How To: Organize Your Phone Photos

Do you hoard photos?  Unload them all on your computer and then overwhelmed when it comes to printing, weeding through them, and backing them up?  I'm especially bad at this with my cell phone pictures..

I was so tired of seeing the dreaded "storage almost full" box pop up on my phone - I take SO many phone pictures because it's always on me and so convenient.  I was tired of missing moments because I haven't yet cleaned off my photos and my storage was full.  So I was on the hunt for a GOOD way to print those off and have them in our home to look at any time.  I mean, what good do they do if they're locked up on my computer anyway?

I've looked into so many photo books, it has made my head spin.  But then I heard about Chatbooks, and once I tried it was so ECSTATIC.. because it was easy, convenient, and I was finally getting all my photos printed.  Grab the app for your phone and you can make Custom Books or you can make Ongoing Series Books - I do the Ongoing Series.  I add in the photos as I go.  It's $8 for a 60-page soft cover book, or you can upgrade to a hard cover book for $13 and there's always free shipping.  It's a 6in x 6in book, and I love how the spine of the book has the dates on it.  Each page has the date of the photo on it also, so it's just a continuing book of your life basically.  ;)

Also, I keep ALL of my photos backed up in two different places (because I'm a freak like that and would have a severe meltdown if I lost them, ha) - I use an external hard drive and then I also use Amazon Cloud Drive because we use Amazon Prime and it comes with unlimited photo storage.. score.  :)  When I back up my photos I make a year (ex: 2015) folder, and then I make monthly subfolders and organize them that way.

I love that you write captions underneath the photos!

Once you reach 60 images, Chapbooks sends you an email giving notice that the book will go to print in 3 days.  In that timeframe you are able to edit the title, cover photo, edit captions, or delete images if you want to.  Then off it goes.  I love that automatically goes to press because then I won't forget to order, etc - it's all taken care of for me and in a couple weeks I'll have it in my mailbox.  Easy peasy.

They also have good customer service - which is a two thumbs up in my book.  All in all, I love them and am SO glad I found them.

Clara loves flipping through them and enjoying the memories - totally worth it to have them printed instead of just sitting on my phone or computer where they don't get enjoyed as they should!  Have you used Chatbooks?  Do you use a different photo book service, or how to use organize/print your cell phone pics?

Back on Track

It's been over 2 months since I've blogged.  I kind of miss it!

We were blessed enough to be able to spend the holidays with family this year.  Got through a bunch of sickness.  Our New Years was quiet, but nice.  And now it's a fresh new year.  There's just something I love about a new year.  A 'fresh start'.. and a whole year of fun to look forward to.

There are a few things I want to do better at this year, and one of them is managing my time better.  For me, it's easy to get off track while being a stay at home mom.  And I've found that if I have more structure to my day, I feel better and more things get accomplished.  Breakfast time, TV/movie time for Clara while I do some cleaning, then play/color/reading time with her, go run errands or take her somewhere fun/go for a walk and get fresh air, lunch time, nap time, more play time while listening to music, snack time, etc.. you get the idea.  Everything needs to have it's place, or I become overwhelmed and end up sitting on the couch watching movies with her all day long and nothing gets done.  That may not be how everyone is, but that's how it is with me.. and so time management is really important for me.

One thing I did to help myself, was print out a schedule for my cleaning.. so I can look and see what I need to get done each day, and I don't feel overwhelmed thinking that everything needs to get done at once.

A schedule for cleaning?  Go ahead and laugh.  My husband did.  ;)  But whatever works, right?  It has daily things and monthly projects.  It works for me.. and for that, I am thankful.  Haha.

  And.. just because she's cute.  My favorite view every morning.  ;)

Making Our Household a Little More 'Green' ...

I started doing research on making my own household cleaners while I was pregnant.  I was very paranoid and OCD about everything.  The house had to be clean at all times.  I'm pretty sure I vacuumed every day.  I did not like random things just laying around (i.e. my dear husband's things;).  Ok, well I'm a lot more lenient about that stuff now (baby toys EVERYWHERE.. I wouldn't have it any other way:).  I used store bought household cleaners a lot... but hated the toxic smell.  That really couldn't have been 'good' for me.  I always felt like I needed to air out the house after I was done cleaning.  Lysol.  Gag.  Comet.  Gag.  I sure as heck didn't want to be breathing that stuff.. and I definitely don't want my baby girl breathing that in either.

So I looked on tons upon tons of websites and tried out different recipes for homemade cleaners.. did you know you can make just about anything yourself?  Including laundry detergent -- although I haven't gone that far because I really like the detergent I use.  I still have a boat load of Seventh Generation laundry detergent that I bought before Clara was born (yes, I haven't had to buy laundry detergent in over 4 months.. it was on sale & I had coupons, don't judge).  All these recipes that I have listed is what I use in our home and I love them and they work wonderfully.  You can make just about any cleaner yourself -- check out the sources at the bottom for a ton more of useful information.

Not only is this stuff more safe and more 'green'.. it cheap!  I'm always up for saving money.  Does anyone else make their own cleaners??

