Next step in disc organization!

So I just ordered the next step of my organization project. I ordered more of the Atlantic Sleeves that I love so much, and I ordered these other cool sleeves that will fit into a binder, which is how I will be storing the video games. The atlantic sleeves are too delicate for little hands, so Micah's DVDs will probably end up in a binder of sorts, but there are so many options. I have to consider that most movies come with two discs now, so that will be a factor in the decision. Once I have that solution, I'll let you all know! For now, I am just going to be waiting for my package to arrive!

Halloween Treats! Yay, yay, yay!

Halloween is this Thursday. Are you ready? Micah's school is having some activities, and the teacher said it would be fine to bring some treats, so I made some that the kids could take home. :)

I was inspired by a Pinterest post, which led me to http://mudpiestudio.blogspot.com/. Mud Pie Studio has a few different ideas for treat bags, and I knew I didn't need to do a ton, so I just chose to do ghost poop and Jack O'Lantern Teeth. Here were my finished products (except I did 32 of each):

When I first started, I cut exactly on the black border, then the next time left a little edge. Here's the difference: 

If you look at the blog, the author recommends putting the ziploc on the bottom so that the tag doesn't need to get ripped off. I didn't read that until later and just went into super staple mode. I feel okay about it, though. :)

Here is another side by side: 

Sooooo cute! 

And here are my .pdf files of the documents I created to make my labels. There are ten per page.

For Ghost Poop, click here.

For Jack O'Lantern Teeth, click here.

Link for the bags on Amazon, click here. These bags seal and are 3" x 4"

Happy Treating!

DVD/Blu-ray Organization

I received my organization products that I wrote about in my last post, and I just had to show off how much space they save!

Here is the stack of DVDs and Blu-Ray cases that I'm tossing as compared to the height of my dog, Watson. He was very interested in the process. ;)

And here is a comparison of the cases and the discs in their new cases:

Overall, I am pretty pleased. We'll be getting rid of our monstrous DVD case in the near future and be able to put the DVDs somewhere more obscure.  This is where are DVDs are currently held:

It's pretty tall and takes up a ton of room! So I will happy to see it go. I didn't purchase enough to do the whole case yet, and I have a cool idea for how I will do my husband's and son's video games, which I will share with you soon!

Happy de-cluttering!

Organzing out of order!

My kitchen is still not finished as far as organization goes, and I've started a new organization project in the mean time. And oh wait, did I mention I still haven't installed shelves in my son's closet? Because that needs to get done too!

Regardless of the status of other projects, let me share with you this new one! I bought a few packages of the Atlantic DVD Sleeves. They are a little on the pricey side but buying the 36 sleeves with the case at $20.99 was more price effective than buying the 25 sleeves at $14.99. So in the long run I will be saving money. I'm starting off with three packages. My goal is to get my dvd's and blurays and video games-- all organized! I haven't figured out what the solution will be for season's of shows, but when I do, I will let you know! :)

We have been trying earnestly to stay in our budget, which is complicated. After we get all those DVD's reorganized, the goal is to buy some sort of storage/console type cabinet to go behind the couch to better utilize our space and create some less obvious storage places.  One thing at a time, right? Or maybe three or four in my case!

Happy Organizing!

Fall Centerpiece

I originally envisioned something different. I pictured a long but narrow basket with some sort of fall leaves on the bottom with pumpkin and candles on top. But I couldn't find a basket that I liked so I decided to do something different, and I am really glad and pleased with what I did!

My mom happened to help me run all my centerpiece errands, and she took me to a pumpkin patch so we could get the perfect pumpkins and gourds. 

We got this mini garland from Pier 1 with a 20% off coupon :) I also got the candles there (not picture separately) and the sales clerk used the 20% off coupon on the $10.00 unscented candle. It may have been cheaper elsewhere, but my excitement overruled my sense of financial judgment.

This charger was $1.99 from Michael's. The flash made it look worse than it is, but it doesn't really matter since you hardly see it anyway.

And the final product! So proud! 

Overhead view of my centerpiece! 

I am so happy with how it turned out. I've never attempted something like this before and a lot of googling and pinteresting took place to get the creative juices flowing. :)

Happy Fall!

Project List

I decided to make myself a little project list to help me complete my projects. Sometimes various circumstances stop me mid-project, and I have to wait before I continue. So I made my list with that element in mind.

Feel free to download:

[Click above or this text to download]

Christmas Shopping Shout Out

I cannot believe it, but I have already purchased my first Christmas gift of the year! It, of course, was for my mom. She's difficult to shop for so when I saw something that I thought she'd like, it made sense to purchase it without hesitation. Now, if only I could do that for all my family members!

