PrettyOrganizedPalace

A Change in the Air... Moving!

2011-11-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

Friends of Pretty Organizer,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I've received a lot of loving letters and questions about where I've been all year. Well, I've always said that I work with priorities and this year the priority has been my family. Like many of you dear readers, the Pretty Organized family has been busy with budgeting, job hunting, teenager raising, preschooler schooling and figuring out how to keep all of our plates spinning at the same time. Thank you to you sweethearts who amid your own busy lives, take the time to reach out to the bogging recluse (me) and spread your well wishes and desire to keep in touch.

In an effort to keep in touch, I happily announce that the Pretty Organized family is moving! Yes, that sweet friend Melissa at The Inspired Room, I'm in the middle of packing during Christmas... and it's a bit messy, and chaotic, and at the same time, a great excuse to slow down all of the fluff and focus on things that matter. We're leaving beautiful Arizona and heading to Dallas, Texas! Hubby has been working there since the beginning of October so you can imagine my excitement to join him with the six kids. Don't be a stranger. I may get back to regular posts and would love to hear about how "ya'll" are doing:)

As a result of simplifying this year, North Pole Secretary will not be offering Santa Letters. Santa's secretary decided to buy a $9 silver tinsel Wal Mart tree and set it in a corner this year. That's it. We plan to move the day after Christmas so decorations are on the sparse side. Please visit again next year as I'm sure Santa's secretary will be ready to take orders for deserving kids to receive their personal letters from Santa. I actually miss the letter business terribly right now. It was such a blessing to read the accomplishments of children all over the states.

I hope you have a blessed holiday season and please feel free to keep in touch!

Send ME your kids letter to Santa!

2010-12-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

Okay,
I'll admit. Business is slow. VERY slow. The economy has taken it's toll and my usual first batch of letters has shrunk to below 2/3rds of what it normally is. SO, being the momprenuer that I am, or have to be, I'm adjusting my business strategy... tweaking things to make them better.

Send ME your kids letters to Santa. I will reply with a personal note on their letters, send the original letters WITH a personalized letter postmarked from North Pole Alaska, and an instruction for the kids to put them in their scrapbook! I'm only offering this bonus to people who purchase letters on my website and mark "Write Back" in the PROMO code area (so I know to look for your letters). Letters to Santa need to arrive at my house by no later than DEC. 10th!

If you're interested, hurry and purchase your letter(s) at my website www.NorthPoleSecretary.com and contact me via email at NorthPoleSecretary@cox.net so I can match up who has purchased and start looking for your letters in my box. Letters can also be emailed to NorthPoleSecretary@cox.net I will print those letters and include them with your personalized letter.

Looking forward to reading all of those wish lists!
Thanks for your business and please pass it on!!
Pretty Organizer

Visit the Website, Click on the Button Below!

A Mom's Letter to Me about convincing her "doubter."

2010-11-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

I think I have glue poisoning from licking all of those Santa Letter envelopes... I might go blind. I'll need a braille machine soon. Still not too late to order from Here. Friday, December 10th is the LAST DAY!! Your letters help me to wrap up Christmas for my kiddos and I know they'll help make Christmas special for your kiddos too.

Check out what one mom said about the letter she sent her kids from Santa...

I've had the North Pole Secretary send my kids letters for the past 2 years now. The first year, my skeptic 8 year old looked at the return address on the envelope for probably 2 minutes straight. You could see the "wheels turning in his head" as he finally had to admit that Santa had indeed sent him a letter. At that time, my 6 year old was ecstatic that Santa sent him a letter and even more excited to find out what Santa might bring him! Last year we wrote to Santa to let him know we were okay with a few less toys so he could give them to other kids who needed them more. They were touched that Santa would acknowledge their kindness.
These letters have helped my older children hang on to the magic a little longer, my younger children glow with excitement - and reminded all of them that Christ is the real reason for this joyous holiday.
Heidi B.

Whether Santa delivers your mail into here...

or this fancy lady here....

It will all arrive from the North Pole (with cancellation stamp), with a message from Santa about Christ and service, and be personalized to your kiddo. Check out the sample letters at NorthPoleSecretary.com. Due to the amount of families with tight funds, we have made Family Letters this year to reduce your cost. Just $18 to include everyone in one letter WITH a pat on the back from Santa for a family accomplishment!
I'm printing tonight, mailing them to the North Pole tomorrow and every Monday until they're out!

Teaching your Kids to Serve

2010-11-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approach, there are many opportunities to involve our kiddos in one of the greatest life teaching experiences available: Service. Somehow, our children transform when they are serving... and so do we. Whether you host a car wash to raise money for a needy family, mow a neighbors lawn or offer to babysit for free so a couple you know can enjoy a much needed night out... the act of serving softens hearts and creates relief for those you've served and gratitude, empathy, love and family unity for the ones who offer service. True service is born of love and enlarges the capacity of those who give to give more the next time.

This little punk-a-noodle is mine. She's 4. She worries about how much milk is in HER glass, who's playing with HER doll, and why the gift we brought to her friend's birthday party isn't going home with HER. As a family we have enjoyed small moments of serving together and as a parent I LOVE watching the transformation in my children. We clean the church together on Saturday.... on Sunday they treat the church with more respect. We babysit for a family who has kids with special needs... my kids take pride in teaching those kids all of the things they're good at and together all the children feel love and are unified. We make cookies for a neighbor who's struggling.... we watch with excitement and love when those neighbors smile and know we love them.

What I have learned from giving service:

We love those we serve... if we didn't before, we do after we truly serve them.
My capacity to accomplish MANY things increases when I serve. Somehow everything gets done. There's always time to do something for someone in need.
My children feel better about themselves.
My children are grateful, excited to serve again, and truly happy.
We all have SOMETHING to give.

WARNING:: Sometimes it is necessary to receive service... graciously. PLEASE, when someone wants to serve you, let them! Perhaps you could fold those clothes all by yourself or would get around to mowing your lawn but it's OKAY to allow others a chance to serve and love you... and it's okay to feel relief that a little burden has been lightened. Just consider how good YOU feel when you give service and allow others the opportunity to bless you!

What opportunities are you taking to teach your kids service? Do you have traditions this time of year that help you focus on service and the spirit of Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Kids Activities for Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

Family Fun:: Turkey Day Awards

From Blissfully Domestic

So how do you get the family together, let the parents talk, watch the kids, AND keep them out of the kitchen and away from the china? Well, if you're my family, you give up on china. My mother informed me we were having decorated paper plates over gold chargers... problem solved for me, no breakables... problem solved for her....less dishes!

Here are a few other links for crafs and things to keep your kiddos occupied during dinner prep.
Several Thanksgiving crafts, coloring pages, puzzles ect. at Kaboose.com
Thankful Leaf pages... let your guests write what they're thankful for! Family Fun

Photo Pilgrim Napkin rings... featuring your family! Let you kids put them together.

Time to Get Ready for Christmas. Order a Letter from the North Pole... Only 18 days left.

NorthPoleSecretary.com

What do you do to keep your chipmunks under thumb for Thanksgiving Day?

Getting your kids to Write Letters To Santa... with a reply!

2010-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Just had a friend send me the letters her kids wrote to Santa. I'm going to put them in with the letters she bought for her kids with a note from Santa to put them in their scrapbooks. Santa will also scrawl a few comments on their lists! If you want to buy letters and send me your kiddos Christmas lists or letters to Santa, Message me or leave a comment and I'll give you my address. (No axe murderers or crazy people please.)

Visit my website to order the letters. If you want to send me all your kiddos Christmas lists and just purchase a Family letter (a cheaper option for large families) I'm happy to send your kiddos lists back in the envelope postmarked from the North Pole. What will your children think!?!?!? So much fun!

Don't forget to put RR (Reeces Rainbow) in the PROMO code area to dedicate your funds to little Jaysons adoption expense fund!

Only accepting orders until Dec. 10th. Hurry and order now while you have the change in your pockets (think Black Friday) and cross one thing off your list. TRUST ME, this will be something your kids will LOVE. It's an amazing magical memory. Visit NorthPoleSecretary.com

The Angel Tree... Christmas with Reeces Rainbow

2010-11-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

This is Jayson. I love him. I've never met him and if I didn't already have 6 punk-a-noodles, I'd be on a plane to get him! I'm so excited to tell you about our Christmas Angel Fund Drive.

North Pole Secretary will be raising funds for Reece's Rainbow ,

a non-profit agency that helps fund adoption expenses for children with Down syndrome

35% OF ALL SALES

WITH THE PROMO CODE: RR

WILL GO STRAIGHT TO

JAYSONS ADOPTION GRANT.

Individual letters are $8
A letter to your family is $18

The letters are very detailed and are personalized for your kiddo/family and come postmarked from the real North Pole, Alaska. All letters also recognize your child for an accomplishment this year and talk about the Savior,serving and the true meaning of Christmas.

THE STORY

::My Amazing Friend Shawnie::

Shawnie has 4 children with Down Syndrome. 3 of them she birthed on her own (Braxton returned to Heaven after a year), and the fourth is a cutie she adopted from Serbia. Shawnie and I share a ~~love~~ no a PASSION for adoption. After going through the adoption process, your heart is forever empathetic to parents who are searching for their children and the struggles (financial, emotional, etc.) that they go through to get their kiddos. Shawnie is even more empathetic to parents lookng for children with Down Syndrome. I love Shawnie.

My friend Shawnie introduced me to an organization called Reeces Rainbow. This non-profit helps to provide adoption grants to parents for orphan children with Down Syndrome. These darling children are waiting for families and find them quicker when their adoption expenses are paid down.

You may know that I run NorthPoleSecretary to help pay down the adotion debt I incurred with my 2 girls. That's a whopping $50K price tag. Jayson's adoption will cost $25K. Well, we've been very blessed by the kindness of others over the years to have our wonderful girsl. We wanted to find a way to give back and help with those outrageous fees and help Jayson find a family even faster.

I hope you will consider purchasing a letter for you kiddos. I'd love to see Jayson's adoption fund beefed up for those future parents who are looking for their boy and who may just need to have a little relief in the pocket book.

This is such a fun memory for your kiddos. This is also a fun way to keep kids on their toes through December... parents tell me that their kids were extra good because they got an early letter and knew Santa was watching them! I have clients who order this as a tradition every year!

Last day to order is Dec. 10th.

Letters will begin to be sent out right after Thanksgiving for a Pre-Christmas delivery!

Please visit the website www.NorthPoleSecretary.com to order and pay with debit/credit through PayPal. ON THE ORDERING PAGE THERE IS A PLACE FOR A PROMO CODE. PLEASE ENTER RR SO WE CAN RAISE LOTS FOR THE ANGEL TREE FUND!!!

through Dec. 10th.

Organizing BEFORE the Holiday Rush.

2010-11-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: BHG.Com

This is the week of goal setting and New Year's resolutions. Before I get caught up in a never ending list of lofty goals, I like to tackle a few easy projects that I know I can finish before January even begins. Here's a few ideas to help spring you into your organization frenzy!

Clean out that make-up surplus.

Time to get rid of the excess. If you're like me, you have your staple eye-liner, shadow, and blush. I try new things but always manage to revert back to my staples. Well, why keep it if you don't use it. Throw out anything you haven't worn in the last 2 weeks (okay, maybe 3 weeks if you count Christmas week).

This includes the gajillion bottles of nail polish you bought for special occasions that aren't that special anymore and are half used up. I have 3 basic colors... done.

Clean out your lingerie drawers.

Nylons with runs, socks without matches, panties that don't fit anymore... even when you suck in... bra's that you don't use... you get the idea. Why keep more in that drawer to search through? Less is more (calming). Simplify.

Inventory your first aid and medicine supplies.

If you like me, you have 6 kids all of whom have got ill while you're on vacation, necessitating another purchase of ibuprofen or allergy medicine. (Okay, maybe you only have half as many kids but they always get sick when you're on vacation!) The result is a collection of half used medicines.

Take inventory. Can you combine 2 of the same kinds of medicine and toss a bottle? Are there a few past expirations? Are you keeping empty packages of band aids (my kids raid the stash but never toss the box or tell me we're out.) or holding onto prescriptions that you haven't used since your last childbirth? Make room for the new year and de-clutter the first aid box.

Toss the junk in your junk drawer.

If you haven't used it in a reasonable amount of time... it really IS junk! Toss the odds and ends, the broken whatchamacallit you meant to glue ages ago, and feel your guilt flee! You can organize it in pretty organizers later... just pare down the clutter.

Photo credit:Martha Stewart.com

Weed out your closet.

Photo courtesy of Lane Bryant/Closet Maid

It doesn't take a great deal of effort to say, "No, I haven't worn that for 2 years." Don't bother organizing the closet. Just get rid of the clothes that you don't regularly use. This is a great liberation ladies. I'm queen of this. After 6 kiddos, I have clothes in EVERY size. Literally. Fat clothes, not-so-fat clothes, pretty much happy with this size clothes, wish I were that size clothes, and I remember when I was THAT size clothes. They're officially gone. Simplified! Now my closet is really ready to tackle when the real organization bug hits in January!

What are your organizing projects for the new year?

