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Shared Mar 14, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #9 (update)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 14, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so excited about how many of you are joining us for the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! If you missed today’s assignment, you can find it here.

It was a great day yesterday! I had a wonderful time doing two broadcast tapings at Focus on the Family with a live audience (these will likely air in May and June). Plus, I loved getting to meet some of my wonderful readers at the meet & greet afterwards!

I flew out from Colorado Springs to Bloomington, IL to speak at the Hearts at Home conference today and tomorrow. I’m so excited to get more readers today (if you’re going to be at Hearts at Home, please stop by our booth after one of my sessions and say “hi!” — I would LOVE to meet you!)

I worked ahead on the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home challenge earlier this week and here are pictures of yesterday’s assigned projects…

We cleaned the light switch plates — and it was quite an easy and fun task (yay!)

I just had to show you this calendar — it’s a family calendar that my family gave us for Christmas with pictures for each month from my extended family. I LOVE it (you can see a peek of my entire family above at my sister’s Senior Recital — all 7 siblings and our parents!)

Pardon the banged up walls, but I also wanted to show you this quote above the light switch in our bedroom closet — I printed it out from Ann Voskamp’s blog a long time ago and it serves as a constant reminder to me.

And here are some more items we found in the school shelf clean-out that we’re getting rid of.

How you do on Assignment #9? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Mar 13, 2014 comment

Easy Honey Butter Recipe

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 13, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

This Easy Homemade Whipped Honey Butter is amazing!

As I mentioned earlier this week, I tried my hand at making Homemade Honey Whipped Butter and was so pleased with how it turned out.

Seriously, I can’t believe that I waited this long to try this idea!

I was inspired by my younger sister, Olivia. She made dinner for us the week my book launched (wasn’t that sweet of her?) and one of the things she made was fresh rolls and Whipped Honey Butter.

whipped honey butter with freshly baked rolls

What is honey butter?

Honey butter is a type of sweetened butter that — as its name implies — combines honey and butter. It is popular with both kids and adults and tastes fantastic on almost any type of bread, roll, bagel, muffin, or toast.

Whipped honey butter takes everything to the next level by using a mixer to beat a bunch of air into the mixture until it’s light and fluffy — almost like a dense whipped cream!

Why we love this Honey Butter Spread

Jesse loved the Honey Butter so much that I knew I had to try my hand at making it. And it was so, so easy and delicious!

What I loved about this idea is that it not only stretches butter a little farther, but it also makes it much easier to spread the butter.

And, you can easily mix up the flavor combinations by adding various seasonings (savory or sweet), maple syrup, cinnamon, or even leaving out the honey and enjoying plain whipped butter.

The possibilities are endless — and you’ll definitely wow your dinner guests with this easy condiment!

whipped honey butter on striped placemat

Ingredients For Honey Whipped Butter

1 cup butter (2 sticks) salted or unsalted is fine
1/4 cup honey
1/4-1/2 cup milk

ingredients for homemade whipped honey butter

Whipped Honey Butter Recipe substitutions and variations

As I mentioned above, you could use maple syrup or even a bit of brown sugar instead of honey. Or you could omit the sweetener completely and just enjoy the lightness of whipped butter (butter + milk).

Breakfast foods would be extra delicious with a little cinnamon added in.

Or you could take a totally different route, omitting the sweetener and creating a savory whipped butter with garlic powder, onion powder, chives, or any of your other favorite herbs (fresh or dried).

Try swapping the milk for cream or even sour cream to give the butter a little extra thickness.

How to make Whipped Honey Butter

1. Soften the butter to room temperature.

2. In a medium size bowl, whip the butter with a handheld mixer (or stand mixer).

3. Add in the honey and milk and continue whipping until the mixture is smooth.

4. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Honey Whipped Butter is good with…

Everything — LOL!

Seriously though, anything you’d normally use butter on can be instantly elevated to the next level by swapping whipped honey butter.

