Lent Forty Day Challenge

I wouldn't say that I'm an incredibly religious person. But I would say that I'm a spiritual person. I don't attend church on a regular basis, but I did as a child and young adult. I do believe in a Holy Spirit. A higher being. Someone watching over us. And I don't think that because I don't attend church, or consider myself uber religious, that it makes me any less of a person who attends church regularly. I try to abide by the Ten Commandments, as all human beings should! I try not to cast stones. And I try to observe Lent every year. And it all starts with Shrove Tuesday, or as we call it, Pancake Tuesday!

So we are on day two of Lent. I didn't attend Ash Wednesday. I did, however, start the Lent Forty Day Challenge that I saw on Facebook yesterday. Have you heard about it? Over the next forty days, instead of giving up something, which I try to do as well, it asks you to Do More! I like that! Do More. My mom does this now. She, like me, gave up things for years, but found that she's a better person by Doing More. So here is the challenge that I chose to accept!

Over the next forty days, fill one bag a day with stuff. Reduce clutter around the house and do something with the things you decide to part with. Like donate to a charitable organization. Recycle things that are a fit for recycling. Throw away things that are truly worth the trash. Or sell the things that you think might be worth something. It's that easy. Or is it easier said than done?

I'm one who loves to try and declutter, but I usually end up making a giant mess, and then I'm overwhelmed and walk away from it all. Then, it's time for bed, and guess what? All that stuff is all over the house! And I didn't so anything more than just make more clutter! Earlier this week, Dr. Nikki Crawford of Your Peaceful Spaces was on Better Kansas City and I chatted with her after her segment about the decluttering your space mindset. I mentioned to her that I get overwhelmed with the mess I have created, and she said that was a result of doing too much! She said start small. A sock drawer. A spice cabinet. A shoe closet. Working in a smaller space will help you feel accomplished without getting overwhelmed at the mess you have made. In other words, don't Marie Kondo that space! I knew I didn't try that fade for a reason!

So, yesterday I started with a space that meant something to me, my new craft room. I've been meaning to organize my new island, but I haven't really felt the urge to do it. You know, motivated to start cleaning out the clutter. Yesterday, I put my mind to it, and got to work. And it felt good! I threw out old craft paint bottles that were nothing put oil. Old fabric glue jars that were dried up and unspreadable. I pitched used sponge paint brushes because I still had them why..... I cleaned the baskets out, restocked them, and gave everything a place. I used cute Mason jars to house beads, crystals, glue sticks, and Popsicle sticks. I gave the space a once over and I loved what it finally looked like! I made a small mess, cleaned it up, and threw one bag away! AND, by cleaning out the old, and making way for the new/usable, I cleaned out a closet in the basement! Day one was complete!

I know I may not get all forty days accomplished and that's okay. I am trying. I am doing more that I would have if I hadn't taken on this challenge. Today, I'm going to task myself with cleaning out my sons closet! It's way over due. I need to clean out his sock drawer, pajama basket, and truly look at sizes that are currently hanging in the closet! Wish me luck. It's no small task!

With that being said, are you going to task yourself with the Lent challenge? Are you the kind of person who gives up something or does more? Let's all share what we plan to do and check in over the next forty days to see how we are all doing! No judgement if we don't complete what we set out to do!! At least we tried!

XO,

Andrea

DIY Dry Erase Wall Calendar

At the end of last year, I found that I was completely out of the control. And when I say out of control, I mean my handle on organizing our family calendar. Organizing my own life is hard enough, but with all the end of year school activities, holiday traditions, and keeping up with McKinley's tennis and drum practicing at home, I was falling behind. I have a paper calendar that keeps me somewhat in the know, but I needed something more. So, I decided to create a dry erase calendar for the family and a chore chart for McKinley so that everyone was on the same page and McKinley was keeping up with his own practice schedule to earn his daily 30 minute screen time reward.

We've all seen the dry erase calendars at our craft stores, but they are fairly pricey. Even with a coupon or store sale, they were a little outside my wallet spend. And then I decided that it was truly something I could make on my own and with very little out of pocket cost. I hit up my local thrift store for some expensive frames, found free calendar graphics online and had them printed at Costco, and used paint that I already had sitting on a shelf in the garage. I was set! Here's how you do it!

