tlc's Random Life

Christmas is here!  OK well maybe not quite but close enough that everything is at that crazy state of making sure everything you wanted to have done by Christmas is in fact done.  I know the blog has been neglected the last couple of weeks, but well its Christmas and things just got too busy to write about being organized.  With the holiday out of the way next week I will (for real this time) get my weekly posts back in order.  I will be working on Christmas day but have set aside lots of time on other days to celebrate the birth of Christ (after all no one really knows when he was born but we celebrate his life anyhow don't we so the specific day isn't whats important) Tuesday with the family & a week or so after the first of the year a weekend with some friends.  It is going to great and I can not wait to see everyone and just enjoy the time I am allowed to spend with them. Thank you all for reading my blog, I hope you're not terribly inconvenienced by my n

I can tell you that some times during the week I think to myself that no one wants to read what I have to say about organizing.  Why would they, my house and life is far from a nice neat organized life.  But then I take a look at my stats and there are readers.  I'm not sure where they all come from or why but that is enough to make me want to keep going.  After all when I started I did warn that this was a 52 week process right. Well I will admit that this past week when I didn't post I went a head and read the next weeks section.  And what I realized is that I kinda combined week 3 and week 4 together without really knowing.  But I wanted to post about week 4 and not skip it just in case those of you reading are working along with me. So this week I will touch on week four and week five in the same post and that way we'll all be on the same page again.  And I promise no more skipping weeks from now on ;) OK well maybe...if the weeks seem to go toge

Today I would be posting week four of my "Organize Now" challenge but seeing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to have a little break to spend time with family and friends.  And it will be good to let weeks one through three really sink in.  So if you're cooking today I hope all your dishes turn out wonderful and if you get to relax and have fun enjoy it to its fullest.  If you are one of those who has to spend your day at work (police, fire & ambulance) and anyone else that has to work thank you for your hard work and maybe your family will save you some food.  Have a great holiday weekend, don't get trampled while out Friday trying to get the best deals. See you all back here Tuesday for week four! Always tammyc

Well we are making time for making sure we have a good workable schedule.  No more missed appointments or missed fun.  Schedule everything and start making time for you to enjoy life.   This week may be harder for some than it is for others.  For me because I work outside the home it is a little easier for me to stick to a schedule.   I know that no matter what I schedule it can not be on a Wednesday at noon.  I work every Wednesday from 6 in the morning until 6 in the evening and it is like that every Thursday & every other Friday, Saturday & Sunday as well.  This schedule seems a bit hard for my family and friends to grasp sometimes but for me it is set in my mind and the rest of my life just kinda falls into place around it.  I hate that pretty much everything we do revolves around work but we're grown ups trying to raise a couple of kids so I guess that is our job.  Now this week may be harder for my dear friend following along with me as she is a stay at home

Wow what a quick week.  Week one of my "lets get organized" kick seemed to have gone by pretty quick and easy.  I have a partner so to speak working along with me, she and I spent quite an afternoon searching for her a copy of the book so that she could have the check lists and journal pages that are in it for herself.  I feel like I will see this road to the end knowing that someone is so willing to keep me on track and accountable.  And it is a nice weekly reward to sit down have lunch and talk about our success and our failures.  Trust me I have failures especially when it comes to being organized. I didn't really have to make too many changes this week as I already make sure I get plenty of sleep(with having a weird schedule and working some weekends every day seems like a work day at our house and we go to bed early every night).  I am constantly making little to do lists for me and every one else in the house. Most the time its chore lists for the girls.  I d

Since my girls were big enough to pull a chair up to my side at the cabinet or the stove I have been showing them how to mix, measure, stir, chop (safely of course) and cook.  Val has always been pretty quick to pick up everything she could about cooking and has gotten so good at it that she spoils me often by cooking dinner several nights each week.  Up until now it has been like pulling teeth to get my Brittnie to do much of anything in the kitchen.  If I'd ask her to open a can of vegetables and warm them in the microwave she would almost kick and scream about how she hated cooking.  That's right. Up until today (last night as I didn't get this posted until now) while I was mixing ingredients for some pecan pies for her FFA pie auction did she willingly take over making the pies.  We were mixing and measuring and having a blast in the kitchen while making some pies and she even mixed up 2 dozen pumpkin breakfast muffins for her sale and plans to make some sugar

