Hostess Binder

My newest binder was the result of me outgrowing my home management binder and I have named it my hostess binder. When I decided to start another binder, I decided to get a color that would go with my mint green. The color I decided on was a shade of pink. I haven't made a cover for it and really don't know what I want for a cover. If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them. 

The first section is filled with articles on entertaining guests at home. I have items about how to provided the comforts of home for an overnight guest. Items on how being a good hostess when giving a dinner party.  I have napkin folding tips and place setting ideas. I also have articles on setting the mood and decorating for an event. I have also saved articles on cute decorating how to's. Most of the articles I have saved have come from magazines. 

The next section contains decorating ideas for the home. I have ideas on how to decorate with pictures, how to arrange them, and unusual places to put them. I have articles on how to style bookshelves, coffee tables, and other pieces of furniture. I also have some neat decorating projects ideas I would like to try one day. 

 

Decorating and craft ideas for the holidays is in my next sections. I have articles on how to tie bows, package and present gifts, and wrapping techniques. I also have craft project ideas for various holidays I want to try, someday. 

I know I may never use all of these ideas I have save, however; I will and have already used quite a few of them, especially the wrapping presents ideas. Besides all of that, I think an entertaining, decorating, craft project binder is simply one of those good things! 

Living a simple life and enjoying making it a little more gracious and styled! 

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Over a Pinterest, I have several boards that contain ideas and inspiration for hosting parties, showers, and dinner parties. They add to the info I have contained in my hostess binder.

There is a board called "That's Entertainment" where I have stored a lot of planning and prep ideas for events and parties.  It also has a lot of napkin folding, etiquette for placing settings, and preparations list to get you organized for an event. 

I also have a board full of centerpiece ideas and other decorating ideas for tables and buffets; "Centerpiece Sensations." You also might want to check out "Inspirational Entertaining" and "Food Art & Serving Ideas." I also have boards for certain seasons and holiday entertaining. So go and take a look!

Home Management Binder

Starting out as a young wife, I tried several things to try to organize my time and cleaning schedules. After a lot of trial and error, I hit on the idea of keeping things organized in a notebook and this was before I had even heard about a Home Management Binder. When I began homeschooling our DD, I started reading about HM Binders and thought I had been doing that for years. As I did more research on them, my research lead to me reorganizing and redefining as few things. I have reorganized at least 2 or 3 times since then and have come up with a smooth system that works for me now. 

My Home Management Binder is its current form is contained in a 2" binder I found at Office Depot. I found one in what I consider to be my signature color - green, mint green to be more specific. I took some of my scrapbooking materials and made a nice cover for it. 

For the inside, I bought clear sheet protectors to put my papers in. I made a cover page for it out of my craft supplies and the little artistic skills I have. 

I have several sections in my current binder. As a matter of fact, my sections outgrew my binder and I had to add to my binder collection (I will be sharing those later). For each section, I have made a cover page or am in the process of making cover pages. (I used my old Gingham Girls coloring book pages as my inspiration.) Some of the cover pages I gave the titles and some I haven't. I am not in a rush to complete them, but when I have a few spare moments I work on them. 

My first section in my binder is a faith section. It contains Bible verses that encourage and provide guidance for my walk as a woman after God's own heart. It has items in it on how to uplift, encourage, and pray for my husband. Other pages to encourage me in my role as a wife and mother. Be on the look out at "A Life Lived Simply" FB page. I will be sharing some of sources on there. 

The next section is a calendar/planner. I couldn't find any calendar papers that I liked so I made my own. I used graph paper (4 blocks is an inch) and laid out the calendar the way I wanted it. I was able to give each day plenty of room to write info on and am able to put 6 weeks on one page, front and back. (I forgot to take a pic of the calendar page, sorry.)

After my calendar section, I have a section for notes. This is where I save info from all of the things going on in life. Right now, I have a list of all of the places DD has applied for jobs. A list of quotes that I love. (I forgot to take a pic of the cover page.)

Menus and Grocery Lists is my next section. Here I have 26 pages of notebook paper, where I write my menu for each week and the grocery list for that week. I use the front and back of each page. The menus are followed by my coupon which I have organized in business card/baseball card holders. I organized my coupons the way I think about them and gave each page a label.

After the menu section, I have a section with items that encourage me in my role as keeper of the home. I have articles that uplift me and remind me that my role as a keeper of the home is a calling from God. Articles that remind I am not wasting my life by doing so. They encourage me to embrace my role, cherish it, and to feel good about it. 