Storing Honey Butter Spread

We recommend storing your honey butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, it can easily sit at room temperature for a while if you’re serving it at a potluck, dinner party, or holiday gathering.

How long does honey butter last?

It should last a couple of months in the fridge, however, the “whipped” consistency might diminish over time as it sits.

We don’t recommend freezing whipped butter as it’s not as light after freezing.

Does honey butter need to be refrigerated?

It is OK to leave honey butter out for a few hours, but for longer-term storage, we recommend keeping it tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

Does homemade honey butter go bad?

Yes, it can go bad — after all, it’s a dairy product — however, it would take quite a while and you’ll most likely eat it all first!

Whipped Honey Butter FAQs

Is whipped honey the same as honey butter?

Nope. Whipped honey is simply honey that has been whipped to prevent the formation of large crystals. It makes the honey smoother and more spreadable.
It’s delicious, but it contains no dairy products so it’s not the same as honey butter.

Is creamed honey the same as honey butter?

“Creamed honey” is actually just another term for “whipped honey” — neither of which contains butter or any other form of dairy. So neither is the same as honey butter.

Recipe

Easy Honey Butter Recipe

Author Crystal Paine

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Ingredients

1 cup butter salted or unsalted is fine
¼ cup honey
¼ cup milk you may need up to a 1/2 cup

Instructions

Bring butter to room tempurature.
In a medium bowl, whip butter until light and fluffy with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
Add in honey and milk and whip until combined.
Refrigerate butter in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

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Shared Mar 13, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #9

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 13, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve set aside the month of March to really focus on organization in my home and life. And I’d love for you to join me!

Day 9 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom. Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.

::Clean your light switch plates. You can use a damp rag with a little disinfectant on it or a cleaning wipe. If you have younger children, they’d probably enjoy joining you in tackling this project!

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Get Your Free Ebook + Printable Checklists

To grab your free ebook so you can participate in this challenge, just fill out the form below with your name and email address. You’ll need to confirm your email address and then your free ebook will be sent to you instantly.

Are you planning to join us today? If so, leave a comment below!

Shared Mar 13, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #8 (update)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 13, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so excited about how many of you are joining us for the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! If you missed today’s assignment, you can find it here.

I flew to Colorado yesterday for today’s radio show taping with Focus on the Family. So I didn’t get yesterday’s update posted last night.

I used Homemade Cleaner to clean the doorknobs. Love this stuff!

Shiny doorknobs make me happy! 🙂

My top dresser drawer — I cleaned it out not too long ago, or it would probably look much, much worse!

Much better!

We cleaned out our homeschool baskets and came up with a pile of stuff to get rid of!

How you do on Assignment #8? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Mar 12, 2014 comment

Say Yes to the Best {Chapter 2}

Published: by MSM Team on March 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Note from Crystal: Mandi asked me if she could blog through my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. She’ll be sharing one post per chapter per month. I know many of you are reading through the book right now and I thought you’d enjoy hearing her thoughts — and joining in the discussion to share your thoughts, as well.

Guest post by Mandi Ehman from Life Your Way

My goal for 2014 is to really LIVE this crazy, beautiful life I’ve been given and not just letting it pass me by. To be intentional about pursuing that goal, I’m working through three books this year, including Crystal’s Say Goodbye to Survival Mode.

In January, my focus was on learning to set boundaries, remove distractions and stop trying to do it all.

In February, I turned my attention to Chapter 2: Saying Yes to the Best. That title is actually is a great summary for what I hope to accomplish this year, so I was excited to jump right in. Unfortunately, a combination of travel, postpartum depression and a big project didn’t actually result in the easiest month, but I just keep focusing on each new day and each opportunity to make the right decisions.

As in Chapter 1, Crystal boiled this idea of saying yes to the best into practical tips for making more time in your schedule for the things that matter.

I love that she compares the way we try to muscle too many activities into each day to our tendency to try to carry all of the grocery bags in one trip. Just as the weight of those bags leaves us staggering into the house with fingers that feel broken, the weight of trying to do all the things leaves us staggering through life. How much better would it be to take several trips and not lose the spring in your step along the way?

