My biggest accomplishment of this weekend was to start AND finish recovering the dining room chairs. I just finished the last one and I am so happy! They look much cuter than the old, stained covers, I wish I had a camera to take a picture. But just trust me on this - the Amy Butler lotus pattern fabric was just perfect. I gave the chairs a good scrub down too, which they really needed. Hooray!
I also did 4 loads of laundry AND put it all away.
Now off to pack for a night in Chicago tomorrow. My room smells like honeysuckle because the windows are wide open and the breezes are strong. It's pretty great to finally have Spring!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Week Six AND the Kichen
Here's the list, LONG week, but last weekend and this weekend have been pretty good chances to catch up. Whatever happened to dull weeknights?
1. Clean bathroom and related closets. Fun!
2. Declutter cabinets and closets. More fun! Not so bad because I am adamantly against not using up "products" but I know there are some things that can go for sure.
3. Arrange your bathroom efficiently. A few things can change (i.e. extra TP in the room, not just in the closet in the hall, stuff moved around to be with "like items", etc.).
4. Upgrade your razor and shaving supplies. I think I'm using ok stuff, but I do like to get the fancy shaving gel from time to time.
5. Purchase bath salts and a nice soap. I use Dove soap and other "fancy" stuff seems to bother my allergies. Bath salts sound nice, I'll keep my eye out at the fancy bath aisle next time I'm at Target. Yeah, so they have a $15 canister of the stuff, which is way out of the budget for "stuff for just myself." Gotta pay the bills you know.
6. Place a candle in your bathroom. Need a new candle, but generally I have one in there. I DID treat myself to a $3 candle from Target however.
7. Consider scents for your home. Ok, no thanks! It's so hard to get right, I prefer "clean".
8. Plan for the week ahead on Sunday. I think I do an ok job of this already, I don't hate Sundays so I'm not dreading the week usually.
9. Wake early and take a bath before work. Hmm, wishful thinking, maybe before yoga class though next Saturday.
10. Optional: consider a media fast for the next week. Probably won't cut it out entirely, but I don't watch much TV and just need to let go of my nighttime online browsing addiction a bit so I can read more. I've got 4 books in progress and one for book club I need to start so I've got plenty to keep me busy!
11. Optional: straighten your desk at work. I did a deep clean a few weeks ago when things were slow after a crazy time and it's held up. I did realize that I need a lamp there (probably on my dime), and would like to bring in just a few personal items, such as my diploma (it needs a frame first), and some cute photos or something. It's too office-y. Wish I had natural light for a plant of some kind!
I'm ALSO working through the Kitchen Cure, via AT's sister site, The Kitchn. It's actually only 6 weeks, and it's now week 2 and it's not quite as intense as the regular cure, probably because you get to break down just one room into a longer period of time. I needed it for sure. Things were getting grubby and cluttered and I'm still FAR from where I want to be in terms of actually doing the cooking, instead of letting the boy handle it every night.
Week 1's task was to clear out, clean, and reorganize your fridge, freezer, and pantry. I took care of this last weekend and finished the last bit today. The fridge and freezer really needed the deep clean, and I didn't have too much old stuff to toss. The spices are organized, and the pantry, which is a bit bare, is tidied up too. Makes life easier, and it's definitely worth the effort from time to time.
Week 2's task is to clear out cookware and dishware cabinets, drawers, etc. and pare down what you've got lurking in there. Donate stuff you don't need or use (i.e. duplicates or random appliances and gadgets). I'm working on this now, but have also been better at purging from time to time so mostly I'm concentrating on scrubbing my ancient white metal cabinets. Fun times! We had a little power outage for an hour or so and I wrapped things up in there, so it's nice and organized! A trip to the Container Store would make things even fancier but that can wait.
1. Clean bathroom and related closets. Fun!
2. Declutter cabinets and closets. More fun! Not so bad because I am adamantly against not using up "products" but I know there are some things that can go for sure.
3. Arrange your bathroom efficiently. A few things can change (i.e. extra TP in the room, not just in the closet in the hall, stuff moved around to be with "like items", etc.).
4. Upgrade your razor and shaving supplies. I think I'm using ok stuff, but I do like to get the fancy shaving gel from time to time.
5. Purchase bath salts and a nice soap. I use Dove soap and other "fancy" stuff seems to bother my allergies. Bath salts sound nice, I'll keep my eye out at the fancy bath aisle next time I'm at Target. Yeah, so they have a $15 canister of the stuff, which is way out of the budget for "stuff for just myself." Gotta pay the bills you know.
6. Place a candle in your bathroom. Need a new candle, but generally I have one in there. I DID treat myself to a $3 candle from Target however.
