Mission: Jewelry Organization

 So, I have a slight obsession with jewelry. I have a lot of different items, and didn't have a good way to organize them. I finally found a couple ideas on pinterest, combined with an item from Thirty-One Gifts that perfectly organize all my baubles and bangles!

Here is what my necklaces looked like before:

Just a bunch of necklaces hanging on C hooks that I screwed into the wall. At first it worked, but my necklace collection grew too much to continue to fit! The necklaces became a mess and it was difficult to get them off the hooks because they were over-crowded and getting tangled.

Solution: A jewelry pegboard! I saw the idea on pinterest: 

http://buttonbirddesigns.com/out-of-sight-out-of-mind/ 
but this blog post didn't have any instructions.

One weekend I had it in my head to get this done, but my husband was out of town. I am a very determined person, and I decided I was going to make this thing, even if Joel was gone for the weekend. So, I broke out the power tools and measuring tape and got it done! (Though there was a little bit of frustration when I was trying to find the studs. And I gave up for a few days, but eventually got it done. All by myself.)

We already had a long piece of pegboard, which I had to trim a little bit. It was a few inches too long to fit on the wall. So I got the saw out and cut off the excess and sanded it then spray-painted it purple.

I couldn't just put the pegboard right on the wall because the hooks wouldn't have fit in because the backs are deeper than the pegboard. So, I found a few old bed slats in the garage that were about an inch thick. I put three of these up. One towards the ceiling, one towards the baseboard, and one towards the midway point.

 After the wood was up, I screwed the pegboard into those.

 And then added my hooks - lots of them! I also added a couple longer hooks to hold a shelf up. On the high part of the pegboard I put items that I don't wear often.

The shelf holds a couple of ice cube trays which is filled with all of my earrings. The nice thing about this is that I can always add more ice cube trays, since they are easily stackable. :)

For my bracelets, I ordered a Littles Carry-All Caddy from Thirty-One Gifts (www.mythirtyone.com/sjsvenby). The caddy is only $12 (plus $7 for personalization), and has so many great uses!

My jewelry is now much more organized, and it is easy to find what I need in the morning. I love it! And the plus side is we already had the pegboard, the slats of wood, and the screws on hand at home. I only had to purchase the hooks and the little shelf, which only cost me a total of about $22. Not bad!

(Sorry the pictures aren't great. It was hard to get them because of the tight space in my closet, especially since this is right where the door opens up.)

Cheesy Sloppy Sliders

So I saw these yummy little sliders on Pinterest, but when I clicked on it, the link did not take me to directions on how to make them. But I made these today and they were yummy and so easy to make!

What you will need:

Ground beef

Ground sausage

Velveeta cheese

Slider rolls

As I browned half a pound of ground beef and half a pound of mild sausage together, my adorable sous chefs cubed half a pound of Velveeta for me. 

Once the meet was browned and drained, I added the cheese to the pan with about a tablespoon of milk to help thin it out a little bit. Are the cheese melted into the meat, it was ready!

We served them on slider rolls. I used buttery ones, which were good, but the Hawaiian sweet rolls would be good too! The amount we made was enough to feed the four of us and have some leftovers to spare. 

Even the little sous chefs liked them - and they can be picky eaters!

The seasoning in the sausage provided a nice flavor while the cheese made it creamy and held the meat together a little bit. These were a nice game day lunch for us, and would work well to make ahead of time and put in the crock pot for a party. 

Her life is about to change forever...

The other day my husband said to our five-year-old daughter, "Your life is about to change forever." And that was the first time that it really hit me. He's right. Her life is about to change forever, because tomorrow she starts kindergarten and her life never will be the same again. The rest of her life from here on out will be dedicated to something specific. Whether it be a student for the next  13+ years, or someone out in the "real world" contributing to society and (hopefully) making a difference. Soon the days of being a kid with no plans who can enjoy every second as it comes and not worry about what is to come will be gone.

She's a five year old so excited to start school and every morning she wakes up and she asks "is kindergarten starting?" I wish that she could hold on to that excitement and always have that desire for learning.

I know that someday in the not-so-distant future I will have to drag her kicking and screaming out of bed, fighting against having to go to school, complaining that she doesn't like her teacher, complaining about homework and tests, but for now, I hope she enjoys it. I hope she enjoys every second of the fun she is about to embark upon. This amazing journey of life and living and learning. And I hope that she can hold on to that excitement and wonderment of going to school. Of seeing the "big kids," learning form them and their experiences. And may she never take for granted the beauty of education.

I guess that's why we start this big change when we are young, when ignorance is bliss. Because if she knew what was in store for her over the next almost 20 years of school and college, would she be this excited? Would she be so eager to put on her uniform and new school shoes and head out on this journey? If she truly knew what was in store for her come middle school and high school, she would not have the eagerness inside her to learn and to step foot onto that school bus and walk through those school doors. But I'm glad she is eager for it. I'm glad she is ready to go to school. And I hope that just like her mother, she gets so excited for that first day of school each year.

