What do I clean first??

One of my dear friends was visiting and we were talking about babies, cooking, house cleaning and the like. Of course the conversation consisted of how difficult it is to do "everything" while having a toddler and a baby and our attempts (or at least mine cause she is so awesome!) to create routines and stick with them. For me, the master bedroom/bathroom tends to be the last thing touched in my house cleaning because it seems the least important... or is it?

I was challenged years ago by a very respectable woman in our church who said that if anything is clean and orderly in the house, it should be the master bedroom. As women and moms, our bedroom is our retreat. As husband and wife, it is our place of intimacy. But do I use the space that way? Or do I use it to place laundry loads, collect important papers, scattered books, etc. Though I don't spend a ton of time in my bedroom or bathroom, the time that I DO spend needs to be high quality and I need to enjoy the space.

So, my challenge to myself and maybe to you... for the next couple weeks, let's spend fifteen minutes (because we can all find 15 minutes!) a day transforming our master bedroom and bathroom.

Here's our steps:

1. Put items away (laundry, papers, etc.)

2. De-clutter. What do we really need? What clothes can we give away?

3. Dust. This includes the fan!

4. Organize. My jewelry is a hot mess and my shoes could use some help!

5. Re-decorate. Shop the rest of your house for decorations. What can you swap
from room to room or make a new use for?

6. Enjoy!!

Take some before and after pics! :)

A recipe from way back when...

Many of the moms I know, including myself, are looking for dinner meals to make that are are easy on the budget and not time consuming. Sometimes I revert back to meals I ate growing up. They give me the warmness feeling of home and as a mom, I understand why my mom made it. :) Kids love the potato chip and cheese topping...

Rigatoni and Ham Bake

Ingredients:
2 quarts of water 2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil 3 1/2 c. rigatoni pasta
2 c. diced cooked ham 4 oz. (1 c.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. butter 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 1/2 c. milk 2 oz. (1/2 c.) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. crushed potato chips paprika, if desired


(This picture from my phone does not do it justice)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water in large deep pot with 2 tsp salt and the oil. Add rigatoni and stir. Cook uncovered after water returns to a full rolling boil for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain and rinse under hot water. In a large bowl, combine cooked rigatoni, ham and 1 cup of cheese. In medium sauce pan, melt butter. Blend in flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and mustard. Add milk all at once. Cook on medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Combine sauce with rigatoni mixture. Turn into 2 quart casserole dish. Toss 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese with potato chips; sprinkle over top of casserole. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

*You could easily add in some peas to this meal for the veggies.

Big, chewy and chocolatey means you can't go wrong!

I thought baking some cookies with my two year old daughter would be some fun quality time. I got this *chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe and we got to work!

I pre-measured out the ingredients and put it into bowls. It would give me a few more bowls to clean but Hailey can participate more by pouring the contents of one bowl into another than cracking egg shells and using measuring cups. (Though I do look forward to teaching her how to cook and bake in the coming years!!)





The cookies were delish!! Big, chocolatey and chewy! The recipe is definitely a keeper. :)



*We refrigerated the cookie dough for about 45 minutes before we baked the cookies.