Do you ever have one of those days that seems as if you can't find anything even though you know you left it right there so you could pick it back up tomorrow?   Yeah, I'm having one of those days today.  Seems like no matter how hard I try I am never organized.  I'd like to be. Life seems to flow better when its organized and planned out.  I was reading one of the blogs I follow and she was talking about how she went about working towards being more organized.  And that the first thing she does every morning is make her bed as soon as she gets up.  Well I'd love to say that is the first thing I am going to implement but seeing that there is still a person in my bed when I get up in the mornings that will not really work at my house. I can try talking hubs into making the bed when he gets up but I'd have better luck bringing peace to the middle east ;) Anyway at the end of the post I was reading she showed a picture of the book she found to be a huge helping tool

Haven't posted in quite some time so I thought I would share with you a new breakfast treat I mixed up for my little family.   Scrolling through pinterest I am always looking for quick yet yummy meals and goodies for my family.  Tasting good is the most important thing in trying new recipes but for working moms quick is a very close second (well for this working mom anyway)  A while ago I found a pin called pumpkin breakfast muffins.  They sounded pretty good and I do like pumpkin.  Val says she doesn't like pumpkin, I think she will like them because she always chows down on some pumpkin pie just like the rest of us so when she tries them and loves them I will bite my tongue and not say those 4 words to remind her I was right. (Who am I kidding I will so say "I told you so!" Because mom is always right, right?) Anyway... ~~~~ Pumpkin breakfast muffins one can of pumpkin pie filling one box of yellow cake mix.  Mix the two ingredients spoon into a

  These girls...though I haven't gotten to know Miss Josie as well as I knew her momma, I do know her well enough to know that she is one of the sweetest girls around.  She has been Valories friend forever just about.  Which isn't really a surprise to me as her momma and I were friends back in the day.  You know..."back in the day" that seems like only yesterday but really is more than 20 (maybe 30) years ago.  I got the pleasure of hanging out with them this past Friday at the local High school football game (because that's what you do for fun in this sometimes too small town).  We probably did more chit chatting than we did watching the game. but it was fun.  Some how or another we got to talking about being in band (which my girls like to pick on me about being a band nerd) and I couldn't remember if Josie's mom finished school in band or if she quit after the first year.  For some reason I could not for the life of me remember that little tidbit

For quite some time now I have had (and never told anyone) this crazy urge to write.  (Don't laugh at me)  I know what you're thinking..."you write a blog and don't post very often so the urge must not be very bad"  Well I know.  But sometimes I have a hard time posting filler or fluff.  I want to have something good to write about and I am aware that my idea of good and your idea of good differ greatly sometimes if not all the time, but still. I struggle to write on a regular basis because of the idea that it needs to be "good" The idea to write a book has been in the back of my mind and on my heart for, well I really don't know how long. Most people don't know this about me because it isn't something I have been able to broadcast to just anyone.   For some reason I am always too worried about what people will think.  But seems like every time I do post a blog entry this one reader (yes it's my Nanny Fern) always texts me aski

I can not even tell you how many times a week that phrase comes out of my mouth.  Brittnie, God bless her, she loves her horse and wants to ride every free minute she gets.  It has been quite a site to watch however this last month or so since school has started that she nearly has to chase the horse to be able to get a lead on her. At dinner this night (one night a week or so ago) Britt says "I want to go out and ride but my dumb horse won't ever come to me anymore"  Now I know that horse isn't dumb and so does she but she had been so frustrated that she has been having to work so hard to catch her.  Anyway, I am not really sure why Ladybug has been so standoffish with her but a couple of things came to mind that night.  I threw out my thoughts to Britt... 1) maybe ladybug doesn't recognize you anymore.  I mean after all you only started having problems catching her after you colored your hair at the beginning of school.  For 7 years now she has been seeing

I know it seems like forever since I have posted anything.  It isn't because I haven't done anything, I have.  I just haven't slowed down long enough to blog about it.  Yes, yes I know I can blog from my cell but we have been busy enough that I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought.  Until that is I was looking at how many page views I had for the last two weeks and realized there will be no page views if there are no new posts.  We have done all sorts of stuff the last couple of weeks.  Been on several short rides on the bike. Made a few projects, cooked some yummy (and a few not so yummy) dinners.  The girls and I went to Vintage Market Days and spent some time with Nanny, Cathy & Nikki.  And oddly enough I haven't even been taking tons of pictures like I usually do.  Oh well. Stephen and I are waiting patiently for a mini vacation that will be coming up this next week.  Since this time last year he has wanted to go to Fayetteville for one of this

