52 Weeks of Organizing



Before I even begin, I am going to

apologise for the atrocious

pictures.

I actually took them with the computer

because I wanted to get the post

up ASAP.

The plan is to go back with the good

camera (and in the daylight)

to take better pictures and just

edit the post later.

Good luck with that.

One of my new favorite blogs,

I'm an Organizing Junkie

is having a challenge of sorts.

52 Weeks of Organizing

SHE actually enjoys organizing.

I'm not completely sold on the process,

BUT

I do like the results.

SO

I'm gonna try it. 

What's the worst that can happen?

I do nothing...just like

the nothing I've been doing the past

10 years? 

LOL.

I was supposed to come up with a list.

52 projects.

I couldn't come up with 52.

Just coming up with 4

made me slightly twitchy.

Will I be able to do this in one week?

What if something "comes up"?

It would really ruin me if I started on

project 1 and didn't get it done in time

for project 2...

The perfectionist in me would scrap

the whole ordeal.

BUT

I have 4.

And here they are.

1. Organize the landing on the way down to the basement.  Previous owners installed shelves here that are SO NICE (well, not nice looking, but a nice thing to have on the landing of the stairs) I just can't seem to decide what exactly to use them for.  Because I can't seem to decide what to use them for...everything that is SUPPOSED to go to the basement but we are too lazy to take all the way down there makes a pit-stop here.  And then never leaves.  I think I would like to use these shelves as extra pantry/kitchen storage.  Extra boxes and cans that we pick up when Price Chopper has a sale. Extra kitchen machines and pans that maybe I don't use often enough to constitute them taking up precious cupboard space, but I don't use them so little that they require long-term storage or a trip to the Salvation Army.  Here is how it looks now:

I was trying to show you how the disaster has moved from the shelves and spilled across the actual floor of the landing...making it a real hassle to even get in the basement at all...in fact, the other day I smacked the edge of my kneecap on that stupid crock-pot there and it brought tears to my eyes.  How awful it would be if we had to have a furnace person or plumber come fix something down there!

2.  This picture is even worse than the basement picture because it's so dark, but hopefully you can see it.
     The second project is going to be my front porch.  I think I secretly have not accepted that the previous owners decided to enclose this space.  Yes, it is nice in the winter...it gets all nice and warm from the son and probably really helps keep the front of the house warm.  But the rest of the year I really wish it were an "outside" porch like it was originally meant to be.  Because of this, I believe I subconsciously ignore it.  We use it for, well, anything we don't need that we can't fit in the basement... So the kid's bicycles are out there, their scooters and skateboards, some chairs we can't fit in the house...my favorite: the exercise bike.  Everyone has one of those to hang clothes on right? I do have a little decorative ladder out there that I used to do up all nice, but since our recent home-improvement project, that has been inaccessible.  The picture only shows a tiny sliver of the clutter.  Maybe when the light is better I can get a "whole porch" picture so you can really share in my utter embarrassment.  I guess this is another place I need to make a decision about how I want to use the space...and commit to it. Oh, and accept the fact that the porch is enclosed and not a southern-style veranda!

First and foremost, this is the first thing people see when they come to my house!  This is unacceptable.

3.  The third project is in my DD's room.  Her room is the nursery.  It is TEENY TINY.  We are biding her time in there until my oldest leaves in 5ish years...then she can inhabit his room for the rest of her time here.  But until then, she gets her very limited space.  I want to concentrate on her "toy box".  Somewhere along the line, someone figured out that it was safer to have these collapsible storage units for children.  I do see the genius in it, since my second son was good for taking hard-sided objects, stacking them up, and climbing them to get toys near the ceiling of his room.  However, they stink. Or maybe we stuff too many toys in there?  Whatever the reason, I aim to organize her toys.  I need to find a way to organize them that makes it WAY EASY for her to put them away, but that looks nice when they are put away.  I'm thinking a cubby unit from Target...but we'll worry about this when it comes time to start the project.  Here is the "before" picture:

Quite fuzzy, I know.  Sorry.  This space is actually behind her door.  So whatever goes in there will need to allow the door to open enough to safely get into and out of the room...

4.  And the final project that I have planned so far is my DS #2's room.  Now at this particular time, his toys are ALL OVER...and that will probably make the list also.  But before I get to that, I would like to organize his DRESSER.  To be honest, I would like to just chuck the dresser and buy him a new one...but I'm having a buy nothing year...so unless Salvation Army comes up with a promising one...we'll have to see what we can do with this one.  Let me just say:  those units they sell with the nursery furniture...the ones that "grow with your child"?  Don't buy them!  Unless your child is normal.  My child (he's the climber) broke his years ago climbing into the drawer to get on top of the dresser to....I don't even know what.  Maybe we can just put a new slider in it.  Regardless, we need to weed out clothes that are too small and figure out a  way to organize what is left in a way that he can start to put his own clothes away...and if it is possible, in a way that when he picks his clothes out for the day he doesn't un-fold everything in the drawer EVERY DAY.  Is this a pipe dream? Maybe we can use cubbies from Target for this too?  Those would fit right into his closet and give him TONS of room! Oh right. Buy nothing...unless it's necessary!!  lol.