Picture Source

 Glass/Window Cleaner

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3-4 drops of Dawn dish soap

 Mix all ingredients in an empty spray bottle.  I love this -- works great, and doesn't leave streaks.  I will never use a store-bought glass cleaner again.

Surface Spray (Homemade '409')

• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. borax
• 1/8 cup Dawn dish soap
• 1 cup hot water

Pour vinegar, borax, and hot water, and Dawn dish soap in spray bottle.  Then fill spray bottle the rest of the way with cool water.  Don't shake, just swish from side to side a little bit to mix.  (do not use things containing vinegar on granite countertops/surfaces) 

All-Purpose Cleaner/Grease Cutter

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup Castile Soap (like Dr. Brommers)
• 10 drops Tea Tree Oil

Mix together in a spray bottle and spray on surface, let sit for a few seconds then wipe off with a damp cloth. 

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

• 1 cup Borax
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Let sit for a few minutes.  Scrub with toilet bowl brush.

Oven Cleaner

• Dampen with water
• Sprinkle generously with baking soda

Leave for 20 minutes, scrub until clean.

Microwave Cleaner

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 2 cup water

Combine in a bowl and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Tub Scrub

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 tsp. liquid soap
• 10 drops Tea Tree Oil (or Peppermint or Eucalyptus)

Add enough water to form a paste, use it with a brush/sponge to scour bathtub surfaces.

 Air Freshener 

• 2 parts water
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• 5 drop essential oil of your choice

Mix in spray bottle, do not spray on delicates.  If you need to put more than 5 drops of essential oil in, then do so.

Dusting

• Just use a microfiber cloth.

A few more tidbits of information for you --

• There are a few essential oils that have antimicrobial properties.. such as eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and peppermint.  Good for use in homemade cleaners.
• Use crocheted or knitted dish cloths that you can wash and reuse instead of sponges/dish cloths that are meant to be thrown away.
• A lot of store-bought air fresheners contain phthalates.. not good for you, your children, or pets!

Sources:   Martha Stewart, Young House Love, Maillardville Manor, HealthyChild.org, GreenerChoices.org (Consumer Reports), Farmers Almanac

Weekend In Pictures..

=

Beautiful sunshine... definitely sundress weather!

 New purse as one of the 'Mother's Day' gifts from my sweet, sweet husband.

Fabulous & summery... and my favorite color.  :)

A weekend wouldn't be complete without some baking, would it? 

Not mine, at least.

S'mores Cookie Bars!

Picked up some beautiful fabric -- I can't wait to show you what I'm going to do with it!  :)


Enjoyed the greenery and beautiful flowers that are blooming everywhere!

 And my 'big project' for the weekend... the laundry room.  Scary, right?  I promise it doesn't look that way anymore:) 

See?  I can see countertops!  And now everything has a place and a label.  :)  And I even put up a stain removal chart in a cute little frame, thanks to Martha Stewart.  There are a few other things I want to do in here, but I'll come back to that stuff later.  My goal of cleaning and organizing in this room is complete!

Room by room, I'm getting everything organized before baby... because in less than a month I get to go stay up at the 'Stork's Nest' and wait for baby to make her arrival!

I hope everyone had an fabulous, and fun-filled weekend!

Project: Command Center Organization, Pt. 3 (FINISHED!)

Finally finished with my "home office" organization.  I feel great now that it's done, and I'm much happier every time I sit down to do grocery lists, budgeting, go through the mail, etc.  Check out my before and after pictures...

Much better, right?  Right.  I even have a before and after of the drawer... a lot easier to find things..

So, first I went through all of our papers (financial documents, etc, etc) and made a pile of things to shred and then sorted the rest and put them in their respective hanging file folders (here).

Second, I found a way to organize everything on top of the desk.  A little storage box worked really well for me.  I also bought a couple $1 jars to put in tacks and paperclips. (here).

Finally, I organized the drawer, cleaned up the rest of the clutter on the hutch and added a few new touches for now (like a few pictures that really make me smile).  Oh yeah, I also added my little coupon book.. helps me keep them organized when I go shopping!

I feel like I can breathe a little bit better now that this is done.  And I don't cringe every time I pass this area - always a plus.  How does everyone else keep their 'home office' space or papers and such in order?

Project: Command Center Organization, Pt. 2

I like calling it a 'command center'.  It makes my little office area sound really important.  So, from the last post, the first thing I did was go through all of our documents and sort what needs to be shredded and then put the rest of the papers in their respective file folders... ta-da..

I love the that the folders are so colorful and pretty.. it makes me happy.

The next day it was time for me to organize some things on top of my desk.  I found a pretty green box I had sitting in my closet to help me keep everything together and looking clean.

 

In there I keep a binder for all my 'inspiration' findings.  I read a lot of magazines, but hate when they start to pile up around the house.  So after I'm done reading it, I usually clip out what I want to keep and stick them in this tabbed binder under their rightful category... holidays, home decor, recipes, etc.  After I try a recipe in here, I will either write in on a recipe card and stick it in my recipe box if it's good, or toss it.

