Backwoods Wife

After Photos

Here are some pictures I took today from Monday's challenge. My camera's battery is low and there are a few things to put away still on the other side of the room so more pictures will be coming later. I have 2 little helpers in the after pictures. :)

The bins beside (and under!) the crib have some of my fabric stash in them. I didn't realize how much I had until I put it all in one place! I better do some sewing before I aquire anymore.


Riley's crib, part of our bed, and Hendrik squinting for the camera. :)


Riley's crib, our bed, Hendrik's big boy bed.

Making Your Home a Haven - January 7

Crystal is hosting another "Making Your Home a Haven" segment.

Today's challenge is creating a morning routine. Life here is starting to take more of a routine form now that we are getting settled so I have a hope of trying this out this time.

1) Get up earlier to spend time with Dwayne before he leaves for work.
2) Read for 15 minutes to half an hour.
3) Breakfast for the kids and I.
4) Dishes right after breakfast so we can avoid the mountain at the end of the day.
5) "Baby Can Read" for the kids, blogging/internet/email time for me.

Our special project for today is to tackle our loft area. It serves as a bedroom for all of us and also as storage space. I will be limited in what I can do as I'm not supposed to be lifting much weight but I'm sure we can make visible progress one box of clothing at a time. :)

Here are the before pictures. WARNING: Not for the faint of heart or extremely organized among you!

From right to left around the loft:

Making Your Home a Haven - Day Seven

Today's Challenge from Crystal:
Since I'm a bit behind around here due to Kaitlynn's teething issues, I'm going to keep this challenge short and sweet. In addition to spending some time refreshing your spirit in the Lord, doing your morning routine, making out a simple prioritized to-do list for the day, and preparing dinner by noon, your challenge today is to either:

1) Clean out, declutter, and organize a drawer, shelf, or closet.

2) Tackle a project you've been procrastinating on for too long.

Or, you can do both!

If you have time, blog about what you accomplish today including before and after pictures, if you'd like. Leave your link to your blog post below. Let's all inspire one another on to making our homes a haven for our families!

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Yesterday did not go according to plan as there wasn't a plan aside from trying to help Hendrik recover from a stomach bug and hope that the rest of us stayed well. I ended up staying awake all Sunday night with Hendrik and then when Dwayne got up in the morning I went to bed and he watched the kids until about 2pm. Then it was running some errands to pick up essentials and back home to do some packing. We got quite a bit done, aided by the fact that Hendrik was so docile after being sick that he just lounged in the living room and watched some cartoons. Dwayne took a load of our stuff out to Bell Rock and returned only to announce that he needed to go to bed right away. Unfortunately, he caught the stomach bug as well. My dad also had it today. I think Riley and I had a milder form on Thursday but I'm not sure. My immune system seems to be slightly boosted while I am pregnant and I tend to get sick less. At least I am hoping that I have already had it...

Today I hope to get done the things that I wasn't able to accomplish yesterday. I did get some laundry and dishes done during the night but there are still stacks of both to finish off.

1. Wash ALL dishes.
2. Sweep/wash kitchen and bathroom floors
3. Clean bathroom
4. Vacuum main carpeted areas

Making Your Home a Haven - Day 5

Today's challenge:
Today, instead of the usual challenges we've been doing all week, I'm encouraging all of you participants to make your home a haven by taking some time to spend as a family or spend some time doing something for your family. Have fun with your family! It's one of the best ways to make your home an oasis.

We are still working on packing around here and getting that done is requiring family effort! While Dwayne is finishing off the details at the new house, I am trying to get details taken care of at our apartment. I would love to have the whole living room packed and ready to go by the end of the day today.

I have to go to the lab this afternoon so the kids will get some unexpected extra time with Daddy for a bit today. Dwayne is going to come home for a while so I can go to get blood work done without hauling the kids with me.

Once the living room is cleared out tonight I'm hoping the kids and I can have some fun in the wide open space. Hendrik loves to spin and run and jump but we've told him those things should be done outside to avoid crashes with furniture, etc but it has been far too cold lately to be doing much of anything outside for any length of time. Once the room is clear I'm going to give him the all clear to spin to his little heart's content. :)

The kids had fun with their dad this afternoon during his half an hour at home. He suprised us about an hour later when he came home early from work. His boss told them they could leave half an hour early if they wanted. No need to tell Dwayne twice. :)

This evening Dwayne got the propane conversion done on our stove/oven and checked over the propane lines. The kids and I didn't get anything done. We all fell asleep together on the living room floor for a nice two hour nap! I've decided to stay up a little late tonight to do some laundry folding as Dwayne will be home tomorrow morning and I can sleep in a little. Hendrik is going to help Dwayne with some projects in the shop tomorrow morning for a bit as well.

