Home Improvement: DIY Homemakers Edition {February Party!}

The day is finally here...time for you to link up the improvements you've made to your home over the last month!

My biggest improvement this month has definitely been the addition of the kitchen cleaning schedule I posted about here. It has made the maintenance of kitchen cleaning so much easier!

I just covered the chart with contact paper (remember the food splatters?) and used sticky tack to put it on the inside of a cupboard door {next to my highly organized cleaning supplies...}

Hmm, perhaps organizing that cupboard should be next month's home improvement! {wink!}

But now, lets get to the party. This is all about seeing what improvements you've made this month!

Here are the super simple rules to make this a fun party zone...

• Link up any type of post that has made an improvement to your home this month - a project, organizing effort, cleaning system, new recipe, planning or list making, or even a topical post like couponing or child-rearing. Basically anything goes!

• Feel free to link up as many posts as you’d like, as long as they are recent {we’ll say anytime in February to be fair}

• Include a link back here somewhere in your post ~ feel free to use this button if you want!

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Don’t have a blog? We’d love to have you share the details of your recent home improvement in the comments!

Let the party begin! I can't wait to see what improvements you have made. Thanks for participating!

It's Party Time!

In January we started this series of monthly linky parties, with Home Improvement as the theme! Before February gets completely away from us (oh wait, it already did!) lets get together and party over the improvements and accomplishments we've made in our homes this month!

The idea is pretty simple:

• Come back next Tuesday, March 5th, to link up any type of post that has made an improvement to your home - a project, organizing effort, cleaning system, new recipe, planning or list making, or even a topical post like couponing or child-rearing. Basically anything goes!

• Feel free to link up as many posts as you’d like, as long as they are recent {we’ll say anytime in February to be fair}

• Include a link back here somewhere in your post

• Don’t have a blog? We’d love to have you share the details of your recent home improvement in the comments!

It is promising to be a fun party! Besides getting to share our ideas and creations, it is always fun to browse through the posts of others and gain more ideas and inspiration.

See you all right here next Tuesday, March 5th. I can't wait to see your Home Improvements!

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Project Organize: Home Office!

Since one of my goals for this year is to go through my stuff in storage, I decided to work on one aspect of that stuff each month until it is done. When Jen at IHeart Organizing issued a fun monthly challenge to get our home offices organized, I decided that was a great place to start! For me, this included paper storage, systems for dealing with various papers that come through my hands, and storage systems for those things I need to keep.

It is amazing how paper clutter can pile up. Y’all, I don’t even have a complicated life, but I still end up with so much stuff! There were several areas where paper and files were clearly taking over.

I started by attacking cleaning up my bookcase. Oh, I had the books and shelves pretty well organized, but the top - well, it was a disaster area if ever there was one. For years I had been using this big, ugly organizer that would work great behind closed cabinet doors, but not so much out in the open. I have never liked the look of it, but didn’t know what else to do with all that stuff! {You can kind of see it in the top of this picture from this project...but it actually doesn't look so bad in this photo}

Find a better system, thats what.

I got rid of a lot of things I didn’t need to hold on to, and moved the rest to the base cabinet of the bookshelf. That needed help too, but once everything was straightened up and organized, I had a nice, workable system.

I don’t need any of these things on a daily basis, so this is a great place for them. And now that there are less things in here to get messy, I think I will be able to keep it neat! {fingers crossed}

Directly above the bookshelf, my memo board was my next victim:

It is amazing how many little bits of paper you can shove on these things! I pared down to just a few simple things - like the Bible verses and motivational quotes on the cork board. One slot holds an envelope for receipts, which I plan to go through monthly and toss the ones I don’t need to keep. Another slot holds my supply of Gospel tracts where I can grab them quickly, and a stack of business cards. The other slot is gloriously empty. I’m still decided what would be the best use for that space! {its nice to have options}

On the white board part, I sometimes write more verses, quotes, or something I need to remember. And sometimes my brother writes crazy notes on there. It is a fun little space to have. :)

Here is a shot of the memo board with the cleaned up bookshelf:

Oh look, there at the bottom are my new Booktotes...just waiting to be shipped to some of you! {wink!}

One thing that I found while cleaning out the memo board was a couple of owner’s manuals - from things I received last year for Christmas. Yeah, they had been sitting there a whole year. For shame, Nicole, for shame.

