Stitchin' on Saturday

I had this brillant idea I think to do a fun Saturday meme. If your like me you itch and ache to find time to Stitch. With my current schedule it seems that Saturday is the day I can block out hours to do one of my favorite things
stitch!
Here's what I am working on today.

I originally wrote about the inspiration for these here http://myjourneyback-thejourneyback.blogspot.com/2008/10/show-and-tell.html BTW this isn't a link. I don't know how to do that. Can anyone tell me how.
But this is the orignal inspiration.


On my other blog where the inspiration is posted I have a label called Dummies at Blogging I think it is time to add that label here! LOL.

So what are you stichin' today? Why not take a little break and take a photo and link up here.


(Hope this works) and share your creation with the rest of those that are just itchin' to stitch! Well for some reason I couldn't register this blog with Mr. Linky. I hope this doesn't mess up my other Mr. Linky's. Well see.

Right now I am just itchin'!

Happy Stitchin' on Saturday!

Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell hosted by Kelli at my new home. To visit my past Show and Tell's please visit my other blog.

For the last couple of weeks I have been showing my collections of vintage linens.
Today I am sharing a couple of pieces that I am repurposing for a new use.
These are part of a collection of linens that I have bought over the years and repurposed into sewing and craft projects.
Here's one still awaiting a new use.

These I have saved sadly because they didn't fit into the other projects because they were a little worse for wear. You can't see from the scanned image but there are some soiled areas that I couldn't get out. So sadly they weren't pretty enough to be used. But yet they were too pretty to just through away.
Here's another one.

I could not imagine just discarding someones hard work. And so the other day when I unpacked them a new idea came to me.
This part I hope you'll like. It is where making my Home a Sanctuary comes in.
You see my darling Cowboy has this problem when he is in the kitchen.
For some reason he becomes blind when it comes to the roll of paper towel. He just does not use it for anything. Except maybe draining bacon on. Anyway he will spill something or splatter. He loves meat blackened. Do you know how much of a mess this makes? If he drops a little butter on the counter. What do you think he grabs to wipe it up?
You guessed it my pretty washed cotton dish towels.
So I figured these little linens have survived many years and they might just possibly survive Cowboy. So they are going in my kitchen today. I am going to put them in a pretty basket and on the counter well within reach of the messy cook.
Which by the way I try really hard not to let in the kitchen! But sometimes I just can't keep him out. And I love it when once in a while he cooks for me!
Hopefully this new idea will keep me from yelling at him. Which I have decided does no good but maybe it will keep me from biting my tongue so much!

Before I go I have to ask. Do you have any ideas to repurpose vintage linens?

Thanks for visiting my Show and Tell and come back over the weekend for my Home Sanctuary posts.

Making My Home a Sanctuary one clean counter at a time!

Making Cards w/ Kelli (repurposed supplies)

Hi.
Thanks for visiting. I love Kelli's Thursday meme making cards. She makes some amazing cards and I hope soon I'll get a chance to use some of her ideas.
Today I want to share a card I made from re-purposed supplies.
Here's the card.

This is actually my proto type for 4 cards that I am making that will all be alike.
Since I wanted to make so many I needed lots of supplies and so I repurposed part of them.
The beige main body of the card is a file folder. I didn't have any pre-made cards so I figured this would work since it already had a nice crease.
To determine the size I first found an envelope to repurpose. I ran into a snag here because the only extra envelopes I had were stamped on the back so. I covered the snap with matching paper and die cuts.
Here's a photo of the envelope

The black inset on the front of the card is actually an envelope that I cut up. I happened to have 6 of these and the paper was textured so I thought it looked good.
I attempted to stagger the little strips of card stock that I put the letters on but I don't like the look though. It just looks crooked to me so the real ones that I make will not be staggered.
I am making these cards to mail to some friends that participated in More than a Friend. A meme that I host on my other blog. This week is the second week and I am having a giveaway. There is still time to join and get in the drawing so go over and check it out.

I hope you enjoyed my cards from repurposed supplies. Please leave a comment and come and visit tomorrow for Show and Tell Friday

Happy Card making

Tips on Tuesday a new meme

I found a wonderful new and fun meme at one of my favorite places to visit.
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
has a wonderful new new idea to post tips. I almost missed it today because I have been so busy the last few weeks. But I am glad I came by today to check in.
Sandra shared a tip about these.

I have a fabric softener sheet tip also. They are great to use in your linen closet. Just place one in a stack of extra sheets. Or amongst your blankets when they are stored away.

Here's a tip to help rid your house of paper clutter. Do you have stacks of mail to go through and magazines? My mail box is at the curb. When I check the mail I immediately stop at the trash can and sort the mail. I even open the bills etc. and throw away the envelopes. We usually either pay on line or in person at the location. The only thing that make it in the house is the actual bill. This really saves on clutter for me. You might consider stopping at your recycling bin on the way in the house or get an extra waste basket for your garage or mudroom where ever you go in the house.

