Prolly the mostest unChristmasy post in blogland!

I couldn't wait though. See.... I thought I had killed the dishwasher that I had just gotten replaced last May. I called the repairman and he was very nice when he told me "if you hold this button for 3 seconds the child lock goes off and it will work". Yes, all weekend spent handwashing dishes just for him to come out and politely tell me I am an idiot.

But....

I did get to pump him for info. I felt he owed the idiot that much with such an easy repair. We have well water. I am a city girl. I know nothing about well water. Hence, everything that we own that touches our water is orange. No matter how much freaking bleach you use, still comes out orange. I did find out about Works a few years ago and use that on just about everything. I have found out though that Works is not the answer to everything. Did you know it will melt a brillo pad? Yup it will....

So I showed him the inside of my dishwasher and my "I have to have white dishes that my water has turned orange". It's so bad that I have to use Works on my dishes about once every 2 weeks. I also showed him the 8,973rd product that I had bought and not tried yet that promised to get not only my dishes sparkling clean, but my dishwasher as well. He told me that it would help. Help?! I don't want it to "help", I want it to do the work for me so I can sit on the couch eating chocolate covered cherries watching Christmas shows. He told me how to use it and I paid as close attention to him as I could inbetween munching on candy canes. The instructions are on the bottle.

So let us fast forward to after I followed the directions and opened the dishwasher.... Holy Crap! That stuff really works! I almost dropped my ginormous gingerbread man I was decapitating. It was sparkling clean! So sparkling clean that I actually cleaned all the dishes, even the good ones we never use.

Thankfully, they were nice enough to call back the next day to make sure the idiot was pleased. I told her how wonderful he was to suggest Lemon Shine even though I had gotten it 3 days before he came out. I gave him the credit cause who would believe the idiot who didn't know the child lock was engaged on her dishwasher and spent all weekend hand washing dishes. I asked her what to do about my white laundry that is orange now.

She told me to use Iron out and soak them overnight in it and then wash. Okay, soak I can do. As long as there is no hand washing involved. She also told me to not use bleach since that will not help with rust, but to get some Borax for stains. I was even still on the phone with her when I jumped in my car to go to the store to get Iron Out and Borax. You know what?! That stuff works too! Our clothes actually look like I did wash them. No more orange clothes for us!

So now I am off to the store in my pearly white whites to fetch some vittles to put on my super clean white dishes. I am trying to figure out a reason to call them back to find out how to get stains out of my living room carpet.

Wish me luck!

Memories of Eddie

I come from a large family even though I only have one sister. My grandparents had 8 kids, three girls and 5 boys. My dad grew up during the depression. He has told us stories of growing up and their family was close and pulled together. My grandfather bought a pony and would take it around the neighborhood taking pics of kids on it on the weekends.

They went on to give them 31 grandkids. We were just as close growing up also. I remember spending lots of time with my cousins. Spending the night at each others houses too. I was the 8th oldest out of the bunch. My cousin Julie was my best friend growing up since we were only a few weeks apart in age. Her oldest brother, Rich, has always been my hero. Julie and I were playing at the top of the stairs at my grandmothers house with her new puppy. Needless to say, I tripped over it's leash and took a header down the stairs. Rich was the one who carried me into the house all bloody. Eddie and his brother Bill heralded our arrival with "we didn't do anything grandma!"

Eddie was always there. The oldest of the grandkids. Our leader. I always thought he was so much older than me, but it was only by 6 years. It was always fun to be around him when I was younger. He was honest and said what was on his mind. He was strong and yet gentle. He joined the Marines after high school and loved it.

While he was in the Marines he had a breakdown. It ended up that he was discharged from the Marine Corps that he loved so much. He was diagnosed as being schizophrenic. Here was a wonderful person, a brother, a son, a cousin, a grandson trapped in a world that wasn't his. His mind stole so much from him, but worst of all it stole his future. It also weakened his body. The medications designed to help him weakened him. His heart, which was always strong, gave out. The body trapped by his mind could not take no more. He was 54 and now 6 years does not seem like such a big difference.

