Bet you Didn't know... I could SEW!!

Well Neither did I! Thats right, I have never in my life sat down at a sewing machine but, while "blog stalking" the other day I saw an amazing post on round table coverings and said to myself...

"self, you can do that!"

I had never even thought about covering my tables because they were bought to be displayed... They were bought as a set ... they were bought for a lot of money... they were bought because the glass top was so beautiful... then I had a baby.. and that baby became a toddler... and I got tired of cleaning glass!!! Now, I dont want to put all the blame on sweet Brady... On one table sits a PS3 and all the georgous cords that go with it and under the other we are housing a subwoofer, and an extension cord with plugs for the laptop, the lamp, the subwoofer, etc... CORDS CORDS CORDS!

HaHaHa.. Don't you just Love my Beauty School Glamour Shot?!?!

You think this would have bothered me before now but for some reason I have never thought about covering it up... until I saw what It could look like...

On Friday Night I read the blog and on Saturday morning I was at hobby Lobby buying fabric... something I had NEVER done before! I go to Hobby Lobby weekly and have never stepped foot in the fabric section.. but on Saturday, I did. Well, we did.. Thats right, the very first time I went to match and buy fabrics I took my 18 month old son! CRAZY, I know (now)! So it was a quick trip... I got the fabric, some straight pens, a pen cushion, and a measuring tape ribbon... I am starting from scratch here...

Then off to my Mother-in-Law's to borrow her never been used, fresh out of the box, Singer Sewing Machine.  Thats right, I got to break this thing in... ME, a completely unexperienced sewer! Good thing she trust me :)

So with fabric, accessories, and sewing machine in hand, off to the house I go...I laid Brady down for a nap then crack that sewing machine open and read the instruction book cover to cover.. I learned what every part of that machine did and where it was and why it was there... I had no idea! Next thing you know I was on the floor cutting fabric! By 3am that morning I was done with the first table! HAHA.. but hey, a flood starts with a rain drop .. because last night I finished up the second one!

By no means are these tableclothes perfect! They would have been darn close though if I was any good at math! I got my measurments wrong by 10"so that was fun... I just got some scrap fabric and made up the difference.. the patters goes every direction but Who Cares??? It dosen't have to be perfect to be beautiful, Right?

Not too bad for my first time, huh?? Not too Shabby at all...I mean, I'm pretty much a Seamstress now.

A few extra Cleaning Tips...

Ok, so after giving my cleaning schedule I remembered a few more "tips" for cleaning...

1. Never leave a room empty handed. Ther is always something out of place or not in the room it should be in.. So if you get in the habit of leaving the room your in with something  in your hand for the room your going to you are on the right track to making sure everything is where it should be... Confused?? Try it!

2. Clean while you cook... This way you dont spend too much time cleaning after you have eaten.

3. Flold Throw blankets and put pillows in their place. EVERY TIME I get up off the couch, or anybody does for that matter, I always fold the blanket that was hanging over the back of the couch and put the pillows back where they went. Even if you dont feel your house is clean, it will Look clean and sometimes, that's all that matters.

4. Get a Kone! The awsome handheld vaccume that sits on your furniture like a piece of art. It is great to just pick it up and suck up some dust bunnies when you see them rather than chasing them around on Friday floor days!!

5.Gather up all trash in the house the night before the trash runs... that way, no matter how late you are running on trash day you know its out there already and not stinking up your garage. This is a great time to clean out the Fridge too! Wives, if your husband refuses, do it yourself!  I mean, it's not the worst thing you can do, right?? I recently realized that I was not too good to deal with the trash, now I dont mind.

6. Set aside time to clean. Do not turn on the TV or sit down and check your e-mails until this is done. Then reward yourself with technology :)


7. If you see something that bothers you or needs cleaning real quick and your not doing anything.. do it right then. That way, you dont have to put it on your list and you dont have to worry about seeing it over and over screaming at you a reminder that it still needs cleaning!

8. Make your bed as soon as your feet hit the floor. Unless you have to pee real bad. Even if your eyes are still shut... It is nice getting into a made bed everynight... Plus it just makes your room look cleaner, even if it's not :)

This could be it.. If I forgot anything I will just come back and add it later...

jenny

Show Us Your Life... Cleaning Tips!!

