Fall Cooking!

I'm still working on the organization under my kitchen sink. I'm taking my time and really thinking about what I want to keep under there and how and what products I want to use to organize with. Hopefully after living with a few more weeks I will have something to show you all!

It's been almost a year since I reorganized our pantry. It still looks pretty good but I do think its time to edit out some stuff that may have passed their time/expiration period. I think if I had done this from the start my pantry would never have gotten into the condition it did.

I finally broke down and created a house management binder! I fought this tooth and nail, especially doing a weekly meal plan. I'm so glad I changed my mind because this has made cooking a lot more fun. Now if I only felt that way about cleaning! lol

All jokes aside. Having a plan has made it less stressful when it comes to cooking. I plan a week out the actual meal (just dinner in our case) and at the start of that week I pull out my grocery list and buy only the items I need for that week. Hopefully this will eventually cut down on waste and the mess that is my refrigerator some time! This is becoming increasingly more important now that I'm actually only creating meals for Marc and myself. 

My mom came into town this weekend. I don't know what got into me but I caught the cooking bug and went a tad crazy! By the way this was my families first time having Sriracha! 

Starting with baking my second ever batch of banana bread. Now I'm not throwing away those ripe bananas! lol

Having this baking basket in my pantry has been a godsend! I just pull the while basket down and when I'm done it all goes back in and is put away in a jiffy! 

Next to Pinterest YouTube is the best place to get recipe ideas. I picked up this guacamole recipe after watching it on Benjimantv .

Not bad if I say so myself! 

Have you ever had frozen grapes? Don't ask me why but this has become a favorite snack! My family doesn't agree! lol

I also made homemade lasagna. With sauce from scratch! And I used the lasagna that you can just bake without boiling it first. I don't think I will ever go back to using the other version again. I use to make lasagna more often but that was the one step I hated the most! I also made mom breakfast every morning (including Sunday which I never do). Yes, it's officially fall if I'm baking and cooking! lol

Especially if it includes making homemade hot soup!

The only thing I haven't mastered is baking cakes and pies! So when I'm craving pies ( my favorites are sweet potato, pecan, key lime and lemon meringue). I like pies so much I've been known to ask for a pie for my birthday instead of a cake! So what's your favorite things about fall? For me its the weather, decorating, fall attire and of course the food! 

Fall organizational projects

Now that Fall is officially here its time to break out the fall decor ( which also means Christmas decor is not far behind). So in order to get ready for all of the holidays ahead I'm trying to tackle a few projects that I've had to put off do to my injuries. Of course you all know I just finished the upstairs linen closet and now I've started in on the dreaded sink!

Lets face facts...this is a scrabbled hot mess! I started by pulling everything out! And I do mean everything!! The next step was to sort, purge and clean!

So far so good! I may still purge a few more items and I need to find new homes for the things I took out but still would like to keep. The next step is to figure out what type of containers to use in order to give it a more cohesive look without compromising on the organizational aspects of the area. Y'all know me..it's no fun if I can't make it look pretty! lol 

I did find a solution for one problem I was having. I love that my make-up and jewelry has a more defined space but I found my jewelry would end up all over the house when I would come back from church, an errand or a trip. The past two weeks I have been at a conference ( one week) and we just wrapped up a week long of events at WABC. So needless to say my stuff was everywhere! I had baskets left over from our women's workshop this summer that I got from the dollar store. One is going to my moms house so that I have something to tote my toiletries in when I stay with her. One is under my island in the kitchen and is holding the tops for my glassware. The third one now is the "dumping" ground for my jewelry each night with the understanding that at the end of the week I return the pieces to my jewelry cabinet. 

Ministry Wrap Up (September)

Thought I would try a new format for my ministry updates. Welcome to my monthly wrap ups! September was a crazy busy month and our schedule is not any lighter over the next few months.

Last month we announced the 5th year celebration of Marc and I being at WABC! I can't believe its been 5 years! Your all welcome to come join us! LOL

A group of our ladies attended a Women's conference at the start of September. We spent three nights getting our tank filled back up! It was great preparation for our Fall Revival the following week! LOL

Marc with some of his fellow VUU mates the week of revival. 

