by Guest Blogger | Jan 14, 2017 | Blog, Clutter Free, The Get Organized Project, tips and ideas |

by Kelsee Keitel
Would you join me in a moment of silence for all the Tupperware containers lost due to my neglect? First stranded in my vehicle for weeks, then tossed to their dumpster deaths?
I can’t tell you the number of Tupperware containers I’ve thrown away without even attempting to open last month’s leftover salad. (At least I think that was salad; you never can tell after 30 days.)
Sometimes I think my Camry is more like a scrapbook than a car.
If given the chance to ride shot-gun amongst my leftover lunches, you may notice the floorboards are littered with last week’s junk mail, sermon flyers from at least four Sundays back, and straw paper memories of the last several early morning fast food breakfast meals I’ve consumed (Chicken-Minis anyone?).
Make your way to the backseats, and you’ll find a baker’s dozen of half-consumed water bottles, about a week’s worth of wardrobe, and enough old receipts to save a rain forest.
I don’t even have children. I can only guess what goodies they would add to my collection!
I remember being 16 and thinking I’d never trash my beloved ride to freedom.
But here I am.
Life, it turns out, is messy.
And you might be in the lane next to me, surrounded by your own junky memorabilia.
I actually don’t mind cleaning my vehicle all that much. But getting myself to actually do it? That is the problem.
I’ve got every excuse for procrastinating this job. My biggest being that the temperature outside is too uncomfortable. (I live in Indiana … so the hot is hot and the cold is COLD!) My next excuse, I honestly forget until the next morning when candy wrappers spill out when opening my door.
But there is hope!
I recently found a system that works for me. I still use the floorboards as my personal dumpster (we’re breaking one habit at a time here, okay?). I no longer have trouble making myself clean out my car.
Here’s my simple system:
When you leave for work in the morning, take two plastic grocery sacks to the vehicle with you.
Go about your day and make as many messes as you like.
When you get home at the end of the day, you’ll be prepared to clean out your vehicle (which happens to be the perfect temperature because you’ve been driving it!)
Fill one plastic sack with trash. Fill the other with items that need to go inside.
On your way inside throw the trash in the trashcan.
Bam! You’re done!
I like this system so much that I’ve started to leave a supply of sacks in my car to tidy up whenever I feel inspired.
One Small Win: If you tired of putting off the task of cleaning your car, gather up some grocery sacks right now and put them by your car keys. Next time you leave, equip yourself for the job with no excuses.
Just think of all the Tupperware we can save!

Kelsee Keitel is a graduate student and blogger, living in Indianapolis, IN, with her newlywed husband. She is passionate about cultivating sisterhood through vulnerability and introducing young women to the freedom and abundance of life in following Christ. When Kelsee is not snuggled up with a book and sipping tea, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen or chatting with her mom.
You can read more about how Kelsee experiences divine moments in the midst of ordinary life over at kelseekeitel.com or on Instagram and Facebook.
by kathilipp | Sep 12, 2016 | Podcast, The Me Project, tips and ideas |
Buy 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit
Have you ever gotten to the place where you just couldn’t take it anymore?
Dreams. Programs. Jobs. Relationships. There are so many different areas where we feel like calling it quits.
It’s time for an honest conversation on how not to give in to the temptation to give up.
Nicki Koziarz is a woman who has thrown in the towel a time or two. In fact, she’s quit just about everything in her life. But with God’s help, she’s discovered a few habits that have helped her and others conquer the choice to quit.
5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit will enable you to:
- Evaluate the internal personal struggles that make you want to quit.
- Cultivate consistent habits to help you progress toward your goals.
- Receive a fresh dose of perspective from the Bible that will help you develop perseverance.
You are not made to quit! Join Nicki as she identifies five habits to help you keep going no matter what struggles may come your way.
Do you find yourself starting things, but not finishing them? Would you like to learn from someone who broke that habit and replaced it with other habits that help her finish strong? Today I talk with author Nicki Koziarz about her book 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit about not quitting including the five questions to ask yourself before quitting. Does Nicki’s name sound familiar? That’s because I did an awesome interview with her for the Husband Project. Be sure to listen to it here:
Episode #206-Nicki Koziarz and The Ultimate Resource Guide for (trying to be) Awesome Wives
FREE DOWNLOAD
What kind of quitter are you? Take this quiz and see what you can do to stop being a quitter based on your personality.
Take the Quiz!
Nicki Koziarz is an author and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries. Each week she helps leads thousands of women through P31 Online Bible Studies. She and her husband, Kris, own a fixer upper farm just outside Charlotte, NC. There they are raising their three beautiful [but hormonal] daughters, a barnyard of misfit animals and one slightly famous pug. After a broken experience in the Church, Nicki is consumed with learning to lead her generation on the pursuit of Truth and Love.
by kathilipp | Sep 6, 2016 | Home, Podcast, Recipes, tips and ideas |

