Smart Habit Saturday

Welcome to Smart Habit Saturday! If you missed us the last couple weeks you'll notice our new banner that you are welcome to use as well as the button in my sidebar.

If you are new to SHS find out all about it here: Getting Started with SHS. Click here to read more SHS posts. Please don't forget to link back to this post so your readers can find out more about SHS.

Yes, it's true. I almost forgot SHS again this week. Considering who you're dealing with (Mrs. Lazy) and considering I've been doing this every week for eight months, I think I'm doing great to have only forgotten it once.

Check back later to see something really inspiring. Or not. Maybe I'll just take the week off from being inspiring. Maybe I'll be forgetful and boring this week. But feel free to be inspiring in your Smart Habit posts. I'll be reading!

A daily checklist for habits you can edit for yourself - Smart Habits

*Important - Please link to your individual SMART Habit post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.

About Home Schooling

The results of my last poll on kitchen organization really surprised me. What is the deal with all you organized people reading my blog??? Are you just here to laugh at how unorganized I am? Or maybe you're organized but you struggle with it like I do. Either way we're all into getting (and staying) organized so I guess we can stay friends.

I'm continually shocked by how many home schoolers read my blog so this time I'm curious to know how many of you aren't sending kids off to school this fall...

What kind of education are your children receiving?

Public School

Charter School

Private School

Home School

Some combination of the above including home schooling

Some combination of the above excluding home schooling

Poll starter: Lazy See Results

What's the First Thing You Tackle When You Have a Long To-Do List?

Something that's not even on the list of course.


Always drill a pilot hole when you're installing your Lazy Organizing Hooks.



What a lovely and organized place to hang your hand towels. And can you believe Stranger didn't have an aneurysm when he found out I drilled into this cabinet? Me neither.


I want to come clean about my addiction to lavender soap. I don't care if it is just for old ladies. I hide it in all my drawers and if I have a bar sitting on my dashboard so I can sniff it when I start to lose consciousness from listening to the kids argue over pocket lint in the back seat, so what? I tried to revive Stranger with the heavenly scent after he saw how much I spent on my latest soapy splurge but it didn't work.

Apparently it only has magical powers for the feminine species. They have a hard time keeping their little paws off it.

Blogging Basics

Remember this little conversation we had a couple weeks ago about posting HTML tags? You ladies were so quick to answer my question. Thank you!

Now Blogging Basics 101 has been kind enough to post the directions for us. Wasn't that so sweet of them? We love you Blogging Basics!

My Husband's Fantasy

And why he married the wrong girl.

My fantasy is that I could be the kind of person who could handle having 17 kids!

I forgot to mention that I followed that link from Becky's place. Isn't her blog adorable?

It Makes Perfect Sense

There is always a logical sequential order to accomplishing any task. Take my kitchen island for instance.

• I haven't ordered it yet because I don't know what I want.


• I don't know what I want because I haven't spent enough time looking through magazines. I did rip out one magazine photo that I loved but when your studio is as unorganized as mine then you kind of lose stuff like that. It's difficult to lose something in a tiny studio but that is just the sort of talent that I possess.


• I couldn't find that ripped out page because I had papers piled all over the room.


• I couldn't clean up the papers because my head hurt from all the clutter in my studio.


• I couldn't clean up all the clutter because I didn't have anywhere else to put it until Stranger set up storage shelves for me in the basement.


• Stranger couldn't set up the shelves for me until he cleared the junk off of them in the garage.


• He couldn't clear all the junk off of them until he got the basement cleaned out so he could move the junk down there.


• He couldn't get the basement cleaned out because...

Well actually, he did get the basement cleaned out and cleared the junk off the shelves and moved them downstairs so I could clear the clutter out of my studio so my brain could handle sorting and organizing all the paperwork so I could find that magazine photo so I could design my kitchen island. Which is what I'm finally doing. And to think it only took a year and a half to accomplish all of that.

P.S. - Mom's Mission Impossible is what my nine year old son has named my Project List so click on the label to follow it. Will the mission be a failure or a success? Or a mission of mercy? And by that I mean that all of you, my blog readers, show up on my door step (Just pretend that I have one.) and help me finish every last detail. Either that or you just send me money so I can pay someone else to do it. Speaking of you sending money...

