Organizing the Freezer

 I shared on Facebook that I was ordering labels to organize the freezer. Several people {all moms LOL} wanted to see the final result.

For the wire shelving I purchased hang tag labels on eBay. The labels attached to the shelving easily and they seem to be very durable. I plan to use the leftovers to organize the wire shelving in our store room as well.

I debated using the printer to make labels  or using chalkboard labels . I don't believe by printer is waterproof so I used a Sharpie to write each description. I didn't want to come back and discover that the moisture in the freezer caused my labels to be unreadable. I decided against the chalkboard because I don't plan to re-label. The wire shelving labels are movable and aren't sized to a standard label size.

 I labeled the doors with normal Avery name badges.  Because these labels are basic paper, I can wet them to remove. They have been on the freezer shelves for a few weeks and haven't come loose so I would say the extreme cold of the deep freeze doesn't affect the adhesive.

I am very fortunate to have two freezers. The newer one is used for all our meats and the other houses veggies and dairy. Nine people consume a lot of food and being able to buy it in bulk saves us a ton of money each year.

Most of our meats are purchased at Sam's by the case. If you have room in a freezer, ground beef and chicken can be purchased at a huge savings over regular prices. In the last year a friend told me about a store called Chicken City. There are several located in our state and their prices provide great savings.

We like green beans and stir fry veggies from Sam's but our other vegetables are purchased when the local grocery store runs a special. I'm the lady in the store with 20-30 bags of peas, carrots, mixed vegetables and beans in her cart. ;)

Sunday Sunset Horseback Riding

 

We had a beautiful weekend and discussed several things we could do. We were afraid the zoo would be crowded so we passed on that opportunity.

I can't handle walking trails at this stage of pregnancy. Walking is still OK, but I'm concerned about stepping on a rock and one leg moving in a manner it is not supposed to.

We discussed painting our bedroom {a project that has been planned for 5 years!} but I prefer to do the prep work before hand and let Kent help with the furniture moving and painting.

We finally decided to run a few errands and let the kids ride Papaw's horse.

Sarah was last saddled up in mid-July and she seemed to enjoy the cooler temps of this ride time.

Mary Claire even took a turn though she wasn't real keen on petting Sarah to thank her for the ride.

Griffin is old enough now to ride without having to be led.

Sarah seemed to groan under the weight difference between Ty and Mary Claire. The boy barely fits in this saddle anymore!

Liberty wasn't very sure about her horsey ride. Big brother held on tight and Daddy led them around.

Madisyn was the main reason we decided to visit Sarah. Madisyn enjoyed that her brothers and sisters warmed Sarah up and they were free to gallop. Madisyn ran the horse all over the pen.

Liberty has decided that for now, she is much happier riding in the stroller!

Preserving School books

This will be my final installment of "Back to Home School" posts but I will be sharing plenty from our school year as the year goes on.  :-)

Prior to organizing our school books, I protect them. We use My Father's World curriculum which means we use lots of living books. Those living books can add up and be expensive to replace. I take steps to keep them in good condition as long as possible. The first step in preserving our books is keeping them out of the hands of our littles. This is the hardest part. All of our school books are stored in our store room which has a locked door knob. Only readers are allowed to get books out of the store room. As we need the books we bring them to the living room bookshelf. They are placed in our "book basket" that is out of the reach of the smallest kiddos.

The other step I take to preserve our books is placing tape on the binding and edges.

First, I order my supplies. I use clear packing tape, scissors and dots for color coding.

I begin by placing the color dot that corresponds with year of study.

Then I place a piece of packing tape on the top of the book near the spine. I smooth the tape down and then wrap it around the spine and the back cover.

The next step is to repeat the tape process on the front and back covers. I line the tape up on the outside of each cover and then wrap it to the inside. I use my scissors to trim the edges and remove the excess tape.

The final product are paperback books that have their covers reinforced. The color coding stickers are protected and can't fall off. I also use this method to repair spines and covers that are damaged when I purchase books used {the majority of our school books, I do purchase used}.

This post is involved in linky parties on the following sites. Visit them tomorrow to find other great homemaking related posts.