I already had a system for owner’s manuals, but it clearly needed to be updated. I use a big ‘ol binder and plastic sleeves. Each owner’s manual gets popped in its own sleeve and labeled with a sharpie.

If something needs to be changed up, the sharpie wipes right off with a paper towel and a little Expo cleaner.

This is a great place to store important little items, like extra flashlight bulbs…

And it is also a great way to keep receipts in a place where you can’t lose them. Just keep the receipt for an item with the owner’s manual and any other important info, like warrantee/return information.

It is a great system...when I use it! {hangs head}

Now that I’ve created some better systems for dealing with the various papers that come through my hands, I’m planning to keep it that way! I’m looking forward to implementing some more paper organization as I need to. It is nice to keep the paper monster at bay!

Psst: I'll be sharing another little home office-related project tomorrow for our Home Improvement linky party, so be sure to come back then and check it out!


I'm linking up today with the...

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: my final thoughts

During the month of November, I worked my way through Crystal Paine's new eBook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. I took a chapter each day, excluding Sundays, and journaled my thoughts as I went.

I learned so much from this book! Crystal's approach is very matter-of-fact, and it works. By following the steps and thought processes that she lays out, my whole thinking changed in several areas!

My "mega project" for the month was to reset my internal alarm clock, and start getting up earlier in the mornings. It has been hard, and I can't look back and show you 21 days of perfect success. But I can show you:
-more consistency in rising earlier
-more productivity
-better snooze-button habits :)
-an easier time waking up (even when my alarm clock isn't set)

I'm so thankful for the gentle nudge this book gave me. I am truly excited to keep working on discipline in this and other areas of my life! I'm planning to go through it again in January or February...I hope you'll get your own copy and challenge yourself, too!

I printed my favourite quote from this book on a 3x5 card, and pegged it to the memo board over my sewing desk:

It says, "The more you train yourself that defeat isn't an option, the sooner you'll stop being afraid of adversity."

That is what it is all about: training yourself. Not waking up one morning a more disciplined person, or waving a magic wand to make your undisciplined self disappear. Working at it, and training yourself to be more disciplined. It works!

Has anyone else worked their way through this book yet? What are your thoughts? How are you doing at becoming a more disciplined person?


***This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, I will receive a small commission which helps support this site.

Remember "Tell Your Time?" Well, its free...

 During the month of October, when I posted a mini-series on time management, I talked muchly about the eBook, Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews. (You can read the whole series, called "It's About Time!" by clicking here.) This eBook made a huge impact in the way I look at time management and the steps I take to improve in this area!

Well, Amy has so kindly informed me of a few exciting bits of news, so that I can pass them on to you.


The ebook, Tell Your Time, will be available for F.R.E.E. on Amazon on Cyber Monday and Tuesday. (November 26th & 27th) So if you didn't already grab up this fantastic eBook (shame on you! and) now you can get it for free.

The other news is that Amy has something fun and special planned for January to help us all get organized together. And it involves this book. So grab it while the getting is good! You'll want to keep your eyes peeled (not literally) for this organizational challenge, and I'll be sure to keep you posted! What better time than right at the beginning of a new year to set some organizing goals and start 2013 off on the right foot! Be honest, you are probably setting some resolutions along that line anyway. :)

So write Monday and Tuesday in on your calendars as the day to get a priceless eBook for free. I'll be sure to remind you (watch my Facebook page!) so that you don't miss this great opportunity!

Note: this post contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission for the products purchased through these links, which helps support this site.

Gifts and Goals for the Week: November 19th, 2012

Happy Monday, friends! Hope you had a fantastic weekend! This Monday feels great...a whole new week ahead to get a lot accomplished! Plus, the weather is still quite moderate, which I am so thankful for. I am going to enjoy the warm sun as long as I can!

A huge thanks to those who have offered encouragement after this post about the challenge I am working through right now. I am enjoying the book 21 Days to a more Disciplined Life so much! I am seeing quite a bit of improvement in the area of my mega project, as well, which is a super huge boost of encouragement!

Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 gifts list this week:

475. Times of refreshment
476. Special meetings at church
477. Visitors at church
478. Cloud formations
479. Watching little kids hockey practice
480. Motivational blog posts
481. Crazy siblings



I've read some inspiring blog posts this week, and I am super excited to get working on some new projects and see some of my ideas come to fruition! Here are the goals I set last week:

Finish 2 tote bags

Finish other sewing projects

Prep for craft fairs

Complete days 8-13 of the book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life
Finish 4 new printables - finished 2

Write 1 email to a friend

Continue reading Passion and Purity and Pride and Prejudice.

List 3 items on Etsy - listed 2

List 4 items on Kijiji - listed 2 (apparently it was “2” week!)

Here are the goals I am working toward this week:

Prep for and attend craft fair

Work on other sewing projects

Finish 3 new printables

Write one email to a friend

Continue reading Pride and Prejudice and Passion and Purity

List 2 items on Etsy

List 4 items on Kijiji

Complete days 14-18 of the book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

Work on Pinterest project

Have a blessed week! What are you working towards this week?


***This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, I will receive a small commission which helps support this site. 

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Will you help me?

If you’ve been reading here the last couple of weeks, you know that I’ve been working my way through the eBook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine, who blogs at Money Saving Mom.

It has been such a challenging, practical book! It is such a help in working through my thoughts on being more disciplined and putting action to those thoughts...instead of leaving them stagnant. I’ve also been keeping a journal each day, writing down the thoughts from the book I want to remember, keeping lists of how to implement certain things, and keeping a running journal of how I’m doing each day.

The biggest thrust of the book is working on a Mega Project - something you had either tried and failed at, or something you’ve been putting off - and learning self-discipline along the way.

I mentioned briefly a couple of weeks ago that the Mega Project I chose is getting up earlier with my alarm. Its been a hard, hard go - training myself to actually wake up to the alarm was the first step! - but I’m slowly but surely making progress with this Mega Project. And I couldn’t be happier that it is becoming a reality!

Today I completed day 11 of the book, and I’m now over half-way done! That is where you come in…

The topic the last couple of days has been to find people to whom you can be accountable - someone who will be your cheerleader and cheer you on during this final half. It is easy to lose steam or give up when you get discouraged, but having a person (or people) who will encourage you to persevere gives you the motivation to keep going!

So I’m appealing to you, my blogging friends...will you help cheer me on these last 10 days? Feel free to contact me and give me a good kick in the pants to keep me going! I’d love to hear from you via email, Facebook, Twitter, anything...it will be an encouragment and challenge to me!

I would especially love to hear from those of you who may 1) be going through this book yourself, or 2) have struggled with rising earlier yourself. What did you do to motivate yourself? Any tips or tricks to help me train my internal clock?

Thanks everyone!

Gifts and Goals for the Week November 5, 2012

Happy Monday, everyone! Trust you all had a great weekend! Here's a bit on how my week has been:

I’ve enjoyed starting the challenge outlined in Crystal Paine’s book, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. I completed 6 days of the challenge this week, reading the day’s material and keeping a brief journal with my thoughts, ideas, and updates on my “mega project.” I wish I could say my week was full of perfect self-discipline, but a liar I am not. :) I did manage to make some headway, and I am excited about continuing on this week!

Here is an example of my not-so-disciplined moments….one day Crystal challenges her readers to make one small habit change that will make your life more disciplined and orderly (her example is to put your purse away immediately instead of plopping it inside the front door). I chose to implement something I read in Emilie Barnes 15 Minute Home and Budget Manager while studying for our time management challenge (I told you these two things went together!) - prepping the coffee pot for my morning coffee while cleaning the supper dishes. Seems like a great idea, right? Well it is...when I remember to do it! I have the hardest time actually remembering it! I have been consistent in prepping it before bed...which makes my mornings easier...which helps out my Mega Project of rising earlier each day! But I’d love to make this a habit, too. So - this week, I’m writing myself a note to stick over the sink...PREP THE COFFEE! :)

Is anyone else doing this challenge right now? I’d love to hear how you are doing so far!

Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 Gifts list this week:

468. Answered prayer
469. Wise, older women to learn from
470. Chinese for lunch
471. The Lord’s provision
472. Encouraging words from my sister
473. A day of preaching and fellowship
474. God working in exciting ways

My Weekly Goals from last week were...

Make 3 tote bags  - finished two and have two more cut out

Work on other sewing projects

List 4 items on Kijiji - listed three

List 4 items on Etsy - listed three

Work on new printables

Write one email to a friend

Finish “Shiloh Autumn”

Begin 2 new books

Complete 6 days of “21 Days to a More Disciplined Life” by Crystal Paine

Attend the South Shore Bible Conference on Saturday


I’m planning on spending a few days at a friends house this week, helping her paint and also attending special meetings at church, so I’m keeping my goals feasible this week.

Work on sewing projects

List 2 items on Etsy

Complete days 7-9 of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life challenge

Possibly go to a craft fair on Saturday...I know, I’m waiting until the last minute again, but I have not been able to get a hold of anyone to book my table!

Work on new printables

Write 1 email to a friend

Continue reading Pride and Prejudice and Passion and Purity


There is my weekly update for ya! What are you working on this week? Anyone feeling the crunch with Christmas swiftly approaching?


***Note: this post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase an item through these links, I will receive a small commission to help support this blog.

It's About Time! Part 5

So far in our series on Time Management we’ve talked about the first step to take, setting priorities and goals and how to set a manageable schedule, and things that rob us of our time.

We’ve skimmed over a lot of thoughts in this mini-series. Today I’d like to wrap it all up with some random final thoughts to help us on our journey.

1. Don’t put things down, put them away. Ten minutes a day spent looking for lost or misplaced items adds up to over 60 hours a year. Think of all that could be done in 60 hours! Break your procrastination habits in this and other areas: instead of thinking, “I’ll do that later,” stop and do it now!

MaryEllen over at Imperfect Homemaker is on a year-long anti-procrastination journey. She has some great thoughts as to why we procrastinate and what can be done to stop that habit!

2. Set goals, then tell others about your goals so that you’ll be motivated and held accountable. You know I set weekly and monthly goals, which I was inspired to do after reading Crystal’s weekly goals over at Money Saving Mom. Every week, I read others goal in a linky party that is encouraging to us all to get them done!

Amy says in her book, “Any significant change in our life will require patience and sacrifice.” And, might I add, goals - a vision of where we want to be!

3. Time management involves breaking bad habits and developing good ones. It also goes hand in hand with self-discipline. In fact, I am amazed how Crystal’s new book, “21 Days to a More Disciplined Life” ties hand-in-hand with this study on Time Management. Because really, you can know exactly how to manage you time wisely and use each moment to its fullest, but if you lack the self discipline to actually do it, what good is it? As Crystal says, I am the problem, but I am also the only solution.

Beginning tomorrow, November 1st, several gals over at Serving Joyfully are beginning the 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life book and challenging us to do the same. Read about it here...I’d encourage you to join in! This will be a great opportunity for some accountability and encouragement as you work through this fantastic book.

4. Take advantage of small blocks of time...sitting at red lights, waiting for supper to cook, etc. For instance…

    In 5 minutes, you can schedule an appointment, water houseplants, clean one drawer, dust on piece of furniture or the dash of your vehicle, change a diaper, take out the trash, make out your weekly goals list, or write a short note.

    In 10 minutes, you can send a birthday card, organize your desk or a drawer, do a short round of exercises, take freezer or pantry inventory, make out a shopping list, or make a phone call. (Provided you aren’t calling your best friend...that might take longer than 10 minutes. :)

    In 30 minutes, you can sort mail, skim through a magazine, work on a project, catch up on emails or facebook, vacuum and dust one room, or even prep one dish for the freezer.

Be thinking ahead of these small blocks of time you may have, and determine what you will do to fill them!

Checklist for Getting More Done

By Mrs. Joyce Comfort

Always work with a to-do list

Assign priorities and work accordingly

Plan every day before you get into action

Delegate whenever possible

Try to work by time blocks

Avoid or control interruptions

Avoid over-commitment by learning to say, “no.”

