A dog bone?!?

It's been a while since I participated in Org Junkie's Monthly Organizing Round Up, but since this month's theme was purses I thought it was about time I swamp out my 'mom bag'. Since I'm SO generous I thought I'd share exactly what I carry with me at all times. I'm sure you recognize a few from your own purses!

Side pocket:
2 turtles
1 dolphin
A target popcorn kernel
2 gum wrappers
A blade of grass
41 cents

Other side pocket:
Cell phone
Keys
Straw wrapper

Back flap/pocket:
Pen
Expired coupons
Old bill stub
Paper from Sweetie Pie's school
Fruit snack wrappers
2 foot long receipt from August
A name and phone number that I don't recognize
A McDonald's receipt
A single sock
2 coupons for pears
A McDonald's toy

Front pocket/flap:
Extra keys
2 pens (though I can NEVER find one in the bank line!)
Checkbook
IHOP coupons
Planner I don't use
Dog bone... how the heck did that get in there!?!?

Middle section:
York peppermint patty You never saw that...
Safety scissors
3 more pens
Mini playdoh
Wallet
Chapstick
*ahem* Lady stuff...
7 pieces of unopened mail and bills... oops!
11 receipts
3 coupons
3 hair ties
2 fruit snack wrappers
78 cents

WHEW! I had high hopes for finding my winter jacket in there, but no go... I can't wait to take big mamma for a ride once I take all the garbage out. Since I'm Mrs. Wright I just did it the Wright way and made a whole new purse because my old was was too full to find anything. Sooo, I spent a week making a whole new purse, from scratch, because I was too lazy to empty the garbage out of my purse. That totally make sense... uh, nevermind.

So here is my 'mini purse' for when I just need my phone, keys and wallet. I made it from a few fat quarters I had and I love it, but have been longing for all my crap that I left in my big purse.


And here's my 'mothership' purse. My sister bought it for me because she thought it was sad that I was taking 15 pictures with my camera phone of it so I could make my own at home.


To see what everyone else is doing to organize their purses head on over to Org Junkie!
This post is also linked up to Works For Me Wednesday since not carrying around 12 pounds of garbage now Works For Me!!

Friend Makin' Monday!

Amber at AE Filkins is hosting Friend Makin' Monday again this week, and this week's question is about those little things in life you just can't live without. I'd choose my family and friends over anything, but let's skip the obvious lovey dovey answers and move straight to the 'stuff' that I can't live without.

1. The Internet. Let's face it. My friends live the computer. I have better and closer friendships with people I've never even met than I do with most people that I know in real life. Some people think that's weird, but I don't think that never being in the same room with someone should really determine how much you've bonded.

2. Pajamas. If you don't know why then you need to get some popcorn and catch up on my blog. Start around Day 1 ;)

3. Snacks. I just love snacks. Salty, sweet, savory. Snacks rock.

4. DVR. What did I do before this amazing invention!? What is this crap?? LIVE tv? I don't think so...

5. My car. I don't really know how anyone could live without a car, but especially in Alaska where you can't get anywhere without a car I would go NUTS being stuck at home.

6. Reality TV. The DVR wouldn't be nearly as fun if it wasn't loaded with juicy drama.

7. Dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves and all modern conveniences. I can't even get my crap together to load and unload a magical machine that does chores for me. I'm sure my ancestors would be pissed that I'm too lazy to empty them.

I'm sure I'm missing a few, but stick me in a tiny world with nothing but my family, friends, and these 7 things, and I'd be just fine.

My Favorite Things!

My favorite things I stumbled upon while I was supposed to be folding laundry, making a meal plan, vacuuming, making calls, sweeping floors, running errands... oh yeah, and taking care of my monkeys kids...

My Sister-in-law got me addicted to Taste of Home magazine, so I was thrilled to see that some of their back issues and a few special editions were free in digital form!

Clearance sheets from Target + this post about DIY blackout curtains = no more classy blankets hanging over our windows!

A cute way to (cheaply!) decorate for Halloween using some themed paper and/or get the kids involved to make their own!

Another cute Halloween decoration is this adorable fabric trick-or-treat banner!

A home made counting book with photos of things kids see everyday!

Three words. Corn. Dog. Muffins. My kids will go nuts

!