I still mourn for the life that was lost. The life that should of loved and been loved. The life that should of influenced the world through children of his own. He deserved so much and received so little. He was the first of the grandchildren to bring joy and tears. It will be a sad reminder of how the diseases of the mind can rob a life.

It is also a lesson on how strong a family is. It was comforting to be surrounded by family during this sad time. Even though the structure has fallen apart since my grandmother died, it was comforting to have cousins supporting cousins. The holidays may be overshadowed by his passing, but the spirit is alive with the support of family.

I have and always will love you Eddie.

Catching Up! Again....

It seems that this last part of the year has been so crazy. I have just gotten lost and caught up in all the goings ons here. I have been starting over on some things. Trying to rearrange my life to accommodate 3 kids in school and going back to work for Jeff.

It's not going well....

But.... I thought I would show you some pics of some good things that did happen around here.

We found a new zoo that the kids enjoyed. Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek. The bitty one here loved feeding the little birds.

Then the crazy school year started! One in high school, one in middle school and one in preschool. The bitty one just loves school! She still does not understand why she can't go all day 5 days a week.

Neither do I honey.... neither do I....

She just loves her teacher. I don't know if you would find a better teacher to expose your kids to. She is just wonderful! You can tell that she really enjoys the kids and teaching.

Of course I volunteered to bring the snack for the first day since I had so much time on my hands! Fruit made to look like flowers stuck on sticks. Thankfully, the kids loved it!

Then came this ham's birthday. 12 years old! Here is his own rendition of dressing like a homecoming queen! It is very disturbing having your son coming and asking if you have a pair of high heels he can use!

Then of course we had the big day. First dressed up dance for Brianna! Dad even got her a corsage. Aren't they cute?

There was the manicure and pedicure....

....the hair....

....and the dress. Which all added up to mom crying over her "baby" looking so grown up!

Then came Hammy's birthday. He didn't really want a party so we took him and his friend Michael to the Howell Nature Center. They did the zip line....

....had lots of laughs about it....

....screamed and yelled the whole way across the ravine....

....and then climbed the tower. They loved it!

Then it was over to the amusement center for a couple of hours of video games and go carting.

The bitty one and her class also had their first field trip. They read the book "Little Red Hen" followed by a trip to the Great Harvest Bread Company. They learned how the bread is made and got to sample some also. I know I gained 5 pounds just walking into the place from the smells. Mmmmm.....

The it was onto Halloween. The bitty one decided to dress as Minnie Mouse this year.

Her teacher looked so cute dressed as Snow White that I just had to sneak her in....

The bitty one was so proud of her pumpkin that she helped to carve. Of course, she wouldn't clean out the seeds cause that was GROSS!

Now it is onto their little Thanksgiving Feast. They all were so cute singing their song they learned about Thanksgiving!

Now to just try to survive the holidays with some sense of sanity. They have already started out bad. I lost my cousin Eddy this past Sunday. He passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 54. The service is this Friday.

I do want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter.

Having "The Talk" With A 3 Year Old

No..... not that "talk". The other "talk".

You know the one. The "talk" where you have to break the news to her that Blankie can't come to preschool. Yeah, that talk. She did take it pretty good though. She starts preschool on Monday and is very excited about it.

Later that afternoon, I heard her talking in the living room. I snuck in and there she was sitting on the couch with Blankie. She was having "the talk" with Blankie. She told Blankie that even though she loves her and wants her to do everything with her, she can't come to preschool. It's only for a few hours and when she gets home she will tell her all about it every day. Then she gave her Blankie a big hug and kiss. It was so cute!

In the meantime though, these stripper tapes are kicking my bum! I have done them 2 days in a row but today.... my chubby girl parts are screaming! If the screaming aching parts are what are getting the workout, I am happy. Those parts need to have their bums kicked into gear. The best thing though is a hot bath. The best thing to go with a hot bath? Scrubbing salts! Yvonne @ Stone Gable did an awesome post on how to make your own scrubbing salts. She is so uber cool! I mean how awesome are you when you make your own scrubbing salts?!

I did change it up a bit. Just a bit though. I mean there are only so many things that you can do with 1,852 pounds of cucumbers. I made pickles, relish, salads.... but you start to run out of ideas. Working with all those cucumbers I realized how much I love the smell of them. So.... here is one more ideas to do with cucumbers.

