Time To Tackle The Linen Closest!!

For the next few days, focus on attacking your linen closet!  Decide what really needs to stay.  How many extra sheets do you need?  Towels?  Don't forget to leave a few extras in case of spills or guests coming to town.  Make sure that you can actually see everything in your closet so that you avoid purchasing things you don't need.

Happy cleaning!

Looking For Something To Do This Month?

Here are some local activities!  Hope you can make it!

• Middle Georgia Daylily Festival- June 3-4 www.gsbht.com
• Georgia Peach Festival-  June 4-11 www.worldslargestpeachcobbler.com
• Fried Green Tomato Festival-  June 11-12 www.juliettega.com

Handy Household Tip

I can't be the only one with a husband that strips screws. (Okay I'm guilty of doing it too). Next time you find yourself with this problem try these handy tips from apartment therapy!

Challenge Time!!

Our next challenge begins tomorrow!  Time to tackle....  Your Tupperware cabinet!!  Go through your cabinet and see what is really necessary to keep.  Do you need 20 cool whip containers?  How about all those old butter bowls?  If it doesn't have a lid, do you need to keep it?  Take a moment and think about it.  When you reorganize, decide if you want to stack lids, or store each Tupperware with it's lid in place.  Decide what works for you.  Happy cleaning!

No more of this!!

Let's do this!

Design On A Dime!

How many of you are sick of your decor?  I was!  However, as much as I would like to be able to head over to Pottery Barn and Pier 1 and grab a cart full of items, my checkbook just won't allow it :)  So, I have started scouring Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  You can totally redo your room if you are willing to put in a little elbow grease!

Look for items that have good structure.  If the paint job is horrible, or the fabric isn't to your liking, don't worry, those things can be easily fixed.  Unless you are very handy, avoid wobbly pieces or things that will need to be rewired.  Put a little work into some of the pieces, and you will love the results! 

Here is a great lamp that I paid about $5 for.  I wasn't in love with the wood, the gold ring on the bottom...  or anything really.  But I did love the shape and knew that I could fix the rest!

Here is the end result!  I love my lamp, and most of all, I love that it was so inexpensive!  I picked up the shade at Ross for $4, and I had a can of red spray paint already.  So the whole thing cost me under $10!  Love it!

From Emily's Kitchen...

Here is a link to my very favorite cooking blog: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

The cooking archives alone could keep you busy for days.  She also has
a photography and home schooling section for those of you who would be
interested.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Your Next Challenge!

So, hopefully, everyone's junk drawer have disappeared and you now have a completely organized drawer!  Our next challenge is to focus on the computer desk.  Take a look at the papers you have collected.  Do you really need them?  How about those pens?  Do you need 86 black pens?  Use the same technique you used for the junk drawer.  If you haven't used something in a few months, chances are, you might not need them.

If you don't have time to do the whole desk today, set the timer for 15 minutes and do what you can.  Then come back tomorrow and do the same :)

Second Challenge!

Hi Everyone!  Your second challenge begins tomorrow :)  (Since today is Sunday)  Remember, if you can't the challenge each day, just do what you can and catch up later.  As long as you are moving forward, you are doing great!

Did You Miss The Activity This Month?

If you missed the activity this month, don't worry!  We have extra hand outs in the relief society room available for you!  We will also be posting a few extra blog entries to update (or remind you!) of things that we learned.  Let's start with the 21 day challenge!

Your first challenge is to clean out your junk drawer.

Go through your junk drawer and decide what you really need and what you don't.  If you haven't used something in the past 3 months, chances are, you won't be using it at all.  Remember to get creative with your organization.  Use baby food jars, cereal boxes, head to the dollar store and get some plastic dividers to keep your items in place.  This will help ensure that your new "organized drawer" will not become your "junk drawer" again!

Chew Away!

How many of you like to chew gum? Well if you do, you're in luck! Research shows that chewing sugar-free gum is beneficial in many ways.

1. *Fights Plaque!*
   

   Sugar-free gum has an ingredient called sugar alcohol in it that has shown to break down plaque. So, it's best to chew gum after meals, like lunch time.

2. Relieves Stress
   

   Grind down on gum, and not your teeth (or others) when you're feeling stressed. Studies show it may relieve tension.

3. Helps you "chews" better foods
   

   When you feel the urge to snack not because you're hungry but have the "munchies", sugar-free gum is 0 calories and can give your mouth the pleasure sensation it seeks from food.

