Reusable Daily List - Mounted to the Fridge

Hello Readers,

It's been a little longer than I like in between posts.  What can I say, life is busy for everyone. :)  Today I wanted to share with you an idea I got off of another blog I love iheartorganizing.blogspot.com.  The writer, Jen, made a Daily Duties Check-Off List click here that she attached to her fridge.  I loved her idea and created one of my own.  Here's the project:

 

What it is:
A framed check-off list of daily, weekly, bi-monthly, quarterly, and bi-annual duties that's attached to the fridge.  I use wet erase markers to check off items and erase/re-use the next day.

If you love to make lists (or need to in order to remember things).  You might really love this idea.  It's also an answer to constant sticky notes or random lists on the kitchen counter. Instead of using paper, you use wet erase markers on the glass of the frame.

How I made it:
I used a 10 x 13 frame I purchased at a garage sale (I think I spent $1); it had a mat inside of it.  I actually used the mat (which I painted yellow) for a while, but now I have a regular 8 x 11 sheet of paper (the check off list) mounted on a piece of scrapbook paper and cut to fit the frame.

Next came attaching it to the fridge.  I used 3M removable hanging strips that I attached to the back of the frame and fridge.  These are supposed to come off the fridge without damaging it and the ones I purchased hold around 10 pounds.  I found these strips at Joann Fabrics. 

I made a list (in Excel) that has check off boxes with the following categories:

Daily Duties: making the bed, cleaning the kitchen, sweeping the floor, defrosting dinner, blank lines so that I can add things to remember (phone calls, etc...).  It's a daily list of things I like to complete in order to feed my OCD method and order cravings.  I also have a section where I record due dates for library books from the local public library and church library.

Weekly Duties: This includes vacuuming upstairs, wiping down bathroom counters, cleaning toilets, laundry, anything I do about once a week.  In the summer, this list includes outdoor activities such as mowing the lawn (hubby's activity), fertilizing plants, and weeding the garden.

Bi-Monthly Duties: This list includes: mopping the floors, thoroughly cleaning the bathrooms, making my grocery menu, cleaning out the fridge, clean out the microwave, washing the sliding glass doors, etc.

Quarterly Duties: This section includes dusting the top of the fridge and ceiling fan,  vacuuming the inside of the couch (my husband is rather particular about this, he says that he had a "bad experience" whatever that means :)), and laundering the bathroom rug.

Bi-Annual Duties: this includes changing the furnace and fridge filters, cleaning out the garage, and sorting through all of our clothes.

On the list itself:
Each item has a box to be checked off and I recommend you use a wet erase marker.  Dry erase markers work, but they don't have a fine point.  I purchased my wet erase markers at a local office supply store.  You know, those markers your teacher used on the old school projectors in primary school and then wiped off with a wet rag.

FEATURE!!!  I'm so excited to show you the version one of my best friends, a fellow God Fearing OCD Creative, made of this project.  You know all those pops of aqua and chartreuse green that are popping up all over home decor.  My friend, "Lizard" (that's her nickname, but she's actually a gorgeous blond), used this project as an opportunity to introduce those colors to her kitchen.  She transformed a goodwill frame with a little paint and used the same method (3M strips) to mount it to the side of her fridge.  Check it out (see the aqua coming through under the green):

 

This chick is so creative around her house.  I'll be begging to feature some of her other DIY projects.  She has the best ideas and vision when it comes to art and creative projects.

So what do you think?  If the exhaustive list is not for you, I think the frame could be filled with blank paper instead and could still be used as a place to list out items/duties you need to remember to complete on any given day.  Maybe even a sheet of paper with ten lines numbered 1., 2., 3.,.......  You could say its a green approach for the compulsive list maker.

Leave me a comment if you liked this post or think you'll attempt a similar project.  If you would like me to email you a copy of the list I created in Excel for you to use at home, leave me a comment or message me on Facebook.

