Christmas Closet Organization!

Several weeks ago when I was straightening up our master bedroom, I complained to the husband that I didn't have a good way to organize my shoes. For the last few years I've been keeping my shoes on the floor on my end of our walk in closet. This means that typically my shoes have been in a giant heap without order except for maybe a few weeks a year after I got a cleaning bug and straightened them into rows. The pile below is what the shoes looked like after I'd moved them out of my closet recently, but the shoe pile in my closet before I'd moved them was a pretty similar sight. Trying to find the right pair of shoes in the morning when I'm in a hurry to get ready hasn't been easy. I've developed the bad habit of not putting shoes away in the closet, leaving them on the bedroom floor made them easier to find in the morning. Well, the husband heard me and decided to fix my problem...he is a skilled cabinet maker and has a full cabinet shop - I'm not sure I ever got around to mentioning it, but we built a shop on our property this year where he was able to relocate all of his equipment and machinery. He made me the shoe shelf...I'm pretty pleased with it. I can't imagine what we would have paid to have someone make this custom shelf for us...and I love that it matches the other closet units he's made in the past.

Getting the new shoe organizer of course made me go through my shoes with a pretty critical eye - when I was done I had a nice little donate pile. As you can see below, if I want to keep my shoes off the floor - and I do - I don't really have the space for any more shoes. I guess I could go with the option of storing off-season shoes that I know I won't wear for several months...and maybe I will eventually. I also think I'll make a point of trying to get rid of a worn out pair of shoes when I bring home a new pair. I like having my shoes up off the ground because I can better see how worn they are. Maybe because the light to the floor of my closet is blocked by hanging clothes, I was kind of suprised at the kind of shape some of my shoes were in. I just hadn't noticed.

It can't be good for shoes to be kept in a big heap either, I'm sure some of the "wear" that I was noticing could have probably been prevented if my shoes had been stored properly.

To have a clear floor in my closet is wonderful, it makes using the closet and putting things away so much more pleasant...being as busy as I am, this really was the perfect gift. I appreciate anything that makes life feel more organized and manageable in the midst of my very busy schedule. The husband "gave" me this gift a few days before Christmas, he was very excited to get my reaction. Once the shelf was in, it inspired quite a bit of further cleaning and organizing. I appreciate anything that makes life feel more organized and manageable in the midst of my very busy schedule.

Speaking of busy schedules, I have loved having the last week off, I needed the chance to rest and catch up. We had a wonderful Christmas day...fun times playing new board games together, good food, lots of laughter. It's also wonderful that I still have a week left before returning to work. This time of rest will make pushing myself easier. I can't imagine life always being this busy, as a matter of fact, I have found myself saying just that in conversations with friends recently. Even though I love what I'm doing, I know I couldn't continue at this pace for forever. But for now, I am grateful to have a job that is both fulfilling and well paying.

I'm sure I'll be around here sometime in the next few days, I hope the rest of 2010 is as restful for you as the past week has been for me!

One Last Look...

I ended up using the garland I made for the kitchen window as a place to display the Christmas cards and photos we received. I enjoyed adding to it after each visit to our post office box. It turned out nice, in past years we've propped everything up on the windowsill, but I liked the garland better because everything was easier to see (the cards are low enough to sort of be blocked by our breakfast table when they are on the windowsill). It is going to come down in a day or so, so I am trying to enjoy it while it's still up...

The Day After

We had a cozy Christmas morning with the s-son before he went home, then a nice day to rest, and take it slow with an afternoon movie and dinner at a diner, perfect because I didn't feel like cooking because we'd had a big meal with my in-laws the day before. The husband and I also had a great day after Christmas today...we found our way to Target to pick up a couple of those lit spiral auxilary trees that are 50% off as soon as Christmas is over. I won't use them until next year, but I'm excited I was able to get them on sale. I've already made mental plans to use them to decorate outside around the front door. Target was kind of a crazy scene, I guess lots of people had the same idea to hit the Christmas clearance.