My husband and I plan to buy gifts for both sides of our family and for Micah. With extended family (which is usually just my side), we [I] love to make cookies for everyone. I cannot wait to share pictures with you when that event happens, but for now, here's a view of 2011's:

Apparently, I did not take a picture of the final product for 2012 so here's some cookie pictures from last year!

Is it too early to be talking about Christmas? I am just super excited! Back to focusing on Halloween, I guess!

Weight Loss

No topics are off limit in this blog, so to be half informative and half inspire-myself. I'd like to talk about my weight loss!

First off, I am not at my ultimate goal (which is an unknown weight because I do not know what I'll look like or where my body will be at). I have lost 70 lbs over about 2 years. Obviously, not all of that time was used wisely, but that's part of the process.

Since January of this year, I have lost about 40 of it. Over the summer, I fluctuated between about 5-7 lbs since my eating went out of whack! I am in the process of trying to get back into the swing of things.

Right now my goal is 1lb a week starting THIS week. I am feeling optimistic since some of it has got to be water weight ;) Today I wrote down what I ate, I didn't even write down everything, and I was feeling a bit guilty and down. But tomorrow and right now, I can make a conscientious effort to do better. That's what you gotta keep doing and reminding yourself. It is possible. You can do it, but only you can do it! No one else can make me eat better or smarter. No one else can exercise for me.

Food is everywhere. Sometimes I feel like food controls me, when it's supposed to be the other way around. I just love my sweets! But what I've also noticed, is that I will go around munching on anything sweet in my house until I get the sweet fix I actually want. This is bad because I don't usually have chocolate cake on hand. ;)

When I first started losing weight, I used food as a reward, and eventually was able to get away from that as my cravings lessened and my discipline increased. After months of poor eating choices over the summer, I am kind of back at square one when it comes to my brain. The month of September I kept trying to pick it back up where I left off or calorie count where I left off, but it very clearly hasn't been working.

But guess what? That's okay! It is a learning process, after all. I've decided that for the next two months, I am indulging once a week. JUST ONCE A WEEK. I am also going to ease back into calorie counting and regular gym going this month. I've already hit up the gym once this week, so I feel good about that. As for eating........ well, I have part of that figured out, right?

The other part will be eating less. Less snacking. Being thoughtful to hungry and full and thirsty. I do not expect eating within my "calorie limits" that I had previously set to happen right away, but that's the goal. So I wrote down all the crap I consumed today, and guess what? Tomorrow's plan is so simple: DO BETTER. I am not going to freak out and be mean to myself and most importantly, I do not want to set unrealistic goals that I won't even reach. If I don't eat better tomorrow, I am only hurting myself and my own goals.  So tomorrow? I will eat less, and I'll be thinking about that delicious treat I am going to earn next week!

Maybe by this time next week, I'll be close to my calorie goals! I can only take one day at a time and remember what my goals are and remember that only I can make them happen.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :)

Decorating for Fall!

I am finally posting fall decoration pictures! I had gotten all my items out, taken pictures, but was discouraged with my "loot." Seriously, I only had like five things. So with a coupon-in-hand, I went to Pier 1 and grabbed a few adorable items.

It still did not leave me with a ton of decorations but enough to make me proud and keep my wallet happy! I like to disperse my decorations in several key places in the house that are sure to draw some attention and be noticed. What good are decorations if they are hidden away, right?

First, we have the welcome sign. I have a welcome sign for quite a few seasons! :) This goes outside by my front door.

This is our entry table (note: cute Micah pictures). My scentsy is rocking the pumpkin roll scent right now, and it smells delicious.

I am not sure why I did not take a picture of the whole fireplace area, but the pumpkins are to the bottom right of our fireplace, and the witch's house and brew is on our mantle.

Watson checking out the pumpkins.

Here's my coffee table. The picture is super boring, but I had to include it. The pumpkin candle is from Bath and Body Works. The book holds our remotes and was from Michael's. We, unfortunately, had to throw it away though because it started leaking glue :( 

These next pieces are in the dining area. I love the owl! He houses a tea light and is very cute. I have my husband to thank for that one. Also, I could not leave Pier 1 without those salt and pepper shakers. They were the first things I knew  I was going to buy!

One of my other fall decor purchasing goals is to come up with a nice fall center piece. Ideally, I'd love to have something for Halloween and something more Thanksgiving appropriate, but at least I can start with a fall one that will work September through November. I looked online at a lot of different websites, and I think I've come up with a great plan....now just to buy the stuff and implement and show you all!