So I got my craft on this past weekend. Say what?  As you know I’m so not crafty, in fact I use to be a scrapbooker person just so I could organize all the supplies. So not kidding.  Anyway once I realized that all those supplies took up way more space than the time I ever spent with them I needed to rethink things and said bye bye to most of those supplies.

So when the makers of the MyMemories Scrapbook software asked me to review their product, I was like um no thank you.  Well actually I wasn’t even that polite, I may or may not have just deleted the email “by accident”.  Then one night I was blog surfing and stumbled across one site where the blog master was offering up a pretty free printable to her readers.  She’d made this printable using, you guessed it, the MyMemories software.  Well who knew you could do that?  Anybody that knows me knows I have a HUGE fascination with printables.  Love them!

Lucky for me, the owners of MyMemories emailed me again and I decided I would be brave enough to try it despite the fact that technology likes to mock me consistently and stick it’s tongue out at me for being so stupid for not understanding how it works.  This totally happens to me….time and time again.

So after downloading the software to my computer I started playing around.  I never read manuals or instructions, which could so be why I never understand what I’m doing but whatever.  Anyway after a few hiccups that might have involved a few grunts and groans, I did indeed figured it out and made a very awesome printable (if I do say so myself!) for anyone planning on participating in Org Junkie’s 29 Day Organizational Challenge starting tomorrow.  Check out this calendar I created, hola!

Download Feb Calendar here

So here is what I know.  Playing around creating this calendar was fun.  I really enjoyed myself and am pretty happy with the result.  The software itself only comes with basic backgrounds and embellishments but you have MANY options to purchase various kits and templates on their website.  In other words it could get as addictive and expensive as traditional scrapbooking (however no clutter which makes me very happy!).  Just something to keep in mind.  The embellishments I used to create my calendar I did purchase separately.  Will I make more printables?  Yes I definitely will!

If you are interested in checking out the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking software for yourself, the company has given me a special code that will give you a $10 discount off the purchase of the MyMemories Suite software plus you also get a $10.00 coupon to use at the MyMemories.com store – a $20.00 value!  The code is STMMMS32191 (copy and paste it to make it easier)

Giveaway:

I also have a copy of the software to giveaway as well.  If you would like the chance to win the MyMemories Suite software simply leave a comment on this post, prior to Monday, February 6th at 6:00 pm PST, telling me whether or not you’ve ever ventured into digital scrapbooking before.

For more info on MyMemories and to be informed of future giveaways you can also follow them here:

Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Good luck everyone!

MyMemories Software Giveaway + free calendar printable! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Is the chaos and clutter in your life driving you crazy?  Do you wish you could get a handle on it but are overwhelmed and discouraged with where to start?  Don’t worry, you are not alone and I can help.

At this time of the year I like to take a moment to introduce/remind readers about the organizing PROCESS steps I recommend to assist you on your organizational journey.  It’s a simple but effective acronym that helps to keep you from getting ahead of yourself when organizing in order to create lasting change.

You see I truly believe organizing is a PROCESS rather than a destination. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on things it’s time to do it all over again. Life happens. Kids outgrow their toys and clothes, your responsibilities and needs change, you have another child, you get married, a new job, etc. With the right techniques though you can stay on top of these things, you can control your space rather than your space controlling you. Being organized allows you to quickly restore the situation when “life” gets a little chaotic and let’s face it, unless you live in a bubble, it’s bound to happen.

PROCESS is defined as a series of actions used to produce something or reach a goal.

PROCESS

That is what we want to do when organizing.  Having a series of actions to follow will help you create a clutter free space with a system designed specifically for your needs that is easy to maintain.

Here are the PROCESS steps:

Plan of attack – plan your project – which area(s) do you want to address – make a list – evaluate present system, what is working, what isn’t working, devise new system – determine budget – develop timeline

Remove items – empty the space completely so you can start from a clean slate – this is much more effective than just shuffling everything around. Remove then sort & purge

Organize into piles – donate/toss/sell/keep/relocate – sort like with like – purge excess – the more you purge the less you have to find a home. Ask yourself some declutter questions.  Your goal is to bring back into your space only what you love and use and can fit into the space you have available. Purge until it fits!