We also made our way up to Bellingham and visited my favorite quilt shop (I received a gift card from the husband!) They were having a fantastic sale, so I was able to pick up some fantastic material for cheap. I also bought my first rotary cutter ever, something I'm super excited about...now I just need to save up a bit for a cutting mat. We also went to a fantastic hardware store up there. I don't normally like hardware stores too much, but this one is fantastic...it is an old fashioned kind of store, full to the ceiling. I picked up something for a project I want to do next week, I'll hopefully get around to sharing that as I get going.

Can you believe the New Year is just around the corner?! I'm thinking about resolutions...are you?

Looking Back Over Advent.

Making an advent calendar for the husband was a good challenge for me. I had lots of fun planning each day and coming up with ideas. I decided to make it a few months ago, and it made me listen more carefully for the husband to mention things that he wanted/needed. Normally I find it challenging to shop for him, he's not really a small ticket kind of guy, he wants/needs big ticket items. But, I found that by having a plan to make the advent calendar, I was able to pick up on lots of small things to suprise him with that I wouldn't have thought of before. Not everything that I suprised him with was a purchased item. Some days were more about quality time spent together or me doing something for him. If you know about the "Five Love Languages", one of his is Acts of Service, so he really digs it when I go out of my way to do something for him. Ever since our first Christmas as a married couple, I have been trying to find our traditions. I want there to be things that are special to us as a family each holiday season. I think the advent calendar is going to be one of those things.

Day One

Love Letter

Day Two

Clue that lead to a box of See's Scotch Kisses

Day Three

Clue that lead to a bottle of Orangina, a favorite drink, chilling in the 'fridge

Day Four

Coupon for new lens for ski goggles, but since he'd already taken care of this himself, a couple of his favorite sticks of peppermint candy

Day Five

Clue that lead to a box of "movie size" Hot Tamales (another one of his favorite candies)

Day Six

Clue that lead to a new set of wet erase pens for our family calendar (he maintains these each month), and a new set of pens for everyday use.

Day Seven

Breakfast in bed

Day Eight

Clue that lead to a new bottle of his shampoo. (not all gifts can be pure fun, I am somewhat practical!)

Day Nine

Clue that lead to three candy canes, with the words I LOVE YOU attached.

Day Ten

A gift certificate for a pizza dinner.

Day Eleven

Lovey Dovey Wifey Coupon (yes I came up with that horribly cheesy name). Basically a romantic night, bubble bath together followed by a massage (he says I am a great masseuse)

Day Twelve

Coupon for a suprise afternoon picnic at the beach.

Day Thirteen

Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast.

Day Fourteen

Coupon for a box of Trader Joe's pecan pralines.

Day Fifteen

We will be in the Bay Area, so dinner with my brothers at a restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA where I used to live. It's called the Hickory Pit, and though it's not glamorous, they have phenomenal ribs and steak. We loved to eat there when I still lived in CA. I tried to keep the location we were having dinner a secret for as long as I could.

Day Sixteen

Again, another day in the Bay Area, so a meal at In-n-Out, the husband's favorite place in CA to get a burger. He's pretty obsessed with this fast food restaurant, when we were still dating long distance, I sometimes thought he'd plan an extra day to visit me just to be able to get an extra meal in at In-n-Out. I could go on, but I'll just leave it at that.

Day Seventeen

This is a coupon for some loving. Nuf said.

Day Eighteen

Wild card coupon, I thought it would be fun for him choose something (within reason of course) himself.

Day Nineteen

For a guy that wears them with jeans nearly every day, a new t-shirt, he's been in need of some new ones, his old ones are looking a bit worn out and stretched out aroung the necks.

Day Twenty

Coupon for Dinner and a Movie Date Night - he gets to pick the movie and the restaurant

Day Twenty-One

$35 to fix his BC (dive vest), it has a broken zipper on the pocket where his bouancy countering weights are supposed to go. I dare not fix it myself because if I made a mistake, there are safety issues. This called for a professional.

