Organized

O - Organized, I like to be organized. I feel much calmer in a space if it is cleaned an organized. Here are a few tips to organize your life!

Coupons
 I use a three ring binder and baseball card plastic sleeves to keep everything organized. I also break the coupons into sections by type and location in my store. Here is what I use.

You will need at least 25 sheets to get started. I use twice that.

Any three ring binder will do, just make sure it is big enough. I like the kind that has pockets on the inside, so I can put my list for the day there and the coupons I'm going to use.

Clothing 

I use space bags to store our clothes that are not in use or clothes that the baby grows out of. They really do work and keep dust and dirt off of everything. Then I can just slide the bags under the bed and out of the way. I do not recommend the kind that you can roll and use for traveling to use in long term storage, they let air in after a few weeks.

I also use the kind that are shaped like a cube just make sure it will fit under the bed or wherever you plan to store it. Also the bags can get heavy so make sure you can lift them.

Storage Cubes 

I use collapsible storage cubes for everything. Toys, clothes, books, winter stuff, we have one with an emergency kit for tornado weather, and one for camping. I got most of mine at Ikea and we use this bookshelf system with the cubes as a dresser in our master bedroom. We are able to put a lot more clothes in a small space by doing this. 

Big N, Little N, What Begins With N?

N – Intuition I know not an N, but for some reason I am an ENFJ so we are going to go with it. Intuition is preferred to sensing: ENFJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities.

N - Nosy, yes I can admit it I am nosy. Not because I want to gossip but I like to know what people are up to. My husband has to stop me from going to open houses in our neighborhood just because I want to see the inside of the house. I do not, however, like much reality TV. It's not real and just bugs me.

Here are some N's from Etsy follow the links below to find out more about them! 

Paperdoll

RingFling

Jack Dolan Woodcraft

J, K, L,M...

Being sick is still kicking my butt! I feel like I have been sick all of August... I am finally feeling better I think LOL.

Letters Letters Everywere!
Here we go!


J – Judgment I am an ENFJ (although I think I'm more of an I not an E, but more on that another day) Judgment sounds awful by the well known definition but in Myers Briggs terminology, "Judging" means preferring a structure over a "go with the flow" approach. Js tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability. That is me! Here is a little more about ENFJ personalities:

ENFJs focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary.

ENFJs enjoy organizing group activities and tend to take their commitments seriously. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member's strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is.

This makes me giggle

Yeah, this is true also...

 K - Kindness as the above pictures states I am very kind but that is not a weakness. Sometimes those two traits are put together and I do not think that is always the case.

L - Living, I try be to grateful for every day and live it to the fullest I can.  

M - Mother, I am a mother. Being a mother changes who you are and how you view the world and I would not change that for anything. I truly love being a mama and am thankful for the opportunity to share in my son's life

G, H, I ......

So I have been sick....
My husband has been sick...
My son has been sick...
So that leaves mama without time to even be sick herself...

So I am a little behind on my alphabet. I'm going to a quick catch up post with one tidbit for each letter!

G - Generous - I try to be generous with my time, my resources and even my thoughts. People deserve generosity in any form it takes.

This G can be found here

H - Happy - I am happy! Truly happy, I like my life, my home, my family and friends... I have a very good life.

This H can be found here

I - Instinctive - I trust my gut instincts whenever I get that feeling I go with and so far it has never been wrong. I think that this is the way I use my faith and show my trust the most.

This I can be found here

F is for Fulton Farms

F is for Fulton Farms where I bought five dozen ears of corn to put in my freezer today!!

If you live anywhere near the Troy, Ohio area you should check them out! The corn is so sweet and the ears are huge!

I was able to put more then a dozen bags in the freezer for the long Ohio winter and it only took me two hours while the baby took his nap to clean, blanch, and cut the corn.

Today is E

About me

Eating - I love to eat.... good food makes me happy and trying new food is exciting!

Experiences- I am always looking for new experiences. A new park, new restaurant (see eating), a movie I have never seen.

And in other news

Edible Landscape - Wilmington College, where I when to school and then worked, used Edible Landscaping. It was fun to see peppers being grown next to the library. I am beginning to do research into how I can incorporate that philosophy into my own yard.

A few days ago I talked about blueberry bushes and later today my hubby and I will be pulling out the scraggly bushes to make way for them but I want to take it a few steps farther.

This is a picture of cabbage worked into a flower garden

Snap peas (and blossoms), mustard greens, poppies,
lettuce, kale and parsley. Photo by Marion Owen

I love that you can put vegetables and herbs in your flower beds and still have beautiful landscaping. This method of gardening will also allow me to take advantage of some sunny spots in my yard of which there are very few!

Today's Letter of the Day is D

First and foremost I must use:
Determined - I am determined to be happy and enjoy life. I am determined to make choices that result in a happy and fulfilled life.

Disney - I love Disney, I love the themes, the food, the rides, it is one of my favorite places to be!

One of my favorite attractions in WDW is Living with the Land in Epcot. Here are some fun facts about it.