Divide big tasks into small segments

Do not be afraid to ask for help

Set up reminder systems

Some books I’d recommend (and have reviewed for this series):


Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
Emilie Barnes’ 15 Minute House and Budget Manager...by Emilie Barnes :)
The brand new 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine


***Note: post contains affiliate links. If you purchase these items using my link, I am given a small compensation, which helps support this blog.

It's About Time! Part 4

So far in our series on Time Management we’ve talked about the first step to take, setting priorities and goals and how to set a manageable schedule. Today lets talk about the things that seemingly rob us of our time.


There are time takers, and there are time wasters.

Two different things.

First, lets talk about the time takers.

A trip to the grocery store is a time taker, for sure. Depending on your circumstances, it could take a whole lotta time. We are blessed to be able to do all our shopping just 15 minutes away. (We don’t have a lot of things to choose from here, which is wonderful, but thats for another time) So we can feasibly do our shopping without taking up too much time. I know of others, however, that have to drive an hour to get to Walmart, so every situation is different.

Putting the baby to sleep is a time taker. Trust me. Just this morning I spent a good 45 minutes rocking him and trying to get him back to sleep. I had planned to blog during that time, but Judah is more important than this blog, sorry y’all. :) So that took time...but it was a necessary time taker.

Now lets talk about time wasters. There could be a zillion and one of these, each a little different for each of us, but here are a few quick ones that come to mind…

Disorganization

Laziness

Disorganization

Distractions

Over commitment

Not choosing to delegate

Perfectionism

Doing the wrong task for the moment

And dare I mention TV, blogging, P***terest, etc? Nope, I don’t dare.

Can you see the difference between time takers and time wasters? We all have some of both in our lives…’cause if we didn’t have any time takers, our lives would be pretty boring, ya know?

But here is the key….

Make time for the time takers. Refuse to take time for the time wasters.

Did you catch that? Schedule in your time takers. That is vital. We talked last week about scheduling out our days so that we effectively use the 24 hours God has given us. Part of that schedule must include the time takers. Will you spend a half hour changing diapers this morning? Schedule it in!! How glamourous will that look printed on your schedule? :) If you make time for all the necessary things, they won’t get pushed out of your day, and you will be able to estimate how much time you have to work on the not-as-necessary things.

But the time wasters. Leave those out of your schedule, or better yet, turn them into time takers instead! Is disorganization your time waster? Do you spend precious minutes or hours looking for things or moving piles of junk around to get to your washing machine? Schedule in time to work on getting organized...and now, instead of being a time waster, you’ve turned it into a productive time taker! Eventually, once the thing is organized, that time will be able to be used in some other endeavor.

I mentioned that TV, Pinterest, etc. can be time wasters. I’m not saying you can’t ever do those things. Instead, turn them into planned-for time takers! Pinterest is a great tool to learn new things and find ways to benefit your life and home. That is time well spent...but set a goal. Say you can fit in 20 minutes a day on Pinterest. So schedule that in! Now it is just another part of your schedule. Just don’t go over those 20 minutes, and it won’t become a time waster.

Here are some ways to avoid time wasting traps:

Learn to delegate

Set goals

Have a running to-do list

Do the best things first

Learn to say “no”

Ask for help

Learn to use a planning binder or day planner (in a way that benefits you, not hinders you!)

Next week, we’ll wrap up this mini series with some final thoughts about time management. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you...how are you doing with your time management? Any lightbulb moments you’d like to share with us? How do you handle the seeming time wasters that come into your life?

Some books I’d recommend:

Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
Emilie Barnes’ 15 Minute House and Budget Manager...by Emilie Barnes :)
The brand new 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine (which is on sale through tomorrow for only $0.99!!!)


***Note: post contains affiliate links

It's About Time! Part 3

So far in our series on Time Management we’ve talked about the first step to take and setting priorities and goals. Today, lets get in the nuts and bolts topic of actually scheduling and managing our days!

