Working 9 to 5...

Actually, it's more like 8:30 to 4:30, but I'm doing it.  Oh yes I am.

I've been sitting here, catching up on my blog reading and I was suddenly bitten by the the "why don't you write a post of your own, you lazy woman?" bug.

So.
In April, I finally  received my certification as a school psychologist. 
In May, I interviewed and accepted a job as a school psychologist.
June and July were spent preparing myself and family for the upcoming changes to our lives (and occasionally freaking out).
And August 1st, I started my new job.

It's...
I'm...

Did you catch that?  Trying to sum up how I feel about the job, the schedule, the incessant fatigue--that's hard.  I can say this: 

• I've had one paycheck so far and I don't hate it. 
• Fatigue is cumulative.  I start out feeling pretty good on Monday, but by Friday I'm driven to tears by the fact that I have to wash my face and brush my teeth before falling into bed at nine.
• It's really irritating when you send an email to someone and they never respond.  Do you send another?  Will that be interpreted as pestering?  What if you really need a response?  Should you contact someone else?  How will that be construed?  It really drives me crazy.  And the worst part is, I'm sure I'm guilty of the same thing because we all get busy and forget sometimes, don't we?
• My crockpot is my friend, but I still found myself at Walmart at 5:30 last night buying things to go along with what was cooking in my crockpot. 
• I've been doing my grocery shopping on Sunday, but we keep running out of food by Thursday.  Yesterday Jason had to take one boiled egg, a yogurt, and a package of Goldfish crackers for lunch.  I bought Subway for myself.  Connor, luckily, has been buying his lunch at school for the last week and a half, but yesterday he brought home the lunch calendar for September and I see several days when I'll have to send lunch for him.
• Making lunches might just be my least favorite part of this process.  It's not a new thing.  I had to send lunches for Jason and Connor last year, too, but the idea that it's one more thing that I have to manage every morning is a bit much.
• Our dogs bark all the time.  We've been leaving them outside and I'm fairly convinced that they spend their entire day barking and barking and driving out neighbors insane.  Would anyone like two new {old} dogs???
• Connor has been going to an after-school program and he really seems to like it.  This is a huge relief to me!!!
• Connor came home last night in a super grumpy mood--you know the kind they have right before they come down with a cold or flu?  This is a huge stressor for me!!!

I hear the sounds of DS-playing coming down the hall so I'm off to check the health status of my little one.  Here's hoping that he's slept off any sick bugs!!! 

Crafting Report.

It's been a long time since I've checked in to this little space. I thought that I would share pictures of some crafty things I have done lately...

Butterflies for Teacher Appreciation & a friend's birthday...

I also made gifts for my niece's 20th (!) birthday and my mom, but I forgot to take pictures of them before they were gifted.  I'm organized like that.

In other news, Connor has finished kindergarten!  So, so hard to believe that the school year is over.  We have a couple of weeks at home together before he goes to summer school in June.  It's also time to start planning his birthday party because he'll soon be turning 7.  Seven.  VII. 

How did this happen???

This and That.

Here it is Thursday already.  I can't believe how quickly this week is going...

• Cleaning Day(s) has resulted in a fairly presentable home and--for once in my life--I feel like I am on top of my housekeeping duties. Here's hoping that I can commit to doing a little each day in order to maintain it!
• For the last two nights I have made an effort to go to bed early. Am I feeling the positive results? Not so much. I think I woke up 47 times last night because I just could not get comfortable. Hate that.
• Today is full of things that I just don't really want to do. I'm itching to do something creative, but I just can't decide what on a project...
• Connor has been stuffed up and coughing all week. He thinks that he might be feeling a little better today. I'm really hoping that we can avoid the sinus infection and bronchitis that so many people are enduring right now. Why is it that beautiful trees and plants can make us all so miserable?
• Connor has soccer practice tonight. I'm hoping that it will be warmer than the last two practices. There is nothing better than being outside in the beautiful spring weather, watching kids play soccer. There is nothing worse than being outside in the miserable, cold and rainy weather, watching kids play soccer. You just never know which one you'll get in April.