I used to have a problem cleaning my ceiling fans. I would just forget to clean them. So now I clean them every Monday when I am doing laundry. I use a kitchen type wet wipe now once a week so I don't forget them.

Do you have a tip to share? Go over to Sandra's and join the fun.

Making My Home a Sanctuary
Sherry

Menu Monday on Tuesday and Today's Small Thing

Welcome to my late Menu Monday post. Late it has been harder and harder for me to get to the computer or at least spend any length of time writing posts. Why you ask? Here is why.

This is a collage I put together of photo's when my grandson was 3 months old. He is 5 months old and even cuter. I am sorry I guess I am a little biased. But don't you agree he is just adorable. O.K. enough baby stuff. Here is my dinner menu for this week.

Monday
Steak, Baked Potatoes w/ cheese,butter and bacon bits,brocolli and garlic bread
Tuesday
Pinto Beans and bisquick cheese biscuits (super easy. I might even get the kitchen totally clean tonight! Yea)
Wednesday
Chicken hot wings and parmesan roll ups (these are really yummy basically a crescent roll filled with pepperoni super simple) and salad
Thursday
Meatloaf,garlic mashed potatoes and salad
Friday
Lentil soup and bread
Saturday
Mexican. Yummy yum. My favorite. Taco's,rice and maybe I'll make chicken flauta's
Sunday
No plans now. Depends on if we go out for lunch after church and if our kids come over in the evening.

I just love knowing what I am going to cook. It makes life so much easier. I have been wanting to try once a month cooking again. I did that when our kids were at home. Does anyone do once a month cooking? I am seeing that I am so busy now with keeping the baby and all the other things I do that having dinner almost prepared would be a huge help.

Today I took Rachel's suggestion and cleaned my spice cabinet. She suggested checking the dates on spices and throwing out old ones. She even posted a chart on the shelf life of spices. I had already done that in June when we moved but I knew that my cabinet needed to be cleaned. I have no idea how it happens but I always have spices spilled all over the cabinet. I have some round turntables that are inside the cabinets that I sit the spices on. I love them. I have had them forever and they are really handy.

Thanks for coming by and btw if you want to see what else I am up to come by my other blog. Tomorrow I will be hosting More Than a Friend Wednesday. Come over and link up and write a post about someone special. It doesn't have to be a blogging friend. I hope to see you and meet your friends.

Making My Home a Sanctuary
Sherry

Five Favorite things this week

Welcome to one of my favorite meme's Favorite Five hosted by Susanne.
It is fun to sit and reflect on the week and consider five of the most special things or moments.
Here's my list:
At the top of my list is my grandbaby. I keep him on Mon.,Tues. and Thurs. He is a hand full but so much fun. Yesterday was a really fun day because my daughter decided to start giving him his bath here. Her tub is to big for her to reach him and he is getting to big for the kitchen sink. Here is a photo collage. One of the shots is him at bathtime in the sink. Can you say adorable? I am sorry I am biased I know.

My #2 Favorite thing this week Is fall. I love the cooler weather and the changing colors on the trees.

#3 Favorite Has to be sitting outside and enjoying the sunset with my Cowboy husband and our animals. My dog loves sitting outside with us in the evenings. I hope fall lasts a long time!

#4 Favorite Don't laugh this is silly but one of my favorite things is Dr. Pepper. I know your thinking this woman is crazy for listing something as sill y as Dr. Pepper but it is my favorite drink. And it is my list so that is all I have to say on the subject.

#5 Favorite (BTW I decided to add that my list isn't necessarily in list of priority)Home Sanctuary
Rachel is the inspiration for this blog. I love her daily meme. She is such an inspiration and she is a wonderful writer. I miss her when I don't get to read her blog. She is just a lot of fun.

And, if your curious to learn a little more about me please visit me at My Journey

Making Cards with Kelli

Welcome to my new weekly feature. You've probably come over from Kellis
or from my other blog
After much thought and consideration I have decided to make some changes.
Because I have realized I have so many interests and enjoy blogging and participating in so many different meme's and carnivals I have decided to post all my homemaking type post here. So I hope that you add My Home Sanctuary to your favorite's and come by often. You'll find all kinds of fun things here. And hopefully I'll be writing more Home Sanctuary posts. I have had a hard time keeping up with Rachel's challenges lately but I am hoping that I have come up with a way to be a bit better organized in my posting. I'll share all that later. Because
I know that you have come by to see my card making post.
Here's what I have been working on.

This is a card for my churches card ministry. It is made with brown cardstock that sort of looks like papersack. I really like the dot paper and the colors in it.
The 'Thinking of you' is stamped on white paper in a rosey red ink. The edge is smeared slightly to add just a little color to the edge of the white.


This is a place card that will be used at a Thanksgiving Dinner. This one was actually made a couple of years ago but I really like it so I saved it to use again.


I started with a piece grayish lavender cardstock. Cut it to the size I wanted and folded it in half and creased it. Then I printed the verse in red on the computer and printed it on cream cardstock. After I printed a bunch I cut them apart and glued to the background. The cross in the upper edge was embossed with gold embossing powder. I plan to make 25 of these for a Thanksgiving Dinner.