Figure Out What the Best Stuff Is

I know this sounds obvious, but I think it’s worth saying anyway: before you can say yes to the best, you have to figure out what the best stuff is.

Using the Personal Priorities list from Chapter 1, Crystal encourages readers to flesh those priorities out into a “best stuff” list. For me, the best stuff this year is investing in my relationship with the Lord (putting daily quiet time first), my husband (making time for one-on-one conversations and having fun together), my girls (looking them in the eye when they talk and saying yes more often), and our local community (carving out time for coffee and play dates and looking for family service opportunities) while simplifying my business so that my work time can be more focused and less all-encompassing.

Notably, it does not include expanding my business, eating more “real food”, any big house projects, networking or a million other possible priorities, all of which would be good, but not the best for our family at this time.

Take Control of Your Time

Crystal goes on to talk about the importance of time management, and while this is a topic I blog about myself, I appreciated her reminder that in order to take control of your time, you first have to know how much time you have.

When I was a young wife and mother, I used the Managers of Their Home system, and I was surprised to discover how much time I actually had. Unfortunately, I took that revelation and started stuffing my days with more and more stuff. In fact, I’ve gotten into the habit of stuffing my schedule so full that I wonder where exactly the day went and why I couldn’t get everything done. I miss those simpler times of being realistic and leaving plenty of margin in my day.

Truly, it’s much less stressful to admit upfront that you don’t have enough time to do all 28 items on your to-do list and eliminate/re-prioritize them than it is to try to do more than you can possibly get done and end up letting people down.

To figure out how much you can realistically get done, Crystal encourages readers to use the method found in Amy Lynn Andrew’s Tell Your Time: start with the number of hours you have in each day (hint: 24) and divide that into blocks of time according to activities. This might include a 30 minute quiet time, 2 hours of meal prep, a 3 hour outing (plus an hour to get ready to go and settled once you get back home), etc. The key is to be realistic about how much time an activity will take and to stay within the limits of your day.

And margin. Every day needs margin, time that is not dedicated to any specific task and can be used for blowout diapers, resolving sibling fights, cuddles or cleaning up a spill. I don’t leave enough margin in my day, and it gets me every time.

Routine, Routine, Routine

With a new baby in the house (although he’s now four-and-a-half months old, so I’m not sure how much longer I can call him that!), our routines are fairly flexible right now, but there is still beauty and relief in having a routine — in my morning routine of Bible study and opening all of the curtains for the day, in our evening routine of cuddles before bed, in the rhythm of our day.

While our routine isn’t a set schedule, having a routine is important not just so that I can have time carved out specifically for homeschooling and work and quality family time but also so that my children know when to expect those things.

Get Practical

Finally, Crystal recommends tracking your time to see exactly where it’s going. Right now a lot of my time is spent nursing, changing diapers, and rocking the baby. While I can often multitask during nursing and rocking, and I often use that time for reading, I need to be realistic about the time it takes so that I’m not overbooking the rest of my day!

Next Month…

Chapter 3 is all about goal setting, and I’m looking forward to taking a hard look at my goals and revising them so that they better reflect my priorities and the realities of this season of life!

Mandi Ehman is an entrepreneur, online publisher and author who is passionate about encouraging other women to live intentionally. She’s the blogger behind Life Your Way, the author of Easy Homemade and the founder of BundleoftheWeek.com. Mandi and her husband have four spunky little girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia.

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Shared Mar 12, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #8

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 12, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve set aside the month of March to really focus on organization in my home and life. And I’d love for you to join me!

Day 8 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and go through your dresser drawers. Remove items you no longer love, need, and/or wear. Quickly organize the remaining items.

::Wipe down all the door handles in your home. You can use a damp rag with a little disinfectant on it or a cleaning wipe. If you have younger children, they’d probably enjoy joining you in tackling this project!

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Get Your Free Ebook + Printable Checklists

Are you planning to join us today? If so, leave a comment below!