Paying for Christmas on a Shoestring Budget

2010-11-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

With Christmas just around the corner and many families feeling the nations "econcomic slump" first hand, I would just bet my box of Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds that a few mothers out there are trying to plan Christmas on a shoestring budget. There may even be a few of you mothers (and I'll include myself) who are trying to make Christmas do on a dental floss budget. Whichever category you belong to, the task seems overwhelming.

With 6 kids, a mom who stays at home, and a hubby who makes "just enough" Christmas has ALWAYS been done on a shoestring budget. I thought I'd put together a few of the things that have kept us on track financially and kept the cost of Christmas down:

DON'T START THE CIRCUS
If you have one or two little kiddos, brace yourself. Too often Christmas becomes a givefest to a 1 year old (or 2 or 3). Young mommies are super fun and soooo excited to let their kiddos experience Christmas (as is EVERY other grandma and auntie) that they over gift a kid.... only to find that the child is more interested in the box the toy came in than the toy itself. Begin with moderation... don't set out to make it look like Santa came in and spilled his sack.

NO CREDIT CARDS
My husband and I decided early on that we would not put Christmas on our credit cards. It was never THAT important to us. Ideally, we've been able to dedicate a portion of one of his extra pay checks to Christmas (... not this year) and use ONLY what we set aside. Credit cards let us fool ourselves into thinking we can give a gift that really.... we have no business giving because we can't afford it!

SET 2 LIMITS
2 limits? Yes. First, you must set a dollar amount for Christmas and what the breakdown will be for each person. Second, I set a gift quantity. Because I have 6 kids, I want to make sure they open an equal amount of gifts. So, my bigger kids get a larger amount and my little kids get less. My 3 year old will be getting 1 $25 dollar gift with dollar store items while my 14 year old will get a more pricey gift. As a matter of principle, I rarely go over $100 for any one child.... this year it will be FAR FAR less. Larger gifts are given to the family. Some families do a Victorian Christmas: Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. 4 simple gifts.

WEIGH NEED vs. WANT
Typically, my kids get 1 or 2 things they want and the rest are things like socks, new school shirts, underwear, and a gift certificate dedicated for items like shoes with a "special day" out with me to find the items. I use Christmas as a time when I can catch up with providing the needs to the family and let it count for Christmas. My kids don't know any different because that's what I've always done. Again, don't start the circus.

HAVE KIDS PRICE OUT THEIR CHRISTMAS LIST
Every year I have my kids make out their Christmas list. Of course my kids ask for things like laptops and cell phones (are any of us immune?) but they also list things they need. They show me the list then I say, "Wow, that's a great list! Could you please look these up online and write next to them how much they cost so I will know?" They return and I let them total what their wishes would cost... $2500 later, they understand how crazy the requests are ( times 6) and they give me their top 3 of the list- one of wich is the realistic #1 wish.

GIVE THEM A JAR OF PICKLES
Every year my kids put down a few crazy things on the list.... 2 years ago my 6 year old wanted his own jar of pickles. Done. Easy gift! My 14 year old asks for his own bag of Andes mints EVERY YEAR! Done! Two years ago he wanted his own pound of bacon that he didn't have to share. DONE! Over the years we've given favorite cereal, boxes of gum, bags of chips, cans of hot cocoa... you get the idea. Our kids LOVE having a favorite item they don't have to share (6 kids... remember? A pound of bacon means 2 slices per person) Every day items that are treats are FUN to get. So, don't hold back, go ahead and give your kid a box of twinkies!

GIVE USED GIFTS
I used to think this was a tacky shameful strategy until one year we HAD to do it. I try to buy new shiny gifts but if I know my kids wants a fabulous do it all MP3 player that I can get for WAY less on Craigslist, I'll do it. Often times, that is the deal breaker for them even getting the gift because we could not afford such a luxury otherwise. My teenagers are totally fine with this now. Learn how to dust things off, clean things out, and shine and repair used items to regift. Toddlers and children DON'T CARE. How many of us have walked into a thrift store and had our kids begging for some gosh aweful, ugly, dirty used toy? Plenty. Trust me, they don't judge you like you judge yourself. It's okay.

TRADE TOYS WITH A FRIEND
Last year I gave a few of my kid's toys to a friend who was going to wrap them up for her kids. Some people have SO many toys, their kids can't play with all of them. Before you take your things to a thrift store, see if you can trade them with your friend!

USE YOUR KOHLS CASH
I love getting Kohl's $10 cash cards in the mail. I head right over, but a $12 pair of jeans for my kids and feel like I robbed the store! It's great for a shoestring budget.

GIVE CASH OR GIFTCARDS
$50 cash card in a teenagers pocket is just as exciting as a $200 gift that you give. Really, teens just want the experience of buying thier own "stuff" and going out with friends. My kids think $50 is $500. They dream and conspire about what they can get for days, even weeks! If your kid thinks $50 is chump change, time to change your ways.

FORGIVE YOURSELF... BE HONEST

Moms, the worst enemy to the Christmas budget is ourselves. We want to make Christmas perfect, we want to give our kids what our friends are giving theirs. Stop. What you give is enough. There is no rule about giving more than the last year, or making sure they HAVE to have a cell phone when they're a certain age. You are NOT worth less if you give less. Some years are more frugal than others and that's okay. Let it be okay.

REMEMBER WHAT CHRISTMAS IS REALLY ABOUT
Gifts are secondary. Focus on Christ and His gift. Make this holiday about the birth of the Savior.

Santa Letters Onsale Through TOMORROW.... $6 for each kid or $12 for a letter to your family! Prices go up on the 14th! This is how I'm beefing up my shoestring budget.

Nature Vs. Nurture

2010-11-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm convinced that there are two types of people: Those who are compelled to clean up messes due to a genetic composition completely foreign to me (and they ENJOY this. It makes them feel good!) ; and those who compel themselves to keep up with those kind of people... I am the latter type.

I was not born a fanatic housekeeper. My mother was. My mom rose at 4:30 or 5am, laundry was folded and done, dinner in the crockpot and bread made before any child stepped foot out of bed. The woman was a homemaking machine, although, I admit, I never saw her sleep.

I on the other hand, was born her genetic opposite. I was the arch rival to my mothers clean system... go ahead and ask her how many milk glasses I had next to my bed (which, my sweet hubby now patiently deals with... some things never change.) I loved a clean room. I loved the feeling of no clutter and the smell of baked bread. When I married, I was completely baffled as to how all of these things got done in a home.
Now after nearly 14 years of marriage I get it. I get that I wasn't born with the genetic clean freak gene.... even though I wish I were. I battle my disability daily... I have had to be nurtured (by my sweet mother) over the years on how to get it all done. It is possible... I'm living proof!
This week I'll be sharing a few of the tricks that have not come natural to me but that have been nurtured by me to help make my homemaking effective. I am not perfect, but I have an absolute love for homemaking and a conviction that there is no other role on earth I could do that would bring me more joy than this... even if it means I'm fighting a genetic flaw and feel like a 3 legged greyhound in a high stakes race!

How has homemaking come to you? Are you a natural homemaker or one who's nurturing her homemaking skills?

Introducing Africa to My French Provincial Style

2010-11-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

I love these Pictures.

They were sent to me from my In- Laws who I LOVE DEARLY!

They're in Uganda, Africa and will be for 2 more years... *Sniff, blot eyes* I miss them.

Last year they sent me a Christmas Card made of finely cut grass and leaves glued together to make a nativity scene. I {heart} these pictures!

I asked my mom to send me more so I could hang them up... we have a couple of beautiful brown daughters in our house and I wanted something that reflected that on my walls.

I was trying to figure out how to put this ensemble together with what I had: 2 shadowbox frames, one black frame... I decided to glue a cheap dollar store frame ON TOP of the glass of the black frame. You're right, it's not straight- I don't care. It took me forever to center it this well.

Ta-da!- A year round nativity of African art in my very girly office (which is such a mess from writing Santa's letters (and other things) that it's not able to be photographed.

Simple Decor Facelifts and a Giveaway!

2010-11-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

"Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without." My sweet husband lives by this motto! Before I go shopping for home decor items, I rifle through the garage, closets and look at all the things I could "repurpose" into something fabulous. Here are a few inexpensive decorating ideas from www.pointclickhome.com. With a little extra imagination, you could use these ideas to spruce up your holiday decor without spending much... How fun would it be to have a Christams lampshade!... Start warming that glue gun ladies!

Grab that dusty lampshade, vacuum it and then decorate it with ribbon. If you're super cheap like me, you can even spray paint the thing first (I paint everything) then attack it with ribbon. If you get sick of the ribbon, pop it off and change it out. Try making a side table Christmas lamp.

I have baskets all over my house... most don't have labels. Use that cute craft paper, print labels and frame them. Attach the frames to your baskets- Wal-mart and Goodwill have great finds.

This one is pretty eco- friendly. Paint dry twiggs (Ooo... Red for the holidays!) and arrange and glue gun them over a thrift store mirror. Ta-Da! What else do you have that you could paint and glue to a mirror?

::Want to win Letters from Santa for your kiddos?:: Leave reply and spread the word on you blog. I'll be visiting blogs below and will choose to feature the most creative post on my blog Monday. If your post wins, ALL letters for the kiddos will be free!! -- even if you're the Duggars:)
Happy posting!

Christ-centered Letters from Santa... a Christmas Tradition.

2010-11-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

If you think Christ Centered Santa Letters are a good idea, please share them with your friends!

Some of you already know that I do Santa Letters this time of year. I'm sending out the information to kick off our 38 day business season and announce our sale. Please feel free to email, facebook, blog, text, twitter, tweet, squawk, quack or hollar the info below to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, blog followers, email groups and community sites that you feel would be interested! Any help is sincerely appreciated. Pleae forgive if this should visit you again on Facebook.

Merry Christmas!
Pretty Organizer ... AKA, North Pole Secretary

----------

Spread the News

Pass this offer along

to all your family and friends!!!

All letters From Santa are

on sale

through November 13th

at Rock Bottom Prices!

Personalized Individual Letters:
Only $6 (Regularly $8)

Personalized Family Letters:
Only $12 (Regularly $18)

North Pole Secretary will be partnering with several non-profit groups and organizations the week of November 15th. 35% of all sales will go to the designated nonprofit group. If you would like your group to participate, please email us at NorthPoleSecretary@cox.net

Wetting your Christmas Whistles...

2010-11-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

Is it too early? Na, I haven't posted for nearly a year and admittedly, Christmas is on the brain. I even told my 6 chill'ns that we were pulling out the tree.

"WHY?" the 12 year old son says. "WHY?!?!" I say, "So I don't have to do it in December!"

So, yes, I'll be pulling out the garland... and the tree... but no ornaments. I'll be decorating a Fall tree. (But I'll secretly be thinking of Christmas).

And why am I thinking of Christmas? Well.... I'll tell you tomorrow!

Yes, I'm back posting my friends, at least for a season. Have a wonderful day!

Photo Credits: PotteryBarn.com

Organizing Life... My Main Priority.

2010-02-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

Remember my motto? My Priorities are Organized, My Closets are not... yes, well, if you don't remember it, that's okay. I've managed to be very aloof around blogland for the last 2 months. Somehow my absence has sparked an incredible outpouring of concern and well wishing and you can't imagine how completely wonderful it is to know that I'm missed! My readers are the BEST! ANYWHERE!

So, for those you itching to know why Pretty Organizer disappeared, I will do my best to do what I do best... Preach. Yep, if there's one thing I'm good at it's letting ya'll know what you should be doing. My kids think I ought to be making money out of this preaching business because they get my preach'n all the time!

I have had a few priorities that have need'ed some serious tending to here at the Palace. I have wonderful children, however 3 of them are going through a rough spot right now in life and need some extra TLC, prayers, and attention. To tell you the truth, this mother has been on her knees pleading with the Good Lord for inspiration on how to parent each of these children. It's a dang shame that you can work for YEARS on understanding your kid and guiding them to make good choices but that each kid requires a different approach and owners manuals... multiply that out by 6 and you have my life. My kids all came to earth without their owners manual, so I'm kneeling a lot.

While I love blogging and have made dear friends across the world, those little punk-a-noodles come absolute first in my life and going to bed post midnight isn't cutting the mustard for this mother of 6. I was beginning to look like my grandmother (I'm only 35!). So, I'll be around but less consistently than I was before.

In case you'd like to poke around the Palace for some of my best posts, here are some links you may like:

Check out my posts on Budget Decor

My Post on Painting Stairs

My Well Attended Toile Party... a Blogland Best for Toile-Lovers!

My Posts on Bedrooms

All my Hassle Free Homemaking Posts

My Laundry Routine for My Family of 8!

Feel free to look around at my other labels and see what interests you. I'll update things from time to time but until I feel like blogging is a priority, I may be absent a bit. As always, I love hearing from you all. If you ever have any questions, I DO check in to my email and will do my best to get back to you all.

God bless you dear hearts of blogland and I hope my preach'n wears off on those who need to organize priorities, whatever they may be.

Where have I been?!??! A traggically funny post.

2009-12-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

No picture? No. Why? Because...