The next two section are related to each other. They are my cleaning schedules and a chores list. In the first section, I have my chores laid out for what I need to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. It also have a list of the cleaning supplies I use and a routine of things I need to do each day. The next section, I have all of the things I want to do in each room wrote out dividing them into weekly/biweekly and monthly chores.

 

The next section doesn't have a cover page yet. In this section, I have articles I have saved from magazines that have cleaning tip, cleaning suggestions, and how to's that I think are useful. 

Organization tips and decorating ideas are in the next section. I have articles on how others have organized their kitchens, craft rooms, etc. I also have info on how to organize info on computers and in purses. Also on how to organize pictures and other keepsake papers. There are ideas on how to organize your freezer, how to pack a cooler, or how to pack a suitcase. This section also has storage container ideas.  

 

My home management binder has helped keep me on track. It has made making out a menu and grocery list easier. I like having all of the chores laid out for the day or week for a quick reference as well what I need to do in each room. I know there is always room for improvement and my saved articles have provided fresh ideas. I have used a lot of the organizing ideas found in the articles I have saved, too. 

My binder will be forever changing and growing. I will continue to add things and get rid of some. I may have to expand into even more binders, but that is just fine with me, because, I believe my home management binder is simply a good thing!

Living a simple life and loving every minute of it!  

Keeping Our Home

Keeping our home neat and tidy is something I am really good at. Not that it is spotless and completely organized all of the time. Believe it or not, cleaning house is also a way for me to deal and manage stress. The work helps calm my mind and helps me release pent up energy. Besides all of that, I enjoy it. 

With almost 28 years of housekeeping under my belt, I have learned a few things along the way. Things that I feel the urge to share, because I just have this feeling that there is someone out there that needs the help. However with all of the things I have learned, the best tip I can give anyone is that you have to find what works for you, your family, and your schedule. 

Over the next two weeks, I am going to share ways I organize the cleaning of our house.  I will share the ways I have come up with to help keep up with all of our schedules and plan for those special occasions. I will be sharing how I come up with a menu and a grocery list every week. I will share resources  I have found to be useful and helpful. I will share how I manage and plan what chores I do and when. So check in over the next two weeks for the begin of this series I am calling, Simple Home Keeping. 

Simply enjoying taking care of our home for my family and loving every minute of it! 

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On my Pinterest page, I have a board where I have saved some great home keeping tips, helpful hints, and cleaning ideas to help me keep our home. You can find it at the following link: The Keeping Of Our Home.  

Snapshots Of A Simple Life

Every so often, I will be sharing some snapshots of our simple lives; pictures of nature, animals, food, and happenings. Some, I will have already shared on "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page, but some won't be. So be on the lookout for "Snapshots Of A Simple Life."

This is the scene that greeted us the morning after an ice storm in February.

This Spring has been one of the prettiest ones we have had in a long time.

The Bradford pear trees have been absolutely beautiful.

We have had some warm, sunny, blue skies days.

I just love this shot.

Bradford pear blooms against an azure sky.

I have baked a lot the past few weeks. These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies were delish!

Spring means the beginning of strawberry season. Although local strawberries won't come in until May, we can't resist buying them when they hit the stores.

Two of the best things in the world - fresh strawberries topped with homemade whipped cream. However, adding a slice of lemon pound cake to it would make it heavenly! ~ For a homemade whipped cream how-to go to this link on "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page.

 

There all kinds of wild flowers around our simple home place.

These tiny blue flowers are on the ground by our clothes line. They are lovely.

These violets are blooming in our pasture.

These are the only purple mound of violets.

These purple flowers are in the pasture, too. I know it is most likely a weed, but it reminds me God sees beauty in all the things He created whether it be a weed or a rose.

Thursday, March 24th, we bought these little ladies home.

They are Buff Orpington and we hope the eight of them will become great egg layers.

Here they are a week later.

They are getting use to us. I am able to pet several of them when they walk up to me. They will have to live in their custom made box for another few weeks yet, before we move them into the chicken coop. To see pictures of their custom made box visit "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page.

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into this simple life we lead. Be on the lookout for more snapshots.

Living the simple life and simply loving it! 

Simply Perfect Product: French's Mustard

When it comes to mustard, French's Yellow Mustard is what can be found in our home. We use it on sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs. We also use it in potato salad and sauces.

I like the bright yellow color. I like that it isn't grainy and not too thick. It is tangy, but not sour with the taste of a lot vinegar. Besides all that, French's Yellow Mustard reminds me of my childhood. 

Yellow Mustard of any brand is a good thing to keep around. I have an aunt that is a nurse. While attending a homeopathic workshop, she was told that when someone is having leg cramps that consuming about a tsp of yellow mustard will help get rid of the cramps. Being a leg cramp sufferer herself, she tried it and it worked. I believe it is the tumeric in the mustard that helps get rid of the cramps. So if you are a sufferer, give it a try!

