Resolution 2013: Creating a Calm Space

One of my resolutions this year was a last minute addition.... we visited the home of a friend over the holiday season and there was a great sense of calm in their home. It was in the way they hosted, the strength of their marriage, but also in the decor. There were intentional empty spaces on the wall, a soft candle, unity in color, and warmth all around. I just loved it. Then, I cam home and saw pictures all over the walls, bright colors everywhere, and felt such a difference. I love our home- we have a 4 year old, so it will be busy. But, I decided that I would spend some time and a little money creating a calmer living space.

Looking back, here is my living room before and with a few updates last year and here is my new calmer living room. 

We bought new couches last year from IKEA and bought them in charcoal grey. The slipcover began peeling almost immediately and IKEA happily exchanged them. I went with a light khaki color in hopes that they wouldn't peel. So far, so good! 

The green chairs were a garage sale find- in perfect condition! I hope to slipcover them in the next year to something neutral, but with a little print. I don't love the green, but loved the price and the extra seating. I have always wanted two matching chairs with a small table in the living room!

We moved the rug that was in the living room into the guest bedroom and sold our big red ottoman on Craigslist. I bought the brown and white runner on super clearance at Crate & Barrel and the wicker ottoman from Target that it opens up to hold blankets. I ordered this rug in a larger size, so I can't wait to add that to the space. It'll fill the floor perfectly! 

The black bookcase was cleared of extra knick knacks and now holds Abby's favorite games and my big ivy. I removed all of the art work that filled this wall- just wait until you see where it is now! I placed our newest family photo on the wall and left the space around it blank.

I am loving the new line of peach, lime/yellow, green and teal at Target. I bought this lampshade to replace the large red ticking stripe one on the bar in my kitchen. I removed all of the heavy black picture frames and kept a light ivory frame on the bar. My overall goal is that your eye just moves around the room as opposed to having competing places to look.

The biggest change in this room has to be the wall behind the TV. I had it painted red to match my formal dining room two years ago. I love red, but as I was moving to a more neutral space, the red just wasn't working for me. I took my new Olin rug from Crate & Barrel to Home Depot with me and bought a great brown, Joshua's Tree by Behr. It was the perfect calm brown I needed for behind the TV.

At the same time, I decided that the candlesticks were too heavy in black, so I painted them with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Cream and then applied dark wax to them. I love how they turned out- exactly as I had envisioned!

The only real red I kept in the space is my large American flag. It had been in the dining room, but I wanted to change things up, so I moved it above the mantel. I like the rustic-ness it gives my space. My husband said that in looking around our house, we love America and Jesus. I can live with that!

My chaise lounge is my favorite place to be! I added a khaki and blue plaid blanket and my favorite ivory sweater blanket to the chair. You can just curl up in this space by the fireplace and watch TV, read, snuggle with a little girl! 

I just love spending time in here!

Is calm a buzz word for you in 2013? I'd love ideas on how you are creating calm in your own space?

This article by another busy Mom caught my eye and gave me some great ideas. She is well organized and keeps a calm home with 4 kids. Check it out!

For more 2013 resolutions, click here.

Resolutions 2013: Lose Weight with Your Little Birdie Recipes

 If you are like me, you resolve to eat better and lose weight this time each year! And then, it is dinner time and you don't know what to make and you go back to your favorites that are not always healthy. I love casseroles and those often involve more pasta and cheese than vegetables.

But, I have made a lot of low fat healthy foods throughout the past few years and collected them on the blog.  Here are my top five- hopefully some of these will help you in your quest, too!

Tortilla Soup 

Zucchini Boats

Weight Watchers Dijon Roasted Potatoes

Grilled Veggies with Cheese

Pistachio Dreamcake

If you are looking for more ideas, here are collections of helpful recipes:

Recipes- Healthy

Recipes- Weight Watchers Friendly

Paulina's Cooking School

For more resolutions, click on the button on the left. Happy New Year!

Resolution 2013: Get Organized with Apps

My iPhone is slowly becoming a bigger part of my life. It is always with me, so the more I have on it that manages my life, the better! If you are hoping 2013 is the year you become more organized, have you thought about how your phone can help? I recently found two great apps for organizing my family!

While at a MOPS meeting recently, another Mom mentioned the free Cozi app and with her simple explanation I was sold. Your family (spouse, grandparents, older kids) all have the apps on their phones and share the same information. The Cozi app includes a family calendar, to do list, shopping list and more! Each person in your family is given a color to keep it all organized within the app. 

So many times I have had to remind my husband of family activities- don't forget we are going here tonight... remember, I won't be home tomorrow because of this, etc. With Cozi, I entered activities so that he can see our schedules when making work commitments or wondering what we are doing this weekend.

With the shopping list feature, I can continuously jot down things we need as I think of them and if he happens to stop at Target to get me flowers, he can grab more gallon size baggies and vitamins :) It works both ways because I am always at Target and it would be great to see he is out of contact solution and AA batteries! 

