*quiet scene on the couch, each of us on our respective laptops*
El Hub: What are you going to do?
Me: Huh?
El Hub: Are you about to do something?
Me: Uh, I was going to sweep, mop, and finish sorting my paperwork... Why?
El Hub: You're sorting a ton of music in iTunes. That usually means it's "Serious Victoria Project Time."
Me: Oh. Well. Yes.
He knows me.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Simplifying Life: The Pantry Edition
I honestly don't know if it is the phenomenon of "nesting" that has me going crazy with our house, or if it is simply the the realization that our lives are going to become exponentially more complicated once this kiddo joins us in the world outside my womb. Either way, the reality is that I am experiencing an intense urge to clean out our house, set up organization systems, and decorate the areas I have neglected since we moved in over two years ago. An excellent example from this weekend alone I finally set up the curio cabinet that had been sitting empty with the glass shelves disassembled. I also tackled quite a few other projects and have many more on my list, and I plan to share those that I found especially valuable.
Before: The pantry. A disorganized, cluttered sty.
Like this project. One of my personal development goals is to learn more about cooking, and one part of being successful in that endeavor is having a kitchen that actually functions. Our cabinets and pantries are bursting at the seams with hand-me-downs, gifts, and items we thought would work for us but didn't. The cabinets will probably not get sorted out until I can get El Hub to help me out with installing a certain storage device, but the pantry? That I could tackle immediately.
Everything that was in the pantry. Eek.
And I did. I started by taking everything in the pantry, out. Spreading everything out allowed me to see it all and sort it all. This made it so much easier to sort like with like, set aside items to be donated, and trash expired food.
Expired food.
And there was a lot of expired food. It was depressing, humbling, and a learning experience. So much wasted food, either because we could see what we already had, lacked the cooking skills or motivation to make it. My mother also has a bad habit of bringing us random food that isn't the type we would ever usually want to eat, so that food languishes when it should be donated instead. I cannot stop my mother from bringing us stuff, but I can organize what we have so we can plan meals effectively and stop buying duplicates (and get on top of donating whatever food we know we will not be eating). Yes, I feel shame, both for not eating it or donating it prior to expiration, and also for my limited cooking skills stopping me from using some of these items in the first place. I hope this will serve as motivation to live differently in the future, and I still feel very proud of the end result.
After: The pantry officially cleaned out and ready for action.
In the end, we have an organized, functional pantry with clearly delineated areas for different foodstuffs. Beverages on the floor, small appliances on the first shelf, baking supplies on the second, breakfast and storage items on the third, pasta and random meal-in-a-box type supplies on the fourth, and plastic utensils (for our Game Night parties) on the top.
After: Cutie approves of the newly reorganized lazy susan.
Above is the lazy susan that I cleaned out at the same time, and it is divided into soups, broths, and El Hub's lunch snacks. It was much easier to tackle all the food-related areas of the kitchen in one go.
Every time we come back from food shopping, there is no struggle to put away groceries since everything has a "home" and there is room to grow in the future as I work on my goal of cooking more. Simplicity accomplished.
Like this project. One of my personal development goals is to learn more about cooking, and one part of being successful in that endeavor is having a kitchen that actually functions. Our cabinets and pantries are bursting at the seams with hand-me-downs, gifts, and items we thought would work for us but didn't. The cabinets will probably not get sorted out until I can get El Hub to help me out with installing a certain storage device, but the pantry? That I could tackle immediately.
And I did. I started by taking everything in the pantry, out. Spreading everything out allowed me to see it all and sort it all. This made it so much easier to sort like with like, set aside items to be donated, and trash expired food.
