Archive for Tackle It Tuesday
I’m Seeing Red
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And I like it!
You all know how I feel about floral arrangements. They gotta look really good, they gotta be very affordable, they gotta be NOT country and very me.
Recently I was at JoAnn’s with my mother-in-law with some money to spend, some coupons in my pocket and a really good clearance sale and I found a RED vase that I just fell. in. love. with. And it was on sale!
With red being a major color in my dining room, I want to use red touches like this to carry the red over into the living room (and kitchen) for continuity.
While at JoAnn’s I also grabbed up a handful of red flowers and some interesting and exotic red feathers (which would have been more expensive than I wanted to go for if it weren’t for the 50% off coupon I had!)
I. adore. them.
I chose one stem or bush of each flower on purpose, I wanted it to be a blend of a variety of reds and flower shapes.
I picked out the little red flowers with the really light green stems and leaves to help break up the dark shades of the reds.
The feathers… what can I say about the feathers? There was no way the feathers weren’t going in there!
I added the curly sticks because they bring more fun and whimsy to the arrangement.
I think they look great on my piano right now and I can’t wait until we move out of this house and take this little gem of a room decor piece with me. I know JUST where I’m going to put it!
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Vegetables, Vegetables!
“If you like to talk to tomatoes, if a squash can make you smile…”
The two fridge baskets, full to the brim.
Yes, today my kitchen looked like a Veggie Tales reunion. All kinds and colors and shapes of vegetables, tons and tons of vegetables! Why? This week I joined an organic produce coop. I wasn’t sure I’d gotten my order in in time to get the first order today so when I went grocery shopping for my menu this past Saturday, I went ahead and bought some produce. Of course, Saturday night I got confirmation on my order… so now I have vegetables everywhere!
It’s a really good thing that we’re eating healthier and trying to eat more vegetables anyway. ;0) Well, not just vegetables but there was fruit involved too, of course.
I was already planning on pre-washing and pre-cutting my produce and storing it in greenbags, so today I HAD to tackle that to get everything to fit in my fridge. I spent about two hours, washing, drying, cutting, slicing, and storing vegetables into 18 gallon size greenbags, most of them full. Both produce drawers AND both fridge baskets are full as well as two bowls of fruit on the counter. WOW.
Produce drawers, full to the brim!
We have a LOT of produce! The greenbags should help it last long enough to get eaten though. The pre-cut carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower should make it easy to snack on veggies. The pre-washed lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and green onions should make salad making a breeze!
This was the first time I’ve ever prepped and bagged this much produce at once, but it felt good to have it done. I’ll be doing this every two weeks from now on — only next time, I won’t have just bought a bunch of stuff at the grocery store too!
Oh yeah.. and a bag of potatoes too!
Also in the last few days I’ve tackled scrubbing out my fridge, and dividing the 3 packages of chicken into smaller freezer bags. Between all those things, I’m feeling very on top of things in the kitchen.. Now the dishes and the laundry.. that’s another matter!!
What have YOU been tackling? Visit Tackle it Tuesday and share your own tackling achievements.
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Hormones, Homeschool Stuff and Household Chores
What do these three things have in common?? Nothing except that they all have to be tackled today. And it’s going to be hard!
For the last few years at least I’ve suffered from horrible hormonal shifts and I hate it. I despise feeling helpless against sudden mood swings and irrational irritability. This week has been particularly hard but still I can’t let it be a crutch and an excuse for being angry. I have to tackle every single temptation to snap (and there are many) and hand them over to God.
The temptation is to just sit on the couch and hide in a book or on the computer and wait for it to pass. But you know and I know how bad an idea that is. Besides, I did that yesterday and very little got done around here — and typically when I do that the kids take their cue to run amok. They’re good at running amok.
Having said that I have to try to get some things done around here - even in the middle of the evil PMS.
- I need to get the dishes washed.
- I need to get the clean laundry folded.
- The kids need to do their school
- I need to finish making the kids’ bible verse cards for handwriting for the upcoming year.
