I've been organizing things around the house lately and I thought I'd show you a couple things I did.

I got this cart at Costco for school supplies. I couldn't find new tape for my label maker (I'm thinking a 7 year old has something to do with this), so I used a sheet of laser printer labels. Now, with all the school supplies neatly organized and labeled, you would think my children wouldn't ask me where the paper is ... every time they do homework ... but yes, they do.

A bucket on top for pens and pencils.

Some candy for homework motivation. Finish a page, get a piece.

The fridge fell victim to my labeling, too. I changed the deli drawer into a snack drawer for kids. I ended up changing the fruit/veggie drawer to just veggies, and the meat drawer below it to a fruit drawer.

You can't read the labels very well, but we have a taco bin, a dairy bin and a lunch bin (lunch meat and cheese). I put the bins in because you can easily slide them in and out, so the food doesn't just pile up on the shelf and you have to stick your head in there just to find something in the back. You know what I'm talking about?

Next up is the cord monster that was growing in my kitchen cabinet. All the chargers had become tangled in a big ball. These storage cubes were at Walmart: 2 for $2. They fit perfectly into our entertainment center. We have cubes for computer cords, cell phone chargers, battery chargers, etc. There is even one for "unknown" which has been fabulous. Every time Mr. Jones says "Do you know where my ______ charger is?", I point him to the unknown cube and it's always there. Whoopee. He thinks I'm a rock star!

I almost forgot ... one thing I've started doing with our chargers and cords is writing down on an Avery label what the cord is for (we have about 5,000 cell phones and video game players in our house), and then I fold it over the cord. That way, any one can tell what it goes to and we don't keep old chargers because we don't know what they are for. Have I told you I love Avery labels?

Apples of Gold

I've been cleaning up my blog today, and I didn't realize that you can re-label your old posts without updating the whole entire post. I was about halfway through the project when I figured it out. So it probably looks like all my posts are new if you have bloglines or something like that. But it's just me being a slow learner. Sorry.

Anyway, I get these e-mails from a blog called "Apples of Gold." A guy named Doug Apple, who works for a Christian radio station, writes about living as a Christian and lessons from the Bible. I love these e-mails, and they always make me think about how I am supposed to live as a Christian. You can either go directly to the blog, or send an e-mail to dougapple@wave94.com asking to subscribe to Apples of Gold.

Budget Bathroom

The Nester has asked us all to share our 10 minute room makeovers inspired by her series called 10 Minutes to a Room You'll Love. Since I did this post before I found out about her party, I am just updating it.

I decorated my master bedroom with things I already had and/or things I got for an insanely great price. The paint wasn't a quick fix, however, but since I copied Nester's paint color, I thought it deserved a nod in this post as well.

My favorite thing in my bathroom is this iron chandelier I had when we moved into our house 3 years ago. It really makes the bathroom feel elegant. I couldn't stand the unsightly chain, though, so I got my glue gun out and glued some fabric right over it.

Recognize this paint color Nester fans? Tobacco Road (well, actually, the Tobacco Road knockoff recipe I got here).

I got this cute mirror from the local thrift store for a couple bucks. I love how the white looks next to Tobacco Road.

I did what Nester told me and hid the Crest, but I do have some silver pieces on a tray (all thrift store) that hold some Q-tips, and other stuff. Is that ok?

I needed some wall art, so I painted some old frames white and put in some pictures of my kiddos' feet at the beach.

This is not my first choice of window covering. I would love to hang some really nice fabric up there. But I'm on a big-time budget right now, and this was in my closet, so it will make do.

Got this cute rug at the thrift store. Brand new. Beautiful hooked rug. For a few bucks. It is a little more "tropical" than I would have picked if I could pick anything, but doesn't it go great with Tobacco Road? It warms up the white floor, too.

This is a pot I got from Home Depot a long, long time ago for not very much money. I just put a cheap little fern in it. Hopefully it won't die.

I like white towels. They look like you're at a nice hotel. They go with any colors. You can bleach the heck out of them. And it takes a little teeny extra time, but I like to roll them up. And when you redecorate a bathroom, you don't have to buy new towels!!

This little pedestal is another thrift purchase. I put some french soap on it by the tub. Some candles, too.

The other day, I did a little upgrade to the toilets. Sooooo easy. I'll show you in a few days.

The Biggest Loser

Do you watch this show? I do. I love seeing people change their lives and learn how to be healthy the right way, without surgery or pills. Eating healthy and exercising is the only way to do it. Period. And anyone can do it. The only thing I didn't like was last season at the very end, Vicky was working out so much that she didn't see her kiddos. I actually felt sorry for her. I think the show encouraged that, even though ultimately it was her choice. I personally believe she might have lost more weight if she had rested a little more. You need to have balance and it's important to be happy and rest, too.

Anyway, if you want some inside scoop on the show, go check out this lady or this lady. They know what they're talking about (you'll see why), and they are oh, so adorable.

Now, I'm a total before-after picture junkie. They are so inspiring to me. I can't get enough. If you are too, go see these people or these people for some inspiration.

Sub Bag

I have been a substitute teacher for almost a year now, and I have had a few friends ask me what I take with me to the classroom. I have quite a few supplies built up, and I'm in the process of organizing them. What I would like to end up with, in addition to organized supplies, is a crate with file folders for each grade that contains activities in the folders that I can grab and go in the morning.

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, here are some things that I keep in my "sub bag":

Transition time (time when you are switching from one activity to the next or lining up and getting ready to go somewhere) can be difficult. It helps to have little songs and games to keep them interested and paying attention. I just got this book, Literacy-Building Transition Activities by Ellen Booth Church, from Scholastic that has a lot of good, easy transition activities:



Another favorite of mine is the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. The stories are quick, the kids get to vote on what the characters should do next, and they work for most elementary school ages.





I'm off to cut coupons and go grocery shopping, but I'll try to post more on this topic soon. Have a great day!

It's time to save money!

We're trying to get more frugal at the Jones house, so we're cutting coupons and cleaning the house. I have the kids cut the coupons for me on Saturdays, which also helps them with fine motor skills. I use The Grocery Game so it is not as time consuming. GG continues to frustrate me, however, because I am always finding mistakes or discrepancies. Like, a lot. But in the end I still save a ton of money so it is worth it.

I let the cleaning people go this week (I started working last year as a substitute teacher so I could hire them). So I have gone back to the Motivated Moms Chore Planning System. It is a calendar that gives you chores to do every day, and if you do them you will stay caught up. They have a version with a daily bible reading, and one without. And it is only $8.00!! You download it, print it, and put it in a binder. Love it!

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Intense desire to be a runner + 2 knees genetically predisposed to injury =

I've been really good about eating and working out, and today my knee decided it wanted some more time off (translation: I think I have torn some cartilage) so I snapped and defrosted a pumpkin cake I had in the freezer. Fortunately, it had freezer burn so I ate a piece and threw it away.I also got an amazing deal on this rug today. It is really beautiful, the only problem being that it is pink. I don't really decorate with pink, but I might get away with putting it in my garden room. If I can't stand it, I guess I'll roll it up and save it until I figure out how to use it.