I now have a ticker at the bottom of my page for those of you who want to keep up with our progress on the Quilt Raffle to benefit foster kids. We're almost half way to our goal so feel free to donate a dollar if you haven't yet. Stranger is embarrassed to take me anywhere because I ask everyone for money. I promise I won't be this annoying forever. Just $250 longer.

Thanks to all of you generous souls who have already donated!!!

Project Management

Thanks to Julia, I now have a new game plan for getting all our projects done around the house and Stranger has agreed not to divorce me for spending all our money on them. Until he changes his mind that is. Yes, I had to remind him of how much he loves me and wants to do this for me. Or I had to bribe him, whatever you want to call it.

Now how to fit it in to my daily or weekly schedule. Since most of these projects are time and labor intensive and very messy they don't suit the fifteen minute a day philosophy. So instead I am going to try setting aside one week a month for our monthly project. Of course I will have things come up during my project week but I'm going to keep my schedule as clear as I can and neglect my kids more than usual. If you were thinking of asking me to host a book club or teach an organizing seminar next week, don't. But if you were thinking of having my sweet little trouble makers fly out for a visit, do.

Of course you know what all this really means don't you? Great blogging photos! I bet you just can't wait to see what I come up with for my new kitchen island or my pantry shelves. You'll find out when I do! All I require of you for this fabulous blogging entertainment is that you send positive project finishing vibes my way. According to some people, your positive thinking molecules will bounce off the molecules next to them and ripple that positive-ness all the way to where I am. Or just say a prayer for me. Either way.


My new updated (more organized) list. Projects we're actively working on are in red.

• August 07
Build chicken coop
Install house numbers
Design and order Island for kitchen
Buy storage shelves for basement
Clean out garage
Order planting design


• September 07
  Install garage sink faucet
  Design pantry cabinets
  Order cabinets for pantry
  Bathroom Mirrors
  Shower curtain rod for girl’s bathroom
  Install two curtain rods in Master bath
  Sew curtains for master bath
  Asphalt Driveway
  Cement sidewalk and steps
  
• October 07
  Install pantry cabinets
  Add railing and paint the girl's bunkbed
  Plant trees and shrubs
  Find someone to put the finished touches on our foundation cement (I guess I'd better figure out what that's called first.)
  Order studio window


• November 07
  Sand and paint shutters in master bedroom
  Install trim and paint bathtub skirt
  Paint and install bathroom mirrors
  Paint kitchen island
  Build pantry shelves
  Order railing for the basment stairs


• December07
  Install new studio window
  Install hood cover
  Start decorating girl's room


• January 08
  Order and install studio cabinets


• February 08
  Build, paint, install shutters for the rest of the windows


• March 08
  Install brick floor in sunroom
  Choose sunroom paint or stain color


• April 08
  Paint sunroom
  Design sprinkling system
  Start perennial seeds
  Install clothesline outside


• May 08
  Install sprinkling system


• June 08
  Install steps to the side doors
  Install sidewalks and patios on the side and back of the house


• July 08
  Plant perennials
  Finish girl’s closet


• August 08
  Brick fireplace
  Install stove


• September 08
  Design and build front door storage space in the corner


• October 08
  Design and build front door storage space on the wall


• November 08
  Design and build master closet


• December 08
  Knock down wall in pantry

Smart Habit Saturday

Welcome to Smart Habit Saturday! If you missed us last week you'll notice our new banner that you are welcome to use as well as the button in my sidebar.

If you are new to SHS find out all about it here: Getting Started with SHS. Click here to read more SHS posts. Please don't forget to link back to this post so your readers can find out more about SHS.

"There is no merit in just thinking about doing something. The result is exactly the same as not thinking about it. It is only doing the thing that counts. I shall acquire the habit of doing what I have in mind to do."

Shiniki Suzuki in Nurtured by Love

I'm still working on what I've nicknamed my Sandwich Habit which surprisingly doesn't involve losing weight or even eating sandwiches. Read my post last week to find out why I'm saving the world, or more specifically myself, one sandwhich at at time.

