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Shared Nov 28, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 13

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 28, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome back to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!

From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.

Day 13 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! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::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.

::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 the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and the top of your refrigerator. If you have clutter on the top of your refrigerator, go through it and see if you can get rid of it or find a new home for it. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen cupboard doors.

Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.

Shared Nov 27, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 12 Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you missed this morning’s assignment, find it here.

Today was another big day — and it was exciting, too! As of this morning, we’re now the owners of our first rental house!

I thought that today’s project would be pretty simple… and the microwave and stovetop weren’t too bad.

I typically clean them thoroughly at least a few times a week so they never get too awful.

And, just as I thought, they were bought fairly simple to clean.

But the oven… oh my! It was bad, with a capital B. I had forgotten that my Thanksgiving Apple Pies had spilled over. And burned on the bottom of the oven. Of course.

{Brace yourself if you are OCD about having a clean oven. In fact, you might just want to stop right here and skip to the next post.}

This is just a sampling of some of the burned gunk I cleaned off the bottom of my oven. Gross, I know!

It feels so good to know that all of that is cleaned out. And the house will likely smell better when I’m baking now, too! 😉

How you do on Day 12? 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 Nov 27, 2012 comment

It’s Just a Couch

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

She was working on a project for school. She was sitting on the fairly-new, suede couch. She was using scissors.

{You can guess where this is going already…}

Unbeknownst to her, in her concentration to get the project cut out just right, she also cut the suede on the couch.

Not once, not twice, but five times.

She didn’t even realize it until we were cleaning up the papers from the project. I saw the cuts firsts, then she saw them.

I wanted to get upset. After all, the couch wasn’t anywhere near free and it was something we’d purchased intending to keep it for many years.

But before I could become upset, a little voice whispered to me, “It’s just a couch.”

It’s not worth anger or frustration — especially since it was just an accident and she was immediately very sorry and upset about what she had done.

The accidental cuts she made on the couch can be mended with a needle and thread. Cutting into my daughter’s heart with my words can’t be undone.

It’s just a couch. It will fade, tear, and get stained with years and use, anyway. It won’t matter much in 25 years from now.

But my relationship with my daughter and how I respond to her — even in the little things like this? That will matter tremendously in 25 years from now.

photo courtesy of Big Stock Photo

Shared Nov 27, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Dairy-Free Chai Tea Latte

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

LiveRenewed.com shows you how to make Homemade Dairy-Free Chai Tea Latte.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Nov 27, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 12

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome back to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!

Day 12 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! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::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.

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

::Clean your microwave, stove top, and/or oven.

Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Nov 26, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 11 Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you missed this morning’s assignment, find it here.

Today was a busy day! Not only was it Cyber Monday — which meant more deals to wade through and post! — but I also had a meeting, phone calls, a walk-through of our rental house that we’re closing on tomorrow, a doctor’s appointment, papers to sign at the bank, and the usual homeschooling, among other things.

But I did get my goals for the week written down and my silverware drawer cleaned out.

Honestly, it wasn’t too messy…

…but there were some crumbs lurking in the corners.

It felt good to get it all wiped out! By the way, once again, we have zero spoons in the drawer… I promise we do use them at our house! 🙂 Some were in the dishwasher and the others were on the table that was already set for dinner.

How did you do with Day 11’s assignment? Leave your link to your blog post about it below or share about your success in the comments!

Shared Nov 26, 2012 comment

This week’s menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Bread Machine Buttery Rolls

We have a fairly busy week this week and I’ll be out-of-town for a quick trip to Arkansas on Thursday and Friday, so we’re having a pretty simple menu. Here’s the plan:

Breakfasts

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets, Cereal, Toast, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Lunch with extended family (Thanksgiving celebration — I brought pie, a turkey, and Sweet Potato casserole.)
Snack-y lunch
Mac & cheese, veggies, fruit
Cheese Quesadillas, oranges, carrot sticks
Cheesy Quinoa, fruit, veggies
Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Fruit/Veggies
Cheese/Crackers
Hard-boiled eggs
Healthful Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Freezer Cooking

Best Brownies
Healthful Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dinners

Dinner with extended family
Thanksgiving Leftovers
Breakfast for dinner: Cracker Barrel Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit
Corn, Bacon, and Potato Chowder, Bread Machine Buttery Rolls, veggies, fruit
Dinner out
Dinner with our young couples’ group: I’m bringing a salad.
Dinner with extended family

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Shared Nov 26, 2012 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last two week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Read three chapters of A Way Through the Sea with Kathrynne, read at least five chapters of The Imagination Station: Book 8 with Kaitlynn, and read three chapters of Cameron Townsend aloud to the children.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

~~3. Go on a date with Jesse.~~

Personal Goals

4. Finish Erasing Hell by Francis Chan, Anything by Jennie Allen, Pinterest Power, and The Wings of the Morning.

~~5. Listen to one hour of Made to Stick.~~

6. Do 5 days’ worth of the Couch to 10K program. {Do I get a pass because it was Thanksgiving?! Yes, lame excuse, I know! :)}

Homemaking Goals

~~7. Follow the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home plan & blog about it.~~

~~8. Finish 25 more rows of the scarf I’m working on knitting.~~

9. Make at least two new recipes.

Business Goals

~~10. Launch my Christmas ebook!~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading A Way Through the Sea with Kathrynne, finish reading The Imagination Station: Book 8 with Kaitlynn, and read two chapters of Cameron Townsend aloud to the children.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Close on our rental property.

