Bring to Order

January Office Organizing Wrap-Up

I certainly got a good start on my office organization in January. I really focused on how to handle the current issues of my paper clutter. So all new filing for the new year of 2014 would be handled properly. 

All the year 2013’s papers are in a 3 ring binder sorted & sectioned off according to their topics.

I am feeling so great using this financial binder. I love how I can collect the mail, sort out the bills & put them under the week it needs to be mailed out. Not losing anything this way or eating around the mail pile on the table.

These manila extra large envelopes are not only containing 2013’s kids school papers, but also have previous years. I’ve been putting this off for a long time. Once I’m through all my paper piles, totes, & filing cabinets, then I will review each kids items.

As you can tell I’m not done yet. My office still has a way to go. Although I am going to challenge you tomorrow with “Gifts of Love” for the Love month, I will not stop this time. I am going to do this...You with me? Let's make 2014 great.

Connie

Functional Filing System # 3

Kids stuff


Now onto the papers that are brought home from school. I know I don't receive as many as some families with little ones that bring home the bestest drawing of the century. My teens still have a few things that are of paper. So anything sent in the mail from the school comes for a special notice about anything that is coming up-we end up with paper times 3.

While sorting those pictures of all my file piles I ran across several papers that I'd like to keep concerning our kids. All the outstanding awards printed on a nice certificate form. All the report cards which aren't one little 5 x 7 card anymore. Nope they come on 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper and have many sheets like 3 or 4 depending on the comments from their teacher's.

So for sorting purposes I have some really big envelopes. I do not even remember where they came from, but I'm sure are purchasable from your local office supply store. It's a little hard to see both numbers on the metal t-square and ruler so I'll just tell you that they are 10 x 15 inches. I decided to use them just to gather the items first then once I've been through all of my piles I will go back through each envelope more carefully.

Using the other systems I have already going plus adding these envelopes will help me clean out my office plus help me throughout the year so I do not fall behind. If you'd like to see the financial binder read it on day [Jan 20.2014 Titled; Functional Filing System #1] See my functioning financial binder in # 2.It's still working for me. 
Connie

Functional Filing System #2

Bring to Order

Filing Systems don’t only apply to the filing cabinet.

From the time the papers (from the mail, and kids homework) come into your home you’ll need proper locations set up for these items. I had systems set up for all the paper issues, but I 

admitted to myself that these  systems didn’t work for me.  The improper system gave me 

my results = paper disaster’s.  I knew I was failing. I don’t like to fail. So I had to find an easier 

filing system.

 If you haven’t read Step 1 & 2a you can find them (here).

Step 2b

My mail; I get the mail, I sort the mail, I write out the bills, & I file away the bill stubs. We pay 

a few of our bills on-line, but not all. Even if I did pay all on-line I’d personally need this financial binder to tell me what to pay this week.

As mentioned before my mail would either get filed away under the designated topic in the 

file box.

 Sometimes the mail would end up in a pile on my desk. 

Sometimes the  mail would get pinned up on our cork board. 

And most of the time it would lay on the dining room table, sometimes opened, sometimes not.  

Yes! We ate dinner around it. Bad huh?

Other organizing blogger ladies suggest to make a financial binder. That way as the bills come 

in they will be put inside the binder, and be found when it’s time to pay.

It's an old binder that one of my children has refused to use anymore. So it's my temporary 

financial binder until I can get a pretty one.

Ok! well, I tried this for a while, I loved the idea. Maybe it wasn’t working for me because I didn't compartmentalize the bills according to when they were due. Again my results=disastrous. I'm 

not saying the suggestions about making the binder were bad, but just how I had it set up. 

I needed to rethink my set up system.

Then I had an idea. I should make 4 sections (why 4) you ask? 

For two reasons:

 #1 Because we are paid weekly, and there are 4 weeks in most months. For those who are not 

paid weekly, you may still have bills due on those non-paycheck weeks.  Since we do I've made 

four dividers. Actually I made 5 sections for those months that we call bonus months because 

of the extra paycheck. My tabs are numbered according to the weeks. 