Because something went tragically wrong at the North Pole. Now, if you've ordered letters from North Pole Secretary, most of you will laugh because your letters are fine. However, I anticipate that several will be annoyed at this post. For good reason. Please, it is only after complete anguish of soul and sorrow that I have found the humor in the North Pole Tragedy of 2009.

You see... I'ts been a week or so since I've posted. Why? Well, last Monday I received an email from a customer. It seemed the letters arrived but mentioned something about her kid being in day care and calling her other child by the wrong gender. She wondered if she had filled out the information mistakenly or if it had been a blunder on the part of the North Pole. Gratefully, this dearheart was a blogging friend that I knew.

Upon investigating, I found that indeed the North Pole had made an error on her letter.... and about oh.... many others. Too many. Somehow the database for the first 60 letters was jumbled for just one field. What's one field right? Well, it's everything to a business. It just so happened that the data field that got jumbled was the "Accomplishments" field. This is the field where Santa recognizes a kiddo for the great things they did during the year (positive reinforcement by the Big Guy.). Well, it's great to be recognized for doing good..... like, "You were such a good big sister to baby Alex this year!" Yep, that's a great statement unless it goes to a boy... and it did.

Here are some of the whopper goofs of the North Pole Secretary Tragedy of 2009:

"You did such a good job going pee pee in the potty!"..... sent to an 8 year old girl (there were several of these.... bowing my head in shame.)
"You were so good this year and I hear you're getting the braces off your legs!".... sent to someone who has never had braces on their legs.
"I'm so proud that you were able to raise enough money to buy a cow for a family in Rowanda!".... poor children are wondering why they never saw the money, or the cow... where's Rowanda, they ask.
"You were such a good helper to mommy and were a super boy in daycare"... sent to a girl, NOT attending daycare... NOT even daycare age.

Now, somewhere out there children did hear suprisingly fantastic news:

"Congratulations on getting straight A's this year! You've been a wonderful student.".... lucky kid will have explaining to do when report cards come out.
"You have done such an amazing job at learning your letters and numbers this year!"... 9 year old...
"You've done a very fine job as singing this year!"... this parent had a cover-up that perfectly meshed with the goofy letter.
"You have been so good in Kindergarten this year! Your reading is amazing!".... and it ought to be because that 3 year old girl is a wonder if indeed she's reading and in Kindergarten.

So how does one go about cleaning up a disaster as large as the North Pole Tragedy of 2009? Well, after sending an email to all of my clients (to which I only had 5 replies back.... still wondering how that happened) I reprinted the letters correctly and sent them from Arizona. Only a few clients would have got these in time but it was worth it. On the outside of the letter I printed a note....

Summary: Oh Santa made a terrible mistake! I am so embarrassed. After I sent your letter I received word that all of the computers at the North Pole caught a naughty computer virus and my database that holds all of the information for my Naughty and Nice list was jumbled and tumbled upside down and inside out. The information it showed me about the great things you did this year was all wrong!! That's why your letter may have seemed a bit goofy. Well, thanks to Edwin the Jr. Elf in charge of the Worldwide Database of Naughty and Nice girls and boys, all is well again here at the North Pole. Edwin fixed the database and gave me the correct report about the great things they saw you doing in 2009. I went back to my computer and found your letter and fixed it so you could see that we've been keeping good records and notice all the great things you do!

In addition to sending out a fixed letter we're sending out post cards to those kiddos reminding them to be good for next year. Still, restitution is difficult and will never be able to fully fix the blunder. I could see visions of parents having "The Talk" with their kids... I think this talk will be more difficult for me than the sex talk. Yes, they'll explain all about Santa and if they don't, they'll be casting him into the same category as that ditzy tooth fairy who never remembers the tooth on the first night, often leaves the money and forgets the tooth all together... cuz sometimes it's impossible to find, and sometimes she just gives up and tapes the money to the kids door. We've already had to explain to the children about what a sweet heart the tooth fairy has but that she's a little cuckoo... exchanging all of that money for gross dirty teeth. We pity her.

Anyhoo.... a sweet letter came through a few days ago that gave me that Christmas warm feeling from head to toe. I had to share it....

Dear Stacey (AKA SANTA), Here is a letter from one of my girls.... Dear Santa Clause, Don't be inbarased because the devil wonts you to be inbarased. thank you for righting me the letters but say thank you to Edwin the J. Elf. Thank you for reminding me of all the good things I did. Because I forgot. Now I remember. Remember to feed those raindeer that are hardly ever full. I hope you enJoy your yummy cookies and milk. I love sugar cookies and milk. (I'd put those people that gave your camputers a virise on the Bad list to)... From, E. Mom continues: I left her errors in there to show you. I hope this brightens your day just a bit more Stacey. All is not lost and she is very excited!

So, if you dear people got one of my good letters... thank you for ordering. Your business means a lot to me and my family. IF you were a client who got a goofy letter... I am so sorry and hope these steps will rectify some of the damage. If you got a goofy letter, chances are you were a parent who did a lot of explaining or quick thinking... you're AMAZING! If you didin't get a letter this year. I promise... it's worth it. I'm not a complete dunderhead and the problem is fixed and North Pole Secretary will be back again next year. I hope.

Have a fantastic Monday!

Welcoming the Holidays... a day in the life post

2009-12-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry dear friends about the lack of posts. I'm working on getting these letters in the mail. While searching for a post from last year, I came across this... yes, all true a year ago. Now days you can add keeping the pyrotechnic loving teenagers from lighting everything from their socks soaked in alcohol to the tip of a sharpie. Good luck on getting the house ready for guests! I'm thrilled to just keep mine standing.

Here's today's effort to get my house Welcome ready:

Early AM Wal-mart run to buy 3 new strands of lights to replace the 3 strands that blew on our tree. Yes, it's the same tree as the one in my other funny post.
Run 6 kids through the chore routine... hours later... I'm exhausted and thinking maybe this house will never be clean. Why do we bother with giving kids chores? They all need a play habitat to tear apart while you efficiently clean the house.
Hand the 10 and 12 year old lights and say, "Go decorate the front of the house... make it look nice."
Find 10 year old on the roof hanging lights. WHAT!!!
Find screen torn in room by roof... the 6 year old was caught trying to escape to help brother. WHAT!!!
String 5 strands of lights back on the tree... hang all the ornaments AGAIN.
Check on outside lights... WHAT??? They're more creative than my 33 year old brain could wrap around. Looks like Vegas meets the Griswalds.
Let the 12 year old lead dough ornament activity. No harm done. Plenty of ornaments since he tripled the recipe.

What do I still have to do?

Wipe the boogers off the wall.
Sanitize the bathrooms before the CDC shuts us down. (The Department of Defense is watching our house closely. They believe we've managed to cultivate our own super-germ capable of bio-warfare. Of course, we're all immune because we live with it every day.)
WRAP!! WHAT??? Yes, nothing is wrapped. NADA. 19 people at my house in 2 days. Gifts for all... multiple gifts. NOTHING WRAPPED! Ahhhh...
Clean my room... I can't find my bed, or my closet, or my dresser, or the carpet.

I won't bother you with all the other details.

Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful ladies out there! Good luck getting your lists crossed off and I'll check in soon... (as long as the CDC doesn't haul me off!)

A note: Thanks to all who bought letters, spread the word, or just plain tolerated the shameless marketing plugs. This means so much to our family, more than you'll know and I am so grateful for my fantastic friends for spreading the word. A special thanks to my pals Kimba and Melissa for their sweet encouragement and beyond generous support! These girls are gems. Someday we'll all sit down together and devour a chocolate cake in real life. Love you girls!

Sumbliminal Marketing... Last Day I promise.

2009-12-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm opting out of a real post... I think I have glue poisoning from licking all of those Santa Letter envelopes... I might go blind. I'll need a braille machine soon. Still not too late to order from Here. Thursday, December 10th is the LAST DAY!!
Whether Santa delivers your mail into here...

or this fancy lady here....

or this unforgettable tower here...

The Doghouse... 2009

2009-12-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

If you didn't see Part One last year... get some popcorn, this is worth a look and a laugh...

I give you Part Two.... Enjoy!

Someday, our sweet husbands will go shopping BEFORE Christmas Eve. So, I'm dying to know...... what doghouse gifts have your received?

Host a Giftwrapping Party!!

2009-12-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Martha dresses up a few Gifts. See all 75 ideas HERE

The average person spends at least 3 hours wrapping Christmas gifts per year. That means if you have an above average size family... you probably experience numb legs, aching back and are sick of hearing Mariah Carey sing "All I Want For Christmas is YOUooo"... my least favorite tune. Yes, after gift wrapping, all I want is an appointment with my chiropractor and massage therapist... if I had one.

Photocopied fabric! A quick wrap you have on hand!

A few years ago I hosted a small gift wrapping party. I invited a few other moms I knew who had a million children and told them to bring their spoils and wrapping and come enjoy a night of laughs, good chocolate, and decent Christmas songs.

Gift Card Holders How To

They came. It was a hit. We do it every year. One of my friends has a hubby who insists on wrapping all the presents... he LOVES it. SO, she just brings herself and helps us dig in and get the work done!

Back to Nature Giftwrap

By the end of the evening we still need chiropractors and massages but we enjoyed the evening instead of racing the clock to Christmas morning.

Homemade Gift Bags How-To

It's fun to get ideas from each other. I never used bows until Mrs. Holiday brought out her overstuffed bow box and made me tie bows all over my packages for fear my Christmas morning would look frightful instead of delightful. She converted me... I tie bows now (at least for all of the gifts on TOP of the pile).

Doilies to the Rescue

Now I look forward to wrapping gifts and getting together with my wrapping friends. I still manage to spend 1/3 of my time hunting for my scissors and another 1/3 of my time hunting for the tape but just when I think I'm on the brink... I have a few friends who toss me their tape and share in the laugh.

Paper Wallets How To

Remember to keep your wrapping party intimate unless you have a sprawling house, or no presents. I hosted ladies who had 5+ kids each so we kept it REALLY tiny and still managed to fill a room. Don't fret about hosting details. This kind of a party is more of a, "come as you are (in your exercise outfit), stay 'till it's finished, eat 'till your sick," kind of get together. It by all means can be an impromptu affair!

Hand make Coal Boxes with paper paint and glitter!

Yes, Santa Letters are Still $6 because we have Life and 6 Kids, and Dishes, and Dog, and No Energy and are completely and utterly EXHAUSTED around here. SO, until Mr. Pretty Organized Changes things tomorrow... the Christ Centered Letters from Santa are cheap!

Palace Hopping....Christmas Decor

2009-12-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

In a perfect world all of our stockings are hung by December 1st. But this isn't a perfect world... it's better... I call it the "Holiday House." I'm friends with Mrs. Holiday and get to see her house transform from Happy Halloween to Happy Holidays... by November 1st. No Joke. Did I mention Mrs. Holiday has 6 kiddos too? That makes this transformation all the more miraculous.

Mrs. Holiday's tree is trimmed in traditional red, white and green colors and because I take crummier than lousy pictures, you may never see it's full splendor, or notice that she also hangs snowflakes from the ceiling all around her tree. It's breath-taking in real life. I'm scouring for snowflakes this week.

If you're a kid this is akin to entering wonderland. Every horizontal and vertical space is neatly and beautifully decorated with Christmas. My kiddo visits and then comes home and tells me we need to decorate for Christmas... even though ALL of my decorations are up. Mrs. Holiday LOVES Christmas and honors it stylishly in her home.

Right down to the ice-skates hanging in the corner. No detail is missed.

She adds a touch of Christmas to the kitchen (I took a solemn oath on a plate of sugar cookies not to take a picture of her countertops... she's still a mother of 6 after all) by wrapping each cupboard door with ribbon. I stole the idea last year and loved it!

Anything that looks like it's made by hand... probably is. Mrs. Holiday welcomes in the season of giving by working round the clock on handmade Christmas cards, decorations, baking sugar cookies and pumpkin bread... she lets her inner elf take over.

She even changes out the wall hangings for hand painted canvas's that wish all who enter this happy home a Merry Christmas.

Hanging snowflakes around your tree, wrapping cupboards, burning candles.... What other creative ideas do you have for decking the halls?

Thursday is the LAST DAY to order letters from Santa!!! Prices are now $8 as soon as hubby gets around to changing them on the website today. Maybe you could beat him to it and order them for $6! Visit... NorthPoleSecretary.com to order. Check out the story NBC did on the business HERE.

Silk Stockings on your Mantle...

2009-12-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

These are all from Frontgate.com who boasts, "Outfitting America's Finest Homes" I'll let you believe I have one of Americas Finest Homes... but then again, you've read my Christmas List ... I'm keep'n it real.

I have to hang 6! My mantel almost falls every year...

2 year old loves batting at hung stockings.

Thinking of sending these to In-laws in Africa... except ooh they're like $200 EACH!!!! I'm sure they used real zebra fur. You can have some as fabulous as these if you have some serious moola.... OR a crafty eye!

