Tips and Tricks Tuesday # 28- Disaster Preparedness

I hope you are all safe and sound out there on the east coast.  We continue to pray for your safety and that this storm would pass quickly.  This monster hurricane has me thinking about how I need to be prepared for an emergency. If I had to evacuate my home, what do I need to take with me?  What paper work and files are important?  and where are they by the way?  Also, what about emergency supplies and food?  It's all needed and I know I tend to think I have time to gather these things together "someday".

This hurricane is a reminder and wake up call that I need to get my house in order "today".  I've known for a while now that I need to put all my important documents into one folder or binder that I can grab on my way out in case of an emergency.  I need to organize my documents, pull them together, and place them in an emergency binder.  I also need to have emergency food and water.  Is anyone out there with me?  Let's get our homes in order- together.  Sound like a plan?  You know the saying, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.  Failure, for the sake of my family, is not an option.

So today's tips and tricks will be a little different.  I want us to start thinking about what we will need in an emergency.  Here's what I've learned.

Organizing the Linen Closet

Three.  Tres. $3 dollars.  That's what it cost me to organize my linen closet.  The feeling I get when I open the door and see everything in it's place- priceless!

 Yes, a few baskets from the Dollar Tree mixed with what I already had gave me a nicely organized linen closet. The closet wasn't necessarily "terrible" in it's organization, but it was a mess and lacked order in places.  Here's what it looked like before. 

Pita Pizzas for dinner

I don't consider myself a chef in any way.  Cooking isn't a passion of mine, but I do make a wholesome dinner for my family just about every night. We eat out maybe 1-2 times a month, if that.  I'm always looking for quick, healthy (on some level) meals that taste great.  My kids all have their favorites when it comes to dinner time, but this is a meal they can all agree is one of their favorites.  When I say we're having Pita Pizzas, they all cheer and chant, hugs and kisses are given, and I am all of a sudden feeling like mom of the year.  They love these personal pizzas, and I love making them because it only takes me 15 minutes!

We've been making Pita Pizzas here in Lewisville for years.  I don't remember where I originally found the recipe/ idea, but this is a dish that can be personalized and changed for each member of the family.  It's super simple and actually fun for the little ones to make themselves.  We've even done sleepovers where every girl made her own pizza.

Tips and Tricks Tuesday # 27

Wow, how did it become Tuesday so quickly?  I've lost track of time somewhere throughout my week.  Ever have days like that?  I feel like I've had a year like that.

If you're new here to Lewisville Love, welcome.  This blog is about my journey in making my home clean and organized on a budget.  I love DIY projects- paint and sand paper are my friends, and you can probably find me checking out all the latest goods at my local thrift stores.  Today is tips and tricks Tuesday where I present to you some fabulous tips for the home.  I love to share with you anything that would make our lives easier here on Tuesdays. 

You can find most of these tips on my Pinterest tips and tricks boards. Stay a while and check out a few past post.  If you find something helpful, I'd love to have you follow me.  For now, let's get started shall we?

Organizing the Messy Vanity

Happy weekend, everyone!   I hope you're all enjoying your family and some time off.  We are being blessed with some Beee-autiful weather here in Denver.  The leaves are turning, the breeze is cool, but the sun is shining its warm rays upon us.  I love fall!
I'm continuing my weekend series on organizing.  I'm trying very hard to get these organizing post out by Saturday, but that schedule is proving challenging for me.  Yesterday, my oldest daughter and I spent some time together.  We checked out a new thrift store that opened up in our neighborhood, shared a frappuccino, and finished up with some shopping.  It was a mother/daughter date much needed, so I left this post for another day...like today.  Forgive me for the late post, but I think most of you will agree that family is always first.  I'll do my best to get them out before the end of the weekend though.  Deal? 

I started this Organizing challenge last week. If you missed my last post on Organizing under the bath sink, you can catch up on that here.    I've said this before, but I'll say it again- I am not a naturally organized person.  I started this challenge because I needed personal motivation to get my home organized.  There are many areas of my home that really need to be straightened out, so I decided to tell and show you all so that I had not only the motivation but the accountability to get Lewisville organized.

How to clean a glass top stove

Well, I have to tell you, I never thought I'd be writing about something like this, but after weeks of struggle, I've found the need to share my failures and triumphs from Lewisville.  I've lived in several homes throughout the past few years.  Each one has had it's own unique quirks and special features.  Our last two houses however, have had something "special" that I've never worked with before; a little something that I've found challenging when it comes to maintenance and quite frankly, challenging when it comes to cooking. It is the electric stove...dadadum.  

