a closet we can actually use

 

One step forward at a time.  One thing crossed off the list and on to the next.  Slow and steady.  That's how I'm working it, this whole de-cluttering thing.  Bags of clothing and household goods to Goodwill.  Boxes of dishes and clothing up to the attic.  Some things are good enough for the trash.  And you know what?  I'm making progress.  The beau was over last night dropping off some essentials (his liquor, wine, and bar set) and I was so proud to show him all I've accomplished.  I am not sure he was as impressed as he should have been.  Or maybe I'd really been hiding full extent of the mess just a little bit from him.

When I added the side table to his side of the bed I knew we had issues.  As in 'can't open the closet door more than six inches' issues.  And so I added "remove closet door off the hinges" to his to-do list on Astrid (love that thing) and he had it done a week later.  Used a small tension rod I inherited when I moved in, added a shower curtain from Target (on sale), and now we have a closet we can actually use.  Not perfect (the shower curtain is too short for the opening and the doorhinge gaps are a little unsightly), but it will work.

And that is the key for me right now.  Getting it done so that it is good enough.  Hard to not be "perfect" for a perfectionist like me, but I need to prioritize and realize that just getting through the list is as close to perfect as I really need.  Especially when I have so many other things on my list to come...

the Berenstain Bears and de-cluttering

I subscribe to quite a few home decorating newsletters and blogs, catching up on them through Facebook or e-mail.  Normally I skim these or just click delete, not really needing or wanting the same advice or decorator suggestions again (especially when I know we are not in the rental house for long and we have a very limited budget).  Yet, when a recent Apartment Therapy update came through my e-mail, I just had to click through to the entire post.  It was entitled  "8 Truths About Home Organization I Learned from the Berenstain Bears."  I know, right?!

So needless to say, I had a little laugh and a little heartwarming reminder of my childhood, as well as a good swift kick in the butt to get the ball rolling with my own organizational issue.  I mean, if the cubs feel a sense of zen after labeling boxes and de-cluttering, then I'm on board too.

herbs, packing, and a power outage

I am overrun with herbs right now.  Mint, oregano, basil, sage, and rosemary.  In pink and yellow vintage pots in the kitchen and out in the garden too.  I've not been cooking a whole lot this summer, as we don't have a CSA subscription and I always seem to be on the road somewhere - to Richmond; up to Maryland; to Alexandria.  I am looking forward to the craziness of a long-distance relationship, Grandma moving, and wedding planning settling down.  We were looking for a new rental house, but at this point have scrapped that plan for the current one:  the beau moves into my rental house and we get settled enough to buy a house in less than one year.  Our realtor recommended buying within a year and it just seemed silly to pack and move to another rental just to move again.  I hate moving.

But now comes the fun of packing and moving some of my stuff up into the attic (or donating to local charities).  I have more clothes than I really need/use; my shoes are out of control; and magazines are everywhere.  I am excited for the challenge.  I am extra excited to have the beau living under the same roof.  Just need to get started on the packing (amidst the previously mentioned long-distance relationship, Grandma moving, and wedding planning).

This weekend we had a scheduled family girls' weekend surrounding a bridal luncheon thrown by my future sister-in-law and her aunt.  My mother, sister-in-law, and two of my mother's best friends were coming down to visit, we were going to do the luncheon, go shopping, out to dinner, even to see Magic Mike.  But alas, a scary storm came through on Friday night and knocked out power to my house, the bridal luncheon locale, and the hotel where everyone was staying.  So needless to say, things got a little messed up.  Although the luncheon was still lovely (albeit in another location), travel took twice as long as expected, none of the cute boutiques were open for shopping, and the girls ended up driving home the same night instead of the planned overnight.  A bit of a bummer.