       

Free Homeschool Student ID Cards

You can get up to 5 free Homeschool student ID cards by visiting AlphaCard. These are actual ID cards, not laminated plastic. They have four templates you can choose from and it takes just a few minutes to input your information.

Plus, they're really cute! :-)

School Area Organization

 

I love for things to be neat and tidy. Unfortunately, I have 7 little people who don't feel the same way. ;-) I kept seeing chalkboard labels in various places and decided that they might help me solve my lack of neat and tidy problem. Most of the labels I saw were expensive and had high shipping cost as well. I knew that eventually I would need several so I began researching how to make my own.

 

I began with Avery name badges. I liked the scallop edges on other labels I saw but wouldn't find labels that were already scalloped. I purchased the above label and used an e-xacto knife to remove the brown edge.

Then I got out the big gun. I love this chalkboard spray paint! It covers well. I've made several batches of labels and still have a lot of the can left.

Armed with my labels {with the edges removed} and a cardboard box, I headed outside. Painting, neat and I don't go together! :-)

The labels dried in the sun for a couple of hours and were ready to use.

 

I carefully peeled each one off the back and removed any stray flakes of paint that stuck to the edges. Then I used a chalk pen to write my information on each label and placed them on the containers. I wonder how long before they get thrown back in the school cabinet?!? If I ever need to relabel the containers a wet cloth is all it takes to remove the current writing.

Playing Farmer

 

When we visited the zoo with the Tims Family, they told us about an upcoming Farm and Gin Show. Tractors and equipment are right up our alley so we decided to attend.

 

 We started the day off picking up parts with Daddy and made it to the Convention Center just in time for a fire alarm! We were quite confused because lights were flashing and sirens were blaring but no one seemed phased. We assumed it was a false alarm. While in the restroom the announcer came over the speaker and announced the Memphis Fire Department had declared all clear. It was very strange to see several firemen in full get up walking around.

 

 When planning our trip, I missed that registration was free but required. As Candyce put it - I won't make that mistake again. I waited in line and then amazed one of the workers as the printer continued to supply name tags for our group. When I told her I had a lot I don't think she believed me. By the time the 9th tag came out, she had finally quit asking, "Is this it?". LOL

We met up with the Tims and had enjoyed a wonderful BBQ lunch. We found an empty wall in a hall and gobbled up Corky's BBQ picnic style.

We began our tour of the exhibits in the largest hall. They had some of the biggest tractors we have ever seen. Candyce joked that in 20 years we could come to their farm and see the same equipment that was on display. The kids pointed out that we never get new equipment on Daddy's Lot or at an auction and they sure don't get to crawl all over the nice stuff that does come in!

Little Libby was such a good baby. She was in the back of the stroller and only got upset when it was time for her to eat. She just hung out and enjoyed her view from "down under".

We passed by a soybean booth and the exhibitor asked the kids if they wanted to play Plinko. I don't think my children have ever watched The Price is Right! Other than being a bit short to drop the chip from the top, they proved to be excellent players. Madisyn won some lotion and the boys all went home with crayons {which are probably melted in the van}.

We continued to make our way around the exhibition hall and the boys had to climb on every piece of equipment they came across. I don't think I've heard, "Mommy, take my picture!", so many times.

Anything the big boys did, Henry had to do as well. This resulted in him running behind the pack, but I don't think he even noticed. The smiles never left any of the children's faces.

The best exhibit was the one that served ice cream! Between the Tims Family and us we gave the scooper quite a work out!

Mary Claire looked like a little bird begging for bites from Mommy and Daddy.

 

Henry watched her eating and had compassion on her. He shared his ice cream. What a sweet big brother!

 

While everyone ate ice cream, Liberty and I took a little break. We exited the hall but could find nowhere to sit. We camped out on the floor and waited for the rest of the group to join us.

After a bathroom break {which takes quite awhile with 4 kiddos in diapers, 4 adults and 8 more little ones}, we headed downstairs. We found another extra-large tractor here. Even Daddy decided to check this one out. :-)

 

The main appeal of the tractor was the incredible size of the wheels.  

 

 Each of the big kids took a turn climbing inside.

Of course, some had more room than others. ;-)

We had a great time at the Farm and Gin Show and already have plans to attend next year.