Project ADD and a Contest
Edited to add: This contest is now closed to new entries. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
Do you remember the bathroom redo project that I blogged about a few weeks ago. Well, I didn’t get too far with it.
I searched high and low (that means the big 3–Target, Linens n Things, and Bed, Bath and Beyond plus some other random stores) for a shower curtain and just couldn’t find anything that I loved. I know that I shouldn’t be this picky but I just wanted to see something that I instantly knew that I couldn’t live another day until it was hanging in my bathroom.
My husband says I’m crazy when it comes to stuff like this. “It’s just a shower curtain,” he says. But really, is it? I mean we have to look at it numerous times a day. That is our main bathroom. Shouldn’t it be something that brightens our mood a little every time we see it or is this an unrealistic expectation for a shower curtain?
I’ve found a few that I know I don’t want:
While cute, I really don’t want a panda looking at me when I pee. The same goes for penguins, polar bears and sea creatures.
Here’s where the contest comes in. I’m looking for a personal shopper to hunt the internet for a shower curtain that you think will be “the one”. I know this isn’t the standard easy “just leave a comment” giveaway, but I am desperate here. My kids are so sick of looking at shower curtains and I’m sick of them too.
If I end up choosing your pick, you will get a $10 Starbuck’s Gift Card. Contest open until Thursday, July 31st at 4pm EST.
Edited to add: If there are duplicate links I will pick the person who left the comment first.
You do not have to be a blogger to enter this contest but you do need to leave me a comment with a link if you want to enter.
Just to give you an idea of what you are working with, here is a picture of the current bathroom: (I’m totally over the purple and green and floral look):
I was originally trying to find something beachy and maybe in the blue/brown family, but at this point I’m open to anything. I’m willing to paint the wall above the wainscoting.
Please don’t send me anything with shells or dolphins or lighthouses. I’m looking for understated beachy, and not something that screams, “Look at me. I love the beach.”
Moving right along…so I have this problem. I get easily sidetracked when it comes to home problems. A perfect example is the bathroom. I was totally gung-ho about it until one day I wasn’t. Then I decided that it was time to buy new living room furniture.
I mean, do I really need to remind you of the sad state of affairs in this room? For those that missed that post, let me introduce you to the most pathetic chair in the history of chairs:
The furniture is 11 years old and as you can see trying to make it new again by putting a slipcover on it just ended up being more of a disaster.
I optimistically trudged (Is it actually possible to trudge optimistically?) off to the stores to look for some new living room furniture. It only had to meet a few qualifications. It had to be durable (for the monkeys children that would be climbing all over it), hide stains (again, because of the monkeys children) and brighten our day when we see it (I’m big on my household items brightening our day if you haven’t noticed).
Most importantly, it could not cost a small fortune.
Well, let me just tell you that there are no sofas in the whole state of Maryland the world the universe that fit this description. I should have known that if I was unable to decide on a $40 shower curtain that picking out furniture was going to be 5 billion times harder.
After a few weeks of shopping, I have pretty much given up all hope of finding anything and this project has now gone by the wayside.
Are you noticing a pattern?
The living room redo project has now been replaced with ”Backyard Landscape ’08″. I’ve spent hours looking at garden websites, books, etc. We have drawn up plans (and by plans I mean ridiculous, not to scale pictures of how we want it to look).
We have driven all over town looking at stones, mulch, plants, fountains, lights and whatever else you could possibly think of that could fit in our tiny yard.
Then we did the unthinkable. We had a truckload of pea gravel delivered to our house. It sits in our driveway taunting us to actually finish the project.
“Get your shovel. Move me. I’m here. You need to put me somewhere,” I hear the pea gravel whispering when I go out to get the mail.
This is my project for today. There will be wheelbarrows, shovels and lots of sweat involved.
Please cheer me on so that I can for once see something through to the end. Please tell me I’m not the only one who is a little ADD when it comes to home projects.
I’ll post some before and after shots when we finish. We will finish.
In the meantime, head over to 5 Minutes for Mom to check out what other bloggers are working on today.
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Tackle It Tuesday: Signs
Do you believe in signs? No, not these kind of signs (but isn’t this one funny?):
I’m talking about the signs that have to do with your fate or destiny. I totally believe in them and look for them in my daily life to help me make important decisions.
Here are just a few examples of some signs that I have encountered recently:
When you have to dry off with a Care Bear beach towel after your shower, that’s a sign that it really is time to start on that laundry you’ve been putting off doing. I mean I love Tenderheart Bear as much as the next person, but enough is enough already.
On a completely unrelated and totally odd note, has the Care Bears Corporation released a designer line that I’m unaware of? I noticed that the price tag was still on and it said $27.99–WTF?? Trust me when I say that is NOT what we paid for it.