Power is back on at my house now, so I am excited for a little coolness today as I get some household chores done and do some more wedding planning work.  Then it's on the road again this afternoon...

leftover

 

Spring cleaning the fridge & freezer.  That's my goal right now.  As in, using up all the random veggies and other things clogging up the shelves and crammed into the depths of the freezer.  Monday night was marinated Smoky Grilled (well, broiled) Tempeh from Veganomicon paired with roasted (frozen) green beans and Daiya mozzarella cheese-topped toast.  Last night made use of some leftover canned pumpkin in Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce from this can't be Vegan with even more pasta (pumpkin is a veggie, right?).  Tomorrow will likely be homemade pizza dough (flour overload in the freezer) topped with a sauce made from the half-a-can of diced tomatoes sitting on the fridge shelf and leftover container of organic mushrooms in the crisper.

I'm cooking for one this week, so have the luxury of totally bombing.  Not that he cares, but I feel a certain amount of pressure to produce edible results when cooking for two.  Me, I'll eat just about anything.  Especially if there are no witnesses.

Next up:  three half-empty jars of salsa.  Any ideas?

roasting and decluttering (or man, my life is exciting)

Roasting.  I've been doing a lot of that lately.  The lower coil of my oven busted a while ago and I've not yet told my landlord (lazy).  So when I turn the oven on it takes a while to heat up and even then isn't great for precise baking.  But roasting is no problem.  On Monday I roasted a large can of chickpeas until toasty (with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast) for snacks; half of a sweet potato cut into "fries" to go with dinner; a tortilla torn into bits to go with my lunchtime soup; and pumpkin seeds that had been languishing in the fridge from pumpkin carving.

I've also been on a decluttering kick.  At least a decluttering of the closet.  In the name of switching over my seasonal clothing, I took the opportunity to purge a huge bag of clothes that I know I'll never wear.  Things that either a) no longer fit; b) never fit right; or c) are incredibly out of style - or at least my style - now.  I've lost a little weight over the past few months and am in a dilemma regarding some of my nicer pants that are now too big.  Donate?  Consign?  Alter?  So those go in a separate pile until I can make up my mind.  I'd love to get to a point where all of my clothes actually fit in my bedroom instead of spilling over into the attic or guest room closet.  We're making progress...slowly.

And that concludes what has to be the most boring post I feel that I've ever written.  Guess mid-November just isn't an exciting time of year.  Although I do have a fun weekend ahead of me, this week is just work, work, work.  Oh, with a trip to the grocery store thrown in there.  I know.  Riveting.

Lettuce and iPhones

 I've finally started some summertime seeds.  Woefully behind.  So behind in fact, that the lettuce that I left to bolt and self seed last year has actually appeared and made some real progress already.  Hopefully my little seedlings of beets, lettuce (more of the red spotted), snap peas, basil, and poppies (not to eat, but to look pretty) will catch up soon.  I just used an inexpensive Burpee bamboo/natural seed tray kit that I picked up at Tar-jay.  Convenience is key when you are a procrastinator like me.

My father and I were just having a discussion the other day about how I am such a procrastinator and have always been.  I explained that this trait continues into my adult life because I've never failed to make something happen at the last minute, so what is the point of not doing what comes natural?  Now that I've sent that thought out into the universe I know it will come back to bite me.

Yesterday I took a half day off work and took care of two projects that I kept putting off (after my father threatened and then followed through on calling me at 7AM to remind me).  First, I got my passport application turned in for my England trip this summer.  The post office lady assured me I had plenty of time.  Whew.  Then I took my car to get an oil change (okay, a third thing on my list there), and took the hour appointment time to walk over to the phone store to get myself into the 21st century.  I've now upgraded my cell phone to an *gasp* iPhone.  Really.  When I turned in my cute pink bar phone to the girl for donation she actually laughed.  And then tried to make me feel better by commenting on how good a condition it was in.  Oh, and wouldn't you know that I got the last $49 iPhone they had in the store.  Score.  Another Whew.

Of course when the numbers were transferred between phones I lost all numbers except JKL in my address book.  So, if I like you and you like me and you want me to call you (and your name isn't Janet, Krissy, Laura, etc.), please send me a text, etc. with your number.  Otherwise, the phone store girl and I decided that it was fate and that this was a good clean break - out with old numbers that mean nothing to modern me.  A fresh start.

Today is a little chilly and I'm headed into work today, so will need to search out my cute Boden pink linen coat to throw on.  I'm thinking black pants, white shirt, pink coat, and some funky earrings. 

