Getting Married and Want a FREE Wedding Website and Honeymoon Registry!?

Custom Memories Travel Offers Free Honeymoon Registry & Wedding Website!

Honeymoon gift registry offers contemporary option to gift giving.

Sales of gravy boats and monogrammed bath towels may be on the decline as newlyweds-to- be shift their registries from households to honeymoons. As a travel agent that specializes in honeymoon planning, Custom Memories Travel is betting that this national trend will be reflected in your hometown as well!

Custom Memories Travel is now able to offer this service to its honeymoon clientele through a partnership with an online honeymoon registry company Through this affiliation, couples are able to create a custom honeymoon registry out of the honeymoon package they purchase through Custom Memories Travel as well as a FREE Wedding Website to serve as a central source of information for their wedding.

As a specialist in honeymoon travel, Custom Memories Travel has seen the gradual increase in the age of honeymooners, nationally now 29 for men and 27 for women. Many of these young couples have already spent money on establishing households and usually don’t need another toaster. With more couples paying for some or all of their own wedding expenses, many couples find themselves settling for something less than their dream honeymoon.


“We feel the honeymoon registry is a trend that is here to stay,” says Erin C., independent travel agent,  “and we’re very happy to give honeymooners high-tech tools with our local ‘high-touch’ service. Young couples love the Internet for research, but the honeymoon is just too important an event to risk booking it entirely online.”

Free Wedding Website - Custom Memories Travel, Luxury Honeymoon Registry, Watertown NY


Contact Custom Memories Travel for YOUR free luxury honeymoon registry and FREE wedding website!  Let them know you found them through the Frugal DIY MOM!

Discount Travel Coupon Code for Frugal DIY Mom Readers!


And so, we meet again! What a year!

It started out AWESOME with an almost-free trip to Disney World with my family of 11...as many of you may have read.  But, it quickly spiraled downward from there...

To make a long story short and spare you the details, I had major surgery in February, had a life-changing event occur at the exact same time...and had another major health scare that I am still battling today.  I am alive and thanking God for His goodness and grace through it all.  I am continuing seeking out specialists, but God is good and we have ruled out life-threatening!  Yay!

On a brighter note, I FINALLY was able to "retire" from physical therapy.  I was a therapist for 15 years and with this HORRIBLE change in the health care system, I felt that this was the right time.  So....

I am now an OFFICIAL travel agent! Yes, I have been researching, planning and booking travel for family and friends for years and years as "favors" to those who needed it. But, now, it is my FULL-TIME career!

Obviously, I am quite thorough in my research and I carry this quality through to my business.   Never used a travel agent before?  Here is an overview on how Custom Memories Travel works:


  1. First, get EXCITED and hand over your WISH LIST!
  2. Fill out my All-About-You Questionnaire so that I can get to know you better!
  3. I will begin researching, planning, and building custom itineraries from the ground-up!
  4. You pick your favorite itinerary and we refine it until it is perfect!
  5. I book EVERYTHING for you...right down to your dinner reservations, if you wish!
For more information on How To Plan A Vacation with Custom Memories Travel, just visit the website or click on the link!

My goal with travel planning is to find VALUE for my CUSTOMers.  Please don't think that I am going to be able to get you a $5000 trip for $1000...that is not what I do and it is pretty much impossible if you don't play the credit card game, which we have covered quite a bit of.

I strive to find you GREAT vacations tailored to YOUR needs...at a price that reflects VALUE.  For instance, maybe that $5000 vacation will include a spa credit at your resort or a gift card to enjoy on your trip.  Many additional amenities may be had by booking with a travel agent instead of booking yourself.  Payment plans are also available!

I would LOVE to have you visit my custom travel website and take a peek for yourself!  There, you will be able to sign up for my Custom Travel Talk Newsletter that will feature travel tips, news and deals! 

You can also check out my new travel specialties including Disney Surprise, Blind Booking & Surprise Vacations!

OK, so the other perk of being a Frugal DIY Mom reader...a discount coupon code just for you!

This coupon code is good for $25 off your first custom vacation with Custom Memories Travel! Depending on the vacation, this will come in the form of $25 off your final payment OR a $25 gift card.  This will just depend on the kind of vacation and the time between booking and travel.

Your coupon code will be good through December 31, 2014.  This is the date that your Custom Vacation must have a deposit placed or the code will not work.  Are you ready for the coupon code?

Here it is...

DIYCUSTOM

I would LOVE it if you shared this on your Facebook page with all of your friends!  You may even get a bonus for referring! :)

So, start dreaming of your next vacation...and remember to plan it soon before the prices rise!

