Nester, Me and Toile Makes 3

Remember I said that I loved this room so much I'd post a picture of it every month?  This is my dream room... of course, I share that dream with my pal Nester.  (Take a bird walk with me Nester girl...)

This is the room we'll share after we've both gone bonkers and eeked out our last posts at the ripe age of 94.  Nester will sit in that tan chair and figure out the next place to hang that door (which will weigh around 100lbs from so many layers of paint.)  I'll sit in the white chair amazed at how she decorated her husbands urn again with yet another nest and a few more star fish and a few sprigs of succulents.

We'll eat Toaster Strudels and chocolate on these plates... And dream of the fabulous Toile party of 2009....  Everyone who was anyone in blogland was there.
Will you be there... I mean Here Next Tuesday to post your love of Toile?
I'll sit back and wrap my gnarly hands around a paintbrush to make a few more Pretty Organizers and think about how I dreamed of a bathroom somewhere on earth where yellow belonged on the wall... {my hands continue to scrub the hatbox until the paint has worn off.}
Nester will pull out her supply of trim and work on her next tassel creation remembering how grateful she was to finally pay off her dream house in cash after her 1 million'th tassel... she's made enough now that all of blogland owns a Nester original... (the inside of our shared coat closet is filled with all the ones she could never part with- each kissed and wrapped in $100 dollar bills and packed amid moth balls.)
My room is red.  Red Toile with a Chair for my friend Kimba and Melissa to come and sit with me awhile.  They're the do gooders of blogland and bring us a little "Chicken Soup" for the soul... Melissa says, "If only we could have done more for them early on...  I never realized they were toile-aholics."  Kimba smiles, pats our hands and tells us stories of Tree houses and snow days and how to make our walkers into decorator door ornaments.
This is heaven.  
What?  Who needs a drink?... Child, for the love of Toile, GET BACK IN THAT ROOM!  Yes, my dream has ended... I am still a mostly gray 34 year old housewife and mother of 6 trying to keep my Palace Pretty Organized and my priorities in focus.  But wait... I still have great friends in blogland and the chance to host the biggest gathering of toile lovers ever!
Get your posts ready ladies!  Tell us about your love of toile.  Show us where you decorate with it... how you wear it (in good taste please) and lets have a party!  Wendy at the Shabby Nest is hosting this event with me.  She's in charge of the chocolate this time so please direct chocolate questions to her.  

See you back here next Tuesday with a linky party!  Now go invite all your readers and send 'em on over here to be inspired.  This is gonna be BIG! (If it's not, I'll feel like a total dork.)

Who's coming?  Wendy, Nester, Kimba, Melissa, Julia, Rhoda, and the list goes on.  Email me at PrettyOrganized at gmail dot com if you'd like a reminder!  Hope ya'll can come!

Caution: Wet Paint

Spring Break and I'll be up to my elbows in paint with this beauty as my inspiration! Isn't this kitchen fabulous?

So, for your reading pleasure (because I need to take 6 kids to the paint store quick) here's my first kitchen rant.

If you've got the spring break itch to paint your cabinets, here's a great how to to get you going!

I'll be sure to post a few "in the works" photos as long as ya'll promise not to judge what a slob I am (because I'm painting and not cleaning... 12 year old punky has all the little chipmunks... sweet boy- it was his idea).

AND- if any of ya feel like funding kitchen cabinet knobs or pulls, go buy something from my esty shop. It's a good cause. Well, I think it is. (Shameless plug).

Wish me LUCK and a whole lotta patience (cuz those cabinet doors are going to be off all week with 2 young'ns having free access to everything!). I'm off to find some great chocolate to get me through this project.

Touch it ONCE

I have a girlfriend who has a clean fairy who lives in her head. Whenever my friend goes to pick up something off the floor, or move a pile-that fairy whispers, "Touch it once." If she hesitates because she feels lazy or tired, then the voice screams, "TOUCH IT ONCE!" At that point, my girlfriend's grip is frozen on the object and she is compelled to put it away (or throw it out!)

This friend's house is clean. Always. Period. She rarely relocates items to another spot to "eventually" put away. She touches them once and it's done. She's brilliant!

When I grow up, I want to be just like her (or I want her fairy to come and live in my head).

Saturday Jobs Made Simple

Yesterday I preached about zones in my Palace.  All this talk of cleaning has me thinking I ought to get a nice big hunk of chocolate just so I can be in the "zone" while I write about it.  Mmm... I'll settle for some hot cocoa (even though it's like 70 degrees outside).

