pink watched 2.5 hours of dora, but...

look at all I accomplished! Well, ok, you can't actually look at it. That would require a working digital camera and we have none. However, I did bake up a double batch of ginger snaps, a double batch of my secret recipe chocolate peppermint squares, homemade caramels, and Russian tea cakes. The dough for gingerbread men is in the fridge (we are in a ginger mood this year).

I should hire this Dora girl more often! Seems when she keeps an eye on Pink, the whole world is before me.

and the winner is...

none of the above! In reference to this post, the art project got tossed immediately because, well, there was the book. And the nap. And my sewing machine on the dining room table where we would need to eat in only a few hours.

The sewing project was set aside because I needed a good excuse to have dinner on the couch. Fabric and the sewing machine stayed right where they were.

The book was winning 15 minutes into Pink's nap and it looked like I would make some serious progress and maybe even finish when, lo and behold, Beloved called. The power went out at work and he was on his way home. We chatted for about 15 minutes and when we got off the phone, I had just enough time to put away some toys and look like Suzy Homemaker.

So in the end, Beloved won. I guess that's the way it should be. And he even let me have a little extra time last night to finish the novel. What a keeper!

decisions, decisions

Oh, what to do? I have a day off this week (thank you Beloved and all other Veterans for that little gift of risking your lives) and I have so much to do! But it's not the to-do list kind of stuff. How can I choose between a captivating novel, a sewing project, an art project for Pink's room, and a nap? All this I am supposed to do in only two afternoon hours while Pink's in dreamland.

Hmmm, maybe I'll go for the nap.
Or the book.
But I've been desperate to finish this adorable apron.
Except that the art project has already been in the works (yet somehow remains incomplete) for months now.
Definitely the art project.
Oh, but the book!

Pray for me; I am a poor, directionless soul.

Container consolidation

I have a very nice pantry compliments of the Container Store. I'm not complaining. Really. But in my very nice pantry I have very deep shelves which make it nearly impossible to have less than three bags of sugar, nineteen cans of soup, and five packages of Craisins I don't know about, hiding in the darkness behind the olive oil.

So I headed to Tar-jay for some Rubbermaid containers that fit perfectly inside. I have three: one for baking products, one for oils/vinegars/other jars, and one for all that misc stuff like honey and cocoa powder. Now not only do I keep better track of what's in my pantry, but I can pull out the container and easily access things in the back. No more moving half the contents of a shelf onto the counter, only to reach a packet of yeast. It's the poor woman's version of custom cabinets with pull out drawers (yes, I know that all drawers are pull out drawers), but it works for me!
By the way, this works great for the linen closet, bathroom, or any other place you store small items.

Want more ideas on kitchen organization? Visit Shannon's newest installment at Rocks In My Dryer

Fall cleaning

If you know me well, you know that cleaning is not my favorite thing. I'm decent at it; my problem is that I don't like to make it a priority in life and I don't get around to it quite at often as I should. I've been getting much better at it, but there was still much to be desired until I found this new book on cleaning that I LOVE (check out Rocks In My Dryer and look under Saturday linkage). I read the teaser pages and was hooked. I waited until my school break came around and set about fall cleaning. So far, so good. The darn thing really did teach me how to clean better; imagine! But the most helpful part was the approach. It's broken down into ten days, with tips on how to get through one project completely before commencing another. This was my biggest problem with spring cleaning in the past. This book gave me permission to let my bedroom continue to be a disorganized mess while I was tackling something else. And there are lists for daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning as well. Perhaps the best part is that cleaning is treated as something ongoing, which makes me feel like I'm not a failure if my house isn't perfect all the time; it's not going to be!

Here are some before pics. I haven't taken any after shots yet, since I'm only about half-way done. I'll get those up in about a week or so. If you have any room for growth in the area of cleaning, check out the book! It's only $7 online.

I think the computer used to be on this desk...











I know your counter fills up, too!










No, we do not think the top of the dresser is an ideal storage unit for DVD players not in use, old t-shirts, pictures, safety pins, and other misc. items. It's just right there, so easy!