7. Consider scents for your home. Ok, no thanks! It's so hard to get right, I prefer "clean".
8. Plan for the week ahead on Sunday. I think I do an ok job of this already, I don't hate Sundays so I'm not dreading the week usually.
9. Wake early and take a bath before work. Hmm, wishful thinking, maybe before yoga class though next Saturday.
10. Optional: consider a media fast for the next week. Probably won't cut it out entirely, but I don't watch much TV and just need to let go of my nighttime online browsing addiction a bit so I can read more. I've got 4 books in progress and one for book club I need to start so I've got plenty to keep me busy!
11. Optional: straighten your desk at work. I did a deep clean a few weeks ago when things were slow after a crazy time and it's held up. I did realize that I need a lamp there (probably on my dime), and would like to bring in just a few personal items, such as my diploma (it needs a frame first), and some cute photos or something. It's too office-y. Wish I had natural light for a plant of some kind!
I'm ALSO working through the Kitchen Cure, via AT's sister site, The Kitchn. It's actually only 6 weeks, and it's now week 2 and it's not quite as intense as the regular cure, probably because you get to break down just one room into a longer period of time. I needed it for sure. Things were getting grubby and cluttered and I'm still FAR from where I want to be in terms of actually doing the cooking, instead of letting the boy handle it every night.
Week 1's task was to clear out, clean, and reorganize your fridge, freezer, and pantry. I took care of this last weekend and finished the last bit today. The fridge and freezer really needed the deep clean, and I didn't have too much old stuff to toss. The spices are organized, and the pantry, which is a bit bare, is tidied up too. Makes life easier, and it's definitely worth the effort from time to time.
Week 2's task is to clear out cookware and dishware cabinets, drawers, etc. and pare down what you've got lurking in there. Donate stuff you don't need or use (i.e. duplicates or random appliances and gadgets). I'm working on this now, but have also been better at purging from time to time so mostly I'm concentrating on scrubbing my ancient white metal cabinets. Fun times! We had a little power outage for an hour or so and I wrapped things up in there, so it's nice and organized! A trip to the Container Store would make things even fancier but that can wait.
Monday, April 20, 2009
When your brain is completely fried after a long Monday
I totally recommend a YouTube video, preferably involving Soulja Boy and SpongeBob. Really.
via A to Z @ the RFT.
via A to Z @ the RFT.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Week 5 - Here's to Hoping I Actually Get Something Done This Week
I've had some really long weeks, with very little free time at home, and when I AM home, I'm generally zonked. I'm annoyed that I haven't been able to put much time into the to-do lists, and I think that the severe lack of true spring weather is taking it's toll on me as well. I'm in for another long week with a quick trip to KC, but then a long weekend is on the books since the boy will be in Chicago for a Bachelor party and a trade wine tasting. So....I better get stuff done this weekend. No excuse not to! Maybe I'll surprise myself and tackle some things Tuesday and Wednesday night too (not tonight, we have my family's Easter dinner). Let's see what's on the list for week 5.
1. Take care of repairs this week. I'll do my best to get through as many as possible. Yeah, didn't do that.
2. Clean office area and related closets. No closet so just the office corner in my living room. Should be sort of easy. Only a little cluttered. Cleaned it a bit but it doesn't really get cluttered. Couple papers to deal with still.
3. Vacuum, dust and mop throughout. Definitely in need of this! Done! I made it through every room, it was wonderful.
4. Declutter files. Also in need of this - the files haven't been cleared out for at least a year and a half. I'm a pretty conscientious filer though, and it's really helpful to have a system that's worked for me for years now. Pulled out a bunch of stuff to take to work to shred/recycle. It's much easier to pull out the drawer. Plan on re-doing the labels at some point, but it's ok for now.
5. Tackle the cord octopus. I've tried before and failed. I need a laptop, really. Yeah, not much to be done. I tuck cords as best I can behind and under things, but the computer area is a bit of a lost cause.
6. Try a one-day media fast. Gladly. Saturday or Sunday. Not really, but cut back all week long. Hence, no blog till now.
7. Buy fresh flowers. OK! These will cheer me up I'm sure and my b.day flowers from the boy are starting to fade (they've lasted almost two weeks though!). My mom gave me some nice daffodils from her garden, they looked so nice, and lasted pretty long too!
8. Choose at least one hard or soft thing to add or subtract. I'm sure I can do this. Not sure just what yet. Added artwork on walls in living room. Could do plenty more, just no budget.
9. Cook three meals at home this week. I'll cook for myself all weekend, but it won't be as fun for one! I'll try to actually cook rather than heat up noodles. I ate out all weekend, it was mildly pathetic and did my wallet no good. I have a hard time going shopping and cooking just for myself. Plus I'm not that great at it, so yeah. Not motivated.