The Preshow

Living with the Land is actually two rides in one. The first part of the ride takes you on a slow boat ride through a rain forest in the middle of a thunderstorm, a desert scene, and the American prairie. What this has to do with the rest of the ride is really never explored.

There are some interesting effects in this area. You get to feel heat, wind, mist, and experience lightning all used to simulate the actual conditions you are seeing.

The Attraction

After leaving the preshow, the boat and drifts through the five different areas of The Land's Living Laboratory. These areas showcase how agriculture will change in the future. Each area shows a different way to grow a "crop."

• The Tropics Greenhouse shows crops from tropical areas including bananas, vanilla, pineapple, and papaya along with some more exotic plants.
• The Temperate Greenhouse shows plants from more dry regions of the world. These include giant pumpkins, sunflowers, beets, and cotton.
• The String Greenhouse grows plants using vertical growing techniques. The famous tomato tree along with lettuce, cucumbers, and eggplant are grown here. Disney has found a way to make pumpkins in the "Mickey Mouse" form. Some of the produce from this area is used in The Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons restaurants.
• The Creative Greenhouse shows some unusual ways to grow plants. Using aeroponics, Disney grows plants by spraying water and nutrients directly onto the roots of plants which are planted in air. There is also an exhibit by NASA showing hydroponics units that are being developed for long space journeys.
• The Aquacell is where fish are grown. Yes, fish are a crop. They are grown and harvested. The Aquacell grows alligators, shrimp, bass and more in both high density and low density tanks and tubes.

A Tomato Tree

 The Postshow

Before getting off the boat, you see photos of people from all over the world and how they produce food.

• More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables grown at The Land Pavilion at Epcot are served in Walt Disney World restaurants
• The dog in the farm scene of Epcot's The Land boat ride is the same dog as the one in Epcot's Horizons, Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress and the one holding the keys in Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean. It was Walt Disney's dog.
• The "dark-portion" of the ride is remnants of the Western River Expansion ride that was created for the Magic Kingdom but never built
• There are 35 audio-animatronics in the attraction
• The "Tomato Tree" produces over 32,000 tomatoes over a 16 month period

I also have to mention that D is for:
Dad - I happen to have a great one that also loves Disney. Hi Dad!

C is for Cookie

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me, Cookie Cookie Cookie starts with C.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

AND...

Cooking - I really love to cook and I have a very strong food heritage that I hope to pass down to my son.

Cucumbers - I am growing them, pickling them, and eating them on a regular basis right now!

Church - Church and cooking go together for me. I enjoy cooking for others and do so often for my church.

The Letter of the Day is B, and in Other News: Blueberries!

Today is being brought to us by the letter B

Bold and Bashful... I know that is kind of an oxymoron but so am I! 

Bold - When I really believe in something or I see someone that cannot stand up for themselves I become very bold. I also can give presentations and run workshops with confidence as long as I am comfortable with the material.

You can buy this cute little girl here

Bashful- I can be very bashful in social situations. I'm not very good at being a social butterfly and tend to be quiet when faced with parties and new social settings.

While we are on the topic of B, let's talk about blueberries!

I am thinking about ripping out some scraggly bushes in my front yard (one of the few places that receives full sun in my yard) and planting blueberry bushes.

I have been reading "Back Yard Homestead" by Carleen Madigan
and have been inspired to try and replace some of my not-so-cute ornamental plants with cuter and more functional fruiting plants.

I have been looking at a few types of blueberry bushes online and am leaning towards Toro Blueberry and Sweetheart Blueberry bushes; both work well in my zone (5) and make a lot of fruit. Another bonus is these bushes are very pretty in the fall when the leaves change.

The Sweetheart has two crops of berries each year! The first one is in summer and a second one in fall--yielding around 15 pounds more than the average blueberry bush per year.

Even after an extremely cold winter, Toros will produce tons of sweet berries in mid-July. Fantastic as a border or privacy hedge… the Toro boasts delicate white to hot pink flowers in the spring and fiery red foliage in the fall. It's even self fertile! It is not necessary to provide a pollinator for the Toro. However, planting another variety of blueberry alongside the Toro will increase berry production.

So maybe I will plant one of each?

The sad front bed

Do you have blueberry bushes? Do you have any other suggestions for my sad front bed?

The Alphabet in August

Its hard to believe that it is already August! This summer has been going at light speed. I am going to be participating in "The Alphabet in August" series originating on a blog called Chiot's Run. This is one of my favorite blogs and I thought it would be fun to participate in this challenge. The goal is to come up with words or ideas to describe yourself for each letter of the alphabet.

Photo From Chiot's Run

Today's Letter is A - Active. 

I am a very active person. I like to do things, see things, and have new experiences whenever possible. I Think the best example of this is my favorite vacation, Disney. Disney is an extremely active vacation but it is my favorite place to be. I love to go places for anniversaries and birthdays. Rather than be given things, I like to be given experiences, like visiting a new town, seeing a theater production, or going to the zoo.

Although I will admit now that I am a mom, the thought of sitting on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean for a few days does not sound too bad....