See what I mean?  The bottom drawer is open because it's too hard for him to close himself...The rest of it is probably my fault...a started project gone wrong.  Now, if I do get the top of this cleared off, I need to think of SOMETHING to put on it to hopefully dissuade him from climbing up there...any ideas?

Well, that's all I've got.  Do you see now why I'm concerned that these projects will take more than a week?  I left extra room on my handy-dandy list just in case.  Just writing them down and seeing the embarrassing pictures has given me several other projects to tackle.  I cannot wait for the AFTER pictures!

There you have it.

A month's worth of projects for 2011.

The plan is to try to spend an hour

a day on them and no more.

We'll see.

Fly on over to

I'm an Organizing Junkie

to start your own

52 weeks of projects!

Just Amy

Quilt-along Block Two FINISHED!

I am done with block two!!

AND EARLY EVEN

I know...don't faint.

Maybe blogging the progress

was a good idea after all.

Guess what?

Not only did I get Block Two finished,

But

I made a BONUS block too!

Doesn' that just take the cake?

Hope I don't need those pieces later

or I may cry...

and you will have to listen to me.

So here are the pictures:

Block number Two

I actually like this block even better than

the first one:

Block number One

However, I do not like them TOGETHER,

if that makes any sense.

I put them next to each other and

I didn't like it.

So NOW I am working strictly on

FAITH

that the finished product will have

a cohesiveness that I do not

yet see!

It HAS to...I am using a Jelly Roll

after all.

Then after I was done with the block,

I noticed several elements left over.

SEW...

I tossed 'em together to create

THIS

(and have NO idea what I'm going

to do with it)

Bonus block

There were SEW many ways

to fiddle with the left-overs,

but this way won.

I love to play spin the block!

How about you?

Did you finish?

Did you make a bonus block from the

left-overs?

Are you saving the left-overs until

a later time?

DO TELL!

For those of you following

along...(chirp, chirp...awkward silence)

find Block Three in 

the series

HERE

Thank you so much to

Moose on the Porch Quilts

for coming up with the

idea and blogging this first!

You rock, girlfriend!

Really, you should check her out.

Toodles for now.

Just Amy

Maximize Your Mornings Challenge Week Two

UGH!

I know it is only the second day

of the second week, but

I am ready to

THROW IN THE TOWEL!

First of all, I get up, uh, well...

GROUCHY

INCOHERANT

and

HATING THE WORLD

That's just how I am. 

I need at least 30 minutes

to resemble a human being.

I doesn't matter WHAT TIME

I get up...

Second of all, this is not the first

time I have tried to work through

the maximize your mornings program.

I've tried numerous times on my own

and twice with Kat.

Because I know that for me to be a good mom,

I need to be up before my kids. 

I do not want them to see me

acting like The Beast.

SO, there are two options I am going

to try before I completely give up

FOREVER.

One option is that I will just get up

at 6 or 6:30, but not plan to do

anything until the kids go to

school.

Kat promised me that my kids

would learn to respect my

quiet time, but that ain't happening!

I can't even get to the quiet

time without losing it.

I've tried going outside.

I've tried LOCKING MYSELF outside.

I've tried planning my day in bed

so I can pretend to be sleeping

when they come check on me...

It all just makes me ANGRY

because the kids are pounding

on the door or lifting up

my eyelds "Mommy?  Are you awake?"

People laugh and think I'm kidding.

I AM NOT.

So I thought if I just get out of bed,

make lunches and breakfast,

dress myself and take them to school...

and save the planning and the God and

 the exercise until they're gone,

maybe that would work.

AND IT MAY.

But thats Plan B for now.

This is because not only am I useless

when I arise in the morning...

I also peeter out in the early afternoon!

So if I'm gonna get stuff done,

I need to start as soon as I'm human

and haul tail, or I won't get

anything done.

That means: waiting until the kids

are in school to start my day is

the equivalent to waking up at noon.

Personally, my most productive hours are

from the time after dinner to about

2-3 in the morning.

THEN I'm like the energizer bunny.

But for obvious reasons, that doesn't work

in this life I've chosen.

Plan A will be (for now):

Da da daaaaa:

I'm going to get up at 5 with the hubby.

He's been complaining that he needs

a good breakfast anyway...

I figure, I don't even have to do anything

until 6-ish, so I should be my

regular good-natured self by then, right?

