"Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like"...

"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine..."

~Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

 Spring is here and I've hardly had the chance to enjoy it as I was terribly sick from last Wednesday through this past Sunday. I felt as if I was never going to be back-to-good again. It started, as I said, Wednesday later morning, early afternoon. I had an eye appointment early in the morning and was fine and chipper. When I got home I noticed I felt a bit odd and went up for a nap instead of eating lunch. When I woke I tried to eat a bit of something...swallowed one bite and then realized I just couldn't eat anything at all. I went back up to bed.....tossing and turning and gradually feeling sicker and sicker in my stomach. I would lay down.....then feel so sick...so I would sit up and then lay back down again. There was just no comfort.

Sparing you all the yucky details...I definitely had the stomach bug of some sort (although graciously, the Lord has kept the rest of my family from getting it!). It took me *days* to eat. I drank some but was pretty dehydrated as well. I just felt so ill and my skin hurt....body aches and just all around *blah*. As you can see in my planner pages that I posted above and below...they are pretty bare. (I even had to miss our homeschoo co-op's performance night where X and Madelyn were square dancing with others! My mom video'd it for me but I still haven't gotten to watch it yet. I was so disappointed to miss it!)

Sunday afternoon/evening I started really feeling better thankfully! And as you can see below, my days are back to normal with eating and chores! (Although Monday's Bible reading didn't get done....as I was playing catch up with everything all day then hit the hay that night....I did read my Bible Tuesday...but just hadn't marked it in my daily habits yet. I try to consistently be in the Word...)

Supper last evening...

And here are just a few photos that I had previously forgotten to post (from the past two or three weeks!) and definitely want to share!

These beauties came to visit one day a few weeks ago! :o) We always love when they come to visit at Aunt TiTi's! Audra smiling for me...

Madelyn was on a cookie-making kick a couple weeks ago. She made these snickerdoodles and also chocolate chip cookies (that I see I didn't get a photo of)...

Jaxson enjoys baking as well....so my mom gave him an "easy apple dumplings" recipe and he made them one day. Everyone seemed to enjoy them (which made Jax proud)! :)

So there we have it. A "where I have been" post as well as some "catch-me-up" photos. I am just so thankful to be feeling better and getting back to the routine. The weather has been quite lovely (with some rain at times....but that's all part of spring!). I was even able to get outside and mow some yesterday! It felt really good! :o)

I hope your week has been going well. I hope you are looking forward to Resurrection Day coming up on Sunday! What a joyful celebration it will be! :o) My favorite time of the year! Thank you for visiting me here and for your patience...since I know it's been quite a while since I last posted!

Cheerfully,
Katy

Planning in My Bullet Journal in February

Hi friends! Here's a quick look at how I have been planning out some of my days now in my personal Filofax bullet journal! I also have an Alice in Wonderland themed Plan With Me in my Erin Condren Planner that you can watch HERE if you would like! (It's not long). I am also on instagram now so you can see photos of home and my planners on there too (you can find my link to my IG account on the right sidebar).

Planning out my days really helps keep me organized and helps stop me from stressing while trying to figure out what I need to do in a day. If I have it written down then I know I will get to it! :)

Here's a look at the stickers I used for the Alice in Wonderland theme in my ECLP!

This week is going to be a busy one for me. I hope to post again soon though! I hope you all have a great week! Thank you for visiting me here! 

Warmly,

Katy

Linked up at: Strangers & Pilgrims

Personal Planner / Bullet Journal Plan with Me Video

Hello friends! :)

For those who are interested ~ I made another plan with me...this time in my personal sized planner. This one is sped up and I did a voice over for it. It is under 10 minutes long! :) If you enjoy it, I hope you will consider subscribing to my youtube channel. I hope to post more! Planning can be fun and I know I enjoy watching other people plan...so I thought maybe others would enjoy my videos as well..? We'll see...I am trying to get better each time I video! :o) I'm still such a goof and sound silly but oh well! Here's the video if you are interesed:

If you want to see how I plan in *pictures* you can see my previous post HERE! I have been keeping really busy with housework, homeschooling, exercise, my etsy shop and life in general! I hope you all are doing really well! It's getting late and I need to head to bed soon...so I hope you guys have a lovely rest of your week! Thanks *so* much for stopping by! 