Here's the dealy-whopper: I can't do it myself.  I used to think I could but I've just accepted the reality... we have 8 people in a 2250 sf. house.  8!!!  I don't have the time in the day to feed, launder, dust, sweep, shop,  run cub scouting, do homework, etc.  While I do have a loose cleaning schedule, I just cant get to all of the rooms each week in detail. (Husbands laughs at my casual admission... he knows the ugly truth.)  

In steps inspiration out of desperation again: Let my little Chipmunks that I so lovingly try to herd each week- DO.  Their. Share.

Zones:  My 4 kiddos have a Zone they're in charge of keeping picked up all week.

Saturday:  On Saturday they clean their zone.  They dust, vacuum, do windows, fluff pillows, clean the TV screen etc.  From top to bottom their zone belongs to them.  Remember.... you defined the job so they know what to do.  Questions on that... see this post.

Exception: The kiddo stuck on Bathrooms and hallways gets a break... 2 bathrooms is cruel... for anyone.  For a 6 year old it's torture.  For a 12 year old... it a lot of mirror time to inspect zits and sprouting  chin hairs.  So... the bathroom kid gets 1 bathroom and the hallway.  I do the other one.

Mom advantage: Job is pre-defined and you don't have to dream up a list of Saturday chores. AND... Mom cleans kitchen, her own bedroom and bathroom, and assigns hubby to clean the other bathroom.  DONE!  Mom has the rest of the day to herself.

Actually, ladies, the strategy is to have enough kids to take care of all the zones in your house.  I'm set for now but if we end up moving to a bigger house I may need to have a few more kids.  That Duggar family... 19+ right?  You go visit their site.  (It's funny that I look to a mom of 19 for inspiration... her laundry room rocks... so does the soda fountain!)   Not a thing out of place... lots of kids is the key.  It also happens to be the driving force behind my chocolate addiction and the many clothing sizes in my closet.

Now, go put on Flight of the Bumble Bee and get those kiddos cleaning! We always blast the music, dance and make it fun around here... the 12 year old will argue that you're a dork and if he does, that means you're doing a great job!

Cleaning By Zone

Truth: I'm a mother of 6.  Truth: I hear the phrase, "That's not mine" and "I didn't make that mess" more times than a human should have to hear in a lifetime just in 1 week.  Truth: I don't care who made the mess.

Enter inspiration out of desperation: Kids in this house clean by zones, not by what mess each of them made.

Our house is divided into 4 zones: Entry and Stairs, Family Room, Game Room, and Bathrooms and Halls.

Our kids are assigned a zone to keep clean for 1 week: I make them check their zone before school and after school... nothing fun is allowed until the zone is clean.

Photos:SouthernLiving.com

Our kids do their zones BEFORE homework: I have a busy 12 year old who would use the excuse "I have too much homework" all the time... because it's true.  Well... in this house, our family comes first and family responsibilities rule before homework.  You'd be surprised how quick jobs get done when teenagers can't do homework.  Wait... that doesn't sound right.... kids don't like to do homework....right?  Well, my kids might be peculiar... they can't stand facing the teacher the next day without assignment in hand.  So, somehow they get their jobs done:)

The Result:  Zones help our family do quick pickups without the argument of who did what.  Now my little punk-a-noodles all know that whatever is in their zone... is what they have to put away!

How do you divide house jobs?

Don't for get to scroll down and check out info for the Toile Party at the end of the month!

Pretty Organizer

Tomorrow:  How Zones are used for Saturday Cleaning jobs!

Toile Tuesday: A Toile Tour of Blogland

I love this picture... it's timeless.  Why?  Well, what you might not know is that Toile is the thrifty pattern of choice... (so are white dishes) it's timeless... really-  I read it somewhere on a very official decorators website I don't remember where because my brain is filled with toile... (tisk, tisk Pretty Organizer... I feel shame.)  Oh and for the record, blogger hates toile... I got myslef a whole higlighted post just because this program isn't classy enough to recognize all them frenchy words... oh man, there I go insulting the french... escuse moi...
Farm dishes?  Well, they might go out of style unless you live on a farm like that classy PioneerWoman.  But... these are toile"ish"... I'll take the rooster.
This is how skinny I imagine I am.  Really, when you look down the view isn't so bad... I see plenty of womanly shapes and my toes still... it's the head on mirror view that makes my self-imagined image distorted.  I need new mirrors... and THIS apron... check out here sisters HERE!
This one here's for Remodeling Guy... This here's a Toile Toilet! (or Turlet as my grandma used to pronounce) Victorian age to be exact.  Not quite sure how to use the thing... no place to sit.  That's probably just as well since I could never pee on toile.    Photo:Countryliving.com

