Big Daddy List of Organization Projects

Semi-Unrelated Note: I've got some good thisclose-to-being-done laundry room pics, I just need to get them up here. Hoping to get that done today or tomorrow. 

I was reading {Ducks In A Row} last week and {the post} (excellent by the way; all about keeping reality in mind while organizing) referenced Laurel's 52 Weeks of Organizing project. That project struck me as brilliant. She shared her list and the items on it were really manageable (clean shower heads, hang pin board in closet, organize medicine cabinet, etc.), and she allotted one week during the year to get each organizing project done.

Since I've been feeling really overwhelmed and under-confident about DIY lately, this whole thing seemed like something I really need right now; tasks that I can actually tackle and complete by myself (for the most part) that don't involve a table saw. 

I didn't come up with 52 since we're already a third of the way through the year. I think I came up with close to 30 though. I may add some as I think of them. 

Here ya go:

Clean out and organize coat closet. Something like this. Sigh.

via

Clean out and organize Chris's closet

Maximize space and organization in blue bathroom closet

Completely organize under kitchen sink. Just like Jen.

via

Totally organize all table linens

Organize and functionalize Man Cave closet

Organize Man Cave desk

Create jewelry organizer

via

Organize jewelry and get rid of unworn stuff

Get bedroom tv cords organized

Organize and functionalize guest room closet

Organize and functionalize guest room dresser and night stand

Organize all spices in spice drawer

via

Organize screws

Organize drill bits

via

Organize screw drivers

 

Better organize sandpaper binder

 

Organize auto care stuff 

Go through camping and fishing stuff, organize, and throw away unused stuff.

Organize travel items (suitcases, etc) 

Make completely organized and grab-and-go travel toiletries kits for me and Chris

via

  Itemize and take pictures of everything for insurance

Organize all 2012 photos and move onto cd

Organize and backup computer harddrive

Make hanging organizational items in master closets for belts, robes, etc.

Create easy and functional storage for all hand power tools

Organize dremel accessories

2013 Third Simple Goal: Explanation

This one's pretty simple. So simple that I haven't bothered to write about it, but then I realized that's dumb. Basically, I have a tough time carving out time to contribute to the blog. It's not that I don't have time; it's just that I always find other stuff to do with it. Or worse, I spend it reading other people's blogs. When I do get on and post, it always takes me a really long time because I try to make things perfect and also because I still am slow at all the ins and outs. Anyway, these are just all excuses why I don't post enough.  So, this year, I'm trying to post at least once a week. I have missed a week (between {here} and {here}), but I got back on the wagon and picked up again. 

In order to meet this goal, I moved away from trying to make this just a DIY blog. I don't DIY enough and, when I do, I'm terrible at taking pictures of every step of the process. So if I want to post weekly, I realized I was going to have to accept that many of my posts would just be photos of my life with Chris and the pups. As it turns out, those posts (like {this}, {this}, and {this}) have become some of my favorites.

Sometimes change is good :-)

Why We Rescue

I just signed up for a chance to be a part of this really cool photo project called {Why We Rescue}. It's being done by Theron Humphrey of {This Wild Idea} fame. I'm pretty wild about him and his pup, Maddie, so I jumped at the chance to try to get involved with this project. Fingers crossed we'll get picked as the Texas story! (ok, Texas is a huge and very populated state, so I know it's a long shot). I wrote a little essay to send in to Theron, and thought I'd share it here since it's all about my puppy-loves and how much they light up my life. 

*My husband, Chris, and I are together because of two rescue dogs, who happened to change our lives.

I was just going to watch Custer for two weeks while my friend Ben went to Italy. Custer was a stray chow mix that Ben found on the streets of Dallas and had brought home, though he lived on the ninth floor of an apartment building (not the ideal situation for an active, 1-year old, 50-lb dog). He wanted to find a good home for Custer, but was fostering until he did so. Custer and I fell in love with each other pretty much immediately. I decided I wanted to adopt him; my roommates were not thrilled with the idea. Ben ended up taking him up to Kansas. His girlfriend's parents lived there and they wanted to take Custer in. I cried.

Custer

But fate wanted us to be together, because the folks in Kansas took one look at Custer and said he was too big, they couldn't keep him. So he headed back home to Dallas with Ben. I embarked on the process of finding my own place. In the meantime, Ben and his lovely girlfriend kept Custer for three extra months. I had visitation on the weekends.