Containerize – find storage solutions – containers establish limits and boundaries – designate a space for items being kept – consolidate where possible

Evaluate plan – how is your system working for you – are you able to work your system? What needs to be modified? A good system should be easy to maintain

Solve/Simplify any remaining issues. Address anything that isn’t working for you – revise accordingly

Smile, relax and enjoy your hard work!

credit: mwoodard

The Organizing PROCESS is Your Force…Use It is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hi everyone!  Thank you for joining me here and sharing your menu plans.  Planning my menu for this week means getting organized for all the extra baking I need to do.  This week I have two events I need to bring baking to.  One needs to be a fancier dessert for the teacher appreciation luncheon at my daughter’s highschool and the other is some cookies for a cookie gifting party (we aren’t swapping, just gifting) for a friend.  So I spent way too long on the internet today searching recipes galore and think I found some excellent options.

For the highschool teachers:

source: Bake, Eat, Repeat

These lovely looking Eggnog Latte Cupcakes.  Yum!

For my friend:

source: Taste of Home

These Cookie Dough Truffles because hello?  Sweetened condensed milk, yum!  We’ll leave the walnuts out though.

So that takes care of this week.  I’ve penciled them into my Holiday Baking List along with more things to be prepared for next week.  I created this baking list printable last year to help me stay organized and it worked really well.  Since I kept my list from last year I was able to easily refer back to it to see what worked and didn’t work.  Very helpful indeed!  If you would like to download and print a copy for yourself just click on the image below.

Also you might find my Holiday Meal Planner from last year helpful as well.  Again just click on the image below to download.

Additional menu planning resources this week:

Recipe Organization – Tips and Tricks ~ @ Annie’s Eats

13 Meal Ministry Meals ~ @ Comfy in the Kitchen

Free Printable Christmas Themed Menu Planners ~ @ Heavenly Homemakers

Alright friends, I hope you have a fabulous week with minimum stress.  Look forward to reading your menus.

Our weekly menu:

Monday:  Pizza Quesadillas (missed from last week)

Tuesday:  Crockpot BBQ Chicken served with fries and carrots

Wednesday:  Pierogi Beef Skillet

Thursday:  Leftover buffet

Friday:  Ranch Pork Chops served with rice and broccoli

Saturday:  Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Sunday:  YOYO (you’re on your own)

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Guidelines, banner selections and recipe helpers are here.

More family favorite recipes here.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Dec 12/11 + free holiday menu and baking planner printables is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Clean Mama Printables is an Etsy shop started by work-at-home mom, Becky that keeps it “all” together with a cup of strong coffee and a checklist. She’s a former art teacher with a flair for graphic design. After making her own personal printables for years, she decided to open up an Etsy shop last March to showcase a different type of printable. Her printables focus on homekeeping, organizing and all things clean.

 

The Holiday and Special Occasions Planning Kit has 16 holidays and special occasions planning sheets to plan ahead.  Each planning sheet includes a place for the year, a place to record your menu, guests, decorations, traditions, and a to-do list.

 

 

Want to create your own kit?  Choose the Bucket of 5 (choose any 5 individual documents from any kits), or the Pick 2 Kit or the Pick 3 Kit – you get to choose your own 2 or 3 kits to create your own personalized bundle – and get  a little discount while you’re at it!

 

 

In addition to the printable kits, Clean Mama Printables also carries individual documents. All printables are in PDF file format so once your order is finalized, you can print the digital files as many times as you like for your own personal use. Becky can create a document just for you – she loves special orders, so if you have something in mind but don’t see it, just ask!  A list of all her printables available can be found at the Clean Mama Printables Etsy Shop.