Time to get started on my work. Nothing to it, but to do it. :-(

Cleaning Day.

I hereby declare today to be Cleaning Day.  Woot Woot. 
(Imagine me dancing like a pre-teen Disney star). 

I'm about as excited about it as I would be for a root canal, but the dust bunnies are holding a convention under our kitchen table, there are cobwebs hanging in every corner of every room, and there is mud (!) on more than one wall. 

The health department would surely cite me for several critical violations and an entire book of less severe, non-critical, violations, though I'm sure that they would approve of the nicely organized spice cabinet that I worked on for several hours on Friday.  You have to have priorities, right?

It's time to get busy.  I just hope that the bunnies don't gang up on me. 

Okay.  No more procrastination.  I have to get the kid to school, return some overdue library materials, and mail off our tax payment (What will the state of Missouri do with our $4.00?)before the cleaning fun can begin.  Perhaps, if I'm lucky, I can figure out a way to work in a trip to Walmart.

It's going to be a great day... (she said, sarcastically!)

Update:  It's 10:22 and I've cleaned one room.  The good news?  I found our missing phone wedged between the mattress and foot board.  The bad news?  While vacuuming our bedroom, I sucked up the cord to Jason's pillow speaker.  That's $21.20 worth of damage so far.  Yay me.

Sunday Gratitude.

Today, I am grateful for...

1. mild, springtime weather--even if it ushers in a big storm.
2. a boy who still enjoys playing with stuffed animals.
3. a funny husband.
4. bell peppers (finally) growing in my little pots.
5. good movies. 
6. time to work on my classes.
7. my coffee pot.
8. our cozy little home.
9. sleeping until eight this morning.
10. crafty daydreams.

Our Saturday.

Today began early {because 7AM always feels earlier on Saturday mornings} with the usual Saturday-in-Springtime question:  Has Connor's soccer game already been cancelled or will we have to wait another hour to get the call?

We had to wait.  We had to shower, get dressed, force C to eat breakfast, force C to get dressed, gather up the snacks (it was our turn), drive to the field (through the rain & thunder), park in the crazy lot, and then find out that the game had been cancelled. 

Good times.

We decided to take a drive to Lebanon.  There's not much to do with a six-year-old in Lebanon, but we managed to hit one pawn shop {I waited in the car and read the newspaper}, one game store {I waited in the car and read a magazine}, ate a cheap lunch, and stopped at three antique stores / flea markets.  Sadly, I didn't find any treasures today.

The sun came out on the way home and we decided to take the scenic route.  Jason likes to take me on curvy, hilly roads because he thinks it's fun to watch my face turn green and to make me yell while going over hills too fast.  He's mean.

We nearly ran over a small turtle so...we decided to "rescue" it.  In a sand bucket.  Did you know that turtles can climb out of sand buckets?  Our very persistent turtle friend did not stop trying to get out of his container for one second of the 14 mile drive home.  I think that he was ticked off because Jason was driving too fast on the curvy, hilly roads. 

After looking around our front yard for a bit, Turtle is now sleeping under a bush in our flower bed.   I feel a little guilty about our turtle-napping, but I think it will be pretty happy once it figures out that there is a pond down the road.  Sure beats getting run down by a pickup truck on a curvy, hilly road...

Thorns.

Ashley Judd.  Why is it that her face gets puffy and folks think she's had plastic surgery, but my face gets puffy and people think that I've been hitting the glazed donuts a little too often?  Am I the only person who finds her annoying?  I may agree with some of the things she says, but she is way too intent on letting all of us know that she is brilliant. 