First off, find the size frame that works best for your space and your needs. I knew I wanted to have a calendar and room for a notes section off to the side. It would allow me to jot down grocery items that I ran out of and could pick up next time I was at the grocery store. A list of things that needed to get done that month, like have McKinley fill out his Valentine's for the class party, and for me to get all the room party things together. The calendar would be housed in the kitchen, on a small wall tucked out of the way, but still visible to the family. A 16X20 frame as perfect! And I found two, with a 20% off coupon, and got them both for under $15.

Next, I took apart both frames, dusted them off, sanded them down to get the varnish and other paint off around the edges, and dusted it off again. You need to make sure you get all of the residual dust and debris off the frame so you don't pick it up when painting. Pick complimentary colors to the room you chose. I picked a soft glossy gray for our kitchen since the walls are navy and white. I wanted it to blend in, but pop against the white walls and the navy would be too close in color. I applied two coats of paint, allowing time to dry in between. If you feel the need to add a coat of clear for protection, go for it. Make sure it's in the same finish as the paint. Glossy for glossy. Matte for matte.

When deciding on the design of the calendar, the web has plenty of free graphics to chose from. My dad helped me with this. He was able to use Photoshop to erase the dates from the calendar, as this is a dry erase and I will write in the dates every month, and then added the note section to the side. This option is great if you want to truly make it your own. You can purchase some great ones from Etsy if you don't want to go the Photoshop route. I found some really nice designs when I first started looking. After the calendar was modified, we sent it off to Costco to have it printed. We spent $7! So far, I have $20 in the calendar!

Do you know what the best surface is for dry erase? Glass! And guess what? Frames come with glass! So, no need to go out and buy a fancy, cut to fit surface for your calendar. You can use the glass that came with the frame! Savings again! Now, if you are thinking little hands will be using this calendar (or chore chart), use a Plexiglas for safety. You can get those at your local hardware store. It will work just fine, it just may not clean off as easily or leave residual ink. I tested my dry erase markers on an old piece of glass I removed from a frame years ago and it worked like charm!! I was good to go.

Put it all together. Clean your glass really well, but don't be like me and cut your finger on the edge of the glass! It hurts and it bleeds! A lot! Then assemble it all back the way it came! One of my frames needed a back, it didn't have one when I took it apart, so we used matte board and to hold it in place. These are common clips that you can get at the hardware store or the frame section of your craft store. 

This last part is optional. I decided to add a small wire basket to hold all the things I would need for the calendar. Find the center, we did all the math, and then screw it into place! 

 

 I found the little galvanized bucket and it's perfect for holding all the pens, and there is enough room inside the basket for the eraser and sticky notes for any additional notes or updates you want to add to the calendar throughout the month! 

And there it is! The DIY Dry Erase Calendar!! I love how it turned out! I love that it cost me roughly $20! I love that it fits perfectly in the kitchen! And I love that it's keeping the family organized! 

Will you make a dry erase calendar for the family? It's super easy!! It's minimal materials, and honestly, it's took my less than a week to finish it all! And you gotta love a project that is under $20! Head here to check out the Better Kansas City segment featuring the DIY project! 

XO,

Andrea

Fairy Tale Village - Crown Center Exhibit

I love when a new year rolls around. Not because of the resolutions. To start over. Try something new. It means it's the return of the free interactive exhibits at Crown Center! And they are kicking things off with their Fairy Tale Village! We visited Sea Life earlier in the day, but after lunch, we headed down to the this larger than life interactive exhibit and dove right in!

My husband made a comment that McKinley might be getting too big for this, but that didn't seem to be the case after he was let loose. He was crossing bridges, climbing Rapunzel's hair, and pulling Pinocchio's strings to make the wooden boy come to life. We hope to head back soon, and on a less crowded afternoon, so he can take advantage of more time to play and explore!

Take a look at how much fun it can be to live and play in a Fairy Tale Village!

Don't worry, Rapunzel, McKinley will save you!

 

Hey look, it's the eight dwarf, Cutie!!

He told me he couldn't climb the beanstalk because he didn't have the right shoes on.....

The exhibit is currently open until May 3rd. It's the perfect winter, rainy, no school, need to get out and work out the wiggles outing! Get all the info here!

XO,
Andrea