I also keep a greeting card organizer (the cover was ugly, so I made a new one).  It has each month in it to write down birthdays, anniversaries, etc, and little pockets to store random thank you cards and other greeting cards.  Then I have a small notebook to keep track of  monthly bills, as well as my address book.

And that's about it for this part.  Two days of working on this project and it's coming along quite well!!  It's already making me feel better.  Oh yeah.. I also keep my little grocery list/weekly menu pinned up there for easy access!! :)

How does everyone else organize their office space?  I'd love to know!

Project: Command Center Organization, Pt. 1

As I said in my previous post, my first organization project was going to be to get all of my paper things in order.  It's something I think I should have done a long time ago, but now with baby coming I think it's even more important to get our things in order.

Are you ready for this?  It's pretty bad.  Actually, it's not that bad... because it's been worse.  Sad, but true.  Anyway, our little office space needed some serious lovin'.  Things tend to just get thrown on the desk, and it gets a little worse every day.  And that plastic tote?  Who knows what was in there.. random papers.. pay stubs from 2006............. receipts of clothes purchases from when I was a senior in high school..

The first thing I did was go through the mounds of papers we had built up.  I went through and decided what we needed to file and what we needed to shred.  This Consumer Reports website might help you decide when it's okay to toss your documents.  Then I split the papers up into different categories, so I knew where to place them in my hanging file folders.  At this point I have 10 folders.

Auto/Renters Insurance - Personal Property Insurance - Automobiles - Medical/Dental - Banking - Credit - Manuals - Warrenties - Military/Housing (for my husbands work papers) - Dental Assisting (my resumes, continuing education, etc)

Now when we get mail, or important documents, I either file them or shred them right away.  Speaking of shredding... this is my lovely 'to shred' pile.. (it felt good to get all that junk out of our home!)..

That kept me busy for most of one night.  This is definitely a project I can't complete in one day - I would get too overwhelmed!  But it's a start.  I can't wait to show you what my desk space looks like after I'm done.  :)

Project: Organization Before Baby Arrival

I have this crazy idea in my head that I need to have everything organized and perfect before our baby arrives in 4 months.  A nice idea, but not much of a feasible one for me.  But I will try.  There are just so many things I want to get done.  I tend to get all these different ideas in my head and then instead of taking the time to do one before I start another, I just try to do them all at once.  Do you know how well that works out?  It doesn't.  I usually end up scatter-brained and with a big mess on my hands when I could have had more things done if I would have just taken it one thing at a time.

For instance-- I will start a crochet project, and then in the middle of it I will see another super cute crochet project that I just can't wait to do.  So I stop the other one, and start the new one.  Then I think.. man, I really want to sew something.  So I start sewing some placemats and napkins.  Then in the middle of that, I get up to go to the bathroom.  On the way out of the bathroom I pass the laundry room and think how bad I need to organize it.  So I start organizing that.  See?  I end up with multiple unfinished projects really fast.  It's horrible... a very bad habit of mine.

Because I'm a tad blog-obsessed, I've found a few blogs that deal with organization.  So I've taken ideas from each of them and kind of mashed them together.  From here on out, I'm going to try to take one thing at a time... we'll see how that goes..

My first organization project is an important one, I believe.  Getting all of our papers organized.  You know-- legal documents, financial papers, receipts, coupons, etc.. and figuring out a good way to easily maintain it throughout the year.  Check back to see how our mess gets cleaned up!

Jewelry Organization... it's about time.

I'm slowly, but surely, redecorating our bedroom.  There are a ton of things I want to do around the house, but I find it most important to start with the bedroom.  It's my favorite room.  It's our space.  It should be beautiful and relaxing - and it's well on it's way!

One of the things on my list was to organize my jewelry!  We have a beautiful bedroom set and all of my jewelry and things were just scattered across my long dresser.  Something had to be done.

That was just part of it.  It was pretty much a nightmare every time I wanted to find something.  I needed a simple way to organize my jewelry.  So this is what I came up with...

I bought three little wooden boxes at a local store for about $2.  They had some super weird designs on them, so I painted over it with some acrylic paints so they match the rest of our bedroom - blues, tans, whites, and accents of yellow.  They work perfectly.  The top one holds my rings, the middle one holds bracelets, and the bottom one holds stud earrings and other miscellaneous things.

And then there were the necklaces.  Oh, the necklaces!  For these, I took two wooden frames and spray painted them white.  Then I bought some screw hooks and, with the help of my lovely husband, screwed them into the top of the frame.  Ta-da!  It doubles as some pretty neat "wall art", as well.  I made two of those for my necklaces.

Then I made a small one for all my fancy dangling earrings, which I don't own too many of.  So the small one was just perfect.  I strung two pieces of twine across the frame and my husband nailed them in for me.

And now I have a pretty cute little jewelry corner!  I might do a couple things to spruce up the frames, but I'm not sure yet.  I'll keep you posted.

Next up I'm re-working a lamp for my bedside table.  Things are coming along in our bedroom and I'm getting pretty excited about it!