With our list of priorities in hand, we’re making a plan of action for the day, based on what needs to be done. Remember, we have 24 hours...no more and no less!

Make time for the most important things first. Eating, grooming, sleep...these things and others are essential for you and your family every day. Don’t take time from these vital things in order to accomplish the non-essentials. Remember the priorities?

Even the basics may look different for everyone. For me, the essentials looks something like this: Sleeping, showering, grooming, eating, room cleaned, dishes washed, and of course a daily coffee. :) But the list might have some variations for you. For instance, you may have a person in your home with health needs. Part of your essentials list will include administering meds or something similar for that person. Schedule in each and every essential, and then you won’t be left wondering where the time went!

A side note; You might be saying, “A schedule isn’t practical for me. Every day is different and unexpected!” I believe everyone can have some semblance of scheduling, so hang in there with me, ok? We’re going to talk about variations to the schedule more next week.

Once you’ve prepared for the essentials in your 24 hour time slot, its time to take the time that is left and decide how best to use it. Remember how last week we took our goals list and gave everything a number? This is where the #2’s would come in!

In the eBook Tell Your Time, Amy has a great system for delegating your time slots and filling them appropriately, with the most needful things. I would highly encourage you to head over to her site and get her book for this next step. I personally will be filling out her “grid” this week and determining how to best use my time with her method, but I can’t write the whole thing out for you here, because it is her book. :) It is only a $5 eBook...but worth so much more if you apply the principles and glean from her wisdom in this area.

Regardless of whether you get the book or not, you must determine how to best fill your time with the #2’s and #3’s from your list of goals. Is there something that isn’t vital (such as eating) but is a responsibility you have (like the promise you made to volunteer for a certain event)? Plan for that time so it doesn’t catch you by surprise!

As you begin to schedule out time for each activity, slowly your 24 hours are going to diminish or be depleted completely. It will start to look something like this;

Start: 24 hours

8 hours for sleeping
3 hours a day for cooking/eating/clean up
1 hour for self care
1 hour for personal devotions
1 hour a day cleaning

After these essentials, we are down to 10 hours in a day. Lets add the #2’s on our goals list:

3 hours volunteering at a local nursing home
2 hours of blogging/online/social media
1 hour of reading
½ hour of exercise
2 hours of sewing/work

Finish: 1 ½ hours, which is a great cushion in case something unexpected comes up!

This is just an example of how my days might be meted out, with ballpark figures. And every day might need to be different. But it gives me an idea of how I need to distribute my time throughout the day in order to not put any more on my plate than I have time for.

Your tasks will be different. Your numbers will be different. But following this basic principle of filling out 24 hours, no more and no less, will help you to not become overwhelmed by what isn’t getting done. Adapt it to fit your needs, and see if it doesn’t help you on your time management journey!

Some books I’d recommend:

Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
Emilie Barnes’ 15 Minute House and Budget Manager...by Emilie Barnes :)

Do you already schedule out  your days? Or have you tried it before? I'd love to hear what did and didn't work for you!


***Note: post contains affiliate links

My Favourite Recipies: Cookies 'n' Cream Cake

 Not only did I try a new recipe this week, but I'm trying something else new next week...entering a cake contest! Eek! A local convenience store has an annual cake contest, and this year I decided to enter. First prize is a $100 gift certificate to that store! That would be a significant help to our family!

My mom and sisters are all entering too, so competition is fierce. :) I decided to make this Cookies 'n' Cream cake that a lady at my church has made..it is so yummy! I gave it a trial run this week, so here is the recipe and the run-down of how I decorated it.

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cake

1 pkg. White cake mix
1 pkg. Instant vanilla pudding
1 ¼ cups water
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 cup coarsely crushed Oreos

Frosting:
4 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
½ cup shortening
¼ cup milk (I had to add waaaaaay more!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Oreos

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, water, oil and egg whites. Beat on low until moistened; beat on high for 2 minutes. Gently fold in crushed Oreos.

Pour into two greased and floured 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350ᵒ for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost cake.

Now, I will have you all know that I am no cake decorator! In fact, I can't even remember a time I did it before this! BUT... I have cousins that are expert cake decorators, and I've been watching them my whole life. I can distinctly remember my cousin decorating a huge, complicated wedding cake for another cousin, and I sat and watched her the.entire.time. Bless her heart!