Warmly,

Katy

Linked up at Strangers & Pilgrims

How I Plan in My Personal Planner

Last evening I was planning out the week ahead and thought I would *take you along with me*. I have shared previous posts on how I plan...and also some videos (you can find them linked in the sidebar). I have always used bigger planners (which I LIKE)...however, I wanted to try and downsize so I could have a planner that fit right into my bag for when I go places. I like to always have my planner with me. If I wasn't needing my planner with me, I would probably go back to the larger sized planners again! Then it could just stay at home! :o)

First, I want to say that planning/organizing your days does *not* have to be time consuming or expensive. You can get pre-printed pages (such as with the Erin Condren Planner or else inserts for your binder) and just keep running lists of the tasks you want to accomplish as well as appointments/special dates. Your planner has to work for you! Your planner doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to look like anyone else's. It has to be something that helps you and keeps you organized and less stressed so you can spend your day accomplishing what the Lord has for you...and not stressing about the next thing. A planner must be functional for you or else it is just a glorified scrapbook.

I have used pre-printed pages before (with the dates already on them) and they work just fine. However, I never found a layout that worked *just* as I wanted it to. I wanted to be able to customize it. That's when I discovered bullet journaling. I have done it for a while now. You can see previous posts HERE and HERE. It is a way for me to be able to create my own set up...one that works perfectly for how I need it to. I'll show you the set up that I use (that works for me) and maybe it will give you ideas that can work for you too! I found that in my larger pages I had wasted space...so I decided to see if I could make my system work in a personal sized planner (I only purchase planners inexpensively on ebay or if they are on sale/clearance on another site. They can be pretty pricey. I really only ever buy things that are on sale or clearance...ever! haha! I always try to find good quality things as decent prices!)

It's hard to see in the photos but the pages I have are a dot-grid. This helps to keep things neat and straight. I start out by using my ruler and drawing two straight lines horizontally. Then I write times from 5am to 9pm between them. (I used to free hand the lines and try to stay along the dots...but it wasn't quite neat enough for me...so I went back to using my ruler!). Then I draw a header of some sort...usually a banner with the day in it and the date below...

**By the way...I like to sit on the floor so I can have all my stuff out and around me when I set up my pages. The book I like to use to plan *on* is a Martha Stewart Homemaking book. It's nice and thick and just my go-to "table"! ;)

The next thing I do is place a TODAY sticker along the top and a TO DO sticker beside it. I draw lines down from the TODAY sticker to form a box. I put the weather at the bottom. This box is my place to mark events, appointments etc. in chronological order. I like to see things vertically. Under the TO DO list I just make a simple list of things I would like to get done for the day...

Here you can see how I started filling in my TODAY section. (Stickers aren't necessary...but they are fun and give it a little *something*!). I teach spin early in the morning...then we have our homeschooling and housework. There is some open space there that may get something added if necessary or may stay blank depending on Monday's responsibilities. Then I teach an evening spin class. (Many people don't know what spinning is. HERE is a description!)...

See how I like to have everything around me when I am planning?

Ok...back to the page...I filled in some of my TO DO List (I make an X over the dot when I have finished a task. I put half and X through it if it is partially done). I also filled in the weather forecast. Then, as another help I color code along the top bar under the date...with the times. I use green to mark off exercise times and orange or pink to mark off schooling times. It helps give a visual of my day at a glance. I may use blue to color code an appointment or purple for church. :)

I put my pages back into my binder and *voila* ~ All ready for the week!

Here's a look at the past couple of days...

Today and tomorrow (I don't really fill in my TO DO lists usually until the day before)...

At the bottom of the page I will decorate a little, mark a birthday with special stickers or keep track of the supper menu!

Monday and Tuesday...

 Here is my pre-loved personal filofax in gold. It's really pretty (the picture doesn't do it justice). I got it inexpensively on ebay (you just have to keep a watch out and find one cheap!). A simple binder will do, though, if you prefer. I'm telling you....planning truly doesn't have to cost you. It's adding the extras that can cost....