Personal Goals

4. Finish Erasing Hell by Francis Chan, Anything by Jennie Allen, Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola, and The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury.

5. Listen to one hour of Made to Stick.

6. Do 4 days’ worth of the Couch to 10K program.

Homemaking Goals

7. Follow the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home plan & blog about it.

8. Finish 25 more rows of the scarf I’m working on knitting… and maybe even finish the scarf? {Finally!}

9. Make at least two new recipes.

Business Goals

10. Fly to Arkansas to spend time with my friend Tricia Goyer and do some radio recordings with FamilyLife.

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 Nov 26, 2012 comment

Making small changes over time…

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Need encouragement to set goals, live with purpose, and cultivate self-discipline? Be sure to get a copy of my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

Shared Nov 26, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 11

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome back to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!

Day 11 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! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and make a list of 5-10 weekly goals for this week. I’ll share my list and a link-up later today.

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up your house and put things back into order after the weekend. If your house looks like mine, you might need to spend longer than 15 minutes.

::Clean out your silverware drawer. Remove all items, vacuum out the crumbs with your vacuum’s attachment, wipe down the drawer with a damp cloth, get rid of anything you don’t need or no longer use, and then put everything you’re keeping back into the drawer in an organized manner.

Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.

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

Click here to download!

Shared Nov 24, 2012 comment

Do you have a small business? Comment and tell us about your Christmas specials!

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today is Small Business Saturday!

Since I love to support small businesses whenever possible, I thought it would be fun to open up the comments to all of you who have a small business. Comment and tell us about your business and let us know about any special you’re running right now that might be great for us to consider purchasing for Christmas.

And be sure to leave a link to your site or Etsy shop!

Shared Nov 22, 2012 comment

Choosing to Be Thankful When Life is Hard

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 22, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today is a day when we celebrate our blessings and reflect on all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. It’s a good thing to stop and express our gratitude — we all have much to be thankful for.

However, some of you are probably really struggling this Thanksgiving. Maybe your husband recently left you, or your child has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or you are battling an addiction, or your finances feel like they are in shambles and you are just digging yourself into a deeper hole because of unemployment and ever-mounting bills.

Life is hard and messy sometimes — and just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean that the pain and burdens are lifted. If this Thanksgiving finds you in a difficult place in life, may I encourage you to read my post on Hope for Women Magazine on Choosing to Be Thankful Even When Life is Hard?

Here’s a snippet:

My husband was rummaging through old financial statements not too long ago, and we were aghast to read some of the numbers. During the first year he was in law school, there were six months when we made less than $900 — and some months it was as low as $650.

I recall that season of our lives fairly vividly, but seeing those numbers on paper again after a number of years was a shock to our systems. I’m still not sure how we made it on so little!

During those years, we lived in a little basement apartment that only had four windows on one side. I could plug the vacuum cleaner into one outlet and vacuum the entire apartment without ever switching outlets…Click on over to read the full post.

Our struggles during the lean law school years pale in comparison to many of the struggles you are facing. But I hope that the words I shared might encourage some of you.

Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope.

Choose gratitude today — even when it feels impossible. It might not change any of your circumstances, but I promise that it will transform your attitude and lift your spirits.

Homemade apple pies ready to go in the oven this morning… yum!

A Heartfelt Word of Thanks to Each of You

By the way, can I just say thank you to each of you for everything you mean to me and how you bless me on a daily basis?

Thank you for your kind words and constructive criticism. Thank you for reading here, commenting, and emailing. And thank you for sticking with me and putting up with the fact that I’m often behind schedule in my blogging commitments because life has taken precedence or I’ve just bitten off more than I can chew (I’m working on that one; it may be a lifelong lesson, though! :))

As those who know me well can attest to, my years of blogging have been a journey of growth, learning, and stretching for me. It’s not always been easy and I’ve made oh-so-many mistakes along the way, but God has taught me much through it and changed me from the inside out as a result of blogging.

When I began blogging back in 2005, I thought I pretty much had life figured out. Now, 7 years later, I feel like there are very few things in life that I have figured out, but I know one thing: blogging has been the catalyst for life-transformation for me.