And there was a lot of expired food. It was depressing, humbling, and a learning experience. So much wasted food, either because we could see what we already had, lacked the cooking skills or motivation to make it. My mother also has a bad habit of bringing us random food that isn't the type we would ever usually want to eat, so that food languishes when it should be donated instead. I cannot stop my mother from bringing us stuff, but I can organize what we have so we can plan meals effectively and stop buying duplicates (and get on top of donating whatever food we know we will not be eating). Yes, I feel shame, both for not eating it or donating it prior to expiration, and also for my limited cooking skills stopping me from using some of these items in the first place. I hope this will serve as motivation to live differently in the future, and I still feel very proud of the end result.
In the end, we have an organized, functional pantry with clearly delineated areas for different foodstuffs. Beverages on the floor, small appliances on the first shelf, baking supplies on the second, breakfast and storage items on the third, pasta and random meal-in-a-box type supplies on the fourth, and plastic utensils (for our Game Night parties) on the top.
Above is the lazy susan that I cleaned out at the same time, and it is divided into soups, broths, and El Hub's lunch snacks. It was much easier to tackle all the food-related areas of the kitchen in one go.
Every time we come back from food shopping, there is no struggle to put away groceries since everything has a "home" and there is room to grow in the future as I work on my goal of cooking more. Simplicity accomplished.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Simplifying Life: The Living Room Media Center Edition
I honestly don't know if it is the phenomenon of "nesting" that has me going crazy with our house, or if it is simply the the realization that our lives are going to become exponentially more complicated once this kiddo joins us in the world outside my womb. Either way, the reality is that I am experiencing an intense urge to clean out our house, set up organization systems, and decorate the areas I have neglected since we moved in over two years ago. An excellent example from this weekend alone I finally set up the curio cabinet that had been sitting empty with the glass shelves disassembled. I also tackled quite a few other projects and have many more on my list, and I plan to share those that I found especially valuable.
Before: Living Room Media Center with our old television, stand, and bookcases.
Like this one. This is unfortunately the best true "before" photo of our living room I have. You can see our old TV and the oak bookcase on the right (not pictured is the matching one on the left). It was not our style and El Hub had been hankering for a new TV for a long time, so for his birthday several weeks ago we bought a new television, stand, and bookcases.
Halfway point with the new television and stand but with the old bookcases.
That first one was a pathetic before picture. Here, have another one, this one from when we were partway through switching out the old furniture for the new. Again, this happened several weeks ago, but it wasn't until recently that I was able to take the time to properly organize everything.
Before: Living Room Media Center with items haphazardly shoved on the shelves.
For the purposes of this project, this is an appropriate "before" photo. We had all of the furniture in place but had not yet taken the time to figure out a long-term solution that would keep everything organized and pleasing to the eye. So I made a quick trip to Target before buckling down for a few hours...
After: Living Room Media Center looking sleek and sex-ay.
...resulting in this. One of the fastest projects I have worked on so far with one of the biggest payoffs. The "after" looks a million times better, and for the amount of time we spend in the living room, it is wonderful to be able to look at something so much more visually appealing. For $28, I snagged four multi-tasking storage cubes that give a pop of color as well as hidden storage. I went with red to make the retro-pop Mickey painting (a giclee edition of a painting by Trevor Carlton and Stephen Reis) stand out more and brighten up all the dark furniture. These storage cubes were the perfect price and they provide the perfect amount of hidden storage. Right now, one holds video game controllers, another holds Nintendo Gameboy and DS equipment, the third holds batteries, and the fourth is empty to give us room to grow.
And speaking of growing, this setup will easily grow to accommodate a curious toddler who wants to grab everything within reach. The top shelves intentionally only hold decorative items that can be shifted to the top of the bookcase, then everything else can move up one shelf. We will snag four more storage cubes that can hide our Gummi Bear's toys and stuffed animals.
Other than that, it was simply a matter of going through all the DVDs and sorting like with like (of course, there's a Disney shelf full of movies!). It looks cleaner and easier on the eyes, so for a couple of hours of my time and $28 for our storage solution, I consider this well worth it.
Like this one. This is unfortunately the best true "before" photo of our living room I have. You can see our old TV and the oak bookcase on the right (not pictured is the matching one on the left). It was not our style and El Hub had been hankering for a new TV for a long time, so for his birthday several weeks ago we bought a new television, stand, and bookcases.
