I’m sure you can imagine the number of emails I receive asking for advice on the best ways to design a closet. Yeah… it’s a lot!

And while I don’t mind the questions, I decided that it would be much easier (and save me a bunch of time) if I could simply direct these people to a blog posts with my best closet design tips and tricks. So, if you’re planning a closet renovation, or if you’d just like a few tips to beter utilize the closet you already have, keep reading…

As some of you might already know, my most-favorite photo editing program (Picnik) closed it’s doors a couple weeks ago… which means I can no longer use it’s wonderful services to make fun collages and add cute numbers to Nora’s monthly onesie pictures.
So for the past couple months, I’ve been trying out different photo editing programs… and I’ve decided on my TWO favorites. Thanks to these two programs, I’ll be able to continue editing all my super cute Nora pictures!

Each month, I write several guest posts for different blogs — this past month, I wrote about organizing baby and kid’s clothing, how I use a physical inbox to keep my life organized, and a few tips to “go green” in the office.

Even though I don’t cook gourmet meals, it’s still nice to work with gourmet cooking tools — especially if they are designed specifically with the home chef in mind.

Today’s Weekend Giveaway features a gorgeous 6″ Wüsthof Classic Chopper Knife… and let me tell you, I feel like a gourmet chef when I’m using it!

It’s already the second week of May — which means that school will probably end in less than a month! Seriously, it seems like the school year JUST started!

However, before you officially swap your backpacks and shoes for beach bags and sandals, there are a few simple things you can do NOW to avoid dealing with school clutter all summer long.

I don’t think it’s a big secret that Nora has been quite a challenge for us these first few months! Despite our best and most diligent efforts to get her on any type of schedule or routine… she just won’t have it.

Things are definitely getting better now that she’s almost 6 months old; and looking back, it seems I might be learning more from my fussy babe than I thought.

Two weeks ago, I published a post about my clutter-free car… I had written that post several days before it was published, and about one hour after I took the photos for that post, we got in a car accident and totaled that car.

Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, and we had really good insurance that allowed us to find a great deal on an upgraded vehicle for basically no extra out-of-pocket costs on our part!

The other day, I found a recipe for chocolate cake… in a cup… in the microwave. I had my doubts — I pictured scrubbing chocolate out of the inside of my microwave and scraping crusty stuck-on chocolate from my pretty white mugs long after this little baking experiment was over. Thankfully, I was wrong.

If you’re looking for a delicious dessert for one… or a fun project to tackle with your kiddos, this is it!

One of the hardest parts of running a business (at least for me) is decided what I’m going to charge for my services… and then making sure I actually receive payment for those services. I don’t want to seem greedy or money-hungry — but at the same time, I’m not willing to work for free. If you’ve ever struggled with clients who won’t pay, here are a few ideas to help you collect those payments — and prevent future problems.

I’ve talked about Laundry Tree’s SoapNuts many times on my blog, but that’s because I’ve been using SoapNuts for over a year now… and I REALLY love them!

SoapNuts are a great Laundry detergent substitute for anyone — but especially wonderful for babies, anyone with sensitive skin or allergies. If you’re interested in trying SoapNuts, click through and enter to win one of TEN starter kits!

We are BIG “snackers” in our house — and we ALWAYS have a large assortment of cookies, bars, ice-cream, cake, pie, and candy to pack in our lunches, for dessert, and just to snack on around the house.

And while I’m definitely not opposed to occasional (or somewhat frequent) sweet treats, I know that I have to balance those with healthy snacks throughout the day — especially since I’m almost always hungry. If you love to snack like me, here are some of my favorite quick, healthy snacks!

Last week I showed you a few pictures of how we transformed the landscaping at our old house. We did almost all of the work ourself, and we actually got most of the plants completely FREE.

Now that we are slowly starting to “freshen up” the landscaping around our farmhouse, I’ve started to hunt for more inexpensive plants — here are 4 ways I’ve been able to find free or almost free plants.

I love quiet. I always have. Maybe it’s my opportunity to clear the clutter from my busy brain… but I feel like I need at least a small chunk of silence every single day.

I never listen to the radio, I don’t have any songs on my computer, I keep my phone on vibrate, and I rarely watch TV. However, after Nora was born, my silent time was gone… until I recently figured out a way to reclaim it again!

We celebrated Sarah’s 16th birthday this weekend… and I’m always amazed that after 8 months of living together, there are still SO many things we don’t know about Sarah, her family, and her culture.

And since almost everything I do makes me think of a blog post, I figured there are probably a bunch of things you don’t know about me… even after all this time! So unless you’re a member of my family or a very close friend, here are 10 things you probably don’t know about me!

Even though I am most definitely NOT a coupon blog — I still get lots and lots of questions about how I’m able to get such good deals on groceries.

And while I probably will never go into meticulous detail about how and where I get all my coupons (I’m not a coupon blog for a reason!), here are a few things I do every week that help me save a bunch and keep our grocery budget to around $40 or less per week for 3 adults and one baby (and yes, that includes paper products, cleaning supplies, toiletries, baby items, etc.)

As many of you know, my first few months of motherhood have been quite rough. I’m the person who always follows the rules. I live by lists, bullet points, and step-by-step instructions. I’m overly annoyed when people show up late for meetings, or worse, completely forget about the meeting. I crave order, structure, and predictability. I ALWAYS have a plan.
Then I had Nora — and all that flew out the window!
If you’ve had a similar parenting experience, or if you are currently expecting your first baby… this book is one you might want to read!

I’ve never had a super fancy car… but I’ve always had a clutter-free car!

When I got my first car (’94 Grand Am), I can remember spending SO much time cleaning it and making sure every compartment was neatly organized. Ten years later (and a slightly newer car), I still love cleaning and organizing my car!

Today, I’m giving you a little peek inside my car and sharing a few really simple tips to keep it clutter-free!