The Saga Continues…
Just because I’ve been a bad blogger does not mean, believe it or not, that nothing has been happening around here on the “simplifying and organizing” front. It’s been a mixed bag for the last month, but we do have some big news, so keep reading…
Just now, I returned from dropping an entire van load of things to the thrift including, (but not limited to):
- a set of two matching chairs
- a corner curio unit
- about a dozen outdoor screens
- a large box full of glassware and sundries
- an infant high chair
- a cd player/radio/alarm unit
- a holiday wreath and hanger
- a basket of pet toys and accoutrements
- an 18x24 poppy painting
- some lumber
…and a number of other odds and ends I can’t quite remember.
If you’ll recall, my last trip to the thrift included many multiple bags full of things like clothes and toys and shoes, so we’re moving right along in terms of “getting rid of.” But none of that is the big news.
We’ve been in the process, if you’ll also recall, of repurposing multiple rooms in our home to new uses: My studio becoming my husband’s man cave. The room off our master transforming from the baby nursery to my new studio. The husband’s old office space becoming the big boy room for our little boy.
So what’s happening with all that, you ask? You’ll be pleased to know that my new studio space is complete and my old studio space is ready for Chris to move his things there. This feels like a major accomplishment! The only thing that remains to be done in my new space is that I’ll need to make curtains for my bookcases to cover all the varied art supplies that they house. I’ve already purchased the rods and the fabric; it’s just a matter of somehow, some way making the time to do the actual sewing of a couple of simple panels. This feels easier said than done, as my time has been at a premium lately, but I know that the room will feel much cleaner when those panels are neatly creating a hidden storage space for all the stuff on the shelves.
Yes, we’re moving right along, but in the process, we’re discovering that we need “holding space” both for things that we’re getting rid of and for things that are moving to a new home in our house. The garage has been the holding space of choice for the larger items and the guest room has been the holding space of choice for the smaller items… and can I tell you? It’s driving me CRAZY. I’m not fond of the resulting disorganization and clutter, so today I put my big girl panties on and faced the garage and its mountain of recyclables and discardables that has been waiting for attention; its years-old screens and piles of thirftables that have been collecting there since the beginning of January as we move room by room through the house; its boxes and boxes that needed to be broken down and recycled; its table and chairs that STILL haven’t sold (FIRE sale on that set for anyone that’s interested - contact me!); its odds-and-ends furniture pieces that I maybekindasorta (but not really) wanted to list on Craigslist to see if I could get a few bucks out of them. And all this makes no mention of the guest room, which I have yet to face. That’s the small stuff and it will have to wait until I find my other pair of panties.
One thing I’m VERY proud of is our mud room. This past month it went from being a disorganized eyesore to being possibly the most organized and efficient room in the house. Pictures to come.
Another project I’m proud of is our craft closet, which this month became a reality. I’d been thinking of it for months, but once Valentine’s came and went and we had new papers and punches and scissors and string to create these —
— I became more motivated than ever to organize and properly store all our family craft supplies so that they were easy to find and accessible when we had new ideas. (I’m thinking of writing a blog entry on how we made these. Caia really enjoyed herself!)
And the last project I’m proud of is in Caia’s room. She’s a little artist, but her supplies were just all over her desk and always looked messy. In addition, she had one of those bin-style toy organizers that, when full, also looks like a big mess. In short, her room never really looked clean, even when it was. Instead of continuing on that way, we decided to get busy and get organized in there. We removed all her books from a small two-shelf bookcase she already had, scooting it into her art area to contain all her papers and crayons and markers, completed artwork, and other supplies. We also removed the existing bin-style toy unit and bought a new 9-cubby shelf thingamabob which could house both her books and her toys in a neater, more fun way, and give her a little display space for her favorite things on top. It’s got several of these adorable fabric drawers, courtesy of our local Target store, which Caia could not be more enchanted with:
So why has it taken me so long to blog? This past little bit of time, as winter is both hanging on and letting go and the world is finally beginning to warm up and shine again, is frankly the hardest month of the year for me. February: my nemesis. But actually, that’s not been as much of a challenge as the fact that I had a sudden and full blown case of acute urticaria vasculitis, which in laymen’s terms means a severe case of incredibly itchy hives all over my body. I have not been able to sleep because of it and that’s put a major dent in my productivity. But that’s not all! No, that’s not all. Two weeks after I started with all the insane skin-me-please-because-that’d-be-preferable-to-this itching, I caught the nastiest bug of the season and was sick with fever, chills, exhaustion, nausea and more. And it seemed to drag on forever! Yep, kindergarten strikes again. But even that’s not the whole reason that I’ve not been blogging. Want to know what is?
The last and most exciting piece of my non-blogging confessional is this: we’re expecting! Yes, that’s right. Our third child is due to join our world in early September and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. We’ll be having another home birth and have already seen our beloved midwife once. I’m due to go back to see her for my second visit at 14 weeks this coming Monday. It’s at that appointment that we’ll hear the heartbeat. Can I tell you how anxious I am for Monday to hurry up already?! In the meantime, I’ve been very tired, I look as though I’ve gained eight or ten pounds in my midsection (even though I haven’t gained an ounce yet!), and my pants are starting to feel a tiny bit snug. Despite the usual symptoms of early pregnancy, as I feel this little life growing inside of me each week, I’m beside myself with joy that we’ve been so blessed with another amazing child.
So there you have it. The saga of the last month. It’s been a wild one, but we’ve made it through. I can’t thank my sweet, supportive husband enough for stepping up and allowing me to rest and recover through all of the weirdness of the last month. I’m hoping to be back at this blogging thing with vigor, but the last month once again proved to me that rules were meant to be bent and even occasionally broken, so I’m going to take it easy on myself if I don’t hit the mark 100% of the time. I’m thinking I may need to blog once a week or so and do our thrifting drop off in weekly trips. Getting rid of seven things each week is not a big deal, but blogging about one for every day has proven to be a challenge, so it’s looking like it’s time to evaluate and evolve the original plan. What about you? Have you had a period in your life that turned wild? How did you deal with it? Were you able to keep yourself in balance through it? What coping skills worked for you?
Thanks, dear friends, for hanging in there with me. I’m glad you’re here. And if you have suggestions about a new schedule for the seven things per week (or anything else about this project, for that matter), I’m all ears. Talk to you soon.
Love,
Christine