Shared Mar 11, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #7 (update)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so excited about how many of you are joining us for the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! If you missed today’s assignment, you can find it here.

The weather was so beautiful here today again! We’re soaking it up!

So in cleaning the baseboards today, I realized that I don’t think I’ve cleaned them since last 4 Weeks to a More Organized Challenge.

And that would explain why all sorts of nasty dust and dirt was sitting on them — yuck!

I also realized that I forgot to show you the 7 things I got rid of yesterday in my post last night. I did a little cleaning on the kid’s bookshelf and came up with a few things to pass on/get rid of.

And here’s today’s box of stuff: I went through my office and found a few odds and ends to get rid of — mostly stuff to throw out.

How you do on Assignment #7? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Mar 11, 2014 comment

52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Eat More Beans {Week 47}

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Each week for 52 weeks, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.

We use a lot of beans around here; they’re inexpensive, they’re filling, and they’re nutritious. Pair them with rice and you have a complete protein.

I use beans to stretch our taco meat and as a base for many soups and other dishes we regularly eat. If you purchase dry beans in bulk, they are even more economical!

Some of Our Favorite Bean Recipes

How to Live on Beans & Rice for a Week

When I read Ruth’s post here on how to live on beans and rice for a week, I thought it’d be fun to try and come up with my own version. While we’ve never tried to just have beans and rice all week long, Ruth inspired me to come up with an almost-week-long beans and rice menu plan, too, using some of our favorite legume recipes.

Day One: Cook up a big ole’ pot of beans (I do mine like this. You can add in seasonings, onions, etc. if you prefer). I’d recommend cooking black beans, pinto beans, and chili beans. Mix equal parts of the beans and make chili (we like to add onions, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, spices, hot sauce, pickle juice, and anything else that strikes my fancy that evening! You can add some browned ground beef if you like.). Serve over brown rice with cheese and hot sauce.

Day Two: Take the leftover chili and make “haystacks”–set out bowls of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, corn chips, rice, cheese, sour cream, olives, and hot sauce. Let everyone pile things on and make up their own “haystack”.

Day Three: Mash up some of the black beans and pinto beans (you can make them refried like this, if you like) and mix with a little salsa and chopped chicken. Roll up in tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and heat through.

Day Four: Make pizza crust and top with mashed/refried beans, salsa or diced tomatoes, onions (if you like) and cheese. Bake. If you have leftover lettuce and tomatoes from Day Two, you could sprinkle them on top of the baked pizza. If you have any leftover chili, you could also make “Chili Pizza” using chili and tomatoes and cheese as the pizza topping.

Day Five: Use any leftover chili, beans, or mashed beans you have left to make Mexican Lasagna (substituting most of the meat for beans.)

Does someone in your family hate beans? Check out this post from Kelly on how to eat on a beans and rice budget when your husband hates beans.

How To Freeze Beans — From Janelle at Gluten-Freely Frugal

Did you know that could be done? I didn’t, until I read an article in Gluten Free Living Magazine about preparing beans.

I have greatly modified their recipe to due a much larger quantity, and have modified cook times. It is not terribly labor intensive, but spans a pretty long period of time while you’re doing other things, so pick a day you’ll be home for a few hours.

Here’s how to make Recipe-Ready Beans for your freezer:

1. Find a big pot. I use an enormous soup pot. Bring 9 quarts of water to a boil. Do not add salt; it keeps the beans from softening. Rinse six cups of beans in cold water. After the water has reached a boil, add the beans. Boil at a rolling boil for about 3 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and let the beans soak for an hour.

3. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are soft. It took mine about 2 hours (they were small black beans). Many things can affect how long it takes, including the type, the size, and the age. Older beans tend to take longer to soften.

4. When they are soft enough, package in 2-cup containers (that is the approximate size of a can, so it’s recipe -ready!) You can add some salt now if you want to, and leave them in their liquid.

Now, next time you have a recipe that calls for beans, you can easily thaw out a container from your freezer, at a fraction of the cost.