I'm kind of scared because I wrote a lot of promptings down this last week and I'm wondering how I'm going to accomplish all of them! I'll give you an example of one that I wrote down and was able to act on right away. Stranger and I want our kids to play the piano but neither of us play ourselves. Not very inspiring! I couldn't help but be reminded of this as I was reading Suzuki's book this week.

Here are some things we have done to get inspiring:

• I picked up a stack of classical music cd's to listen to while we do our chores in the morning.


• Stranger dusted his guitar off and has started playing it when he's home.


• I'm practicing the piano for a just a few minutes every day. I did take lessons for a year when Persistence was a baby but I had to quit because all the practicing was causing trouble with my back. I figure five minutes a day won't kill me. Hopefully.


• I got out some note flash cards for Victor to learn. He's been practicing every day, can read and play all the notes and now he's ready to start learning some songs.


• I told him that I will put him in piano lessons as soon as he does learn a couple songs so I guess I need to get busy finding him a teacher.

Persistence isn't ready to learn the notes but she's been playing around on the piano every day too. I'm sure she'll get more and more interested as she watches Victor learn. According to this method of Inspire Not Require Victor will keep practicing all on his own without any pressure from me. The best thing about all of this is it gives the kids one more thing to fight about. "It's my turn to play the piano." "NO, it's MY turn!" "No MINE!!!" I'll let you know if we survive our new music mission.

This is exactly the kind of thing that I would have thought of doing in the past but never followed through with so I'm excited about how my new Sandwich Habit is already changing our lives.

A daily checklist for habits you can edit for yourself - Smart Habits

*Important - Please link to your individual SMART Habit post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.

Time Management From the Inside Out

I watched this PBS video of Julia Morgenstern last night because I was too tired to read and I didn't think a good mother should fall asleep at eight o'clock while the kids are still running wild outside. I picked up the DVD at the library because it caught my eye while I was looking for animal videos for the kids. BTW, don't watch it unless you like very animated public speakers. She was a cross between a flight attendant showing you the exit doors and a umpire calling outs. The completely fake laughing audience did make me giggle though.

I'm a little bit interested in time management but not really because I don't know if I'm ready to change from my "don't plan and accomplish next to nothing" ways. I did learn a few things though. Like multi-tasking is a waste of time. If that's true then why was Julia doing a cardio workout while she was giving an organizing seminar? Can you tell I'm just jealous that I can't afford to have her come do an organizing boot camp at my house?

Another thing I learned was never to make a master to-do list. Opps! She says not to put anything on your to-do list unless you also put down a time that you will get it done. Otherwise you never will.

So I've gone back to my master list to prioritize and add project dates. I'm sure it will change as I go but at least it's a start. It's kind of shocking to see that if I work on one big project a month it is going to take two years to get to all of it! I think I have been waiting for a visit from the project fairy but it looks like I'd better get started on it myself if I want our house done this decade.

Do you know the biggest problem I have with all these projects? Making decisions. Choosing brick, paint colors, cabinet design, etc. I think my head hurts now and it's time to go back to bed.

When's The Last Time Your Dentist Popped by for a Visit?

Mine did yesterday. How weird is that? The thing that makes it even weirder is that I used to date him. And the thing that makes it REALLY weird is that my seven year old confessed to me last year that she wants to marry him when she grows up. Weird.

Anyway, we've always had one of those relationships where we visit every six months at our check-up but then after we built our house he kept saying he should stop by some time to see where we lived and then all of a sudden he did! Weird.

Luckily he was polite enough to give us an hour warning so we could pick up the fallout from the day. I have Stranger and the kids trained pretty well. The kids get so excited about any kind of company that they will work like, well, like little kids who are excited that company is coming. We homeschool so every knows that they must be starved for socialization. Oh and Stranger is starved for it too so that's why he helps.

Anyway, once everything was looking as good as it can be when you have five foot high weeds leading to your front door and your garage floor is covered with chicken poop because someone forgot to shut it the other day, Victor said, "Wouldn't it be funny if you told us that someone was coming over just to get us to clean the house really fast and then you said, 'Just kidding!"

"Ya, that would be so funny!"

