6bYAvAgL1zJiwy-fUjoCX1oWM/s1600/cosignment+shop+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA48thcWnb1cHCht-FVnYIpCnXF6i7x8C5fQPui-zbmm1MnuK8_HJ3abnJgXhKdSYBVstmxB6ApFsaWtL3_iSFbr_TSwT-8ZPnuHJx76ynQ5M-SmvVn_6bYAvAgL1zJiwy-fUjoCX1oWM/s320/cosignment+shop+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oxVK5R7pKRcxrDQctZ4IFXxu50GgLTC-VFlGUnd8-no0mgRjmWSLzfojhquNGr-sqm4-1XyA-OhHIH4cqC5XMxB79Zt8t4jBRJCihTVSQ7iO-5UwkAPCcGCW0EtiMQgZqEpZeGxssqs/s1600/consignment+shop+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oxVK5R7pKRcxrDQctZ4IFXxu50GgLTC-VFlGUnd8-no0mgRjmWSLzfojhquNGr-sqm4-1XyA-OhHIH4cqC5XMxB79Zt8t4jBRJCihTVSQ7iO-5UwkAPCcGCW0EtiMQgZqEpZeGxssqs/s320/consignment+shop+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's the same space now! All those clothes have been bagged/boxed up for the consignment store. The Spring/Summer stuff is on it's way there this weekend. The winter stuff is in the attic and will be taken this winter. Whatever the consignment store doesn't take they'll donate for us so it'll never enter this house again. Thank you very much! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM6rC0mJDiO39Ncp0MeNNLVNMHF1bF5V07FO6-kIeC1FXT0jUsexS1sC9q6oYNH6nDtSc8YJZ5A2uSbd44QGY8KHTGXo6wJVDsM3ayLtgtBBRktBb3wr_WczQ92jMO5zEUOVHrfXc1h8/s1600/left+side+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM6rC0mJDiO39Ncp0MeNNLVNMHF1bF5V07FO6-kIeC1FXT0jUsexS1sC9q6oYNH6nDtSc8YJZ5A2uSbd44QGY8KHTGXo6wJVDsM3ayLtgtBBRktBb3wr_WczQ92jMO5zEUOVHrfXc1h8/s320/left+side+after.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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So as you can see I've made some good progress this week. Our bedroom is pretty much purged and organized. Next is the bathroom (and hopefully it will get painted too!!) and then the closet. I'm saving the closet for last because it intimidates me the most. Hopefully I'll feel so proud of what I've accomplished by the time that I get there that it'll be no sweat when the time arrives. So that's my update. Can't wait to keep going and get our Master turned into the retreat I've always wanted!!! Come and check out everyone's progress at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2013/03/31-day-organizational-challenge-1st-progress-link-up.html" target="_blank">OrgJunkie</a>. </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827066887294541331.post-34587378281673744022013-03-07T09:49:00.003-05:002013-03-07T09:49:58.512-05:00Are You a Morning Person?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRcHv8IJt5uah9IchU_sGhCIOi2M4i9dhXqlfAVCG_nOqWaqKHV0JRaE4GALjujxq1bDwzWxuBSVlQfiswvC62LUNDsjRv3mxFLMYA-z_I5Loi-GMDp-VBmBiOx9P3FYIXQdKe0iUwEw/s1600/sunrise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRcHv8IJt5uah9IchU_sGhCIOi2M4i9dhXqlfAVCG_nOqWaqKHV0JRaE4GALjujxq1bDwzWxuBSVlQfiswvC62LUNDsjRv3mxFLMYA-z_I5Loi-GMDp-VBmBiOx9P3FYIXQdKe0iUwEw/s320/sunrise.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.katrinaleechambers.com/2011/11/what-is-your-favourite-time-of-the-day.html/sunrise-3" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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One of the blogs that I subscribe to is <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/" target="_blank">Money Saving Mom</a>. If you are looking to save money (and who isn't!?!) I highly suggest Crystals' site. She has everything from weekly store deals (with coupon matchups), frugal (and yummy) recipes (a lot of which are freezer friendly!), lots of info about freebies you can sign up for and tons of other things! Her site is super inspiring for those who want to learn how to spend less and save more. She has an ongoing series called "We Paid Cash" that will blow your socks off! To see the different ways that people have set aside money to pay cash for big items (everything from a new TV to cars and even houses!!) is really inspiring. She is a big fan of Dave Ramsey and I got turned on to him and his plan through her site. But Crystal isn't just an amazing home economist. She is inspiring in other ways too. She is the uber-queen of goal setting. She sets yearly, monthly, weekly, even daily goals. Oh to be that person! I really would love it! And she's not neurotic about it! One of Crystal's biggest things that she talks about is making sure that you are giving yourself grace in your life. We often extend grace to others very easily, but boy are we hard on ourselves! She sets her goals and if she doesn't cross everything off that's OK! She lets it go and/or carries it over to the next day/week/month and that's that! Oh to be that person! lol</div>
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A while ago Crystal had a <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/make-the-most-of-your-mornings?orderby=date&order=ASC" target="_blank">Make the Most of Your Mornings Challenge</a>. I didn't participate at the time because, well, I had a newborn! And was averaging 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time. I was tired in the morning and the last thing I wanted to do was to try and be productive!! But, now our 7 month old is regularly sleeping through the night and as of next week Steven is off his crazy 2nd shift and back to 8:30 to 5 (YIP YIP YIPPY!!!). That means a few things for me, but the biggest is this: the hours I spend in the morning checking email, emptying my Google Reader, checking on Facebook, and maybe "swinging" by Pinterest (yeah, we all know how well that works out! lol) while lingering over my coffee have to end. Right now I tend to take my time in the mornings because I know that Steven won't be home til almost 9 most nights. (plus if he's still in bed or has gotten up earlier and then gone to take a nap with the baby before he has to leave, I don't feel like I really need to start my day yet.) This means that I have all afternoon and evening to get things done. With him being off at 5 I'll need my to do list to be finished by early afternoon so I can have dinner started. (Right now we have dinner, I clean up and then I do some more stuff before it's time to get the kids ready for bed. Then I either climb in bed too or do some more stuff til he gets home.) </div>
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What I have realized is that I don't make the most of my mornings. In fact, the morning hours are completely wasted around here! And a big reason is me just being lazy! I also hate mornings! Always have! But I need to learn to embrace the morning, make the most of it and get things done! So even though Crystal's challenge is officially over I'm going to take it for myself. If you want to join in follow the link above. It will take you to the main page of the challenge that has each day linked to it. I'll post here each week to let you know how things went for me (It's a 3 week challenge) Day 1 on her plan really just started with making the commitment to change your mornings and recognize what makes them unproductive. I've done that so check! lol Day 2 is realizing that your morning starts the night before so I'll be looking at my evening tonight and see what I can do to make my mornings run smoother. </div>
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How do you do with mornings? Are you a total morning person who greets the day and starts off running? Or are you an evening person who'd rather do your work later on after kids are in bed while watching your favorite shows? Or do you spread everything out equally all day long? I'd love to know! </div>
The Fischer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06189269863868510964noreply@blogger.com1