Oh yeah.. This one I'm gonna love! It's Friday, so that means it's show us how you live over at Kelly's Korner. I did a post about this not too long ago but I do not mind sharing it again for Kelly :)

 Like Kelly, I try to do a little bit of cleaning everyday that way I do not have to spend a whole day, expecially on the weekends, cleaning my house... thats just gonna get messy again! So if you do a little everyday your not overwhelmed and you dont feel like you have wasted a day or days cleaning.

Proverbs 31:17 " She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her task."

Just so you know, Brady wakes up every morning around 9:00, eats breakfast and wants to go back to bed within minutes of eating... What can I say, I'm spoiled :) ... So by 10:00 I have also eaten breakfast, made my bed (which is something I do as soon as my feet hit the floor) and cleaned the Kitchen. 

Here is our morning routine...

Brady wakes up, usally around 9:00am, then we are off to Breakfast... (oatmeal and applesauce always!)
Then, after he eats we unload the dishwasher (which I loaded the night before after dinner)
I clean off the counters and his highchair then he is about ready for his nap... and he naps for about 2 good hours...I know, I'm blessed! So that is when I do my house cleaning, after a quick Quite Time & Bible Study... I like to use Women Living Well as a refrence point for this. She also got me on my weekly cleaning routine that I am currently doing.... will explain below... Brace yourselfs!

Every Evening...

We eat dinner, then I clean up the kitchen. Load the dishwasher, clean and disifect the counters (I like the Clorox Anywhere spray for this), and finally Shine my Sink! I never go to bed with a messy sink... Why, you ask? If you wake up in the morning with a sink full of dished, you already feel like you are behind for the day. You wake up overwhelmed ... already! Not a great way to start the day. So always Shine your sink, and dry it after each use to keep it shinning all day long........ your welcome :)

So everyday we take care of the kitchen, now what about the rest of the house???

MONDAY- "Menu and Market Monday" Every monday I plan out our menu for the week and when Brady wakes up from his nap we hit the grocery store and buy groceries for the week... Sometimes we have to hit up Sam's for our bulk shopping but if thats the case, we do it first then head to the regular grocery stores for the rest. By doing this we actually save money by not eating out on a wim because we always have groceries!

Proverbs 31:14 "She is like merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."

TUESDAY- "Toilets, Tubs, and Towels Tuesday" On Tuesday's I conquer the Bathrooms... Clean the toilets with Lysol , Tilex the showers and tubs,  windex the mirrors, and then wipe everything off with Clorox wipes! Then on to the next one, repeat. Oh yeah, then I wash all the towels in the house... between our bathroom and Brady's and the kitchen I can usually get it done in one load... usually.

WEDNESDAY- "Wash Wednesday" Pretty self explainitory.. I do Laundry! Since all the towels are done (from the day before) I only have a few loads. I do all of Brady's clothes in one load (Super Load), then Darks, and finally Lights! NOT whites, Lights... So after 3 loads sorted, washed, dried, folded and put away I'm done.. Its not considered done until I have put them up and since I am pretty OCD and want everything done on the day it should be, I get it done on that day.

THURSDAY- "Throughly Dusting Thursday" ... I had to make it work... Anyway, on Thursday's, I dust. This includes all surfaces.. picutre frames hanging on the wall, bookshelves, our bed, dresser, etc.. I also windex the end tables and mirrors.

FRIDAY- "Floors Friday" You guessed it, on Friday's, I do the floors... not my favorite day to say the least! This one is a little tough for me because I have always hated to do the floors, not to wine, but it hurst my back... oh well, it gets done. Pine-sol for the tile in the kitchens and bath; vinagar and water for the wood floors in the den; then I vacume the bedrooms and rug in the den... and about the time it is dry Brady wakes up and throws something on the floor and walkes on it and tracks it throughout the freshly clean house.. then when he gets home, Chris walks outside and tracks in grass and dirt... blah blah blah.. I can never keep the floors clean and it drives me CRAZY!!

Here is me on Friday...

So there is my week.. in a nutshell.. Some might think that I am a little compuslive and perhaps I am, but this is the system that works best for me and my family. It is a routine for me now.. I don't ever feel overwhelmed, its just part of my day. I enjoy having a clean home. Anytime of the day, I would like to think that you could just drop by and my house would be clean. Its about taking pride in what you have, and showing appriciation for it.  This is the wasy that I show appriciation for the house that we live in.

Proverbs 31:13- "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."

