Curtain rods are so expensive, as are special rods for wall hangings. So when I needed a rod to hang my husbands prayer shawl on, I looked for a way to make one.

I had my son find a fairly straight tree branch, that had already fallen off the tree, and strip the bark off it. If you are going to cut a branch, you would need to let the wood dry out before sealing it. My son then sanded it, and put on a coat or two of clear sealer.

You could make, or buy, inexpensive brackets to hold the rod, also.

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas, visit We Are That Family

With four kids till at home, we go through a lot of cups on a daily basis. I try to have the kids use the same water cup all day.

Some of them are apparently cup challenged, as they can never remember where they left their cup.

I came up with the idea to use my Tupperware lazy susan as a cup corral.

It’s right next to the fridge and water dispenser, so it’s handy for them. It keeps the keeps from being spread all over the kitchen. And the rest of the house.

A Kids Cup Corral Works For Me

To see more ideas, visit We Are THAT Family

It’s Theme Week on Works For Me Wednesday! The Greatest Tips Edition …

Here’s the Linda’s Lunacy I’m Getting Old And Forgetful Edition……..

I have a hard time remembering store card passwords after I register them online. This little tip makes it easy for me to remember.

I like to write myself holiday reminder notes This is actually a necessity. I was working at church last night, and I told my husband that I wish I had brought some paper so I could think. lol

Which is why I also keep a telephone log. This is helpful for the entire family. Everyone knows where to look for phone messages.

Writing stuff down is very important!

But what do I do with all those notes? I put them in binders that I use to keep my computer desk organized. I’m still working on training the family to put all their papers in their binders. But our desk is much neater.

I hope my tips on how I ease my forgetfulness helps you!

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are THAT Family.

While your here, don’t forget to enter this weeks giveaway!

With 7 people sharing one computer, our desk can get quite messy. We all leave papers with things we want to look up, mail, notes we’ve taken from the internet…the list could go on, but you get the idea.

So in an effort to organize our computer desk, I made pocket folders with labels on them:

I put them in a magazine holder next to the computer.

I made these about 3 weeks ago, and they work very well. These folders really help us keep the desk cleared off.

See?

 

 

For More Works For Me Wednesday ideas, visit We are THAT Family.

 

I like to bake a lot but I dislike having to stop in the middle of a recipe to wash out measuring cups. So I have 4 sets of dry measuring cups.

I, of course, always stack them up nice and neat when I put them away.

*cough, cough*

When the kids put the dishes away, they see no need to stack them. Why stack them when you can throw them in the cabinet, then laugh when they fall out on your mothers head?

Therefore, the cabinet usually always looked like this:

Not only did they always fall out, but it made it difficult to find the measuring cup you were looking for. Very frustrating.

But now my cabinet looks like this:

I stacked all 4 sets of measuring cups in a bin. Problem solved.

Now, even if the kids don’t stack them neatly, they will all at least be in the bin.

And they won’t fall out on my head!

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are That Family.

For the last year or so, I have had trouble staying asleep at night. Oh, I go to sleep just fine when I lay down, within a couple of minutes of laying down, I’m out. It’s staying asleep at night, that is the problem.

It doesn’t matter how long I lay there tossing and turning, some nights I’m awake for 2 or 3 hours at a time. So frustrating.

There are a few things that I have tried to put me back to sleep,

– going on the computer for a little while usually makes me tired enough to fall back asleep, but the experts say the bright light will only make you more awake.

– reading, also, will make me fall back asleep. But the light bothers my husband while he’s trying to sleep, even the little bedside table lamp bothers him. Reading by flashlight bothers my eyes.

My solution?

I have started to keep my mp3 player under my pillow, and if I wake up, I just pull it out. I can turn it on without turning on a light, so I don’t bother my husband.

I have Bible verses on there, as well as praise music that I listen to. Just make sure you pick calming music, not rock music. Podcasts would be great, too.

I keep the volume down low, and I lay there resting, enjoying listening to calming music and Bible verses. So even though I’m not sleeping, I’m getting some rest.

Keeping my mp3 player under my pillow for those sleepless nights Works For Me!

For More Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer this week.