I followed the Stone Gable tutorial on how to make the smelling salts here. I used a vegetable oil though. Grape seed oil and olive oil have a smell that I didn't want to incorporate into my salts. I made an infused oil to use.

In a small pan add the oil, one sliced cucumber and 5 mint leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the oil to remove the cucumber, seeds and mint leaves. Let the oil cool to room temp and proceed with the Stone Gable tutorial. I also omitted the food coloring as the cucumber/mint infused oil will turn the salts a pale green. It is pure heaven! Although Yvonne's scents are also incredible too. I can't decide which I like more!

Hmmm.... maybe I need to go and try them both again....

The First Day Always Sucks

Today was the first day of the Reinvention Party. I did change it up a bit though. I am trying to lose inches not necessarily weight. I could care less what my weight is the inches are what bugs me. I know that sounds odd. I learned long ago in the army that when you are dieting and excercising you need to check your inches. Muscle that is in shape and tone will weigh more than muscle that isn't. Alot of people get discouraged when they are dieting because they feel they are getting smaller but not losing pounds. My goal is to lose 10" around the waist and 3" off the bum.

So, what does a fat wannabee stripper eat? I know you all are dying to know! I did change things up a bit for my own tastes.

Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs wrapped in a wheat tortilla with salsa, 1/2 banana and a small glass of juice.

Snack- 1 slice of bread with 1 tsp of peanut butter

Lunch- 2 cups of spinach with 1/4 cup diced ham, 1 oz cheese, 1 hardboiled egg and 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.

Snack - 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1 apple

Dinner - 2 veggie burgers with 1 cup broccoli and 1 cup carrots, cooked

It doesn't sound like alot but eating every 2 hours did make me feel full all day.

I was even good and didn't just watch the exercise DVD's. I actually participated. There I was in the living room feeling good cause I could actually do the exercises with out getting a cramp in some ridiculous position. My hubby walked in to get something and I just thought I was looking really good doing these.

"Are you doing those stripper exercises?"

"Yup" says me trying to pour on the sexy look.

"And you are doing this for exercise not some new career right?"

Heehee I think. I look so good doing these he is starting to get worried! "No, they are just for exercise."

"Good, cause I was going to tell you to practice more if it was a new career"

Guess who just slipped from my #1 customer slot....

I Don't Want To Make You Jealous....But I Can Still Wear The Earrings I Wore In High School!

It's the end of summer.

I don't know if that is a good thing or not.

The kids are back in school. I don't know why Brianna got on the high school bus this morning. Can I really be old enough to have a high schooler?

Nah....

2 down and one to go. The bitty one will be starting preschool next Monday. 3 days a week for 3 hours I will have nothing but deafening silence. She is so excited but I don't think that she realizes that Mom is not staying with her. She asked me what I was going to wear for my first day of preschool the other day.

Just a big huge smile honey!

Thank you to everyone for your concern. Thank goodness no bail was required! Now maybe things will settle down and get back to normal. Whatever normal is. Even some semblance of normal would be welcome.

I have decided on one thing though. The other day I was cleaning in the basement and came across some pics. I was looking through them. One pic I found and I thought "Who's the fat old lady.... OMG! THAT'S ME!" I don't know who thought that it would be funny to give me wrinkles and an extra 50 pounds but I don't find it amusing.... a bit! So one thing that I will be doing is changing the eating habits and starting a workout program. Yes I will! Right after I finish off that apple pie and gallon of ice cream.... Now to incorporate the diet with the family without them knowing it. For the next couple of weeks I am going to try. I'll also try to post the meal plans here if anyone else is interested.

As for these excercise DVDs, I don't know about them. I had to take a nap after just watching them to see what they had in store. I saw these tapes advertised on TV and thought they looked fun. Like working out without knowing you were working out. The fun part is that they also teach you how to do exotic dancing. I mean, did you expect me to get a normal workout tape?! I did start out with the small group which doesn't include the stripper pole and DVD tapes. I figured the last thing I need is to try to explain to everyone how I ended up with my ears wrapped around my butt trying to use it. I do have to say though that after watching these DVDs I now know why all the good strippers have bodies to kill for. If anyone else would like to be a closet stripper, here is the link for the DVDs.