When your son’s dresser drawers look like they have just exploded, that’s a sign that winter is actually over and has been for months so it really is time to put away the long pants, fleece pajamas and sweatshirts to make room for more seasonal attire.
Speaking of winter being over, when your cat looks like this, that’s a sign that the earth is about to burst into flames from the consecutive days of 100+ degree weather.
When your lazy Susan is so lazy that she won’t spin at all and things fall on your head whenever you try to get anything down, it’s a sign that you really need to clean out this cabinet.
Alright, since this is technically a Tackle it Tuesday post, here are the after pictures:
My laundry washed, dried, folded and about to be put away:
My newly organized cabinet:
My cool kitty basking in the air conditioning:
My son’s dresser all neat and tidy MINUS the winter clothes:
On another sidenote, it’s probably a sign that you can take the safety catch off your son’s drawer when they turn 8 YEARS OLD!!!
I actually really do believe in signs. When I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinet, look what fell on my head:
I think fate is trying to tell me that it is time to start back on Weight Watchers. This was the only diet that has ever really worked for me long-term.
Fate can really get on my nerves sometimes.
So, what about you? Do you believe in signs? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Tackle It Tuesday
Warning: This post is going to be pretty incoherent, as I’ve developed some sort of insomnia problem and am going on about 3 hours of sleep. I’m not able to wow you with spectacular before and after pictures, just ramblings about what I need to do today. So proceed with caution.
There are so many things that I need to tackle today. We went away this weekend and got home too late to even think about dealing with this mayhem:
But look at the adorable outfits that I bought for my daughter at the Carter’s Gymoboree outlets:
I spent waaayyy too much money, but I’ve got an economic stimulus check burning a hole in my checking account. Not only will she look cute, but I feel like I’ve done my part to fix the country’s money troubles. Did you notice the green polka dot bracelet that matches the apple outfit. She caught me at a weak moment (ie I NEED TO SLEEP) and I gave in to her pleas. That darn store and its darn matching accessories!
Then there is the issue of this:
I need to make it look a little less like the fridges you see on the show Cribs. You know the ones that just have a few alcoholic beverages in it because that is all a rock star really needs to sustain life. Since we are not rock stars, this needs to be tackled. Immediately.
While I’m at it, I need to figure out some kind of plan for this week’s dinners. I’m guessing I also need to go to the store because week old lemon cake and tortillas probably aren’t the best staples for menu planning.
I’m specifically including foods that taste good with spring onions (ideas for this are welcome) since my garden WON’T STOP GROWING THEM:
While we are on the subject of food, I’ve decided that I really need to tackle the problem of my back fat. I can no longer stand it AT ALL!! So a diet of some kind is in order. I’m thinking of just trying that plan from I Can Make You Thin show. The rules are:
- Eat only when you are hungry.
- Stop eating when you feel full.
- Pay close attention to every bite (ie don’t do anything else except eat–no tv, reading,etc..).
- Eat only foods that you really like.
Sounds simple enough to me (especially #4, I can easily do that). The only one I can see having problems with is #3 since I am always doing something else when I eat. I’m actually breaking the rule right now because as I type this I’m also trying to eat my breakfast. I feel like such a fraud. Anyway, I’ll try it for a week and let you know how it goes.
This, of course, only solves half of the problem. If I really want to get rid of this flab, then I know that I’m going to have to do some form of the dreaded “E” word. I can’t even bring myself to type the whole word, let alone do it, so you know that I’m fighting a losing battle.
My body is trying to tell me something and I have to stop ignoring it. Not only is my back getting fat, but it is also angry with me. I made the mistake of getting up from the couch and BOOM. Something clicked out of place and I was in excrutiating pain for a few days. I even missed out on a miniature golf outing with the family because bending over to pick up the ball would have been way too much to handle.
(I secretly didn’t mind that I missed out on mini-golf because I get bored with it after about 11 holes.)
I’m contemplating purchasing one of these from Amazon:
I like the Crunch workouts and do you see this girl’s abs!? Wow!
Surprisingly, I don’t mind Richard Simmons. He makes me laugh.
The word “Shred” scares me, but the workouts are only 20 min. Even I could handle that. Again, look at those abs!!
If you have any of these dvds and they don’t make you feel like killing yourself when you do them, or any other suggestions, then please leave me a comment and let me know.
Oh, and while you are commenting, would someone please talk me out of buying The Bean.
I know I don’t need this, but due to my new insomnia problem, I’ve been watching a lot of late night informercials. And now I just can’t stop thinking about The Bean and how if Kristi Yamaguchi uses it, then it must really work.