Making Your Home a Haven - Day 3 (Laundry Room)

Day 3 of the "Making Your Home a Haven" challenge.

Today's Challenge:

1) Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)

I am thankful for...
- a wonderful family, immediate and extended
- our new home
- washing machines!

STOP: Is your morning routine done? Don't move on to #2 unless it is!

2) Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)

A lot of my list is leftover tasks from yesterday that didn't quite get finished for one reason or another.

-Haircuts
-Finish Christmas shopping
-2 loads of laundry
-Pack fragile items from living room
-Dust
-Pick up birthday present for 3 year old friend
-Pack clothing
-Vacuum
-Pack remaining items on white bookshelf
-Wash walls in entranceway

Lunch: Meat pie
Supper: Kraft Dinner (AKA Mac'n'Cheese in the US) - really gourmet tonight!

3) Do Something! (15 minutes or so)

Today we're going to focus on the laundry and laundry room. Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music, and get busy!

Your goal by the end of today is to have all of your laundry finished, folded, and put away.

For those of you with a laundry room or laundry area, take some time to organize and clean up this area. Wipe down your washer and dryer, check for socks and other articles of clothing behind and on the sides of your washer and dryer, and clean out your dryer lint.

Pictures to come later...

Making Your Home a Haven - Day Two (Living room)

Today's challenge:

1) Refresh your spirit (5 minutes)

STOP: Have you done your morning routine yet? If not, stop here and start with that. When you've finished it, come back here for your next assignment.

My morning routine will vary greatly for the next week or so as we get ready to move and as we get settled into our new home. For this week as long as everyone gets fed and cleaned up I'm happy!

2) Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)

If you have not done so, make a short to-do list for today of things you need to do or would like to accomplish. Keep your list it to ten items or less. Number the items in order of importance and tackle the first one. Don't move on to #2 on your list until #1 is completely finished.

Remember, though, to see your list as a guideline, not a slave master. The list is just meant to help you not be aimless. If other things come up which are more important, be cheerful and flexible.

-Put in a load of laundry
-Run dishwasher
-Make lunch for Dwayne
-Run errands
-Pack clothing
-Vacuum
-Clear off piano
-Pack fragile items from living room
-Dust
-Water plants
-Pack remaining items on white bookshelf
-Wash walls in entranceway

3) Do Something! (10 minutes)

Since we tackled our entryways yesterday, we're moving on to our living rooms today. Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music, and then set the timer for ten minutes and get busy cleaning your living room! Start by putting throwing out trash, putting away misplaced items, and straightening up things. If you have time, do a quick dust and vacuum of the room.

This is going to take much more than 10 minutes for me today. All of the clean laundry in the house is in the living room right now waiting to be packed for our move. I also need to give the room a good vacuuming and dusting.

I will post pictures later on today once some progress has been made!

Making Your Home a Haven - Day One (Entrance)

Crystal from Biblical Womanhood is hosting a two week challenge entitled "Making Your Home a Haven".








Today's Challenge:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)

2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)

Today's planning project is centered on creating a morning routine.

1) Breakfast! I don't do well on an empty stomach.
2) Spend time with Dwayne before he goes to work
3) Load of laundry
4) Exercise
5) Shower

3. Do Something! (5 -15 minutes)

Put on an apron, light a candle, and turn on some uplifting music. Then go to your front door and pretend you are a first-time visitor to your home. Walk in and take a look around. What is your immediate impression of your home? Is it calm and clean or cluttered and chaotic? Take five to fifteen minutes to clean, de-clutter, and beautify your entry area. Do a quick pick up if there are items out of place, mop or vacuum the floor, shake the rug, spot clean the walls, and rearrange things.

Our entrance is a mess right now! We are in the midst of moving so there are boxes and recycling and stuff to be thown away or donated. Plus, all of our winter boots and shoes which we are putting to good use. Another -30C day today! The walls also need a good washing from all the furniture moving and just general everyday dirt and fingerprints.

I will add pictures tomorrow!