Weekend Recap: Purchases, Productivity, and Style.

Well Happy Monday to all -

Hope your weekends were fun, productive, and restful. I also hope you all start this work week feeling as prepared as any of us every feel for our weeks! ; ]

This weekend was anything BUT restful for me considering Saturday night I slept for less than 3 hours BUT what it lacked in rest it made up for in productivity (this is the part where you pretend me be shocked).

I worked A LOT this weekend but inbetween I managed to get a few other things done. I finally broke down and bought the towels from Nordstrom Rack I have been stalking weekly for MONTHS. These will be for the guest bathroom and they are huge and plush as all guest towels should be, in my opinion.

If I haven't shared before this is the bedding for the guest bedroom which will be black, white, and kelly green....

As of the end of a weekend spent working I'm over halfway in my savings for having my whole place painted in the spring (April or May) AND I've made some headway on saving up to furnish the guest bedroom hopefully before my summer company influx. I'll keep you posted on that but I'm feeling good about the progress.

I did find time to put together and try out my new vacuum which I also saved up and bought in cash (delayed gratification is so HARD) - Dave would be proud.

I will enter the honest box long enough to say I'm impressed with this beast of a vacuum BUT vacuuming the stairs is still a pain in the rear. Such is life with 2 carpeted staircases I suppose.

Since I worked the majority of this weekend and drank caffiene like it was my JOB I pretty much looked like this all weekend (yes, I'm drinking out of someone else's Annie mug):

I did take a break from working to attend a NASCAR party on Sunday. I had nothing to wear (my mom suggested cut off jean shorts and showing my middrift would be most appropriate) so below you can find my NASCAR party wear and my feelings about A. having nothing to wear and B. the race getting rained out and ruining my neighbors party....

Who doesn't love a good mirror pic? I sported a flowy tank top, skinny jeans, and sandals. Though I was completely unfestive - I did get several compliments on my top.

The food was amazing, which spoiled my dinner @ the Lodge with Joy and her new hubby! I ended up having to opt out of dinner (which was probably a good thing considering I sat too close and therefore ate a whole place of nachos at the NASCAR party...oops).

I'm feeling good about starting off week two of the daily cleaning crew with the girls prepared! My mom stocked me up with all the household essentials via Sam's Club last week (thanks Mom!) and I not have a year (literally) supply of TP, paper towels, laundry soap, dishwasher tablets, etc. Whew. Let's do this, work week.

Love,

B

I'm 'Getting Around to It'.

If you've ever seen the movie 'He's Just Not That Into You' you know exactly where today's title comes from. And if not, well, I found ya a picture. Ben's character in the movie is hanging a picture when Anniston comes home and asks what he's doing. He says, 'I'm getting around to it'.

We all have a running list of things to do when we 'get around to it' don't we? Here's a few I've gotten done recently (and I think many of you will relate):

- Under the kitchen sink. Sometimes you have to face it, clean it, organize it, and hope it doesn't suck you into the black abiss.

- Clean out your car. My neighbor mocks my dirty, disorganized car. I think because in comparison to my house he finds it shocking. Anyway, it no longer looks like I live in it. I took everything out, vacuumed, armor all'd, spot shot my floor mats, etc. It even has an air freshener. I'm trying hard to take my junk out of the car with me every day now.

- Clean out the garage. Another never ending black hole (like my purses). I finally purged, organized, and even swept my garage this month.

- Filing. Gr. There's nothing I hate more than filing warranties, service notices, receipts, etc. But I finally filed all of 2010 and 2011 (yes, they were in a giant pile for 2 years).

- The great wardrobe purgery. This is when you actually go through every.single.piece.of.clothing and you face the cold hard truth that something things will never fit again, some things never looked good on you, and somethings that you've never worn you still won't wear if they sit there for another year. Goodbye.

- Spot cleaning. I finally shot all the spots on my carpet. Which weren't many but you know how you think 'I should spray these spots that pop up on the carpet' and you respond to yourself 'when I get around to it?'. Well, I did. Finally.