So here it is again:

 

God bless you!  Home Centered Girl

 

Happy Birthday Chicki and Chicken Pot Pie

Hi Everyone!  Last night we celebrated my sister Chicki's birthday.  Here she is:

I know, she is a gorgeous blond and this little beauty requested chicken pot pie for her birthday dinner so I thought I would share my broth based chicken pot pie recipe with you.  This dish will feed many mouths.  We had a total of 14 people (adults and kids) and this dish was enough for everyone with a little left over.  It's simple, but a little time consuming.  I think it's worth cutting up all the veggies for a real home cooked taste and treat that I don't make very often.  I prefer the broth base to cream for better flavor and its healthier without all the cream.

Here is what you need:

-2 large carrots, diced
-3 stalks celery, diced
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1/2 box of mushrooms (about 6 mushrooms) finely chopped
-1 TBSP olive oil
-3 cloves of garlic; minced
-1 large potato; diced
-4 C. chicken broth/stock
-1 C. water
-2 tsp. better than bouillon chicken base (or 2 cubes of regular chicken bouillon) ((this step is optional; makes it a little richer when using stock))
-3 C. shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the store to save time)
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tsp. dried parsley
-1/2 C. half n half
-2 TBSP flour

Crust:
2 C. flour
1 tsp.salt
1/3 C. canola oil
6-8 TBSP ice water

For the pot pie filling: saute carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms for 6-8 minutes in olive oil in a large pot.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and parsley.

When veggies start to brown add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Immediately add 1 C. of water to pan to loosen all the brown bits from the bottom and keep the garlic from burning.  Next add potato, chicken broth, better than bouillon, and chicken.  Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  At this point, try the mixture and season with more salt if needed.  Next, mix half and half in a small bowl with flour.  Once well mixed, add to chicken mixture to thicken the broth (about 2 minutes).

Empty entire contents into a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish and top with crust.

For Crust:
This crust is very similar to one I found on For The Love Of Cooking Check out this link for her crust that is on a beef pot pie (one of my favorites).

For the crust, mix flour and salt well together with a wisk.  Next add canola oil and mix with a fork until mixture resembles small peas.  Then add ice water 1 TBSP at a time until crust comes together and forms a dough.  Put the dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll out into a rectangle to cover the 9 x 13 dish.  Once the crust is on the pot pie filling, cut small slits in top of the crust for the filling to bubble over.

(tip: after cutting the excess of the crust off the casserole dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for about 15 minutes for a delicious "pre-dinner" treat.)

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  Check the casserole periodically to make sure the crust isn't burning.

Dish out and enjoy!

Love you Chicki and I hope you enjoyed your birthday dinner!

Many blessings to all of you - Home Centered Girl.

Menu Planning and Templates

Hello Readers,

I mentioned back when I gave a tutorial on creating a Household Management Binder that I would write about how I menu plan in a future post, well; here it is!

I have been menu planning prior to grocery shopping since I married "Mr. Home Centered" 10 years ago and its one of my favorite oranizational tools.  It is also a way to control spending at the grocery store and helps solve the "whats for dinner" dilemna.  I'm going to show you how I do this twice a month and then offer you my blank templates for your own personal use. 

(disclaimer: it has become very apparent to me that I need to upgrade my camera, hopefully you can get the idea from these pictures)

So here is how I do this:
I use two forms.  First, I make a menu using the following template:

You will notice that I have not included spaces for breakfast.  We pretty much eat the same things around here for breakfast: cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, toast, etc.. and I don't need to write it down to remember to put it on my grocery list.  I have used a handful of different methods for the same task (calenders, etc..), but I like this format because it is specifically tailored to my families needs.  In the morning (if I'm on top of things) I decide what I'm going to make for dinner (using my template above) and pull meat out of the freezer to defrost.  The list hangs in my pantry on a clip board.

  I don't make the items in any particular order, its totally up to what I feel like that day and how much time I have.  I always have a few quick and easy meals on the menu for the days I want to just pull something premade out of the freezer and put it directly in the oven (this is usually junk/processed yummy comfort food).

