Spring cleaning: The Living Room

I've just started my spring cleaning this year and I'm so glad that I was able to finish one room today--the living room.  This picture only shows a part of the room, but I will describe for you some of the cleaning and organization I did for our largest room in our condo.

1.  Wipe down door and walls. 

I used a bowl full of soapy water and rag to do this.

2.  Dust furniture.

3.  Clean and vacuum heat registers and air conditioner.

It's easy using a hose attachment on the vacuum cleaner!

4.  Clean windows and blinds.

5.  Mop entry way.

6.  Sort through magazines in basket and get rid of what we don't want anymore.

7.  Wipe down picture frames.

8.  Organize little dresser that has tools, lightbulbs, candles and other small household items.

9.  Straighten movies and cds and get rid of what we don't want anymore.

10.  Sort through games and organize the inside of the boxes.

11.  Vacuum and disinfect sofa and chairs.

12.  Clean out fireplace and fireplace nook.

I've actually started this, but my husband said he'll clean out all the ashes soon.

13.  Vacuum entire floor, even using the hose attachment to get the edges and corners.

This cleaning took me a few hours, but it is so well worth it!  Next time on this spring cleaning edition, I'll post about the next room--the dining room.

Happy Spring cleaning!

Grocery bag dispenser

I don't remember for sure where I got this idea from (perhaps in a magazine), but it's a great one.  We reuse our plastic grocery bags for the bathroom trash can and for other odds and ends around the house. But for the longest time, they were such a disorganized mess in one of our kitchen drawers that it was driving me crazy!

Then, this idea to use an empty tissue box came my way and I thought it was a neat way to store the bags in.  Before filling it with bags, I reinforced the sides with packaging tape.  Then, I stuffed as many as I could in the box and placed it in one of my kitchen drawers.  That's all there is to it.  When I need to pull one out, I get what I need without the others flying all over the place!

Do any of you have ideas for storing bags and other kitchen necessities that you just can't live without?  Please, do share...:)

Bacon-wrapped apple BBQ chicken

I love this recipe and I agree that you will, too.  This fabulous crock-pot chicken recipe was found on 5dollardinners.com.  Besides its wonderful sweet and tangy taste, a great feature of this recipe is that it is so economical.  Enjoy the following recipe and check out that site for some more scrumptious five dollar dinners.  You can also find the picture to this recipe there as well--we ate ours so fast that I didn't have time to take a picture!

Bacon-wrapped apple BBQ chicken  (serves 4)

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1-2 apples, peeled and grated

1 lemon, juiced

6-8 slices bacon

2-3 sweet potatoes and 1 cup chopped frozen broccoli (for side dishes)

1.  In small bowl, combine BBQ sauce with grated apple and lemon juice.

2.  Place chicken breasts in base of crock pot, pour BBQ/apple mixture over the chicken.  Wrap two pieces of bacon around each chicken breast.  Set to low and cook for 8 hours.

3.  Slit sweet potatoes with knife or vent with fork.  Bake sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for 1 hour in baking dish with 1/3 inch water.  Cover with foil.  Remove and let cool about 10 minutes.  Peel skins off of the potato and mash.  Serve with cinnamon and butter if you like.

4.  Cook frozen broccoli as directed on package.

5.  Serve yummy chicken breast with side of broccoli and sweet potatoes.

My Garden: planting seeds indoors

For a few weeks now, Q and I have been talking about having a garden this year.  We wondered what we would do, especially since we don't have a lot of space in our patio.  Trying some things in pots seems to be the answer.  We'll also just scatter some mixed flower seeds on the dirt bed on the patio when the weather gets warmer and there seems to be no snow in the forecast.

We picked up a couple herb packets at Wal-mart--oregano and basil.  I also found a couple seed packets in my gardening box that I had forgotten about.  The peppermint and chamomile seeds were freebies last year from Celestial Seasonings.  We also thought we'd try growing cherry tomatoes in a pot this year.

To start my garden indoors, I used about 2 dozen styrofoam cups.  I poked four holes on the bottom of each one, then filled them with potting soil.  Before adding seeds, I labeled each cup. I did about three cups per herb and about a dozen tomato cups.  I placed 2-3 tomato seeds in each one. I placed the cups on three trays lined with foil then watered them.  They are sitting on my dining room table, but I hope to give them a little sunshine when the weather warms up a bit.  I am really excited to see these seeds grow--I'll keep you posted on how they do.

Camp Eden day poster

Before I took my high school choir to Camp Eden last week, our guest conductor, Mr. Massey suggested that we make a poster that would show the student body what we did.  On the day we were there, he had the students write encouraging notes to one another on post-it note sheets. Our assistant pastor made the poster for us with pictures all around the edges as a border.  I took those notes the students wrote and pasted them on in the middle of the poster.  The students complimented each other on their singing abilities and thanked each other for friendship.  They were all really good and encouraging.  

The poster hangs in the hallway on a bulletin board for the jr. high and high school students to see.  My desire is that it would promote school unity and spirit as we head off to the state competition next week.

At the top of the poster, I wrote a note to the students to get them excited about competition.  I know they'll do a great job. I can't wait!

Kate Greenaway's Book of Games

I found the book, Kate Greenaway's Book of Games at a thrift store a while back and thought I should read the entire book just for fun. This book was first published in Great Britain in 1889--such a treasure!  I finished reading it last night and even thought that a couple of the word games would be fun for teens and adults.  I absolutely love the artwork in this book.  I love simplicity, and this book offers just that as it describes close to eighty games to play.  Things as simple as playing with dolls and kites are described and illustrated, and familiar ones like hide-and-seek and musical chairs bring back memories of my childhood.

Here's a simple game that might not be as common as some of the others, but sounds like a fun one to try:

"Book Consequences 

All the players being furnished with paper and pencil, the title of a book is written on the top edge of the paper and folded down.  It is then passed on to the next person, who writes an alternative title, and passes it to a third, who writes an author's name.  The fourth writes the subject of the book, a fifth player an extract from it, and a sixth a criticism.  After each person has written, he folds the paper over and passes it on." (p. 49)

The front cover of the book shows children playing "Blind Man's Bluff."

Follow-my-leader illustrated and described

Frog in the middle--now, this ones sounds like fun for a party!

Mulberry Bush--such a classic!

Have you found a book such as this one with such fun and simple games to play?  I know this will be a great reference for kids' ministry, substitute teaching, youth group--or even for a family to enjoy together!

Hand-painted flower pots

Spring is almost officially here--can you believe it?  I'm still trying to fathom how it could be March, when it seems like we just celebrated New Year's.  Time sure does fly...

I wanted to show you some flower pots I painted for last year's parent appreciation banquet. This year's banquet is a little over a week away, so I'm in the thinking stages of how I'm going to be decorating the tables this year. 

These flower pots were used as centerpieces, but then given away to a few parents as appreciation gifts. I hand-painted a different design on each terra cotta pot, using fabric paints (yup, they do work on other things beside fabric:). When I was done, I gave them each a coat or two of spray varnish.  I found these beautiful purple and white violas at Home Depot and potted them on the day of the event.

Pot #1:  Flowers and stripes

Pot #2:  Little flowers and swirls

Pot #3:  Flowers and circles

Pot #4:  A Garden of flowers 

As you're thinking about your garden this year, perhaps these have given you an idea on how to embellish the pots you already have on hand.  I'm thinking we're probably going to do more potted flowers and herbs this year, since we have such a small area of dirt.  I'll be posting on that some time in the near future...

Happy gardening!