 #2 Now I have the total weeks bills written on my print-out by the week due. Above photo 

shows a regular lined piece of paper for this step but I did make a pretty useful print-out 

sheet for my weekly and monthly listed items.

Also made a Monthly Finances form for myself. Sometimes I have more going on in one 

month like in June--birthday's or December--Christmas. I think this will help me if I have 

them listed.

This has helped tremendously & made things so simple. I don’t have to think too hard 

about where it goes now. 

Each weeks section contains it's own compartment to hold the bill with the bills return envelope. Again what relief. The suggestion to make a binder were perfect, but not until 

I found the way it would work for me. 

If you are not having success, then consider what to tweak for your own way of filing. 

What works for you? I’d love to hear any suggestions as I’m open to any improvements 

I can make.

Connie 

Valentine's Day Inspiration

Making a display of decorations for Valentine's Day without hearts was a challenge.  

I knew I did not want a bunch of hearts. I'm not sure why, but I just don't like the heart shape especially when cut out of paper. And I knew I had to use scrapbook paper for my decorations medium. I like pink and I like a deep red color. With the decor going on the mantle I would need something bright or lighter in color also, due to the deep olive green wall. I got my inspiration from looking outside one day through our back window. I thought the snow looked like cotton on the bushes. Isn't it so pretty? You can tell I took the photo through the screen. 

                                 

Snow Bushes

I decided to copy my Valentine decorating to look like these balls of snow which seemed to cling onto the branches like cotton hangs onto there pod. I'm not from the South so if I've said 'pod' and it's really called 'bowl' or something else then please except my apologies right now. Ok! Back to decorating; I wanted a bit of pink and red but I needed to add white. I loved how the mantle is laid out don't you? 

With the big jars holding branches. Oh I know there isn't any branches in the jars yet. I've been trying to convince someone they need to go get some. I kept my Christmas lights up there to have that welcoming glow through the dreary winter months. Although I would have enjoyed nicely cut alphabet letters to spell out the word 'LOVE' I used my creativity and cut them with some scrapbook tools.

The garland was constructed with some embroidery thread. Each pendant shape has a brad at the points so I didn't sew these pendants together but instead I just wrapped the thread a couple of times around the brads flanges. To incorporate the puffy whiteness still blessing our season, I used cotton balls. Again I didn't sew...I could have sewn through these items quickly but I went ahead and wrapped the thread around the back flanges of the brads pushed through the cotton.

I think all in all it turned out very nice. And I even added one heart.

Recipes

Genesis 3:12

This year is also a personal journey for me as I have a few struggles with food.
While in 2013, I for the first time had been committed to reading through the Bible. I still ended up reading the last few days already in January when I'm suppose to be starting over in Genesis. But I was so enjoying the feeling of accomplishment that I didn't want to stop and jump ahead. So even though it's January 26 today I've recently just started Genesis over. This reading the King James version Bible reading plan can be found on-line if you'd like the challenge. Go [here] to find the one year reading plan, I'd love it if you would...maybe send me your thoughts or struggles with the food topic. Purchase from Amazon for your Kindle, [here] a Hardcover $24.73, or Paperback $15.50.

This verse I'm talking about today is found in;

  Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou 

gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

So I started to chuckle a bit after reading this because I was thinking; even in the beginning we find 'the women' in the kitchen preparing the meal. I can just picture Eve walking around the garden or as we walking around the kitchen or grocery store trying to come up with something new for dinner. I do this exact same thing while planning my weekly menu or even if I didn't menu plan that week-I'll walk around looking in all the cupboards, the fridge, in the pantry-searching for the new tasty meal I can present to my husband and family.

Why am I talking about this? Well I have long ago come to realize I'm the orderly person in our marriage so if I don't plan well for the week-who knows what we'll end up eating.

Connie