Kitchen Cabinet To Do List

Did you notice any changes to the blog? I felt like it was time for a make over. Anyway...

I'm not a list kinda gal but in an attempt to become a more organized person I decided I'm going to try and keep a daily to-do list. So far it has been a really great thing for me. Not only does it keep me on task but at the end of the day I can see that I actually accomplish things that day. I was already in the process of picking out paint colors for our kitchen cabinets and I thought the pantry doors would be the perfect place for my to-do list. It would be staring me in the face through out the day and friendly on our environment since I wouldn't be using a sheets of paper that I would toss out each day.

Our cabinets were your run of the mill cabinets and were begging for some color.

On the pantry doors I painted the inside of the panels with chalkboard paint and on all the other upper cabinets I used regular black satin paint.

I then painted the rest of the wood grasshopper wing (it's green). Don't look at the other cabinets, I hadn't finished them yet.

I then painted on the chalkboard, with the green paint, my to-do list and divider line so that it always stays on the board. I can now use chalk to add a new list each day and watch the check marks line up. Obviously I hadn't done much that day so far.

And the kids can draw on the bottom door when I feel like letting them use the chalk. The great thing about chalk is that it cleans off so easily so it really isn't a big mess if they happen to get a little on the cabinet or wall.
I'm feeling more organized already!!

Going Bananas!!

 Whenever we shop at Fresh & Easy I always take time to stop at the section of the store where they have the discounted food. My favorite find is when they have organic bananas on special. We try to eat organic as often as possible and finds like this really help out. There are usually several bags because they look like this and I snatch them all up.

 Yesterday I was able to pick up 4 bags and at $.49 a bag I got about 20 bananas for $2, that's my kind of savings!

 I then bring them home, peel them all and toss out any super nasty sections out.

Then they all go in freezer bags and into the freezer for future smoothies, breads, pancakes and muffins. What looks like inedible food to some, is a gem to me! 

Ladybug, Ladybug

The weather around here has been a little confused recently and was starting to act like spring for a little bit, so we have been spending a lot of time outside. I have been taking the kids out back to have snacks in the afternoon and we found a ladybug the other day. I never thought something so tiny would amuse my kids for so long, we ended up "playing" with the lady but for about an hour.

 Scarlett was shockingly gentle with it, letting in crawl along her hands and in her hair. She talked to it and told it about her lunch.

 I placed it on their toes and they both laughed from it tickling their feet. Then when we were ready to go in Scarlett tossed Miss Ladybug back in the garden. We have been seeing more and more of them when we go outside and I'm glad to see Scarlett treat them gently, I want them to stick around in case I get aphids in my garden again this year.

Next we will have to do some digging to find us an earthworm to check out!

Colorful Oven Knobs

When we moved into our home, one of the first things we did was paint all the walls. Now that we are settled in I'm adding color to pretty much anything else you can paint. This week I ran to Home Depot, which happens to be one of my favorite stores, and picked up some spray paint for a project I have been wanting to do for a while now. I got this idea from a lovey family friend who has a knack for adding creative touches to everything.

 Our oven is all white and was begging for a punch of color. 

 So I pulled off the knobs.....

 stuck tooth picks in a cardboard box and placed the knobs on top of the toothpicks.

 I then took my spray paint and painted them all glossy colonial red. How great is it that you can get spray paint in just about any color now? I made sure to stand back about a foot, so that they paint wouldn't go on too thick and run, then slowly coated the knobs until they were evenly covered.

 Once they were dry, I popped them back on the oven and now I have an oven with flair, I love it!!

Play with your Breakfast

I was attempting to pack us all for a weekend away and had a very bored toddler following me around. I decided the only was I was going to get done at day was if I gave her something cool to do. I poured her a bowl of cheerios and gave her a tie from an old sweatshirt and showed her how to string them all on the string.

 She got right to work, concentration very hard on the task, and did a great job of stringing them.

 The thing I liked most was I didn't have to worry about little beads falling on the ground for Taylor to find and attempt to eat since our "beads" were cereal.

 And when Scarlett needed a little snack along the way, she could just munch on her project.

 Such a proud girl!

 Then when she tired of that activity, I grabbed another bowl and a pair of tongs and showed her how to transfer the cereal from one bowl to the other, using only the tongs.

 Both activities were great for building fine motor skills and boosting self esteem. Way to go Scarlett!!

Cookie and Elmo Pillows

Taylor received an early birthday present from one of my dear friends and both of the kids have fallen in love with them. She made him the most adorable Cookie Monster and Elmo pillows, such a fun and creative gift idea, I love it!! 

 They are made of super soft fleece and make a fun crinkle sound when you play with them. Now there's a face that says, "I love them!!"

 As always, I think big sister loves them just as much as Taylor does, luckily he's at an age where he could care less and is happy to share. Thank you Miss Marissa, we love them!!!