Every Day I'm Snufflin'

*The title is because thanks to a cute poster with snuffleupagus on it, I have been singing that all day and dancing some weird dance.

Today has been one of those great days.  The sun was out, but it was cool and crisp.  Farmer's market for our CSA, and also picked up some local free range eggs, some grapes (similar to concord), some granny smith apples (I know, I know, more apples!), some UV light apple cider (not traditionally pasteurized), and some sage to use with pork later this week.  Then it was onto our little cafe for some cafe au lait and some Irish oatmeal with cream and brown sugar. 

I came home and immediately began work in the kitchen.  I began bread dough, and while it was rising I started other things. 9 more lbs of apples have been turned into 3 pints and 6 half pints of apple butter.  I made pumpkin muffins and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Both super yummy.  I reheated the pork chop and potatoes and sweet potatoes and beans from the other night for a light late lunch.  And then after everything was completely done (much, much later) I grabbed a ham steak, pan cooked it, and sliced it up for ham and cheese sandwiches on our fresh whole wheat bread.  Some end of season tomatoes accompanied it for a simple dinner that was insanely good (much better than I expected when I dreamed it up). 

Now I've got the kettle ready to make some coffee to go with some chocolate pudding.  G's been working all day, securing the bookshelves to the wall and building storage shelves in the basement.  It's kind of hot to watch him work. :) 

We still have donations to box up and load in the car, a nursery to completely clean out (most everything is in boxes, just was waiting for the books to be put on shelves to make room, and for shelves in the basement to set everything on) and vacuum so I can put everything up in there tonight.  I'll be organizing while G builds the crib.  Tomorrow we'll hopefully finally paint the dresser so that all her stuff can get put away nice and tidy.  I'm exhausted but wired, my mind a whirring disaster of a million little to dos I want to just do right now.  Ever have one of those days?

Oh, and my moment of pride? Even with all the cooking and baking, I've done 2 loads in the dishwasher, quite a bit by hand, and have a couple cookie sheets to wash.  Other than that I've already wiped down my stove (some proved difficult as that apple butter splattered a lot... I have the small burns to show for it!), cleaned up the floor, and now just have to sit back and relax. I'm proud of these changes!

Like A Bird

Well, the nesting instinct has increased, which has been awesome!  I was afraid we wouldn't get much done last night because we were both dead tired, so came home after work and took a 2 hours nap.  But we got our rears moving after dinner and I worked on cleaning up our "master" bath which hadn't been used too much (since G left) until recently.  I need to finish that today. I'll be scrubbing the shower tiles with a brush because no matter what people here say, we do indeed have hard water (it likes to leaves orange deposits on the shower head and any place water collects...blech). 

Overhauling the entire house should be exhausting but I generally find it invigorating.  I do get overwhelmed, and that's usually when we call it a night.  But overall, I'm loving seeing a place for everything and us really set up a routine.  I have kept up with all the dishes since G got home.  What has to soak overnight (like our chili pot last night) I take care of right after G leaves in the a.m.  G handles the trash and recycling the night before rather than rushing the next morning.  And he even has a weekly routine for cleaning toilets (something that has been an argument for our entire marriage!).  Now I'll just be glad when the basement is finished and our pantry shelves are up, because the kitchen is cluttered with overflow (the jars of canned apple butter, cans of tomatoes and beans, etc).  I'm also excited because our cabinets will have very little food in them upstairs.  The cabinet that used to hold our canned goods and pasta and such (above the stove) will now hold our glass pyrex containers, making them easier to access.  Our cabinet that used to hold our rarely used items (like the blender) will now hold a small bin for recycle.  Before we were using brown paper sacks from the grocery store, but it quickly can become cluttered because we have a larger recycle output than we do trash!

The nesting also came into play last night as I was doing more baby laundry.  As I handed G the Aden and Anais swaddle blankets to wash he just looked down and got all glistening eyed and said, "So soon she'll be wrapped in these."  He's pretty emotional lately as he is so, so excited for her to get here.  We even practiced using pre-fold diapers with covers last night (on our dependable "lambie" which for years has been our practice baby if I was trying to show him anything).  I've heard so many mamas say their husbands don't want to do that sort of cloth diapering, but G is eager to learn how to do it all! 

Today will be working to get the pantry shelves up downstairs, and running back to IKEA for more bookcases.  Then it will be putting all of the books onto the shelves quickly to make some space to work.  Over a dozen boxes of books, and I had to tell G that no, it will not take hours because we are not categorizing or alphabetizing right now, we are shoving onto shelves now, and he can take free time later to organize them.  I'm so excited to be able to take pics of the wall of bookcases because no one believes me when I say we have that many books.

Finally, I still have more apples than any one person should have, and really, really need to make some applesauce.  I sometimes feel like it's a waste of our time to do those sorts of things, but the other option is to waste 40+ lbs of apples, which I am wholly unwilling to do.  So in between all the "fun" cleaning I also need to make applesauce and can it.  So much to do, so much I want to do, but I have to remind myself that things like the nursery are less important (because she's not sleeping in there for the first few months), whereas getting the house organized and our bedroom overhauled is.  Trying to keep priorities straight!

Christmas In July

I am totally wishing that my house looked like this and this right about now.  I love Christmastime, it's a magical part of the year and my husband and I get really into it with the baking and the Christmas Carols, and I think he might even be running in the figgy pudding race that Charm City has every year this year!  My lovely friend Jen is just as into Christmas so we've been talking and planning things already.

I know that this year is going to be a mad house with the new baby, but part of what G and I are looking forward to is nights spent cuddling in front of the glow of the Christmas tree.  In order to make this happen, I am beginning Christmas in July! 

I'm beginning to make up lists and write out what will need to be baked, how much ingredients I'll need on hand (because G will be in charge of doing most of the grocery shopping while I'm home with a newborn), and what gifts I'd like to get/make for people.  By writing up the lists now, I can begin working on getting it all together.  I got some amazing feather ribbon last year from Target on clearance that I'm using to make a wreath, and I'd like to work on gathering supplies to fill glass Christmas ornaments now.  Thanks to crafting sites, I'm saving a lot of things to make now, so it will be done and boxed up and ready to decorate come Thanksgiving (where I will be resting on the sofa directing!). 

I absolutely need to figure out how to make a tree skirt big enough for our new tree.  We've discussed just using white linen swathed about it, or even a nice dark velvet sewn with a white border.  Should be simple enough, right?  I'm trying to learn to sew, and things like that and table runners and such should be easy beginner projects (though I may be insane and sew the skirt by hand since it's so large and round!)

Do you begin Christmas early?  Any special crafts you want to take on this year?

Planning Purchases For My Wardrobe

It's not even 8:30, I'm sitting at Starbucks, the sun streaming in as it bounces off of the shopping center parking lot outside.  Shopping centers, places where too many people buy too many things they don't need.  I've become quite annoyed with the consumerism I see every day, where people shop not for something they need or even really love, but to try and fill a void, to find a distraction, to look like everyone else.  I've fallen in that trap before and found it leads no where good.

 

 Emma Watson in one of the most awesome spiked trench coats!

So I was thrilled when Rebekah did a series about planning for a wardrobe, using a database concept.  I actually ended up doing this for myself one day while waiting around for G.  I thought long and hard about the sorts of clothing I really love, what looks best on me, what brings out the personality I prefer.  After discussing it with the husband, I decided that the best way to describe my style was Feminine European with an Edgy Rock 'n' Roll Twist.  Taking that knowledge, I'm working on going through things I pulled from magazines, images I've saved from online, and compiling a wardrobe binder.  I do this for our home, so it makes sense to do it for my closet as well.  In doing so it really helps you see what you love, and then think about whether or not it will work for you.

Not necessarily a fan of the actress, but this outfit is splendid!

Because here's the thing with me, my dream "uniform" that if I could I would wear every day would be fluffy, flouncy cocktail dresses in bright jewel tones (this is where my bohemian leanings come into play) with Louboutins and a leather biker jacket.  I would curl my hair into some more volume, smudge my eyes and go about life as if I'm moving from one glass of champagne to another.  However, for the day to day, that is wholly unrealistic for me! 

Love Undergarments from Agent Provocateur.

So I did as Rebekah suggested and typed up a list of everything for this wardrobe of mine, including pieces I already own and pieces I'd like to own.  I need to look over it and check to make sure I haven't left anything off, but I was pretty thorough.  From smaller diamond studs and sheer nude matching undergarments to a trench coach and a spiked leather bag.  I let G look over it, and he agreed the list was completely "me," and more so, the best version of "me," where he sees me at my happiest.  Knowing I was on the right track, I continued. 

Picture this in black, J.Crew perfect fit scoop neck tees.

I've begun prioritizing the items I need to purchase, either in addition to what I already own, or as replacements (my black t-shirt type tops nearly all need to be replaced).  I first begin researching good quality items, reading reviews, asking those I trust about this.  Then I start to list the order or importance on buying these items, and how quickly I think I can obtain them.  For instance, black leather flats are first on my list, because I desperately need new ones.  But the undergarments, new jeans, and Burberry trench coat are having to wait until later this summer/fall.  I'm spending this time learning better eating and moving about habits, so that once the weight is off I can easily maintain it, thereby making my purchases good investments.  (and in doing so, I'm saving money, which I will use for the planned purchases!)

I know that this sounds like it's too easy, and it is.  As in, perfectly easy!  I really had my doubts, but in the last few weeks, when shopping, I've found it so easy to say no.  No to the item I don't need.  No to the item on my list that doesn't look great.  No to the cheaper version.  Sure my current dream handbag is a huge chunk of change, but G has told me if I can put away the money, I can get it (it's spiked and gorgeous and we joke that it could literally fend off a mugger...and we're serious).  I thought there was no way this will work, but it's saved me so much money from unnecessary spending these last few weeks!  So I'm using this system not just for my wardrobe, but for my bath/beauty items and home items. 

The big items on my list to save for include items like the Burberry trench coat, dark wash J Brand jeans (they look awesome on me), Frye boots, leopard print heels, and warm, soft, oversized cashmere sweaters.  I found one that is both striped and off the shoulder and I'm trying to figure out the brand's sizing.  It would kill 3 things on the list in one go!  (cashmere, striped, off shoulder)  I'm also trying to decide whether or not I want to save and splurge on the Aegean necklace from Tiffany.  I've tried it on a handful of times, it looks perfect, but it's a decent down payment on a car.  Hmm.  So right now I'm looking into what I would wear it with, how often, and doing a cost analysis.  In the end, I want to be completely in love with every item in my closet.  If that means I have to build very slowly, so be it.  I'd rather have a couple pairs of jeans I adore than 5 so-so pairs.  I'd rather have only a half dozen sets of undergarments than a dresser full of pieces that don't do their job as well as they should.  And I'd rather have a few great pieces of jewelry than enough to open my own store. 

If you could save for one major item in your closet, what would it be?  And have I convinced you to go ahead and do just that?

S.B.S.

I think this is going to become my favorite made-up acronym.  S.B.S. = Slowly but surely.  So tonight in an effort to make our bedroom more of a retreat, less of a drop things right there because you're exhausted I've been re-organizing our bedroom with what we have for now.  We still have our antique full size bedroom set.  After G gets back we'll be upgrading to a queen with a latex matress (we're saving our pennies) and different side tables.  But tonight even the small thing like making G's bedside table look nice was a pick me up.  

The lamp is the one I won from Young House Love while living in England, with a bamboo style base.  The water carafe is from Pier One. (side note:  Does anyone else get frustrated with the quality of things like these, I swear we visited 3 Pier Ones, several times over and over, messed with hundreds of glasses and carafes until we found one that looked good and sit straight?) Candle is a vanilla clove mercury glass one we bought on clearance after Christmas from Target.  Books are 'Real Food', and Edgar Allan Poe Collection, and our Catholic Bible.  And then the little glass dish with a G etched into it deep?  Picked up for maybe $2 at a thrift store and it's always on the bedside table to collect cufflinks, G's pin from his uniform, our rings, etc.  

I'd still like a bedside table of my own, but for now at least we have a neatly done one for the room.

Basement Overhaul

My parents brought out a U-Haul of our things back in July, and we are just now really getting to most of it.  We're hoping to really hit it hard this week and clear out the basement, with boxes of items for donation, selling, and keeping.  It's actually been fun.  We went through about 10 totes last night and it went pretty quick, stopping at times to read moody teenage poetry.  Some was written back when I was 15 and my bulimia was as bad as it gets, so some of it was hard to read and remember.  But some of it was just horrific teenage love and whatnot and we giggled a ton.  Oh, and Maman, we found the paper I wrote for my psych class where it was "very insightful"....the one that G calls the perfect example of B.S.....I read the first chapter and then just wrote it like I'd read the whole thing.  Apparently it's an excellent representation of my genius because rereading it I would never have guessed I hadn't read the whole book! 

Some things will be hard to part with, because I hold sentimental value.  But I'm trying something mentioned by Adrienne and taking photos of some things and then donating or discarding it.  For instance, my high school grad cap.  Don't really need to keep it around.  Other things we're limiting how much we keep.  G and I have a lot of memories from our friendship and relationship and have decided to keep a box that we edit occasionally of items that mean something for us.  In goes either the champagne flute or the beer mug from our senior prom, but not both.....and eventually they'll probably both be recycled. 

In the end the basement is going to be lined with the wooden shelving units from IKEA for storage of food and items we're keeping but have no idea where to put right now.  And our old kitchen table and chairs will be in the center of the room as a workstation.  Finally I'm hoping to find a great sturdy solid wood dresser for G to paint and make into his tool station.  It'll be a work in progress, but nice to eventually have done.  We've talked about storing a lot of things like potatoes and squash down there, along with canned goods when we buy them in bulk (or if I can them myself).  This won't be done before G leaves, but by this time next year it should be all finished up (including painting the stairs and floor).  

G said it perfectly tonight when he noticed I was blogging about this: "Streamlined is chic."  And he's right.  It makes me happy, makes his life simpler, and keeps what we truly love around while discarding things we don't need/want.  And a home full of things you love is as chic as it gets decorating wise.

It's Just "Stuff"

G and I are cleaning out our home.  Clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories from the bedroom.  An huge overflow of kitchen items we have no need for.  Some will get donated, some freecycled, some items listed on etsy (vintage items).  The point is that I've felt for a long time like we're drowning in stuff.  We're both sentimental, and can hold onto items too long.  It's hard to not say, "But what if I need/want that later?"

But it's just stuff.  No item can replace the memories.  Nothing I hold onto will keep my grandmama here forever.  There are some items we will never willingly part with, but most of it just makes our home cluttered and drives me insane.  So instead of cherishing items we begin to resent them.  

When we're talking about having a family in the next couple of years it hits me that I don't want this for them.  I feel safer in a nice, clean, organized environment.  With clutter I shut down and hide.  And I'm pretty sure my kids will be similar, so we're working to get some semblance of order.  This Thanksgiving was the first big dinner in a long while that we made a point to clean up as we went along, so after putting up the leftovers I was left with a fairly clean kitchen.  No sink of dishes that overwhelm me.  No counters that have flour on them.  Just a few wineglasses and silverware that needed to be handwashed.  And after dinner G washed dishes and we enjoyed ourselves having a squirt bottle water fight.  We ended up mopping up the floor with all the excess water and laughing the night away.  

So, we're slowing piecing together our home.  We've lived here a year.  We now know where things will work best for us.  What we need to buy (bookcases and more bookcases) in order to get the house nice and tidy.  And we've made a goal to get the house organized and tidy before G leaves in about 3 months.  That way all I have to do is maintain what little mess I make.  It's hard to let go of things, to not save them for a "rainy day."  But I'd much rather have a tidy home and my sanity.

On and On

The weekend list has turned into a week-long list.  We decided we were less into getting everything done, and more into spending time just being together.  However, most of the list got partially done, if not completely.  And it's been added to, of course.  I noticed our front and back doors are a bit draft-y, so I will be making draft stoppers to help keep out the cold.  I have no clue what I'm doing, a cat who attacks everything, but I'm hopeful that I will come up with a plan to help our heating bill even more.  We keep it cold in the house in the winter, but hopefully it will stay a bit warmer if we can keep the cold out of cracks!

Any winter projects you're tackling?  I have a home to do list for this winter as long as my arm, but it's my most productive time of year! 

Organized

As we work on putting our home in order I have to ask:

Are you the type who has an organizational tool for everything?  The kind who has the drawer and shelf organizers, who color codes or labels most everything?

Or are you the throw it in a drawer and you'll search for it again later type?  The kind who has that comfortably cluttered look?

And if you organize, what tools do you feel you couldn't live without?

I'm the first one, G's the second, and we're trying to merge ways.  (I'm going as far as taking pics of drawers once they're organized so that G knows where things go, otherwise I have the worst time finding something in the kitchen!)