My daughter is 4 and she comes home with art every day! I display it for a few weeks on the large shutter in our kitchen and then when it gets full I often throw it away. She has been known to pull art out of the trash because it is "special". I love her art work and keep everything with special meaning or hand and foot prints, but I can't keep it all. Enter Artkive!

With this app, you take a picture of your child's artwork on your phone and following their directions tag it with their name, age and the date of the artwork. When you are ready, you can use the app's software to turn their art into a book, coffee mug for Grandpa or mousepad for Dad. How smart is that!

The app costs $2.99 is an only on iOS (iPhone/iPad) for now. Their website says an Android version is coming this year.

I know iPhones today can be such a distraction, but they can also enhance family life! I recommend both of these apps from my own use to help you get more organized in 2013! For more resolutions, click on the Resolutions 2013 button on the left.

Paulina's Asian Butternut Squash Soup

I love soup in the fall and winter months, but I can honestly only eat so much chicken tortilla, taco soup or chili. I was excited when Paulina recommended a Butternut Squash Soup. 

Start with a large butternut squash, peel it, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Without Paulina, I would have had no clue what part of this vegetable you eat!

Give it a rough chop, cubing it and boil it in water until soft like a potato. In the meantime, with a little butter and olive oil, saute 1 onion with equal parts celery and carrots. You want the celery and carrots to be an even amount to the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes and add to soft squash.

Next, add some garlic and fresh ginger, about the size of your thumb. You can easily peel ginger with a spoon- I had no idea! Add some salt, a spicy pepper (like a habanero) and lemongrass! To open up the flavoring of the lemongrass, beat it with the back of a spoon or a knife. You want the flavoring of the lemongrass, but eating it can be too much. Pull it out of the soup before you blend it all up!

Doesn't it look so pretty! Next, you'll want to add a little coconut milk to the soup. We bought canned coconut milk in the Asian, not the cold milk found in the dairy section. Add about 1/3 the can. You can always add more to taste.

Your soup is now ready to be blended up. We used an emulsification blender which can be placed right inside the soup. Without it, you have to ladle all the soup into your food processor! 

We garnished our warm soup with more coconut milk, cilantro (my favorite) and bacon. Paulina recommends it with crab meat also. Delish- this soup is beautiful, impressive, and tastes great!

I love all the real ingredients in this soup- it is full of vitamins and that helps with my 2013 resolutions! For more resolutions, click on the button on the left.

Resolutions 2013: Buying Healthier at the Grocery Store

I have heard that shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is healthier than the inside. The inside is where the processed junk lies. Around the edge, you'll find fresh fruits and veggies, meats and dairy. The good stuff is on the outside. While I know that apples are good for me and Trix are not, I'd love to know what exactly apples do for me. (reduce artery and cell damage is the answer!)

I went to the expert of our times, Dr. Oz and found his article on the 99 healthiest foods you can buy at the grocery store. It includes fruits, veggies, grains, meats, dairy and more and tells you what they can do for you, how to save money when buying them, and even gives recipes with those staples included.

If you are resolving to eat better so that you'll be healthier and eliminate the processed foods, join me in 2013 and this article will help! For more 2013 Resolutions, click on the button on the left. 

Paulina's Sweet Slaw

Remember my foodie friend Paulina and the cooking school she created for me in July? At that time we talked about getting together in the fall to do some fall veggies. At the beginning of December, Paulina's Cooking School 2.0 was in session!

Paulina is a fabulous cook, uses natural ingredients, and would love to open a cooking school one day. She has been so kind to help me on two different occasions to learn to cook with some ingredients outside the box for me. I resolve to eat better in 2013 and Paulina can help us all do that!

Let's start with hearts of palm.... I had no idea what this even was! Due to limitations, either seasonal or geographic, we ended up buying this in a can. My face says it all- it was gummy and tasted like the vinegar it was canned with. Gross!

We also had this FUNKY cauliflower from the farmer's market. I had no interest in eating it, so we skipped right over it. It came in green or orange. Funky!

 But, lucky for us, we came away from the day with three recipes that I really liked and would make again, starting with Paulina's Sweet Slaw. This is made with brussel sprouts! I had no idea a brussel sprout can be eaten raw and is essentially a small cabbage. So, a salad made from brussel sprouts is a slaw.

For the slaw, we simply cut the brown stalk part of the spout off, then sliced them up to edible size pieces. Paulina wanted a sweet dressing, so she mixed up lemon juice, honey, olive oil and some whole grain Dijon mustard, pictured below. The mustard serves as a binding agent in salads and gave us the tangy taste to counter the sweet of the honey.

We also added crumbled bacon and it was a great option when you are tired of a standard lettuce salad. 

Paulina took the remaining brussel sprouts and cooked them according to 101 Cookbooks blog. I wasn't a huge fan of them cooked (they were soggy to me after just loving them as a slaw), but if you like sprouts, this recipes gives them good flavor and the cheese is delish on them.

More cooking school coming soon!

Resolution 2013: Get Organized Around the House

I like to think of myself as pretty organized, but there are definitely areas of my life that have a hidden junk drawer! Remember that episode of Friends where they discover Monica's junk closet and she is mortified? ha! I can relate! 