Please come by again soon and leave me a comment. I love visitors! And please stop over at My Journey

Till next time. Happy Papercrafting.

Friday Small Thing Challenge

Rachel posed the question "Do you have a busy weekend planned?" I have a busy Saturday planned. Then Sunday we plan to visit a different church.

Here's more of Rachel's thoughts . . .
"There is nothing better than coming home to a clean house when you've been running around all weekend. However, when you're running in and out the door, it is likely that your house could resemble a hurricane aftermath when it's all said and done.


It would be nice if we all got up and did chores first thing Saturday morning, like in the olden days of yore, but that can be nearly impossible for some families. Today's Small Thing is to do a little pre-weekend planning so that you can enjoy coming home after all the activities."


Ask yourself 3 questions:
1. What will we eat? I planned stew from the left over roast

2. What will we wear? What will I wear to the church where we plan to visit...that is always a problem because you want to fit in and not stick out like a sore thumb. I now that sounds petty when your talking about church. But where we live we run the range of anything goes which could include shorts...and no I don't live in Flordia. To dresses and panty hoses And, I have to say I can be a little judgemental on this issue. I mean really since we don't live in Florida or California or even Hawaii must shorts be acceptable Sunday morning attire?
Well for this girl nice dress pants or a skirt or dress is what is acceptable. So I plan to wear dressy black pants with a dressy top. I figure that is pretty much in the middle so I should fit in ok.

3. What can I eliminate? Wow this is a really hard challenge for me because tomorrow morning to afternoon I am taking my halfway house girls to a conference and concert. It will be amazing. Lisa Welchell who played Blair in Facts of Life is one of the speakers. I have to admit she just amazes me; and I want to go just to hear her. I am praying that our girls are totally Blessed.
Then the rest of the afternoon is free. The only thing I can think of to eliminate is the mess in my kitchen. But that isn't what Rachel was suggesting was she. I guess what I need to eliminate to make this hose a weekend Sanctuary is eliminating anyway computer time until said kitchen is clean and in order.

Wow what a challenge for me. So tonight at 10:12 p.m. I resolve to clean the kitchen and get my life and home orderly this weekend.

My prayer for you my blogging friends is that you have a Blessed Weekend.

Rachel is such an inspiration. She gives us such amazing ideas, challenges and suggestions to basically be a Proverbs 31Woman. A woman of noble character. A woman who's husband is proud of her. Today she put out a challenge that was difficult for me. She suggested that we write a mission statement for our blog.
As wordy as I am most of the time in my posts. And as good as I am at providing information. This was difficult for me. Mainly because I have difficulty expressing myself.
Below is my attempt at sharing with you my mission for this blog and for my other blog

(sorry you can't read this. Click on the photo and it will enlarge in another window)
This verse speaks of my desire to lean and trust in God. To allow him to guide my steps. I must cling to it as I am really good at turning it over to God and then taking it back by worrying etc. I have to give it all to God and allow him to take me on the journey he has planned for me.
My hearts desire is to use the talents that I have to glorify him. Below is an illustration of the primary way I share God with other women and girls.

It is through the art of quilt making and sewing that I share God's love for us.

I know this wasn't exactly where Rachel was going with her suggestion. Hopefully anyone that reads this post will glean where I stand and where I wish to go. In a nutshell I wish to share God with other women and girls.
I wish to share my experiences and my skills and talents to teach women of all ages about God and his love for us. And that the coolest part is that we are all Princesses. How cool is that?

Simple Thing Challenge....pockets of time

But what I've discovered is pockets.
Here are Rachel's thoughts on finding time to get things done.
Little pockets of time, here and there.

"See, I rarely get big chunks of time to "get organized." But Pockets of Time, say 5, 10 or 15 minute pockets, can pop up at unexpected moments. " Rachel
Here is Rachel's list of things done in 15 min. or less.
Fold a load of clothes.
Unload a dishwasher.
Load a dishwasher.
Wipe down a sink and mirror.
Scrub a potty.
Clean the kitchen sink.
Pick up an entire room.
Make my bed.
Water the plants.
Straighten a junk drawer.
Read a story to a preschooler. (sometimes I would put it off, thinking I didn't have time...but it actually fits in a pocket, too!)
Shave my legs. (it counts as a task)
Clean a stove top.
Today's Small Thing is to see what you can fit into a pocket. When you start to see all those giant, looming jobs for what they really are, they don't seem so bad. See? They can't be TOO big if they fit into a pocket

O.K. did you read this list? I love Rachel's sense of humor....I mean Hello she gave us the opportunity to count shaving our legs. Hello....points for shaving my legs. I would be a dummy to pass that up.
So I am off to do just that. And I think i will light a candle and pour a glass of wine and pamper myself a little bit.
BTW I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the sink twice today. Does that count for points? I log 50 points for doing a task. And another for coming up with a list.
Here's my list:

Make a greeting card for the churches card ministry
Send an email of encouragement to one of our ministrys volunteers
Sweep the kitchen
Dust the bedroom
Tidy the computer desk....I cannot seem to keep it clean. It is the catch all
Sweep the front porch and shake out the rugs
Read my 15 minute Devotional book by Emalie Barnes
Read a Psalm
Make a journal entry
Look up an old friend and make a plan to reconnect (visit my blog to see a post about
friends.)