CHEAP at only $55-- I know you can do better!! How about this cutie at 100+? They must not use hot glue to apply all that extra cute stuff! Elegant at $299!!!! Yep, fine silk, lined with more fine silk, dripping with silky fringe... poor little worms!! So for 6 kids, let's see... $1,800!!!.. no Christmas until they're 18?!?!? I think the little dears would protest.Tree Skirt anyone?.... This put the silk farm out of business... $800! Ouch... us moms can do MUCH better...There's no shame in calling all your neighbors for their 40% off coupons! Now get to that fabric store, haul out your glue guns and get to work!

What Christmas projects have you been up to your ears in?

Pretty Organizer Revealed on the 5 O'clock News... an I SPY Game

2009-12-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

Shhhh..... they use my real name...... don't tell anyone. If you're an axe murderer, I have 6 children; 2 of those children are teenagers and dream of the day they can put all of their "how to kill a home invader using two fingers and the right pressure points" skills to use (those skills aren't allowed in the house). The husband, he's an Eagle Scout with 13 years of wrestling kids under his belt. You don't want to come near our house.

Let's play I Spy....
Can you find...

A crock pot on my counter... oops thought I put that away.
A half revived, half rotting jar of cilantro on the counter.... oops thought I cleared that too.
Brown bananas on the counter.... yep, never got that bread going.
Crap all over my office file cabinet... the camera team had a gag order to not film or speak of the condition of the rest of the room.
A FREE tree to replace THIS ONE decorated with $15 worth of Walmart Plastic bulbs, and $6 worth of Dollar Tree stuff and tea cups and gold spoons pillaged from my china set wired to the limbs? After 14 years of marriage this is my first matching grown up tree. Yes, the tree was my greatest joy today.
My second chin and the 20 lbs I THOUGHT I lost.
Grey hair. Um... I had to part my hair on the wrong side to avoid looking like my Grandma.
TALKING WITH MY EYES CLOSED!!! Geesh, I look like a goon. Can you tell I went to bed at 1 AM the night before?

Deadline for ordering is Dec. 10th. We're cranking the prices up to the full $8 on Monday because I'm pooped and need to feel like I'm making a million dollars for operating on 5 hours of sleep a night. SO, get ordering and spread the word before the weekend!

$6 letters from the North Pole

2009-11-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,
I'll be taking a little break while I have family in town and celebrate Thanksgiving. I'll also be printing off my Letters from Santa and getting them ready to mail to North Pole Alaska for the cancellation stamp. Letters go out right after Thanksgiving for an early December arrival. I know everyone is UBER sick of me yakking on forever about these letters. Just a few more weeks.... I promise. Keep reading my clever reasons why you should buy... hopefully I'll convince at least 12 of you.

WHY should you buy my Santa Letters?

They're a fantastic read if I may boast. Each letter is very detailed about the goings on at the North Pole. Did you know the North Pole has a clock tower and a Sleigh Shop? Did you know Santa's rig was being fited with the latest in GPS gadgets? Yup.
They're meaningful. The letters include a message from Santa about why we celebrate Christmas and urge kiddos to do service to honor our Savior. They're a great way to combine Santa with the sacredness of the season.
They're convincing. Do you have a skeptic? Are you dying to limp your little skeptic along just one more year... you may get 2 or 3 with these letters. Older kiddos can't refute the real North Pole cancellation stamp. Science wins out... Santa sent evidence!
You're giving a memory. We only have a few years to mark this little minds up with the most wonderful, magical, memories that they will cherish forever. A letter from Santa for a child is a memory that will last.
They're personal. Every letter is unique to your kiddo. You provide all the convincing embellishments like place Santa will be flying to, things Santa is proud your kiddo did this year, toy suggestions, pet names, friends to say hi to, siblings to serve... this letter is personal and fun to read.
It will make me rich. (Enter shameless plug....) Even moms have dreams of getting out of debt. We dream of financial security, sending kids on missions or to college and we dream of heaven.... a double size laundry room. Okay, it's out of the bag, I'm not independently wealthy. I'm not a multi-million dollar heiress to a chocolate empire... though one can dream. Nope. I'm a mom. I'm a dyed in the wool, stay at home, bread bakin', clothes makin', lunch tak'n ~~bum spank'n~~ mother of 6 trying to eek out grocery money and next months supply of pull-up undies for my nightime bed wetter.

If you haven't ordered Santa Letters before, this is your year! Just try it one year. Letters are only $6 and will continue to go up as we get into December. Most letters out there are $10-$20... crazy! These letters are worth keeping affordable!

HURRY and order now so you can get in on the first shipment!!!

Christmas Pillows... out of Placemats.

2009-11-23T22:54:00.000-08:00

I've made purses out of placemats but what about pillows? Here are a few ideas that are SIMPLE to make. And of course, they're pretty cheap! I love fabulous frugal gifts and decor!

Wouldn't these make great Hostess gifts!

Get yourself some killer looking Christmas placemats. Kohel's sells Christmas placemats (often 50% off) and they're about $3. You can also try Big Lots, Walmart, and Target.

Aproach 1- sew 2 together and stuff with polyfill. WARNING... if any of you have a sewing machine that acts like a princess and is particular... she's going to be sad about thick seams... ya may wanna stock up on sewing needles. For all you fancy machine owners... ignore me and read on. Aproach 2- Only will work if the place mat has a lining on the back that is not attached in the center. ( You can test this by holding the front and back fabric and pulling.. do they come apart? GREAT!) Cut a slit on the end of the back side lining and stuff poly fill on the inside... sew up the slit!

If you don't want to give pillows...come back tomorrow for more ideas!

Oh... Last chance to order your Letters from Santa before I mail out my first shipment after Thanksgiving! The first shipment will arrive at your home in the beginning of December. Prices are still low but go up as we get into December. Go check out all 8 of my letters and imagine how much fun it would be for your munchkins to have grown up mail come from the REAL North Pole, Alaska!

Thanksgiving Day Helps

2009-11-22T21:57:00.000-08:00

I love gathering with my family for Thanksgiving Day. While I look forward to visiting with relatives and eating fantastic food there are the moments that I try to rehearse in my head.... they involve hungry children- 6 of them, a well decorated house FULL of people( the house isn't mine), and nice dinnerware.... a combination that is sure to make any mothers heart fail. And, if the mother's heart doesn't fail, the grand-mother, great-grandmother or OCD Aunt's WILL!

So how do you get the family together, let the parents talk, watch the kids, AND keep them out of the kitchen and away from the china? Well, if you're my family, you give up on china. My mother informed me we were having decorated paper plates over gold chargers... problem solved for me, no breakables... problem solved for her....less dishes!

Here are a few other links for crafs and things to keep your kiddos occupied during dinner prep.
Several Thanksgiving crafts, coloring pages, puzzles ect. at Kaboose.com
Thankful Leaf pages... let your guests write what they're thankful for! Family Fun

Photo Pilgrim Napkin rings... featuring your family! Let you kids put them together.

What do you do to keep your chipmunks under thumb for Thanksgiving Day?

Handmade Ornaments Friday Linky Boutique

2009-11-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Meet my new friend Elizabeth! She is the designer and owner of her very own unique Christmas ornament esty store called EBornaments. Elizabeth is an artist, as you can tell... love her Van Goegh. It will be so pretty with Christmas lights shining through!

See the resemblance to Van Gogh's The Stary Night

Each of her ornaments is hand painted and truly is unique. I'm fond of this one....

and this one....

and my kiddos would LOVE the fish.

As a mom, I have made a tradition to give each of my 6 children 1 ornament each year that is unique and their very own. I won't pretend.. it's HARD to find unique ornaments... especially ones that are reasonably priced.

Elizabeth's ornaments are beautiful AND considering you are getting a hand painted one of a kind work of art, they're a scream'n deal. She also is spreading the crafy love and has a tutorial for you HERE!

Head over and see all of her creations at her Etsy store EBornaments or at her website EBornaments.com

Or just click on her linky below!

Christmast Shopping this weekend? The big day is eeking closer and I know you're looking for fantastic gifts. Link up below if you'd like to sell something (on your blog or Etsy store) and if you're shopping, go check out these crafty ladies!

Charlie Brown Meets the Grinch... My Christmas Tree

2009-11-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

WARNING!!! This post is not for the faint of heart! It is ugly. Really Ugly. IF you're looking for eye candy, scroll down a few posts, or visit my other posts... or head over to the Nester or some other first rate home decorator because... this is terrifying. and LONG...What? You're still reading? You asked for it!!

No, that is not a piece of barbed wire... that is the tip of one of my Christmas tree limbs... and they ALL look that way! Every side of this tree should go towards the wall.

This is my tree. If it looks like it's leaning a little, that's because it is. Severely. I used to call this our Charlie Brown tree... now it looks more like a bunch of the Grinch's fingertips stuck together. Doesn't it?... LOOK at it! THIS IS AN UGLY TREE!

AND, it's balding. It's more like a deciduous than an ever green. It's even losing it's limbs.

Of course, that might be from the year when the mice nested in it and the hubby vowed he could fix it (I secretly prayed it would be the end) and he hosed the thing down 3 times with bleach (I thought we'd have a turquoise tree!) and let it sit WET for days... then hosed it down again... thus the rusty tips. I TOLD YOU this would get terrifying! Yes, we're using an old un-smellied mouse nested tree!

I'm not sure where I went wrong. It might have been when I started the tradition of letting my kids help decorate the tree.... to make memories. This is how they make memories.

That's an ImagiNext guy. We have a tree full of them....

and these.......

Yes, amid all the decorations-none of which match because I thought it would be another great memory to give my kids a different ornament each year that was unique to what they did that year.- We house our own Sherwood Forest. AND each year I unpack the tree, I find a few Merry Men hanging out in the branches that were somehow attached too well to be shaken out like the rest of their gang the year before.

Oh yes... minus the beautiful ribbon (Thank you Costco for your 4.95 per 50 yards of wired ribbon) and the tree skirt, this is it. Wires and all. Every year I unpack this tree cursing and whining and dreading the event. No pre-lit here. We do this mess ourselves. My kids hang the ornaments (we all draw straws for the lights... just kidding... I do them every year- Don't you just love those cords? This year I finally passed off the duty to my son).

It's not a beautiful tree by any means and I can't ever justify taking $200 out of our budget to go toward a beautiful tree that opens up as easily as an umbrella. (Maybe if you purchased Santa Letters I could buy a new tree!!... oh ya, that's to pay off the adoptions...grr.)

Each year I curse this tree, but each year it works. The kids are STILL excited to haul it out, decorate it, redecorate it, hide their "Guys" in it and redecorate it AGAIN. And each year as I watch them content to play with our tree I think, "I can wait another year. They'll only want to play with the tree for a short while, then I'll be trying to keep them home during the holidays instead of out with friends." Sometimes beauty isn't what adorns the Palace rooms but what love and joy is found within them. This Palace has beauty, and love, in the same room as the ugly tree... and somehow that tree isn't ugly any more... it's a beautiful memory.

Stay tuned because this year I'm going to the extreme to give this tree a face lift and hopefully another year of use, I just bought 6 cans of spray paint:)

$15 Dresser Refinished... Finally!

2009-11-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, I showed you this picture in May. This has been a long time procrastinator project. Somehow hauling out the primer and black paint took a back burner to the everyday schedule of life with my 'lil punk-a-noodles. Now this beauty sits in the corner of my bedroom.

Not bad for $15 eh? See her sister in yellow? I collect old dressers. Truth: My new black dresser presently is empty. It's missing the entire back of the cabinet and the drawers don't work... but it LOOKS fabulous. I'm sure it will take me another 6 months to restore the drawer runners. The husband gives me a sideways glance... why did I knock myself out for a broken dresser?

Why? Because I needed black in that room to make it feel right. I needed an upright substantial piece of non-working furniture for a mere $15 to take up floor space so I wouldn't have to vacuum in that corner. And....?

....AND I'd steal horses for those knobs! $15 dollars is chump change for handles like that! I'm a sucker for a good drawer pull.

Now the room is balanced... though the dresser's not. I can roll a marble right off the top. Everything leans forward severely. That's fixable too right! Guess I should have closed that drawer all the way too. Shameful. No, this dresser isn't a waste of space. It's great storage, even if I have to support the drawer when I pull it out. I could keep plenty in them drawers:)

Now, I just need to finish this FREE dresser I rescued from bulk pick-up day on the side of the road. No, the drawers don't work, but they will... in 6 more months!
Want to see more DIY projects? Go visit Kimba at her NEW home! or Wendy @The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday!

Friday Boutique... A Parade of Christmas Decor Themes

2009-11-12T22:38:00.000-08:00

If you're thinking about decorating for Christmas... (my friend the Nester is decorating early to prepare for her deck the halls post:) then you might be considering new ways to spruce up your home for the Holidays. I'm praying that a real artificial tree lands on my house and squashes my wicked excuse of an artificial tree and that the Good Witch of Christmas waves her magic wand and produces a tree that would make my munchkins dance and sing, "Ding dong the tree is dead..." Don't believe me?

True story... this is my tree. I'll tell you about it next week... or maybe never. Actually, this is a great picture of my free tree. It was free... us thrifty gals will suffer a lot for the sake of FREE.

One of the things I've learned after 14 years of marriage is that every person needs to find their own style of decorating for Christmas. I'm still mulling mine over...