In all the blogs I read all the moms present this perfect version of their lives.  I hate this.  No ones kitchen ever looks spotless after letting a bunch of toddlers finger paint with home made paint.  Who do they think they're kidding?  Life is not ever that neat and clean.  I am sorry if you all ever get that impression because my life gets messy and ugly.  With that in mind I feel the need to share it with you today.  A confession of sorts ☺ ~It's Sunday.  I am still feeling extremely sleepy and a bit lazy but must be here at work.  I am typing this blog between helping medics sign drugs & stuff in and out for their day and setting up for the rest of my day.  I am positive I can hear my pillow still crying because I had to get up and leave ;) ~I like to sleep in.  And as I was heading to bed last night (early because I had to work) and complaining that I hate the long work week because I miss him...hubby informed me that he would stay home and sleep in with me on

Yesterday I was given these cool little brass looking (I don't know if they are really brass or not but they look like it)  I have been eyeing a project on my favorite website for some time now and well seeing that these were given to me I thought "no time like the present!"  I couldn't hardly contain my excitement while waiting for the hours to tick by until work was over and I could make a quick run to the craft store to see if they had a stamping kit and a few other items I would need to complete the project. They did and I used the app on my phone to get the famous 40% off one regular priced item for the tools (I sent Britt through the line to use the coupon too).  I spent just under $25 on this project (not too bad in my book)  After closing down the previously mentioned store with my sweet Brittnie we stopped and grabbed a bite to eat and headed home to start on our crafts.  Turns out she is as bad

I am so excited.  I can't even slow down long enough to form full sentences about this super fun idea that was given to me today.  So if this post makes sense when I'm finished it will probably be a miracle that's for sure.  Anyway...This morning in a normal daily visit with one of the girls at work she gave me a super fantastic idea.  OK well maybe I am the only one that thinks it is a super fantastic idea but still I am excited and it seems like we are going to have a great turn out.  OK I know...I know...what is it already?  Right?  :)  A recipe swap party!!! That's right a recipe swap party.  I have done a bit of foot work (text work really) to see if there would be very many ladies interested in attending one of these parties and turns out almost everyone was willing to participate.  So what does this mean exactly?  I am inviting several ladies over everyone is going to bring their favorite recipe (already prepared and ready to share) along with printed copies

    I love to cook.  Not only do I love to cook, I love to eat.  And I think that my all time favorite type of food is Italian food.  Well no, because Mexican food is right up there with it.  Anyway...I love cooking different kinds of Italian foods (sometimes I wish I had a maid to clean the kitchen after some meals).  A big thank you to who ever created every one's favorite website Pinterest.com because this site gives us all instant access to hundreds of thousands of recipes.  That is where I found tonight's dinner recipe : Tomato Basil Chicken.  Oh my goodness it was pretty amazing.  And honestly it probably has some super awesome name in Italian but that is what it was called on Pinterest.   I am always trying something new on my poor family, thankfully I was blessed with a not very picky eater of a hubby.  Not like my daddy who when we were growing up liked his meat & potatoes and corn for a veggie.  No Stephen will eat just about anything I put on the table

So I was picking through my head trying to find a story for you and well life has been pretty routine lately and I don't have a great story for you.  But...What I do have is a project.  That's right.  Every weekend I try to do at least one thing productive with it.  Well most the time anyway.  We spend quite a bit of time on the motorcycle (with good reason but that's a story for another time) I like to post at least a couple pictures with each of my blog entries so I was flipping through my phone to see if I could find something to share with you all.  Turns out I have lots so I am going to have to figure out which order they should be shared. I was thinking I would make this "weekend project" a frequent post.  For those of you that don't know I work every other weekend and when I do have a weekend it is 5 days long so sometimes I find myself doing more than one project per weekend.  Like the weekend I did this desk project I also made a mini ironing bo

Well here we are, that time of year yet again when moms all around are rejoicing to their children’s dismay. Um…most moms to most children’s dismay. I don’t know about at your house but here I was glad to have my girls for the summer even though it seems like every other week one of them were gone off doing something great and exciting without me. My girls are at an age that I do enjoy spending time with them. We’re silly we like a lot of the same shows on TV we like wondering through antique malls or the woods (whichever the day finds us) So for school to start back was a little bitter sweet for me. I would have time to finally do stuff around here and not feel like I need to keep them entertained but in the next breath I already miss having someone to talk to while I am here hanging out at home. But don’t worry, I will manage. I have several unfinished projects to work on. Maybe even drag some of them out of the unfinished project cemetery (out from under the couch) as