Well now I am finally off to relax in the tub. I mean Rachel suggested we do that so he what is a girl to do? I am just following instructions! LOL
See you all tomorrow.

You've Been a Friend

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own
This is a test post...
If you are here today then you are a friend because you have followed my links to this new blog. Thanks for stopping in. Hopefully you can grab this button. If not go over to My journey for the post.

Welcome

Welcome to my new look. I am testing looks and I really think this one is nice.
My other blog still needs a new fall look.
So I thought I would test over here at this blog. I think I like this look.
What do you think?
My new on-line fabric store is coming together and hopefully I'll be inviting you over in the next few days.
Please come by and visit and see what is going on here and here
Have a Blessed week.

Home Sanctuary Monday Challenge

Well I took Rachel's challenge this morning and I have sat down and come up with a menu for the week. I don't think she really set any perameter's on it at least I hope not. I only did dinner.
Here's my dinner plan for the week:

Monday: Pot Roast w/potatoes and carrots and gracy
Spinach
French Bread

Tuesday: Pizza
I am taking the girls from the Half Way house to see a Rebecca St. James taping. Can you say too cool?

Wednesday: Ranchero Chicken Crostada I found here
(looks really yummy and I have all the ingredients.) Hopefully I'll find some salad at the food bank to add to it and I'll slice some avocado's

Thursday: Crock pot pinto beans
Slow oven cooked Briskit
Bread
Cole Slaw

Friday: Beef pot pie from leftover roast
Biscuits
Salad


Saturday: Sandra's Cheese Meat Loaf
Scalloped Potato's
Green Beans
Maybe if Cowboy is lucky I'll bake something too. I am thinking Coconut Meringue Pie

Well that's my menu. That was so much fun! I'll add some photo's to make the post look really pretty!

Thanks Rachel for the idea.

Monday Tip and Home Sanctuary Challenge

I found this cool meme over at 11th Heaven and decided to participate. Because I have been wanting to share this cool idea that I came up with.

I recently moved to a new house. No not new in the sense of brand new home. In fact it is anything but that. It has new carpet. New yellow paint in the living room which btw I love. New crown molding throughout the house. New ceiling fans. New wallpaper in the bathrooms. (which I could live without). And that is where the "new" stops. Abruptly! They didn't make it to the most import room the kitchen.
This kitchen is a through back to the well let me show you. I think this photo will give you a glimpse.



Yes it is what you think it is geese or ducks from like the 70's maybe anyway just pretend vintage! LOL. The cabinet doors are white but the rest of the cabinets are the same lovely light baby blue from that lovely era!

Well these geese were in the drawers and on the shelves. When I moved in I had a couple of rolls of shelf liner. Used them up and ran out. I happened to have a roll of this. So I got to thinking about what I could do. I didn't want just the brown drawer showing under the clear contact paper so here's what I came up with.




I know it is a little hard to see but this is an actual 'after' photo of the drawer. Frugal as I am (not but choice in most cases) I had to use my scanner but hopefully you can see and get the idea.

Now the inside of the drawers have this primitive looking red check fabric secured under the contact paper. I just love it. Every time I open my drawers and see it I just smile.

So if you are like me and you want something pretty for shelves and drawers and don't like what you find in the stores try this idea.
BTW I had one roll of the bumpy sticky stuff that is supposed to be good and safe for your dishes. I hate it. When I have a couple of extra minutes I am going to replace it with fabric and contact paper!

Let me know if you try my idea. I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment.

Please visit me at my other blog. I write over there everyday.

Have a great and Blessed Week. Oh before I go I have to mention Rachel's challenge for today.
She was thinking about nursery rhymes you have to go over and read her post. They are always just so interesting and fun and funny. Anyway well I am working on tidying up the living room. It is a never ending battle on Monday. And I am working on planning a menu for the week becaue if you go to my other blog you'll see I have a bunch of new stuff to work with. Hmm...do I cook chicken,or beef. And veggie's I have veggie's to cook. Last night was brocolli but it is one of my favorites I could eat it everyday!

O.k. now you can go over and visit my other blog. And don't forget Rachel and Mommy to 9 she just fascinates me!

Have a Blessed and Happy week

Sherry

My New Adventure

If you visit my other blog you will find that one of my favorite things is sewing and quilting. And fabric. I am involved fulltime in ministry and what I do is teach girls about God and teach them to sew. We make quilts that we donate to charity.
It actually is an amazing Blessing to me because one of my strongest desires is to have a quilt shop. As it turns out it isn't exactly what I expected but I hope that you are happy and excited to see some of the fabric that I will be offering for sale.
This blog isn't becoming all fabric sale. It is still about making my Home a Sanctuary.
But I will be using it to offer up for sale some fabric that I really think someone out there will love to sew up! I am working on an ETSY store but before I offer anything there I thought I would start here. And see what happens.