Dirty Little Secrets... Slacker Saturday Edition

It's rare when my actual post becomes a dirty little secret, but today I have succeeded in doing just that. I was so lazy yesterday that I couldn't even sit my butt down on the couch and type up my dirty little secrets. I had very important things to do like finish off those cheetos and portion the powdered juice mix into baggies. Those kinds of things just can't wait you know!

Boo threw up about half an hour ago and I just threw her in the bath. She's still playing in there with little man.

I waited too late to start dinner yesterday, and we ended up eating when the kids normally go to bed.

2 of my kids are missing fitted sheets because I pulled them off, washed them, and have been avoiding putting them back on.

I did a load of laundry on Thursday because my parents were coming over and you couldn't see the floor in the bathroom.

My mom called to see if she could come over Thursday, and with 9 HOURS notice she asked if my house was in okay shape for company. (Not that she expects it to be clean for her, but she didn't want me to spend all day cleaning just for them to bring dinner over) My kitchen was actually clean from Mr. Wright's begging on Wednesday.

I've lost every pair of socks I own but one, so I just wear them over and over with Mr. Wright's tube socks substituting a few days a week. I should really buy some socks.

I'm sure normal people have 'dressy' pants, and 'casual' pants. I have levels of yoga and jammie pants. I have my 'fancy' yoga pants all the way through the pants spectrum to the 'trashy' black pants with the big hole in the thigh. The waist is too big and they like to jump ship when I'm least expecting it. If I'm feeling really fancy then I'll wear my 'dressy' yoga pants with a clean shirt. I know, don't be jealous. And do you think I could have squeezed one more 'quoted' word in there??

I should be doing a million other things right now (dishes, figuring out something for dinner, cleaning, laundry, one of the projects I want to do 'someday, etc) but I'm sitting on the couch listening to Spongebob and blogging away.

Leave your own dirty little secrets in the comments! I promise you'll feel better afterward!

I'm going to finish up my powdered drink baggies. Heaven forbid I have something more exciting to do on a Saturday...

Sock It To Me

Ok, I originally typed up this post yesterday in preparation of "Works For Me Wednesday". Today I went to link up and her original post that everyone adds their links to was also about socks, with the same catchy title. What are the chances!? I thought about changing my title, but let's be honest, there aren't that many plays on words involving socks. I threw around such amazing post titles such as "Socks In Translation" which I decided didn't make sense, and "A Stinky Sock Problem" which didn't make sense AND was lame. You see my dilemma? So Sock It To Me it is...

I don't know if my kids are just weird, or if every parent has a problem with this, but my kids (especially Little Man) have a problem with leaving their socks and shoes on in the car. It seems like by the time I have the third kid buckled in the first is already barefoot. We get where we're going, put socks and shoes on, do our stuff, get back in the car, get home, put socks and shoes back on... it's an endless cycle of me putting shoes and socks on over and over and over. Since I'm lazy and usually hauling things that approximate weight of a small elephant up two flights of stairs to my kitchen I usually skip the whole "putting the socks back on" routine. So.... they sit in my car. Until they fall out in the school parking lot of course. Nothing makes people think you live in your minivan more than having a load of laundry fall out when you open the door.

Anyway, the kids never have socks because they're always in the car, by the trampoline, at friends' houses, the produce section at our favorite store, etc. So I buy a lot of socks. Nothing drives me crazy more than to have 18 clean socks that all belong to one kid, but none of them match. So I came up with a system. Every few months, around the point where Boo is wearing my socks to town due to her own lack of socks, I buy new socks for everyone. I take any remaining sock pairs from the last 'batch' and put them into a special basket in the laundry room.

All the new socks go in the kids' rooms with all their other clothes, so I only have one kind of sock per kid to match. Then, on those inevitable days when we're running 20 minutes late somewhere that would notice if my son wore mismatched mermaid socks I'll have a secret stash of matched socks. I know, I'm a sock genius. That's why my sock 'method' Works For Me!

Right at this point when you're wondering why you just wasted all that time reading the world's most boring post on socks, remind yourself that this is the most interesting thing that I had to blog about today. How sad is that? Come visit again to see what kind of exhilarating post I can come up with for sponges*! Oh just you wait!!

*I hope as much as you do that this was a joke ;)

My Favorite Things!