Buy The Made from Scratch Life
Do you long for simpler days? Do you wish you had the time to offer your family home-grown meals? Does your heart cry for a quiet place in this fast-paced world?
Blogger and homesteader Melissa K. Norris inspires with practical and easy methods to help you cook from scratch, garden, preserve your own food, and see God’s fingerprints in your everyday busy life. You’ll learn how to
plan, plant, and harvest for eating and preserving
troubleshoot common gardening problems with natural solutions
improve your family’s health with natural cooking and cleaning methods
Whether you live in the middle of the asphalt jungle or on the side of a mountain, you can experience the pioneer lifestyle and start your own homesteading journey. Because when you surround yourself with things made from the hand of God, you can’t help but see Him.
Melissa’s Canning Applesauce Recipe
Start your canning with this delicious recipe from Melissa K. Norris! Click on photo for free download.
Does the idea of canning your own food scare you? What do you need? What CAN you can? Will I give someone botulism and kill them???? Today I talk with Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made from Scratch Life, about how to get started with canning. We talk about which foods get canned using different methods, what the basic equipment needs are and did you know there is a difference between Pressure Cookers and Pressure Canners??? Melissa teaches us about all of these things and more! Let’s all give canning a try and post pictures in the comments! Mentioned in this podcast: Online Canning Course: Live Home Canning Class Presto Canning Kit Melissa’s podcast: Pioneering Today Podcast Win a copy of Melissa’s book The Made from Scratch Life by leaving a comment telling me one step you are going to make towards homesteading!
FREE DOWNLOAD

Start your canning with this delicious recipe from Melissa K. Norris! Click on photo for free download.
Hey, there, I’m Melissa K. Norris. I’m just a plain country girl who loves Jesus, playing in the dirt, stuffing food into Mason jars (after I wash my hands of course), and hunting down as many traditional old-fashioned skills as I can to put into use on our homestead.
Occasionally I chase down a chicken and I’ve been known to wrangle a cow or two back into the pasture when they get the hankering to leave our field.
Visit www.MelissaKNorris.com for heirloom gardening, preserving the harvest (all forms of canning, dehydrating, and any other way to preserve food at home), raising critters aka livestock, from scratch cooking, frugal living, and any other kind of old-fashioned skill I come across and am determined to master.
P.S. I love to chat, so you can visit with me and listen to my podcast at www.MelissaKNorris.com/podcast
by kathilipp | Aug 2, 2016 | Home, Podcast, Recipes, tips and ideas |

Buy The Made from Scratch Life
Do you long for simpler days? Do you wish you had the time to offer your family home-grown meals? Does your heart cry for a quiet place in this fast-paced world? Blogger and homesteader Melissa K. Norris inspires with practical and easy methods to help you cook from scratch, garden, preserve your own food, and see God’s fingerprints in your everyday busy life. You’ll learn how to plan, plant, and harvest for eating and preserving troubleshoot common gardening problems with natural solutions improve your family’s health with natural cooking and cleaning methods Whether you live in the middle of the asphalt jungle or on the side of a mountain, you can experience the pioneer lifestyle and start your own homesteading journey. Because when you surround yourself with things made from the hand of God, you can’t help but see Him. Home Made Citrus Cleaner Recipe The full recipe and instructions here! Ever dreamed of being like Laura Ingalls Wilder, living off the land? Or at least being able to grow your own tomatoes without the squirrels getting them before you do? Today I talk with Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made from Scratch Kitchen, about living the pioneer life in modern times. Even if you are a city girl, she shares tips for gardening, cooking, and cleaning with wholesome ingredients that you can make today. Mentioned in this podcast: Melissa’s podcast: Pioneering Today Podcast The $64 Tomato (book) Win a copy of Melissa’s book The Made from Scratch Life by leaving a comment telling me one step you are going to make towards homesteading!
FREE DOWNLOAD
The full recipe and instructions here!
Hey, there, I’m Melissa K. Norris. I’m just a plain country girl who loves Jesus, playing in the dirt, stuffing food into Mason jars (after I wash my hands of course), and hunting down as many traditional old-fashioned skills as I can to put into use on our homestead.
Occasionally I chase down a chicken and I’ve been known to wrangle a cow or two back into the pasture when they get the hankering to leave our field.
Visit www.MelissaKNorris.com for heirloom gardening, preserving the harvest (all forms of canning, dehydrating, and any other way to preserve food at home), raising critters aka livestock, from scratch cooking, frugal living, and any other kind of old-fashioned skill I come across and am determined to master.
P.S. I love to chat, so you can visit with me and listen to my podcast at www.MelissaKNorris.com/podcast
by kathilipp | May 4, 2016 | Blog, Recipes, tips and ideas |

