Containers

It is amazing to me how difficult it is to store storage containers. I just spent 15 minutes re-organizing my food storage container drawer. I have Ziploc Snap n' Seal food storage containers, a few odds and ends mostly from Ikea and glass jars and lids. It seems that no matter what I do this drawer gets destroyed within 24 hours of any reorganization efforts. I tried "systems" but the containers were never good sizes and usually cracked after a few rounds in the dishwasher. It is an endless struggle...that and the sippy cup drawer...another day...

Clothing

I wish this post was about me and my clothing...but it is not. Keeping up with my son's clothing is a full time job. Out with last season, in with this one. Out with last size, in with a bigger one. When he was just born he ran through sizes at an alarming rate, shooting into 12 month clothes by the time he was 6 months old. He has given me a break and spent the summer in 12-18 months (except for his pjs - 2T). He is just too big for anything in the 12 month range and I got a bundlee of clothes in 18-24 months from my cousin so I spent sunday sorting and laundering bith the new clothes and the old. Today was folding and putting away... He now has too many pants for his drawer. I feel like I have been growing out of my clothing too; I had better watch that.

Sunday also brought a roadside find. I picked up these chairs (well, my husband did the actual picking up) for $10 on the side of the road. They feel sturdy and have nice back support. I think I will paint them white...

Two small jobs

Yesterday I bought new containers for my cupboards. I make muesli and that requires a lot of weird ingredients. They were taking up many of my food storage containers so I decided to get these ones so they will stack nicely together. (Old on the left, new on the right.) Here is the recipe I use for muesli.

I also made pico de gallo with tomatoes from the neighbor, jalepenos and onions from my garden and store bought garlic, lime, and cilantro.

I used about 2 garlic cloves (crushed), 2 LARGE tomatoes (seeded and diced), 1 1/2 diced jalepeno, 1/2 white onion (diced), the juice of 1 lime, 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro and salt to taste. It is pretty good if I do say so myself (and since my hubby doesn't like pico de gallo, I do have to say it myself). We will take a pot over to the neighbor later today.

Super productive

In another slow project we finished the new coat rack in the entry corner today. We hung two pieces of moulding with a total of 6 hooks. 2 are at kid height and 4 are for us big folks. I am most impressed that my hubby and I pulled it off without fighting :).

A week long project

Last week I began a project that has been on my to do list for a long time...sprucing up this:

(before)

When I was first married my mom and aunt bought this for our microwave to sit on in our first apartment. My dad and I built it. It has followed us home to home ever since. I have long thought it needed new handles but it wasn't until I painted a chalkboard on the side and decided that the drawer handle would be the perfect chalkboard tray that I swapped them out. Now I have nice new handles, a chalkboard with tray and a new top that overhangs in the back to offer wine storage. The top was a free piece of scrap wood and I found faux stainless contact paper to cover it, I just need one more roll. The whole project should come in at around $20 since I already had the chalkboard paint. I am really pleased with how it has turned out.

We also ordered a new fireplace front while at the hardware store. I bought some childproofing supplies that should work and hooks for our entry room coat rack (I decided to change the tone I had purchased before). My little man is becoming well acquainted with the hardware store.

The best laid plans

I forever have plans floating in my head, probably 5 at any time. I have trouble getting started...well, and finishing. Part of my problem is never knowing the measurements, sizes, colors I need to know when I am out. Today I went around and recorded all of these things on one slip of paper. So far I have:
the measurements for the master window for next time we are at Costco
the measurements for my kitchen cabinet thingy (I will tell more when I finish this one)
the measurements for new handles for above and a chalkboard ledge (curious?)
the measurements for new hooks in the entryway
some kitchen childproofing items I need (since my hubby is wanting to open up our son's world)

Oh, yesterday I made some lavender chocolate chip scones that were not very yummy...

Dark hole

Today I sorted out under my kitchen sink. I was afraid of this project but it went surprisingly well. There was much less down there than I expected and the project went quickly. I found 3 cabinet locks for childproofing and it made me think that maybe it is about time to open the kitchen to Carter, at least some of the time. I put the locks on and let him in. He made a beeline for the triangular shelf in the corner and the Roomba...maybe I will childproof tomorrow.

On another note, my dinner went nicely last night. The cake was well received. I have a crystal cake plate but no dome so I had to plastic wrap it to keep my cat away. To keep the plastic off the cake itself I used specialty food picks, you know the ones for serving appetizers? Mine have stars on top so I spaced them around and it looked quite nice. If I wasn't such a glutton for cake I would make it more often.

Small things

I have a VERY small entry way. A few months ago I purchsed the most amazing shoe cabinet from Ikea. It was a big help in the shoe department, but it gave us a new place to pile junk...
Today I cleared off the top of the shoe cabinet. I found a new place for the sunscreens in the top cabinet. I moved the things that were not supposed to be there to their rightful homes (mostly in the garage). It looks very nice. I figured after yesterday and the exhaust fans I deserved a break!

So hard to clean

It seems that everywhere I want to clean needs to be tidied before it can be cleaned and once I tidy I have no energy for cleaning. Today I was going to tackle the kitchen/dining area floor; I mean hands and knees with a scrub brush! Instead, when Igot down on my hands and knees I found a mess. I gave my husband an "area", the bottom shelf on a corner shelf, to keep his computer and whatever else he feels needs to be kept accessible. Well, unless I move it, the computer is always on the table and the self is full of clutter. There are 3-4 things that need to be plugged in the one outlet there, including the Roomba that lives under the shelf and it is never the winner of the plug war. In a fit of anger yesterday I came up with an obvious solution and moved a surge protector that was unused in the boy's room (since the TV left with all of the other clutter that used to live in there pre-baby). I set it on the floor over there in hopes the hubby would do the plugging but that brings me back to getting on the floor today...
So, today I arranged the plugs, picked up the clutter, debris and stray toys and found everthing a home. Maybe tomorrow will find me with a scrub brush...

Pictures

I take hundreds of pictures of my little one each month. Every few days I transfer them to my computer and at the end of the month I back them up and clear the camera memory card for the next month. On occasion I also send off for some of the pictures to be printed. Then I send them off to relatives but my stack stays just that, a stack. Today I put them in chronological order, best I can remember, in a storage box from Creative Memories.

During my baby's first year I made a little picture gift each month for the grandparents and great-grandparents: An egg for his birth, a star for the Fourth of July, a pumpkin for Halloween... each with a picture of my boy. In my sorting, I was hoping to find the missing Thanksgiving turkey but I didn't; I guess I will have to recreate it...

A day in two parts

I am only allowing myself to post this now because I can't do the second half while my wee one is awake. I did a quick clean and organization of our stair landing; it was a gathering spot for clutter...extra diapers, streamers (from his first birthday - in May!!), a piece of the bassinet I need to return, extra outlet covers...

The second half of my project to day is to hem a pair of pants for a friend and switch out the buttons. I have had the pants for a while but just got the buttons yesterday. I want to have them done for Saturday night when she is watching my baby while the hubby and I go to the fancy pants wedding of a friend of his. I need to remember to pick up his suit at the cleaners today since we have the rehersal dinner tonight and a company picnic tomorrow morning. This will be our busiest weekend in quite a while.

Bonus

Since it is sweltering here in the northwest, I have decided not to exercise. You could say I am on strike. This has freed up some time during my little one's morning nap. I just finished labeling my husband's dresser drawers. I love my label maker. I also love my husband. He keeps his drawers pretty neat so I only have to reorganize them every few months. When he can't find something he flips one pile onto another to look through so the items stay folded, just not in the right spots. I know I should let it be but I am the one to put things away so I like to be able to put them where he can find them (and avoid needless pile flipping and "have you seen my...?"). I thought about doing my own but since I am they only one who sees them it would be a waste of label maker tape. I brought the labeler down to my kitchen to see if anything needed labeling but got distracted by the cans of tomato sauce from Costco tucked in a corner and after putting them away I lost the urge to label.