Fridge Madness

One wise piece of advice I have read about is cleaning out the fridge the day before you get groceries. This allows you to throw out the old and make room for the new and it prevents food from sitting in your fridge unused and decomposing forever. I do not practice this organization technique but after meal planning for the week and knowing groceries are in the near future I decided today was the day to start!

I took every single thing out of the fridge, shelves included. I scrubbed the shelves and the interior of the fridge with hot soapy water that I had added a bit of baking soda to.

These are all of the things that were on the shelves of fridge (notice the three BBQ sauce):

This is what I chose to throw out:

That sure is a lot of unnecessary stuff cluttering my fridge (and some of it was nasty).

I had put of the task for far too long but now I am thrilled to have it done.

Clutter equals visual chaos, fridge included!!!

Here are the clean fridge pictures:

Next, the freezer...

Nursery: Before and After

Our first "Before and After" pictures of our home at 99 Minas Crescent.

This room was originally coined "The Sponge Bob Room" when we first moved in:

Now it is Ephriam's beautiful nursery:

Cabbage Roll Casserole

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 680 ml can Hunts tomato sauce
1/2 head of cabbage
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 900 ml box Campbells beef broth


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge cabbage. As the cabbage cooks, the leaves soften. Peel them off using a fork. (I boil the cabbage until the outer half of the leaves has softened and come off). 
3. Chop the softened cabbage leaves.
4. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion until there is no red left in the ground beef.
5. Mix the tomato sauce, beef and onion, beef broth and uncooked rice in a bowl. At this time I also add a bit of nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper (about a tsp of each).
6. Put in baking dishes. This recipe fills a 9x13 and an 8x8 pan.
7. Cook for 1 hour covered. Uncover, stir then cook uncovered for another 15-30 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out).


Enjoy!

My Motivation

As part of being INTENTIONAL in 2012 I am starting the year off by working through the book:  31 Days to Clean: Having a Mary House the Martha Way (Sarah Mae)

Seeing as I am bound to fail doing a chapter a day (because my life definitely doesn't have room for that) I am tacking about two chapters a week.

The first chapter reflects on WHY you want a clean home. It states that if you can name your purpose then you will be able to remind yourself day in and day out WHY you are  spending time on the mundane things that never seem to stay accomplished.

The first task of the book is to write a mission statement that you can reflect upon and that will become your motivation. My mission statement, which will be displayed above my stove, consists of a quote and a bible verse.

I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, 

windows that need cleaning, and gutters

that need fixing because it means I have a home...

I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing

because it means that my loved ones are nearby.

"Young women are to be self-controlled and pure,

be busy at home, be kind, and to be subject to their 

husbands so that no one will malign the word of God."

Titus 2:5

This is my motivation! What is yours? 

2012: 30 Things To Do the Year I Turn 30

My "word" for this year is INTENTIONAL. I want to be intentional in how I raise my children and contribute to my marriage. I want to be intentional about making healthy lifestyle changes for both me and my family. I want to be intentional about living life to the best of my ability, not just getting by day to day. I want to be intentional in my relationship with Jesus.

I also happen to be turning the big 3-0 this year. So 2012 is a mixture of the last year of my 20's and the first year of my 30's. In keeping with my "living intentionally" theme, I have decided to compose a list...

30 Things to Do the Year I Turn 30 

1. Run a 5 km race.

2. Read 12 books - one a month. 

3. Make all of the Christmas gifts for my extended family.

4. Volunteer in a soup kitchen.

5. Learn how to bake a pie from scratch.

6. Go white water rafting.

7. Go to Toronto.

8. Take Liam on a "Mommy and Me" mini vacation.

9. Same with Nolan.

10. And Ephriam.

11. Attend a Christian Women's Retreat.

12. Visit Bristol, New Brunswick - where I spent my grade 12 year.

13. Learn how to crochet.

14. Hike Cape Split.

15. Volunteer at the SPCA (with Liam!).

16. Go horseback riding.

17. Fly a kite.

18. Go to a Neptune Theatre performance.

19. Give blood.

20. Organize and participate in a progressive dinner.

21. Go for one month (or longer!) without eating at a restaurant.

22. Plant a vegetable garden.

23. Donate my hair to Locks of Love.

24. Go fishing.

25. Go to an IMAX movie.

26. Learn to play chess.

27. Take my family to a 'Family Camp'.

28. Get a manicure and pedicure.

29. Learn to make Rappie Pie.

30. Read the New Testament.

Let the goal-reaching begin!