A bit of organizing

Must be the new year.  The organizing bug has gotten to me and I just couldn't stand it any longer.  We have a cabinet in our kitchen that we lovingly call "Delta".  Delta is our catch all for every little odds-and-ends thing that we don't know what to do with.  Things have been so crammed in there that it was impossible to find things.  It is also the cabinet that serves as our make shift "Command Center" of the house.  I have everything in there from pens and pencils, bills to pay and automotive log books to Ibuprofen, Scentsy and CD's.  Something had to change.

Seriously, this cabinet could not hold another thing. 

Up on the top shelf on the right was Guy's stockpile of pills.  He always hated that he could never see in that drawer when he needed a new bottle of something.  I also realized that I didn't need bubbles right at my fingertips anymore. 

A look from the other side.  This is the side that is accessible from the kitchen side of things. 

 First step was to pull everything out and wipe down the shelves.  OK.  I left the keys and the Scentsy.

 A ton of junk came out of Delta.

All put back together.  Pens and pencils and such are more accessible and I even put together a little "homework tote" for the girls.  I has everything that they need to get their homework done after school.  Candles got moved to the top since I rarely light them. 

A closer view of everything. 

A view from the other side.  Guy's pills have been moved to the bottom so he can get to them a lot easier.  I just hope that I can keep it this way.  It is so nice to be able to find things.

Gingerbread Houses

I love making gingerbread houses every year at Christmas time.  Before kids, I would try and make the most perfect house on the gingerbread block.  Now, I love watching the kids and their creativity shine and I throw "perfect" out the window.  I am also very grateful for my mom and sister that lend me some much needed extra hands to assist the kids.  Amelia enjoyed making a house with Auntie Tamara right at her side.  Elliot took breaks from playing with toys every so often to add a little touch to his house.  Ashley and I got to work together on her beautiful creation.

Tori's beautiful house.

Becky and Tam working away.  Love those gummy butterflies for the roof.

 Lori always has the most perfect house.

 Linda and Erin working away.

 Ashley loved using these cute Christmas pretzels for her roof and candy canes around every window.  She was very meticulous and knew exactly what she wanted every step of the way. 

Elliot making a snow storm.  I gave up on trying to keep him from eating the candy on his house.  The tree is now only half a tree and it is missing all of its frosting and candy canes.  His roof broke off so he has taken it upon himself to take big bites out of it.  I could always tell after he had been snacking on his house since his face would be covered in powdered sugar.

Amelia's house.  She did a great job and stuck with it to the end.

Ashley's house.  She did most of it herself and picked out the most perfect circle for her pond.

The whole group of kids.  Oh my, 4 out of the 9 are mine!

The fun really started on our drive home.  We drove the truck up to Salt Lake to deliver a TV to Tamara and Brian but apparently didn't think about the return trip.  The girls were really good about holding their gingerbread houses very carefully in the back seat and I held onto one in the front.  Elliot's house (being held by Ashley) slid off it's foundation just before we got home.  So, I was reaching into the backseat to help Ashley and still holding onto her gingerbread house in the front.  We were all glad to get home and get the houses to their new home.