Works For Me - Scrapbooking Organization

With my first daughter I was on top of things. She was a great sleeper so once she was in bed for the night I would often work on her scrapbook. I was always up-to-date. Enter second child....my goal was to have their individual books complete at each birthday. It worked but it was a struggle. I get pregnant with a third and am totally overwhelmed with what I need to scrap...to the point that I hated taking pictures because I knew they would have to be put somewhere.

The Solution:

I will make three by-hand scrapbooks for each girl.

Zero to one year

one year to two

two years to four

This makes the task not so daunting and there is an end in site. After age four it's a digital photo book for each year. Those things are a breeze to put together. And in another three years I will be completely done with the whole scrapbook phase. I'll be OK with that! This works for me.

Check out We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

Works For Me - Magazine Article Organization

I have learned that if I save an entire magazine I will not go back and look at anything in it. Tearing the pages out that I find helpful (the VERY FIRST time I read it) saves me a lot of time. I use an accordion file to stash these away for the times I am looking for a project. I organize them first by holiday...so I can just grab my Easter folder about now and see what I can come up with for the festivities. I even store holiday related recipes in there. I know I won't need them any other time during the year so why not have it all together? I also have random categories such as Birthday Party Themes, Everyday Crafts, Cookie Decoration, Gardening, etc.


You can see by the labeling that the file was also once my Alphabet file. I would cut things out that started with that letter so that when I needed them for an impromptu letter lesson I would have them handy. I also use a similar filing system for recipes that I have not yet tried so have not earned a place in my recipe box yet. You can see that HERE.


This works for me!

What do you do with all of the magazine articles you find?

For other Works For Me! Wednesday ideas go to We Are That Family.

Recipe Organization (for those waiting to be tried)

I am a recipe junkie. I read cookbooks like novels and would choose a good food magazine over People any day. What do you do with the hundreds of recipes you've cut out, printed off, saved on your hard drive, or have been given but have not yet tried? I first stuffed them in my recipe box until one night when it was an overflowing mess I purged everything that I had not yet made. I threw away hundreds (really) of recipes I'm pretty sure would never make it to the table. My recipe box is now designated for only those tried and true dishes. My recipe box thanked me and I am forever grateful that I don't have to sort through hundreds of recipes to find my favorites.

For all those screaming "Pick me! Try me!".....This is what I've come up with. Each category gets a file folder (appetizers, sides, main dishes, etc.). When I put a recipe in that file I write in on the front (broken down into further categories). If it's a recipe in a magazine I don't want to tear apart (Taste of Home or Penzey's ONE - never heard of Penzey's? You MUST check them out!) I write the recipe name, which magazine, edition, and page I can find it. I cross off the recipe once it has been made and it either makes it to the big leagues (recipe box) or is sent packing (trash). I use one big accordion file to keep them all together. Sound a little OCD? Whatever. It works for me!

Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!