Thanks again for checking in with me...God bless!
Erin

Spring Cleaning and Organizing: The Kitchen, Part 1


Ugh, the kitchen. It’s the gathering place of the home and the one room that we know ALL guests will spend time in at some point during their stay.  To keep procrastinating with “Spring Cleaning and Organizing” this area would just create more work in the long run. Not to mention, more anxiety.

 I was dreading it, but here we go…here is the “ORGANIZING” part!



So, the kitchen is one of those places that may be as overwhelming to think about for you as it was for me.  Therefore, we are going to break the kitchen up into a 5-day project.  It could all be completed in an afternoon, but I don’t have a full afternoon to spend on this. I want to be with my family. I want to share with you the easiest way I found to complete the task in order to ensure efficiency AND that it gets done, period! J



DAY 1 –  I think that it is important to first tackle the “every day” items we use in our kitchen on the first day.  These are items like plates, cups, utensils, etc. Also, the small appliances you may use.  Since we are always using them, the anxiety we get from the chaos of their state may be lessened by organizing them first.  These are the cupboards you want to tackle today.

1.    Empty all of these cupboards with these items onto one place. If you have a large counter or dining table you can use, great. That way you can see everything you have and all of the items that you need to group together.

2.   Wipe down the inside and outside of all of the cupboards you just emptied. Proceed to also clean any utensil organizers or dusty plate racks, etc.



3.   Remember in our post about Decluttering: The Basics, we mentioned keep toss or donate? Have at it! Now is the time to donate 35 mugs and keep 24, right? (We STILL have too many mugs! Aaahhh!) Get rid of those old plates that are chipped or the glasses that don’t match.  Remember, excess causes anxiety!  If you do have extra mugs, check out our post about Sharpie Mugs That Actually Work!  You can recycle your extra mugs into gifts!



4.   Now, decide which cupboards to return your “keep” items to. Make sure you put these particular items near the sink or dishwasher to make them easy for you to clean and return to their place.

Breathe. Sleep. Wake up to Day 2! J That wasn’t so bad, right?

DAY 2 –  Now that we have the items that we use all day long organized and looking pretty, now it is time to organize the pots, pans and bake ware.  We are also going to organize any storage containers and mixing/serving bowls you may have.  We use them pretty regularly too, so we need to focus here on the second day.

What a mess!!!

1.    Again, empty out the cupboards into one place. Now, wipe down the cupboards.

2.   Now, this is where you REALLY need to think about what you want to put back into the cupboards.  Did you pull out Valentine candy molds that you use once a year? This should be stored in holiday decorations.  Do you have a rusty old baking sheet that you refuse to use but just can’t part with? Cover it with fabric and create a magnetic board! Whatever you do, don’t keep items you don’t use. As a general rule, if you haven’t used it in 6 months, see ya! (Besides the holiday ones)

3.   Evaluate HOW MANY mixing bowls you need or how many “whatevers” you have. I don’t bake often, so 13 bowls was a little much! Remember, you will have to deal with whatever you put back into the cupboard, so make sure you use it!

4.   Match each storage container to their lid. If you don’t have a lid, then you don’t keep the container!

5.   Replace all of the items in “groups”. I use a magazine rack to organize the lids of the pots and pans, stack my pots, stack my pans, stack my mixing bowls…you get the picture. All “like” items need to be together.

What? Extra space! Yessssss!


DAY 3 Here is an “easier” day! Let’s tackle the small drawers you may have that house your measuring cups, pot holders, dish cloths, etc. We added bibs & pacifiers to the list, too.  Don’t forget your plastic wrap, foil, plastic bags & other stuff like that!

Before

After


DAY 4 It’s time for food! Let’s tackle the pantry and the fridge! Now is the time to get rid of the half-empty box of rice that you can’t remember when you opened. Finally let go of the “greens” powder that you opened and used once before spitting it out. Yup, pitch it! Just follow the same routine we have been using to organize the other cupboards.  Here are some other tips to help you out!

1.    INVENTORY – If you read my TOP 10 TIPS TO SAVE MONEY ON FOOD, you will remember that we need to have an inventory of what we have and we can then make a list of what we need. Now is a GREAT time to do that!

2.   PLACEMATS – If you are constantly spilling food on your refrigerator shelves, try getting some plastic placemats, cutting them to fit, and then placing them on the shelves.  Then, you can just easily take out the mat, wipe it down and replace it!

3.   Don’t store your dairy items in the door of the fridge. It is not as cool there and your items may not hold the proper temperature to keep from going bad.