I wonder why there are still roads within the "metro" Springfield area that are labeled things like "Farm Road 138" and "Highway J."  Every time the "traffic watchers" on morning radio tell us that there is an accident on one of these roads, I picture two tractors that have collided on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere when in reality it's probably two minivans intertwined in front of a Starbucks near south Campbell.  It's very important to me, for some reason, to name these roads.  How about Smith Road and Jones Drive?  How about Bugs Avenue and Bunny Street?  Maybe Ashley Blvd and Judd Expressway?

Why is there salsa on my computer screen?

Is it wrong that I'm praying that Connor's soccer practice gets rained out tonight?  I'm not a great sports mom, but I'll never let Connor know that.  I pray for a weather incident in private while enthusiastically helping him dress in shin guards.

I wish that I could wear fun sunglasses instead of my one and only prescription pair.  I daydream of lasik.

How is Rock Center different?  Isn't it just another version of Dateline?  Did we need another primetime news show?  I guess I didn't realize that there were people out there still needing more news about all of the tragic things happening in the world.  Tell me more about the potential risk of my child being kidnapped.  More details, please, about that horrible accident that happened last week.  What does Ashley Judd think about the objectification of women?  Thank you, Rock Center, for addressing these important issues.

I am crabby with a capital C.  Perhaps I'll take a nap and try my hand at being human again later. 

Pinned It and Did It {Again}!

We have a room in our house that has served many purposes.  It has been a guest room.  It has been an office.  It has been a craft room.  More than anything, though, it has been a storage warehouse for all of the stuff that has no other home.  This, of course, means that it is always, always, always a giant mess.  I've cleaned it and organized it many times over the 8 years we have lived here, but it always degenerates back to chaos, but...


{wait for it}


...this time is different. 


"Why?" you ask.  "How?" you snicker.


Because I have found the secret of the universe and I'm here to share it with all of you:

Source:  Pinterest via Heather Black

It was late one night.  I should have been in bed, but I just wasn't ready to say good-night to my old friend "Pin."  I sat on the couch, repeatedly scrolling down, enjoying the pictures of tiny Yorkie dogs and deviled eggs designed to look like baby chicks and suddenly, I saw it and I was overcome by a sudden feeling of clarity and happiness!  I knew right then that:

Hangy Shoe Organizer Thingies

are the key to organizational success / ruling the universe! 

Who knew???  I found mine at Walmart for $5.97 each and I have purchased four of them so far this week.  That's right.  Our store is now out of them and knowing our Walmart as I do, they will never {ever} restock.  That spot on the shelf--it will still be there months from now, but they.will.never.ever.restock.  Can you tell that our Walmart makes me sad?


Ready for the tour of my newly {re}organized {again} Guest room (without a bed)/Craft room/Office?  Here goes...

Bad picture, I know, but the joy is in the fact that I can see everything I have without having to hunt and hunt and hunt, then go to Walmart to buy whatever it is I can't find only to find that the spot on the shelf where my item should be is {you guessed it} empty!

A real-life conversation at our house this past weekend:

Jason:  Where the {bleep} is the {bleeping} scotch tape?
Me:  It's hanging on the guest room closet.
Jason:  O...kay.
Me:  Did you find it?
Jason:  Yes.

Ahhh.  Did you feel that?  The winds of change are blowing my friends.  My husband found something without my assistance.  This is nothing short of life-changing!

Admittedly, there are some things that can't hang in shoe organizers and I'm at risk of running out of closet/door space so here are some other ways I'm trying to tame my clutter...

Fabric is now stored (by color) in a dresser.

Sewing and embroidery supplies are stashed away in this little cart.

My little paint collection is organized by color.

My paint "chips" are sorted by color, too. 

I have a small shelf full of miscellaneous craft stuff and magazine storage and though I need to find a way to pretty it up, it has potential.

And finally, this chest has two drawers devoted to scrapbook paper, one drawer for buttons, and one for zippers and lace.  Yes, zippers and lace.  I seriously need to stay away from craft stores for the next couple of years. 

So.  There you have it.  Pinterest has improved my life (again) and I'm in control of my guest room/craft room/office (again) so all is well in my world (again).  At least for now...