I love jumping from themed day to themed day strategically avoiding talking about the lack of housework being done. I didn't think it was that bad until my mom stopped by and took one look at my kitchen and asked if I was out of clean dishes yet. Ouch. That almost hurt my feelings. In fact, I took a break from any kind of cleaning to recover. That's it... I was recovering. That's why I didn't fold that laundry...

I digress...
My Favorite Things!

I thought these cupcake collars from Chica and Jo were really cute, although I'm a bit serious about non-edibles getting in the way of me devouring a cupcake. I'm all for the 'cupcake in a muffin tin to eliminate the paper' movement.

I also found an adorable, handmade wooden memory game made from cheap wooden pieces, scrapbook paper (if only I had 800 unused pieces of scrapbook paper anywhere *ahem!*) and good ole' mod podge. I swear if they quit make Mod Podge I'm pretty sure the whole planet will stop spinning.

This idea was one of those "why didn't I think of that!?" things. Valerie at Frugal Family Fun Blog shares a great tip for anyone who uses homeschool workbooks or even mazes and tic tac toe! This simple tip will save me a TON on copies, and I bet I can even snag some cheap clearance page protectors this time of year!

These tips from Digital Photography School are meant to be for taking better wedding photos, but I thought the ideas would really help anywhere!

I would never, ever get off my butt and do this festive wreath from Tatertots and Jello, but I highly commend her for doing it. Plus even if I did get around to doing it I would leave it there until Spring and the spray paint the whole thing baby blue for Easter. That's just how I roll.

Have a great week! Hopefully I'll get around to those dishes and laundry someday... maybe.

Dirty Little Secrets

It's Friday again, so that means it's time to share your dirty little secrets! Oh yeah, and I'll share mine too :P

I washed my one pair of jeans that I like last night, and forgot to put them in the dryer until 30 minutes before I had to leave. I threw them into the dryer until I had to leave, but they were still pretty damp when I put them on. I wore them anyway.

When I was trying to plan a backup outfit while the pants were drying I thought I could wear yoga pants with a nice shirt since they look EXACTLY like my black dress pants and no one would notice... unless they checked closely for boogers of course.

I almost parked in a handicapped spot because it was an 'off' time that I drop Sweetie Pie at school, and they're can't possibly be 5 handicapped parents dropping kids off at the same time. I didn't though... I'm sure later in the winter when it's -20 degrees I'll consider it more.

I went to Target because I heard their back to school stuff was super clearanced and I ended up spending $75. The good news is no one will ever need to buy loose leaf paper or spiral notebooks until the kids are in college!

I wanted something chocolately last night, but instead of finding a tiny candy I made a huge pan of smores brownies. Basically they're brownies with marshmallows and chocolate chips melted on top, and the graham cracker crumbs on top. One is enough to kill you.

I have a new person that I want to run over with my recently vacuumed van, and a few that I'd just like to chase around to scare. This really isn't normal. With my luck I'll probably accidentally run someone over with my car and then go to jail forever since this blog may prove it was premeditated. Or maybe I just watch too much Law & Order. Jury's still out! BWAHAHAHA! Get it? Jury? Law & Order? I crack myself up!

What's your dirty little secret?? Please share!

Jammies Gone Wrong

Yesterday I actually accomplished something! Shocking, I know... Little Man has a tiny obsession with his jammies and I have a crystal clear NO idea where he gets it from. He is 4 years old, so I stuff his little self into 4t pajamas even though he really needs 5t- I'm mean like that. His feet are so big that they don't fit into the foot of the footie jammies, but he loves them so much that he continues to wear them. I haven't been able to find 5t footie jammies for him, and I'm WAY too scared to make some, so I thought I'd try my hand at some cozy (and much easier to make!) jammie pants.

We went to Joann's and I gently guided him to 3 different fabrics that weren't too bad since for some reason he was automatically drawn to the fabric that would even make my Grandma hurl and watched him beam with excitement as the woman at the cutting table handed over his treasure. We got them home and I measured around a pair of jammie pants that fit him now, plus seam allowance. OF COURSE, since it's me, I didn't buy enough of any of the fabric so I just abandoned the project.

