​With everyone trying to social distance themselves and, in our case, with my husband working from home, everyday can feel like a Saturday. This makes it difficult to keep a routine or even remember what day it is. To help my kids out I decided to make them a daily chart that they can mark off everyday to help them keep track of their days and prevent us from going stir crazy inside.  

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To use our chart I filled in ten things they should do everyday, not chores necessarily but good habits I’d like them to get into doing everyday, like making the bed, brushing teeth, and playing outside. Then I put the chart in sheet protectors and taped them up where the kids can reach them. Whenever they finish something they can use a whiteboard marker to 'x' off what they've done. My son was really excited about the chart when I gave it to him. We'll see how his excitement continues from this point on. ​

One thing I like about the chart is the kids can choose the order they want to do everything. This will help build autonomy and help them to understand how to prioritize their time eventually. For instance, when my son found it was too early to be playing outside, he turned to the chart to find something else he could do until playing outside was an option. The chart also allows for the kids to feel a sense of accomplishment as they mark off each thing everyday. ​

​But the chart doesn’t have to just be for kids, I tried to design it in a way that it’s pretty enough to be used by adults too to track their habits/goals. 

I hope this will help you guys during this time. It’s good to keep a sense of normalcy when things are a bit off kilter in the world. We’re thinking and praying for you all. 

Remember if you want a copy of the chart, subscribe to our email list. 

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My husband and I accomplished a lot this past weekend. it was so great! It all started on Friday. I had been off doing a church assignment that morning and when I got home, he had left for work. But, before he left, he had gone on a shopping spree which is very unusual for him. He had been to Harbor Freight and sitting in the middle of my family room was a camp chair and a flashlight with a note that said "Happy Birthday!" He knew I needed a new chair for Girl's Camp this summer, so he picked me up one like he has, which is a favorite! (He had a coupon that made it cheaper!) Then, on the dining table, there was another package with a note that read, "Merry Christmas!" It was a heat gun! I am so excited because I had told him about a craft that my daughter-in-law is doing and I want to give it a try. It requires a heat gun and the one he got me is really nice, with variable speeds and temperatures! (Once again, a coupon!) More to come on that project!
Well, I don't really know what has gotten into him, but later that evening, after Awesome Husband was home from work, we were talking about various projects around the house, I mentioned that I wanted to get some tomatoes and basil planted in one of the garden boxes that we have out in our backyard. Well, the next morning he went out there and dug up the soil in that box and got it ready to plant in and we went off to the home improvement store and purchased the plants that we needed. They are now planted and growing and looking good so far. I hope you will later be seeing some recipes with the produce from that garden box! You got to love a man who does something to make one of your wants come true so quickly!
The fun didn't stop there! This man of mine then went into my craft room and finished putting up all of the moldings, miter cuts and all, and even along the top of my sewing desk! All there is left to do is the caulking and paint touch-ups. It is looking so wonderful! Meanwhile I was doing some fancy cooking for him that I will blog about on another day, and the not so fancy laundry. But, today I will show you how the craft room is coming along at this stage of the game!

     You can see my last updatehere. On that post I made a list of the things that still need to be done.  We can just about cross off the trim moldings because all we have left to do is caulk and paint!  Look how beautiful they are! 

Another thing that I have started on, but have by no means completed, is the organization process. Since I have shelves in there that are available for use and it won't be in my husband's way if I start to fill them, I have begun going through things and putting them on these shelves.
A few years ago, I found some fabric boxes that are 13 x 13 inches on clearance at Target and they fit on my long shelf just right! I was able to get a super good deal on them at the time, so keep your eyes open for those clearance sales and weekly ads. I only had 3 and I needed 6 in all, so I ordered these from Amazon. But, there are a number of options available. My husband is going to add another long shelf below the original one for me and I will store my fabric boxes on that shelf when it is finished, saving the top shelf for less used items.

       I decided that I needed a way to label the boxes with the type of fabrics that they are holding.  I had some little wooden shapes that we had decorated with chalkboard paint at our Christmas in July party this past year.  I thought they would look great on my boxes and I do really like them.  I simply painted them with black chalkboard paint and used a chalk marker to hand letter them with the types of fabrics that I have. 

I am loving the look, but looking forward to the lower shelf so that they will be easier to reach!  

     All in all, it was a pretty productive weekend that left us feeling satisfied with life around here!  How about you?  What projects are you working on?  I would love to hear about them.  Of course, I may end up giving my husband something else to do for me if I like them too much, ha ha!  
​     Thanks for stopping by! 
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    Back in September, I shared with you the beginnings of my craft room.  Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, I am turning one of the bedrooms into a room where I can sew, craft, blog and do all kinds of projects to my heart's content without having to clutter and clear off the dining room table!  
    As the holidays came around, things were standing still in there and I hadn't decided what to do with the floor.  I couldn't move on without getting the floor taken care of.  Thank heavens my husband took things in hand and told me that laying the floor and working on my room would be his Christmas present to me this year!  What a great gift, and he has worked so hard! 