Pinned It and Did It!

I'll admit it:  I wasn't a huge fan of Pinterest when I first found it.  It seemed difficult to use and I just couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about.  But then I tried it again and I found it to be much more user-friendly. 

And now?  Well, now I'm a Pinterest junkie.  I love looking at all of the creative ideas that exist in the world and it inspires me to try new things. 

I found this cute little birdie one day and thought that it looked like just the kind of quick and easy project I like:

Source:  Pinterest via Yuzo Fujii; Original Source:  Misseskwitty's Flickr Photostream

So...I made one.  Oh, yeah.  I finally made something that I had pinned!

Here's my version:

My little bird now lives on top of our TV cabinet:

I'm having fun adding little accents around our home.  Even better?  Using stuff that I already have. 

It makes me feel better about my borderline-hoarding of craft supplies.  : )

Getting Hammered.

I've been a little stressed out lately.  Trust me when I say that:

Thoughtless people + The need for confrontation = One miserable Me

Ordinarily I would address this situation (or at least avoid it) with the assistance of Chocolate, but Chocolate and I aren't speaking right now, what with the big Lent thing and all.  I tried turning to Chester Cheetah and his yummy Day-Glo orange Cheetos, but I ran out of those sometime on Thursday so I needed a different fix. 

What's a girl to do when there are no more snacks in the house?  Grab a hammer, that's what.  I spent an entire afternoon hanging empty picture frames in one corner of my living room and I could not be happier with the result. 

I can't decide whether to call this "Free Therapy"  or "Quick!  Get this girl some Xanax!" 

I feel much better now...except for one thing:  Jason has hidden my hammer.

Hello Monday.

Today I'm saying...

• Hello Monday!
• Hello first Monday alone in three weeks (Connor was home two weeks ago for his Spring Break; Jason was home last week for his).
• Hello BEAUTIFUL weather!  Seriously makes me want to break out in song, but that might compete with the beauty (and not in a good way).
• Hello (and good-bye) to a giant spider who was found checking out my Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Charlotte has been relocated per our Spider-catch-and-release-Program.  Perhaps I'll let her back in if she's willing to cook dinner.
• Hello 49-item To-Do list.  May I find the energy and motivation to tackle many items this week!
• Hello to a book I'm reading called Simplicity Parenting.  I love that it describes children as being from "Planet Slow."  That is certainly true of my little one.
• Hello to making an effort to slow down with my child instead of constantly rushing him.
• Hello to time spent blowing bubbles, drawing Rainbow Villages with sidewalk chalk, and playing catch outside every day this week!

Happy Monday!

...linking up with Lisa Leonard Designs

Connor Cat.

I don't usually share pictures of Connor on my blog, but I couldn't resist sharing this:

Connor went to a birthday party last Saturday and face painting was a major attraction for C and his friends.  They all looked so good! 

Today is my first day at home in a long while and the chores are stacked against me.  First on my list is a lot of work-work.  Lot's of grading and emails to send.  Midterm grades are due on Monday (already!) so it's time to get my gradebook in order.

Laundry is in progress, unloading the dishwasher is next.  Exciting stuff.  Hopefully I'll have a little time to work on my "Make it in March" challenge.  Who knew that March was going to usher in such a crazy busy schedule for this work at home mom?  Perhaps I should have made my declaration of craftiness in February.  I don't remember it being quite so busy.

I have managed to complete one little art project.  I've always been pretty traditional in terms of art, but lately I've seen a lot of contemporary pieces on Pinterest that have really appealed to me.  I've been thinking about trying to make two large "pictures" for my living room, but I wanted to try my idea on a much smaller scale first.  So here goes...

Definitely imperfect and the jury is still out, but it felt really good to just do something. 

March 2 much to do.

Okay.  Here's the scoop.  I started a craft yesterday and it failed.
Big time.

So I started another craft today and there is an 80% chance that this one is going to fail as well.

Time will tell.