After a few more days of him sleeping in his underwear due to lack of cool jammies I tried again. I had some Toy Story fabric from a while ago so I cut around the jammies that fit him once more, and whipped up some jammie pants for him. I also made some progress on some jammie shorts with the original fabric that he had picked out while I was on a rare streak of productivity. Don't tell anyone- I have a reputation to uphold! The pants were finished and adorable... then he tried them on.

Apparently I was too busy being SO excited that I actually finished a project that I never had him try them on. I forgot that the pants that I measured from were really tight at the ankles and made from stretchy fabric. My fabric was far from stretchy, and now my poor boy has the first ever Preschooler Skinny PJ's. They're all the rage in Europe I hear... I'd love to share a picture but my Little Man is snoozing away in them blissfully unaware that he looks like a miniature version of a trendy emo teenager that loves bright Toy Story prints. I should really finish up those shorts I guess... *sigh*

Once I get the three pairs of shorts done I'll have gotten 4 pairs of jammie bottoms (all he usually wears anyway) for less than $12. Even though it's a bit of a pain making instead of buying really does work for me!

Friend Makin' Monday!

It's already time again for Friend Makin' Monday hosted by the newly pregnant Amber at AEFilkins. She rocks and makes cute babies :D I couldn't be happier for her! Anyway, her question rocks today because it deals with my favorite part of Fall (I can't believe it wasn't on my list last week!!). It's no secret that I'm less than enthusiastic about housework, and that I like to sit on the couch a lot, so OF COURSE I love the new Fall shows! I'm entirely too lazy to go find logos for all of them like all the cool girls, so just think of it as a logo test and try to picture them in your mind, deal??

1. Grey's Anatomy! I watched the first 5 minutes online as a teaser and I'm DYING for more! I love this show!

2. Private Practice! I go back and forth with this one but the finale was SO good that I've been wondering what was going to happen all summer.

3. The Biggest Loser! (no, I'm not purposely copying Amber's list) Even Mr. Wright likes this show and we never miss an episode... plus I cry through 75% of the episodes.

4. Community! I have only seen one little clip of this but I love Joel McHale from the soup, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint!

5. The Ultimate Fighter! I actually really like this show when I watch it from the beginning and get to know the fighters so I'm excited for it to start again.

I'm sure there's more but my brain is shot :P

My Favorite Things!

I've totally slacked on the blogging front this week due to sheer laziness. Don't panic, I didn't do my dishes or laundry either... I know everyone was sure that I ditched the blog to take control of my life. Yeah... didn't happen. I spent the week avoiding housework, eating too much, reading blogs and running errands. Exciting, isn't it?

Anyway, here are some cool things that I found online this week while I was supposed to be doing everything else...

Craft rooms to drool over!
http://www.oneprettything.com/?p=6876

A great use for flashcards from the dollar spot!
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2009/09/flashcard-garland.html

A fun way to decorate pumpkins... with a power drill!
http://bedifferentactnormal.blogspot.com/2009/09/twinkle-twinkle-little-pumpkins.html

I picked up some clearance sidewalk chalk the other day just to do this!
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/09/rainy-day-fun-reusable-art-mat.html

A great idea for catching stained clothes before they set in the dryer... if I ever did laundry of course!
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/09/11/tip-for-washing-stained-clothes/

I hope you found something new this week!

Friend Makin' Monday!

My sister from another mister, Amber Filkins, has been taking over hosting duties for Friend Makin' Monday. Did I mention that we have daughters who were born hours apart with names one letter off? How strange is that!? Anyway, today's question is:

What's are some of your favorite things about Fall?

Of course she has a nice list of all this fun Autumnal things because she lives in California where Fall is just a label put on the 'cooler' weather. Unfortunately I have different feelings about Fall since it is more a sign of the impending winter. Stupid winter. All snowy and cold. Sooo, let's pretend that I'm moving somewhere warm for the winter and I just have to stay here through the Fall. Mmm, this seems to be working. Ok, I'm ready.

1. Apples... I had been traumatized from those horrible baked apples in the lunches from elementary school that I never ate cooked apples, even in pie. A few years ago I made this apple cobbler thing (in the microwave even!) for a Pampered Chef show and I've looked forward to it every Fall ever since.

2. Leaves... we suck at keeping our grass mowed and raked anyway, so I like seeing the leaves change and fall everywhere, and then blow around in the wind.

