Hello, Reader.

My boys are all finished with school for the summer and have been busily organizing their room this week (their idea, not mine). But that means the piles on my desk are growing again, as that is where they end up stacking the textbooks they no longer need, the caps and gowns they wore for graduation, the leftover supplies from craft projects and science experiments, the brightly colored bags graduation gifts came in, etc. etc. etc.

Which means I'd better get busy organizing (again), as well. Tidying up, decluttering, putting things away -- it's a never ending cycle, isn't it? But summer break is a great time to tackle such chores -- especially the ones (like my craft cabinet and the garage) that have been too-long neglected during the school year. So that's the plan -- and the topic for my link list -- this week. I hope these ideas help you get your problem areas back into shape quickly!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​How to Organize Your Kitchen for Efficiency - my favorite tips for this all-important room
• ​50 Ways to Get Organized - printable list with ideas for every room of the house
• ​Taming the Toy Box - a few simple principles to help clear the toy clutter once and for all
• ​Room Inspection Checklist - to give kids guidance when it's time to clean their room​
• ​Tips for Organizing Your Garage - by the yard, garages are hard; by the inch, they're a cinch
• ​Clutter-Free Housekeeping - 7 tips for getting -- and keeping -- your home clean and tidy
• ​A Wise Woman Builds Her House - this coloring page features the words of Proverbs 14:1

What I'm reading this week:

One of my subscribers recommended the book French Kids Eat Everything several months ago, and I finally got around to reading it this week. It was delightful! When the author moved with her husband and children to a small French village to be closer to her in-laws, she was totally unprepared for the culinary culture-shock that awaited her there. Not only did the cuisine differ dramatically from that to which she and her kids were accustomed, but the whole French mentality toward food, fine dining... and the most effective way to deal with finicky eaters. Parents of picky eaters everywhere would do well to give these French food practices (and the included recipes) a try.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 84 ​HOW NOT TO DIET (& STILL LOSE WEIGHT)​ Several months back, a reader asked to hear my "summary or take away of how not to diet but lose weight." So today, I'm discussing Dr. Michael Greger's book, How Not to Diet, and the amazing effects implementing his suggestions have had on my health, weight, and energy levels. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I went over and above when it comes to most of my goals last week. I ✅ set to music and memorized all 35 verses of Proverbs 3 (not just the first 18 as planned), ✅ went in for fasting bloodwork (my cholesterol is still high despite 4 months on a vegan diet, but my ratios look great, as does everything else they checked), and I ✅ ​made high school diplomas​ for my son's and grandson's homeschool graduation (twice in the the case of my son, since I misspelled his name on the first try 🤦🏽‍♀️).

I also ✅ attended their graduation, ✅ hosted a reception at our house afterwards, and ✅ completed four new pages in my ​devotional journal for moms.

The only thing I didn't get to? I neither ❌ cleared the folding table nor ❌ moved it out of the garage. Hopefully, I'll get to that this week....

Personal goals for this week:

• clear off my closet desk (again)
• sack up all the stuff that's been left at my house and return to owners
• clean the supplies from my leather/woodburning class out of my daughter's car
• clean out/ organize pantry baskets and bins
• make and paint a lid for my counter top compost collector
• transcribe the book of James for my Bible memory notebook
• price books for used book sale
• spend weekend at waterpark in Dallas
• visit my Mom
• clear/move table out of garage

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, just hit reply and let me know. 😊