I love it when a room looks festive without decorations overpowering the senses.

I love rooms that make you go, "Hmm... I never thought of that for Christmas." Blue and orange, starfishes in garlands, topiaries and toile...

I love it when the tree is the focus of a room. Simple, stately, alive and inviting to gather around.

While I love the traditional colors of red and green and also am lured by the natural look (tans, whites, and winter nature scenes) I have enjoyed seeing other colors come into use during the holidays. Now days Christmas decor is centered around what makes you happy, cheerful and festive.

What decor themes do you use to decorate with?

Okay ladies, if you're crafting, come link up and show us what you're selling this season! If you're beginning to hunt down Christmas gifts for sister, moms, neighbors, and daughter... now is the time to get out your check book and visit the talented ladies of blogland and shop! Happy Boutiquing my friends! Don't forget to order your Christ Centered Letters from Santa HERE for $6! Orders need to be in by Thanksgiving for an early December delivery!

African Nativity Cards

2009-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

I love these Pictures.

They were sent to me from my parents in Uganda.

Last year they sent me a Christmas Card made of finely cut grass and leaves glued together to make a nativity scene. I {heart} these pictures!

I asked my mom to send me more so I could hang them up... we have a couple of beautiful brown daughters in our house and I wanted something that reflected that on my walls. Never mind that I can't take a decent picture to save this post...

I was trying to figure out how to put this ensemble together with what I had: 2 shadowbox frames, one black frame and a cheap plastic dollar store frame. I decided to glue a cheap dollar store frame ON TOP of the glass of the black frame. You're right, it's not straight- I don't care. It took me forever to center it this well... picture police, I'm guilty... bad lighting and pictures after 10pm... need I say more?

Ta-da!- A year round nativity of African art in my very girly office (which is such a mess from writing Santa's letters (and other things) that it's not able to be photographed.

A Veteran's Day Tribute to my Dad

2009-11-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

Today we honor those who have served our country and put their very lives on the line to keep us free and oft times to preserve or fight for the freedom of others. Every Veteran is a hero. But my favorite Veteran is my Father-in-law.

My father in law is a quite man who has led a life of service as a soldier, father, grandfather, and now as a missionary. My Father-in-law was an officer in the Army Special Forces... a Green Beret. Dad served in Viet Nam and put his skill to use not only fighting but serving the people who he was fighting to protect. He is a warrior for what is right no matter where he is... no matter who he's with.

Dad received a Purple Heart for saving his men at great cost to himself under enemy fire. He was severely wounded and to this day has no feeling in parts of his hand and the scars to prove it... but he doesn't. Dad is quiet and modest and has spent his life humbly serving God and his country.

He continues that service, only in Africa. He's been serving the people of Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Sudan for 2.5 years with his dear wife. We miss him terribly but are honored to call him Dad and Grandpa for the example he sets for our children. Our lives are blessed because he has always put Faith, Family, and Freedom first.

This Veteran will never ask for a word of thanks nor ever call attention to himself. He presides over our family and has set a standard for all 7 of his children and 19 of his grandchildren. His greatest honor will be to see his children serve their God, Country and Families and live lives of service to their fellow man.

Happy Veteran's Day Dad. We love you, we're thankful for your sacrifice and example and know the world is better because of you and people like you who defended the freedoms we enjoy.

Luxury Laundry Room... and unhealthy Longing

2009-11-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

Every year about this time I start pining away for an expanded laundry room. You can read about my other rant HERE... or HERE. Careful, the pictures will make you drool. They'll make you want to stay in your laundry room. They'll make you want to go buy a can of paint and whip that laundry room into the oasis you wish it were.

Just before my laundry crawled down the stairs I ran... FAST. I just barely made it into the office so I could write this post! Whew! Right now as we speak there are socks that are squeezing themselves under the office door ... no they don't match.

With family coming in for the Holidays how do you keep laundry under control? Well, here in this house, on good days... when I've had enough chocolate, sleep, and chocolate, I DO have a system. I keep our family of 8 under control with personal buckets, cold water and NO SORTING... with few exceptions.

Curious? Yes, it's crazy and desperation is the mother of inspiration so you have to be completely bonkers to think, "Hey, wait, I don't have to pair these socks... and my boys can fold their own shirts.." Yes, the results do produce more wrinkles than the standard method BUT it also yields responsibility, and sanity.

Now, if you're dying to find more hours in your day you can check out my laundry method. It doesn't turn your laundry room into this picture of laundry bliss but it makes you sane and gives you a little more time to appreciate the finer things in life...

... finer things like chocolate, good movies, snuggling with the kids, a good book, or just plain 'ole "being free from the laundry!"
Photos:CountryLiving.com

Holiday Friday Boutique... Come By, Come Buy, Come Sell!

2009-11-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

This is Pretty Organizers edition of a Holiday Blow Out Sale. Last year I was up to my eyeballs in what I lovingly call "Pretty Organizers." I have sold at boutiques, online through my Etsy store and have done custom orders as well. I was invited last Fall to be the hat box supplier for a swanky hat store in Santa Monica... I was totally thrilled and flattered but... my 6 children are my priority.

Point? Well, this year is too busy to keep up with Hat Boxes and truthfully, I need to clear out crafter space and build up a reserve of change for my late night holiday craft induced chocolate binges. SO, I have a few overstock boxes that I'm offering at killer prices. Bad? No, they're beautiful but just not good enough to sell for top $$$. These boxes are over 50% off what I sell my boxes for. They need a good home and I need to purge. Yes, the pictures are blurry. I hate taking pictures... no patience. I've included a PayPal button right here to make it easy. And... if you don't want a hat box but want to add to my late night chocolate binge fund, just click on the goole ads to the right. I think I have $5 more dollars of clicks 'till google sends me my check:)

All of you Etsy Store owners or crafters who want to link up and strut your creative stuff.... link up to your store or blog and show us what you've got! Shoppers... time to start that Christmas Shopping!

Seasonal Bedding

2009-11-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

After nursing 6 children back to almost health from swine flu,

After looking around and noticing that the side effect of swine flu⁶ is a home that looks like a pig stye...

After putting yourself to bed for a week after 12:30 am and rising by 6:45 with 3 mid-sleep wake up calls for changing pee sheets, administering medicine and doing breathing treatments...

...One writes a blog post that is centered around what she desires most and is determined to get....

Sleep....
Photo Credits: PotteryBarn.com

Relaxing Space

2009-11-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

Browsing HGTV again....

Now, the closest thing I have to a Master Bedroom retreat is my bathroom. And sometimes in order to make that space a retreat I have to just put a towel over my head while I'm on the toilet and pretend my toddlers aren't breaking down the door or busting in on me... real motherhood moments aren't always pretty.

I'm always trying to think of ways to make my room more of a retreat... keep in mind that I'm Pretty Organized.. not really super organized, or even close to perfect. I love how this little retreat is close and comfy... a place where you can relax.

My daughters would LOVE relaxing in here! AND... notice the pretty organizing.. Ooo and that looks like a great mistreatment (of Nester's fame) waiting to be copied!

Love this storage...

This desk is a great storage option. It screams thrift store find made classy. Give us moms a brush and some paint and a little painters tape.... and look how much you can hide in them drawers! There is something so relaxing about a clean desk.... Ahhh. I assure you mine looks nowhere near this clean. Ever. Not even after I've cleaned it. Nope. Sigh..

What things about a space make you feel most relaxed?

Indian Corn Wreaths

2009-11-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

OregonWreath.com

This is the season of Decking the Halls and the walls and the doors and the floors with all that brings cheer and warm welcome to family and friend. Fall colors are beautiful and one of my favorite ways to see them displayed are with Indian Corn. One ear of Indian Corn embodies the colors, smell, and symbol of Thanksgiving to me. Here are a few of the webs finest Indian Corn creations.

Corn Husk Wreath by Etsy's The Keepers House

Indian Corn Feeder Wreath on a wire- Love this one! I love subtle holiday touches around my house and yard. This would be a great addition to a porch or well loved "thoughtful spot" in the yard.

Indian Corn Bird Feeder

I know, it's not a wreath but I couldn't pass up the chance to show off this colorful birdfeeder. This would be a great activity to do with your kiddos!

Martha Stewart Corn Wreath How To

Martha offers all the how to's of putting together your own Indian Corn Wreath.

Wind and Weather Wreath

Today is the last day to order Christ Centered Letters from Santa at the $5 sale price! If you've been putting it off... hurry on over and order before Tuesday!

Here's a quick sample from one of my letters showing how Santa talks about the true meaning of Christmas:

The busiest place of all is of course my toy shop. Every elf is busy doing his or her job to make just the right gift for children everywhere. I have sewing elves, elf engineers, elf mechanics, elf hairstylists (for the Barbie dolls) and elves in charge of painting and decorating. My wrapping elves are up to their pointy ears in wrapping paper, ribbon and tape - this shop would be a mess if it weren't for my cleaning elves! We have been thinking about what you might like this year and thought about a _____________ or a _____________. Hope that's something you'll enjoy!

_____________, I wanted to tell you something very important. I know you love Christmas and so do I. Bringing presents to children all over the world is such a happy thing for me to do. It's fun to get gifts but I would like you to remember why we celebrate this wonderful time of year. We use this time to remember Jesus Christ and his life and teachings. This is the time of year we remember the gifts He has given us - including me, Santa. The best way to celebrate Christmas and honor our Savior is to serve your family and friends and act as Jesus would. So, if you could think of something really nice to do for your friend _____________ I know you will feel the same joy this season as I do when I bring presents!

Hope you'll head on over and order early. Orders ship right after Thanksgiving and arrive the beginning of December!

$5 Fix to Cure Misbehaving Kids in December

2009-10-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing... this is a gift that takes planning. You HAVE to buy it way super duper early because it will be shipped and arrive at the beginning of December when your kids are crazy excited for Christmas and you need a little something to keep that 8 year old believing just one more year.

This is a gift that yields rave reviews from customers who are ordering again this year. The personal letters are written TO your kiddos, ABOUT your kiddos and what they're good at, AND Santa even mentions friends names and encourages your 'lil punks to think about why we celebrate Christmas! Plus, the letters have the irrefutable cancellation stamp from the real North Pole, Alaska. The older kids flip.

*** Tricky Parenting Tactic ALERT***

This is a $5 stinker fixer. Totally worth it. Santa KNOWS their name and what they're good at AND he's really checking his list. SO... (and this works because, yes, I've stooped so low) if they're stinkers in the grocery store, mention the elves are watching and reporting things to Santa. You might also pull out the letter from your purse and flash the evidence... geesh, now you'll all be able to spot me in Wal-Mart. Guilty.

****WARNING*****

This Tricky Parenting Technique has NOT been clinically tested for ill side effects. Pretty Organizers dreaded dreamed up side effects might include mental illness or anxious children who believe that the elves are everywhere and taking note of every action. Pretty Organizer assumes no liability for nightmares or parenting backfires.

Help me spread the word and grab a button!

$5 letter SALE goes through MONDAY, NOV. 2nd. ORDER NOW! Prices will increase Nov. 3rd.

Odds and Ends Make Perfection

2009-10-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

I've been combing the decor magazines office ideas... I need a rehaul on this office. The Santa Letters are taking over and I'm covered in Christmas projects.

My style is a little frenchy, a little vintage, a little Pottery Barn. I'm pretty loose on the rules, it just has to "go" together. In short, I think odds and ends in the right place are a great expression of art and creative decor. Check out this fabulous office. I thought you could appreciate the budget inspiration that so perfectly collided with style! This is from Better Homes and Gardens.

Gotta love drawer pulls and door knockers. I bought stunning iron door knockers at JoAnns on clearace (garden aisle) and they are a site and conversation piece at my house.. great for hanging things:)

Who'da Thunk!! Not sure how they got these gizmos on the wall 3M double sided gluey tape? Great idea... I always have rogue cutlery that reappears after I replace a set.

Muffin tins as drawer organizers!! CHEAP!! Now your office can double as kitchen storage too!! I lOVE dual purpose design! Add a few strong magnets on the underside and your toddlers can construct the Eiffel tower out of paper clips and you won't lose a one!

Honestly, Can you have too many memo boards when they look this great on a wall? Notice how none of them match but the colors and textures add spice to the room. This room has great details to look at! Now I just gotta get me that desk!

How does the "mis-matched" style work for you?

The buzz about Mercury Glass

2009-10-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

BassetFurniture.com

Blogland and Home Decor store everywhere are buzzing about Mercury Glass. I've been watching the trend and truly feeling like a numbskull because really?... Glass with mercury? It sounds like something on the list of things to NOT have around in a home of toddlers. Then I saw THESE in my Pottery Barn catalog.

They're stunning. So, in an effort to cure my ignorance (or display it to all of you design savvy readers) I did a little research.

Here's what it says on Wikipedia.