I ended up paying about $0.80 for 6 cups of dried black beans at the discount store (you could do any kind, though). I got six pints of beans out of this recipe, which equals about $0.13 per “can”.

What are your favorite ways to serve beans? I’d love to hear!

Shared Mar 11, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #7

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve set aside the month of March to really focus on organization in my home and life. And I’d love for you to join me!

Day 7 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home.

::Wipe down all the baseboards in your home. If you have children who can help, you might divide your home up into sections and have everyone take a section so you can get this job done quickly!

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Get Your Free Ebook + Printable Checklists

Are you planning to join us today? If so, leave a comment below!

Shared Mar 11, 2014 comment

10 Different Ways to Save at Least $100 Per Year

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 11, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m over on Dot Complicated today sharing about 10 Different Ways to Save at Least $100 Per Year. Read the post here.

What did I miss on my list? I’d love to hear YOUR ideas for how your family saves at least $100 per year.

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Shared Mar 10, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #6 (update)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so excited about how many of you are joining us for the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! If you missed Monday’s assignment, you can find it here.

It was another full and eventful day here! The weather was beautiful, so the kids were able to play outside this afternoon — which was so nice after so many cold days the past few weeks! I even broke out the flip flops to celebrate the warm weather. 🙂

I also tried making whipped butter for the first time. I cannot believe I haven’t tried this until now. It’s a great way to stretch butter and made it easy to spread. I’ll share more details and pictures on how I made it later this week.

Oh how the car needed to be cleaned out! It didn’t look too awful at first glance, but the more I started cleaning, the more I realized how neglected it’s been recently!

Yikes! See that bowl peeking out? That’s a cereal bowl left in the car from Sunday morning on our way to church… because we’re so organized like that. Ahem.

I vacuumed and vacuumed and it seemed it was a never-ending job!

Not perfect — but so much better! See that tub? That’s our Emergency Box and it’s been one of the best things we’ve ever started keeping in the car. Comes in handy all the time!

How you do on Assignment #6? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Mar 10, 2014 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

~~1. Read 3 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to the girls. Read 3 chapters of Jungle Doctor’s Fables. Read a few picture books with Silas.~~

~~2. Write a love note to Jesse.~~

~~3. Blog about the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge.~~

~~4. Make Homemade Whipped Butter.~~

Personal Goals

5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-28.

~~6. Exercise four times.~~

7. Finish reading The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages and I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)

8. Drink 8 glasses of water every day. {I did this all but one day!}

Blog/Business Goals

~~9. Put together a special download page for an upcoming event.~~

~~10. Tweak and practice my talks for the Hearts At Home Conference.~~

This Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Read 3 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to the girls. Finish reading Jungle Doctor’s Fables. Read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Blog about the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge.

Personal Goals

4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-28.

5. Exercise four times.

6. Finish reading The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages and I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)

7. Drink 8 glasses of water every day.

Blog/Business Goals

8. Practice my talks for the Hearts At Home Conference.

9. Work on my talks for the Teach Them Diligently Nashville Conference.

10. Write three content pieces for my blog.

How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.

Shared Mar 10, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #6

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home

I’ve set aside the month of March to really focus on organization in my home and life. And I’d love for you to join me!

Day 6 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and create a list of weekly goals. I’ll be posting my weekly goals later on today.

::Complete your morning routine. {If you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and run through your home quickly picking up everything that’s out of place and putting it away.

::Clean out the inside of your vehicle. Remove all trash and clutter. Use a vacuum attachment to vacuum all the seats and floors out.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Get Your Free Ebook + Printable Checklists

I put together an ebook with encouraging articles, all the daily assignments, plus printable checklists so you can know exactly what’s planned for the month and to allow you to work at your own pace, if you’d like. To grab your free ebook so you can participate in this challenge, just fill out the form below with your name and email address. You’ll need to confirm your email address and then your free ebook will be sent to you instantly.

Are you planning to join us today? If so, leave a comment below!