Now, to make the list I reference this template (bad picture alert):

This is a list of meals I often like to make.  It doesn't include everything I cook, but it's a great quick quide to help me make my menu.  This helps me avoid sorting through multiple recipes in my cook books, recipe car box, and recipe binder.  I printed it out on card stock and filed it in my recipe binder for quick reference.

I have a VERY IMPORTANT TIP regarding menu planning if you are just getting started or find this method too tasking.  Make the menu when you are hungry.  Seriously, get up in the morning and skip breakfast, your snack, whatever, until its done.  It's very difficult to make a menu for two weeks when your are not hungry and nothing sounds good.

Once you have the menu, make your grocery list off the menu.  This is where you can save money, or avoid going to the grocery store every other day.

Now, if you would like these templates I am more than happy to give them to you for your own personal use.  For some odd reason, Blogger doesn't have a feature for uploading pdf files and so I am going to have to figure out a way around this (long story).  For now, if you would like these templates; you can email me at wellnessheather@gmail.com; leave me a comment on this post with your email address in it; or facebook me and I will email you the files.  I am more than happy to share and would love to give them to you!

If you've never menu planned, try it! 

Recipe: French Fry Lovers and Picky Eaters

Hello Friends,

I mentioned when I first started blogging that I would occasionally post a recipe on here, since eating is a "home centered" activity.  This is one of my favorites.  I love french fries, but they are not the healthiest choice.  Who doesn't love a potato that has been deep fat fried and covered in salt?  I make a version at home that is so simple and delicious, it honestly satisfies that craving for the deep fat fried version. Seriously, try it.  These will pass the test of the pickiest eater.

Here is how I make mine at home (double the recipe if you're serving 5 or more people):

Roasted French Fries
4-5 small-medium russet potatoes (or 2-3 large potatoes)
1 TBSP olive oil
Lawry's seasoning salt (or plain salt)
fresh cracked pepper (optional)
Non-stick cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Wash the potatoes (leave skins on) and cut into french fries.  Toss cut fries in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper in the amounts you like.  Mix the potatoes and seasonings until all the potatoes are coated with a thin layer of oil.

Next, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and add the potatoes to the cookie sheet.

Bake in a hot oven and check at 20 minutes.  Every oven is different so they may need to stay in longer (I have a very hot oven, so your fries may need 30 minutes +).  The thinner the fries, the faster they cook.  You can also leave the fries in longer for a browner and crispier outside.  Serve with ketchup or your favorite dip.  Enjoy!!!

Side Note: This method works great with all potatoes, red, yellow, purple, etc....  For a classic french fry taste, russet potatoes are the best.  If you love garlic french fries, mix raw/fresh minced garlic with parsley and salt in a bowl and toss with the fries immediately after they come out of the oven. Let me know if you try this recipe!!

Many blessings to you! - Home Centered Girl

P.S. I linked up the recipe at "Home Stories A to Z click here for link"

The Leftovers......

Hi Friends!

This post is about a simple organization system we created to handle the "leftovers" or outgoing items that are either left in our home after having guests, or other items that need to leave our place the next time we walk out the door.

You know those "leftovers", the random hair scrunchie, toy, book, pair of socks, you name it; anything that gets left behind and needs to be returned to its owner.  Because I'm not a fan of clutter piling up on surfaces in our home, it would start to drive me nuts when little random objects would line up on the coat rack, and often be forgotten when we were leaving the house.

After dragging  convincing my husband to go with me to Ikea about a month ago, I spotted this, the Bygel rail:

(bygel rail click here for link)

It has storage bins that hook to it and this smaller rail fits 2 of those bins.

The rail was only $3.00; seriously affordable. The two bins I purchased (see below) were $4.00 I think????????  Over all, I spent a maximum of $11.00.  The point here was affordability.  In the future I would love to upgrade to something a little bigger and use baskets instead of plastic bins, but for now, this budget friendly system works great.