"Mercury glass is the common term for silvered glass, which describes glass that was blown double walled, then silvered between the layers with a liquid silvering solution, and sealed. Although mercury was originally used to provide the reflective coating for mirrors, elemental mercury was never used to create tableware. Silvered glass was free-blown, then silvered with a solution containing silver nitrate and grape sugar in solution, heated, then closed"....."Vases, goblets and all form of tableware were decorated with a variety of techniques including painting, enameling, etching, and engraving. Silvered "mercury" glass is considered one of the first true "art glass" types, that is, glass that was made for display and for its inherent artistic value, rather than for utilitarian use."

More than you wanted to know I'm sure. Well, as is characteristic of any crafter... I went in search of a way to fake it. I mean... FAUX it. It sounds so much more legit when you say it in French.

BHG has a tutorial that uses vases, but in my opinion the metalic spray paint doesn't quite give the vase enough of the bright whitish silvery luster of Mercury Glass.

Krylon has a great tutorial and shows off their Looking Glass mirror finish product. This paint seems like the obvious better choice. You can see both tutorials and decide for yourself.I think I'll be working on a few Mercury Glass project this Christmas for my own home decor as well as for neighbor gifts.

What do you think about the Mercury Glass trend?

Photo Credits: Country Living, Organge County Register

3 Minutes and 29 Seconds to a Happy Monday

2009-10-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

I've watched this ASL music video 613 times and it makes me smile EVERY time. If you have kiddos that are Miley Cyrus fans this will be a hit. The facial expressions are worth 3 minutes and 29 seconds of your time. Happy Monday friends!!

Don't forget to grab the North Pole Secretary Button and paste up on your bloggy.

I only have 7 weeks to be in business here and am trying to spread the word muy rapido. Link up below so I can go see the button on your blog and visit www.NorthPoleSecretary.com for your FREE letter. Make sure you fill out the free letter option when you're ordering and just pay for 1 letter LESS than the total kiddos you order for. All letters this week are only $5!

Letter from Santa are personalize for your kids and are sent right after Thanksgiving.

Christ Centered Santa Letters:: A FREEBIE FOR ALL!

2009-10-23T01:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, Take a good look at this button. This button is going to be famous... well at least that is what I'm hoping. My secret Christmas wish is that THIS button will become the IN thing around blogland this Christmas season.

Yes, I said CHRISTMAS. Not Holiday. I'm calling it what it is:: CHRISTMAS. The time we celebrate CHRIST'S birth... his life... his mission here on earth. We celebrate the wonderful things HE taught: Love, Peace, Service, Kindness, Forgiveness, Mercy, Grace, Truth and did I mention LOVE?

Yes, bear with me.... this is a long post. If you want the meat... skip down to the end.
I love CHRISTMAS!.... but I also love Santa and presents and all of the magical things about the season that make a child's eyes sparkle. The things that often times drown out the majesty of WHY the world seems to stop one day out of the year to honor HIM. Wouldn't it be great to keep that balance. Don't we moms and grandmas try to do that each year?

Well, as Santa's secretary I have written 8 fabulous letters that not only talk about the happenings at the North Pole, they talk about Jesus and urge kids to do things to honor HIM this season. The first batch of letters are sent AFTER Thanksgiving and arrive to your home postmarked from North Pole, Alaska (clearly the closest post office to the North Pole.) Customers who ordered letters last year have been emailing me and waiting to order again next year... this is SOOO fun for your kiddos.

You see, I began NPS last year in an effort to make extra money to pay down our adoptions. We eventually refinanced the house and they are paid for however.... yes, the house is not... SO.... I can pretty much guarantee that NPS will be around for another 30 years working on THAT effort.

TO Kick of the Season I have an amazing sale and these offers!

ALL LETTERS ARE $5 THIS WEEK!! Standard price is $8 with discounts for multiple letters.
YOU CAN GET 1 LETTER FOR FREE if you add the NPS button to your blog sidebar and let your friends know about this sale!
AD SPACE FOR SALE at North Pole Secretary Site for $30 for November and December THIS WEEK ONLY! I am purchasing additional advertising and networking heavily. After this week ad prices will increase. Email me :: NorthPoleSecretary @ cox (dot) net to arrange payment and posting.
AD SPACE FOR Pretty Organized Palace is $20 for the month of November THIS WEEK only. Email me:: PrettyOrganized @ gmail {dot} com

To reveive the FREE letter this week, just visit the North Pole Secretary site and fill out your information. You will be able to purchase your additional letters at the $5 price this week! I'll be visiting your linked blogs and looking for the NPS button on the sidebar. Please feel free to Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Call, Email... anyone to let them know about this promotion. This business only runs for 7 week out of the year and I need word to spread fast!

If you're willing to spread the word about NPS and would like to make it easy for me to see how famous my button is around blogland (on your blog or website)... link to your blog below!

Inspiring Tabletop Christmas Trees

2009-10-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

BHG does it again.... I {HEART} this article.

Glass candlesticks upholding glass plates surrounded by boxwood leaves and topped with a mercury glass bird. I love graceful, NATURAL looking Christmas decor.

How about gifting a neighbor this cinnamon stick topiary early on in December to enjoy? Just glue cinnamon sticks atop a box with a dowel in one end... secure with ribbon and mount in vase.

I have 14" pine cones sitting on my hutch waiting to be made into trees. More about my lucky pine cone score in an upcoming post.

The wonders of chicken wire. Really. This is wonderful. Chicken wire Christmas trees adorned with roses on a base of delicious red apples. If you're planning a boutique brunch or a cookie exchange these pretty table top trees are very unique.

Simple Statement. Paper.

Peppercorn Topiaries.

Finally. A tree where tinsel garland looks good. This would be a nice touch in a bathroom or next to a guests bed.

Thinking about Christmas yet? I've been living it this week. Head on over HERE to see what I've been up to!

All photos are from BHG

Home Tour Part 2- Where people stash their stuff.

2009-10-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

HOME TOUR!!

Where People Stash their "Stuff" Part 2!

Love this satee!

I have a friend who I will call "Mrs. Whimsical" She is exactly that. AND she is classy and a great artist and designer. One of those moms who makes a t-shirt and jeans look like dress-up wear and can find a compliment for everyone out there. I visited her Palace and this is where she stashes her stuff...

The downstairs activity center. Before....

After......Mom with 4 kids. 2 under the age of 3. Not unfamiliar with a mess but you'll rarely catch her house out of place... only few in her very secret circles get to see the food on the counter or an occassional speck of dust on the basebaords (I know her weakness... feed her chocolate and a Diet Coke and she'll talk... Now I'm in that circle. Lucky me!)

The Game room. Love the stacked storage. I always am looking for a unique way to go verticle with storage.

No, no storage here but I I love this room.

Oh, and look there are a few of my handmade hat boxes next to this chaise... very frenchy!

Show stopper bed. LOVE the textures. Yes, she painted the wall herself.

Goodbye clutter... hello, tall dark and handsome!

Bedside chest. Yep! holds the candy stash... this girl has her priorities in order. Chocolate first. THAT- my friends, is how you never get out of bed grumpy!!

Where do you hide your clutter?

Head Start on Homemade Christmas Gifts

2009-10-19T00:44:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart

Homemade Christmas gifts are the only way to go when you're tight on a budget and want to give something unique and meaningful. They are also fantastic ways to pass the evenings while sipping cocoa and listienng to seasonal music. I start my homemade gifts early so that I won't be piled high with projects during December. Here are a few unique and easy ideas to give as gifts.

The picture above is from Martha Steward and shows and idea on how to make bookends using pottery vases and filling them with sand. No home ever has enough book ends. What can you make book ends out of?

How2DoStuff

Learn how to make a Secret treasure Hollow book. Shop the thrift store for an old hardback book, glue the pages together and cut out the "innards" for a fun place to store treasures. (my kids love secret places to store their booty!)

Family Fun

Gifts don't need to be anything more than thoughtful. These Christmas sachets are perfect for teachers or neighbors and easy enough for your kiddo's to do. Use 5 inch fabric squares, glue them together, fill with 1/2 cup of poupori and glue closed. Bundle fun fabrics together and deliver them with a sweet note.

Martha Stewart

Snow globes are a childhood wonder. This tutorial shows how to make your own out of simple jars and of course... Martha Stewart Glitter. By the way, Martha, if you're tuning in today, I want to work in your glitter craft department for a whole week. I want to use all 24+ colors in your line and all 7 different textures you have for white and irredecent glitter. I want to glitter me up all the crafts in the world and let your clean up crew take care of my big ole mess. Love that glitter look! Glittler's outlawed in this house because once you spill glitter, it forever becomes a part of your house and impossible to get off your face. It's the worst for the boys who sparkle after having done their laundry after the pricess costume load!

Tell us all what gifts you're handmaking for Christmas! We can all use more ideas!

Friday Boutique... Early Holiday Shopping

2009-10-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

What's blogland selling at the boutiques this year? Come see... come shop... come buy from women and moms who could use the extra cash for their families.

The Friday Weekend Boutique will be held every Friday through Christmas! If you sell handmade items, Come link up!

If you'd like to be a featured crafter on Fridays shoot me an email:

PrettyOrganized {@} gmail {dot} com

Let's go shopping this weekend! Be sure to spread the word and link up below.

Rules:Please link up to your blog post about your online store and include a link back to Pretty Organized Palace in your post. Feel free to include PayPal buttons on your site or the link to your craft store. Be sure to tell everyone you're participating in The Friday Boutique over at Pretty Organized, this will help all crafters get more traffic to their sites! and don't forget to BUY, BUY, BUY! Let's help stimulate the homemakers economy!

Pretty Clever Storage for FREE

2009-10-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Not all homes look like Model Homes. That's because people (WITH children) live in them. Yes, this is a real picture of my family, I think it's my favorite. Most of the children are mine... the crazy looking older ones are my brothers and sisters.

I can't tell you how many times I look at a new house and think, "Why can't my house look like that?" Uuhh... because we eat and produce laundry piles and our kids have papers that come home... we also receive mail. Pretty Empty Organized Palaces are pretty but meaningless. Model homes don't have to look for a place to hide acne cream, tampons or Preparation H.

This is a real house with pretty real people inside (8 of them! Yes I fit 8 people in this house AND their stuff!- I can fit 12 in that car.... Oooo I know you're all getting Van envy:). Storage challenge is my life!

Here's just a few of the ideas I found this weekend... more to come in Part 2 this week.

Stereo Equipment- Most guys have no clue how ugly it is. Do I hear a few, "Amen, sister Amens" out there? Check out this idea my mom came up with!

A teenagers room?

Trust me, this space gets used! Yes, my brother has a gun under his bed... he's a real life Grizzly Adams... those are quarts of peaches too. Real. Life. Survivor.

Jack up the bed on those Home Depot cinder blogs... super cheap. Ta-da! Extra storage!

Pretty furniture.

Pretty Storage... we need this because maniquins in model homes don't get cold or read. My mom uses an ottoman to hide "life."

Pretty Bed. (Notice the lack of headboard... haven't had one for 14 years of marriage. This mistreatment has been up for 6 years- works great!)

Pretty storage. Hand-me-down 70's cedar chest. Timeless and FREE.

Give me a desk with a ton of drawers... I'll fill them. Um, glaring light? For all you regular visitors, this is why I NEVER take pictures of my house. I hate it. I have no patience for lighting or uploading or sorting photos... I hate using the camera. Really. I just sketch all of my children.... no not really, they move too fast, all my sketches turn out blurry too.

Furniture leave a space in the corner? I use the corner. If you bend over that couch and look behind, you'll find neatly stacked Rubbermaids and probably a few AWOL Lego guys!

Yes, I inherrited an organ (it's a well known muscicians law that you never give away musical instruments.. you collect them- this is Mr. Organized's collection.) There's a giant space back there... I use it and stuff all kinds of unsightly things right behind that unsightly organ. Remember 8 people stash their stuff in this house.

**** I'll have Christian based letters from Santa coming soon! Mr. Organized is putting the final touches on the North Pole Secretary Website and I'll be kicking off the season with a HUGE sale and promotion! Stay tuned! This is sooo much fun for your kiddos (and me!)***

Painted Stairs

2009-10-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

When the carpet on your stairs looks like the main thoroughfare in a truck stop you might want to consider another option. Paint them. That's what Puffer Progress did! Love it!

You don't have to have fancy hard wood beautiful grain steps... you can fake it with paint. No one stairs at your floor grain. They stair at the black path of yuck that has been beaten into the center of your stairs... okay, that's where I stare. I won't even notice your steps have a grain because I sacreligiously paint all natural wood grain with the exception of my piano... some things are super sacred.

I love the look of a center runner... the carpet ones look nice but really... who's taking those out to clean? Nope, I'd much rather sweep my steps with the fake paint runner instead.

Of course, these are super shiny and clean. I'm sure you'd have to Windex them every day to make them look this good. I'll be sticking with a more forgiving color.

You see, compared to the black greasy grime of well trodden stairs, any paint job will do. Right?

Photo credits: Flickr and Apartment Therapy

Wood on the Walls

2009-10-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

In my Do It Yourself day dreams I imagine myself surrounded by walls with a little more character than Orange Peel or Skip Trowel textures. They're covered with wood... only I went and wrecked them all up with fantastic paint colors.

So naturally after spending most of Sunday in a lucid state of day dreaming my way through wainscotting the entire house, I wanted to share some of my inspiring images with my fantastic readers!