- Oil change. This is the ever looming task I hate. Even though with a Jiffy lube literally on my street, this shouldn't overwelm me...I hate it. BUT with a free night, finally, I decided it had to be done. You're welcome, car.

The yet to get around to list:

- Going to the dentist (blah)

- Reading every book on my shelves (working on it)

- Organizing my cleaning closet (pinterest style)

- Phone calls (I always have a running mental list of people I need to call - sorry if you're on it)

- Menu planning (I've been lax for a few weeks now, time to get back on it)

- Updating my recipe books (doesn't this always kind of hang over your head?)

- Pantry organization

What have you been meaning to get around too?

Love,

B

Getting a System.

If you follow me on pinterest you may have noticed I have an OCD/Organization board. I love love love to try out new ways to keep my life in order so I make sure I live each day to the fullest. I promised myself that 2012 would be the year of no excuses - that I would stick to my budget, I would travel, I would keep my house clean, I would drop more weight, I would workout, be healthy, and sleep enough.

I was pretty half hearted about my pinteresting at first but when I realized how many great organization and cleaning ideas can be gained there, I basically fell in love! I'm literally constantly adding to my 'to organize' list (next up: my cleaning supplies closet and under my kitchen sink).

I pinned the weekly cleaning calender pictured below because I realized that for my house to stay clean, I really need to be doing a little bit every day. Right now with averaging 55 hours a week of work plus bible study, workouts, friends, reading, blogging, cooking, etc I just don't have a huge chunk of time to devote to scouring the whole house AND I don't want it to look like a bomb went off the rest of the week. I also HATE rushing around trying to get it clean enough for company at the last minute. And so I present to you the new plan:

Found here.

Now, we all know I hate to do anything alone. I have Mia to keep me accountable to my morning workouts (at least 2-3 days a week I workout in the AM). I have Jess and Kayla to report my weight loss to every week. I have my small group to keep me accountable to reading my bible, praying, and finishing my homework before our Monday night meetings. You get the idea, there's safety in numbers! And so, I was thrilled with 3 of my sweet twitter friends: Mia, Joey, and Emmy agreed to try this new everyday cleaning with me ( I linked to their blogs so you can follow them, they're awesome).

So how's it going? Well, first off, I should say I think this chore list was made for a family of 5 - laundry 3 days a week seems excessive to me - at least for one! I also don't vacuum three days a week - since I don't have pets, children, or a messy husband to clean up after. BUT otherwise, I've been really pleased with this list! Tuesday morning I felt great at work all day because I'd windexed my bathroom counters and mirrors after my morning workout and before I left for the office!

I love staying on top of the dishes AND keeping the counters clean! It makes the kitchen so much less overwelming. Though I should admit here I pretty much put everything in the dishwasher.

I've nixed mowing since I don't have a yard but I do love that it makes me sort my mail on Fridays. Gr, I hate when mail piles up and feels overwelming (oh wait, that's always). I added a few things of my own: like trash on Mondays and Fridays, cleaning out my car on Sundays (so I don't drive around looking like I live in it), and changing the sheets (I admit, I'm surprised that didn't make the list...).

It's been fun keeping up on twitter with how the other girls are doing with their daily chore list. I think it's safe to say we all agree, we feel great about having a clean house! It's also fun to brag, celebrate, or whine to each other along the way.

How do you keep your house clean? Do you do a little cleaning every day or have one day a week you do it all?

Love,
B

Cleaning Bug 2012 (and more Batch Pad pics)

Ok so I was happy to read that I'm not the only one who has had the cleaning bug so far this year. I found this great post on The Secret to Success is Support's blog Friday. I love a good blog post about being organized more than the next girl - but I especially love that Gigi took on her closet clean out with a friend.

When I returned from 8 days away in Indianapolis for Christmas this year, I literally came home and started cleaning. My friend Kayla can testify to this, since she picked me up from the airport and witnessed the beginning of the whirlwind. She came with nothing and left with 2 kinds of dishwasher soap that just didn't work out for me (but I couldn't throw them away, they were practically new!), a tray (that was gifted to me but doesn't go with anything in my house), and a few other randoms.