I am making this totally easy. I will only charge actual shipping for my sale items. Send me your address and I'll take the package and weigh it and let you know the total. Then you can send me a paypal at slegan@yahoo.com or mail me a check. Just email me if you wish to mail a check. I'll figure out some way to post all this stuff so that each of my fabric posts won't repeat all this necessary info.

For starters here is a lovely piece of faric. It measures over 4 yards (probably closer to 5) I will always measure on the plus side or is it minus anyway you'll get more than what I actually post. Make sense?

This piece is over 4 yards. It has been washed and is really soft. I wouldn't use it in a quilt but it would be great for baby blankets with a little lace edge or even for bumpers for a little girls crib.
Here's a couple of photo's of other suggestions.
This is a cute sweet pattern. And there really is way too much fabric for this pattern but I could see this as a couple of little girl dresses. One little girl one big girl dress. Oh so sweet.

And here is one more idea.
I see this as adorable spring p.j.'s with a cute little cami type top. If I was more into garment sewing I might just whip something up. Or a really pretty nightgown.
This fabric is soft and grily looking.

The total cost for the 4 yards (plus) is $8.00. It measures 22" wide. There is no marking on the selvage so I don't know the manufacturer.

Purchase now and you can get those p.j's whipped up for Christmas presents!

You can email me at Slegan@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Please check back often. I will be adding lots of yardage and fat quarters and kits that I will put together. And I might be offering some dressmaker patterns too.
And keep checking over the next few days because I will be adding some freebies!

Happy Sewing Sherry

The Family Name

Rachel wrote an amazing devotional today about this verse. Ephesians 4:24 She really brought it home reminding us that if we are Christians. That is people that have accepted Christ and are Christ followers that we are all a family. The family of God.
Here's the thing that got to me about what she said. She said it this way. If we don't act like Christians. If we do things we know we shouldn't do then we
"dishonor the family name" Wow. I am not sure if I ever thought about it that way.

She mentioned a couple of things. Those "small sins" like gossip,whining,nagging. But really none of them are small. All those things dishonor the family name. I was hit between the eyes with this. I thought of my frustration with certain things that are going on in my life. And I loose sight of not only who I am but also what God is providing.

Please go over to Rachel's and read the entire post. And also if you need something to make you smile today read the post titled "Who's your daddy."

Here's the photo illustration of the verse.


I am getting points today, because I am sharing the verse and posting it. Yea.
BTW I did do the book challenge over the weekend so more points there.
I hope to post photo's soon.

Focus yesterday's Small Thing

Yesterday Rachel's Small Thing was to focus on one task and not let all the other things you need to do to muddle up focusing. In other words. No multi tasking.

Yesterday I had to many things going on to think about it. And couldn't still my mind.

But today even though it is a day late I did focus on something. I won't count the points but I wanted to share. My daughter finally downloaded some photo's. We have both been having camera problems.
We went and made a c.d. of all the baby pictures on her phone.

So I made the above collage today. It took me about 5 hours. Downloading and then figuring out how to get them out of picaso and then into coral to crop and edit and then into flicker and then into Huge labs. And figuring out all the passwords.

I did manage to put everything else on hold and I focused on the task. I know it isn't really a Home Sanctuary kind of task. But I figure my daughter and son in love will be Blessed. And the rest of the family that lives in another state.
But I wanted to at least share with all ya'll what I worked on.

And I working on all our books and getting them all organized maybe not by color. That did look cool though. But Rachel gave us all weekend to work on books so I have plenty of time to get them all organized again.

I promise that this blog won't be turned into a baby blog. But isn't that just the cutest little collage! Adding the dummies at blogging label because who takes 5 hours to do something like that but me?

Focus today's Small Thing

Today's Small Thing is to focus.
To get out of the multi-task syndrome and focus on doing a single task through to completion without being distracted by the other things that are important.
This was a difficult task for me. I cannot think of a job that I could do and finish without distraction.
The only job I can think is just playing with the baby. So, that is what I did today. I allowed myself just to play and sing and rock without being distracted by outside pressures. I didn't turn off the t.v. but I allowed myself to fall asleep while rocking the baby.
I guess I need a little extra sleep. A quick catnap while cuddling a sleeping child just makes all the cares of the world go away.
It was a sweet day.
I don't think it warrants logging any points for today but it was just a Blessing.
It made me smile. And to share my smiles with you I want to share a picture that maybe will just Bless you. It speaks peacefulness to me. Today I focused on being peaceful.

What is in your sinks?

Wow Rachel had an awesome suggestion today. And it got me to thinking.
What does my kitchen sink look like?





Actually this isn't my sink it is my daughters. But isn't it just too cute. This
is the grandbaby I take care of on Tues. and Thurs.

