Freezer solutions

Nothing earth-shattering.   But it helps. 

Problem:  A freezer with items stuffed in haphazardly wherever they would fit.

Consequences:  I could not see what I had in the freezer.  Items that got pushed to the back would be forgotten and end up getting thrown out because of ice crystals of freezer burn.

Solution:   Use my labeler!   I decided to get a couple of plastic bins to hold the meats and the fruits/vegetables.   I labeled them as such and put them in the bottom shelf.

Now, it isn’t perfect.  I still have straggling items.  But, it has sure helped the situation immensely.  The meat is at least contained.  And, I can see in one peek what I have available to use.  Therefore, I am more likely to use what I have.

You can see a couple of extra vegetable bags on the top shelf.  The way to prevent that is for me to use up what I have, and then keep those items limited to what the bin can actually hold.  The top shelf is meant for boxes that can stand up on their own.

I did this a couple of weeks ago, and so far it is still working for me.  I feel so much less frustrated when I open that freezer door.  And, I know where to put things when I’m putting away the freezer items.   

Fixing my tough spots – one at a time.

 

 

Renewal

   I went down to the grove of nut trees
       to look at the new growth in the valley,
       to see if the vines had budded
       or the pomegranates were in bloom.

Song of Solomon 6:11

 

 See, I am doing a new thing!
       Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
       I am making a way in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19

Monday Cleaning – Home and Heart

Every Monday, we work on cleaning the downstairs.  Not because I am so organized as to follow a strict schedule, mind you.  But because every Monday we host a small group of people in our home.  Thus, I try to get things presentable before our friends come over.

One would think that over the years, I would have developed the habit of keeping the house clean all week, thus avoiding the ‘Monday flurry’.   And, I have to say, it has certainly gotten better.  But, I have also learned that a house does not keep itself clean.  Without help, it will naturally fall into disarray.  Add 5 kids to the mix, and you can see that it is something we just have to keep plugging away at all the time.

My original intent for this post was to share how we mixed things up today and turned the cleaning job into something fun.  But, I think I’ll save that story for another time.

Instead, I got thinking along a more serious line.  The verse ‘Create in me a clean heart’ came into my mind.  My house certainly doesn’t keep itself clean without continual effort.  And, the longer I let things pile up, the harder it is to get it clean.  Isn’t it the same with our hearts? 

It’s easy to forget to pause and ask God to search our hearts.  Our heart doesn’t get cleaned up for company every week, because it isn’t so easily seen.  Or is it?  I am reminded today to make the time for seeking out God and letting him show me the spots that need cleaning on the inside.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  
Psalm 51:10

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23

Menu Plan Monday

If you’ve ever gotten stuck while planning a menu, orgjunkie is the place to go.  Every week, Laura posts her meal plan for the week.  And, about 200 other people post links to their menus as well.  It is a great place to go for inspiration and some good ‘tried and true’ favorites.   After perusing a few menus, you may just have next week’s dinner planned for your house!

Here’s my dinner plan for this week:

Monday:  Chicken Rice Soup  (recipe below)  I had this in my ‘to try’ pile.  I will let you know what we thought after we try it tonight.
Tuesday:   spaghetti
Wednesday:  marinated chicken on George Foreman grill, garlic mashed potatoes (recipe below), asparagus
Thursday:  Ground Beef Gyros   My family loves these, and they are easy to make.  The spicy meat contrasts so well with the cool yogurt sauce.  The recipe at the Taste of Home website is the same one I use, with one difference.  My recipe doesn’t have cucumber in the sauce.   I adjust amounts for our famiy size, usually doubling the meat mixture.  Also, in the winter I sometimes season the ground beef and then brown in a pan.  We thought it worked just as well as grilling.
Friday:  Asparagus Ham Fettucine.  I saw this in a Quick Cooking magazine.  It looks wonderful for spring. I will need to adjust amounts to feed a larger crowd.
weekend:  leftovers, sandwiches, etc.

Chicken Rice Soup  (new recipe to try)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
5 cups water or chicken broth
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup carrot, sliced
1/2 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
5 tsp or 5 cubes chicken boullion
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In slow cooker, combine chicken, broth (or water), vegetables and seasonings.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours

Garlic Mashed Potatoes  (family favorite)

In advance, roast some garlic.  To do this, cut off one end of a head of garlic to expose the cloves.  Place the head, cut side up, on a sheet of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Seal and bake 40 minutes in 400 degree oven.  Cool.  

When your potatoes are cooked and reading for mashing, squeeze the garlic out of the head and mash as usual. 

The hostas are coming! The hostas are coming!

A sure sign of spring.  I went outside today and noticed the hostas poking through the ground.  I was so excited to see it.  Oh, how I love spring. 

 Also flourishing in the ground was this plant.  This, friends, is what remains of a science experiment gone awry:  mint.

Yes, this was part of an indoor science experiment that failed – in a technical sense.  We were growing a variety of plants from seed in little cups.  We created a light box with foil and a special light, etc.  We prepared our soil and our seeds and our charts.  And nothing grew.

At least not until after we had given up and I had emptied all of the cup contents into the planting area behind the house.  A couple of weeks later – voila!  Mint. 

So, now we have mint – peppermint and spearamint.  And, truly, I don’t mind it.  It smells wonderful.   It does take over once it gets started.  But, that is perfect for that planting area.  I haven’t been happy with what I had in there before.  The mint looks nice, grows well, and is so fragrant.

So, I guess the experiment didn’t fail after all, did it?

 

Labelers – gotta love ‘em!

 

In my most recent efforts to better organize our home, I broke down and got myself this labeler. I am so glad I did. It has made it so much easier to assign things a home. So far, I have used it in the kitchen – in a drawer, a cupboard, and even the freezer! In the coming days, I will show some of the things I have done.

It really helps me to have an assigned home for things. And a label seems to visually remind me what goes into that space – and what doesn’t.

In the past, I’ve made my own labels on the computer. But, this is so much simpler. And the labels look so much more ‘official’, too!

Anyway, I’m really enjoying this gradual process of structuring some of my trouble areas. I’m doing it a little at a time, slow and steady. I have to put a lot of thought into how to do it. It needs to be workable for me and something I’ll actually use.

I really aspire to have an organized, calm home for my family. For me, that does not come easily. But, I am still working toward that end.

Organizational Book Review

I found a wonderful book at the library this week.  It is titled Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Dosorder, by Susan C. Pinsky.  While the photos are beautiful and inspirational, the ideas in the book are very practical.  Too many organizational books aren’t really written for people who struggle with organization.  This one was.

The author took into account the fact that people with ADD aren’t likely to use organizational systems that are too complicated, or that take too much effort.  One example was socks.   I am not likely to take the time to match individual socks and neatly place them in my drawer.  No, I have a drawer for socks.  When I get socks from the laundry, they get tossed in the sock drawer.  When I need socks, I hunt for a match. 

Susan’s idea was to have a division in the drawer for white sport socks, and one for darker colors.  Don’t match, just toss them in the respective box.  I love that idea.  It is one I can use.  It is simple and doesn’t take any more time than tossing them in the drawer.  But, it will be easier to find matches when they are semi-categorized.

There were many other ideas that I found just as helpful.  If you are a magnet for organizational books, this is one that just might help.