Today, let's tackle the KITCHEN clutter!

We're still working on cleaning and decluttering our house. We'll be tackling our kitchen today. The first thing we'll do is remove everything from the kitchen counters that is not essential for every day cooking (blenders, mixers, jars of dried beans, rice, flour, etc.). These items should be stored in cupboards. We'll clean out the food storage areas and refrigerator to make sure nothing is expired, moldy or rotten. Isn't it amazing how many science experiments we can find in our refrigerators? We'll clean out the extra freezer in the garage as well. Be sure to vacuum the dust bunnies out from under the refrigerator and freezer. Next, we'll clean out under the kitchen sink. We'll go through all the cabinets, remove and throw away old food items, wipe down the shelves and put everything back in neatly. We will wash down the fronts of all the cabinets. It will be so nice to cook in our CLEAN kitchen tonight! So, put on some praise music and get to work on cleaning and organizing your kitchen, ladies!

Help me ponder this idea - your thoughts, ideas, advice are needed!

A friend has a piece of land that would be perfect for growing a BIG garden. She's pondering starting a food co-op for veggies, fruits, fresh flowers, and herbs next summer. Have you ever heard of people doing this? She has two wells on the land and as long as they don't go dry, she's got water access. How do you figure out what to charge people? Or should she just rent out spaces for people to grow their own gardens? You know there are many people living in the city today and don't have land for growing gardens (I'm one of them, our land is terrible and small.) Your thoughts, ideas, advice are welcome.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Love~Author Unknown

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.
For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.

Let's Work on Decluttering the Attic Before It Gets Too Hot!

I don't know about you, but I don't like to go in the attic when the weather gets too hot. So, today was the perfect day for us to declutter and straighten the attic. I have to be honest that we really cleaned out our attic when we moved 17 months ago, so we don't have that much junk up there. It does tend to be a "catch all" though in the winter months, so I've found that a little tidying in the spring will last until at least October.



So, get rid of those old love letters and cards, broken chairs, 10 year old tax records, old baby clothes, moldy rugs, useless tools, old towels and sheets, extra blankets, anything you no longer need. If you haven’t used it for the past 2 years, chances are you don’t need it, and perhaps someone else could make use of it. You might keep in mind while your decluttering to look for things you can freecycle, sell on eBay, or yard sale. I made $300 selling items on eBay last year that we no longer needed. Now, THAT was fun!

Ask Yourself These Questions When You Are Decluttering

I've found these questions to be very useful when I'm working on decluttering our home.

Do I love it?
Do I need it?
Is it essential?
Does it enhance my life?

Then: Sort your things into 3 piles or boxes

Yes – I love it and I need it, it works and it’s useful
No – Someone else can have it
No – Toss it out, put it in a bag and don't even thing about it again. :-)

A Letter From My Father

I'm not sure who to give credit to for this. It was sent to me and I thought it was worthy of sharing with you. This is a beautiful "Letter from my Father". Each verse encompasses an incredible truth and every one is a promise to you and me from our Heavenly Father. Take some sweet time to reflect on each of the ways that the Lord loves us, protects us, treasures us, redeems us, comforts us, watches over us, saves us and calls us His own. Absolutely amazing!

My Child~
I know everything about you…Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up…Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all of your ways…Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image…Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being…Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring…Acts 17:28
I chose you when I planned creation…Ephesians 1:11-12
I knew you even before you were conceived…Jeremiah 1:4-5
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb…Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born…Psalm 71:6
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me…John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you…1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father…Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father…Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand…James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love…Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Ps. 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing…Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you…Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession…Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul…Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things…Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me…Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart…Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires…Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager…2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…2Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus…John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed…John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being…Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you…Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you… 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me…1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again…Romans 8:38-39
I have always been Father, and will always be Father…Ephesians 3:14-15
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen…Luke 15:7
Love,
Your Abba, Almighty God

It's for real. I received my check today. It's for $22.50

because I chose to have them send me a paper check in lieu of giving out my bank account number. They took out $2.50 to cover their costs.

Cleaning Windows Tip

A friend of mine has SUPER clean windows in her home. They sparkle so much that it almost looks like there isn't any glass in them. Her cleaning trick is to use corn starch and hot water. No, I'm not joking! I fill my kitchen sink about a fourth full and put in about two tablespoons of corn starch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Wash the window with a clean washcloth. Then take a paper towel and dry them. There will be no streaks and no paper towel fibers on the windows. You'll have SUPER shiny windows and you won't have to use any chemicals either!

Revolution Money Exchange - Earn $25 for signing up!

Crystal Paine from the Money Saving Mom blog announced a way to earn $25.00 just for signing up with Revolution Money Exchange . This is a company that was started by the former CEO of AOL and is a legitimate FDIC bank. It's an alternative to PayPal, but there are no fees for the service. You can read more about it at her website:

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/2008/04/revolutionmoneyexchange-earn-25-when.html

I signed up yesterday and requested a check. It took me about five minutes. I did have to give my social security number, but I had to give that with PayPal as well. Since 9/11, all financial institutes have to request it. You can get the check without giving your personal banking information though. So, if you want to earn $25.00, head on over to www. revolutionmoneyexchange.com. If you sign up for the referral program (see right side of my blog), you get paid $10.00 for each referral. You can sign up under my name if you want to. Crystal has already earned $500! This offer ends May 15, 2008.

Ideas for Decluttering the Children's Rooms

We all know how quickly a child's room can become a disaster, so I thought I'd start with this area first. One of the things I've found to help is purchasing bins and labeling them with what is inside. My children have learned to be organizers since we started using this system. Now, they prefer their rooms to be tidy. I'm not going to say that their rooms are ALWAYS tidy, but for the most part, it has certainly helped. You should also know that this has been a work in progress through the years. They are almost 18, almost 14 and almost 11, so I think what they've learned should be put into practice by now. :-) So, I started purchasing containers from Walmart a little at a time for what we needed them for. I bought some labels at Walmart and we went to work. All the Playmobil items are separated into whatever category they fall into, Legos, cars and trucks, all the crafts items, sewing items, shoes, historical ball items, miscellaneous keepsakes, knitting/crocheting, pocketbooks, and anything else that they want in a container. We stack these in their closets on the shelves or on the sides of the closet. The kids love that they can just look in their closet and actually find what they are looking for! I learned a long time ago from a mom of many that "everything has a home". So, we adopted that policy and try really hard to put things up where they go, when we come home, not days later. I'll stop here for today and come back with some more ideas at another time. Have fun working on your decluttering your children's rooms!