Top view...I did purchase the MONTH and TODAY dividers. I like to support small businesses on Etsy when I can. This girl had a small shop and I purchased them from her...but you could definitely make your own if you wanted to! You can use a laminator or even clear contact paper! The cute paper clip cupcake I made! Not the actual top part....I bought a few in bulk at wholesale price. Then I hot glued them to paper clips! I considered selling a few in my shop but the backs have visible clips hot glued to them and don't look *pretty*. I tried to put a backing on a couple of them but couldn't get the exact felt color to match so it doesn't look perfect. I didn't want to sell something that wasn't excellent...

So there you have it! How I plan! Katy Planning 101! If you need help being organized this year...I encourage you to keep a calendar and a TO DO list. Even if you don't keep it in a planner...maybe you just like sticky notes! Whatever works for you is what is best! Just help yourself stay organized, make it to appointments on time, and get those tasks accomplished! I am *far* from perfect....seriously....I'm even really far from excellent...but I *do* try my best with things and I have to tell you that checking things off as you get them done is such a great feeling! It pushes you to want to get the *next* thing done too! I will even admit: I write in things *after* I have done them sometimes (if it wasn't already on my list) and then check them off! It's a great feeling! Start this new year right and get organized!!! And if you *do* want stickers...there are a ton of great small shops on etsy! You can browse mine HERE.

You can watch this during a quick plan with me video: HERE

I hope you found this post helpful! If you have any questions...please comment below or email me!
Have a great weekend and week ahead friends!

Warmly,
Katy

Linked up at: Strangers & Pilgrims

Thrifting Finds, My Birthday, & Home

I had to run some errands yesterday and I thought I would just pop into Goodwill and browse for a few minutes while I was out and about! I am so glad I did! I found some great items! The first thing is this neat, old-fashioned bingo wheel with wooden bingo balls in it! It screamed *great decoration piece* at me and I had to pick it up for just a few dollars!

I also found this great storage box, sturdy basket and some organizing things...

My sister, her girls, my mom and my aunt all came to visit on my birthday (a couple days ago). I forgot to get my camera out (until later in the day and I took a picture of these great, fun balloons my aunt brought me)...

We had a nice time visiting and the children played. My mom is still healing after her accident and it was so nice to have her here to chat with us! :) I got some fun gifts...sloth earrings, books I had wanted and cloth napkins. Chris came home after work and took me out for a salad for my birthday as well. We don't eat out so it was a fun treat! :)

Supper last night was fresh, delicious sweet corn...

A beautiful print of scripture I need to put in a frame...

The days have been busy, busy lately. I enjoy when I have times of slow, quiet rest in between...

I do not mean to wish time away at all...but I must admit that I already have fall scented candles burning in my home! :) It's suppose to be nearing 90* these next few days though and it's definitely not going to *feel* like fall yet...but I long for the cooler (less humid) days! I love sweater weather! Quilts, pumpkins, leaves, apples, cider, and that wood-burning scent in the air...Mmm...just a few of the reasons I love autumn!

For now though, we're going to try to stay cool while getting things accomplished! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed at all that must get done and then I sit back, thank the Lord that He is stretching me and strive to do all that I can for His glory.

I hope your weekend is God-glorifying and enjoyable!
Thank you for visiting me here!
Warmly,
Katy

Linked up at: Make it Pretty Monday

An Organized Cleaning Closet

The cleaning closet is finished! After all these years of dreaming of a nice, tidy, organized place for my cleaning supplies, I can rejoice because it is finally here! :) I showed a picture of it in my previous post but now we have the broom/mop hanger on the door as well to finish it off! Plus, these pictures are a bit brighter and show into the closet a little better! :)

Chris has been so amazing these past 8 months. He (with our brother-in-law)finished the addition (making the new living room, mud room and laundry room), ran new pipes for the washing machine (that were underground and a pain!), rebuilt the outside door to the cellar, made shelves for me and my cleaning closet...and has put the new door knobs on the doors (as well as much more that I am forgetting!)...