One of Marc's favorite things is dedicating babies back to God. We seem to have a baby explosion going on at WABC at the moment! Not a problem for my hubby. Its not like we have any grands of our own yet! LOL

The church held a fashion show/talent competition a few weeks ago. The hit of the night was apparently one of our deacons who dawned a wig and fancy shirt for the occasion! Love that our folks don't mind having a bit of fun.

This is my Auntie. Apparently she was the fashion diva of the evening in her all leather suit! Wonder if she will let me rock that suit for a special occasion somewhere? 

My daughter Quisha is in the middle. She along with her church and Pastor were our guest last weekend for our annual Homecoming service.

This weekend Marc did his second favorite thing to do at WABC. And that was to baptise one of our youth! Jayla was so excited about making a commitment to Christ that she got in the pool before Marc even realized. And when she came up out of the water she gave him a big hug! 

Ministry can be tough and its definitely not all Roses and Chocolate but when things like this happen you forget all of that and remember why you do what you do!!!! I'll be back next month with highlights from October including our 75th Church Anniversary.

Ipsy review/make-up haul/YouTube tutorial

First of all I love the bag, even though it doesn't seem as sturdy as some of the earlier bags (if you don't count the "beach" themed pink one).

I can't explain why I get excited about these bags when they come in (even if I don't like all of the products). It's like Christmas every month! LOL

I would love to see this palette in person but you can only order it online. I still have not "tested" out the sample that came. 

I'm partially afraid to try these Skym eye gels but I really, really want to try them. Crazy I know. I'm waiting for a "pampering day" to really use them. I will have to update later.

I really wanted to like this product but I'm not a big fan of red lipstick and when I tried it on it seemed to be paler then it actually looks in the bottle. But I love the packaging for Cailyn products. 

I don't use eye pencils as much as I use to only because I think it creates to harsh of a line on a woman my age. So I will most likely give it to Nicki to use. The consistency is good in the Starlooks eyeliner pencil I'm just not a big eyeliner person.

I like the Elizabeth Mott mascara but I don't love it. It comes out of the tube really weird. And when I applied it to my eyelashes it seemed a bit sticky. I will use it for travel or take it to my mom's house to stay with my small make-up supply that I keep there. 

I fell in love with NYX products a few years ago. I still have a quad palette that I pull out on a regular basis. And I love the color blue so this was one of my favorite items in the bag. They could send me NYX products in every bag. LOL

I picked up these NYC eyeshadow palettes from the Dollar Tree of all places. I didn't expect much from them but I have been surprised at how well they apply. And you can't beat $1.00 for an eyeshadow pallet with a stick! If you are interested in your own Ipsy bag then just click here .

In case you don't know my daughter Nicki is a youtuber and freelance make-up artist. She did a tutorial on YouTube with the products from this months Ipsy bag. Overall I would give this bag a 7 out of 10 only because two of the five products will probably end up in Nicki's make-up kit.

Linen Closet re-do

There is something about the fall season that gets me in the mood to clean up and clear out! I've been working on this project a few weeks and I finally finished purchasing most of what I needed to transfer this space from the mess it was to an organized closet!

For the last couple of years it has turned into a dumping ground for books, mismatch pieces from the kids rooms and the space everyone threw their toiletries when company came! Not to mention paint brushes, tape, miscellaneous medical supplies...you name it and it was in that closet!

I started by emptying everything out and packing up all of the encyclopedia's and kids books! Then I started editing out items that had either expired, served its purpose or that was no longer wanted by family members. 

Marc and I came across a sweet deal on some office supplies in Office Depot and I couldn't resist using some in the closet. The stacked brown boxes ($3.00 each) are actually for CDs and I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to keep them here or replace them with plastic containers to hold medical supplies, extra toiletries and travel supplies. If I do switch them out I may use the Office Depot boxes to corral our movies in the Familyroom (another project on the horizon)!