I did my best to remember their tricks of the trade, and I was pleased with the result.

I put a dab of frosting on my plate first, to help hold the cakes in place. Then I centered the first cake on the plate. That layer got covered in frosting and a layer of crushed Oreos, and then the next layer went on top of that.

I slathered the cake in frosting, just making sure it was completely and somewhat evenly covered:

Then I took a knife dipped in a glass of milk and water and smoothed the frosting. I dipped the corner of a paper towel in the milk/water and used it to wipe the edge of the plate free of frosting. It's starting to look good!

I put my extra Oreos in the food processor and crushed them up nice and fine. I used these to finish decorating the outside, and whala!

It came out nice, but not exactly as I had hoped. I was trying to get the whole thing to look like a big Oreo, but instead it looked more like a whoopie pie! It was also super hard to get the crushed Oreos on the top part without messing up the center white strip..as you can see, it was not a nice clean line as I wanted.

So when I make the actual (prize-winning!) cake on Monday, I am planning to put the crushed Oreos around the bottom, and halved Oreos on top. Simpler, and the result will be neater, I think. I am still pleased with this one..and boy, was it tasty! :)

I'd love to hear your opinion! Have you ever made a cake for a contest? Are you an expert cake decorator? If so, I need your advice, lol! Wish me luck on Monday!

It's About Time! Part 1

I’ve been thinking and reading about time management, and decided to put my thoughts out there in bloggy land for you all. Welcome to...

Every Wednesday during the month of October I’ll be touching on this subject, setting specific goals for myself, and encouraging you to join in with me! Of course, I picked the month with 5 Wednesdays...convenient, aren’t I? :)

Consider this quote*:

Time management sometimes seems like a far off dream, an aura of perfectness that I can’t ever achieve. It is easy to look at others who seem to do so much, and think, If I could only learn to fit that much into my schedule, then I will have achieved the coveted award of time management.

It doesn’t really work that way. If I did achieve that much, there would always be someone doing more...and I still would not feel like I accomplished anything. As the above quote points out, it is not just being able to fit more things into a day, but doing the things that God intends for me to do in a day.

Jeremiah 10:23 says,

If it is not man’s responsibility to direct his steps, then whose is it? God’s, of course! He wants to direct our steps, and He will if we allow it!

This doesn’t mean we can’t plan, prepare and set goals. We were not placed here on earth to flounder and guess our way through life. No, God intends for us to go through this life with purpose, understanding that ultimately it is His purpose and plan that we are following.

After reading Jeremiah 10:23, I took a step back and looked at the things that make up my days right now. Am I accomplishing God’s purpose in these activities? Or am I pushing my own agenda? How am I to know?

By asking.

I made a list of the things that, to me, are an important part of my days right now. I wrote down Jeremiah 10:23 along with this list, and stuck it on my daily prayer list. Now every day I pray that the Lord will direct my steps in each of these specific areas.

The things on my list are so simple that I’m almost hesitant to share them with you. It is not big stuff. I’m not contemplating some major life decision. It is just every day things that I was taking for granted was my calling at this moment. I’m not even looking to change any of these things, but I do want God’s best purpose to be worked through them and me!

My list includes blogging. I love blogging. But am I letting the Lord direct my steps in this area? I travel on Sundays to play the piano for a small church 45 minutes away. I absolutely love it...but I realize it can’t last forever that way. Eventually something will change. Am I allowing the Lord to direct those changes when the time comes? Right now I teach my siblings piano (and need all the prayers I can get! :) but I can’t teach publicly in Canada yet. Am I allowing the Lord to work out those details, and help me be faithful over the few I am teaching right now?

I believe very firmly that this is the first step to time management...allowing the Lord to show us what things we are to be filling our time with! I pray that you will take time this week to establish this principle in your own life.

I'd love for you to leave a comment with your thoughts on this matter! Do you struggle with Time Management? What areas would you like to see covered in this series?


*Emilie Barnes’ 15 Minute House and Budget Manager, pg. 179