With my yard sale coming up for Haiti (don't know about Haiti yet? check here) I decided January was the perfect time to go through EVERYTHING in the Batch Pad. And so, it began.

When my Mom was here last spring we did a big overhaul on the garage which included ditch all the boxes and changing what needed to be stored to plastic totes. Did you know that bugs love cardboard? Hince, I won't store any of my stuff in actual boxes anymore. Yuck.

I had an entire tote of office supplies. I believe I've previously confessed my obsession with office supplies? Anyway, they've been in that tote for an entire year without me desperately needing them (or with my buying more because I forgot I had some) - so, I went through them and either, saved, tossed, or relocated them so they would get used up or gone quickly.

Anywho, friday night I came home from work and decided to stay in since I wasn't feeling well. Most people relax when they're sick yes? But not this girl. I go to work.

This is my walk in before (please reserve judgement):

Not hoarders worthy, but certainly not looking awesome.

An hour later when I determined to pull every single thing out, my room looked like this:

My best friend couldn't fly in from Indiana for this - but I did FaceTime her in on my ipad from the floor of my closet for the fun. This cleanup went on way past midnight on Friday night and included finally vacuuming and dusting out my closet before I started returning only the things I wear/use. Whew.

I'm happy to show you that progress was made and my closet now looks like this:

Ta da! I mean, I know there's still alot in there, but honestly, I got rid of ALOT. I made about 8 garage bags of things for my yard sale, too 4 bags of trash out Monday morning from all my bathroom and junk drawer clean outs, etc. I really did good about only keeping what I wear (which obviously is still a pretty decent amount). I will say, however, that another benefit to doing this was figuring out what I still want to add to my wardrobe, or what needs to be replace (like my poor very faded black cardigan).

If you feel like you're in a wardrobe funk this might be the perfect way to remember what you have hiding in your closet, and revamp all at once.

Also, I cleaned the whole rest of the house as well so I thought I'd share at least one picture from the main floor while I'm at it (hopefully more pics to come in the near future!)...

Anyone else caught the cleaning bug in 2012?

Love,
B

If Chaos is your Nature...

I've frequently accused of being 'the most organized person I know' by friends. I admit to being a bit OCD in many aspects of my life and organization of some varieties would fall into this category. As those of you who have been reading me for any length of time know, I'm an extremist. I tend to throw myself whole-heartily into that which I get excited about.

I've been pouring over some organizing blogs, ideas, tips, and lists this week thinking of ways to be more efficient in my personal life. I do a decent job of staying organized with work-related items but sometimes I fall behind at home. I would be willing to bet that a few of you have the same problem, made worse by coming home after an 8+ hour work day and wanting to do nothing but eat dinner and watch TV.

I'm going to identify my weak areas. Here we go...

Sidetracked by the Macbook.

Fly Lady has listed as one of her 11 Commandments, 'don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by your computer'. Bam - guilty. Pulling out my macbook (which thankfully I only do once or twice a week at home) can be like entering a time warp for me. When I emerge from Internet-land back into the real world and an hour has gone by I can't believe I've let myself get so sidetracked. Anyone feeling me on this one?

I might have to start setting a timer for myself like my parents use to do with us when we first got AOL in our house. Oh AOL, the old school days of dial up Internet and lame 10-year-old screen names. If only that were all that distracted me on my computer these days. Say no to face-stalking, extreme budget overhaul, and Internet window shopping Becca. Say no.

The Great Mail Pile-up.

For someone who seems endlessly organized I have NEVER been good at dealing with mail. In college my Mom use to remind me to check mine or I'd go weeks without dealing with my overflowing box (which by the way, supposedly promotes break-ins). Even after I'd finally trudge down to the mail area and gather my 39489302 pieces of mail, it'd take me another week or two before I'd go through it, usually throwing most of it away unopened.

Where did I acquire this attitude about mail? I love getting cards but I hate dealing with documents sent from companies such as: insurance related, bank related,HOA related, etc. And before you suggest I go 'paperless', that would be equally disastrous as I'm also horrible about printing and filing those documents.