All is not lost, however, because today I made significant progress with organizing the pile of Connor's school work that has haunted me for far too long.  I have a really, really hard time tossing anything that he has done. 

• Worksheets?  I've kept them. 
•  Artwork?  I've kept it. 
• Random scraps of construction paper stapled together?  I'm got them! 

Seriously out of control.

The sorting has started and now I'm looking for a great way of storing the items that we are going to keep.  Perhaps I'll find some ideas on Pinterest?  : )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, I went to Connor's class today to read The Cat in the Hat Comes Back in honor of  Dr. Seuss' birthday.  It was a lot of fun and t reminded me of how much I used to enjoy doing social skills groups with elementary kiddos back in the day.

Tonight, Connor attended his first school carnival.  His favorite activity was the bounce house. 

Tomorrow is a classmate's birthday party and a visit to Grammie and Grampy's new house. 

Busy days!

Make it in March.

In my efforts to avoid (A) working and (B) cleaning, I have spent the morning (and part of the afternoon) trolling Pinterest (again) and I've just had a great idea:

WHY DON'T I STOP LOOKING AND ACTUALLY MAKE SOMETHING or DECORATE SOMETHING or ORGANIZE SOMETHING???

Why don't I?
Because I'm lazy, that's why.

But what if I wasn't lazy?
What if I challenged myself to make, decorate, or organize something EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS MONTH?

What would I accomplish?

I guess I'll find out because I'm doing it! 
And guess what else?

I'm going to do it using only what I have in my house right this very minute.

That's right.

My first project is actually in progress and will be ready to post tomorrow...

I'm excited to...

Source:  Pinterest via Eliza De La Portilla; Original source:  1.bp.blogspot.com

Color.

I finally got up the nerve to hang some of my favorite art in our hallway, but it's really hard to photograph it because the lighting is hit or miss.

My favorite...painted by "Marilyn" and found at a flea market for $4.



 The colorful books have been returned to their rightful places.  Oh, rainbow-colored Trixie Beldons, how I love you so!

I'm off to make some colorful throw pillows...

Happy Pins / Happy Colors.

A few weeks ago I was ready to scream!  My house was crazy cluttered and I felt like all of the "stuff" was driving me bonkers.  I think that I announced (though maybe just in my mind) that I was taking the neutral route, removing all of the color from my living areas so that a sense of calm could prevail.

I went neutral.  I posted pictures of my new, tone on tone, china cabinet and I really liked it that way.  I still do.  But...

...cue the gray skies...

After a week without sunshine, I was ready to finger paint our walls with primary colors.  I considered painting our kitchen cabinets chartreuse.  And I started pinning things like this:

Source:  Pinterest via Melvonna Collier; originally from Better Homes & Gardens

Source:  Pinterest via Jennifer Kershner; Original source:  designsponge.com

Source:  Pinterest via Jemm; Original source:  night-onthe-run.tumblr.com

Source:  Pinterest via Jemm; Original Source:  countryliving.com

Source:  Pinterest via Danielle Dzioba; Original Source:  marthastewartweddings.com

Source:  Pinterest via Missy Harding; Original Source:  sthouzz.com

It has occurred to me that perhaps I am not a neutral and calm person.  Or perhaps I am too neutral and calm and I need some color to WAKE ME UP.  Either way, I have decided to add some color to my home.  I really am working on it and I promise that, this week, I will post some pictures to prove it.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a picture of what I want to do with our home and it feels fun to put my ideas into action.  Slowly, but surely I'll get it there.

Babies & Thin Mints.

Surprise!  I'm posting more than once this week!  Can you believe it?

Do you remember, back in December when I posted the 40 things I wanted to do at age 40?  Well, one of those things is to contribute to charitable causes by either volunteering or donating crafts that I make.  Today, I donated a craft.  Connor's school is having a carnival and they are raffling off different gift baskets.  Connor's class is in charge of collecting items for a "Baby" basket.  So I made this:

Working on a baby project was a lot of fun!  It brought back memories of planning Connor's room and choosing a "theme."  We went with denim, dark red, and khaki colors for his room so this pastel giraffe may not have fit in quite right.  Still,  I tried to be very gender neutral in my color selection...