(This recipe was first seen in The “What’s for Dinner?” Solution ~Kathi Lipp)
Recipes to Crave
It’s Spring and yummy, fresh recipes are an absolute necessity. Try these amazing Asian Chicken Wrap Ups. They are healthy and so tasty. While this may not be the fastest meal in the west, it’s “no cook” if you buy the chicken precooked. And everyone can construct their own wrap, saving you even more time!
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
(Cut your prep to next to nil by making the chicken mixture ahead of time)
Cook Time: None!
Serves: 4 as appetizers or 2 as a main course
Ingredients
2 cups skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
(save time by using precooked chicken breasts)
3 T. rice vinegar
1 1/2 T. light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Seasoned salt and pepper
1/4 cup crispy rice noodles
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded broccoli slaw
4-6 butter lettuce leaves
1/3 cup Peanut sauce (store bought)
1/3 cup Asian salad dressing for dipping sauce (store bought)
Directions
In a medium glass bowl, combine chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, and almonds.
Mix well.
Season to taste with seasoned salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
On platter, arrange lettuce leaves and small containers of peanut sauce and Asian dressing. Place a mound of chicken mixture on each lettuce leaf. Top with crispy noodles, carrots, and broccoli slaw. Roll up the leaf and dip in one of the sauces.
Enjoy!
For more recipes to enjoy, check out Kathi’s The What’s for Dinner Solution in her book shop!
by kathilipp | Apr 25, 2016 | Clutter Free, Home, Relationships, tips and ideas |
by Bethany of Kathi’s Clutter Free Academy Team
When I make the choice to control the clutter, I find freedom waiting in the living room. A lot of family life happens in the living room, and I want to make it a point to spend a lot of time in there with my hubby and three kids. But I can only do this well if I keep the clutter from sucking the life out of the living room. Our living room needs to be a place where we connect and laugh together, not trip over junk and shift piles of books to find a spot on the couch.
Here’s what I know: The kids won’t remember if the pillows, couch and rug coordinate but they will remember the tickle fights. Guests won’t remember if clean floors or dust bunnies greeted them when they crossed the threshold of your living room but they will remember your kind hospitality. Why? Because these are the things that actually matter, not sparkling floors and not throw pillows.
Contain clutter and gain freedom to live—really live—in your living room. [Tweet “Contain clutter and gain freedom to live #clutterfree”]
Here are seven ideas to get you started.
1. Dance Party
Turn up the volume on some of your favorite tunes and dance until you drop. Learn a line dance together and hilarity will follow.
2. Indoor Picnic
Spread out a blanket on the living room floor and break out the picnic foods, whether it’s 95 degrees or raining outside! Bonus: Dinner is easy peasy!
3. Game Night
Choose a night and invite a few friends over for pizza and games. The invitation and the fun are all that matter. Enjoy your guests. Repeat.
4. Lightsaber Fight
It just doesn’t get much better than a lightsaber fight. Get ready to watch the force in action—everyone is a kid with a lightsaber in hand. For extra fun, make it as dark as possible to stay safe and then record it. Everyone loves to see the action over and over again.
5. Coffee Shop
Make (or buy) a batch of cookies or muffins. Set out books, magazines, and candles. Brew your favorite cup and turn up some background music. Relish the blissful sips of clutter free life with family or friends!
6. Putt-Putt
We have a little putting mat that we bring into the living room now and then because…well, why not? Make a game of it and see who can sink the best out of ten putts. Winner gets to choose the snack.
7. Date Night Movie Night
After the kids are in bed, break out an appetizer extravaganza, whether its from your grocer’s frozen section or an exotic array of cheeses and fruit. You pick the food, fancy or fun, and hubby gets to choose the movie.
Q4U:
• What’s your favorite way to live — really live — in your living room?
• How does becoming clutter-free make it easier to enjoy life in your living room?
While you’re at it, how do you connect with your kids? Each of them has a different personality and each has different needs to feel loved. With 21 Ways to Connect to Your Kids, you’ll learn each of his/her personality traits and how to use that information to create real connection.
LEARN MORE >>>