Can you see my size 6 toesies?  hehehe

After several years of living in California, where by the way I think they have it right by using gas stoves, I was introduced to the electric stove.  First of all, cooking is not the same when using an electric stove.  Do I hear an AMEN!  Secondly, the mess that it makes is beyond anything I've experienced with a gas range.  Add to this the fact that I now live a mile above sea level and have to work with high altitude cooking challenges.  Let's just say, it's been an adventure for me when it comes to cooking on this beautiful, shiny stove.  Trust me, it usually looks more like this after a meals is produced.

Tips & Tricks Tuesday #26

It's Tips and Tricks Tuesday here in Lewisville and there's some good stuff out there that I can't wait to create myself.  You want to see what I've found?  As always, you can follow me on pinterest and pin these ideas to your own board. My goal is to always find tips and tricks that are easy to create and that make our lives at home a little easier. 

So I know you're all waiting to see the goods that I found.  Let's get on with the show, shall we?

Organizing under the bathroom sink

Sorry for the late post, everyone. I had some technical problems today, but it's finally resolved.  Got to love technology!  Let's get on with why we're all here today.  It's Saturday and the start of my Straighten it up Saturday series.  For the next couple of weeks, I'll be opening up the dark recesses of my home to show you my spaces that need the most organizing help.  I won't hold back and show you all the messy and unorganized truth.  My goal is to get myself and Lewisville more organized, while inspiring you to do the same.  Sound like a plan?  For our first week, I thought we'd start with something easy.  Let's organize an area in less than half an hour.  Here is my kids' under the bathroom sink area- the nice and organized version!

 I love the organized and colorful version in the picture above, but here's the ugly, unorganized version just 20 minutes before that picture was taken. 

From bookends to bathroom shelf

The work on the kids' beach themed bathroom continues!  I didn't forget about it; did you?  I've been working on it for..oh...I don't know...a month or two...(maybe three?).  Things move slowly sometimes when I'm in charge.  But guess, what?  I finally put up a little shelf in the kiddos' bathroom....and the smiles from them were well worth the time it took me to put it all together! 

 You can read my previous post about painting the bathroom and the little bathroom updates I've done so far.  This shelf I put up came from these.  Can you believe it?  I used everyday bookends and hung them together to make the shelf.  It's a little bit of perfect to the beach themed bathroom! 

Tips and Tricks #25

Things are getting busy here in Lewisville!  I've started a new series called Straighten it up Saturday.  It's all about my need to get my house organized, my way.  My way means cheap and easy by the way.  My very private, messy areas will be revealed and re-organized.  I'm show you my step by step process to get these areas clean and organized, and along the way I'll share my budget friendly and sometimes homemade organizers and tools! 

 Today, though, we continue on with our Tips and Tricks Tuesdays!  I need days like this, don't you?  Sometimes, I'm just amazed at all the great ideas that are out there and wonder how in the world I've gotten by for so long without doing it the smart and better way!  It's a miracle, I tell you!  Most of the pictures found here can also be found on my Tips and Tricks board on Pinterest, so if you need a little more information or a friendly reminder, you can go there.

Now on with the show!

My Organizing Challenge

I realized something about myself.  I'm not the most organized person.  Surprise, surprise.  I always thought I was organized until I started reading organizing blogs and realized, nope, I'm not even close.   So I've accepted the fact that I am indeed "organize challenged".  That's the bad news, but it's not new news to my family.  They've dealt with it and accept me for who I am.  Thanks, guys.  The good news is that I'm in recovery!  I know I can change.  I want to organize my home.  I need to organize my home!  As I read my favorite organizing blogs I become inspired to face my disorganizing disorder and TACKLE my most challenging areas- otherwise known as my entire home.

{Source}

I need this kind of organization....

Help inspire young artist

Have you seen all the 31 day challenges going on around the blog world?  Wow, there are so many who are blogging for 31 days straight about a particular subject pertaining to their blog.  Good on you, ladies!  I am not quite ready to take on a 31 day blog challenge, but I have been busy at home taking things I already have and making them a little nicer.  Look what I did this week for my kids.

My kids are all artist, but I find that when we put our artistic tools away in a drawer, they are less likely to sit and draw and create.  So I wanted their artistic tools out for easy use, but the only containers we had where these....not very nice, right?

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #24

Wow, I can't believe 24 weeks have passed since starting our weekly Tips and Tricks Tuesday post!  If you're new here to Lewisville Love, this is the day of the week where I share some tips that I find helpful for our home and family, and I think they just might be helpful for your home too! 

 So let get on with the show, shall we!