      To begin with, he took me to Lowe's and had me pick out the flooring.  After much deliberation, I chose this wood laminate flooring!  We chose Quick Step Brand.  It is a very DIY friendly click-lock system and the underlayment pad is attached, saving time and money!  I chose the Restoration Oak color, but there are many other colors available.  I love the look of this one. 
     If you remember, there are a bunch of built in shelves on one side of the room which are going to be great for my craft supply storage, but the previous owner who built them didn't remove the baseboard when he built them in.  So, while the rest of the room will be getting taller baseboards, we had to put a 3/4 round strip along the shelf wall to hide the raw edges of the flooring.  But, since it is under the desk, it won't really show anyway. As you can see in the picture, we also have to replace the wall socket plates. 

     For the sewing desk support, my husband and son-in-law took a trip to the building recycling center and purchased those two banks of drawers.  They are well made and in great shape.  You may notice that the drawer banks are slightly different from each other, but I think that adds to the charm.  The drawer pulls are slightly different, and I may or may not change them out to match.  What do you think? Husband and SIL painted them white, after sanding and priming them and built a frame to hold the melamine top of the desk.  The edge will be finished white and the top around the wall will be trimmed out.  Since I took this picture, hubby has drilled the hole in the top of the counter for the cords to go through. 

    He rounded the corners for me because I am a klutz and didn't want to have perpetual bruises on my hips.  Plus, if my grandchildren are in there with me, I didn't want sharp corners for little heads to hit.  

     What do you think?  I have to tell you that I am thrilled so far!  I have even already used my sewing machine on that desk!  (Here is the post!)
        Here is what is left on the to do list: 

• I need to paint the closet still.
• Trim the floor and the top of the sewing desk
• We are adding one more shelf above the sewing desk.  And, peg board on one shelf wall to hold scissors and other tools.
• Replace wall socket plates
• Window treatments (I am torn between blinds, curtains or both and I feel like I am going blind perusing all of the choices on Minted.  Help).
• My husband is going to build me a cutting/craft table! 
• I really want a cozy chair to sit in while doing handwork.
• Organizing all of the craft items that are scattered throughout my house! 

     It sounds like a long list, but I don't think most of it will take long. Except for maybe the organizing part! But, I am so excited to do it because organizing that room will lead to others becoming more organized as I move my craft supplies to their permanent home.  I can hardly wait to show you it as we move farther along in the process! 

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    Last year, about this time, I did some self evaluating and wrote this post about goal setting.  It is a really good post (If I say so myself) with good ideas about setting and achieving goals and how I was going to try to be more successful in 2018.  It is now time for me to report to you how I did and how I plan to improve in 2019. 
     After writing the post about goal setting, I shared another one with you about my own, specific goals.  I started out stronger and for longer that I have in years past, but I did struggle after my schedule changed when I started taking care of my granddaughter.  But, I did see a lot of progress in many areas, so I am calling my method a qualified success!  After all, any progress is a success and since it was my first year trying my planner method, I can give it a few tweaks and keep trying. 

My 2018 Goals and Progress Made: 

     Personal Goals-

1. Journaling-Right away I found that my chosen day to journal was difficult.  I need to change it this year.  I made a few entries throughout the year, but not nearly enough. 
2. Eating Healthier-I have changed a number of recipes to vegan, mostly for Maddy's sake.  But, I have a long way to go when it comes to my own willpower.
3. Reading More Again-My reading did pick up in 2018, mostly thanks to Alicia starting the podcast! I want to pick it up more this year! 

     Spiritual Goals-

1. Scripture Study-This was my only goal in this category and I did very well with it, I am happy to report.  My husband and I have started studying together in the evening and we love that time to read and discuss.  I can feel the change in myself because of it.

    Preparedness Goals-

1. Gardening-It didn't happen. Hopefully this year! 
2. Sprouting Wheat-I did this at least once this past year.  
3. Can more vegetables-Well, I canned chicken, jam and peaches but now vegetables.  Maybe if I get a garden in this year...
4. Re-organize my Pantry-I did work on this.  I went through and got rid of expired food and put the oldest stuff to the front so that we can not have waste. 

     Home Improvement Goals-

1. Organize Books-I got a lot done in this area.  I have gone through books in 3 rooms of my house and even gotten rid of a few.  I have organized my bookshelves.  I do have more boxes of books stored to go through. 
2. Redecorate my bedroom-Instead, we have started on my craft room.  I will soon post about the new floor that my husband put down for me as my Christmas gift! 

     Blogging Goals-

1. Research-Continues to happen!
2. Pitch Kit-I haven't made a kit, but I have pitched with some success! 

     So, all in all, I feel like I was fairly successful last year and hope to make this year even better.  I mean, who says that you have to have a year deadline on your goals?  No one, that's who!  I am going to hone in on my goals and keep at them! 
      This past week, we found Happy Planners at Micheal's for 60% off! This is the time of year to look for deals on calendars and planners.  Alicia got a large planner and mine is the smaller one.  I found them on Amazon, and I also found that you can get a hole punch that fits the Happy Planner pages so that you can add your own personalized pages to your planner. That would be perfect for me to add journaling pages to my planner. I also love how each month has a place to list goals.  That will be great for making short term goals that will lead to being successful on my larger goals. 

    How did you do on your goals this year?  Have you had any successes that you are really proud of?  Let us know in the comments!