Clearly, I need a nap.
For more inspiring tackles, head on over to Five Minutes For Mom.
Tackle It Tuesday
Before I get to this week’s Tackle, I wanted to share something that I like to call The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Disorganization.
First, the good:
When cleaning out some drawers last week, I found a birthday card from my grandmother that I had put aside. It was from my daughter’s first birthday party. It had $50 in it!! Hooray!!
The Bad:
It was from my daughter’s first birthday party. This party happened 5 years ago. My daughter is now 6 and a half years old. 
The Ugly:
It was from my grandmother who has been dead for two years.
Ugh!
Moving right along…Today, I decided that I could no longer stand the “situation” that was going on under my sink. This was originally where I had kept my Tupperware and ziploc baggies/foil/plastic wrap/earth-hating goodies. No matter how many times I have tried to organize this it continues to turn into an unruly mess.
Everytime I’d have to pack lunches or store leftovers, I wanted to rip my hair out. Things would fall on me and I hate when things fall on me. That is enough to ruin my day. So you can imagine how many bad days I’ve had over this cabinet.
My friend came over this weekend and after looking at the “situation”, she suggested I move things around a bit. Sometimes it takes an outside eye to make you feel like a slob to see the solution right in front of you. Oh and she also asked me if I would ever need that many Tupperware containers. Of course, the answer was no.
Here’s what she suggested:
BEFORE:
I switched my cleaning supplies to under the sink (since my kids are no longer curious toddlers who are interested in drinking them). I also got rid of some of them because let’s face it, I don’t do a whole lot of cleaning anyway. Lastly, I took the towels out of their home and put them where the cleaning supplies once were. That freed up an area for the baggies/foil mayhem.
If you still care about this, here are the after pics:
AFTER:
And finally:
Things are no longer going to fall on me!! Hooray!!
To see more tackles, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom.
Tackle It Tuesday
Welcome to another installment of “My House Is Messier Than Yours”. This week I’m tackling the messiest closet in my house–the toy closet. I’m almost too embarrassed to actually post these pictures. My husband was horrified to see that I was actually posting these pictures. I reassured him that everyone who reads my blog is kind and wouldn’t judge, so you now have to live up to my promises.
Remember how last week I showed the baskets and how I can stuff them like the wind. Well, the same talent can be used for closets. Take a look at the Closet of Doom:
This is actually a walk-in closet, but with all this stuff it is more of a look-in or reach-in closet. Or in my case, a run-away-from-it-and-scream closet.
I took everything out of the closet that was on the floor. Then I sorted it into four piles (donate, trash, put away and sell at our yardsale). I came up with 4 bags of things to donate:
Here are two pictures of the completed project:
To see more tackles, head on over to 5 Minute for Moms.
Tackle It Tuesday
One of the very few talents that I have in life is being able to cram as many objects into a container as humanly possible. If there was a world record for stuffing I’d be sure to hold it. I have all these handy dandy baskets that are supposed to help “organize” me, but when you are a piler/stuffer they seem to do just the opposite.
Take this basket that I have on my microwave. This is what I like to call the “in box” . This is where I put papers that I don’t feel like dealing with at the moment. As you can see, I have serious avoidance issues.
Here is another basket that gets its fair share of stuffing. This one hangs on the door at the top of my basement steps to hold stuff that needs to be carried downstairs. As you can see, I also have a some issues with stairclimbing as well.
I have to give a shout out to the 3M company. They have invented one of the most excellent products products ever made called the Adhesive Command Hook. These things are awesome on so many different levels. They don’t do any damage to your wall, but my praise lies in how strong they are. The fact that it can withstand the sheer volume of stuff that I pile in that basket is evidence enough of its greatness. I think the door would fall down before that thing.
My last tackle was the basket of shame that holds my stationary.
To say that this isn’t working is an understatement. Last week I purchased a new container of sorts and went through the awful mess that was in the old basket. There were quite a few things that needed to be thrown away–I mean who needs three pencil sharpeners? We have an electric pencil sharpener now (Best. Purchase. Ever.), so why would we need even one of those dreadful twisty, manual ones anymore, let alone three. They annoy the heck out of me anyway with how they always seem to break the point right before you are done sharpening it.
Also, I had more pens, pencils and notecards than I knew what to do with. Considering I haven’t written a letter since email was invented I doubt that I’ll really have much use for all of this so I got rid of most of them.
Here are the after pictures. First, the new stationary center:
The basket at the top of the stairs and the in box are both empty.
They will remain empty until the barrage of papers that come home with my kids from school. I’m convinced that their goal in life is not educating my children, but deforestation of the entire world.
For more tackles, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom.
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