Only, after getting half way through gathering my pics for this post I checked my Google Reader to find that my skinny southern toile loving high heel sporting sister The Nester was having the same dream.... and she posted first. So, I'll let her advise you all on the bonus's of fantastic trim work while I just show you the pics. Arg... I hate being 13 hours too late! It's like finding the perfect thing at Good Will and taking it to the checkout only to find out that it was half price YESTERDAY!

Picures?!? Right! Coming right up! LOVE these walls.

These are great too! Somehow, I believe that if I had wainscot on my walls there would never be fingerprints. I told you I was in a lucid state on Sunday....a loony and lucid state. In reality, it just means that I wouldn't be scrubbing paint off the walls while trying to remove peanutbutter and jelly or the well adhered booger. Nester's house doesn't have boogers on the wall. I'm sure of it.

No PB&J, No boogers.... just clean shiny walls. Clean... painted wood. Ahhh.....

Where could you use a little wainscot?

All Photos from This Old House.

A Million Dollars for Your Thoughts

2009-10-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

All right, no, I don't have a million dollars. I don't even have a million pennies so taking this poll is really a personal favor, not a bribe or a sweepstake or a lottery. Be warned, you win nothing and will walk away as poor as you entered this blog.

You see, after almost a full year of blogging and 430+ people following and over 800+ people subscribing via RSS feed I've begun to wonder, "Why in the world do so many of you wonderful readers come back every day?" You all know that I'm an average mother of 6... completely average! I dye my hair which is at least 70% gray at the age of 34 with Medium Ash Brown every month just to keep up with the average 34 year olds in my neighborhood so really, I hit average just barely. The only thing that is above average is my sense of smell which now sniffs out the above average amount of pee, body odor, stinky socks, and sour milk odors which adorn my average life.

So today, just to quell my curiosity I'm featuring a poll... and if you take it... I don't have a million dollars but I could offer at least 50 batteries that I've collected from around the house that MIGHT be dead or MIGHT be new and I'll throw in a bonus of 100 mismatched socks.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Your reason for visiting Pretty Organized Palace isn't here? Leave a comment and let me know why YOU enjoy stopping by!

Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without... a repeat.

2009-10-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband lives by this motto! Before I go shopping for home decor items, I rifle through the garage, closets and look at all the things I could "repurpose" into something fabulous. Here are a few inexpensive decorating ideas from www.pointclickhome.com. With a little extra imagination, you could use these ideas to spruce up your holiday decor without spending much... How fun would it be to have a Halloween or Christams lampshade!... Start warming that glue gun ladies!

Grab that dusty lampshade, vacuum it and then decorate it with ribbon. If you're super cheap like me, you can even spray paint the thing first (I paint everything) then attack it with ribbon. If you get sick of the ribbon, pop it off and change it out.

I have baskets all over my house... most don't have labels. Use that cute craft paper, print labels and frame them. Attach the frames to your baskets- Wal-mart and Goodwill have great finds.

This one is pretty eco- friendly. Paint dry twiggs (Ooo... Red for the holidays!) and arrange and glue gun them over a thrift store mirror. Ta-Da! What else do you have that you could paint and glue to a mirror?

Dear Santa,.... My 2 Scents

2009-10-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Santa,

I know it's early and I hope I don't disturb your much deserved rest but, well, I was hoping to be included on the Christmas list this year. You see, for 13 years I've had someone in diapers or potty training and I am happy to report that we have officially moved on. Potty training is over... for good.

After 13 years of smelling pee in various forms and places (diapers, dirty undies, wet beds, missed toilets, car seats, and yes, the carpet) I am ready to leave behind the test and trials of waste odor and will do so without ever looking back. Yes, I am ready to rid my home of pee smells forever and move on to the next phase of odor challenges... body odor. In order to fully accept my new phase of motherhood and in hopes of not over powering my sensitive nasal nerves, I would like a carpet cleaner for Christmas.

P.S.- If it's not too much trouble, I would really appreciate deodorant in all my children's stockings... except that Axe brand.... my sons have decided that Axe is the ladies preferred choice of mens cologne... it is not mine I assure you....and they do not need to worry right now about what ladies prefer.... for a good. long. time.

Pumpkins on Parade

2009-10-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

These first 3 pics from Good Housekeeping are no carve ideas for decorating with pumpkins. Paint, ribbon, u shaped nails holding up hurricane lamps with votives... anything goes!

These designer nail head embellished white pumpkins and the tutorial are over at Cottage Living Such a bummer that pumpkins don't last All. Year. Long!

Better Homes and Gardens has a flashy way of spicing up white pumpkins too!

Ahhh!!!! Someone help me! I can't remember where this pic came from! If you recognize it, let me know so I can give credit! Fantastic paint job.

Friday's Weekend Boutique and a couple Pumpkin Crafts Ideas

2009-10-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

Friday Linky time is here. If you sell crafts, link up below. If you're starting your Christmas Shopping early, check out the links below and start buying! IF you want to be a feature crafter for our (me, myself and I) Weekend Boutique, check out the button on the sidebar for more info and shoot me an email! October - December is Boutiquing Season so, IF you make fabulous things to sell and want a place to peddle them online for FREE, come link up here each Friday so we can buy from you!

Disney's Family Fun Magazine suggests using magazine cutouts to piece together a funny face. This is one kids are sure to enjoy!

Ms. B's Edgar Allen Poe Decoupaged Pumpkin! Go on and pay her a visit!

Okay, You know the drill. Remember to link to your BLOG please and link back to this post. You can grab this button if you like and don't forget to tell all your friends you've linked up to sell over here. If we all spread the word via our blogs, we'll have a lot of happy shoppers and all us crafters will be rich and solve the worlds problems over a good piece of chocolate cake. Okay, well, even if we don't solve one darn problem, we'll all be fat and happy together, right?

Paint Sets the Mood

2009-09-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Before you go painting your kitchen blue or your bedroom bright red, take a little time to think about what kind of moods you want in your space. Do you want a kitchen that evokes strong passions, active and lively conversation, and increases metabolism? Think Red... or some form of red...'

Green colors invite conversation and friendship. Green also is a soothing color and the traditional color for peace... a color that's great for a living room or family room.

Yellow is a cheerful and welcoming color. It brightens dark hallways and energizes those within her walls. Yellows, in their more subtle form are great for hallways, entries, and living areas.... even bedrooms.

Don't worry about the color police checking to make sure you have the right color in a room. The truth is, you choose the function and mood you want a room to convey and then use color to accomplish that goal.

Take a bedroom for instance.... I want all of my children to relax and never speak another word after 8 pm. I want them so mellow that they melt when their heads hit the pillow. I want them always, "feeling groovy" and "chilling out" and CALM!!! That's why one particular room is blue... and why another room will be blue very soon... and why I'm seriously considering turning my master bedroom into a "feeling groovy, chilling out, CALM oasis" of blueness. There is a reason Spa Blue was invented... it was for me. I'm sure of it.
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!!Fun Reads!!

For a professional read up on the meaning of every color and shade of the rainbow, go visit the Color Wheel Pro
If you want to know what moods certain colors evoke, visit the Paint Quality Institute

How have you used colors to evoke moods in your home?
Photo Credits:: Decorpad.com

Things That Make You Go Ahhhh...

2009-09-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today I give you a few things that make me say, "Ahhhhh..." Contrast is beautiful. This kitchen from Point Click Home, Elle Decor is a striking sight from the contrasting counters and cabinetry, to the well displayed dishes in the cut out cabinets to the hard lines that contrast the circles and ovals in the cupboards, pictures, and tea set... beautiful.

If you ever see a large basket in a thrift store... buy it. If you see a small basket in a thrift store... buy it. Baskets make "stuff" look fab. This pantry is my dream. Notice there are no black marks on the shelving from dirty little feet trying to scale the shelving... hmm. Those plate holders... they're going to be hung next to my sink when the open shelving goes in. Thats the ONLY thing on my Christmas list. Zip. Zero distractions... only shelving and... well the unspoken 400 sf. needed laundry room.

Some of you may have closets that hold junk.... AND that same group may not have a dedicated office space. Try parting with your junk. Jack up your beds on risers and stow things underneath to clear out that closet. Closet offices are a great use of space and may just help you get the rest of your life in order. When you finally DO get the hubby man to finish off your new space, make sure you take a picture talking on the phone in your heeled boots and send it to me! I always talk on the phone with heels on... oh and I vacuum in heels as well. And I SOOO want to see your new space.

Thanks for bearing with the quickie post... I just came back into town this evening and Mount Evererst moved into my kitchen sink while I was gone. I'm sure all the Shirpas and Tibetian Monks are wondering where that natural wonder went... it's in my sink and covered with old food and sippy cups.

Arranging the Furniture to Welcome Fall

2009-09-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

When the night-time temperatures drop below 80 degrees in Arizona, I think about fall. Thinking about fall makes me thing about nesting... and projects... and entertaining... and cozy nights with lights low and curling up with a blanket (something Arizonans never do. Ever.).

As the temperatures drop and you gather in your harvest, think about gathering in your furniture as well.

During the Summertime I open up my living space and traffic areas to allow kids room to run and play (remember, I live in 110 degree Arizona). When October hits I begin to move furniture around... often. If you're blind or went to bed early, my home is dangerous. Nothing stays in one place for very long and one is likely to trip over a sofa on the way to the bathroom.

Position your furniture for conversation.

Try to keep chairs less than 8 feet apart for easy conversation. Coffee tables are comfortable at around 14-18 inches distance from the sofa. Move sofas and chairs away from the wall and position them to face each other. Choose a main focal point in the room... (like a fireplace or a window) and position furniture around that point. Don't be afraid to pull in rogue chairs or ottomans to offer extra seating space and a second conversation area in a room... if you're lucky enough to have one that big. Last year I found a way to seat 10 in a very small living room because I rearranged the furniture.

Don't forget to add the finishing touches to a great cozy fall room. Books, close intimate lighting, blankets, and even floor pillows help create a space that will make your family and guests want to linger longer.

How do you welcome in Fall with your furniture?
Photo Credits: HGTV.com designer profiles.. living room.

UPDATE:: I am out of town for a family funeral. I'll do my best to have the Friday Weekend Boutique up on time but I'll be driving all day THursday so if it's a little late... be patient!

Open Kitchen Shelving... When do you need it?

2009-09-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Country Living

You'll know open kitchen shelving is right for you when:

You run out of cupboard space for dishes
The dumb builder made cupboards on either side of your kitchen sink an "option" and the previous buyer never thought she needed cups by her sink and opted for the media niche instead.
You need a visual clue to run the dishwasher because your dish shelf is empty.
You don't care if anyone sees the hazy white film on your glasses because you want neighbors to remark about them so your husband will break down and buy a dishwasher that works.
You're tired of hearing the cupboard doors slam when your kiddos climb up on the counter and scavenge for chocolate chips or old sprinkles.
You have 6 kids.
You open the cupboard and stare inside trying to remember what you needed in that cupboard....

Sunset Magazine

Container Store

Southerrn Accent

Friday Weekend Boutique- Get Craft'n

2009-09-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

What's blogland selling at the boutiques this year? Come see... come shop... come buy from women and moms who could use the extra cash for their families.

The Friday Weekend Boutique will be held every Friday through Christmas!

This week's feature business is owned by a mother of 3 kiddos who loves to cook and bake and design. She and her sister started Scribble It, an online decal and vinyl store.

They even have a fab DESIGN CENTER where you can custom design your order and they feature something uniquely wonderful for all you trying to figure out what you're getting your mother who has everything this year:

Chalk Board Vinyl!!! Yes, I'm totally in love with these 2 style cut outs but you MUST go see the others for sale. Really ladies, these are fantastic... AND affordable.

Aren't they cute in this nursery? I'd love to slap a couple of those decorative ones above on the outside of my kitchen cabbys! Are your creative craft'n juices flowing?

Are you ready to get crack'n with craft'n for the holidays?

So many people to make for, so little time (when you start in December!).

Let's go shopping this weekend! Be sure to spread the word and link up below.

If you'd like to be a featured crafter on Fridays shoot me an email:

PrettyOrganized {@} gmail {dot} com

Hurry to reserve your spot at discount September prices!

Making Use of Tin Cans

2009-09-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart offers a great tutorial on Tin Can Jack-O-Lanterns.

Another Martha favorite... spray paint tin cans and use as vases, or containers indoors.

Great article at HGTV on organizing with tin cans.

Add a strong magnet for use on the fridge or tool bench...

Don't forget tomorrows Friday Weekend Boutique! Come, link up and sell what you've been making! Just link to a blog post about your product and add a PayPal button or a link to your Etsy store. Let's get Christmas shopping done early and buy from creative ladies who are looking to make Christmas cash for their families.

The Mother Ship:: Motherhood in Male Terms

2009-09-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Star Trek

7 years ago I was driving in the car and trying to explain to my husband how I felt. 7 years ago I had a 3 month old baby and didn't quite feel like myself... by a LONG shot. I loved being a mom. I loved attending to the needs of my family. I loved it all but I felt like my own identity was gone. I couldn't go to the bathroom alone never mind about sprinting to the store to restock the makeup supply or run to the craft store. YIKES!