It’s brought me from a place of insecurity, legalism, and being a people-pleaser to a place where I feel whole, free, and truly happy in who God has made me to be and what He has called me to.

And you’ve been a part of that journey with me.

Someday, I may be ready to blog more about all that life transformation, but for now, I just want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot express how much you mean to me and how much I’ve learned and grown as a direct result of each of you.

photo credit

Shared Nov 22, 2012 comment

31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas: Flipping the Coin (Day 31)

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 22, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’ve talked about a lot of ways to earn extra cash before Christmas in this series. Many of you have written in and shared stories via email how you’ve implemented the ideas successfully! That makes me so happy to hear!

Before we close off this series, though, I wanted to end by talking about the flipside of earning extra cash. Because it is even more important than earning extra cash when you have a strapped budget.

The Flipside: Managing the Money You Already Have

If you earn more money, but you don’t manage it well, your bottom line isn’t going to change. Instead, you’ll just end up spending more than you used to — and no financial traction will be gained.

If you’re struggling financially, can I encourage you to first focus on getting on a written budget and maximizing the mileage of the money you already have before you go out and try to make more money? Not only will this help you to achieve better financial traction if your income increases, but you might find out that you don’t need a pay increase in the first place — you just need to manage what you already have!

The Best Way to Save Money: Stop Spending It

I’ve got a surefire, proven method to help you save more money. This method has been concocted from years of my own personal experience and years of observing other people’s money management.

It’s very simple: Just. Stop. Spending. It.

It works every time. 🙂

Yes, you definitely need to spend money on necessities like making sure everyone has warm clothes to wear, food in their bellies, and a roof over their heads. But beyond that, there’s very little that we actually need to survive.

There are many things that make survival more comfortable or enjoyable, but when we boil it down, many of these things would be considered incredible extravagances to most of the world.

Our culture is constantly sending us messages that we “need” this or that. Tune out those messages and train yourself to focus on the blessings you already have. Buying more stuff might give you short-term enjoyment, but it will never satisfy you long-term.

Two Things to Do Before Trying to Increase Your Income

If you’re feeling financially strapped this Christmas, make sure you’re already doing these two things before you put time and energy into increasing your income:

1) Commit to getting on a budget and sticking with it. It’ll be the best Christmas present you’ve ever given yourself and your family.

2) Be content with what you already have. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

I’ll be posting a lot of the best deals I find this weekend to help you save money on Christmas presents, but I want you to keep these things in mind before you buy anything. Evaluate every purchase to make sure it’s a good deal for you and your gift recipient. Don’t buy something if you’re not completely sure that it’s going to work or if it’s not in the budget, okay?

photo credit

Shared Nov 22, 2012 comment

Why I Won’t Be Out Shopping on Black Friday

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 22, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I don’t go out shopping on Black Friday.

I know, I know. That statement might sound a bit antithetic to my usually frugal, money-saving ways, but it’s true.

Here’s why: The Black Friday deals online are usually just as good, or even better, than the in-store deals.

Yes, seriously. And I’ve proven this theory throughout the past few years by meticulously comparing the prices online versus the prices in-store. In almost every case, the online prices were better than the in-store prices.

Plus, you don’t have to wait out in the cold for three hours, and you can avoid all the stampeding and shoving crowds at the stores. Instead, you can get up a little early on Friday morning, sit in your PJ’s, sip your cup of coffee, and browse online.

There are other perks to shopping online for Black Friday… click on over to CrossWalk to read four reasons why I shop online on Black Friday.

Join Us For Our All-Day-Long Black Friday Live-Blogging “Party” — Complete With Giveaways!

If you’re planning to shop online, be sure to join us here on MoneySavingMom.com where we’ll be having a “Black Friday Party” all day long, starting at 6 a.m. EST.

My brother, Nathaniel, is off work tomorrow and he loves scouting out online deals so he’s going to come over and hang out with me and help me live-blog all the best online Black Friday deals all day long.

Plus, Amy has lined up some fabulous giveaways you won’t want to miss. Trust me on that one. Even if you don’t plan to spend a penny, you’ll want to show up to enter the giveaways!

photo from Big Stock

Shared Nov 21, 2012 comment

Want Discipline? You have to get focused…

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 21, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Need encouragement to set goals, live with purpose, and cultivate self-discipline? Be sure to get a copy of my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Day 13 Assignment

Day 12 Assignment

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

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Freezer Cooking

Dinners

Day 11 Assignment

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

A Heartfelt Word of Thanks to Each of You

The Flipside: Managing the Money You Already Have

The Best Way to Save Money: Stop Spending It

Two Things to Do Before Trying to Increase Your Income

Join Us For Our All-Day-Long Black Friday Live-Blogging “Party” — Complete With Giveaways!

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