Eye Candy For List-Oholics

Isn't this the most fabulous things that you have ever seen?  Sweet little pads of list making paper.  Lined!  No frou-frou stuff taking up space and distracting from the actual glory of the list.  Just 24 little lines to keep track of all the stuff that needs to be accomplished.  I am using them for my kid's daily homeschool to-do lists and for myself so I actually get something done every day.  I got them at a flea market.  I got eight.  For $3.00.  For all eight.  But wait a second!  What if I never see them again?  What if I run out?  What if I have to go back to writing my lists on plain old printer paper?  Gasp!  Now I am having an anxiety attack about what I will do when I run out.  Shoot!  They still make me happy, though.
Consider this the first post in an ongoing list of Things That Make Me Happy!

Bananas

No, I'm not going crazy. 
I got a really great deal on a whole box of bananas.  $2 for a whole banana box full!  That is a lot of monkey chow.  They were quickly going south and the guy at the flea market threw them in with my bushel of peaches for two bucks.  Everyone thought that I was nuts, but I had a plan.  First, I gave away a few bunches to my mom, my dad, and my sister.  Then I took them home and fed some to the minions and this is what I had left.  No way we were gonna get these babies eaten before they were bad.

Sooooo.... I peeled them. 

Then I put them on a cookie sheet and shoved them in the freezer.  A few hours later I took them out and stuck them in a zipper baggie.  Now whenever I want to make banana bread, I can pull out a few, thaw them in the microwave, and whip up a batch.  Thawing them in the microwave makes them a really nice, mushy consistency for bread.  I usually zap even fresh bananas that I am using for bread.

Works for me!

Now I need to make a list of recipes that require bananas.

So Where Did All the Groceries Go?

"Where did she put all of those boxes of groceries?" you may be asking yourself.  Or you would be if there were more than two people who were reading this blog.  And if those two people were at all interested in where someone might store 7 or 8 boxes of groceries. 
Well, I'm gonna tell you!  I put them away!  I cleaned out my pantry!  I harassed my minions, oops! I mean, my lovely children.  I rearranged.  I containerized.  I sorted.  I rearranged again.  I got it done!

                                           

                                     

Looks great HUH?   I'm a little bitter about that green basket because my kitchen is cobalt blue and yellow, but I am going to be big about it and just let it go.

I decluttered my baking stuff cabinet.  

I didn't put it all in there sideways, I swear.  I just can't figure out how to rotate the picture. 

(Note to Self:  Only take horizontal pics, you aren't smart enough for the vertical ones...ask the minions, they may be able to figure it out!)

I rearranged my laundry room and bought an extremely overpriced shelf from Walmart. 

OK!  It's sideways. So shoot me!

All put away so neat and tidy.  If anyone messes it up they are gonna have to deal with me.  It all looks so lovely that I hate to disarrange it to cook something. 

Might have to eat out!

Official First Day of the Rest of My Life

Today, I officially became a non-business-owning, stay-at-home, homeschooling mom.  Monday and Tuesday didn't count 'cause school hadn't started yet and my hubs was at home and he distracted me.  Today I am focused.  Today I am ready to take on the rest of my life.......... Today I am tired!

My younger son, who is still at home, started High School at Ohio Virtual Academy today.  Wow!  I'm glad that I don't have to do it.  There is going to be a lot of work there.  My daughter started 5th grade at OHVA but it is a piece of cake because we have done it for two years already.  I had big plans.  Get up early, post my list for the day, take on the world... you know, the kind of stuff I plan to do every day.....but my plans went awry.  A little too much chaos and a few too many computer glitches.

But anywhoo, here we go. 

My Top 5 Plans for My Life
Or at least for the next few months

*1*  Get Homeschool Organized
and how do I plan to do this you might ask.  I purchased the Old Schoolhouse Planner and I was hoping to spend a lot of time today checking it out and printing out some important organizing pages, setting up a nice note book, you know, that kind of stuff.  Well, not so much.  But I did download it.

*2*  Organize Christmas
that is going to take a whole blog of its own.  Check out Frugal Holidays.  As soon as I get to it, that is.

*3*  "Spring" Clean My House
every mom knows that back to school time is the real time to make resolutions and get your act together.  I think that I will have to get back to basics and get my Flylady lists out again.

*4* Deepen My Walk with God
God and I go waaay back.  I have been a Christian my entire life.  But I have never spent the amount of time in the Word or in prayer that I like.  I am only a few days behind in my Bible in a year Chronological Daily Readings but prayer time is always hit or miss.  I talk to God during my daily craziness but I want to spend some real time Praising Him and letting Him know how important our relationship is to me.

*5* Lose Weight
three words Lap Band Surgery.  I should be scheduling my surgery in October.  Hopefully.....maybe....I'm a little scared....but something has to change.

Whaddya think?  Lofty goals?  Too much. 

Maybe, but a goal with out a plan is just a wish.

So, now I am gonna go make a list for tomorrow .... and go to bed early ... and get up on time... and do SOMETHING.

I can't start on my lists until I clear a little space

Wow!  I have a mess.  Part of the business that I am shutting down is a discount grocery.  I had to bring home the leftovers.  But where in the world am I going to put them.  The whole clean up the house bit is starting before I get to cross off "Close the Store."  What a horrible picture,(don't look Hannah) but you get the idea.  Lots of groceries to put away, but first I think I will take the kids out to eat.  I couldn't face fixing dinner in that mess!

Getting Closer!

Only three more days until I should be able to cross closing the store off my list of things to do!  Hopefully, I can start Monday morning with a clean slate and a whole slew of new lists.  I think that possibly my first list to work on will be my "Books to Read" list.  Is that a cop out?   Should I start on the "Places to Clean" list?  Books sound like more fun!

Lists for My New Life

After seven years working hard to make a business successful, I am coming home.  I am starting a whole different phase of my life doing lots of the same things that I have been doing all along.  But I don't have to leave the house in the middle of any of them.  I have a master list as long as my arm and baby step lists for a million different projects. 
Nothing beats the thrill of crossing something off my list.  As soon as I put a big ole line through "Finish Closing the Store" we'll get started on the lists that I am gonna live the rest of my life by!