If I can get those things done, and make it through the day without being sent to the loony bin, I’ll be happy. I just keep repeating:
“I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.
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Tackling the Kitchen Makeover, Part 3
This entire past week has centered around one thing: my kitchen. Every to-do, every tackle, every errand was in preparation of the kitchen makeover.
I mean, nevermind the monster to-do list on Friday, the painting of the dining room table on Tuesday or the chandelier last Monday…
Don’t forget about the painting of the two overhead cabinets I did on Friday and the picking up the stove from Craiglist on Thursday…
This past weekend was packed with kitchen tackling all over the place! Saturday we (my parents, husband and I) spent most of the day working the cabinets under the sink. The front face was rebuilt and a new cabinet floor was added.
On Sunday, we focused on getting in the “new” sink I found on Craigslist for 50$ that is twice the size of the old one. And on Monday I focused on getting the dining room painted and put back together so that I could get some of the kitchen stuff out of my living room. 
And there’s still so much more to do! But hopefully by the end of this week it’ll all be done… Stay tuned for Part 4 next week!
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom!
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Tackling the Mini Kitchen Makeover Part 2
Well, I’ve promised some kitchen makeover results today. But alas, as often happens with these things, the project has been delayed a week for several reasons. And then in rained ALL weekend.. so it turns out it was a good thing.
But I wasn’t completely off the hook.. oh no! I’m supposed to get all the individual projects done before my parents come up next weekend. SO…
- we did get the “new” (used) washer put in last week
- I decluttered and cleaned off the top of the refrigerator
- I replaced a broken hook on a coffee themed plaque that hangs on the wall
- I re-painted the “new” (used) chandelier light for the dining room
- and with the new washer (which adequately spins the water out of the clothes) I have done more laundry than “you can shake a stick at!”
But I’m not done!
My big task for today: paint the dining room table. My grandmother is coming over to help keep an eye on the kids so I can get that done. You know, I’ve had this table for at least five years or so. I got it from my best friend, who bought it black, sanded it, started painting it cobalt blue and then sold it to me. I originally planned on painting it cobalt blue also, but never got around to it. And now, after all this time I’m getting around to it.. and I’m painting it BLACK.
Life is funny isn’t it?
My other tackles to do before my parents come up this weekend include:
- paint all the cabinet doors
- clean out the refrigerator
- organize and declutter the two cabinets above the washer and dryer
- stay on top of the housework and try to keep the kids from UN-cleaning! (A daily tackle around this place!)
So it’s going to be a busy week. Yeah. But when it’s all done it’s going to be soooo worth it! What kinds of things are you tackling this week? Link up and let us see.
Tackle it Tueday is hosted for 5 Minutes for Mom!
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Tackle-It Tuesday, Mini Kitchen Makeover Part 1
Are you ready for a mini Kitchen Makeover?? I am!
For the last week and a half I’ve been planning for a kitchen makeover this weekend. Yesterday I actually began putting that plan in action by going to the hardware store and buying paint!! Picking paint colors is always a lot of fun, but this time it was real quick and easy since I took a picture and a kitchen valance with me for comparison, and since I found three of the colors I needed all on one color card. Suh-weet! So that was the first step and now there’s more to do.
The "bright white" on the end is actually a soft ivory, the same color as the mat on the picture. The beige is what will eventually be going in the living room.
Today’s tackle is to get all our chores done and then clear the baskets of supplies and things off the back of the washer and dryer so we can switch out the washer tonight when Big Daddy gets home. We found the washer we have now for free on Freecycle about a year ago, but it has stopped spinning at the end of the cycle and the clothes come out too wet. We may have been able to fix it, but a friend was moving and selling his washer cheap so Hubs bought that one instead.
So my goal today is to get everything ready and make that happen tonight so that I can catch up on laundry before the weekend when we have family here and we’re busy working on the makeover.
Next week, Part 2 of the Mini Kitchen Makeover, I’ll get to show you the finished product!!!
(P.S. - In the meantime you can cast your vote about which set of dishes you like the best with my coffee themed kitchen!)
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom!
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