Rachel suggests:
Cleaning our sinks...

"A swift swab of the sink with an abrasive cleanser and a fast wipe of the faucet will whip that receptacle of disgrace into a shining bowl of honor. I love washing my hands under a gleaming faucet and seeing the suds go down a slick sink without sticking to toothpaste and grime. It gives me smiley-soul.

POINTS: Ooh, how about 40 if you do ALL the bathroom sinks and faucets at your house? If you miss one, just take 20 points.

Are your household cleaners in a handy location? Make your life easier by stocking up and then putting them where you actually use them." Rachel at Home Sanctuary

I am kinda weird. I don't like under my sinks cluttered up. You must remember it is just Cowboy and I anymore. So; I don't have a lot of kids to clean up after. And the baby is too small to make any mess yet. I keep all my supplies in the closet where my washer is. Which is in the bathroom. So it is really easy to wipe down the master bathroom sink daily.

Now the hall bath that is another story. And I need Rachel's inspiration. I do try to keep the kitchen clean but that is one of my challenges. FlyLady does have a challenging video about kitchen sinks. She suggests it is easier than we think and takes less time than we think.

I have gotten all those sinks done today so I am going to log my 40 points

How many points are you logging?

Today's Small Thing Challenge

Sometimes it is totally scary when I read Rachel's Small Thing Challenge.
Today she suggested:Tidying up electric cords I was already thinking about doing just that. Is that not scary?
I have been moving furniture around the living room again. And of course all the plugs from the computer and lamp and cable etc. needed to be tidied up again. So I found a basket to stuff them all in. Actually I lied I didn't find a basket. I already had one bought specifically for the purpose of storing cords. It has a hinged lid. It was bought a few years ago at a basket party. It is really cool. Since I am having camera issues I can't take a photo to share. But, I learned something tonight so I am going to brag a little and share what I learned.
Below is a collage I made of you guessed it electrical cords.


BTW no children or animalswere harmed.
My other blog My Journey Back has a label titled Dummies at blogging I am still learning alot. Making a mosaic was something I have been wanting to do for awhile.
So I feel really accomplished and wanted to brag a little!

And wow I get 30 points just for stuffing all those cords in a basket.
I promise Rachel as soon as I get a camera I'll take a photo of the basket 'o cords!

See ya'll tomorrow with another Simple Thing

Home Sanctuary Revisited

Small Things Jan.25th Revisited
Today Rachel and many of us are taking a day off from blogging (or at least a few minutes in my case) to spend the holiday with family. I am going to do that later this afternoon.

I am just taking a short break from the kitchen. Needed to sit down for a few minutes. We have a huge late afternoon and evening planned.

I visited Rachel's archives and found this Small Thing that I can do amidst all preparation for our wonderful evening.

Here's Rachel's suggestion and thoughts. I had to share it because what she said just cracked me up!

"Today's Small Thing is to tidy up your pet areas. Those nasty bowls could use a good scrubbing and a sweep around them to pick up the crumbs. If you have a dog or kitty bed, give it a good shake or vacuuming if you can. And should we talk about cat litter boxes??? Nah, I didn't think so.

Somehow I think our four-legged friends appreciate our efforts to spruce up their domains, even though they keep quiet about it. There's something classy about seeing them eat from a clean dish and I think it helps their self image. (Not that cats need help feeling even more superior!)

POINTS: 20 for cleaning up the dishes and food area

BONUS POINTS: 20 for cleaning up any other pet mess.....

40 pts max, (this is for any pets, not just dogs and cats)

Sorry, non-pet people! I'll make it up to you somehow....

P.S. I once had a friend whose dog was on Prozac for depression. Ooooh kaaaay. Maybe all he needed was a clean dog dish to eat from to lift his spirits!" Rachel at
Home Sanctuary

I just love being a Company Girl go over and visit Rachel's site and join the fun. Even revisiting is a hoot and can provide a wonderful opportunity to make your Home a Sanctuary

Here are a couple of photo's of my animals.




Daisy and Rascal are behind the gate. Miss Kitty happens to be laying on the dining room table.

In our old house it was right by a set of french doors that lead to the backyard and barn. I had come in and tossed my Cowboys really,really warm coat on the table and Kitty made it a bed.


Now I am off to clean the cat's box and make their little area all clean and tidy and nice smelling for company. I wouldn't want them to get all depressed that it is not nice smelling for the company. LOL

Happy Revisits and come by my new blogyou will find all my Company Girls posts.

'08 Simple Things Revisited

Over at my other blog I have this label called Dummies at Blogging I use the label when I write about things I am learning or my mistakes. I don't know how they would tally up.
Most of the time I think the "duh" moments out weigh the Look what I learned how to do moments.

This morning I had a Look what I learned how to do! moment.

I figured out how to use labels. I know some of you reading this are thinking
oh how dumb is this girl! Sorry.

Here's what I figured out how to do.