Don't think I haven't thought of that one already. I wouldn't want to turn into the mother who cried "company" but I'm not above using it if it ever becomes necessary. Like when I need the house picked up so I can take blog photos. Funny how sometimes when you think company is coming, they don't actually come. Not that that's ever happened at my house.

The thing that made the whole visit not weird was that we had a great time discussing the meaning of life with Dr. Dentist and he brought three scrumptious desserts from a fabulous restaurant for us to share. Of course we put the kids to bed before we broke them out but we may have saved them a bite or two to enjoy later. After all, they did all that cleaning and everything. It should be worth at least three bites of a chocolate fudge brownie. But not the lime cheesecake because I accidentally ate all of that one after Dr. Dentist left. Aren't dentists supposed to tell you not to eat sugar? Apparently not if they are the cool "stop by for a visit with a bag full of desserts" kind of dentist.

Where’s a Hungry Chicken When you Need One?

You know how Victor likes to take photos?

“Look how cute Mom. A Mommy grasshopper with its baby riding on its back!”

"Um ya. That's what it is. A baby riding on her back."


While I was lying in bed last night feeling the cool breeze and trying to drift off to sleep, I was reminded of how excited I am that the neighboring mink farm is moving out of state. Eau de Sewer Smelling Mink does not sweet dreams bring. We have a view of the distant mink sheds outside our living room window. I'm thinking high rises would be a better smelling alternative.

House Project List

Ever since Rosie made a master to-do list on her blog I have wanted to do the same thing. This is a list of all the projects we have to do around here to finish and organize our home. I've added some links if you want to see photos. (I need to look at this photo whenever I get mad at Victor. Doesn't he look so sweet and not like the trouble maker that he is?)

1. A driveway would be nice. (o7)



2. And a sidewalk. (07)



3. And steps to the front door. Those would really be nice. (07)




4. Build a chicken coop (we started this yesterday!) - will it make up for losing the yummy grasshoppers?



5. Hang house numbers (How about if I do this tomorrow when Stranger is here to help me decide where to put them.) - Do you think I can handle this one? I have had the numbers sitting in a box for a year and a half!



6. Order island for my kitchen (I should do this tomorrow so I have it for Holiday cooking and parties.) - the white plastic folding table isn't so cute in there.



7. Buy and install bathroom mirrors (September) - No wonder I go out looking like I do.



8. Find a curtain rod that will work for the guest bathroom shower and install it (September) - who could have known putting a ceiling fan in a bathroom could cause so much trouble?



9. Install two curtain rods in master bath and sew curtains. (September)



10. Order a counter for the pantry (September)- I know what I want now so I just need to order it.



11. Build pantry shelves (October) - I can't do this until I get the counter in so maybe it's better not to order the counter. Then I won't have to feel like I have to build the shelves.



12. Sand and paint the shutters in my room (November) - I'll explain about them later but they sure are cool!



13. Install trim and paint the master tub skirt. (November)



14. Order and install new studio window (December) - The window I picked out is hideous and we hate it so we're going to change it.



15. Install studio cabinets (January) - Getting this done will be organizational heaven!



16. Build, paint and install shutters for six more windows. (February 08) - Must have shutters!



17. Install brick floor in our sun room (March) - we will not miss the sand room.



18. Sand and paint or stain the walls in the sun room (April) - I figure I have another ten years to decide. Or else maybe I'll decide in April.



19. Brick our fireplace and install wood burning stove (September 08)- We will miss our "stage".



20. Sand and stain all the doors in my house (08) - 15 In all. Doesn't that sound like fun?



21. Install built in benches in sun room (09) - I'm pretty sure this is never going to happen.



22. Add trim and paint the bathtub skirt in the master bathroom. ( November)



23. Outside clothes line - I can't wait for this. (08)



24. Install sprinkling system. (Spring 08)



25. Steps to the side doors. (07)



26. Install back and side patios. (Summer 08)
    
    
27. Install stone pathway around house. (summer 08)
    
    
28. Install landscaping (08) - the chickens will miss all the weeds and the grasshoppers that go with them. Maybe we can save a special weed patch just for them.