Here is the rail with 2 bins, hanging under our keys:

(disclaimer: Yes, thats A LOT of jackets, the picture quality is rather poor due to it being a night shot, and I have a "not so awesome" camera.  Add a new camera to my list of future blog needs. :)

I used my label maker to add labels to the bins, "inbox" and "outbox".

 

Items that go in the Outbox bin: "leftovers", items to be mailed, a borrowed item, anything that I can stuff in here as a temporary home for our next trip out the door

Items that go in the Inbox bin: sunglasses from the car I want to bring in the house, ID badges, other random items that need to come in from the car for use in the house, but will be going back out to the car in a future trip. 

Other ideas:
You could have a bin for each family member (and yes, Ikea makes a longer rail that fits more bins), this would also be a great spot for keys if you don't have another system and you're the type that loses your keys.

Another idea for the rail:
This rail would be perfect, mounted in a closet for hanging scarves.  At only $3.00, its a VERY affordable option.  In fact, I think I might be doing this idea at some point in the future.

Thank you readers!  Many blessings to you!  Home Centered Girl.

How To Create A Household Management Binder

Hello Friends!  I just want to thank you again for stopping by and reading my posts.  I really appreciate you reading my writing and would love for you to comment.

Onto a Household Management Binder.  I created this binder prior to Thanksgiving and its been a wonderful resource for many items.  It lives in the kitchen and there are many ways to put them together.  It is customized for our family, but general enough that the categories would work for everyone.  If you are looking for a way to organize kid's sports schedules, church activities, grocery shopping lists, budgets, travel items, etc...  This is a great way to house those daily, weekly, and monthly activity items all in one place for quick reference.

Here she is:

The first thing I did after purchasing a large white binder was put a piece of scrapbook paper in the front sleeve, and make a label on my computer for the front (remember how I like to see beauty in everyday life).  It lives in my kitchen on the counter so I didn't want an "eye sore".

Here is the inside of the binder:
It includes dividers, poly envelopes, graph paper (I prefer over notebook paper) and a pouch full of writing utensils and sticky labels (I use these to label meals I make ahead for the freezer).

Here are the labeled categories on the dividers:
1. Food: This includes my meal planning sheets (I'll write a post and  upload a free printable for you readers later), and a grocery list.  If I run out of an item, I add it to the list in this section.

2. Budget: Here is where the 6 pink poly envelopes (pictured above) come into play.  Each envelope holds our budgets for 2 months and are labeled accordingly; Jan./Feb., Mar./Apr., etc..... (see pic below).  I also have a 2 month calender in each pocket that lists our family and close friend's birthdays and a card for the corresponding birthday.  You can see below the envelope, labeled for the budget and birthday months, and a card that is waiting for my nieces birthday. 

I like keeping these birthday reminders in with the budgets beacause it reminds us to budget in gifts that month.  Though I have created a customized budget for our household, I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey's budgets which you can download off of his website.

3.  Activities - This section houses the families' activity calenders (church nursery schedule, local YMCA pool schedule, etc...).  If you have a kiddo in sports, this would be the ideal place for their schedule.

4. Home - This section can store home related items such as reminders for when to change the furnace and water filters, etc... Another example I would put in here would be fliers for a furnace upgrade.  Anything related to daily home functioning.

5. Projects - This is where I keep a list of my organizing ideas.  It will now probably include project ideas for this blog and our home.

6. Holiday - This section gets little use this time of year, but around the holidays it houses my meal plan for Christmas, and a list of all the people we are buying Christmas gifts for and their gift.  It lets me visually plan for and reference what needs to be done around the holidays, and whats already been taken care of.

7. Travel - I keep packing lists for upcoming trips and sleepovers in this section, as well as, fliers for places we want to visit.  Currently it has a trail map for our local area.  If you were planning a long distance trip, I would house receipts, confirmation numbers, tickets, and maps in this section that could be transferred to smaller binder for the trip.

8: Inspire - this is where I keep clippings from magazines I love and like to reference.  It is also a great place to keep track of paint colors (you can see my favorite black furniture paint stuck to the divider in the picture below).