I am just so, so thankful for such a handy, talented husband. I seriously think he can do just about anything he puts his mind to. He has saved us so much money by doing things himself. He is *such* a blessing to me! We still have some more to do...such as finish the laundry room closet (for coats and shoes) and things...but seeing his momentum to get things done encourages me that it will happen soon! It's such a great feeling! :) We need to start preparing for winter and colder weather too. This means splitting, chopping and stacking wood. Time to fill the wood shed! :)

Today is a beautiful day....sunshine and clear skies. I am thankful for it, truly! We got the rain we really needed a few days ago and now the Lord is blessing us with these beautiful days! Tomorrow is my birthday and I think my sister and her girls are coming over to spend the afternoon with us! Yay! I'm looking forward to it!

The days are still really busy lately...with homeschooling, teaching spin/exercising, housework, checking on my mom (thank you for your thoughts and prayers for her), and such...but the Lord is really teaching me how to get out of my comfort zone...and that it's *okay*! I've been reading scripture and some other books and have learned and been convicted of much lately too...I plan on sharing that in an upcoming post if time permits. Maybe you will find encouragement and conviction in what I share then as well!?

Before I go...I also wanted to share that I have just put some fall stickers in my shop...

I have also been working on transferring my bullet journal into my filofax planner! I love the dot grid set up of designing my own pages as in a bujo...but I also love the freedom to move, take out, or change things in a filofax system...so I decided to get the best of both worlds. I found dot grid paper and have started using it in my filofax! :) You can see a picture of it on my instagram HERE. I want to get it set up a bit better before posting about it though! :) I am so excited to have the best of both worlds with it!

Well, I gotta get some housework done and then teach a spin class later this afternoon. I best get movin'! I hope your day is just fantastic! Thanks for dropping by!

Cheerfully,
Katy :)

Linked up at: One Project at a Time and Strangers & Pilgrims and Make it Pretty Monday

More Home Organizing!

Once you get the *organizing bug* in you, it can be hard to stop! I decided to organize my spice cupboard (which I have done before but had gotten untidy over time). I like to use inexpensive trays and containers from the Dollar Tree and Aldi to contain things! :)

I like to always keep my days planned out...this was from Monday and if I took another picture, you would see Tuesday all filled out as well! :)

Under my kitchen sink needed a bit of a overhaul...

I tidied under the bathroom sinks as well (I think only women read here...but excuse the feminine products! It's a necessity!). The red box holds hair ties and the black box on top of it hold my essential oils. The box to the right of them is Chris's hair clipper kit. :) Although I organized the upstairs bathroom as well, I forgot to take photos.

The little cupboard next to the toilet holds extra toilet paper. The drawer on it holds Chris's "stuff"...extra pens and things from his pockets. It's just designated "his" drawer and I don't mess with it!

Here are photos of how I organize my towels. I have used this method for quite some time now...

All our body towels (and bath mats which are rolled on the sides) fit perfectly and neatly on these shelves. I use the top shelf to store our medicines and vitamins...

And finally, just some pictures from here at home...

Family Bible reading time after supper.

 The basket on this little table holds our keys so we can just grab them on our way out...or plop them in when we get home. :)

I finally hung the picture of Ruthie that my aunt gave me. I miss her but love looking at her on this canvas print! :) It looks so lonely right there on the wall...but it works (for now)...

And last but not least...just some window pictures of Stella. She sprawls out and sleeps in some crazy positions! She often sits with (or should I say *on*) me...sprawled across my legs! She's so fun!

Are you on Instagram? If you are and want to, I'd love for you to follow me there! You can find me HERE. I share pictures of my planners/bullet journals, stickers, home and more! :)

I think I *may* start officially planning our homeschool year today. I am not totally ready to say good-bye to summer...but I feel the need to get everything in order. We'll see what happens. I have been keeping up with housework and doing some deep cleaning/organizing as well...so I am definitely staying busy! :) How's your week going?

I hope the rest of your week is enjoyable! As always, thanks so much for dropping by!
Warmly,
Katy

Linked up at: The WholeHearted Home  and Raising Homemakers