I love to stitch pretty pictures, but finishing them makes me want to scream.  This time, I tried a shadow box frame, a little rick rack, some linen-like fabric and buttons.  It worked out pretty well, I think.

In other news, I'm currently working on another of my 40 @ Forty items:  Giving up sweets for Lent.  Today is day three.  I'm doing okay, but wouldn't you know it--our Girl Scout cookies arrived last night.  With a tear in my eye, I sent my little box of Thin Mints off to work with Jason this morning.  Oh sure, I could put them in the freezer and save them until Lent is over, but let's be honest--The chances of me caving to temptation, tearing open the package of frozen cookies, and breaking a tooth while feverishly biting into one are just too high. 

I have no self-restraint!  : (

Wallet Organization 101.

Hello!  Here is a little tip that will probably seem really underwhelming and/or useless, but it's making me really happy (it doesn't take much!) so I thought that I would share...

Lately, I've been trying to use cash more and our debit card less, but I started feeling like my wallet was getting completely out of control.  Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but the dollar bills were co-mingling with the larger bills and the receipts were trying to take over so I was constantly sorting through the mess in order to pay for important purchases (e.g., coffee).

So...Here is what I came up with:

Do you see the little postcard peeking out up at the top of this picture?

I decided to use vintage postcards to keep my stuff in line.  I've got one to keep the bills separate and one to partition off the receipts and now everything stays where it belongs.  No more co-mingling!

I warned you that it was underwhelming.   Seriously, though, I can use all the help I can get when it comes to organization (and money management for that matter!) so I'm pretty content.  Give it a try (when you finish laughing) and I'm sure that it will change your life too! : )

What are your favorite little organizational tips?

Party Girl.

I know a girl, a girl called Party...Party Girl.
I know she wants more than a party...Party Girl.
And she won't tell me her name, Oh no, Not me.

Does anyone else out there remember Party Girl by U2?
Did I just date myself?
Okay, so yes.  I'll admit it.
I spent the last part of the 80s and a good deal of the 90s adoring this band.
Is that uncool?  I would hate to be uncool.

Back in the day, Bono didn't have time to meet with the UN or various heads of state.
He and The Edge were busy coming up with awesome lyrics like...

I know a boy, a boy called Trash, Trash can.
I know he does all that he can, wham bam
And she won't tell me his name, oh no, not me...

And so now, at the ripe old age of 40, I find myself humming their little tune as I think about the fact that I have--not one, but two--parties to attend in the next four days. 

That's right.  I'm a party girl.
So what if the parties I'm talking about are actually a kindergarten Valentine's Party (delayed because of snow) and a little girl's birthday party?

I'll be there.  Holding Connor's juice box while he plays, maybe, but I'll be there.

Humming...

When I was three, I thought the world revolved around me. 
I was wrong and so I sing along.
And if you dance, then dance with me...

Oh yeah.  I'm cool.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll be honest.  I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.  It's nice in theory, but for some reason I have a hard time finding ways to celebrate it. 
Maybe it's because, after Jason's birthday in November & Christmas and our anniversary in December, I'm fresh out of gift-giving ideas...

Maybe I'm just making excuses...

Anyway, this year I decided to make valentines for my boys.

For Connor:

...accompanied by a little candy...

For Jason:

...accompanied by what I hope will be a yummy dinner and dessert when he finally gets home from work tonight.

Do you love all of the red and pink goodness of Valentine's day or do you find it hard, too?

Once-Weekly-Random-Ramblings.