Well, here is one last look:

Leave me a comment if you decide to create one of these, or found this information useful.  God bless you!
Home Centered Girl.

Garage Sale Treasure And A Can Of Spray Paint

You know that funny expression, "put a bird on it", well that's pretty much how I feel about lamps.  I love the glow of a lamp at night.  They make a room feel cozy and inviting.  Unfortunately, lamps can be rather spendy so I'm always on the look out for one with good "bones" at a garage sale.  Of the 9 lamps in my home, 8 are from garage sales. If I don't like the finish, I turn to a can a spray paint and create.  It's an incredibly fast makeover that takes about 5 minutes of prep, and 5 minutes of painting.  I've spray pained lamp bases that are wood, plastic, and metal.  I thought I would share a more daring lamp transformation with you and hopefully spark some inspiration the next time you see a $2 treasure at a garage sale.

 This is the before on this rather large lamp.

It was pretty scratched up, but nothing a little can of spray paint can't fix.

I used Rust-Oleum American Accents color: Lagoon (smooth satin finish).  It was only a few dollars at Fred Meyer.

I also purchased a shade (which I think I also found at a garage sale....).

Here is the after:

Here is a close up:

Most of the colors downstairs in my house are very warm and range between red and orange, so this little pop of color is fun in the living room.  It looks rather blue in the pictures (probably because they are taken at night) but in person, the color is teal. It also looks like the finish is speckeled, but its pretty smooth. I LOVE the color and have it in a few other places in my home.

Thanks for reading!  Think twice the next time you see a lamp at a garage sale.

Many blessings to you!  Home Centered Girl.

Organizing and Managing Incoming Paper

First, I just want to say THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement surrounding this blog.  I am so thrilled; BLESS YOU!

Since my last post was a decor item, I thought I would write about an organizational system that we all deal with, pretty much on a daily basis, paper.

We have a newer system in our house, here it is:

 

a closer view:

 

 

 

 

Some of you may be wondering if this is my kitchen.  It is!  It may seem a little odd to have a wall mounted system so close to a cabinet in the kitchen (instead of the office), but for our habits, its in the perfect spot.  This area is actually a little mini-office; the drawers hold small office supplies, my phone books are in the basket on the counter, and my Household Managment Binder sits here (I'll post about this later).  Most importantly, my husband and I have been opening mail in this spot for so long, that I'm not sure we would use the system if I put it in the office.  My recommendation to you is to place a system like this where you are confident it will get used. 

Here is an example of a system that sits on the counter, made by rubbermaid, and sold on amazon.com that would work well : click here for link

Here are the supplies:

Ikea wall mounted system (5 - slots)
file folders
scrap book paper (optional)
label maker (optional)

The wall mounted system was around $15 from Ikea.  There are many other options online at amazon.com or in an office supply store if you don't live near an Ikea (you poor thing) or want to have it shipped.  The other cool thing about this system is that its magnetic, so I will attach items such as a check that needs to be deposited, to the front of the holder.  Next came the folders.  I had plain manilla folders in the house and wanted something a little more pleasing to the eye, so I cut up a piece of scrap book paper for the label portion, and then used my label maker to make the actual label.

If you don't have a label maker, you can write it in by hand or make a small label on your computer and attach it with tape or glue.  Why did I do this step?  I am far more motivated to use an organizational system if its beautiful and pleasing to the eye.  I read about a woman who was more motivated to fold her laundry when it was placed in a beautiful basket vs the plastic variety most of us have in our homes.  For me, its true.  I crave beauty in every day life, and this is a very tiny form of beauty for me (I know, I'm rather OCD).

My five folders have the following labels:

"Action" - this folder contains items to be handled immediately.  It may be a phone call I need to make the next day, etc....  This is the first folder I go to when I have time.

"File" - these are items I want filed away in my filing cabinet, but don't want to take the time right then as I'm opening the mail to handle it.