Have become addicted (and I mean addicted) to Friday Night Lights via Netflix streaming.  Oh my.  Started Season 2 last night and have a feeling a marathon will be happening this evening.  Friday Night Lights on a Saturday - I know - I live on the edge.

new year

Happy new year everyone. We enjoyed a lovely, warm (well, 50 degrees or so) new year's weekend, but now the weather is back to cold and blustery. Brrr...

The house is still a mess, but the Christmas decorations are slowly getting packed away and order is returning. Things I'm loving in the new year:

1. The anticipation of an orchid about to bloom. I've hardly paid attention to it and hate to jinx it, but had to share my excitement.
2. Lip Junkie lip gloss in jilted. Pop of color and tingle of peppermint. Plus, cruelty-free/vegan.
3. Arugula.
4. Organizational supplies at Target. This time of year is second only to back-to-school for eye candy at Target - bins and binders and organizing supplies galore. I partook of the festivities by purchasing small flat boxes (for my overwhelming supply of ribbon rolls) and one large bin (for excess Christmas decor). In lime green, of course.
5. Seventh Generation fabric softener sheets that you can add to the compost pile.
6. The first seed catalogue to arrive in the mail. Making me dream of English peas and warm dirt.

Simple joys. But those are the best kind sometimes. Off to snuggle under the duvet...

bright blue

We had a white Christmas around these parts, but the snow is largely melted away and I'm longing already for springtime. I seem to be a bit impatient when it comes to winter. Definitely not meant for cold climes. I treated myself to a little shopping spree online and finally purchased the bright blue egg crate that just screams springtime from Anthropologie that I've been wanting for months. Perfect way to control my ever-growing collection of rings on my dresser top.

summer storms

The summer storm season has arrived - evenings with rolls of thunder, streaks of lightning, and torrential downpours that catch you unawares. I love the smell of a storm rolling in and the dark that descends and then leaves as quickly as it came. Getting caught in the storm is a blessing in disguise, with big rain drops refreshing you like running through a giant sprinkler. I used to love putting on my bathing suit and running around in the summer rain as a kid (sans the lightning, of course). I didn't do that last night, although I'm sure my neighbor Steve would have enjoyed watching that with the requisite beer can in his hand.

With the summertime weather's arrival, I've also made the wardrobe switch. From cashmere sweaters to linen shirts. Winter clothes have been packed up and put in the attic until cold weather descends again (sadly I know it will). Picked up some new goodies thanks to my parents and some birthday money and have worn pretty much every new thing this past week. One of my favorites: a ruffled chambray tunic from Anthropologie that I can wear with dark jeans or black peddle pushers and flip-flops.

P.S. Yes, I do realize it's only April, but when the weather is set to be over 90 degrees today, I'd say it's summer all the way...

growing: tiny, precious pentas

I had a lovely birthday yesterday. Thank you for all the well wishes. Although I had to work, some girlfriends and I went to dinner (belatedly celebrating M.'s March birthday as well) and then to a movie - Alice in Wonderland (in 3-D no less). A fun end to a beautiful day.

The truck just picked up my recycling and am I so thankful. I had a pile of paper recycling that was taking over my living room and was very happy to see it go. I have a little canvas bin that sits under the armchair right when you walk into the living room, but when the bin gets full, then it just looks like I have rubbish laying about. Not pretty. Luckily the plastic/glass can live outside so I don't have to deal with that too in my tiny, tiny house.

Must do a little grocery shopping tonight to prepare for our weekend of fun. My parents don't require much, but coffee is a must-have and so I must go stock up. And then come home and tidy up a bit. But my mother is bringing me a birthday cake, so that'll make up for any housework/shopping I have to do! Yum.

In the garden, the pentas are coming back. They got a little squished during the heavy snow, but the small white flowers are spreading and I may need to pluck a little vaseful to bring inside and enjoy this weekend.

letter writing and doves cooing

I love the early mornings on the weekends - no place to rush off to and the streets are quiet. As I sit at my desk I hear the gentle cooing of doves. This sound used to drive me and my roommate crazy when we lived in our little apartment in Washington, D.C. and they would roost right outside our bedroom window. But now I find it soothing.