I also have some recipes coming up. The garden has been overflowing and keeping me busy trying to keep up. I mean, how many different things can you do with a cucumber? I know that sounds weird after all the stripper pole talk, but I do have a "recipe" for you all that I am just nuts for. As for now, I have a menu to plan for the week....

August Inspiration Post!

I know, it's a day late. Sorry!

To make things worse, I can't even show you the pics that my August Inspiration inspired me to do!

I suck....

royally....

....but what doesn't suck is my inspiration! She is just gorgeous, EXTREMELY talented and funny too! Plus, she loves Stephen King! She is none other than....

Jan from Bobbypins Boardwalk!

Besides making my button for the Inspiration Party, she did a faux treatment on her front door. In fact, that was the first post that I ever saw of hers. After a year of drooling over it, I finally tried it.

This is Jan's door, not mine cause remember I suck and have no pics yet. I am not even going to attempt to tell you how I did it. Actually, I followed Jan's wonderful tutorial which you can find here. There are also lots of other goodies on her site. It definitely is a must visit blog!

So Jan!

Thank you for inspiring me and many others!

As soon as the hubs gets home I will post pics of my door. I just wanted to get this done!

Now, if you would like to tell someone who has inspired you thank you, make a post and join the fun!

Tag you're it!

The party ends August 5th!

P.S. Just in! Here is a pic of my door that I did following Jan's tutorial!

Thanks Jan for the awesome tutorial! It turned a plain white steel door into a thing of beauty!

Posted at BNOTP Met Monday

Posted at

I Spy With My Little Eye Something Green!

Holy crapmo! The farmhouse is about to be run over with cukes! These are some of the first ones that I picked. First batch and I got 15 with lots more coming in!

So..... what is a girl to do with so many cukes?!

Make some pickles!

I mean, I have so much time on my hands. It's not like I have a basement to clean for the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge or a secret project to work on for the Inspiration Party or anything like that....

I found a case of jars in the basement and got busy.

Those black eyed susans are such hams!

I sliced the 2 cucumbers (about 1/8" thick), then 2 of the onions and put some salt on top. Kept doing this til the cucumbers and onions were all done. I used about 1/3 cup of kosher salt total. Then I put a layer of ice on top, covered with a towel and let them sit for an hour or so.

If I had a better camera, maybe my pics would not be so blurry....

When the cuke mixture had sat for an hour I drained, rinsed and drained.

About halfway through the cukes sitting time I started the jars and bands boiling. When the cukes were done, I made the brine.

2 cups sugar

2T mustard seed

2t turmeric

1t ginger

1t peppercorns

3 cups white vinegar

Add all these ingredients to a stockpot and bring to a boil. If you do have a cold, this will definitely clear your sinuses! Add the cukes after they have been drained, rinsed and drained. Bring to a boil again. Then add the pickles to hot jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

These are a sweet and sour kind of pickle. Really good! You do have to let these sit for about a week before trying them.

Now, something to make all you city folk cry!

These 2 little beauties come to my yard atleast once a day. Sometimes they are here 3 or 4 times. My yard is full of clover and they just love to munch on it. We think their mother may have been hit by a car, cause we have never seen a doe with them. This was right outside my kitchen window one morning.

As for the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge, would you believe that I found this in the basement? It now holds all our current paperwork. 3 boxes were cleaned out and are now neatly stored in here. Even in file folders with what is in the file folder labeled on them! I have been working on getting some general mess cleaned up down there now. I almost have enough done to show off my progress so you can see I have made progress!

I also got Step 1 of my Inspiration Post done too!

Woo Hoo! I am off like a herd of turtles!

Jeanine Was Here!

I just loved spending the day with Jeanine and her hubby! They are just 2 of the nicest people that you would ever meet!

I forgot to take pics and this was the only one that I snuck in! You know someone really truly is your BF when you give her a horrible home perm and you still stay friends.

Oh yes I did.....

But that may be another post.

It was so great to catch up, eat lots of food and play cards all night. We just enjoyed them and can't wait for the next time that we can get together again.