I hope this helps you out, and hey, if you are like me (a little ridiculous) this might even work for you...

until next time

jenny

It's beginning to look a lot like SPRING~

WELCOME!

Here is my "Holiday" tree! As soon as the parade ended (the one I didn't go to remember) I took down all my St. Patrick's Day decor (which wasent that much) and put up my easter things... Which I LOVE!

I got most of this tree decor  from Michael's... the Place Mats from Khol's (a couple years ago after Easter for 50% off) and the Salt and Pepper shakers from Cracker Barrel (same way, after Easter!!)

Aren't they just the Cutest!!

Chris being the"man" that he is, dosen't call it salt or pepper anymore.. he calls it bunny or chicken brains! Seriously?!?!?!

Here's our "Bunny Brady" he is a bobble head bunny :)

This sweet sign I got from Michael's also... but this year.. it was only $10.00 so that wasn't a bad buy...

It sits on top of my Fridge

This looks cuter in real life.. the picutre dosent do it justice.. its a cute spoon holder in the shape of a chicken and a "Spring has Sprung" hand towel that Brady pulls off everytime he passes and throws it on the floor.. oh well...

Here's a better shot of the Chicken Spoon holder.. .(Cracker Barrel last year after Easter)...

You know, I dont even know if this is a spoon holder... huh... oh well, that's what I made it...

I just love this.. not sure why, but I do.. I bough several of these from Wal-Mart one year after Easter, of course, So I can use a fresh one every year...

Well, I guess that's it..  I could have sworn I have more.. oh well, If I find it,  I will post it... 

That's it for now

jenny

The era of a NEW Queen!

Everyone has different dreams and goals for their lives... One goal I always wanted to achieve ( and still plan on reaching one day) was to become a Sweet Potato Queen! Laugh all you want, but I absolutely LOVE them.. Love the way they look, the way they act, their "I dont care what you think of me" attitude... The way they think that the bigger your hair is, the smaller your butt looks....all of it!

Around my area, Jackson, MS, the Sweet Potato Queens are a big deal when it comes time for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade... they have their " Million Queen March" in the parade... there are thousands of groups of women from all over the USA that come dressed as tacky as they can to walk in the parade and party all weeken! I alway thought that was so fun! So a few years back, I decided to get all decked out in my own Queen attire and start my own "wannabe" group...

Seriously! I attended the parade in this "get up" that I bought from the Goodwill for 4 dollars and dressed up with sequins and tassles...Fish net panty hose... and lepord print arm legnth gloves (not shown)

Funny thing is, Believe it or not, I didnt get looked at any different, laughed at, nada.. for at this parade, this is normal... How Fabulous is that!

Fast Forward 4 or 5 years (can't rember exactly)...

Today was the St.Patrick's Day Parade in Jackson... Thousands of people flocked downtown for a day full of fun, drinking, loud music, good friends, and , of cours, The Queens! I used to be one of those thousands, and one day, I probally will be again..

 but this year I had a very special lunch date with my baby...

We went to Chedder's... Just me and him.

He devoured a bowl (a rather LARGE bowl of pasta)

Then, only after he was done, was I permitted to eat my, then cold, chicken tender basket...

It was still good ~

I was just wanting something Fried! It has been too long since I've had a good Fried meal... ya know, trying to diet and all...

He played with my keys to occupy the time ... while I was eating, The Nerve of me!!!

And on this day, I didn't care that I missed the Parade. The last thing on my mind was putting on fish-nets and that hot wig and walking in heels through downtown Jackson. Dont get me wrong, It is a load of fun, if that's your thing, but this year, it was not my thing...

My thing was sitting at the end of the table in a high chair with spagetti sauce all over his face screaming "BYE" to everyone that walked by us.

Its funny how your goals and dreams change when you become a mommy.  Because now, I dream about him. What he could be, what he will be... I dream about being the best mommy I can be for him.  I still have goals of my own, dont get me wrong, but they are just a little different. And just because I am not working toward my goal of becoming a Sweet Potato Queen right now,  dosen't mean that I won't one day..

 after all, I have all of his High School years to embarass him :)

Our First "Dirty Day"!!

Now let me explain the title... Brady was in October of 07, his first warm weather was last year ... he was around 6 months old.. not really crawling yet, so he didn't have very much outside time. So now that it is warming up he is going "outside" for the first time in his life and playing. Now that he is walking, he doesn't stop! I bet he walks 5 miles a day! Seriously! So today, I went to work and he came along (duh).. we worked at the Florence funeral home today, not the usual Byram.