No excuses, I'm to start tackling the mail as it comes. I cannot keep being fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants about paying bills and such. I've never been late on a bill BUT I've been a 'day of' girl most my life. No more. I will find a way to deal with mail. I will report back to you all with my solution.

Fly Lady's thoughts are this:

Mail - often a big pile up problem! This works - the "DO IT NOW PRINCIPLE" (from the FlyLady's Dear Husband):

- Go through the mail as soon as you bring it in the house.
- Only open it with your calendar, cards, and garbage can at your side. (This cuts down on handling it twice.)
- Have one place for bills. And put them there!
- Have a day for paying them and stick to it. FlyLady's date with her bills: on the 1st and 15th of each month.
- Reconcile your bank statement the day you get it.
- Put sale papers, advertisements, and catalogs by your chair, so you can look at them when you deserve a break. Do not let them pile up! Look at them the next time you sit down and have your scissors, grocery list, and garbage can handy.

Car Chaos.

I have a tendency to do really well at keeping my car nice for a few weeks or months and then something will happen (like moving) and it will be a disaster for a while before I want to face it again. This is avoidable. I just can't let my car become a war zone or the black abyss that my papers and trash fall into. But this is certainly an area of organizational weakness.

I recently cleaned my car inside and outside. I took it to the car wash, stopped and got it vacuumed out, I even scrubbed my floor mats with spot shot. To all my friends who ride in my car with their grimy feet on my floor mats: I.blame.you! I also FINALLY went through my glove box and disposed of the rotting renewals of my insurance cards and registrations from the last oh, 2 years. Now I know that my 'packet' is up-to-date and I will have no problems should I need to reference that info (Lord willing, I hope I do not).

Inbox Influx.

I hate e-mail. I'm not sure why but for some reason I am just not a fan of getting e-mails. Some of you may remember from my former blog post about the buying of my blackberry that not long after my e-mail started stalking me via my phone, I unsubscribed from practically EVERYTHING I was getting via e-mail. But alas, somethings are just best handled through e-mail and so therefore I must learn to stay atop of them.

I have made myself categories for e-mails that need to be saved ie: receipts from my Kindle purchases, condo documents, personal e-mails to reference on crappy days, etc. However, I need to start sorting e-mails every day instead of once every couple weeks. This would really cut down on the annoyance I experience when I have to do this process. Gr.

So as not to 'Debbie Downer' myself too terribly much today...let's also talk about areas I do well at and how I got to those points. In the last year or so I have become increasingly well organized in the area of greeting cards. I bought a Vera Bradley card organizer a while back which helps me ensure that I send holiday cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, and 'just because' cards every single month. I think this is a great habit that few people have developed. I love the cards I get in response or knowing that I've put a smile on someone's face. I remember to pull out and write cards because I highlight (in orange which equals important) on my calender a day a week out from a birthday 'send Rach a card'.

For me, the key to success with most everything has been to have a plan...and an accurate planner. I color coordinate my 3 year old Coach planner that my best friend graciously refills for me with her discount every year. That has become my compass as I navigate my somewhat intense life of balance church, work, bills, condo stuff, personal life, football related things, and event-world details for work. Without my planner, I tend to get lost. I believe I've posted a picture of my infamous color coded planner on my blog before. My friends tease me mercilessly...except the 2 of them that have adopted my habit. They love me for it. I color coordinate in the following 5 catagories:

Pink - personal or as I call them 'treats'. This includes lunch dates, facials, girls nights out, and this month: the super bowl!
Orange - Important. These are the mustnotforgets! When bills are due, cards, birthdays, prescriptions, etc.
Yellow - work. This is self explanatory. Meetings, due dates, reminders, PTO days, paid holidays, etc.
Green - church related. Meetings, appointments, services, small group homework, finance class meetings, and soon-to-be calling my group every week to see how their budgeting is going.
Blue - Blog related. When I've scheduled posts, when I have promised to mail a freebie, etc. This is the least used color...but it still has one.

Well, there you have it. I'm good at a few other organization things but these will do for now.

Time to get to work...

Love,
B