29. Finish building the other half of my girl's closet (October 08) - Nope, not in a hurry to do this either. It will just add more places for them to stash junk.



30. Build the storage space intended to go by the back door (November 08)



31. Build Master Closet (December 08) - I've got dressers and a bar that we hang clothes on so no wonder I'm not in a hurry to do this.



32. Knock down a wall in my pantry that I had built in the wrong place. (January 09) ?

You didn't think it was going to be a short little list did you? I'm sure there is more that I have forgotten.

Short little list of projects we have finished

• I painted the trim in Victor's room and decorated it - he has the only decorated room in the whole house. Not because I love him best but because I reused all the stuff from his old room and it was easy.



• I built Victor's closet - Again, it was easier than the others so I did it second.



• I built the hall closet - It was the easiest of all so I did it first.



• Basement - Stranger and Victor got all the garbage (from the builders) and mud (from the flooding)cleaned out of the basement and moved shelves down there for me to put my junk on. I got the junk room cleaned out but I need about 16 more sets of shelves for the stuff in the garage! We actually went to buy more but they don't make them anymore and all the new styles are cheap but expensive junk! We can't have our junk sitting on anything less than the best right? This is valuable junk we have!



• The boys also built a temporary pen for the chickens that doesn't keep wild animals out or the chickens in. Sorry boys but I had to say it!



• We did have our yard graded this spring but you can't tell because the weeks are so high.

What Does It All Mean?

Edited - Thanks for the stories! Yes, Janine says you will get back in kind but you always get more than you give. I guess that means that if you give away Walmart clothes you will get Gap back and if you're giving away Gap then you will get back designer clothes that I don't even know the name of because I'm still shopping at Walmart and Gap.


Another thing Janine says though is that tithing is different than philanthropy. You have to give 10% of each. That is a lot of money to be giving away every month!! Do you think you could do it? We want to try but Stranger says we'll have to sell the house first or we'll go broke.

I have been listening to one particular seminar cd from the Thomas Jefferson Education Forum that Stranger and I attended last spring. Three times to be exact. Once myself, once with Victor and once with the whole family. We are all captivated by the money managing concepts of Janine Bolon, author of Money...It's Not Just for Rich People!

One thing Janine claims is that you have to give money away to get money. She says that once you give money away, within two weeks, money will come into your life. Victor wanted to test this out on Friday when we were at Walmart so he asked for some of his money to throw into an upside down umbrella that was there to raise money for Primary Children's hospital. I gave him 50 cents, he tossed it in, then ran off with his Dad while I sat and waited for them to finish working on my van.

Ok, now this is the unbelievable part. Not even two minutes later a women walked by me, turned around and asked, "Are you Victor's Mom?"

"I am."

"I thought so. I'm the one that ran the Fair Factor contest. I wanted to call you but I lost your phone number."

Here's where I get to tell you that after Victor won his $25 gift certificate that day he promptly lost it. I had reached for it, suggesting he give it to me so he wouldn't lose it but he angrily grabbed it away and said that he was putting it in the bottom of the stroller and he was NOT going to lose it! I watched him put the card back into its envelope and then I turned around while he apparently tossed it into the bottom of the stroller. When we got home later that day the envelope was there but the card wasn't in it. Very mysterious!

I didn't mention this little part of the Fair Factor story because he was embarrassed and upset about it. We called the Fair Factor lady the next day to see if they found the card while they were cleaning up but she said they hadn't seen it. The story continues...

"I called Golden West Credit Union who donated the prizes and they were going to give him another card but I didn't know how to get a hold of you. Call me on Monday and you can come pick it up."

Unbelievable! Now Victor wants to give money to everyone he passes on the street and so do I!!!

If you've had an experience where you've given money away and then shortly afterward money has come into your life, I want to hear about it. Is it just a coincidence or do you think the universe really works that way? I, for one, do not believe in coincidences.

BTW There is an article at GNMParents that Victor and I wrote together about his Fair Factor experience. As if you haven't had enough of Worm Guts and Crickets Brains. Did I mention that he is writing a monthly article over there now? I'm so proud!

Smart Habit Button

For those of you who want to add my new Smart Habit button to their sidebar you can find detailed instructions at Blogging Basics 101, (A great resource for bloggers by the way.)