That first one was a pathetic before picture. Here, have another one, this one from when we were partway through switching out the old furniture for the new. Again, this happened several weeks ago, but it wasn't until recently that I was able to take the time to properly organize everything.
For the purposes of this project, this is an appropriate "before" photo. We had all of the furniture in place but had not yet taken the time to figure out a long-term solution that would keep everything organized and pleasing to the eye. So I made a quick trip to Target before buckling down for a few hours...
...resulting in this. One of the fastest projects I have worked on so far with one of the biggest payoffs. The "after" looks a million times better, and for the amount of time we spend in the living room, it is wonderful to be able to look at something so much more visually appealing. For $28, I snagged four multi-tasking storage cubes that give a pop of color as well as hidden storage. I went with red to make the retro-pop Mickey painting (a giclee edition of a painting by Trevor Carlton and Stephen Reis) stand out more and brighten up all the dark furniture. These storage cubes were the perfect price and they provide the perfect amount of hidden storage. Right now, one holds video game controllers, another holds Nintendo Gameboy and DS equipment, the third holds batteries, and the fourth is empty to give us room to grow.
And speaking of growing, this setup will easily grow to accommodate a curious toddler who wants to grab everything within reach. The top shelves intentionally only hold decorative items that can be shifted to the top of the bookcase, then everything else can move up one shelf. We will snag four more storage cubes that can hide our Gummi Bear's toys and stuffed animals.
Other than that, it was simply a matter of going through all the DVDs and sorting like with like (of course, there's a Disney shelf full of movies!). It looks cleaner and easier on the eyes, so for a couple of hours of my time and $28 for our storage solution, I consider this well worth it.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The seemingly impossible search for seating for the nursery.
Why, why, why are gliders so ugly? The exposed wood screams nursery, which doesn't bode well for the furniture's future in our house. The padding tends to read as dated. And the cost! I refuse to spend $300 or more for something I would only use for a few years since it would never be allowed to live outside of our kiddo's room.
I'm sure it is uber comfortable, but I just do not want to spend that much money on something I will loathe looking at every day.
So, I have been on the hunt for a safe, comfortable, aesthetically appealing, budget-friendly seating solution for the nursery. Safe, since it seems like a good idea to minimize the number of doctor and hospital visits for my future kiddo. Comfortable, since I like to actually sit in seats, and if it is uncomfortable, then I do not sit very long. Aesthetically appealing, since I am a picky, picky lady. And budget-friendly because, well, I try not to make my credit card cry TOO much.
I was hoping to magically find the perfect solution when El Hub and I were registering at Babies "R" Us the other day. In fact, I did end up registering for the Newco Jayden Upholstered Recliner after 1) sitting in it, 2) being wowed at the all-in-one design with the popout foot rest, and 3) not going into cardiac arrest at the site of the price. But after sitting in it and reading the reviews and remembering I want to use a nursing stool instead of an ottoman-style footrest, I still think it's pretty pricey for the quality, comfort, and aesthetics, so I think I will end up taking it off the registry.
Newco Jayden Upholstered Recliner
Everything else at BRU was too pricey for my liking, so that leaves regular furniture stores and, of course, the internet. And, of course, which option have I pursued? The internet, because I am tired and vastly prefer shopping from the comfort of my couch. Searches for non-ugly gliders lead me a few options, including the Urban Outfitters Mid-Century Rocker, Ikea's Poang Rocking Chair, and Dorel Monaco Bentwood Rocking Chair.
Urban Outfitters Mid-Century Rocker
Ikea's Poang Rocking Chair
Dorel Monaco Bentwood Rocking Chair
I love, love, love the look of the mid-century rocker, but it has its downsides just like every other choice. The cushions like the play slip and slide, but I would happily slap on some velcro before calling it a day. A more considerable concern is that the back does not go up very high, so it is not possible to rest your head. As one reviewer commented, that is a feature exhausted parents might desperately want during those 3 a.m. feedings.