10. Go to bed early and read before sleep. Happily. I almost always read, I need to be a little bit better about the early part. Been better at this lately, which is nice. Getting up in the morning cause the sun is shining now is making this much more enjoyable too.
11. (Optional) Look into wireless technology. No point without a new laptop, but it would be nice. Someday. Right. No laptop. Someday.
1. Take care of repairs this week. I'll do my best to get through as many as possible. Yeah, didn't do that.
2. Clean office area and related closets. No closet so just the office corner in my living room. Should be sort of easy. Only a little cluttered. Cleaned it a bit but it doesn't really get cluttered. Couple papers to deal with still.
3. Vacuum, dust and mop throughout. Definitely in need of this! Done! I made it through every room, it was wonderful.
4. Declutter files. Also in need of this - the files haven't been cleared out for at least a year and a half. I'm a pretty conscientious filer though, and it's really helpful to have a system that's worked for me for years now. Pulled out a bunch of stuff to take to work to shred/recycle. It's much easier to pull out the drawer. Plan on re-doing the labels at some point, but it's ok for now.
5. Tackle the cord octopus. I've tried before and failed. I need a laptop, really. Yeah, not much to be done. I tuck cords as best I can behind and under things, but the computer area is a bit of a lost cause.
6. Try a one-day media fast. Gladly. Saturday or Sunday. Not really, but cut back all week long. Hence, no blog till now.
7. Buy fresh flowers. OK! These will cheer me up I'm sure and my b.day flowers from the boy are starting to fade (they've lasted almost two weeks though!). My mom gave me some nice daffodils from her garden, they looked so nice, and lasted pretty long too!
8. Choose at least one hard or soft thing to add or subtract. I'm sure I can do this. Not sure just what yet. Added artwork on walls in living room. Could do plenty more, just no budget.
9. Cook three meals at home this week. I'll cook for myself all weekend, but it won't be as fun for one! I'll try to actually cook rather than heat up noodles. I ate out all weekend, it was mildly pathetic and did my wallet no good. I have a hard time going shopping and cooking just for myself. Plus I'm not that great at it, so yeah. Not motivated.
10. Go to bed early and read before sleep. Happily. I almost always read, I need to be a little bit better about the early part. Been better at this lately, which is nice. Getting up in the morning cause the sun is shining now is making this much more enjoyable too.
11. (Optional) Look into wireless technology. No point without a new laptop, but it would be nice. Someday. Right. No laptop. Someday.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Week 4 - The Halfway Mark
This week is focused on the living room, and it's also the halfway point. Which is good, because that means that REAL Spring is going to be here soon. Which should mean the end of the snow stuff that graced our presence in St. Louis today.
It's a good thing it's living room week because I got my new TV this weekend and in the process of setting it up, I started moving things around, making a mess, and reorganizing. Needless to say, I don't want to look at a sloppy living room every night when I get home so I should be pretty motivated to make some good headway this week. The official to-do list is as follows:
1. Clean up living room and related closets: I don't really have a "related closet" thankfully but the living room does need a good deep clean. Especially after the rearranging experiment this weekend. Didn't really get things clean. Tidied up a bit, but I wouldn't say that counts. Need to do this still.
2. Take care of repairs: Will hopefully get some help from my Mom this week. Need to also get some paint for the back splash in the kitchen, borrow the staple gun to recover my dining room chairs, go by Home Depot to get toilet repair stuff, and scope out cheap light fixtures. Since I rent, replacing fixtures is only going to happen if they are cheap...unless the are broken, which they are not. No progress whatsoever. Not surprising.
3. Declutter books and all media: Yikes, this could be scary. Ideally, I'd like to upload all the Cd's I still care about and get rid of the rest but I don't have enough hard drive space nor do I want to devote the time to it. At least I can go through and put anything I do not want in the outbox and reorganize what I will keep. As for books, I do need to purge a bit. Though part of me really wants a bigger (read: nicer) bookcase. Considered doing this a few times, but really didn't have the time or motivation. Still on the to-do list I suppose, because it does need to happen.
4. Cancel 75 percent of the catalogs you receive: I only get three (Crate and Barrel, CB2, and West Elm) and all the rest have been cancelled via CatalogChoice.org as they come in (which come to think of it hasn't been for a long time, it must be working!). So, done!
5. Empty outbox this week: Not much in it, but if I get down to the storage locker in the basement I'll have plenty for Goodwill. Maybe I'll do that one evening. We'll see. Yeah, didn't do that.
6. Confirm what you need to increase or decrease color in each room. Ok, off the top of my head:
Kitchen - paint back splash (green?)
Dining Room - re-cover dining chairs
Living Room - not sure exactly, but I would like it come in the form of a new love seat/couch, but that isn't going to happen.