The other plus side to organizing the stationary in the office (besides the pure joy of organizing) is that I now can find and use the varied stationary quite easily. This morning I chose to pull out hand-laid botanical writing paper. In the box I discovered some full sheets that might be beautiful framed. What a nice surprise.

step toward sanity: corralling the stationary

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - I need to organize around the house. I think it is a perpetual goal of mine to be 'organized.' Whatever that really means. It is always just out of reach for me. But I do enjoy trying to get there.

Stationary. Note cards. Thank you notes. Whatever the variety, I do love buying, receiving, and looking at it. I even use it every so often for notes to friends and relatives. But it was taking over my office/guest room. It lived in its individual boxes and packages amongst the books (which also need some organization). Enter extra shoe boxes and contact paper that I had in the supply closet. I made sure to pick boxes of complimentary size (and large enough to fit sheets of writing paper). Cost: $0.

I had been lusting after the look of clean, streamlined offices with pops of color like this and this. Am I there yet? Not a chance. It might have been smarter to opt for a single-color contact paper, but I'm all about being frugal for the new year and this basic beige floral was already in my arsenal. Besides, it's always good to have future projects!

little things

I get quite excited about little things sometimes. New office supplies at work is one of the 'things' that I love. Bright green folders plus a new rolly rack to start to get some of the mess off of my desk = a happy camper. Almost makes up for the fact that I'm at work on a rainy, gloomy Sunday...

Recipe cards and organizing blogs

In my quest to move toward a more organized way of life (and isn't that always something I'm bringing up? - well, I at least feel it is), my coworker has been introducing me to some organizing blogs for inspiration. One of the best ones she suggested is Penelope Loves Lists. Although new, it has so much potential...and one of the latest posts on it is actually apropos to my own organizing of recipe cards that I started working on last week.

Over the past week or so, I've been spending my time here and there going through my own blog posts to see what recipes I loved and am copying them onto cards for easy access. Although I love my wireless internet at home, sometimes you need that card in front of you - a place to quickly refer and to write down notes. Plus, I have a cute collection of blank recipe cards that I must use.

Any other organizing blogs you love out there? Do tell!

Moving forward. Slowly.

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? That tends to be my mantra. My sister-in-law attributes my procrastination to my perfectionism - if I can't do it right I put it off until later. I actually think I agree with her. I have my big vision of how it "should" be and then get all bogged down in the planning and don't actually get off my butt. Well, I figured, as my colorful family would say, I needed to 's**t or get off the pot' when it came to my office/guest bedroom.

I now have a clear desk. With a cute pen cup (a.k.a. recycled pepper tin - my mother's creative idea). Now I just need to tackle the pile of stuff that I moved off my desk and onto the bed. And floor. I'm trying to keep in mind the saying: 'A place for everything; everything in its place' (or however it goes). Now I just need to find those places. And then move things there.

Wish me luck.

A little richer

Saturday's yard sale was, well, a success I guess. In the week leading up, I tagged and packed and packed and tagged all the things I could find that screamed 'sell me' in my house. We spent a lovely day at Christine's new house sitting under her beautiful crepe myrtle tree trying to stay cool. My total haul: $35.05 (I did spend $5 on a cute painting my friend Janet was selling - very bad of me). After a dinner of delivery pizza with the girls I have just enough for my CSA payment this weekend (plus some change to spare). Well, I guess on the bright side it's $20.75 that I didn't have before, right?!

I still have four boxes/baskets of things to sell, though, and so we're going to try it again in Fredericksburg once the university kids are back in session. Here's hoping a little cooler weather and a change of locale will make droves of people come to rid me of my stuff. Otherwise, I feel a craigslist/freecycle/goodwill moment on my horizon.

This weekend promises to be a relatively quiet one. I may just venture to the paint store to see what tickles my fancy. I'm now thinking purple for my living room. It's not something I'd normally go for, but might be a perfect complement to my mustard yellow/light green. I'm inspired by some coleus leaves I have right now in my bathroom vase - great combo of deep dusty magenta purples and bright greens. Well, guess we'll just have to wait and see...