3. Soup and crockpot dinners... I'm sure people use their crockpot the same all year, but I just think it's weird to slow cook something in the summer. I have issues, I know. Fall just makes me want to wear some jammies, bake some brownies (NOT restricted to just Fall!), and slow cook some soup.

4. School supplies... I'm a dork, and I love school supplies. I'm not sure why, but I just do. This year was the first year that I actually needed to get some, but I've been stocking up in the Fall for years. Something about brand new pens and notebooks is just awesome.

5. The Alaska State Fair... NOTHING happens up here, seriously. We get maybe 2-3 concerts up here a year of people that you've actually heard of, so people go even if they just know the song. The state fair is the ONE thing that happens every year that's worth driving from wherever you are. The concerts are decent and there's rides, but since that doesn't happen any other time people flock to Palmer to get in on the action. Luckily it's 15 minutes from me so I don't have to pack up the family and drive for hours just to spend $100 on 5 rides and a turkey leg.

I think that's it... don't even get me started on the winter. That won't be a pleasant post :P

My Favorite Things!

These are a few of my favorite things from the web this week! I hope you find something new!

Painting with shaving cream!
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/09/marbled-sunset-painting.html

Getting kids excited about chores with fun cleaning buckets!
http://orgjunkie.com/2009/09/kids-chores-create-a-cleaning-bucket.html

Placemat project of the week!
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2009/09/cute-placemat-handbag/

A great idea for old makeup containers!
http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/2009/09/pretend-makeup-for-girls-sooo-cool.html

Make your own foaming soap!
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/09/make-your-own-foaming-hand-soap.html

Brownie Security

I know that identity theft is at an all time high, and that lives can be crushed by mounting debt that doesn't even belong to them. I understand that banking sites and credit card numbers need to be kept safe. I understand that I'll have to scream my mother's maiden name into the phone so Bajeep can hear me all the way in India just to make a payment. You know, to protect my account from all those crazy people that go around paying other people's Visa bills...

It just hit me this morning while I was on kraft.com trying to sign up for a recipe newsletter. They won't add me to their e-mail list until I make an account. AN ACCOUNT... on kraft.com. "No honey, don't get the Tillamook cheese. Get the Kraft... I have an account with them." Oh, sorry. I got carried away there. So I fill in the endless blanks to start my account, then it asks for a password. 'For security reasons we require passwords 6-10 characters with at least one number' Seriously? To protect my online recipe box? God forbid someone hack into my kraft.com account and steal that free recipe for butterscotch brownies. THE HORROR! Gone are the days when a passWORD was just a word and not a complex code that I'll never remember and have to write down completely defeating the purpose of it being secretive. Much like my front door.

I got locked outside with 4 kids under 5 inside (2 years ago) and luckily was able to slip in the side door. To avoid this horrible situation we got one of those keypad levers. It is always locked, and you simply punch in the code to unlock the door. It makes me feel quite secure to know that my front door is always locked without have to double check it. The problem is that my 5 year old knows the code, and likes to shout it out as she punches it in. I'd like to say my husband is better, but he makes a habit of yelling it out the window to his friends instead of actually answering the door. Occasionally I change the code and watch people slam into the door expecting it to open, but that should really be on the dirty little secrets post.

I just don't understand how in the world that we live I need to enter my library card number and pin just to search the library website for a book, yet people write checks with their routing number, bank account number, name, address, and sometimes driver's license number to strangers on Craigslist. Secure... really secure.

Dirty Little Secrets

I no longer want to run a certain person over with my smelly van since she was fired from her job. That's good enough I guess since she was fired for her incompetency to do her job.

I miss Sweetie Pie more every day. I'm okay with her being at school (finally!) but I still feel lost without my three little ducklings.

I really need to do laundry since I'm running low on jammie pants. (NOOOOOOOOO!)

I have a ton on my mind and I just can't blog it out. It's getting frustrating to sit at the computer with a blank stare all the time.

I have a few Christmas gifts planned but no plan for dinner in 2 hours.

I set the alarm on my phone so that I don't forget my daughter at the bus stop... even though I check the clock every 5 minutes to see if it's time yet.

Sorry for the lame 'secrets'... I've been too busy this week to get into much trouble ;)
Show me up in the comments with YOUR dirty little secret!!