Simply enjoying the taste of yellow mustard and the homeopathic extras that come with it! 

Simply Perfect Product: Hunt's ketchup

Ketchup is another one of those condiments we always have on hand. We eat it with or on a lot of things. I also use it quite a bit in recipes. The ketchup preferred at our house is Hunt's Ketchup.

Hunt's has a tangy, acidic taste to it. It isn't sickeningly sweet like some other name brands. It has a richer color to it and doesn't have the color of dried blood to it. It isn't as thick as come other brands. It mixes well and doesn't have that watery bit on top. Best of all, the company has started offering Natural Ketchup without high fructose corn syrup in it. So for our family, Hunt's Ketchup is just of those simply prefect products! 

Living a simple life and loving every minute of it! 

Simple Perfect Products: Duke's Mayonnaise

In you are from my neck of the woods in the South, there is only one mayonnaise worth eating and that mayo is Duke's Mayonnaise. Duke's is the mayo I grew up with and we ALWAYS had a jar on hand. It is isn't found everywhere, which has lead us to taking a jar of it on vacation wherever we go. 

Duke's just has a different taste from any other mayo. It isn't sweet. It has a tang to it. It is creamy, silky, and spreads easily. It isn't a congealed glob. It is wonderful on sandwiches, in potato salad, and in cole slaw. It adds a deeper taste to any chocolate mayonnaise cake. Tomato slices with Duke's on them is just YUMMY and a homegrown tomato sandwich with Duke's on it is to die for. Southern Living even named it the best mayo of the South.

Duke was made by a Southern lady in her home back in the early 1900's. The success of her mayo lead to it being made on a larger scale and sold locally in the South. Its reputation has grown over the years and the market for it is expanding. You can read more about Duke's interesting start and history at the following link; Duke's Mayo History.  

Living life simply and looking forward to some homegrown 'mater sandwiches with Duke's mayo on it! 

Simply Perfect Products

Today, I am introducing a new category - simply perfect products. In this category, I am going to share all those products that I have found to be very useful, tasty, or just make life a little easier. So you will be seeing anything from small appliances, food products, cleaning products, to kitchen tools. This week,  I am going to be sharing my favorite brand of condiments such as mayonnaise.  So stay tuned this week and future posts for "Simply Perfect Products." 

Loving those things that make my life a little simpler and are simply perfect things! 

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Just a reminder that "A Life Lived Simply" has a Facebook page. On that page, I am sharing recipes, craft ideas, and pictures of our simple life, as well as highlighting post. So please go and check it out at "A Life Lived Simply" ~ Facebook. 

A Week Of Family Favorites: Steak Fajitas

We like Mexican food, not too spicy, Mexican food. This recipe was inspired by that love. As a new wife this was the first recipe that I came up with on my own. 28 some years later, it is still on of DH's favorite dishes. 

Steak Fajitas (My Way)

• 1 lb. of steak tips
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 1 bell pepper cut into strips (I use a combination of colors.)
• part of a jalapeno pepper and/or a cayenne pepper (Depending on how hot you want it. We can't take really spicy stuff, so I use just enough to give it a kick.)
• 1 15 oz. can of pinto beans (Or you can use dry beans that have been soaked and cooked. I do that most of the time and just throw in how much I want.)
• 1 pint of tomato juice
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• a dash of Worcestershire sauce  
• garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, oregano
• a pack of taco seasoning or 2 to 3 Tbsp of homemade
• large flour tortillas
• cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese
• salsa and/or sour cream
• lettuce and tomato

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil. Add the onion slices, peppers strips, and finely chopped jalapeno/cayenne pepper to the pan. Saute them until they have softened. Add steak tips and brown completely. Add your herbs and spices, to taste.

Add the tomato juice, the ketchup, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and pinto beans. Add taco seasoning, then any additional herbs and spices you might need. 

Simmer mixture for about 30 minutes. When it is time to assemble the fajitas, warm up a flour tortilla in the microwave for about 15 seconds. While the tortilla is warming up, cut up some of both of the cheese and put in a bowl.

When the tortilla is warm, remove from microwave and place the bowl with the cheese in it and heat until it all melts. With our microwave it usually takes about a minute and a half. 

Place some the meat mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Top with lettuce and tomato. Fold up like an envelope. 

When the cheese is melted pour over the top of the tortilla. Top with salsa, sour cream, or both, then ENJOY!

Living a simply wonderful life and enjoying every minute of it!