Love Toile in a Toilet room... this is for all you toile lovers that want just a splash of elegance in a simple room.  Just add a touch of toile and the room is softened.
HGTV featured this baby in a Shabby Room makeover.  The picture is a cutout from a toile piece of fabric that was applied then painted and sanded to "rough up" the look.  Just a touch of toile tells a story and defines this furniture.
Here's a great Chair Re-do from AngelicAccents.  If any of your inherit your grandmothers dining room set... for Pete's Sake don't give it away!  Spray paint the thing until it looks like this!  Love those twisted spindles!
Toile can even make a cheap set of cardboard drawers look like permanent furniture.
And this toile... well you know I've got it bad when a mother of 6 is ready to conceive again just to get the toile bedding! 

And for all you crazy shoe lovers... who by the way have hounded me for where I found the toile rain boots... here's another toile boot!
And HERE is where you can pick up a pair of these pretty boots should you have to go milk the cow before your picnic today with the guy in the toile pictures wearing knickers... 
Happy toile dreams!  Don't forget to join me hear each Tuesday this month for Toile Tuesday.

Where will you be March 24th?

Time's a tick'n and the guest list is already starting. Nester's in, Wendy, Julia at Hooked on Houses, Kimba at A Soft Place to Land, Rhoda at Southern Hospitality are all working on getting a post ready... and the list is growing. Need I mention how much I LOVE these girls! They are as kind as they are talented writers and bloggers. They've been so good to me!

Will you be my guest at the Toile Party? I'll try and remind anyone that R.S.V.P's (if you email me I will FOR SURE send you a reminder!)

Reflections on Spring and Motherhood

Spring has Sprung in Arizona.  The birds are singing, the sun is shining (80 degrees) and the grass is green... So green and so long you could almost get lost in it!  This week I did... which accounts for my lack of posts dear friends.  This week blogging took a back seat to family time.
This time of the year I am filled with energy... with vision... with project inspiration... and most important, I am filled with gratitude.  Every time I come home and see my house I am grateful.  I see my kids playing in our cul-de-sac... (24 of them 6 of which are mine!) and I am grateful for good neighbors, a safe neighborhood and the blessing I have in being surrounded by wonderful people.
Oh, hubby's going to thank me for posting this picture.  The sad reality of getting older... your hair falls out of your head and starts growing out your ears or out your nose or worse, out of your wife's chin!  I swear, I'm 34 and experiencing premature aging!  Nice double chin I have... grrr... ANYWAY.... back to the subject.

We celebrated our son's achievement in scouting.  He received his Webelos rank and next month will be receiving his Arrow of Light... big stuff for the cub scouting program.  Like my shirt?  I'm "Hooked On" the Boys Scouts of America.  It's my second religion.

It's nice as a mother to see benchmarks of your parenting progress.  I see it when my 3 year old helps my 1 year old get dressed.  I see it when my 4 kids come home from school and are upset about the way their sibling was treated on the bus.  I see my progress as my children receive Character Counts awards at school and I see it when my boys advance in Scouting.  My older son has his Star rank in Boy Scouts (at age 12) and is on track for his Eagle Scout award in 1 year.

Ladies, let me tell you what I know.  After having 6 kids, 3 of which are boys... the Boy Scouts of America is the second best parenting help you can get next to church.  Find a Cub Scout pack near you.  Find a Boy Scout Troop... and then watch your boys become men.  This program has it all: fun, adventure, activities, service and values that support what you learn in church.  

This is my Beautiful Life.  These moments are the sweet rewards of motherhood.  Being with my children, seeing them grow, and taking moments to feel grateful for my blessings make this life sweet and full of joy... and this week "My Priorities were Organized, my closets were not."

Go check out the linky parties at The Inspired Room and Hooked on Houses!

What makes your life beautiful?

Is YOUR definition of Clean a Mystery?

A sure fire way to conjure up tears when I was young was to ask me to clean the bathroom. Actually, it wasn't the act of cleaning itself that threw me into an emotional state of self pity- I thought I was Cinderella (we've already established that I'm a hopeless romantic and lean toward the dramatic side of things right?- my poor mother)... I freaked out at the inspection. After I completed my cleaning jobs, my mom would always come and inspect, and invariably, without exception... I did not pass... thence flowed the tears.

For years cleaning the bathroom right was a mystery to me. Though she walked me through the steps, showed me how to scrub a toilet and even the walls next to it... she never concretely defined what clean meant to her... "OH.. you want me to take out the dirty trash too?... I didn't know you wanted me to throw away the empty shampoo bottles!... I'm supposed to gather all the dirty towels for the laundry?!?!?"