I always add a piece of code that makes the button the exact size I want. If this is your code:



I add width="150" to it like this:



Let me know if you need anymore help with it.

Now can someone help me!

How do you add html code as text so the browser doesn't "read" the code? I had to make images out of the code to use it as text. Do you know what I mean? It's pretty and all but it takes too much time!

Smart Habit Saturday

I made a new banner and a button for my sidebar!!! Thanks again Karen for teaching me how and thank you Kara for making the banner we've been using all year! Everyone is welcome to use both of them. Just copy them to your hard drive and upload them to your blog.

If you are new to SHS find out all about it here: Getting Started with SHS. Click here to read more SHS posts. Please don't forget to link back to this post so your readers can find out more about SHS.

"Remember, you will always be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the things that you did. Again, you must do in order to be."

"Mistakes can be overcome but inaction imprisons the soul."

from Ping by Stuart Avery Gold

My new habit is to become a woman of action. Too often when I get a prompting to do something I tell myself, "Ya, ya, I'll think about it later." But later never comes because I've forgotten all about it by then. From now on I will act immediately. If it is something I need to do later then I will write it down and follow through. It's amazing how many promptings I recieve when I pay attention and make myself open to them. I made a special place in my notebook where I can write them so I don't forget anymore. I don't want to keep forgetting to do the important things in life or all the goodness will keep passing me by. I will do so I can be.

One little example from today -> We bought a couple extra sandwiches at KFC and I thought I should offer them to a man waiting outside for a bus. I felt pretty silly offering him food when he was standing there minding his own business. I thought he might just tell me to get lost but he didn't. He looked at it and said, "Cool! Thanks." And I thought, "Cool!"

I didn't save the world or anything with my sandwiches but who knows what good I can do if I keep it up. I can make a difference one sandwich (action/habit) at a time!

A daily checklist for habits you can edit for yourself - Smart Habits

*Important - Please link to your individual SMART Habit post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.

Updates

"Lazy people do not like to use planners. They would rather pretend that they’re going to remember everything later even though they know very well that they won’t."

I must have planners on my mind because of yesterday's tips and the article I have up at GNMParents.

Thank you Donna for agreeing with me on the ice cubes in my cereal! Who could have known it would be such a controversial subject? You guys were cracking me up! Just for the record I only eat granola and ice cubes are the only way to keep it cold through all that chewing. Besides, isn't milk just as wet as water? I've always thought so! I am willing to compromise with you here though. Milk ice cubes! BTW, go check out Donna's Sunshine Blog to see her uber talented and hilarious son!


Last but not least we've raised $161 for foster kids! Thank you for all your generosity! Of course who wouldn't want a chance to win this gorgeous quilt? We only have $339 to go to meet our $500 goal. Do you think we can do it? And for the last time Amy, NO, you can not buy a ticket and NO, I am not going to fix the raffle so you can win your own quilt back!

5 Really Lame Organizing Tips

1. Use an envelope for a planner pocket. I bought a new planner last month and it didn't have any pockets in it like my old planner so I improvised. I cut the top off an envelope, folded the flap backwards, licked it and glued it onto a page in my planner. Am I brilliant or what?



2. Use a Post-It note for a book mark. (I told you these were lame tips.) I got tired of my two year old pulling my book mark out of every book she got a hold of so I finally started using a Post-It note. It's hidden in the pages so she can't find it and it sticks so it doesn't fall out while she's "reading". I stick it to the back cover while I'm reading so I always know where it is but it doesn't get in my way. I can also stick it to the exact sentence I ended on so I don't waste time re-reading to find my place.



3. Tie a thin cute ribbon on the top spiral of your notebooks or planner to use as a place holder. My friend Amy showed me this and I love it. My two year old isn't allowed to "read" my planner.



4. Keep a cup of ice cubes in the freezer. That way the noisy ice dispenser on your fridge won't wake the kids up in the morning. I'm not the only one who puts ice cubes in their cereal am I? I like cold milk ok!!!