Of course, the kids had to be little showoffs.

Bitty One had to show just how dirty she could get playing in mud with the dog.

Somewhere under all that dirt is a cute little girl.... I think....

I was just so excited for Jeanine to come over that I made most of the food Friday and guess what I did?

Forgot to take pics!

Sunday though, I made a frittata for breakfast. The kids just love these! You can put any kind of combination you want in them. You do need to use a skillet that you can put under the broiler.

I started with 3 large potatoes, half an onion and a clove of garlic. I peeled and sliced the potatoes and chopped the onions and minced the garlic.

I cooked the onions in 4 tablespoons of olive oil til they were translucent. Then added the potatoes and garlic. These cooked about 15 minutes til they were done.

While they were cooking, I added 8 eggs, 2 tablespoons of cream, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, chopped smoked bacon, a package of frozen spinach thawed and drained, salt and pepper. Mix it all together. When the potatoes are done, spread them out over the bottom of the skillet and added the egg mixture and spread that over the potatoes. Cook til the egg mix is set but the top is still runny.

Cook in the broiler til the top is golden brown. Carefully remove from the broiler and with a rubber spatula loosten the frittata and slide onto a plate. Cut into pie wedges and serve!

So yummy! My kids love this and I usually have to make 2! They don't even turn their noses up at the spinach.

This week it is back in the basement and working on my Inspiration Post! Don't forget to come and join in on the fun on the 31st! I am keeping my fingers crossed that my project turns out as well as my Inspiration's did!

Jammin' At The Farmhouse!

I decided that I just didn't have enough to do what with the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge, My July Inspiration Post, my BF from high school visiting, that I would stop everything and make Strawberry Jam!

I mean who could resist when you find strawberries for $2 a lb!

I love canning foods to use later. My jam stash is getting kinda low too. So here we go!

Wash and destem the berries. 1 lb of berries = 1 quart.

Put them in a large stockpot and crush them up a bit with a potato masher. 2 quarts of berries will make 4 pint jars of jam. I used 1/2 pint jars. For every 2 quarts of berries add 6 cups of sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until it reaches the desired thickness. I tend to make mine runny since the kids like it like that.

Have your jars all clean and the caps off. Before ladling the jam into the jars you will want to skim off the foam. Leave a 1/4" headspace and put the 2 piece caps on. Do not tighten the rings all the way.

Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Carefully remove from canner and let cool. When cool enough to handle, tighten the rings.

This jam is super yummy with hot fresh homemade bread.

I would make some, but I have too much to do right now....

Finally! Something Worth Bragfesting About!

I am such a bad bloggy friend. Jan @ Bobbypinsboardwalk always enters all my silly little games and I haven't done a Bragfest in so long!

Now, this seems it is the last one! I wish her the best of luck in her new job! Just as long as it doesn't take her away from blogdom!

Remember those hornworms? Yeah, stinky little buggers! I read on the internet that there is 2 ways, without chemicals, to get rid of them. Of course since I plucked those 7 off I haven't seen any more.

1. Invite wasps to your garden. Like Deborah @ The Fairfield House said the wasps lay their eggs on the hornworms and the larvae suck them dry. Ewwww! I don't want wasps since the garden is right next to the back patio where we spend our summer. Also the kids love exploring in the garden.

2. Attract birds. I guess to a bird this is a gourmet meal. Double ewwww! I hope they will take them elsewhere to munch on them.

Sooooo.... we need a birdbath. A feeder will just encourage the squirrels to come closer to the house.

Since I have been cleaning out the basement and realizing how much money I waste on crap, I decided to make my own birdbath. What can I use for a pedestal?

A little help from the Valley Girl and OMG! I got a pedestal! I used Gorilla Glue and glued 4 flower pots together.

Now for a dish to hold water....

Our next model, the Bitty One, is modeling one of those dishes that you put under a flower pot. Finally! The tray is on top!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

A little Modest White paint by Sherwin Williams.

Ok, maybe we need a bit more....

A freehand vine painted on the pedestal to kinda hide the fact that they are flowerpots glued together.

It still needs something though....

Ta daaa! The little iron bird I found at the antique store last year looks right at home here!