Fast forward a couple of decades:

Mom: Are your jobs done?

Son: Yep, bathrooms ALL cleaned.

Mom: Is it ready for inspection?

Son: Uhh, I think so.

Mom: Why is the toothpaste still stuck on the faucet?

Son: I couldn't get it off.

Mom: This toilet seat still has pee on it.

Son: I cleaned it.

Mom: There's pee on it. It's not cleaned. HOW did you clean it?

Son: I put that blue stuff in the bowl and used that scrubber thing.

Mom: Did you ever spray the toilet seat and wipe it with a rag?

Son: No.

Mom: Did you notice that yellow crusty smelly stuff down there where the toilet bolts to the floor?

Son: Eww what is that?

Mom: Really, do I need to say this?... "Pee son. Dried pee. That's why this room smells."

Son: Why is it down there? I didn't do that. I'm not cleaning that.

Mom: Oh well, then you're welcome to stay in this bathroom until it cleans itself or until it disappears... you decide. I'm getting a bowl of ice-cream. Glad my jobs are done!"

You get the idea.

Why do we do this moms? Let's just say what we mean once and be done!

Here's the remedy- and it's painless... well almost.. you still need to use a computer and printer... might even have to adjust margins and size it... ugg! Well, maybe you can get hubby to do that stuff!

Make a short list of what you expect to see when a room is cleaned. Laminate the sucker and tape it behind the door or under the light switch or on the video game remotes... wherever your kiddos will see it.

Make the list easy to read with bullet items. Make one for every room in your house... you can even make one for your car. This way anyone can check your cleaning criteria and pass inspection.

There are 2 versions of this list: 1 version for general pick up (this one should be on your walls), the other version for cleaning -laminated and ring clipped with lists for other rooms and stored in your cleaning caddy. Now the job is defined and not such a mystery!

Example: Clean Bathroom (cleaning checklist)

• Mirrors cleaned
• Sink clean without toothpaste
• Faucet shiny
• Counter tops cleared and wiped down.
• Toothbrushes, combs, hairdryer put away.
• Toilet lid, handle, seat, bowl and base cleaned.
• Tub toys put away.
• Tub cleaned.
• Shampoo, conditioner, Dad's Rogaine and Mom's Nair neatly put away.
• Towels hung
• Floors swept
• Rug straight.

Example: Straighten Bathroom

• Toothbrushes, combs, and hair supplies put away.
• Counters clear
• Toilet seat down
• Towels hanging on hooks or folded... NOT ON FLOOR.
• Tub toys put away
• Trash can emptied
• Hand towels straightened
• Toilet paper on roll.

Walla! This idea works in every room in the house. NOW- assign your kiddo a room and DARE him to ask what you mean! Go ahead and delegate those duties and have yourself a nice chocolate truffle binge and be satisfied knowing you'll only have to inspect once!

Tales of Toile

Come one come all!  Readers from near and far... come listen to the tales I tell!  

I feel the same kind of heraldry when I see a beautiful piece of toile fabric.  

I am charmed into the romantic idea that I'm somewhere in the picture.  Scenes of toile are stories of a simpler life and woven around love and landscape.  To me they are like the chalk pictures Burt drew for the children in Mary Poppins... close my eyes and jump... I'm there.

I might be on a picnic or harvesting wheat.  Perhaps I'm enjoying tea with friends.

I escape to far away places and taste of an unknown world rich in history.

Sometimes the scenes are only vignettes of thoughts or dreams.

Can you tell I'm a hopeless romantic?  Can you see my obsession?  What girl wouldn't want to be in one of those fluffy dresses being doted on by a long hair guy in knickers?  Eww... screech... halt... back to reality!  I've seen the movies... those long haired knicker guys don't bathe more than once a month.  The girls can't breath in those funky corsets and really, who wants a guy who has nothing better to do than stare at you longingly on a picnic.  Yes, perhaps that kind of life would be more like living in the movie Enchanted than anything else.  Still, the scenes are beautiful

So beautiful in fact that I want to surround myself with them.  How about this beautiful chest?  OH man, when I found THIS WEBSITE I almost fainted!  I need a majillion of those funky looking L's (if your a Brit you know what they are... probably a lot more valuable than the US dollar... sorry all, nother post) but oh my what hand painted furniture.  Go ahead, check it out but come right back!  Are you back yet?  Good!

