We are moved in and getting things organized slowly. My sister and my mom came on moving day and spent the night. They did so much unpacking. I am forever grateful to them. This photo is of a tiny portion of our garden that Cory has tamed... weeded, mulched, new rose bushes added to the existing ones, and even a warrior standing guard. It is inspiring to have this little spot of tameness among all the overgrown gardens! I'll be adding more pictures as we take them!

Works for Me Wednesday

I generate a lot of laundry from my kitchen. I have a home daycare, and each day, for each meal or snack, each child has his own washcloth. That alone might mean 13 washcloths in one day. I also go through two or three dishcloths and tea towels each day. Hand towels, rags from wiping the cupboards and floors... it adds up very quickly. I got so tired of all these dirty cloths each day. I wanted a way to get them out of the kitchen with as little trouble as possible. My brilliant husband came up with this idea... a laundry chute in one of the bottom cupboards! He cut a small hole through the cupboard floor and through the kitchen floor. The actual chute is a garbage bag with the end cut open to form a tube. We duct taped the bag around the hole, et voila! Ugly but very useful laundry chute! The towels and cloths end up in the laundry room and it is very convenient to pick them up and throw them in the washer.

Visit Shannon for more ideas.

What's that smell?

I was just dusting and vacuuming the family room. I set the duster down on top of a cabinet, and proceeded to vacuum around it. Accidently, I knocked the feather duster down and the vacuum tried to suck it up. Oh, the smell! Burning ostrich feathers! The vacuum started smoking! Oh, now the whole room is stinky! The trials and tribulations of a housekeeper!

3 of 3 areas done

Go to 5MinutesForMom to see what others are tackling.

The fence and shed are done!

Finally, after waiting five and a half years to replace the fence and shed, we have done it! Now we will spend the spring and summer working on the landscape part. Ugh. I love the finished product, but I do not enjoy garden work at all. Good thing Cory doesn't mind it!

If you look very carefully, you can see T-Bone and Bailey in the photo.

We have been working on our backyard lately. The old fence has been torn down and taken away. The new fence is up. We are working on tearing down the old shed. Here is Cory (hail the Conquering Hero) atop the old one. It was quite a chore taking it apart. Adria and I lugged the pieces to the dumpster we have in the driveway. We filled the dumpster and had to have them come deliver a new one. So this weekend, we will haul away the remaining shed, and wheelbarrow gravel from the driveway to the back, to make a level spot for the new shed, which is going in on Wednesday. We have waited five and a half years to be able to do this stuff! Then we can start planning for flower beds and green things.