I've tried to get pics of the birds in it. I even had a peregrine falcon visit! I tell them to wait while I go get my phone, but they don't listen.

So there ya have it! My easy peasy cheesy birdbath. Which by the way, cost 0 dollars to make!

Woo hoo!

Don't forget to come and check out all the projects at Bobbypins Boardwalk's Bragfest!

Also posted at DIY Show Off's Project Parade! More great ideas to check out there also!

Giveaway Winner!

Guess you all are wondering who out of the 4 brave ladies won the giveaway?

By random selection of the bitty one it is....

Art Teacher Girl!

And do you know what else? Today is her birthday! How fun to win on your birthday!

The basement is still going strong! I am up to 9 boxes that I have condensed down to 2 and 3 bags of garbage! I would show you the wonderful hole in the junk it has created but....

I HAVE NO CAMERA!

As soon as the hubby gets home from Chicago I will show you my progress and my gorgeous library table that is just about uncovered! My dad was actually going to throw it away. His wife said it was ugly and not going in HER house! I brought it home, the hubby stripped it and stained it for me. The first time she saw it she commented on what a beautiful table it was and if I ever got rid of it she would like it. I reminded her where I got it and what she had said about it cause I am that bitchy. She didn't have much to say after that.

I'm going to use it in my craft room. I have also come across a chess set that I started, oh about 8 years ago for my hubby. Black are cowboys and white is indians. I never finished painting it. So I guess first project to do is finish it and make a chess table for it.

I have been going to battle with these ugly creatures also....

Is that not the most disgusting thing you have ever seen? It's a tomato hornworm. They get HUGE too! They are eating my tomatoes! I found 7 on my plants. Me and the Valley Girl pulled them off and put them in a jar. I dumped them in the weeds where hopefully they find something more tasty than my tomatoes! You can also get a certain type of wasp that kills them. I don't think I want to encourage wasps in the garden though since it is right next to the patio where we sit at alot. I may get a bird bath though. Once site says that birds love these guys. As long as they carry them off somewhere else to eat them!

Yuck!

So that's all folks!

I am off to do more damage in the basement, stake up my tomato plants that the winds wreaked havoc on yesterday and work on my secret project!

I did get my menu figured out for this Saturday!

BBQ Chicken with Whiskey BBQ Sauce

Coleslaw White Farmhouse Style (you'll want to try this one!)

Grilled Corn

Cheesy Zucchini (I have owed this recipe for such a long time!)

Blueberry Dumplings over Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Iced Tea

Lemonade

I will try to get a post done about everything with recipes! and pics!

Again.... so much to do and so little caffeine!

Making Plans for the Event of the Year!

I am sooooo excited about this! We are having a very special guest that is coming to the White Farmhouse! I've been putting off telling you about it to not jinx it.

NO! I am NOT pregnant, just fat!

This special guest is the only reason that I survived my teen years. She was always there for me. We grew up together and lost contact. Our 30th high school reunion is coming up and we reconnected. I have found out that I still just love her cause she is perfect and she loves me besides all my faults. She is the yin to my yang. She is shy, quiet and polite. I am loud, obnoxious and rude. The last time that I saw her was when she got married.... 20 years ago!

Now she is coming to the farmhouse!

I have one week to thoroughly clean the house, find some old pics of us to make her a little scrapbook, come up with a fantabulous menu and teach my kids manners.

Plus, get on the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge! You still have a chance to win the giveaway here . Come on, show us your mess! I am so proud of myself so far! I wanted to do a box a day and I am 3 boxes ahead of schedule! So far, nothing has ventured back into the basement either. I know eventually some stuff will, but it WILL be organized!

I also have a project that goes along with my Inspiration Post! I am so excited about this too! In my mind's eye it looks gorgeous, so we will see what the end result will be..... The person that is my inspiration this month did a fantabulous tutorial which I am following to the letter! Wait til you see her end result!

The garden is also taking off! I am about ready to be overwhelmed with veggies! I see lots of recipes and canning in my future posts! This weekend I have to put more stakes in plants since they are falling over and taking the stakes already there with them! I have one poor tomato plant that got really energized and has about 20 tomatoes on it and is about to collapse on itself!