Husband listened and tried to understand....

Then it hits me: The analogy of all time. Perfect for the wonderfully attractive brilliant man that I married.... I'm the mothership.

You know in the movies... all great missions have a mother ship. The mission could never succeed without the mother ship. Smaller craft are housed in the mother ship... maintained in the mother ship and always return to refuel, get repaired or receive supplies from yes, the Mother Ship.

When I had my 4th I had spent only a few months in between each pregnancy NOT being the mother ship. Everyone physically needed me for something. Nursing babies attached for refueling, smaller children attached for guidance or protection, older children found me in the bathroom in dispose even when I turned on my cloaking device to request repair or refueling and my husband... well, lets just say being the mother ship is a physically demanding job. Even exhausting.

It's easy in those moments to forget who you are. You become a docking station; a service station; a collective entity that lives to fulfill the mission. It's easy to feel like every inch of your beautiful body has become a utility for an others physical needs.

Star Wars

So how does a Mother Ship retain her identity? Never Forget the Mission. EVER. You accepted it. The mission would fail without you. Your little ships need you and you house the heart of all that is sacred and worth saving. You are the main generator, the life source, all that is good, keeper of the innocent and pure. After a day of fueling, housing, servicing, maintaining, and protecting think about your mission. If you explain things well to that sweet husband, maybe, just maybe, you'll be the Mother Ship wearing lipstick and high heel shoes. Some day your little fighter jets will stop coming to refuel and you can repurpose your ship to fly along side those fighters but until then... you're the Mother Ship... and never forget it.

Watch husband finally "get it" ... it's such a great analogy it may even make him cry... or at least salute the great things you do!

Apothecary Chests:: Organizing the Small Stuff

2009-09-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

Now if Apothecary conjures up images of drugstores and Chinese herbal medicinal remedies, you haven't searched blogland long enough. With a household of 8 there is one agonizing organizing rule I live by: Go vertical! Give me hooks, nooks, and places to store books.
PotteryBarn uses this great Apothecary Chest in the intry... did I just write that?? Entry! Too lazy to hit backspace. Anyhooo... Just looking at the 2 medicine boxes I TRY to keep sorted for those kiddos begs one to re-examine individual compartments for little things... you know, like places to store all of the Band-Aid wrappings instead of just thrown around the medicine box.
In my Palace, this wonder stair Apothecary would organize little things like Barbie heads, dirty socks I was too lazy to haul upstairs, all the missing pieces to that Lego thing, wipes and extra diapers.
Drawers for socks, undies, bras, nylons, scarves, belts.... little things need their own vertical space other than a door knob to hang from. Not to mention CD's! If you're really old fashion you can use them to house your card catalog.
What would you do with an Apothecary Chest?

Winner of the Friday Boutique Medical Log by Best Nesst is Amy from Love Notes! Congrats! Ness of Best Nesst will be emailing you! Don't forget to link up this Friday to sell your crafts throughout blogland!

Photo Credits: Raffles Interior, Pottery Barn, Arts of Asia, G Baldwin and Co.

The Friday Boutique

2009-09-10T23:55:00.001-07:00

Welome to the Friday Boutique! Each week until Christmas I will be offering a place for crafters to link up to a blog post about their products and their online store for free. Each Friday Boutique will run through the weekend giving bloggers plenty of time to advertise their wares. Don't forget what this is all about... SHOPPING!! Start your Holiday shopping early and do a litte bit each weekend. I'm planning on doing all my shopping this year through these small businesses... I want to put my money into HOMES... into FAMILIES. Let's support each other.

Each week I'll be featuring a few crafters with links to their online stores. If you'd like to be a featured crafter shoot me an email at PrettyOrganized {at} Gmail {Dot} Com and I'll give you current pricing. Pricing through September is less than some spend at Sonic each week.

::Featured Crafters::

Nester at Nestingplace
If you don't know who my sweet girlfriend Nester is... you've been under a rock. Nester blogs over at the Nestingplace and is a glue gun slinging crafter who shoots from the hip and makes ordinary things like doors and plates look like extraordinary works of art. She's been hotly pursued to market her original unique decorative tassels by Dayspring... a Christian division of Halmark.

Go check out her creations... each is complete with a scripture verse sure to inspire the heart of a homemaker. I Heart her myself!!

Shabby Nest
Wendy at the Shabby Nest blogs on about all things vintage, decor and beautiful. She also hosts a great Frugal Friday linky party each week that may help you with Christmas ideas! On top of her successful blog, Wendy puts her artistic skills to work at her Etsy Store The Shabby Nest.

She makes incredible hand sketched cards.... and beautiful tile necklaces... again, sketched by her own talented little hands! LOVE this bee necklace!

Oh, and the genius, mother of 4 also sews fantastic pillows! I love her number pillows... Um... I need 8 please.

::GIVEAWAY::

Jenessa over at The Best Nesst chiseled her crafting niche in the homemade journal and address book business. Ness runs a great store over at Etsy with custom PRETTY journals and address books complete with thoughtful scriptures on the front.

Ness was a sweetheart and was willing to offer a new product here on Pretty Organized Palace as a giveaway this weekend.

Leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win a custom Medical Log Journal created for your family by Jenessa. I've blogged here and over at Blissfully Domestic about the medical log that I created but ya'll would be embarrassed to drag my sad stuffed spiral notebook into the doc.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think about The Friday Boutique. Drawing will be announced Monday and the winner will be emailed by Jenessa!

THE FRIDAY BOUTIQUE

Let the buying and selling begin!

Rules:Please link up to your blog post about your online store and include a link back to Pretty Organized Palace in your post. Feel free to include PayPal buttons on your site or the link to your craft store. Be sure to tell everyone you're participating in The Friday Boutique over at Pretty Organized, this will help all crafters get more traffic to their sites! and don't forget to BUY, BUY, BUY! Let's help stimulate the homemakers economy!

Pinching a Penny 'till it Screams

2009-09-09T23:36:00.001-07:00

There isn't any wiggle room in our budget. I think there used to be a long time ago but my memory really isn't that good. I don't mind trumpeting my frugal horn all over blogland because well... it's true... we live very frugally, and we're good at it. But sometimes money gets even tighter than we imagine it could.

So, what happens when a frugal family has cut every common luxury (cable, dining out, runs to Sonic- you get the idea) out of the budget and STILL needs to pinch pennies to survive? Right now our Octo-brood is about as pinched as you can get. As a good friend says, "I pinch pennies so hard I make them scream."

When I need to find extra cash around the holidays I start in the kitchen.

Here are some tips to significantly reduce your food budget:

Only buy what you need. This will sound ultra miserly but bear with me. The USDA has a great website that outlines nutritional needs. I offer my kids their needs... because I want them to be healthy and that's what I can afford. Parents: We over feed our kids expensive foods that lack nutrition! Why not offer them what their bodies need and save money? Go visit www.MyPyramid.gov and see the different food pyramids for your age kiddos. Heck, you can even find out what portion sizes in each group you need to lose weight! They have great interactive tools that will help you figure out what the NEEDS are of your family. 'nuff said.

Cut out cold cereal. Fix Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Cracked Wheat Cereal, homemade pancakes, eggs. These meals fill you up faster and stick with you longer. Try making them overnight in a crock pot and reheating them for a few days for convenience.
Monitor the Milk. We buy 8 gallons a week! Geesh, If I let my kids drink as much milk as they wanted to, we'd need to buy stock in a dairy. Nutritionally kids and adults only need a few dairy servings a day. Offer proper nutritional servings of milk products and then let the kids drink good old H2O!
Popcorn is a great snack! Popcorn (air popped) is cheap and a great healthy whole grain snack. My kids love this FILLING treat after school. Try different toppings for variety: half butter and half soy sauce (big hit around here), butter and ranch or use ranch dressing powder, BBQ seasoning powder, Mrs. Dash.
Eat leftovers. If you hate left overs... start thinking survival. We don't throw any food away. I call left overs "Planned Overs." If we have broccoli for dinner, it ends up in an omelet, soup, or stir fry for the next night. Get creative and try to find a way to reinvent your left over into it's own dish. Soup and quiche are great leftover mediums. Just think how much you save in ingredients by reusing what you already have!
Eat less meat. Meat is a great luxury here. We eat it often but I portion it out carefully. Again, I only give the serving size amount per the food pyramid. My 4 year old meat-aholic thinks it's child abuse but I assure you, she's healthy. A 4 oz serving size of meat looks small but really, that's all you need and so it's all we eat.
Use nutritious fillers. I try to serve homemade whole wheat bread with every meal. I offer potatoes, rices, couscous, stuffing... anything that my kids love to help fill them up. Vegetables are very filling.

Cut the drinks that aren't really good for you. Soda, Beer, Wine, Coffee, Energy Drinks, Punch... I know, I just heard a thud at the other end of the computer. Are you okay? Did I hit a favorite vice tender spot? Might as well throw in cigarettes while we're at it. Ladies, these things add up and really, they aren't so great for you. When you need to pocket change and cut corners... add up how much a week you're spending on liquid pleasures. A Diet Coke a day may take the grumpies away but... oh heck... you get it. Do I still have any friends?
Keep Snacks in your car. I started doing this to avoid heading to drive thru's when the munchkins were munchy. Stow granola bars and water bottles under your seat for a quick fix for hungry kids and skip the fast food.
Cook inexpensive meals. Duh... I know. Disney Family Magazine has a great article on cheap family meals. Check it out HERE.

For other penny pinching ideas see: Penny Pinching Grandma and Stretcher-Feeding a Large Family.

Grab a button and spread the word!

Don't forget to grab a button and link up tomorrow for the Friday Boutique. This will be happening every Friday through Christmas. Come link up to your blog post about what you sell and start your Holiday Shopping early!

Knowing When to do a Half Way Job

2009-09-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

If you're a mother, then you know what it's like to be overwhelmed. You know what it's like be on your feet every waking minute of the day, moving, sweating, exerting precious energy only to take a last glance at he house before locking the doors and turning out lights to see... that nothing really seemed to get done.

There are days when doing a half way job on the house brings a lot of relief. Think! Instead of tackling that whole bathroom, couldn't you just clean the mirror and sink?

The tub may not need to be cleaned as much as your toddler needs to be held. Throw the towel in and leave the tub.

Motherhood has it's seasons. There are seasons for volunteering for PTA, seasons to organize your house and entertain guests, and seasons to slap the friends welcome sign on the door and hold your head high when that friend walks into your pile of laundry on the couch and building blocks on the floor.
I spout on and on about cleaning and routines around here like my house rivals the Queen of Clean. If ya'll feel overwhelmed about not being Henrietta Homemaker then breathe and examine your season.
If you have small children, take a good look in the mirror. Recall when your last full night of sleep was... double check the bags under your eyes. You don't have to do it all. Just shine the mirror and look at your beautiful self and do a half way job until your season changes.
This message brought to you by a mother of 6 in her pre-holiday season, volunteering too much, house is a disaster, laundry is running down the stairs season of overwhelmed. Tomorrow I'm taking a half day off!

You can catch me over at Blissfully domestic today!

Halloween Costume Swap

2009-09-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

Confession: Halloween is not my favorite holiday... not by a long shot. I used to love it but as costumes progressively get more gross, sexy, and bloody and retail stores rake in bucks second only to Christmas, Halloween has lost it's lustre in this house.

Oh, the other reason I dread it?... I have 6 kids to outfit for the occasion. If I buy a costume... even a cheap one, it's expensive. If I make a costume (other than a gypsy, pirate, mummy or ghost) it's expensive. With Christmas just around the corner I prefer to save my well earned money for family gifts, entertaining, and celebrating things sacred.

So how can you outfit your little tribe for next to nothing?

Have a Costume Swap!

Gather all those church friends, neighbors, girlfriends and PTA moms and pool your resources together to pinch pennies for more important occasions.
::How to organize a Costume Swap::

Plan a Date.
Decide what kind of swap to hold. Do you want to do a permanent swap?- or run it like a library and check out the costume to be returned to it's owner.
Serve Food. Chocolate works best for bringing a crowd... no kidding. You can kill 2 birds with one stone and have a Costume/Chocolate Swap. Mmm... not a bad entry fee to the party!
Invite everyone the world. Anyone you think would be interested. Use a service like Evite.com to send invites via email.

Give instructions to invitees on how you will run the swap. Have them clearly mark their costumes for sizes and descriptions. You may designate specific places at the party for sizes so choosing costumes will be easy. You may want them to bring contact info to pass along to whomever borrows a costume.

Consider giving attendees a number for every costume they bring. The numbers can then be used to fairly organize who chooses first via a drawing or rotation.
Enjoy a cheap and easy Halloween and use the money you would have spent on costumes towards bills, Christmas, or crafting (and yes shameless plug... you can sell them for free HERE!)

Are you going to organize a Costume Swap? If you do, I want pictures and a report of how it went so I can post them here at the Palace! Email me at PrettyOrganized {at} gmail dot com.

Photo Credits: Disney Family Fun Magazine How to's are given for all costumes listed!