In the words of Oprah Winfrey, "Here's what I know for sure..."*

1. I should not be allowed to microwave popcorn.  I've made it twice in the last 12 hours and burned it both times.
2. My house smells really nice.
3. I enjoy being sarcastic.
4. Nearly a year after painting my hallway, I finally got around to hanging pictures.
5. I'm not sure I like it.
6. I'm convinced that the big picture that I put in the center is going to fall down at any moment.
7. If it does, it will probably stay there for another 6 months.
8. It's almost Valentine's Day and I haven't purchased a gift for Jason.
9. Or for Connor.
10. I'm unclear on the rules for purchasing valentine's gifts for one's child.
11. Connor is clear:  I'd better get one for him and it had better be attached to candy. 
12. I haven't seen sunshine in at least three days and it's making me morose.
13. Max the Dog is making me mental.
14. Morose + Mental = Hungry.
15. Perhaps it's time for lunch and/or a nap?
16. I'm in a creative slump.  It seems like nothing is working out quite the way I had imagined it.  Does that ever happen to you?
17. I'm not sure whether to keep trying or to sit back and wait...
18. I'm tired of sitting.
19. My hands smell like burned popcorn.
20. I'm in desperate need of some type of hair intervention.

*I kindof miss Oprah.  I never really watched her show, but I liked knowing it was out there. : )

Where are you Oprah?  Hope you're living your best life, girl.

Just a Minute...

I have just a minute, today, to note that another week is almost over.  Can you believe it?  Where have I been?  What have I been doing? 

• I've been daydreaming about new houses and/or remodeling after going to a "home builder's show" last Saturday.  Mind you, daydreaming is as far as it will go right now.
• I've visited the family entertainment capital of Missouri (aka Branson) only to find that Yakov, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Andy Williams are all on vacation throughout the month of January (darn).
• I've watched my kiddo swim with the fishes (and one cheetah) at a well-chlorinated resort pool.
• I've acquired my 4th cold since September and have decided that this is definitely a sign that I need more fruits and vegetables in my diet.
• It's February and that means that I have already fallen behind in my "Change-My-House-One-Room-At-A-Time" goals and me thinks it's time to get back to work!!!
• But first I have to find space in the guest room for actual guests, get through this cold, volunteer tomorrow, take Connor to a birthday party tomorrow night, sign up for Cub Scouts on Saturday, watch the Super Bowl, work, work, work, do laundry, clean house, find another job, get busy on my 40 at Forty list...

I must become better organized. 
I must become more productive. 
I must fight the urge to go back to bed...

Life in General.

A few things to share this morning...

1. Yoplait Light Strawberry Shortcake yogurt DOES NOT really taste like strawberry shortcake.

2.  It's cold, rainy, and gloomy here today and that makes me want to crawl right back into bed.

3.  I've worked out two mornings in a row and I think that I'm going to croak.  It's not that I'm sore, exactly.  I just feel really weighted down.  Everything I do is ve--rr--y slow.  It will get better right? 

4.  Where are those endorphins I read so much about?

5.  Noah the fish is dying.  He's been sick since before Christmas and I've done everything I can to make him better, but he just gets worse. 

6.  This has prompted many questions about illness and death and why God lets these things happen.  You know--those easy questions!

7. And speaking of questions, here is a conversation I had with my son yesterday...
     Connor: Mom, what is your favorite thing in the world?
     Me: You're my favorite thing.
     Connor: Oh, I thought money was your favorite thing because you're always talking about    how you wish you had more of it.


The awards ceremony for Mom-of-the-Year will be held this weekend, but I was--OBVIOUSLY--not nominated!!!

What's happening in your neck of the woods? 

(Don't you just love a blog post with an Al Roker reference?)

Hello Monday.

Pinterest via http://southernlivinghouseplans.com/plans/

Today, I'm linking up with Lisa to say...Hello Monday!

Pinterest via http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/room-organization-tips/

Hello to getting things done.

Pinterest via http://www.houzz.com/photos/query/damask/start=112

Hello warm-ish weather in January.

Pinterest via http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/mudroom/do-it-all-entryways/#page=24

Hello to the second week of classes and finding my groove.