Bathroom - something on the walls? Not sure, this room is ok. Probably just needs fresh flowers.
Bedroom - green sheer curtains need to turn into white sheer curtains. New bedding, preferably a light white quilt and new sheets. Cute throw pillow and blanket. A little more art on the walls. I could go on.
Hallway - change out art in phone nook. Found the photo on Etsy that I'd like.
7. Identify what you need to increase or decrease softness in each room. Again, off the top of my head:
Kitchen - nothing
Dining room - nothing (though a ceiling fan would be fabulous).
Hallway - nothing
Bathroom - new rug and towels would of course be lovely.
Living room - new throw pillows, framed art on the wall, new furniture - side tables, bookshelf, media stand, coordinate rugs. Again, I could go on.
Bedroom - needs "something" but I can't quite tell. Also would like a more natural hamper, perhaps a woven one instead of the metal and canvas one I have.
8. Cook three meals at home this week: Let's see, I only cooked once last week, but the boy cooked at least twice, so three shouldn't be TOO hard. I just have to be HOME at night, is the problem. FAIL. Yet again. I can't remember an excuse for every night, but there were plenty. Basically wasn't home, or if so, was in a funk.
It's a good thing it's living room week because I got my new TV this weekend and in the process of setting it up, I started moving things around, making a mess, and reorganizing. Needless to say, I don't want to look at a sloppy living room every night when I get home so I should be pretty motivated to make some good headway this week. The official to-do list is as follows:
1. Clean up living room and related closets: I don't really have a "related closet" thankfully but the living room does need a good deep clean. Especially after the rearranging experiment this weekend. Didn't really get things clean. Tidied up a bit, but I wouldn't say that counts. Need to do this still.
2. Take care of repairs: Will hopefully get some help from my Mom this week. Need to also get some paint for the back splash in the kitchen, borrow the staple gun to recover my dining room chairs, go by Home Depot to get toilet repair stuff, and scope out cheap light fixtures. Since I rent, replacing fixtures is only going to happen if they are cheap...unless the are broken, which they are not. No progress whatsoever. Not surprising.
3. Declutter books and all media: Yikes, this could be scary. Ideally, I'd like to upload all the Cd's I still care about and get rid of the rest but I don't have enough hard drive space nor do I want to devote the time to it. At least I can go through and put anything I do not want in the outbox and reorganize what I will keep. As for books, I do need to purge a bit. Though part of me really wants a bigger (read: nicer) bookcase. Considered doing this a few times, but really didn't have the time or motivation. Still on the to-do list I suppose, because it does need to happen.
4. Cancel 75 percent of the catalogs you receive: I only get three (Crate and Barrel, CB2, and West Elm) and all the rest have been cancelled via CatalogChoice.org as they come in (which come to think of it hasn't been for a long time, it must be working!). So, done!
5. Empty outbox this week: Not much in it, but if I get down to the storage locker in the basement I'll have plenty for Goodwill. Maybe I'll do that one evening. We'll see. Yeah, didn't do that.
6. Confirm what you need to increase or decrease color in each room. Ok, off the top of my head:
Kitchen - paint back splash (green?)
Dining Room - re-cover dining chairs
Living Room - not sure exactly, but I would like it come in the form of a new love seat/couch, but that isn't going to happen.
Bathroom - something on the walls? Not sure, this room is ok. Probably just needs fresh flowers.
Bedroom - green sheer curtains need to turn into white sheer curtains. New bedding, preferably a light white quilt and new sheets. Cute throw pillow and blanket. A little more art on the walls. I could go on.
Hallway - change out art in phone nook. Found the photo on Etsy that I'd like.
7. Identify what you need to increase or decrease softness in each room. Again, off the top of my head:
Kitchen - nothing
Dining room - nothing (though a ceiling fan would be fabulous).
Hallway - nothing
Bathroom - new rug and towels would of course be lovely.
Living room - new throw pillows, framed art on the wall, new furniture - side tables, bookshelf, media stand, coordinate rugs. Again, I could go on.
Bedroom - needs "something" but I can't quite tell. Also would like a more natural hamper, perhaps a woven one instead of the metal and canvas one I have.
8. Cook three meals at home this week: Let's see, I only cooked once last week, but the boy cooked at least twice, so three shouldn't be TOO hard. I just have to be HOME at night, is the problem. FAIL. Yet again. I can't remember an excuse for every night, but there were plenty. Basically wasn't home, or if so, was in a funk.
Tiptoe Through THESE Tulips.
A photo of the gorgeous tulip fields in the Netherlands, to brighten up a cold and snowy April day in the 'Lou. At least SOMEONE gets to enjoy Spring! :)See more at The Daily Mail. (via AT: Boston).
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