Clyde

Over Memorial Day weekend of 2005, Custer and I moved into our first place together, a brick duplex in East Dallas with a tiny fenced-in yard. The yard was so small that we spent most evenings at the {White Rock Dog Park}, where Custer could run and play. In August 2005, we met our future family there: Chris and Clyde the Coonhound. Chris and I got married on May 24, 2008, and adopted a little stray terrier puppy the very next weekend. We named her Bonnie.

Bonnie

Custer is 9 years old now; Clyde is 8; and Bonnie is 5. Three separate times, they have traveled the country with us as we drove from Texas to New England to visit family. They have seen us through moving, job-changing, even brain surgery. They snuggle with us at night. They cruise the neighborhood with us on brisk morning walks. They make us feel like celebrities every day when we come home from work. I know that we're not supposed to admit that we can love animals in the same way we can love other humans, but I'm gonna do it anyway. These pups are my family and my heart. My life has never been the same since the day Custer sauntered into it. I'll be forever grateful to him.*

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday was last week, but I'm just dropping a few photos 

of some of the highlights.

Delicious Swiss Chocolate cake with pretty pink frosting made just for me by {my sweetie}.

My mom indulged my new obsession with the history of {The Homeland} by sending me this beautiful old book about {Forest Park} by a Springfield author. 

Lovely birthday roses from Chris

And some lovely earrings as well!

My On-Going, Ever-Growing Thrifting Search List

I've been bitten by the thrifting bug. I was previously kind of meh about it because thrift stores always feel seedy and dirty to me, but I'm on the fence no more. I just scrub my hands real hard when I get home. 

How could I turn up my nose at all this goodness??

Anyway, since there's always just an absolute ton of crap to sort through at these places, I end up deciding that I desperately need another plastic animal to {spray paint and "ceramicize"} so my house/life crush on John and Sherry of Young House Love can move ever closer to creepy. Or, you know, I need that broken down plastic child-sized tool bench even though I don't even have kids but-when-kids-come-to-visit-it'll-be-totally-awesome...

So I'm putting paper to pen (metaphorically) and beginning a list of stuff that I want to keep an eye out for when I'm shopping. That way, if I find something that's not on this list, I'll know that I better think long and hard about whether it needs to come home with me.  

• Rolling cart for in between washer and dryer
• Really big drum lamp shade
• Actually, any size drum lamp shades
• Great lamps
• A not-deep shelf or table for entryway
• Great blankets (particularly plaid and wool)
• Mini lacrosse stick
• Good small, storable toys to have for visiting kiddos
• Vanity set
• Old, round-rung wooden ladder
• First edition hard cover Harry Potters (stop laughing)
• Prettily-covered Readers Digest books that I don't have
• Brown leather messenger/tote bag/briefcase
• Two three-drawer filing cabinets

A couple weeks all mashed together

Impromptu  tasting of fah-ncy beers with some friends

The Rick

 

That face.

And this one. I ruv them. 

Friday was glorious because I received these spoils from {Long Winter Farm}. This lip balm cannot be beat. 

Played this for the first time, and now I'm a fan. 

Our azaleas are blooming in February and I'm so sad because what's April gonna be like??
Weird winter weather. 

Lovely Saturday at the park. 

I'm not overly crazy about barbecue, but this place is kind of awesome.
I've never had potato salad that my mom didn't make that I actually liked, until I came here. 

Doing what hound-doggie do. 

Welcome February!!

Stunning weather this weekend means extra-long Saturday walk with the puppies.
We walked down to the trail and then all the way down and back. 

That resulted in lots of steps! Big accomplishment!

The spoils of my trip to the Goodwill. I got that woven chevron blanket for $1.99! And Hilary's autobiography for $1.29, which turned out to be a very apropos purchase because apparently she retired as Secretary of State?!? What rock have I been living under that I just found out about that this evening!

Got some good lovey-snuggles in with the puppies, very important stuff. 

Oh, and I finally finished the "command center" in our laundry room. My board was inspired by {this design}, but I used foam board covered in fabric
and mounted into a $1.99 frame from Goodwill instead of plywood. 

{McKenzie} provided a couple of printables with her tutorial,
which I gratefully used on my board. 

Did you know that you can write on glass with dry erase markers (and {dry erase crayons}) and it wipes right off when you need it to? These frames were a dollar each from Dollar Tree. 

One of the snacks I made for the Super Bowl were these {PB&J Thumbprint cookies} from Emma at A Beautiful Mess.
She used blackberry jam in hers; these ones are made with strawberry. Delish. 

Got some good Parcheesi playing in before the Super Bowl.
These crazy Texans call it something else, but it's the same game ;-)
And this particular version is home-made and vintage-y, and I love it. 

Clydus needs a mani-pedi.