5. Keep a stash of $2 bills on hand to give away as Birthday presents. Every body thinks they don't make them any more but you can stop by your bank any time and pick up a handful. The kids (and parents) at the party will think you're cool. And who doesn't want to be cool! Especially in the morning while you're eating your cold cereal? (Seriously, I cannot be the only one who does the ice cube thing.)

Don't forget to check out other "not lame" tips at Shannon's place.

Shameless self-advertising:

Have you bought a ticket yet for my Foster Care Quilt Raffle?



My Lazy Organizing Bags are now available for pre-order!

The Wild Things Were Getting Restless

"Take them out to the ball game,
Take them out with the crowd.
Buy them some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if they never get back,
Let them root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win I don't care.
For it's one, two, three kids, they're out,
At the old ball game,"

With their Grandparents and here I am, left at home all by my lonesome. Call me Honest but I won't miss them for a second.

Did I mention that they'll be gone ALL NIGHT??? Guess what I'm doing with my night off?

I'll let you know when I find out!

Houston we have lift off.

The race is on here at the Lazy Organizer to raise at least $500 to benefit foster kids. All you have to do is buy one ticket to win this beautiful hand quilted quilt. Read more about the raffle here. Only three people have entered so far but we've earned $30 from their generosity! Now that I've got the Paypal button working (or rather Stranger has) I'm sure we'll get many more donations. Just one dollar from each of you. That's your assignment for today.

Rebecca was so sweet to post about my cause on her own blog A Not So Desperate Housewife and she also made this adorable button for anyone who wants to use it. Thank you Rebecca!



Not only that but she taught me how to make my own button! You're welcome to it also.

Foster Care Quilt Raffle

Update at the bottom.

I had an idea last week to do a quilt raffle to benefit Foster kids and you guys said you thought it was a great idea. Thank you for all your kind words!

After I posted about the raffle I remembered that my quilt guild made a quilt last year that we meant to raffle off but never did. I completely forgot about it! Isn't it amazingly beautiful? I knew you would love it!

The quilt is queen sized - 90" X 105"
It is machine pieced and hand quilted.
The fabric is 100% cotton quilt fabric and the batting is a thin cotton/poly blend. This is an heirloom quality quilt so please take special care of it if you win it. I will send washing instructions with the quilt when I ship it.

Tickets will be $1 a piece so when you make your donation just enter the dollar amount you would like to donate. If you want 10 tickets enter $10 in the donation box.

This box doesn't seem to be working properly but if you click on it you will go to paypal where you can enter your donation information.

I called a couple of the members, namely Amy and Janette, who did almost all of the work on this quilt single handedly and they agreed to let me raffle it here on one condition. I have to bind it, which I will do this week. I couldn't wait to post the photos though so while you guys are busily buying tickets I will be busily binding the quilt.

They also agreed that we could give the money to either the Foster Care Foundation or the Christmas Box House which is a home the kids go to while they're waiting for a placement with a family.

Here is how the raffle is going to work. I will video tape the drawing and post it in four weeks on September 10th. I will also notify the winner by e-mail which I will have through your Paypal payment. However. My goal is to raise $500. If we haven't raised at least that much then I will postpone the drawing until we do. But I don't think there will be a problem. If everyone who visits my blog in one day buys one ticket then we will have plenty of entries to raffle it off in September.

I am so excited about this! I will post updates on how much money we raise. If this is a cause that you feel strongly about then feel free to post about it on your blog and tell your friends and family about it. In fact does someone want to make a button for me? Or better yet, does someone have time to teach me how to make a button? I'm sure it's easy but I don't know where to start. Thanks!

Update - Thanks to Stranger my donation button is fixed! Aparently the only way to fix it is to add a new line of code to the button which Stranger found out after spending an hour on the phone with Paypal. It took that long for them to transfer him to someone who knew what they were talking about. So now if anyone else has a problem with the Paypal donation button charging shipping the new code is (input type="hidden" value="0.00" name="shipping").This overides your pre-set shipping calculations. I've refunded all the shipping charges of those who have already made donations. Thank you for your patience!

Smart Habit Saturday

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“I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes. Let me act now even though my actions may not bring happiness or success for it is better to act and fail than not to act and flounder.
I will act now.”

By OG Mandino The greatest Salesman in the world