(unless I make him breakfast, but I can do that

half-dead as long as he doesn't talk to me)

I may even have my planning and God

out of the way...and I can

exercise with the kids

I just need that half hour to become

human...and the kids REFUSE

to allow me that.

So there you have it.

5am tomorrow.  No easing into it.

5AM

I'm going to do a lot of planning

before bed!

Toodles for now.

Just Amy

Quilt-along Block Two

Here is the information

for our next block,

courtesy of

Moose On The Porch Quilts

Block Two, here I come!

Follow along with me.

It's more fun with friends.

Whatever you do,

Be sure to check out

She's WAY more inspiring

than I am.

Just Amy

Quilt-along Week One DONE!

Check ME out!

I finished my first block.

I think I am in love! 

She's so purdy.

The 9-patch in the middle is

accidentally made with the same

print on dark and light fabrics.

I didn't notice that until

I was done.

Then the border is almost

a blown-up version

of the darker squares.

SEW PRETTY!

If you're following along,

you will notice my version

is less scrappy than the original.

I'm all for scrapy, but

I liked it this way better.  lol.

Now we have two weeks

to complete block number two.

I'll post that info next.

Toodles for now!

Just Amy

Maximize Your Mornings, Step One

Well, I did it!

Drum roll please...

I got up at 6 a.m.!

For the first time since...

uh...high school?

Surely I've gotten up that early

since, but this is the first time

I've done it WILLINGLY...ish.

I plan to get up even earlier,

but the book says I don't have

to just yet.

I already did more than

the book recommended

for week one...so

I don't want to take on too much,

get overwhelmed and give up.

Like I did last time.

The ultimate goal is 5:30.

Then I will spend a half hour

with God,

A half hour exercising, and

a half hour planning my day.

Then the kids will be in my hair. 

Then my perfect spawn
will arise to make my day
complete.

Get the book, get your purpose...

and stop by Kat's awesome and

inspiring website too.

Jelly Roll Quilt Along Block 1

Okay, I have my

material picked out!



The Jelly roll is from Moda's

Civil War Homefront

by

Barbara Brackman.

LOVE IT! 

I kinda have a "thing"

with Civil War era fabrics.

And furnishings.

And life...

I may have to get

another one for a

disappearing 9-patch quilt...

ANYWAY

The background fabric

is going to be

unbleached muslin.

I have what I believe

will be enough, but

if I get stuck, it's

only a couple of bucks

a yard AND easy to

match if I need more.

I have not picked a border

yet, but I have a possible one

in my stash.

Never occurred to me to take a

picture, but it's a red toile

printed on off-white.

I LOVE TOILE!

Also have not picked a backing,

but will more than likely

go with more muslin.

So there you have it.

And what did YOU choose?

Here is the link for the

materials list.

See you in a week with the finished

block!!  Whoo-hoo!

Jelly Roll Quilt-A-Long

I am going to do it.

The actual quilt-a-long is actually over.

It ended in August.

She does have a new one going now,

But I have the materials for THIS one.

So here it is.

I'm going to do the



From http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/.

I can't wait!

I looked ahead at all the different blocks.

I'm a little nervous about one or two,

But like mama always said:

I'm "taking it one step at a time!"

How about you quilt along with me?

We can be the Quilt Along Procrastinators Club!

I'll link to http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/

each week so we can be on the same page

and I'll blog about my progress...

and YOU comment about YOUR progress!

Okay?  Okay!

Cheers!

Just Amy

Coming soon...

Thanks for stopping by!

Just a few notes on things

to come in

November

Don't expect this EVERY month...

I'm generally not this

"organized"...

That's right. I consider this

to be organized!

First, in a few days I'll let

you all in on a little secret.

I'll give you a teensy hint:



Okay, that was probably MORE

than teensy...but that's all

you get.

Second, I will be working through

some Holiday Resources from

Passionate Homemaking...

to hopefully add some

PURPOSE

to the holidays.

Love that site...check it out!

Third, I will also be working through

a couple ebooks from Kat

at Inspired To Action:

AND

Mission Statements For Moms

Let me just insert here

how much Kat has

truly inspired me

and dare I say...even

changed my life!

There.  I said it.

I originally wanted to do the

"mornings" one first,

because that's the one

she is focusing on

over at her BLOG.

I have, however; decided to do the

Mission Statement

first because

that should help me focus

my time wisely when I'm

attempting to get up before

my rugrats children

every morning.  Right?

RIGHT!

This is all a little

scary for a self-professed

lazy procrastinator.

Telling you what I plan to do.

Now I'll have to do it

or you will find out I'm really

not joking when I call myself

that...

This cannot happen!

That's why I'm doing it!

ACCOUNTABILITY!

GO ME!

Anyway...stay tuned.