The basket by the towels is actually a magazine rack ($6.00 bucks a piece) but I have placed them by various spots in my house as a "catch all basket" for those things that tend to pile up in your living space and need to be carried out when company comes or when your tidying up a room. I ended up replacing this with a smaller basket ($4.00) since it really just holds washcloths.

I also purchased a few containers from Target and Walmart and a hook from Dollar tree to hang up the broom and dustpan). 

The white bucket on the left holds our steamers (I still have to add the travel size one). The blue bucket (also from Target) holds cleaning supplies that are in use. The stacked drawers came from Walmart. They cost me about $17. But I wanted something that would fit in that small space and going with the individual drawers that stack was my best option. I plan to go back and get a few more once I relocate the laundry products to the laundry room (another project). Hubby found a deal he couldn't resist at Sams so now I have enough Shout for ten yrs! lol 

The drawers hold extra cleaning supplies. Over all I am very pleased with the space and its motivated me to keep moving forward with the projects on my list. I had  to take such a long break because of my arm injury ( which still flares up) that I'm quite a bit behind. But it's all good because at least I'm making some progress. Next project on the list is under my kitchen sink! Oh boy!!!  If you only knew! 

See what I mean?? 

August/Summer Favorites

 

I am not usually a nail polish person but every once in a while I will "treat" myself and have my nails done. I did this last month in preparation for the wedding. The night before the wedding rehearsal we had an impromptu Girls Spa with my cousins. I was leaning towards the blue polish (which is aptly named "Cinderella"). At the last minute I decided to use the gray (Slate) and I am still surprised that I liked it so much!!! 

 

I've seen several varieties of these hair ties, but after buying a Goody's pack I am hooked. When my hair is back in a ponytail I just pull this off my arm and wrap it. When I pull it off I don't have a bazillion strands of hair coming off in my hand or on the tie. It makes a cute bracelet as well. LOL

 

I brought this Bath and Body Set during the 75% off sale not thinking it would become a favorite just a really great bargain (I think I paid like $3.00 each for them). Out of all the scents I purchased this one is the one I grabbed the most. You can't tell in the picture but I am just about out of the shower gel. I even took it home with me during vacation (I usually just use the bath products I keep stashed at my mom's house).

 

I am loving the Ipsy subscription I get each month (I plan to do a monthly reveal and review starting with this months bag). So far my favorite item has been the BH Cosmetics palette (especially San Francisco and Malibu) from a few months ago. Not surprising since BH cosmetics is one of my favorite places for eye shadow.

 

The bridesmaids wore white Converse in the wedding because the bride is a Converse addict...lol (Trice would agree with this statement if she saw it). At the last minute the older cousins decided to get in on the deal (Surprisingly I never got to take a pic of that). I brought my Converse thinking I would only wear them that one time and now I find myself wanting to buy another pair!!!

 

 

I purchased these two purse while on our Anniversary trip to Florida back in June. I brought them thinking they would make great basics for the winter and fall but I have been using them all summer and I'm in love (in case you didn't know I am a purse girl at heart. I would rather purchase a nice bag then shoes).

 

 

This summer was the summer of sandals for me! I can probably say with confidence that I have just about every color under the rainbow now. Not sure which colors I will get next year. LOL The three above were my favorites in addition to a silver pair that I have just about worn out. The green ones in the back came from Target and are extremely comfortable!!!

 

 

This Thirty-One Bag was a gift from my cousin who got married. I love this bag!!!! I'm using it as a mobile office. And idea I got while watching At Home With Nikki. At some point I will share how I am using it in a more detailed blog post. I knew the first time I had a Thirty One Catalog in my hand that I would be hooked! I now have a long list of must haves (as if I need another bag anything...lol).

 

I haven't had time to read any books this summer, and very little TV. But I have become addicted to Vlogs on YouTube. My favorite this summer has been The SacconeJoly Family. Their daughter Emilia is the cutest baby ever and she is always happy (or so it seems..lol). Nicki teases me that my day is not complete until I get my Emilia fix!