Toile paper (craft or wall paper) can be a great touch to any piece of furniture.  Use it on the back of a bookcase or if you're bold (and I am) go ahead and use it on the drawers or the front of a piece of furniture.

And this dear bed.  What lucky girl gets this fabulous toile quilt!  Heaven.  Anyone out there who quilts?  I'll trade a hefty amount of Pretty Organizers for a toile quilt... custom made to whatever colors sizes or shapes you demand... I. Love. Toile.

Now, Here's the Toile Party button.  NO... I still don't know how to code the thing.  I need a major coding tutorial.  So, please feel free to grab the image and put it in your side bar or post... can ya'll figure out how to link it to my blog?  Keep checking my blog sidebar.  When I figure the code out, I'll be sure to post it.  In the mean time... Go forth dear readers, tell one tell all of Toile and when all of us Toile-aholics will join back to partake of the Grand Toile Tour around blogland.  Get those posts ready for March 24th!

Oh, Nester, Julia at Hooked on Houses, Wendy at Shabby Nest, Kimba at Soft Place to Land  are on board!  Go check these ladies out too!  They are as wonderful as their blogs are.  Such kind hearts and so welcoming to a blogging newbie of 4 months!  

Where are you going to add Toile?

Pretty Ready for Spring

Oh my goodness!  Well you great readers keep me on my toes and are asking a LOT of questions.  

First off:  My kids ages are 12, 10, 8, 6, 3, and 1.  Yes, I'm in a delirious state of exhaustion all of the time but also in a wonderful state of bliss and satisfaction.  Motherhood has been all that I dreamed of and even more of what I didn't dream of.  If you want to know more about me read here.

Second:  CHORES!!!  You all want a sure fire way to get those kiddos to work!  So, here's the deal:

I spoke to Mr. Techy Husband and he thinks we can get our "family plan"up and viewable-- no not that kind of family plan... we gave that up years ago.  The chore chart plan should be showable this week and I'll do a post about how this ship runs and even how it bails itself out when it takes on too much water. I'll have more ideas on chore charts and how to get those little punkins to work and be responsible.

Whew... so how many of you are excited for Spring?  Well here in Arizona it's spring.  It was spring weeks ago.  I have birds that are singing and nesting well past 3:30 in the morning (I think all of those birds are getting ready to head North again so take heart those of you in cold country).  So for my blogging buddy Melissa at the Inspired Room, and all of my other friends who are freezing their little touchies off...Here is my post of Spring! Don't hate me for living here folks. Sure it's 85 during the day now but in July, I promise, no one visits the 115 degree heat... I'll be begging for a trip to Michigan or Massachusetts!

Garden Photos BHG.com

My devoted husband, planted the garden and trimmed citrus trees this weekend (with 5 kids working with him).  I was taking part in a 12 hour Council leadership training meeting for Boy Scouts of America... my bum still hurts from sitting and were it not for the pregnant lady sitting next to me and feeding me chocolate, I don't think I would have made it through!

Gardening... I'd love to say that I grow exotic bulbs and prize winning berries but alas, I'm a mother of six and there's only one reason I keep a garden... FOOD!  Well, food and the fact that I do enjoy working with my kiddos... but let's keep it real.  There is something very satisfying about being in the 4:30 dinner rut and wondering what you're going to fix, then walking outside and realizing you have a salad and squash at your fingertips!  Ladies, if you haven't tried a vegetable garden, I promise, when you forget the smell of sweat and manure, it's a wonderfully satisfying thing.  Something about being in the sunshine and working with your hands lifts your spirits and draws you closer to your family and Gods creations.

We've been doing tomatoes for several years.  Did you know you can do a lot of things with those plants.  Here are a few ideas:

If you pinch the side growth of the plant, you can train it to grow tall. VERY TALL.  A simple zip tie or string can secure it to the shape of your choice and walla!  A beautiful garden feature... with edible fruit!  Ya'll knew tomatoes were fruits right- not veggies.

Tomatoes can be grown in the ground, in containers, and even in hanging baskets.  I love the idea of using crates lined with gardening fabric (to keep the dirt from spilling out) and planting a variety of plants for a yummy showy garden.

More tomatoes.

May I just take a moment to plug gardening for kids:  THEY LOVE IT!  My kids worked with hubby this weekend and feel such pride in our garden... AND they eat the food that comes out of it because they planted it, watered it, and prayed for it to grow.  Nothing like raising farmers to teach responsibility.

What do you grow in your garden?

Don't forget to join me tomorrow for Toile Tuesday!  Come enjoy the series each Tuesday through March and link up on the 24th with your TOILE post!