Giveaway:

Clean Mama Printables is giving away TWO $50 Gift Certificates for lucky two readers!  Enter in the comments section by leaving a comment on this post prior to Saturday, May 28th at 2:00 pm PST.

Becky is also offering 20% off through this week to all Organizing Junkie readers – just enter the code ’20ORGJUNKIE’ at checkout!

Clean Mama Printables Giveaway is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I used one of my handy Clearly Organized Bags that I absolutely heart (you can read my review here).  Some of the things I added were:

• microwave popcorn*
• smarties (never know when you are going to need a little bribe!)*
• coloring book
• markers
• bedtime book
• craft packs
• wet wipes
• stickers
• basic first aid supplies (contained in a small organizing bag with wrist strap)

*please always check with parents first about food restrictions

I also created a checklist to include to help her remember to ask the parents some important questions about the kids and any specific instructions.  All very important things to know when babysitting.  I’ve included the free download link below if you’d like to use it as well:

My Babysitter Notes

I remember how nerve wrecking it was to go on a babysitting job for the first time and I just thought this would be a fun way to help ease the butterflies.  What do you think?

PS:  My daughter also has this cute guide, Babysitter’s Business Kit, which includes a lot of helpful babysitting tips and forms.

Babysitter Bag + Note Sheet Printable is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

image source: shutterstock

A couple of years ago, when my parents moved across the country, I was left alone to make a holiday meal on my own for the very first time.  Not being a very good cook and having no idea where to start I muddled my way through.  Five years later and many holiday meals under my belt, I think I now have a pretty good system down that allows me to spend plenty of time with my guests and still serve a terrific meal.

A week or two prior to any holiday meal I’m hosting I sit down to do a little advance preparation.  This makes all the difference to pulling off a successful event.  I start with the recipe selection.  I pay particular attention to recipes that can be made ahead of time.  To cut down on last minute prep I also make use of my two slow cookers….one for Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes and one for Slow Cooked Sausage Stuffing (I don’t cook my stuffing in the turkey due to my son’s gluten allergy).  In addition I almost always look for a dessert recipe that can be made well in advance and frozen leaving me with one less thing to do at the last minute. I’ll share my full holiday menu with you on Monday.

Once I have my recipes selected for the holiday meal I then sit down with my planner and schedule the advance prep tasks in where I’m able to.  I don’t want to get stuck staying up to 2:00 in the morning the night before trying to get everything done.  Dividing the tasks up into manageable portions so I’m not doing too much on any one day makes it a much more enjoyable and stress free process for me.  Remember scheduling is key!

In anticipation of these additional holiday tasks I have throughout the week, I make a point of keeping the recipes for my regular weekly menu as simple as possible.   Soup and sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, and quesadillas are all super easy ideas that aren’t time consuming.  You can read more of my suggestions for Easy Pre-Holiday Meals on my guest post at Tip Junkie.  I also highly recommend scheduling in a leftover night the day before a big holiday meal.  You want to make sure you have your fridge cleaned out in preparation for all the new yummy leftovers you’ll need space for.

The holiday meal planner that I use makes my holiday meal prep process super easy.  Feel free to print it off and use it as well if you’d like.  You’ll see there is a space next to each day of the week to record tasks for advance prep work as well as a spot to tick them off as you get them done.  That way when it gets to the big day there won’t be much left for you to do except sit and visit with your family and guests!  Ahh now doesn’t that sound nice!! :)

Free Holiday Menu Planner Printable

Holiday Meal Planning Made Easy + Free Printable is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

And here we are in December!  Today I spent some time preparing my holiday baking list.  I have a few school functions to bring treats to and my parents will be here for Christmas so I want to be sure I’ve got a few recipes selected and ready to go.  This is the form I created and use to help keep myself organized in this area.  Feel free to print a copy for yourself to use if you’d like.

Free Holiday Baking List Printable

I’d love to know what recipes are going on your holiday baking list?