{for those of you who don't know, my family owns 2 funeral homes where Brady and I work}

Anyway, Florence is different from Byram in many ways, one of which being there is a cemetery there... a beautiful "garden" with a gorgeous fountain in the middle and a nice walkway... Brady walked non stop for about 30 mins! Trying to make a run for the fountain every time we turned around... after all, his favorite part of the day is bath time, and to him it was just a big bath tub.

No before you go off thinking I am weird for letting my son use a cemetery for his playground., just understand that I was raised in the funeral business all my life.. Once, I actually lived in the funeral home, I even took my bridal portraits in this "garden"... So this is nothing abnormal for us. You should sit down to dinner with my family and just hear some of the conversations that come up!

So after an afternoon of walking non stop, finding water puddles, dirt piles, grass, fountains, etc... Brady was a hot mess!! His pants were wet, knees were muddy, and shoes (New Balances without a speck of dirt on them) were Filthy!!! This was a first for us.. We truly have a baby boy on our hands not.. well, not so much a baby anymore (tear). This is just a taste of what is to come...

I made him ride home half naked! but his pants and shoes were a mess!! Soaking wet and muddy... Not in my car!

He didn't seem to mind being pant less though... He just curled up to his favorite book and enjoyed the ride... Then he got tired! He must have realized that somewhere among the afternoon of walking, running, and playing real hard, he forgot to take his nap! So we got a quick nap in the car on the ride home... still holding onto his book though :)

He was OUT! Soooo sleepy... He played hard though.

Our first "Dirty Clothes"...

We made a memory today. I hope you take some time out to do the same. Your babies are only babies for such a short while, then their toddlers, then kids, then preteens, then teenagers, then grown and gone... in the blink of an eye. I will always have the pictures and the memories, but there is nothing like be there, being Present, while they are still babies.

Gotta finish up this messy day with a HUGE bubble Bath!! I think he was overwhelmed!

Don't miss a single chance to make a memory!

Till next time,

jenny

Brady, Pictures, and My Cleaning Routine...

I have taken so many pictures of Brady in his 17 months on this earth... Every day I keep adding to that! And ever since I got my iphone, I rarely use my camera anymore... It doesn't help any that Brady LOVES the camera! He has a small vocabulary, but "cheese" is in it! He knows what to do when you pick up a camera... Today was no different... I want you to notice all those toys by the fireplace... I have turned into the "mom with all the toys out" ... But the funny thing is, he doesn't play with one of them.. if you notice,he is laying on the floor playing with a calculator! The reason for this is, he is obsessed with buttons, remote control, phone, anything with buttons! So instead of him throwing my phone or the remote around, I got the clever idea to give him a calculator and he LOVES it! He doesn't even know the difference.. I tell him to go get his phone and he gets the calculator :) Now my electronics are safe again... I seriously could put all of those toys in the attic and he wouldn't notice... Hopefully he will get in the "playing with toys" stage sooner or later. Until then , they will remain all nice and neat in front of the fireplace... How cute is this picture... He looked at me for the picture, then turned back around to play with "his phone" just a swinging his foot.... he is so content... I love this boy! And Tonight my little helper was in full swing! First he loaded the dishwasher for me :) He loves doing this..up and down, in and out.. he could play with the dishwasher all day long. Every morning we unload the dishwasher from the night before... I believe that is his favorite part of his morning... I actually do all the work, he just pulls the the door open and the rolling shelves out... Oh well, you can never start too early teaching them the values of a clean house :) Next up, Laundry!! I don't know what it is about doors, but opening and shutting doors of all shapes and sizes is so much fun for him... books too for that matter.. he likes opening and shutting books, but not reading them for some reason... oh well, He shut the dryer door for me then pulled out all the towels from the basket that I had just unloaded from the dryer... if only I could teach him how to fold them instead of throwing them on the floor... But we couldn't start another load with out his clothes going in the washing machine... heheh... He never walks around the house naked! I know some might think that a good thing, and others have kids that never wears clothes, but Brady is one who always has clothes on.. so when I took them off to wash, he felt a little off... he became modest.. sweet boy.. he just acted differently. At least I can rest easier knowing he won't be a streaker. How funny is he with his shoes on and no clothes.. but he refused to walk without shoes or socks one on... haha His all time favorite part of the day... BATH TIME!! He could spend all day long in the bath tub.. as soon as he get finished eating he makes a bee line straight to the bathroom.. that child of mine is one scheduled child.. and I love it! He loves his routine and doesn't do well when he is off of it... Notice that fabulous toy he is playing with.. NOT! He has a frog pod full of toys that squirt water, balls, animals, etc.. but he has a Braves cup and his bubble bath, that is all he plays with ... it doesn't do me any good to buy him toys... But I must admit, I have only bought him a handful of toys in his life.. most of his toy are gifts for his birthday, Christmas, or other special occasions. I seriously am not responsible for the toy overload at my house. After bath time, Daddy got to play with Brady for a while... Brady likes to chase him around the couches, kitchen, table, wherever! Tonight, Daddy put him on the cutting board and pretended he was the turkey :) He pushed him and pulled him back, and Brady was just so impressed with this (notice his face) He sat perfectly still and enjoyed the ride.. Well that was our day for the most part. Well, our afternoon and evening anyway... You didn't miss much this morning. Today was Toilet, Tub, Towels Tuesday... which means I cleaned the bathrooms this morning... and even though it is one of my least favorite rooms to clean, I decide today to do it with a positive attitude.. SO instead of doing it complaining, I did it with appreciation that I have two toilets to clean. And two tubs. And towels to wash. When you look at it like that, it makes you grateful, then you don't mind cleaning the toilets...