Here are a couple of favorite organizing tips I found online and a few from the annals of Your Little Birdie.

Batteries are all over my kitchen junk drawer! I love using these inexpensive thread or tackle boxes for batteries. Just see what fits best in each compartment, label them and restock as needed.

I own lots of jewelry! I have it in my closet hanging on 3M Command hooks, in a dresser drawer and in my own jewelry armoire. I wish I had seen this sweet display when I was organizing my earrings. Draw pulls and knobs work great to hang earrings. Watch for them 50% off at Hobby Lobby and stock up! 

I hate when my scoop necked tops fall off the hangers and I end up with hangers that look empty, but have shirts hanging half on and half off. Those shirts end up falling off and getting wrinkled. It is a sick cycle! I own about 20 of the felted hangers, but they are too expensive to redo my whole closet. Look at this clever idea! Genius! 

Show hangers are perfect for organizing craft supplies! Mine holds tulle, tape, wooden blocks, glue sticks, loose twine, magnets, sequin and rhinestones. If you are a crafter, I highly recommend a shoe holder!

I keep my recipes well organized in two cute and inexpensive photo boxes from Hobby Lobby. I have recently added a large three ring binder with dividers for all of the recipes I am printing off of Pinterest! I bought the binder and dividers at Target and keep a three hole punch handy by my printer. My dividers include Beef, Chicken, Pork, Apps/Snacks, Drinks, Desserts, Crockpot and Other. It works great!

This time last year I was going crazy trying to decide how to best store Christmas cards from years past. I decided on a blessing ring approach and it has worked well for 2011 and 2012! See more details here. 

Hopefully these tips will help you in an area of your home where you want to get organized! For more 2013 resolution posts, click on the button on the left. Happy New Year!

Resolution 2013: Get Organized with Calendars

I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but when it comes to being organized with a calendar, I am old school and proud of it! My planner tracks my meetings, Abby's school function, swim and gymnastics lessons, birthdays, my to do list, bills due, you name it! I couldn't survive without it. 

If you are looking to get more organized this year, try a paper planner or calendar to help you. 

Last year and this year, I will be staying organized with my Erin Condren Life Planner. I love the personalization of her planners, the bright colors, the life saving pocket in the back, and I just love her story! They cost around $50, but are well made and look great all year long. I also have photo gift labels from her that I love and got an iPhone case from her for Christmas. Big fan here! 

I just recently discovered May Books and I am sold! They are small books with a hand sewn binding and has the most fabulous cover designs available! They are completely customizable- covers, insides, monogram, fonts, etc. Plus, they are under $20! I gave these as gifts this year and received them! I have the notebook and meal planner.

In just a few clicks, you can make a one page calendar of the entire year and add a favorite family photo on Shutterfly. This would be great with a magnet on the back on the fridge or hanging on a bulletin board in your office. Shutterfly has tons of other calendar options and my experience with them has always been positive.

If you are into digital scrapbooking and want to make your own family calendar, check out these cute kits from Sweet Shoppe Designs. I made calendars for grandparents a few years ago for Christmas. They make a great gift!

Another great digital idea that is free, download this cute calendar from another blogger and print directly onto 8.5x11 cardstock! I just printed mine and placed it on the fridge to remind me when we are out when grocery meal planning. 

Resolution 2013: Waste Less Groceries

This month I am dedicating all of my posts to common New Year's Resolutions! 

One of my resolutions this year is to eat the food we buy. I hate having the trash can full of food from cleaning out the fridge, pantry and freezer before grocery shopping. We have done so much better about not eating out in 2012 and I want to be even smarter with my groceries in 2013.

One of the ways I plan to do that, is by knowing exactly what I put into our second freezer. We have an old refrigerator/freezer in the garage and while the fridge is mostly drinks, I rarely look in the freezer. I plan to use it to store more leftovers in 2013. Thus, I needed a little cheat sheet to place on the freezer door.

Get your free copy here.  

Now, when I make a big serving and decide to freezer half of it for a future meal, I'll know just what I have on hand and what container to look for. I plan to list things like, "Red-Round" for my red lidded round tupperware" or "baggie w/label" for items wrapped in foil and placed in a baggie. 

When we eat the meal, we'll just draw a line through the meal and know that it isn't in the freezer anymore. I've unfortunately thrown out a few meals because I just don't remember what is in the freezer or how long it has been sitting in the back.

With this free printable, you should get more organized and save money by eating more of what you buy! See more 2013 resolutions here!

January Desktop and a Question

Yea for a new desktop, a new month, and a new year!

Did you start off the day eating healthy, exercising, saving money and with big plans to conquer the world or at least the junk drawer in the kitchen?

I want to spend most of January focusing on resolutions and sharing ideas from my home or the online world that will help us all to keep our resolutions. 

So, besides losing weight, saving money and getting more organized, do you have any resolutions you'd like to see me include in posts this month? Please leave a comment! I'd love more ideas!