What would you do if you knew it was your last day in the status quo? If you knew your life was about to change forever?

As an adult, I understand what this last day of freedom means for her. Her last chances to not worry if she is doing enough, if she is smart enough, if the other kids like her. Of comparing herself to others. Learning that society is harsh on people. Soon she will be seeing what the world is really like, and not the way she sees it now - full of wonder and mystery and things to explore. Of course, all those things will still be there but she won't see the world that way, through the innocent eyes of childhood.

What would you do if you could go back to those days but know what the start of school meant?

I want her to hold on to that love of school, of learning. To never take it for granted.

And of course this year we will hope for a better school picture than last year's. :)

The Roller Coaster of Love

They tell you that marriage is hard. That it is like a roller coaster filled with ups and downs. There is no way to understand just how true that is until you're in it. There are some days that are so hard and everyone in the house is cranky and frustrated and the house is a mess that seems will never be clean. Sometimes on those days I want to throw my hands in the air and scream "I give up! I want out! I'm done!" But then I stop and think: What would my life be like without the chaos? I wouldn't have those moments when I stop and think, I can't believe this is my life. I am so blessed.

I didn't promise to love my husband when it's easy to do so. Through our vows, I promised to love him for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.

This year has really tested those vows.

There is never enough month at the end of the money, but this year has proven more difficult than usual. We had a car die on us, and we unexpectedly had to purchase a new one, which meant we had to figure out how to come up with the money for a monthly car payment. Plus, the water heater went out and we had to have the repairman come out three times to fix parts on it. Luckily the very expensive part that had to be replaced was covered under warranty!

Not to mention the health issues this year. Emmy had a few visits to urgent care for a UTI, nursemaid's elbow, and a nasty cold with a chest infection, and a trip to the allergist where we learned she is allergic to our dog. Lily broke her clavicle. And then Joel ended up in the hospital for the better part of a week with a nasty attack of colitis. And during that time I ended up with the worst sore throat of my life that just didn't seem like it wanted to go away. That was just about the toughest week I have ever had. I was exhausted, in pain, without my husband, missing work, and trying to balance everything at home and at the hospital. Talk about too many balls in the air!

Because of this past year I have come to appreciate our vows more than ever before. Even more than on our wedding day - when it was easy to make those vows. 

So, Joel, today, on our anniversary, my new vow to you is this:

It is easy to feel my love for you when the days are easy and filled with fun. I promise to work harder to feel the love on the hard days. When the days are long and stressful and the girls are out of control and dishes are piling up in the sink and the house is a mess and the bills are stacking up and there is no clean laundry to be found, I will stop and think about our love for each other. I will remind myself of the beginning. When things were easy and we were getting to know each other and slowly falling in love. When there was time for dates and not hurrying home to pay the babysitter. 

I vow to remember how happy we felt on our wedding day. To remember the love we felt, and still feel to this day and forevermore.

Once a Cowboy, Always an Angel

I haven't blogged in over a year now because life got busy and crazy and stressful (as it tends to do), and I just didn't feel like I had much to write about. Today was different. Today I couldn't stop thinking about an old friend that I miss dearly. My focus at work has been almost non-existent today as I try to remember him.

When you are young, you think you are invincible. Nothing can ever strike you down.
One summer we learned that the opposite is true. Out of nowhere, our friend Brian died when the plane that he was piloting crashed and he was killed instantly. Eleven years ago today, we lost a shining star in our world.

It was so hard to hear that someone so young and full of life and on the verge of realizing his dreams was gone forever.  In those moments, life seems to freeze. Nothing else matters. But, like it always does, life continues on. You grow, you change, you move on. And it hurts when you look back at what could have been and what should have been. Brian should still be here, flying planes, probably married with cute little kids running around in cowboy boots and hats, living out his dreams. But instead, he earn a different set of wings.

As time passes, you start to forget things. There is always that missing piece, the hole that can never be filled inside your heart and inside your mind. But some of the details start to slip away. The conversations you had, the times spent together. But with Brian, there are some things that can never be forgotten: the cowboy hat and boots, the flannel shirts, his love of God and others, his way of captivating a room, and his smile. No matter how much time passes, I will never forget Brian's smile; it's impossible. It was infectious, and it still is. Still, when I think of his smile, it makes me smile. I can't help it. Thinking of his smile reminds me of everything Brian was. A young man full of life, energy, love, and faith. A positive influence to everyone around him. Someone who was here to help build God's Kingdom on Earth, and he sure did!

So here is to you, Brian - you'll always be our cowboy!