4.   If you have frost in the freezer, use a hair dryer to get rid of it. You can also boil a pot of water, put it in the freezer and boil another to replace it in a bit. Then, when the frost is off, spray some cooking spray on the top and sides. The ice will come right off next time!

DAY 5 OTHER:  Here is a category that can cover a lot of items we haven’t talked about. For us, it was vitamins (stored out of reach of small kiddos), junk drawers, kitchen cleaners, etc.  By now, you are a pro!  Make sure you get rid of everything that DOESN’T belong in the kitchen as well. You know, the stuff kids empty from their pockets after school, keys, sunglasses, mail. In other words, make the kitchen a kitchen.  If you have to store mail here, make sure it is confined to one drawer that is “out of the way” so the function of the kitchen is not compromised. 
Before

After
Also, check out the DIY Message Center we made just around the corner from our kitchen! That may help, too! (I still LOVE it by the way!)



Aaahhh. Right? Let’s try that again, AAAAHHHHH! With a cherry on top.
Now, if only we could get to the “spring cleaning part” today. Nah, go take a nap and enjoy!


Don’t forget to check out our other spring cleaning posts!
Toys Made Easy!

                                       .....And much, much more!

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DIY Easter Egg Colors - and a Gift!


Yes, we are having a great time looking at all of these recipes for all-natural ways to dye Easter eggs this season.  But, I have to be honest, I am not obsessed with this all-natural stuff. If I can make it happen, great. If not, I don't freak out.  So, this is not in the all-natural category. This is more of the time and money-saving category :)



I was a bit stressed because I had gotten sick the week of the free Easter egg dye kits at Rite Aid. (Not that a buck is a big deal, I was stressed because I forgot to even get a kit!!)  Anyhow, I remembered a recipe I saw last year...and I tried it from memory. I don't even know what the other recipe was as far as drops, etc. But this worked GREAT for us!




Just grab your vinegar that we are all now cleaning with! (Check out my cleaning posts here!)  :) In each cup, put in just 3 drops of food coloring.  I suppose you could use more, this is just what I started with.  Add 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of warm water and gently mix. That's it!!!

I was tempted to try a different way of doing so with onion peels, carrots, raspberries, etc. But, for me, this was about saving time and money.  My 12 drops of food coloring that I use for everything was totally cheaper since I didn't have all of those foods already.  And, I wanted to get it done without a trip to the store. I just didn't have those little color tablets!


These colors came out great! I wish my camera was better so that you could see how vibrant they are. We still love the old "white-crayon-surprise" look to the eggs because it brings back memories of coloring them with our own parents.  To go along with our De-Cluttering series, we chose not to get all stressed out about how "beautiful" the eggs came out. We focused on having fun with the kiddos and just enjoying the moment.  That's what it's all about, right? Ahhh. Cutting out the crap.

Speaking of "what it's all about", I guess that is what Easter represents. Actually, that IS what Easter represents.  For us, it is the most important holiday ever!  What greater thing could have been done than to have our creator join us here on earth, suffer just as we do (except worse), and then choose to die for us so that we may live forever? Do you know anyone who would do that? Good golly, I am WAY too selfish to ever consider giving my life for the ungrateful sinners that we all are!  What other gift could we ever want more than eternal life? 

There is nothing that I would rather have and therefore, I need to use this precious life I have been given to do HIS work, not mine.  I realize that many of you may not appreciate this gift, just as I did not for a long time.  But, since this blog is about sharing, I feel that I need to share the best part of my life with you - Jesus.  HE is the answer to our difficulties, especially when you feel like there is no way out.  

As you probably know by now, my daughter Ella passed away in 2008.  Before then, I was living for me, myself and I. I wanted the big house, the nice car, the perfect kids and tons of money in the bank.  I would have traded it all (except my kids) if I could just get her back. In that worst moment of our lives, my husband and I found our way back to Jesus. He was all we had to lean on. And He WAS there for us. I would not be here today without him.

Now, my life is not perfect, but it is SO much better than it would have been if I had continued on the path I was on. I can't stand the importance that we place on our money and material things.  Give me food, shelter and love and that is all that matters. I would live in a cardboard box if I had to-if that was God's plan.  My little human brain has no idea how to navigate this world on my own. No one can do it on their own. We think we are super-human. And that is what is wrecking this world.

I pray that all of you find Him this Easter if you are searching for your purpose.  We talked a lot about that in our De-Cluttering and Organizing posts. He is the only answer and I would be selfish to not share Him with you.

God bless you this Easter.  I love my readers so much...and so does Jesus! <3


***Check out my other posts about spring cleaning and organizing if you haven’t already!


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