Shared Mar 10, 2014 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #5 (update)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so excited about how many of you are joining us for the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! If you missed Friday’s assignment, you can find it here.

So, in case you didn’t notice, I sort of fell off the earth this weekend… I had every intention of blogging about my Friday projects on Friday, but then we were gone all afternoon and evening with friends and didn’t arrive home until after midnight! So then, I was determined to blog about it on Saturday, but we spent Saturday playing catch-up, looking at rental houses in TN (virtually, of course! We found one we love, had friends who live there go and look at it for us, and now we’re now waiting to see if they accept our application!), and spending the evening with our extended family.

When I got home Saturday evening, I meant to finish the post, and then I promptly fell asleep. Such is life sometimes! 🙂

At any rate, we did get the couches cleaned and we did have much, much more than 15 minutes of fun & refreshment — more like hours of it, since we got to spend a lot of time with dear friends!

Oh, how I love clean couches!

I cleaned out the utility closet/pantry in our basement and came up with a box full of items to get rid of — yay!

How you do on Assignment #5? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Mar 7, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s $48 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 7, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 Vegetable Oil – $2.39

1 Salsa – $1.69

2 Strawberries – $1.29 each

1 Pineapple – $1.29

1 Cucumber – $0.59

1 Rice Cakes – $1.29 (I’m thinking these are going to become a staple at our house. My son loves them!)

1 Corn Chips – $0.89

2 Grapefruit – $0.29 each

1 Cauliflower – $1.69

1 Flour Tortillas – $1.19

1 Italian Dressing – $1.39

1 Old Fashioned Oats – $2.29

1 Half & Half – $1.69

3 cans Beans – $0.59 each

1 gallon Milk – $2.73

Total with tax ($1.72): $25.77

Dillons

7 Mom’s Best Cereal – $1 each (I was so thrilled about this price as this is some of our favorite cereal!)

1.2 lbs Bananas @ $0.59/lb – $0.71

1 Lettuce – $0.99

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.34

0.71 lbs Broccoli @ $1.59/lb – $1.13

1 Kroger Frozen Green Beans – $1

1 Kroger Butter – $2.50

1 Breyer’s Ice Cream – Marked down to $2.70

1 Kroger frozen Apple Juice – $1.29

1 Clabber Girl Baking Powder – $2.25

Total with tax ($1.71): $22.62

Total for all grocery items: $48.39

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Cereal, Homemade Granola

Lunches

Cheese Quesadillas, Fruit/Veggies/Crackers, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Mac & Cheese, Leftovers

Dinners

Chicken Rice Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, 30 Minute Rolls

Haystacks, Sliced Pineapple

Lasagna Casserole, Homemade Bread, Tossed Salad

Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Sliced Strawberries, Butterhorns

3-Bean Chili, Cornbread, Sliced Veggies

Date night

Dinner with family

2hr Cleaning Checklist

2hr Cleaning Checklist

FREE DOWNLOAD: 2-Hour Cleaning Checklist!

This Easy Homemade Whipped Honey Butter is amazing!

What is honey butter?

Why we love this Honey Butter Spread

Ingredients For Honey Whipped Butter

Whipped Honey Butter Recipe substitutions and variations

How to make Whipped Honey Butter

Honey Whipped Butter is good with…

Storing Honey Butter Spread

How long does honey butter last?

Does honey butter need to be refrigerated?

Does homemade honey butter go bad?

Whipped Honey Butter FAQs

Easy Honey Butter Recipe

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

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Day 9 Assignment

Get Your Free Ebook + Printable Checklists

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Figure Out What the Best Stuff Is

Take Control of Your Time

Routine, Routine, Routine

Get Practical

Next Month…

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Day 8 Assignment

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Some of Our Favorite Bean Recipes

How to Live on Beans & Rice for a Week

How To Freeze Beans — From Janelle at Gluten-Freely Frugal

What are your favorite ways to serve beans? I’d love to hear!

Day 7 Assignment

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OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Day 6 Assignment

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Aldi

Dillons

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

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