Use All The White Boards!

So, if you know me, you know that I am one of the least organized people on the face of the earth. I'm forgetful and as a result over the years I have learned to cope with it by using white board, my trusty alarm clock and a date book. But these white boards I've realized are great little helpers! The nice hing is that I don't have to worry about losing little scraps of paper with notes scrawled on them (yea, that happens!) So I thought I would give you a nice little public service announcement by sharing with you the many white boards and their purpose that are in my home =)

To me this first board is the most important. As you can see it's a to-do list BUT, it's not for me. It's for God. Yea, that's right. I tell God what to do. OK, not really...I call it my "Prayer Board". On it I can write my prayers and praises. Once I write it down then it's something that I no longer allow myself to be worried about. I know if God wants to call on me he will. If a prayer is answered, I thank him for it. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed a prayer over and over and feel like I'm not getting any response from God (though deep down I KNOW that is not true). So I will write it down and it seems to me that when I physically write it down my soul is at rest and ease and I know that God will in HIS time answer me. It really, really helps. It hangs in my kitchen in a spot where it's seen multiple times a day. It's my constant reminder to not just be vigilant in my prayer, but to also be silent so that I may listen for an answer.

This is my basic shopping and meal ideas list (yes, I spelled ideas wrong on the board, not on purpose, just was likely to busy to notice when I wrote it on there!) It hangs on my fridge and I'm SLOWLY getting my daughter to remember that when she wants something, uses the last of something or sees we are running low on something to write it down. On the left side I keep a running list of meal ideas. One of the things that bug me is when I'm rooting around in my freezer or fridge and I see something that I had bought thinking, "Hey! This would make a great meal!" Sadly though because I forgot about it, that food went to waste and didn't get used. So I try and keep a running tally on what I have on hand and what it can be used for. That helps keep the waste down. That helps save money, saving money is GOOD! At the bottom you can see the food to make section, that way when I want to make snack foods, make ahead meals and the like I jot it down and make something when I have free time that week.

Here is my daily and on-going board. It hangs in my bedroom. As you can see I have a constant reminder on what I need to do everyday. Read my Bible, pray, find something I'm thankful for, make sure dinner gets made (I TOLD you, I'm forgetful!) Spend 10 minutes cleaning each of the rooms, spend 1 minute cleaning the bathroom and spend a few minutes working out. Yes, I know I have be thankful on there twice. Because it's important! The rest of the board I use for things that need to be done soon-usually that day, or within the week. If nothing else, it's once again a reminder of things to be done.

Here is a similar board that I have on the other side of the bedroom but it's for hubby. Since he's not forgetful like I am I just jot notes for him to do or leave him a love note.

This is the final board in the house. It's my daughters. Because she is older and more responsible she is allowed to do things after school or on the weekends but in case we aren't here or hadn't communicated plans already we use this. She lets us know where she is and if she has chores to do we write them here. She knows that it's her job to fill out the board and it works great in the summer or on non school days. It gives us the knowledge of knowing all the things parents should know and care about, it gives her the peace of mind that we trust her and doesn't make her feel like we're nagging on her.


So, those are the boards in my life. They help, they're cheap and I really like them. Now if I could only get a board to clean my house I think my life would be about as perfect as ever!!

Super Cheap & Easy Wrinkle Release/Fabric Freshener

This is something I've been doing for years and after being on Pinterest for a while I've noticed that one of the things that people love are super cheap and easy things that make life easier. Well, this is one of those things!

Have you ever bought a bottle of Febreze or Downy Wrinkle Release? Yea, they work, they smell great but what at the cost...yea, I don't like them that much!!! So years ago I came up with this easy solution that works GREAT!!!

What you need:
4 cups of water
5-10 dryer sheets (I use 5 Bounce sheets, if you like stronger scents use more!)
An empty spray bottle

OK, there are two ways to go about this and they both work just fine so it's really your preference. You can take a glass measuring cup and boil the water in the microwave or you can boil the water in a pan on the stove.

What you want to do is boil the water with the dryer sheets for a couple of minutes. Make sure you give it a few stirs along the way. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes giving it a stir every couple of minutes.

Once it's cool remove the dryer sheets and pour your happy little concoction into a spray bottle! Yes, it's kinda cloudy looking, depending on the type and strength of dryer sheets it may look really swirly but don't worry, it's gonna work the same! Now!! Got a wrinkle in something? Spray it down! Got a stinky couch? Spray it!

You're welcome!