Speaking of holiday baking and free, my friend Lynn, from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures, has created an ebook called Quick and Easy Recipes for Holiday Entertaining that includes appetizer, candy and dessert recipes for the holidays that you might like.  I’ve added the Easy Peanut Butter Cup recipe to my baking list.  The ebook is free but you do have to become a subscriber of her blog in order to get it which means you’ll receive email updates every time she posts.  Just wanted to give you the heads up on that.

image credit: shutterstock

I purchased some packages of Peppermint Hershey’s Kisses the other day when they went on sale and would love any Christmas recipes you’ve got that includes them.  On my list is this recipe for Chocolate Cookies with Christmas Kisses found at The Farm Girl but I’m just wondering if there are any others.  Thanks!

My very favorite recipe from last week definitely was Michelle’s Creamy Pasta with Lemon Pepper Chicken.  Gosh was it ever good, the garlic/lemon combination was so delicious!   When I reached out to Twitter last week for recipe suggestions Michelle was the only one that responded and I am thrilled that she did with such a winner for me to try.  Thanks Michelle!

So here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Monday: Chicken, Potato and Veggie Bake

Tuesday: Chicken Tortellini Soup (using leftover chicken)

Wednesday: Dilled Pot Roast (family favorite) served with rice and broccoli

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Quick Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Simple Supper Sunday

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Dec 6th is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

It seems I have another obsession these days.  I’m in love with all the free printables available around blogland.  There are some very creative people out there, I’m so in awe of their talent!  Today I’ve compiled a few of my recent favorites that I think you’re also really going to like.  Many of these make awesome inexpensive gift ideas.  Have fun!

School and Teacher Printables:

Happy Summer Gift Tags and a neat way to use them ~ Fakesicles!

Teacher Appreciation Smores

Teacher Card and Tag

Teacher Thank You Notes

Graduation Cupcake Toppers

Teacher Appreciation Flower Picks

Teacher Appreciation Tags

This one isn’t free but it’s so cute I had to include it:  A Sweet (and simple) Teacher Appreciation Gift

Family Printables:

Godly Character Traits

Family Chore Chart

Honey Dew List

Mom’s Latte List

Daily Health Goals Checklist

Fun Shopping List

Other:

Blog Topics List

We’ve Moved Card

I would love to find more moving and change of address printables so if anyone knows of any would you please share the link(s) in the comments.

Thanks!

Org Junkie’s (not as fancy but still free) printables can be found here.

Free printables…I’m addicted! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

All our camping gear is stored under our basement stairs so as I pulled it all out I jotted down on my handy dandy clipboard what we typically take with us out to the bush campground and typed it all up fancy schmancy for the next time we go….which will most likely be never considering camping, as it turns out, is so not how I remembered it to be (if you didn’t get a chance to read my camping story, you can find it here).

But how comforting it is to know that should a sudden case of amnesia overcome me and I conveniently forget that camping in a tent is a slow and tortuous event, well at least I’ll be prepared with a list.  The fact that I have medications on there should not be lost on you.  Or the fact that I have included my hair dryer and straightener.  There are just some things that this girl can not part with even for the sake of nature :)

So if you happen to be a braver soul than I (and God bless you for it),  please feel free to use my camping checklist by clicking on the link below.   And for real kicks, try putting it on a clipboard and bellowing orders as you walk from room to room.  It’s really so very exciting!

Camping Checklist

See all available downloads here.

Free Printable Camping Checklist is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

To print all you have to do is open the document in Word (clicking on the Grocery List Envelope link below will take you where you need to go to do that) and then print the category page on one side of a business size envelope.  Then turn the envelope over and print the second page on the side of the envelope with the flap.  Done!  If you have any questions, please just let me know.

Thanks Nicole, this really is brilliant!!

Grocery List Envelope

Sponsored by The Dinner Solution ~ Menu Planning and Freezer Cooking Made Simple

Printable Grocery List Envelope is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie