Week 2 -- Day 2 of Decluttering

Today, I quickly tackled two more drawers. These are drawers that both hold random utensils that rarely get used, but some do get used.  You'll see in the pictures that I utensils I kept, are still split across two drawers, but I could easily combine them later.

Random Misc Utensil drawer before

Emptying and sorting as I go, from left to right: Keep, Relocate, and Garage Sale

After and organized drawer. You'll notice that the Iowa State spatula has moved from the garage sale pile into the drawer to be kept. Jesse got home as I was sorting through and informed me that he does in fact use this when he grills. I thought he used others that we have but I guess those are too short. Good thing I checked with him!

This is the Misc and mostly knife drawer before. Eeeesh couldn't tell on my phone this was so blurry!

Same here where I've emptied the and sorted the drawer the left pile is to keep and the right pile is for the garage sale, and the little pile at the top are to be thrown away. Don't worry we aren't knife-less now, we have a block of knives that sit on the counter.

And here is the after. As you can tell both drawers aren't full so could be combined. But right now I'm afraid that if I combine them they'll just get all jumbled around and won't be easy to access the items when we need them.

Start of Week 2

Well, it's a good thing I was extra motivated last Sunday. Because not only have you not seen any updates here, but there haven't been any updates to report. That's right. I went through the whole week ignoring my most recent challenge. Part of me wonders if it was because I mentally already knew I had made my 'quota' for the week. We'll find out how this week goes I guess.

Today I decided to go through our junk drawer, which I'm sure is something that should probably be looked at once a month.

Here is the before. It doesn't look to horrible, but that's because a big notebook is covering nearly all the contents. The drawer was pretty full.

I emptied it all out on the counter.

Then made three piles. From Left to Right: Trash, relocate to another part of the house, put back in the drawer as neatly as possible.

And here is the end result. Now, no it's not too organized, but with the hodge podge of items in this drawer, I'm not sure there is a way we can make it organized. Considering we probably grab a phone charger once a day or so, no use in wrapping them up all neat and tidy, right?

Plus, here's the question of the day; should a junk drawer be expected to be nice and organized?

My Next Challenge: Decluttering

Yup. Decluttering. Honestly, it has been something that's been on my mind for quite some time. I've been reading the Becoming Minimalist blog for a few months now, and last year for my birthday I requested and received The 100 Thing Challenge. So really, minimalism and decluttering have been on my mind for over a year.

I already go through phases of purging possessions on occasion, usually in one focused area. But this time, I'm going through the whole house. I have a plan and am setting goals, plus hope to track my progress here. Of course, knowing me, this plan comes in the form a of a list. A categorized list in Excel format to be exact.

I've broken down each room (right now excluding the basement and garage) into bite-sized chunks. Maybe even toddler bite-sized chunks. When I get 3 weeks into this and the high of my new challenge and list checking wears off, I want my weekly 'tasks' to be easy to accomplish rather than daunting. So, what's the challenge you ask?

115 areas to declutter in 6 months
See --- I told you toddler bite-sized chunks.

My plan is to attack just 5 areas each week. How I got to a whole 115 is be breaking each cupboard or drawer into it's own item. So, down the road, tackling one drawer during the day won't be too big of a deal. I realize some weeks will be more productive than others, that's why I'm not planning for 7 items a week. At the end of the 6 months I'll have gone through the main living areas of our home and will have a big pile of items and we'll hold a garage sale or find places to donate.

So, now that you know my challenge and the simple plan of attack, here is what I accomplished today, a full week of items, five kitchen cupboards! This week is going to be one of those highly productive ones since I'm excited to get going!

Before:
These 2 cupboards don't seem that full, but after unloading them and weeding through the items we haven't even used the 2 years we've lived in this house, it proved there was more than I realized. Items just taking up space that we don't use.

This is nearly everything that didn't go back in the cupboards. I have some jelly jars to give back to Mom, lots of glasses for the garage sale and a group to go through with Jesse. See, this is all of our stuff I'm going through, not just mine. He needs to be all in on this too. It wouldn't be right for me to give away an item that means something to him that I didn't realize. We ended up keeping most of that group that I checked with him on.

The cupboard afterwards, only one side filled up! It felt so freeing since I know eventually I want to remove 4 of our cupboards so we can take down part of the wall and make the space feel more open. Being able to open up more cupboard space feels great!

I went through 3 more cupboards. Not a whole lot in those changed since I'd recently gone through them, or they are small enough where only items we use fill them up. Here are the after pictures:

The other benefit of going through these kitchen cupboards, I'm cleaning out the shelving too, which I've been putting off. I'm excited for the week and to see how much more I can get through!

Do you go through phases of purging your possessions? I'm hoping this process will open my eyes to some things that I buy and then don't use so that I can stop myself buying it before it gets stashed somewhere and then given away later.

More Organized Home?

So, yeah. I may have dropped off the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series by Money Saving Mom. Blame it on some late work nights, being sick this week, and some general old laziness. I hope to hop back on where I left off this week.

In the meantime, how about a little Christmas cheer and some Christmas crafts that will be coming your way soon?

More Organized Home - Day 13

Day 13 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great
       I even showered first thing this morning! (Something that I usually do at night) I got dressed in my favorite pair of jeans, a white and blue striped t-shirt and mustard yellow cardigan. And some fun red shoes when I went out to lunch with co-workers today!

:: Make a list of 5-7 specific tasks to work on today that will help you reach your week's goals
       - Wash any dishes in the sink - COMPLETE
       - Day 13 assignment - COMPLETE
       - Work on blog post other than this series - In Progress
       - Work on a Christmas gift - In Progress
       - Work on crocheting a scarf if/while I'm sitting around, not working on the above

:: Set timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom
       Done! My morning getting ready supplies (aka makeup bag and hair brush) consistently get left on the counter! Here are the before and after photos.

:: Clean the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and refrigerator. If there is any clutter up there, go through it and see what you can get rid of or find a new home for. Wipe down the outside of cupboard doors.

       Done! All I really had up there was a bit of dust lounging about. Swiped that up, wiped down the cupboard doors, and then for good measure wiped off the counters as well.

More Organized Home - Days 11 & 12

Day 11 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
       I went into the office today so it was kind of required to get dressed for the day. A simple white sweater and jeans worked!

:: Make a list of 5-10 goals for this week
       - Keep up with this more organized home series
       - Stay on top of the dishes --make sure the sink has no dirty dishes in it before going to bed
       - Write at least one post other than this series
       - Start crocheting a scarf
       - Visit with a friend

:: Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up your house
       This was something that I did on over the weekend after having visitors for Thanksgiving.

:: Clean out your silverware drawer
       This was pretty simple! I had just taken everything out to use for the holiday so there wasn't much left to clean out. I got off pretty luck for this day!


Day 12 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
       I know, excuses-excuses...but I was feeling extra tired this morning so I changed into sweatpants to stay comfy while working. I know the thought probably is if you get dressed and ready for the day you will feel refreshed and ready for the day. Guess I sent in the opposite direction.

:: Make a list of 5-7 specific tasks to work towards today to help accomplish your goals for the week.
       - clean up the dishes and empty the dishwasher - COMPLETE
       - follow the more organized home series - COMPLETE
       - work on the scarf while relaxing with Jesse and watching The Voice - will be complete later tonight!
       I kind of skimped out today, but don't worry I'm fully planning on sitting in front of the TV all night, which means I'll make a lot of progress on the scarf! :)

:: Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home.
       Skipped this today since I vacuumed multiple times over the weekend before and after bringing in the Christmas tree!

:: Clean your microwave, stove top, and/or oven.
       Again, I got away pretty easy here. I just opted for the microwave and stove top. I got off pretty easy since I scrubbed the microwave in preparation for Thanksgiving (but it was good to wipe it out again after all the turkey day leftovers we've been warming up!) and my lovely sister-in-law scrubbed up our stove top while she was here on Thanksgiving.

Here's to hope the rest of the week feels just as easy!!

More Organized Home - Day 9

Day 9 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great today
        As a special request has come in that I document these clothes that make me feel great each day, I may try to start posting a picture daily. So without further ado, my clothes: Yellow and cream striped shirt with light blue tank top and bright blue skinny jeans. (Don't pay attention to the messy bedroom - obviously it didn't stay clean very long after the day it was assigned last week!)

:: Make a list of 5-7 specific tasks to accomplish today based on your week goal list
       - Go watch a friend's band play (will be heading out soon!)
       - Day 9 Assignment (in the works)
       - Buy any supplies needed for my Christmas craft list I'll be working on next week. (COMPLETE!)
       - Okay, that's all I'm asking of myself to do today....

:: Set timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom.
       This is definitely something I should be doing weekly, considering all of my hair that falls onto the floor and makeup that gets left out! Maybe eventually I'll start 'deep cleaning' specific parts of the bathroom more often to...but that might just be a pipe dream, folks.
Before:

After:

:: Clean your light switch plates
       Look at me! I was all on top of this yesterday so already had this task complete! Wahooooo

More Organized Home - Day 8

Day 8 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great today.
       Well, going two days in a row felt good to me today. Maybe tomorrow I won't wake up with a headache and tension in my neck that makes me want to stay snuggled up while I work. Didn't change my ability to work! Still got a lot done during the workday and was surprised what got accomplished around the house after I closed up shop!

:: Make a list of 5-7 specific tasks to accomplish today based on your weekly goals
       - Work on my TV stand project (COMPLETE - spent an hour on it today. Getting close to being done!)
       - Shop for some hardware and shelving for the TV stand project (COMPLETE!)
       - Check out Hobby Lobby for some crafting supplies (COMPLETE!)
       - Buy a turkey for Thanksgiving (COMPLETE!)
       - Move furniture around in the basement with Jesse's help (COMPLETE!)

:: Set timer for 10 minutes and go through your messiest dresser drawer.
       Well, I didn't completely read this part until just now typing it out. The messiest dresser drawer part is what I missed. I just read messiest drawer. So, I went through the sort of catch all drawer in our kitchen.
Before:

After:

:: Wipe down all door handles in your home
       I tried to be a little bit of an overachiever in this category. Not only did I wipe down all the door handles, I also wiped down all the light switches....it was pretty easy considering light switches are generally next to doors.

Wahoo...what a great feeling of getting so much accomplished!

More Organized Home - Day 7

Day 7 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
       I decided wearing something to make me feel great today included feeling comfy, so I was in sweats today! ;)

:: Make daily task list based on your weekly goals
       - Day 7 assignment (somewhat complete)
       - Second coat of paint on the TV stand project (complete)
       These were the only goals I set for today, knowing that the TB stand project would take 1.5 - 2 hours

:: Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home.
       I had just vacuumed a couple of days ago, so I decided to skip this task. I cleaned out the car from yesterday's task, which just ended up being taking some garbage out of the doors and receipts out to be filed.

That's it for today! Hopefully see you tomorrow!

More Organized Home - Day 6

Day 6 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great
       I went into the office for work today, and it was a cold one. I chose jeans, brown sweater, cream scarf and red shoes to wear.

:: Make a list of weekly goals to accomplish
       - Keep up with the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series
       - Finish my dresser to TV stand project
       - Have Jesse help me rearrange the basement
       - Watch a friend's band play on Thursday night
       - Go home to see family over the weekend

:: Set timer for 10 minutes and quickly to a pick up through your home

:: Set timer for 10 minutes and clean out the inside of our vehicle

       I did not end up doing either of these tasks. My TV stand project took up more time than I anticipated and then I decided to do a little bit of work the rest of the night (yup, right up until bedtime) so I don't feel like I have to check in while I'm on vacation next week.  Hoping I make the time to go through the assignment on Day 7!

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home - Day 5

Day 5 Assignment from Money Saving Mom

:: Get Dressed in something that make you feel great
       Today I chose a dressier green t-shirt that I rarely wear and to make it a fun day, I added my mustard yellow leg warmers! :)

:: Make a list of 5-7 specific things to accomplish today based on your week's goal list.
       - Day 5 Assignment (completed)
       - Touch ups of the paint in the bathroom (completed - after being on the list for 3 days in a row!)
       - My weekly cleaning list, Friday is sweeping all the hard floors (completed)
       - Add to my craft to-do on my week off list (in progress)
       - Start listing out cleaning and to do items to be prepared for hosting Thanksgiving (in progress)

:: Set timer for 10 minutes and remove couch cushions to clean out any crumbs or miscellaneous items in there.
       Well, none of the cushions for our furniture come come out. So, I took a rag and wiped out the creases. Not much in there....which is good news!

:: Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes you.
       No timer is being set here! :) After supper, the rest of our evening is consisting of doing things that I really enjoy: hanging out with Jesse and Penny while making lists (how convenient it was part of my list of things to do today!), browsing my favorite blogs, searching through Pinterest, listening to the ISU Cyclones basketball game on the radio, and maybe even followed up with some reading!
 et the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you.

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home - Day 4

Day 4 Assignment

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.

      I had extra motivation to get dressed today. I had plans to go out to eat lunch with a co-worker! I wore jeans, brown long sleeve shirt, and long grey sweater-vest.

:: Make a list of 5-7 items to accomplish today

       - Day 4 assignment (somewhat completed)

       - Touch up bathroom paint (put off to another day)

       - Craft to-do list over week of Thanksgiving (in progress)

       - Daily cleaning list - Thursday is clean up other bathrooms(put off to another day)

:: Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your most used bathroom

       I did this yesterday with the master bathroom so took an opportunity to slack off. Of course the slacking off was much easier to give in to considering I worked much later than usual.

:: Set the time for 10 minutes and do a quick clean under your beds and furniture

       I got off pretty easy here too. Under our beds are just a couple tubs of seasonal clothes. On Sunday I vacuumed the house and even just so happened to move the furniture and vacuum underneath.

Okay, so today ended up being quite the slacker day for me, but I can always pick it up tomorrow. I'm also planning quite a weekend.  Saturday is suppose to be quite warm, so we'll be catching up on mowing, and I'll spend some time out in the garage on a project.

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home - Day 3

Day 2 Assignment

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great
       This morning I showered and got dressed first thing - Red turtleneck type thing and jeans. Simple but it is kind of amazing how much more oomph I have during the day in 'real' clothes as opposed to 'lounging-around' clothes.

:: With your list of goal's for the week, sit down and make a list of 5-7 specific items to tackle today
       - Finish non-organized series blog post (Complete and check it out!)
       - Day 3 assignment and write about it (Complete)
       - Call Mom (will do after supper)
       - Touch up bathroom paint (haven't gotten to this yet, but still have the whole evening)
       - Catch up on daily cleaning tasks (Tuesday's was cleaning - completed; Wednesday is clean master bathroom - 80% completed)

:: Set timer for 10 minutes and do a quick clean of the bedroom
     My apologies for the not so great pictures. I've been using my phone camera as it is faster to take the picture and get loaded into this post. But I'm quickly seeing if I want any decent pictures, I definitely need to be using my real camera (which is just a simple old point and shoot but obviously still better than phones)

Before picture



After picture


:: Set timer for 10 minutes and do a quick clean of your freezer
       Didn't take any pictures here, but was needed to be done for sure! Threw out some waaaaay too old food and scrubbed up some mysterious goo. I remember something had exploded in there a long time ago and we had done a quick clean up, but some serious scrubbing was still needed.

Score for making it through a third day! Baby steps people. The little successes definitely make me happy! :)

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home - Days 1 & 2

Hello there, all!  As usual, it has been quite awhile since my last post. Well, I've decided to follow along with Money Saving Mom's 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series. Not the typical type of thing I've blogged about, but hey, why not give it a shot? After all, I'm in a constant state of In-Progress organizing and cleaning around here (more of making lists than actually organizing). Plus, maybe I'll keep up with the whole series if I feel like I need to write about it each day.

I got a 'slow' start to it, so this is Day 1 & 2 together.

Day 1 Assignment:

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.

       It just so happens that I had to go into the office yesterday so I was forced to get dressed in 'real' clothes and look presentable. The rest of the week will be a challenge since I'll be working from home and the dog could care less what I wear (though she does prefer that I wrap up in a blanket so she can sit on me).

::Make a list of 5-10 goals for this week.

       - Paint second coat in downstairs bathroom

       - Add 2 more coats of finishing oil on the headboard project

       - Follow the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Series

       - Keep up on the daily cleaning checklist I created

       - Finish figuring out Thanksgiving foods

       - One blog post (other than these series updates)

:: Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up the main living areas of your home. (Done on Day 2)

       The before pictures (of course I have popped some Friends in to have going on in the background during the cleaning! Season 6 to be exact.)

     And the after pictures

:: Clean out your purse and.or diaper bag.

       I've been switching back and forth between two purses and my laptop bag recently so I've been cleaning up items as I go. Yay!

Day 2 Assignment:

:: Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
       - It turned out to be quite the quirky outfit, but at least I wasn't wearing sweatpants, or worse yet, my pj's all day. I felt good in it but I most likely wouldn't go out in public as it wasn't quite matching: Green summer dress with a cream cardigan and black capri leggings. I was still a bit chilly so I put on my slipper boots and a brown scarf. For a little while I even had on Jesse's Northface jacket. I probably looked silly, but I felt good plus cozy! :)

:: With your list of goals for the week in hand, make a list of 5-7 specific things to accomplish today.
       - 2nd coat of paint in the downstairs bathroom (completed)
       - Day 1 assignment (completed)
       - Day 2 assignment (completed)
       - Blog about them (completed)
       - Work on non-organizing blog post (working on)
       - My weekly Tuesday cleaning task of dusting (don't think this will get done today)

:: Set the time for 10 minutes and do a quick clean of the kitchen
       - I didn't pay close attention to this item and I set the timer for 15 minutes...which was a good thing because I spent even longer than the 15 minutes cleaning the kitchen (it had been a mess for quite awhile)....so it definitely needed some attention.
       Before pictures


       After pictures


:: Set the timer for 10 minutes and do a quick clean of the refrigerator
       - Well, I didn't set the time for this, but I browsed through the items and threw out anything that was old. Took out the shelves and wiped them all out. I slightly organized the food, but there isn't much in there so it didn't take too much effort.

And there we have it. Two days down on 4 weeks to a more organized home! Now just to keep up with it!!

The Morning Challenge

It's time for another challenge. And let's just say this is one I've attempted a fair few times, but typically only lasts one day. As this is my first day, let's hope I keep it up tomorrow.

I am still trying to stick to my less tv/computer challenge I started a few weeks ago (just not giving myself a reward for keeping up with it for the time being). I'm just not being stickler and timing myself on the TV or computer, or taking the time to think about adding up unused computer/TV time. I am, however, trying to get a couple of things done before sitting down in front of them, if I do at all.

This brings me to my next challenge. The trick is that it is kind of pushing me to be on the computer, but let's face it, I gotta have my Blog Reader/Pinterest time!

The Challenge
Wake up earlier than usual in the mornings and get something done before leaving for work.

The Reward
We'll go with the old standard of movie night out in the theater.

How I'm going to do it
I'm starting off with waking up at 6:00, which is 45 minutes earlier than I usually wake up on the mornings I don't shower.
To make the most out of getting up earlier and not have to use as much time to get ready for work, I want to be showering at night instead of in the mornings.
I want to start my bedtime routine (take Penny out for her before bed bathroom session, think through tomorrow's supper, wash face etc. and hop into bed) at 9:30 as often as possible.
Now, I love my sleep. So, if I'm going to be getting out of bed earlier, it's going to have to be for something I enjoy doing. To start, I'll get up to browse the inter-webs on blogs and pinterest and maybe do a bit of light crafting. This will hopefully encourage me to not spend time on the computer at night a bit more.

I haven't quite figured out how Saturday and Sunday play into this schedule. We usually just allow ourselves to wake up whenever on our own. That's usually earlier than I really want it to be (last few weeks I was up at 7:00!). We'll see how it goes, I just don't want to allow myself to sleep in past 9:00/9:30 on the weekends.

Here's to hoping I wake up early tomorrow! :)

Fun Weekend!

What a great weekend to end my two week challenge. But let's start from the beginning.

I feel like quite a bit was accomplished the past two weeks while I've been limiting my TV and internet usage. I completed the 'remodeling' our nightstand project that I have been wanting to tackle ever since I spied it sitting beside a dumpster about a year ago.  Jesse and a took a couple long walks (one involving a walk to buy gelato!). Of course some house cleaning and a wee bit of yard work was done. I crocheted quite a bit, researched some freezer cooking meals, made a menu plan for the next 5 weeks, and spent some time with Jesse's coworkers.

Is it cheating if I changed the reward in the last few days of the challenge? There weren't any movies I was dying to see this weekend (okay, I may not have even looked to see what was out), but there was a store that I was told about that I was suddenly dying to go to. So, changed up my reward to go get to go check it out.

So, back to the perfectly full weekend. Friday night Jesse and I ate some leftovers and settled in with a rented movie (from time I had accumulated during the week!) .

Saturday is where it got fun. We met Chad and Heidi for an early lunch at Zombie Burger and had some spectacular food!

Next up the four of us headed over to West End Architectural Salvage to check out the store I was suddenly dying to see!! It has a coffee/smoothie/bar area when you first walk in and then 4 glorious floors of old goodies. I'm not sure what my favorite was. The top floor was filled with old doors and doorknobs but I also loved about ever old ceiling tin decoration that was scattered throughout the entire place.

The only picture I have of the whole adventure is of Chad and Jesse patiently awaiting our drinks.

When we got home Saturday afternoon I spent the time making a rough menu plan for the next 5 weeks. Things always change so we'll see how much we stick to it. But I know it will be really helpful to already have the ideas written down and ready for me.

For Father's Day, we all met in Boone for some grub and then headed to a park to hang out. And hang out we did...

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Here's to another week of doing things rather than sitting and watching a screen!

Where have I been?!

As usual, it has been quite some time since my last post.  Pretty much since that time, I've done a few exciting things and a lot of bumming around (also as usual). So, what exciting things have happened?

We visited Tyler and Sarah in Vegas

The only picture I have of the four of us is when we did a bit of hiking on Earth Day.

Mmmm Serendipity 3! :)

And spending some time with my brother's family.

Hanging out with Leah

We've gone home a couple of times as well, plus gone to a cousin's graduation. Tyler and Sarah have made their journey make to Iowa (for a limited time), so we've celebrated Tyler's graduation and been able to hang out while they are back.

Other than that, life has pretty much been going to work, coming home, eating, maybe a bit of cleaning, and flopping down on the couch, vegging out in front of the TV and computer. And, just like with anything else, I've decided it's time to break that habit. I go through these phases of removing Mt. Dew from my diet, developing a weekly cleaning schedule, waking up earlier, and limiting TV & computer time. They typically don't last very long, and I later I try to pick it up again. But, none the less, here I am back again to limiting TV and computer time (which is a good thing to do!).

This time, I've set a goal and reward for making it through.
The Goal
     Limit TV and aimlessly browsing the internet to half an hour each day (preferably spent at the same time) for 2 weeks.

The Reward
     A night at the movies with popcorn and all!

Plan of Action
I have plenty of things that need to be done (there is always cleaning and organizing to do!). I also have an over abundance of things that I want to do.  Luck would have it that I have a bajillion lists that I have been compiling (most likely duplicating myself many times over). So, this is where I'll start. At my normal time of flopping down in front of the TV and computer, I will work on an item from one of my many lists!

Fine Print
Okay, ya got me, I wrote in a loop hole or two.
1) I'm going to allow myself to accrue TV/Internet time. So, tonight I don't watch TV or browse the internet at all. That means tomorrow night, I will allow myself to watch a show that is an hour long episode. I will not allow myself to use time from future dates (I can't watch 2 hours tomorrow, planning to not watch anything for the next two days to cover myself).
2) Time spent online researching a project that I am working on from my to do list, spending time on our Mint account to re-work our budget, or researching freezer cooking meals I plan to make, does not count towards my half hour of allotted internet time.

My Motto (to remind me to keep up with this goal)
Less bummin' more doin'.

Am I a bit crazy? Yes, but you guys already knew that! Throw some moral support my way to help me kick my bumming around habit.  What is that statistic? It takes 30 days to create or break a habit? Well, here's to the first 2 weeks and a movie to reward myself! :)

Made it!

Well, I made it through the rest of last week (for the most part) staying away from getting sucked into the computer and work.

Wednesday I went crazy doing some cleaning and then finally finished up a tank top dress I'd been working on. More on that later.

Thursday I babysat my brother's oldest and youngest daughters. We chatted, made Bethany a hair clip, went for a short walk, and watched Beauty and the Beast (the 'for the most part' part).

Friday Jesse and I went out to eat, hung out, and then went over to some friends for quality bonding time.

Saturday I did some shopping and then got ready for a wedding. After the reception we headed back home for Jesse's Mom's bday. We ended up chatting the night away until almost 3am!

I don't want to go right back to being on the computer and watching TV again so here's my plan for the week:
Monday - I'm still recovering from the late night weekend so I'll be catching up on my blogs (after the daily cleaning and while doing some laundry) then going to bed early again.
Tuesday - Daily cleaning and sanding down a coffee table we rescued from a dumpster.
Wednesday - Daily cleaning and finish any sanding that needs to be done and either finish a clutch I started or sand down the end table that we also rescued from a dumpster.
Thursday - Go to the state fair!
Friday - Head home for more quality bonding time with family.

Unplugging {sorta} Challenge

Okay, I'm laying in bed tonight, mentally preparing myself for tomorrow as I do every night.
What's going on at work tomorrow?
What are we having to eat tomorrow?
What is it going to take to get ready in the morning?
Is there any shopping that needs to be done?
What needs to be done around the apartment?
What things do I want to do?

Well, my friends, there are lots of things around the apartment that need to get done and plenty of items on my wanting to do list. I just haven't been getting to them. Call it laziness, call it a lack of desire, call it whatever you want. I'm calling it "Dani's getting sucked into the computer and flipping on TV after supper routine."

After supper, I stay plopped in front of my computer and the TV, trolling through blogs and Pinterest, looking for all kinds of things that look like fun or are great ideas....but I haven't really been doing much more than pinning or bookmarking these things. I have a few projects that I have started and stopped in the middle of them.

So, I'm giving myself a little challenge (and let's be honest, I don't have much confidence that I will make it through).  For the rest of the week I'm challenging myself to not get sucked into the computer and flipping on the next season of Friends.

There is plenty of cleaning and organizing that needs done around here, and that should be put top of my list (but probably won't be) and I have an ever growing list of projects. So that's where I'm starting. Cleaning and project starting and completing.

Now, I'm not going to be crazy and not be on the computer at all, or not have the TV on at all. I'll turn the TV to see if any big news happened and what the weather's going to be like.  And if Jesse wants to have the TV on, I'm not going to stop him. But I've noticed I'm the one the turns it on and leaves it on. I'll do my best to stay away from my Google Reader and Pinterest accounts but will still check my email for those of my dear friends that like to send me notes. And many of my crafting ideas have tutorials online that I'll be needing to use as a refresher, so there's no way I'll be getting away from this awesome place called the internet.

Hopefully, I'll be cleaning and crafting my little hear away the rest of the week! After all, that's what I dream of doing while I'm at work all day, so why don't I do it when I get home?

So, that's what I'm doing. That's my plan. That's my challenge. I have enough to keep me busy for quite awhile....we'll see how long it lasts. ;)

Halfway Through the Year...Already?!

I cannot believe we are already over halfway through the year. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in our little studio apartment evaluating what I hoped to get out of this year.

Shall we look back and see if I have accomplished any of what I put on my list?

- Get back into a better 'after-work routine'
     Well, this has definitely been on and off again. I'm glad that I'm on again as I'm writing this post! ;) I've added a Chalkboard Cleaning List which should help me get back into this routine of cleaning.


- Watch less TV
     I can say that both Jesse and I definitely watch less TV now. This in large part can be attributed to the fact that the free TV we get at our new apartment only comes with the regular network channels, DIY and HGTV networks (are all that we've found). Probably also that our DirecTV remote doesn't work and we've never called to get it replaced (though really should) and are usually too lazy or don't care enough to get up and either turn the TV on or change the channel.


- Try a new recipe or a variation of an old recipe weekly
     We have been doing this pretty steadily. We don't always have a new recipe depending on what is on our agenda for the week, but there have also been times that we've made more than one new food during the week. Now if only I would keep a list of all of the things we like to make it easier to meal plan!


- Try to have craft time often, weekly and keep a list of wanted craft to do's
     This is one that I have done well to keep! I'm addicted to crafting and bookmarking every single thing that I find. I don't even want to begin to count how many things I want to try. Here is my short list.


- Take more pictures
     I haven't been doing too well on this one except for taking pictures of all the little projects I start up. I want to edit this task to be "Take more pictures of what is going on and the people in our lives"


- Constantly declutter
     Oh yeah, with moving and then going back through rooms and reorganizing, I'm always finding things to get rid of....now if only I'd stop bringing things into our place...but I don't see that happening anytime soon.


- Buy less and figure out what kind of minimalist I want to be
     I wanted this figured out by the end of March. I haven't really researched much of what kind of minimalist I want to be or if what I want would even be considered a minimalist life. Plus, I just confessed above that I keep bringing things home (mostly crafting supplies). I like to have this task here to keep me on track and remind myself that I don't want to get overrun my stuff.


- Coupon and sale shop more
     This hasn't been a high priority for my lately and I do keep telling myself I want to get back to it, but right now I just can't find the drive to.


- Spend less, Save more
     We aren't spending less and saving more, but we aren't spending more and saving less. That at least is victory!


- Buy locally
     Ack, shame. Again, I keep telling myself to go to the farmer's markets and have not made it to one this year....add this to my to-do list!


- Get a library card from Ames Public Library and read more
     I still haven't gotten the library card, but I've done a good amount of reading....Five books in!


- Research growing own veggies/herbs inside
    This one I wanted accomplished in April so we could grow our own. Well, I didn't do a ton of research on it and I'm sure there are ways to do this that aren't too difficult but this did become something that I decided to push aside. I'm holding out for my own piece of land and a garden!


- Drink more water
     I've been making sure to drink at least two glasses of water at work everyday. I think the interns that sit by bathroom probably think I have some serious issues (which I probably do) and am pretty sure my bladder has shrunk as I am constantly peeing!
 - Have date nights
    We haven't had a ton of these where we go out somewhere. It usually ends up that we would rather stay in, order food, and watch a movie on TV.

- Set our goals for an emergency fund and saving for a down payment on a house and when we want to get there.
     We have our goal set and are well on our way to getting there. Since we are now in a nice two bedroom apartment, we aren't as determined to get a house as we were in the tiny studio apartment. Although, we do still talk about it frequently we will probably begin seriously looking again soon and when we do, we are confident we will have our goal for the down payment.


- Try once a month freezer cooking - at least once
     I wanted to get this accomplished before June....that didn't happen so I'm pushing it to September. I really would like to do this in July, but our weekends are booked!


- Slowly decorate our new apartment
    The decorations we have slowly been adding to our new place are near 100% homemade and I love it! Check some out: Street Art, Framed Fabric, Spring Wreath, Rosette Pillow #1, Rosette Pillow #2, Tissue paper trees.


That's my update for now! It was good to go back over these to remind me of what is in the back of my head. I need to prioritize what I do and not all of these are top of my list. In fact, the top of my list actually isn't even shown here. The top of my list is enjoying my life and filling it with memories with family and friends. I've been doing quite a bit of memory making over the past few months and for that reason I'm not too upset with myself that some of the other items above haven't quite made the cut yet to getting my attention.