Since I didn't join Company Girls till July I missed half the year.
And some days I have missed writing about the Simple Things challenges daily. So I am going to have a label here called '08 Simple Things Revisited so when you see that label. It is a post about a challenge that I either missed or forgot or didn't have time to write about.

I think it is a cool way to go back and do all the amazing challenges that Rachel offers.

It is so Simple to make your Home a Sanctuary. Come on an join us!

Making our Home a Fall Sanctuary . . .

Well August ended and points are being tallied. I wonder how good I did point wise.
I did much better in August than I did in July because I didn't even do my points.
But Rachel does some really cool give aways.

It isn't too late to become a Company Girl so check out
Rachel's blog. Over at Homesanctuary.com It is a fun
daily meme.

I am looking forward to the inspiration she will share with us for September and the fall.

This will be the heading for all my posts. It's Rachel's button for Home Sanctuary and her theme.



See ya Monday. I bet she has something really creative since it is Labor Day.

Making My Home a Sanctuary

Smiles,
Sherry

Paper and Laundry

I haven't had a chance to post in a couple of days because I have been doing a lot of De-cluttering.
I was inspired by Rachel and by Marcia and Beth. M&B are doing a Declutter Challenge.
One of the things I've worked on this week is paper. Rachel even suggested dealing with paper too and offered some points for that.
Here's what our files look like.

This really is a bit of an exaggeration. . . these are really photos from Dreamstime but our files are similar. At least they were. I am getting a handle on them. The biggest challenge is my Cowboy he is really bad about filling is wallet, or the console of the vehicle, or the dresser or bathroom drawer. Any place he can find to put receipts. And most are a bit crumpled from having been stuffed in a pocket.
I have managed to go through the most recent ones and get them filed.
So these challenges have helped me a lot.
Home Sanctuary is my favorite meme. And it is cool because Rachel challenges us everyday and even does a cool giveway at the end of the month.
Todays challenges was the laundry room. The challenge was to clean the washer.
As in, wipe down, scrub whatever is needed to get the washer and dryer looking all new again. I wiped down both. It was pretty easier because one of my declutter
challenges for last week was to clean off the dryer. And keep it clean. So all the socks etc. are put away. As soon as the dryer is done I have been folding and sorting the load and right away taking them to put away. This is easy for me because it is only me and cowboy. So it is simple.
I am still pretty new blogging. And so I am not real savvy on how to do some things. Rachel my inspiration is at homesanctuary@typepad.com. I don't know how to link. Go by and visit and get some inspiration.

Home Sanctuary Thursday Challenge

Brown Baggin' it . . . what a simple challenge and healthy too. Rachael puts out the challenge today to look at brown baggin' it.
I sort of beat her to it because I had already planned to take my lunch today.
On Tuesday and Thursdays I get to keep my new grandson.
I had this wonderful salad left from Wednesday nights dinner so instead of letting it go to waste I packaged it up in an Olive Garden sack (that made me hungry) and took it for my lunch. It was a nice little treat. Plus my daughter had baked a cake on Wednesday so I had a slice of cake. It was yummy and a special treat!

So since I took my lunch I am giving myself 40 points. And I shared some of Racheal's ideas to my daughter. So I think that counts too.

Below are some links Racheal added check them out!


"POINTS: 40 for planning some brown-bag goodness. Give your man a sack lunch and a kiss as he leaves for work and tell him his Sonic days are over. Think about how to make your home lunches or school lunches a little more spectacular this year.


Here are some quick links to get you excited about the possibilities!"


http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/brown-bag-lunches-that-make-grade



http://busycooks.about.com/od/breakfastrecipes/a/brownbaglunch.htm



http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05apr04a.cfm



"Share your ideas! I'm looking for inspiration!" Racheal at Home Sanctuary.

Easy Peasy 100 Points!

I thought it would be easy.
I went over to Racheal Ann's and saw her Simple Thing suggestion.

And really it was but it took a lot of time and thought just as she said.

Friday her suggestion was to Get Some Backbone!
What you ask? Racheal is very clever and makes all her suggestions simple and fun to do.
This weekend I took her suggestion and worked on my calendar. The concept is if things in your life are pulling you in a million different directions and your pulling your hair out trying to keep up how can your home be a sanctuary? She's right. I know it. You know it. But what do we do to change all that? Well here's an idea make a schdule. Get out a calendar and write down all your activities.

Here's Racheal's Backbone Principles:
1 Don't volunteer for everything on the spot.
2 Talk to your spouce about each activity before you commit.
3 Get a grip (you can't do it all)
4 Leave time for boredom
5 Set a limit on how many activities each child and each parent are allowed.
You have to go over to Racheal's blog and read about each of these principles. They really make sense and will help you alot. Here's how you get there.
http:homesanctuary.typepad.com This isn't a link because I don't know how to do that but you can cut and paste the above or you I learned that you can google it.
That is what I do now I just think of the name of the blog I want to visit and google it and it pops up. Easy Peasy!