Pinterest via https://www.tumblr.com/login?redirect_to=%2Fdashboard

Hello to making progress with my dining area plans.
 

Pinterest via http://www.pineconehill.com/gallery/12084

Hello to setting goals and working towards them!

Pinterest via http://caffeinecourt.blogspot.com/2007/11/some-people-just-have-it.html

Hello to my never-ending, Pinterest-induced daydreams!

Pinterest via http://style-files.com/2010/08/05/a-lovely-cottage/



Have a great Monday!

What else?

Hello!  I disappeared for the weekend.  Did you notice?  I/we have been busy getting ready for the start of a new semester around here.  This semester marks the beginning of my fifth year of teaching for a local community college and Jason is set to teach an evening class at a different local college.  He's teaching Abnormal Psychology and I just wonder how often I'll be used as an example.  Hmmm.

What else?  No progress has been made in the dining room.  Well, that's not true.  On Saturday, I hung a shelf on the wall and left it there for about two hours.  It looked fine, but a bit more "country" than I want so I took it down and added it to the pile of junk stacked in the guest room.  I've spent the last three days trying to determine exactly what I want to put up instead, but no big ideas have emerged.  Well, actually 213 ideas have emerged but have since been tossed out.  I say I'm indecisive, but Jason says that I'm ______?  (A:  insane, B:  annoying, C:  abnormal, or D:  all of the above)

Look at that!  I just wrote the first question for his midterm!

What else?  In the last six days, I have dealt with a plumber, a dentist, a kindergarten teacher, and a mechanic.  Lovely.  My favorite was the mechanic because he gave me a new key fob-lock opener thingy for my car.  Now, with the push of a button, I can unlock or lock all of my doors and/or trunk.  Before today, I could unlock the driver's door and lock the passenger door--but not the other way around.  

I can live without a lot of little extras, but the key fob-lock opener thingy is truly awesome!  Now I just have to figure out a way to keep Jason from losing it.

What else?  Ummm.  I guess I'm done.  I'll be running to the library now to return two movies I haven't yet watched.  I say "no!" to over-due fees.  It may cost me the same amount in gas to go out of my way to return them, but by golly they'll be turned in on time. 

Plus, I'll get to unlock my car with my new toy!

China Cabinet: All Dressed Up and Ready to Go.

Are you tired of my dining area yet?
I am. 
Here are some pictures of my "finished" china cabinet. 
It took an embarrassingly long time for me to get to this point...



See all of that stuff on the bottom shelf there?

After one night of living with it this way I fought my natural clutter instincts and cleared it down to this:

My new mantra:  Less is more...Less is more...Less is more...
Must keep reminding self.  : )

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

They've Got Me Surrounded.

Good Morning!  Here I sit, surrounded by the contents of my china cabinet. 
It turns out that I've been avoiding this particular cleaning/organizational task for a reason.  It's bad.  Really bad.  I found: 

• Fiestaware (plates, platters, serving dishes, two gravy boats!)
• Wedding china (very pretty, though sadly never once used in the last 8 years)
• Stemware (I have approximately 30 wine glasses and only two have ever been used)
• Five deviled egg plates
• Four teapots
• 22 clear jars & bottles
• a hammer
• two measuring tapes
• two ice picks
• Two dogs, a rooster, a hen, a bear, and a duck

Add in about 273 other serving dishes or miscellaneous items and you'd have a pretty good idea of the mess I have created.  The hardest part is knowing where to put it all.  I don't really want to get rid of these things, but I only have 8 kitchen cabinets so the bottom portion of this cabinet could be really handy for extra casserole dishes and small appliances--things that I use all of the time.  I'm thinking that the best choice is to box up a lot of the pretties that I'm not going to use for decorating right now and store them in the garage or attic.  Not the most exciting way to spend my day, but I think that it will be nice to reclaim this cabinet! 

So day two of dining area chaos begins. Please don't feel jealous of my exciting life!

What do you have planned for today?