***If you're like me and you have problems with your jaw (TMJ), some tips are chewing only a few times a day or gum that is very fresh. I am able to chew a couple times of day, and I reserve my chewing for after lunch or in the afternoon. My jaw seems more warmed up for the day at that time too.

Welcome Home! Tomorrow night at 6:30!

Do you have this?

Do you want this???

Join us and be inspired! 

Tomorrow night, 6:30 pm!

Date Night on a Shoe String Budget.

We all know how to plan a fun date night when we have money, but how do you plan them on a shoe string budget?  How do you plan them to be fun?  Why should we even still date now that were married, it's not like we have to impress each other anymore.   

Date night keeps the magic alive and having some ideas, when you need something fresh, may help you stay out of the marriage dull drums.  When I was in a student ward, for one of the activities, we made a 3x5 index card container with date night ideas on the card.  It was really helpful for some of the girls that had a hard time coming up with ideas.

So, here are just a few ideas to help keep the magic in your marriage.
 

This idea is number six in the list from http://www.scribd.com/doc/22755/101-Romantic-Ideas
Basically, you take a book they are reading and underline words in a 
section they have not read yet.  The hope is that they will be wondering
why they are underlined, write down the letters and find the hidden
message.

 

This site also has some great ideas.  http://www.ideasforafundate.com 

http://smallnotebook.org/2009/05/09/20-pocket-change-date-night-ideas/

Here are two things I have done on dates that I really enjoyed.

-We each got $10.00 and we had to buy items to either make dinner
or make a dessert.  We then cooked the meal together.

The guy at the time, that I did this date, was a huge movie buff he found
out what type of movies I liked and we made homemade pizza and 
watched all the movies he could find that fit in the genre that I liked.

 

-Picnic dinner, with music and dancing under the stars after dinner.

I know it might sound childish, and I was 18 when I did this one. 
 I was on a double date with three of my friend's 
and their dates, we were at a park and we 
played hide and go seek.

- Katrina Gowen

 

Welome Home! This Thursday!!

Tips and Tricks To Keep Your House A Home!!

See you there at 6:30!!!

From Emily's Kitchen...

With all of the great fruit in the grocery store right now, it is hard to pass it up.  Here is a delicious recipe for a syrup you can use to combine in-season fruits to make a simple fruit salad.  I have also found it's easy to make a salad out of whatever fruit I have a little left of in the fridge at the end of the week.  

Any combination of fruit works really well with this syrup.  Most recently, I made it with a pint of blueberries, 2 cubed gala apples, 2 thinly sliced bananas, 2 cups of grapes, and fresh pineapple.  But really any combination works, just use your favorites (or what is on sale). Give it a try!

Simple Syrup for Fruit Salad

Prep Time: --- | Cook Time: --- | Servings: Makes about 3/4 cup--enough to dress 3 to 6 salads | Difficulty: ---

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Simple syrup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Bring sugar and water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Use right away or transfer syrup to airtight container and refrigerate until needed. If it solidifies some, heat briefly in the microwave until it turns into liquid again.

Use with any combination of fruit.

Ward Field Day!!

Ward Field Day

May 30th

9am-3pm

Peach Park Pavilion

Join us for food, games, and fun!

*Please bring your own meat and a side to share....  the ward will provide the rest*

Play Group Update!!

 

Mom's and Tot's will be held at Megan Taupa'us tomorrow at 11 am!  

See you there :)

From Emily's Kitchen...

There are a tons of wonderful cooking blogs out there, with good (and
free) recipes.  Over the next few weeks, I will pass on some links to
my favorites.  Here is a good one by two LDS women.  I tried the
Creamy Chicken Taquitos for lunch today and they were really good!
Even my kids ate them.  This is a link to a prior post, so be sure to
visit their homepage for more recent ones as well.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/04/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/

I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks Guys!

A big thank you goes out to the men in our ward that headed down to Alabama to help out.  I am sure that the people of Alabama are incredibly grateful for their hard work!  Here are some photos of the the distruction...

 

Want to see Fiddler on the Roof???

"A reminder to all...Fiddler on the Roof is being performed at Houston County this week.
Thursday - Saturday  at 7:30 p.m.

Cost:  $10 at the door
Thursday night is Senior Citizen Night....There is a discount at the door.

Also, you can purchase tickets for $8 ahead of time at the box office at HOCO on Mon-Wed night from 5-6 p.m.

Hope to see you all there.

Please contact Pamela Starks for details!