So much to do and so little caffeine!

Let The Challenge Begin!

Today starts the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge! I have been so excited to start this. All weekend I have been planning on what I am going to do with my reclaimed space! Congrats to those that entered pics! You still have time to enter those pics for the giveaway. Just click here. To those of you who didn't, put your big girl pants on and just do it!

I've gotten 5 boxes done so far! My goal is a box or bag a day.

I did get excited this weekend. I was telling my hubby about the challenge and that I WISH I HAD A GREAT CAMERA TO TAKE PICS TO IMMORTALIZE IT FOR ALL OF BLOGDOM TO SEE! He said "Oh, that reminds me, I got you something! It's in the truck".

Could it be? Has all my whining and crying worked it's magic?

I was clapping and squealing like my 3 year old running to the truck. Hmmm, I don't see a camera here. Maybe if I look under this Tractor Supply bag....

He says it's in the bag....

Do you see my camera yet?

Ok.... that pic is basically to brag about how HUGE my veggie garden has gotten!

Me neither. As a consolation prize he did get me this new hose that doesn't look like a snake.

It's a soaker hose too.

Yeah, yeah, yeah....

If I had a good camera I could take better pics of it though....

Don't forget the first contest of the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge ends this Saturday.

The Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge Kick-off With A Giveaway!

Monday July 12th is the start of the Fantabulous Basement/Storage Challenge. I changed up the name a bit to give those of you who don't have a basement a chance to join in on the fun! If you have a disorganized storage area or garage that you would like to do, feel free to jump in.

To kick off the challenge, I have a dare!

I dare you to post pics of your mess!

Put your big girl pants on and just do it!

Here's mine. I say that like I am so proud of it or something. It greats you right as you open the door to the basement.

At the bottom of the stairs you are supposed to be able to turn right or left.

To the right....

Is my luxurious and spacious laundry room. I even put a table in here like I would ever want to stand here and fold laundry!

The freezer is located in this area also. Also a baker's rack that has become a catch all for anything that doesn't have a home.

To the left....

....is 2 larger areas filled with crap. My husband calls it 2 rooms since there is a wall and doorway in the center. The bags are clothes that the kids have worn from birth to now. This area is mostly paperwork from 1996, old computers, furniture and even a fishtank.... somewhere....

I'm not even going to apologize for the blurry pics. I took them with my camera phone since I STILL DON'T HAVE A CAMERA! Speaking of which there are probably a few down here somewhere.

The piles just seem never ending! A credenza sits in the middle with a very narrow walkway around it to get to the copier. Yes, I do have a copier here too.

The other room is even spookier. It has the furnace in here somewhere. There are 2 light fixtures, one of which has been burned out for awhile.

Under this pile is a table.... somewhere. At one time I did have this organized enough to use this room as a craft room. So this is mostly craft crap and holiday decorations.

Yes, it even was nice enough at one time for me to get this organizer for all my scrapbooking stuff. You can't really see the top, but it is piled with junk too. You also have to move junk out of the way to get anything out of here or even get to it!

This pile is mostly decorations that I haven't been able to use for a few years and gift wrapping stuff. It's all in bins.... with junk piled on top cause I gave up on the whole organization thing.

There is no corner of this room that is safe. I do have about 8 shelving units that I got to organize all the crap with. Stuff got piled up in front of them though making it hard to put stuff back so the stuff that is supposed to go on them is now joining the stuff that is piled in front of them.

So there is my mess. I would like to take my craft area back, have an area for canned goods. The other room I want to make a playroom/library/office area. The laundry room I would like to be able to actually do laundry in.

So now it's your turn! Show us your mess!

As you can see Linky is here to help!

Anyone brave enough to give a tour of your mess will be entered in a giveaway.

What will you possibly get?

A giveaway of cleaning products! Not just any cleaning products, but DIY cleaning products.... with recipes to make more.... in pretty jars and bottles.... and maybe a few more goodies....

Just enter your link. The chance to enter ends July 17th. We will then have a poll for all your fellow bloggers to vote for the "Best of the Mess"!

Come on! I showed mine now show us yours!