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for men."

Just in case you were wondering... Yesterday was "Menu and Market Monday".. so I did just that! I planned out our meals for the week and went to the grocery store to get what we needed. Last night and tonight I have enjoyed cooking our supper... Baked Chicken Parm and Chicken Quesadillas... ummmm... many more meals to come :)

Tomorrow will be Wash Wednesday... which means Laundry! I started tonight though, by washing a couple loads.... I makes it easier having a planned night to do laundry so it doesn't pile up on you.. Then you only have a few loads a week... and its not considered done till it is folded and put away... just so you know! So I should have it all done by tomorrow night.

Thursday will be "Thoroughly Dusting" Thursday :) I gotta put dusting in there somewhere and there is no day of the week that starts with a D so I added an adjective... That includes dusting the house and cleaning all surfaces... Windex-ing the end tables, etc.

And Finally... Friday will be "Floors Friday"... pretty self explanatory... do all the floors in the house. Vacuum the bedrooms and the rug in the den, mop the tile floors in the kitchen and bath rooms, and clean the wood floors..

I haven't forgotten the kitchen... I clean it every morning! Ha.. I load the dishwasher after dinner each night so I unload it every morning.. and while Brady is sitting in his highchair after breakfast, I can do a spot clean of my kitchen.. shine my sink, clean my counter tops, and all that jazz...

This way the whole house stays clean and you don't waste a whole day doing it all.. just a little bit every day and it doesn't become overwhelming. It might not work for you, but this works for me. I like list, and schedules and having a clean house.. so this lets all of that work together for my good... It might help you out, or you can just call me crazy, but this is how I maintain my house.

Proverbs 31:13

"She works with eager hands"

I'm not sure if you have ever read about the Proverbs 31 woman.. but it is something I have recently came across and I love it.. I am nowhere close to being able to call myself a Proverbs 31 woman but it does give me something to work towards. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so. Women Living Well does a study on this every Wednesday.. She breaks it down verse by verse each week. It is something work checking out if your interested.

Well that's it for me tonight! I know this has been a long post for me.. hopefully you didn't mind it...

till next time,

jenny

A Year of First

I know this might be a few months late, but this is a video I did from Brady to everyone this Christmas. We gave them as Christmas Presents to our family. It is a sweet video of Brady's first year and all of his wonderful "FIRST"... Hope you enjoy.

John 11:4-

Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it."

I claim that verse everyday. I pray that God and his son were glorified through out this sickness. I pray that they will continue to be glorified as Brady gets older and is able to share his testimony to others.

{Watch the Video on Youtube here... sorry it dosen't have any music to it... youtube thought it didn't need it and the video was to large to upload to blogger... the music in the background is "He's my Son" by Mark Schults and toward the end its "Over the Rainbow" by IZ/ IS???... (that large Hawiian guy with the small guitar) }

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

jenny