"Hold" - this folder might contain a receipt for a gift I just gave and don't want to toss yet, an item thats waiting for a response, etc....  Anything that I need to hold temporarily, but don't want to see as clutter on the counter.

"Read" - around here this folder most likely contains a ministry newsletter, at other times I might place an article in here I'd like to read.

"Personal" - this is kind of the "junk drawer" of my filing system.  It contains items that I'm not sure how to handle that are of a personal nature.  For example, my husband was praised recently in a company wide memo and I don't want to recycle the memo, but am not sure what I'm going to do with it.  If you use a folder like this, be careful not to let it fill up.

Your folders might have different titles.  You can pick and choose, after some evaluation, what works for your family.  We already have a system for paying bills that works, it we didn't, I would probably have a folder that was titled "To Be Paid".  If there is an area of your life that gets a lot of paper traffic, such as a ministry, volunteer organization, job; you might want a corresponding folder.

I hope this idea inspires you to create a system of your own!

Here it is again:

Many blessings - Home Centered Girl

My First "Link Up" Submission... More to Come

Hello Everyone!

Well, today I added my blog to my first "link up" party.  You can check out it out on another beautiful blog: Not Just A Housewife  (hover over for link).  From first glance, her secret garden (hover over for link) looks amazing!  I love the "all white" garden.

Look for a post from me either later today or tomorrow on organizing incoming paper.

Many blessings to you!  Home Centered Girl.

Welcome! ....And How to Decorate Using Old Windows

Hello! Thank you, THANK YOU, for taking time to read my blog.  This is DAY ONE  for me and I’m rather excited!!!  I love reading about all things “home centered”.  This blog will feature organizational tips, home décor items, and every so once in a while I will throw in a favorite recipe.  I immensely appreciate you stopping by.  It’s a dream that maybe this blog will turn into a job for me one day, but for now it will be a wonderful creative outlet for this God fearing OCD creative.  Many blessings to you!

So…………….. lets jump into it!!!

I’m going to give a little DIY tutorial on this project, because I get asked about it a lot in our home.  I’m completely addicted to garage sales and this huge window was a garage sale find.  I think I spent $20.00 on it at the most.  For you seasoned garage salers, you may be saying, “I never spend 20 bucks at a garage sale”, and I usually keep it below that, but this beauty is 4.5 ft. tall x 5.5 ft. wide and that’s pretty cheap for a huge piece of art.

This is one way to turn an old window into a photo collage.  It sits on a dresser (another cheap garage sale find), in our entry way.

 Here's another angle:

I didn’t do before shots (sorry,this was done before the blog), but I will take you through it step by step.

1.                  I’m a little freaked out by lead paint and know that there is definitely some lead paint on this window some where.  I actually bought two other smaller windows at the same time (with the same white finish) and took them to a local paint store and asked if the finish was a lead paint.  They confirmed that it had been repainted by then, so I hung it up……. (actually it drove my husband crazy in the garage until I figured out what to do with it). 

2.                  Then I picked a fabric for the inside of some of the panes.  I chose this fabric from a little quilt shop in Cannon Beach, OR when we were on vacation, so it has some sentimental value.

3.                  Next I had some 8x10 photos printed up at Costco because they were the cheapest place to have them printed.

4.                  Next came mounting everything.  After some trial and error, I found the best way to attach the fabric (cut to size) was with a hot glue gun.  The pictures are actually mounted with a piece of small clear tape (photo friendly) in each corner.  Yes, the tape is noticeable if you look really hard, but who cares; they are also easy to change out.

5.                  One more thing about the window.  We mounted hanging hardware to it, and yes you can see one of the wires through one of the pains.  This is on a future project list to do something about, but for now it doesn’t drive me crazy.  Currently, its actually sitting on the dresser instead of hanging on the wall.

Other ideas for old windows:

I’ve seen the glass panes painted with chalk board paint, coat rack hardware attached to the bottom; you could even mount cork to the glass and use it as a message board.  There are many possibilities with them, you just have to be creative.

Thanks for reading!!!! – Home Centered Girl