The IKEA and Dorel rockers are certainly more to my visual liking than most options, but I cannot say I love them as much as the mid-century rocker. I just feel a bit meh about them. The price is nicer (especially the Dorel), but not even that has me hopping up and down for either of them screaming, "YAY! MY CHAIR SOULMATE!" 'Cause they're not. We'd eventually hit some tough times in our relationship and get a Craigslist divorce, which completely annihilates my goal of finding a piece of furniture that would have a permanent spot in our home.
So, any recommendations? Help a gal out here.
So, I have been on the hunt for a safe, comfortable, aesthetically appealing, budget-friendly seating solution for the nursery. Safe, since it seems like a good idea to minimize the number of doctor and hospital visits for my future kiddo. Comfortable, since I like to actually sit in seats, and if it is uncomfortable, then I do not sit very long. Aesthetically appealing, since I am a picky, picky lady. And budget-friendly because, well, I try not to make my credit card cry TOO much.
I was hoping to magically find the perfect solution when El Hub and I were registering at Babies "R" Us the other day. In fact, I did end up registering for the Newco Jayden Upholstered Recliner after 1) sitting in it, 2) being wowed at the all-in-one design with the popout foot rest, and 3) not going into cardiac arrest at the site of the price. But after sitting in it and reading the reviews and remembering I want to use a nursing stool instead of an ottoman-style footrest, I still think it's pretty pricey for the quality, comfort, and aesthetics, so I think I will end up taking it off the registry.
Everything else at BRU was too pricey for my liking, so that leaves regular furniture stores and, of course, the internet. And, of course, which option have I pursued? The internet, because I am tired and vastly prefer shopping from the comfort of my couch. Searches for non-ugly gliders lead me a few options, including the Urban Outfitters Mid-Century Rocker, Ikea's Poang Rocking Chair, and Dorel Monaco Bentwood Rocking Chair.
I love, love, love the look of the mid-century rocker, but it has its downsides just like every other choice. The cushions like the play slip and slide, but I would happily slap on some velcro before calling it a day. A more considerable concern is that the back does not go up very high, so it is not possible to rest your head. As one reviewer commented, that is a feature exhausted parents might desperately want during those 3 a.m. feedings.
The IKEA and Dorel rockers are certainly more to my visual liking than most options, but I cannot say I love them as much as the mid-century rocker. I just feel a bit meh about them. The price is nicer (especially the Dorel), but not even that has me hopping up and down for either of them screaming, "YAY! MY CHAIR SOULMATE!" 'Cause they're not. We'd eventually hit some tough times in our relationship and get a Craigslist divorce, which completely annihilates my goal of finding a piece of furniture that would have a permanent spot in our home.
So, any recommendations? Help a gal out here.
Monday, November 1, 2010
An enticing buffet, I hope.
Cutie and I have been together her entire 16 years, and I am very sad to say she was diagnosed with kidney failure on Friday. I've gotten her different prescription foods and I am trying to find something she will be willing to it, hence this little buffet. Unfortunately, she's still not really eating too much in one go, less than a quarter of a can. Her medication we started her on Friday was upsetting her stomach, so hopefully this new one she started today won't do such a terrible number on her stomach.
Someone said to me this weekend that I must have been preparing myself for her eventual demise, but honestly? No. I've always said she needs to live forever. When it comes to Cutie, at heart I am still just the selfish, nearsighted kid I was when I adopted her. Kidney failure isn't a "painful" condition, which makes me glad, but I am afraid of trying to understand the line where her malaise becomes too much.
Until then, my life will be cleaning her bodily functions from the carpet, trying to find food she's willing to eat, and possibly learning how to administer water under her skin (picture my reaction when the vet told me that. Hint: I was confused at first). Hers will hopefully be comfortable. Wish me luck on figuring out how to achieve that.
Love you, Cutie.
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