Category Archives: Organization

Spring Break = To Do List

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Once again “Spring Break” is here! That means getting up, putting on old clothes and playing in the dirt.  I will be working outside this whole week, unless it decides to rain; which, will make this momma really sad. :(    I have been working in the house all winter and I need to GET OUT! 

So…while I was sitting at my sons baseball practice I wrote my “Spring Break” list.  It looks long and some things will take more time than others. I might not get to everything but I’m sure gonna try.

 I have two helpers, one very eager to help and one I bribed with  a promise of something fun for her during the week also. I keep telling them working in the yard IS fun. I think it has to be your yard before it’s fun? :~)

~Clean out flower beds/order new plants

~Re-stack horse hay/use only one tarp

~Manure on garden beds/turn soil

~Return solar light to flowerbeds

~Sweep off patio/deck, put out porch swing

~Prune fruit trees/dormant spray

~Rototill Jarys pumpkin patch site

~Start the seeds indoors

~Rake up dead grass in the yard

~Re-edge flower beds/more bark?

~Work on these area’s

~See a movie with the family

 ~Plan Big Family BBQ/Volleyball

What’s on your “Spring Break” list?

 See you on the other side…

Teri :~)

 

 

Are You Ready For A Wedding?

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 I have been through the wedding process with two daughters and it was a joy.  I would like to share a simple planning method that will help you save time, money and your sanity while getting it all done.

We need to be realistic in our planning process, and use tools to keep it simple and in perspective.

The supplies you will need:

- 1 – 2 inch Three-Ring Binder

- Decorative Tab Dividers  5-10

- Wedding Magazines, Library Books

- Flyers form Craft Stores, Fabric Stores, etc.

Instruction:

1. Put the dividers in your binder and Label your tabs: Venues, Officiates, Wedding Dress, Bridesmaids Dress, Tux’s, Photographer, Florist, Music, The Cake, Reception, Decorations, Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding Invitations, etc. Can you think of other categories that are important to you? 

2. Our binder had a plastic slip cover where we put a picture of our couple with the date and time of the wedding on it. What would make the cover special to you?

3. Go through those magazines and flyers and cut out any and everything you are interested in. Put them behind the tab that best represents the picture. Copy your pictures from your books and get them in your binder also. This is the time to dream!

4.Now you should sit down with parents or as a couple and make those hard decisions. What is the budget, do we have a date, where would we like to have the ceremony, how many and who will we invite?

5. Have you made a few of those hard decisions? It’s time to take a good look at what’s most important down to what is least important. Make a list and start visiting perspective venue websites and making phone calls. Set up dates and times to visit places and make those important purchases first.

6. Set up your core group of helpers and start getting those wedding plans in place. This really can be a fun part of the wedding if you choose your helpers carefully. Trust me; things will happen even with the best of planning.  However, if you have a good attitude everything will work out just fine.

I would like to close with a few tips:

When you are setting up those tabs you might want to group some together, that way you won’t need as many tab categories. Please do what makes things simple for you.  We need to keep our wedding planning simple and as stress free as possible so that it remains fun.

I hear all the time from mothers that it was just too much work and they would never plan a wedding again. It doesn’t have to be that way! Get help, you want this to be a celebration for the family too, not just the guests.

I have found this system to be the easiest and most practical. The planners that you purchase from the store are usually too big to carry around with you and have lots of things in them that you don’t need.  You create the three-ring binder so it fits your needs not everyone else’s.

Most brides will do a scrapbook or photo album later. The three-ring binder is more of a workbook than a keep-sake, a collection of needs, wants, and to-do’s. And while you’ll want to keep it as a memento, understand that it will get used and abused. It will be your “go to list” for many months.

Are you ready for a wedding? Of course not… but you will be.

Teri :~)

Wedding Day’s… Always Remembered

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 I remember my daughter’s wedding day like it was yesterday! Why?  Goodness, there are so many reasons… let me start at the beginning though.

The wedding took place in our backyard. I woke that morning in August, early of course, slipped on some comfy clothes knowing I had lots of work to do before a shower and my “mother of the bride” dress would go on. I sneaked out of the house while everyone was still sleeping, headed down to the ceremony area and even sat in the chair I would be seated in that evening.

The sun was just coming up. I felt so blessed, humbled and excited all at the same time. This was the day. Oh how we had planned, organized, purchased, borrowed and all for this special day.  Whew! Here we were at the finale. I could have sat there and reminisced longer but…

From the balcony behind me came the words I love to hear “mom, where are you?”   Ah, it’s started, time to MOVE.  Everyone grabbed a quick breakfast because we had to be out of the kitchen ASAP, my oldest daughter was making the wedding cake for her sister. Of course the cake had been prepared and just the final coat of frosting and embellishments had to be put on.

Meanwhile Grandpa Bob had arrived with his pick-up truck so we headed up to the neighbors to borrow the horse trailer to pick up more chairs and big beautiful potted plants (done in the wedding colors) from Grandma’s house. Picking the flower pots up had to be done at the last minute because we didn’t want the deer to feast on those petunias before the wedding.

Our hair stylist arrived about 9:00am and started making everyone beautiful. This was a really special time because all my girls had on Grandpa Ron button up shirts (easily taken off after hair is styled). My dad or Grandpa Ron had passed away the year before so wearing the shirt had us all reflecting on Grandpa Ron.

About noon I set out rolls and bread, veggie tray, fruit tray and some drinks so everyone could grab and go about their business. Then more special friends started arriving to get tables and chairs set up with linens and table centerpieces.

They were also decorating the backdrop, table for sign-in and a table to hold wedding presents. I even remember Aunt Goldie sewing the ring pillow at the last minute! At 3:30 the photographer arrived and we were all dressed and ready for pictures.

We had planned and organized so well that everyone was able to have a great time. All through the day I heard laughter, joking, discussing what to do and how to do it.  So many memories were made on our wedding day; memories that will always be remembered.

What are some of your sweet memories? Or… maybe not so sweet memories?

Teri :~)

Coffee Cup Faux-pas

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Why am I showing you my cupboard full of coffee cups? Well, here’s the story.

I was out greeting guest as they came into the yard for our daughters wedding this last summer when my friend Leanne, who was in charge of the kitchen, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Where did you put the hot cups for coffee” she asked? I’m sure a look of stark horror came over my face, I had forgotten to purchases coffee cups!  Silence…”It’s ok,” she said, “we just won’t have coffee.” Um…no, that’s not good.

Just the day before our wedding someone had said they were at a wedding and there was no coffee. They were suprised and a bit upset. Who doesn’t have coffee at a wedding?!

So I made the only decision I could… get the ones out of my cupboard. Of course there wasn’t enough of the pretty ones that all matched, so we used them all. Yes, even the ones that had  hearts and flowers all over them, the baseball cups, a Winnie the pooh cup that my sister had given me and that was barely enough.  I think they were rewashing them to keep up with demand.

 What would you have done? Was it better to keep the look  in tact or make do? I think that not serving coffee would have been noticed more than those unmatched cups were. So there you have it, my coffee cup faux-pas.

Have you experianced a coffee cup faux-pas? I would love to hear your story.

Teri :~)