I have a lot more to write about my own calendar task and I'll probably write about it on my other blog. I don't know. Right now I am thinking I have written a lot and I don't want you to get bored with me. But how can you do that? I haven't told anyone about this blog yet. And so if your here it is by accident? Coincidence?
Hmmm.
Do you believe in coincidence?

Maintaining a Healthy Body and 40 points!

Body by God. . . Rachael reminds us today how important it is to take care of ourselves. Here are her thoughts.

"Today's Small Thing is to do something that's good for you. When you think about it, with all that is required us daily, maintaining a healthy body shouldn't just be a fantasy, it's a necessity. I am among the world's WORST when it comes to taking vitamins and exercising regularly, but I notice a very real difference when I take just a few moments to do what I know I should do for myself."

Her challenge is to actively do something today that is good for your body.

I know that eating vegetables is important. And as a matter of fact I love veggies.
Especially fresh picked green beans, okra oh man give me a pan of fried okra. Or fried yellow squash. Well maybe that isn't the best or healthiest way to eat it. But my point is I love all veggies. Cooked or raw I'll eat them. And salad. Oh give me a chilled plate filled with romaine and some salad dressing maybe a few croutons and some Parmesan cheese.
But my problem is my Cowboy (husband) isn't a veggie fan. Give him meat; (red meat preferably, or anything wild that he has shot in some way)and potatoes and he is happy as a lark!

And fruit well neither one of us are real fruit eaters. But I try. Yesterday we had fresh strawberries. He asked for 5 to eat before taking pain meds, not 4, not 6,just 5. That was in his mind, his quota for the day.

I served a romaine salad with 4 strawberries on the side for dinner to go along with one of my favorites my recipe of Mexican Chicken and Rice (I try copy the dish from my favorite restaurant.
Well as you might have guessed. When I went to clear the plates. There were 4 lovely little red things left. Remember he ate 5 earlier in the day. I ate two off his plate. Plus mine.

I do try to do healthy things. One of the things Rachael suggested was walking to the mailbox. I do that. I think she mentioned drinking water. I love bottled water. I will drink a bottle every time I am in the car and all day long I am sipping on a bottle of water. I think I do drink enough water.

One thing I do is I try to think of how I can accomplish a daily task and add a little exercise to that task but I am like Rachael I end up feeling like I don't have enough energy sometimes. Like at the end of the night when I know that I need to go wash the dishes or at least load the dishwasher. (unload first) But I don't have the energy. That was one of those simple things from yesterdays challenge that I am trying to accomplish.

So I realize that I need to do more healthier things. And maybe instead of eating a large piece of red meat and a big baked potato maybe I should eat a smaller portion and go ahead and eat more of the veggies I love. That is a simple thing for me.

So it will be easy for me to get those points Rachael offered today by eating better.

Here's what she is offering . . . POINTS: 40 (HUH? Rach, why so many?) for doing something, anything, that's good for you today. Be conscious of being healthy today by doing just one small thing, and you probably already know what you should do. Easy.
(And don't beat yourself up over the fries you ate at lunch.)

See it was so simple. And she even gives us a break on the fries. Did I say I love french fries. Yummy yum.

My challenge is getting my Cowboy to follow suit.

I am really glad that you stopped in to visit and please go over to Rachael's and join us Company girls.

Smiles,
Sherry

Making my Home a Sanctuary with my Dancin' Shoes

This morning Rachael inspired us to put on our dancin' shoes and sweep and mop the kitchen.
You'll have to go by and see her at http:homesanctuary.typepad.com to see her inspiration. She always posts a song to get us in the mood and a lovely photo.


Here's my song just to get ya' goin'. . . . I hope you enjoy the flashback.




I'll be adding a photo later and an update on my progress getting the mopping project done today.

Have a Blessed Day and enjoy the tunes.
Sherry

Home Sanctuary Tuesday Challenge

Welcome to my Home Sanctuary Challenge blog. I am a "Company Girl" hosted by Rachealanne at Home Sanctuary.com.

I just love this everyday meme and so decided to do a whole blog dedicated to it.

Every month Racheal gives us a verse to focus on. We can print it and use it anyway we want.

Here is this months verse.

Each day Racheal suggests something to work on to make our house a Sanctuary.

Today she suggested that we concentrate on those tasks that we start and don't finish around the house.

I know you have some. Here is a list of mine.

Trash I am talking trash...yes like the photo at the top of the page (I got it at Dreamstime.com)

1. Taking out the trash...just yesterday I gathered the trash and put it into the can and took the big garbage can to the curb. Then I found a couple of other items that I needed to throw away and there was of course stuff from the kitchen last night. And well by the end of the night I was too tired or distracted to make another jaunt out to the curb. So the trash sat in the kitchen overnight. But this morning after being encouraged by Racheal I took it on out to the curb.

See in my normal routine I would have just waited and put it in the trash can later today.

There is more to the list. But I have been called away from this post now. Please come back and read more about how to make your Home a Sanctuary. And don't forget to visit over at

Racheal Ann's

Have a Blessed Day

Welcome to My Home Sanctuary

Welcome . . .