A bowl of lemons (or limes or oranges?)

My new guest room is still a work in progress, but the new twin bed is in place, bookshelves are up, and my cats have found a new favorite place to sleep. I still need to work on the set-up in there - my exacting measurements were, well, not so exact, and the file cabinet is currently floating around a bit looking for its proper place.

Now that I'm in disarray, this is the perfect time to paint my living room. Right?! I've been debating colors in there. My couch is tan, my throw pillows are vibrant green, my entertainment center/dresser is a mustard yellow, my side chair a green/mustardish plaid, and my floor is wood with a sisal rug. It's a little too bland. I need some pops of color. I want to keep with the citrus colors, so now comes the question of wall color - yellow, green, or orange? I've found some greens I like, but now I'm thinking a pale lemon yellow instead. Thoughts? I need a little inspiration. Need to start going through all those design magazines I've been keeping around for a rainy day...

To purge or not to purge...

I'm preparing for a group yard sale my friend Christine is hosting next weekend and am having some issues. I like stuff. I'm a museum curator, for goodness sake - stuff is my profession. But when you live in a house where storage is relatively non-existent and you actually haven't used said stuff since you moved in two years ago, it's time for a little trimming. But I keep having the inner conversation - 'you may be able to use this' or 'you should save this and give it as a gift' or 'with a coat of glossy paint this could be xyz'.

Help! Tell me that I need to purge. I look at design magazines and sites like ApartmentTherapy and love the interiors that are clean and open and airy. And yet...

By the way, I'm still trying to figure out where to keep my bike in this tiny space. Love the way they incorporate a bike that looks exactly like mine!

Cleaning out the freezer

Yesterday I got it into my mind to do something about that truckload of frozen bananas in my freezer. For some reason I can never finish fresh ripe bananas before they get to that brown stage and so, pop!, in they go to the freezer for future banana bread. Well, when you have an entire full-length door shelf full of them, I think that's a little overkill. So I decided to take out half of them, plop them in the sink to thaw, and then mash up about a dozen overripe bananas. It made approximately five cups of mashed banana, four of which went into little containers and back in the freezer and one of which went into this recipe:

Adapted from Muffins, Infinite Ways in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

3 T neutral oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
1/2 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 egg
1 cup very ripe mashed banana
1/4 cup (or as needed) milk
1/2 chopped pecans

*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
*Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently fold ingredients together until just mixed. Add more milk as needed; the batter should be lumpy and thick but quite moist.
*Scoop into greased muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until tester/toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 12 regular muffins. Feel free to use sugar or molasses instead of honey, add chocolate chips instead of nuts, use all regular flour, etc. (hence the "infinite ways").

The muffins that result aren't super-greasy or sweet. Perfect for breakfast or a snack. I should have listened more carefully, Theresa, when you extolled the virtues of easy muffin recipes! Now that I know how simple this is (and now that I have four more cups of mashed bananas ready and waiting), I think these muffins will be a staple in the house. After baking and cooling, I put them on a cookie sheet, froze them, and stored them in a ziploc bag in the freezer so I can pull a couple out in the morning to thaw while I fix coffee.

Big plans

This weekend was a busy one. I worked an event at the museum where I work; I went grocery shopping; I did laundry; I spent some time with my grandmother. I did not, however, get around to the big project that is facing me:

I'm on a mission. A mission to take back my guest room and actually turn it into a guest room. Not a storage room full of books and magazines and tools and shoes and bags. That's the goal at least. I have the new floor to almost-ceiling bookcases from IKEA. I have started going through papers and magazines, saving things that I find useful and recycling the rest. I have a pile of books to take to the used bookstore. I have a plan to get rid of the big desk (which I never use) and replace it with an enamel-top table I already have and will take up less space.

In July my mother is coming to visit and will be bringing with her the twin bed from my childhood room - I'm going to turn it into a daybed of sorts, sitting it against a wall with extra pillows along the back. I can use the new, clean office when working from home. And that way one guest can even have a private room instead of being stuck in my living room on the sofabed. I have big plans and hope it all works out!