Day Twenty-Two

A gift card to our favorite burger place in Washington, Fiamma Burger.

Day Twenty-Three

Coupon for a purchase at Aaron Bros. to get some frames and mattes for the black and white photos that will be hung in our dining room. He has taken pictures from all over the world, our goal is to have a picture from every continent and of each of the 7 wonders on the wall...eventually. Currently we have 3 pictures, one of a boat in a harbor in Hong Kong, another of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid behind, and the third is of the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's a good start, but he also has pictures of the Eiffel Tower in France, Chichen Itza in Mexico and the Coliseum in Rome that he wants to hang.

Day Twenty-Four

The final day of Advent called for a special suprise...in a way for me and for him. I'm giving him some money to buy hotel points. He loves to plan trips, but lately has had to stop because of our tight budget. It has also been difficult for him to accumulate points for hotels because he hasn't built a house in a while - he can normally earn points pretty quickly from the large purchases that come from buying building supplies. So the goal with the points he is going to get will be for him to plan a vacation for us to somewhere warm so he can go diving. We still have a good amount of airline points built up, and we get a $50 companion ticket each year, so airfare should be pretty easy. He loves a good challenge when it comes to planning the nicest possible vacation on the least amount of points and cash, so he is going to have some fun with this gift.

A Day To Myself!

Today's plan: breakfast and a bit of laundry at home, an errand at the bank for the husband, pedicure, sushi for lunch, hair cut appointment, a bit of shopping, home in the afternoon to hang out with the pets, 90 minute Zumba workout this evening...I have been excited for today for the last week! The husband and s-son are heading to the mountains even as I type this for a day of skiing, so I am completely free to enjoy my girlie day! Rested and relaxed is a great way to head into Christmas!

On December 22nd

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

A Bit of Reflection

It's Monday again, but it is the Monday before Christmas, which makes it a better Monday than usual! We had a fantastic dinner with our neighbors last night...it was somewhat of a progressive dinner, we started off with drinks, appetizers and gifts at our house...they brought over some fantastic cheese and crackers, and I tried a recipe for amazing potato skins that I found over at epicurious. They were quite the hit and I will definately make them again, hopefully soon! We next moved the party to their house for dinner, venison marinated in balsamic vinegar and an amazing mixed green salad with gorgonzola. For dessert I'd made creme brulee the day before, but the fun part was everyone getting the chance to use the torch to melt the sugar on top of the custard the way they wanted to. We all had so much fun using the torch that I will definitely have guest torch their own creme brulee in the future, who doesn't like to play with fire?! The creme brulee turned out great, better even than the first time I made it. The s-son had a friend over to spend the night, the husband had picked up on of those take 'n' bake pizzas and a couple of movies for the two kids, because I'd trippled the recipe for the creme brulee, we also set them up with that for dessert. While we were hanging out with our neighbors in the front room, the boys were in the kitchen having their dinner, I went in there for a minute and saw them with pizza in hand happily munching away, and empty creme brulee ramikins sitting by their plates. They admitted with grins on their faces that they'd had their dessert first. Can't say I blame them, it was the first time the s-son's friend had ever had creme brulee.

So it was a great weekend, full of friends and celebrations. There was also a couple of positive moves in the realm of the husband's business. We've gone so long with nothing but forced patience and an ever tightening budget, that even though it was positive news, I still experienced a bit of sleeplessness and anxiety. I guess in a way I've gained a sense of pride that we have been able to trim our expenses and live on less, I've felt a regaining of the same drive and determination that got me through my college years when I truly had almost nothing. In the last day or so the husband and I have had quite a few conversations about our current and former life styles and we are on the same page about keeping things simple as they are now, even though we aren't going to be under the same kind of forced pressure. I have learned a ton of discipline with my spending. There is a lot more scrutiny about needs vs. wants, and honestly, it feels right to put anticipation, saving, planning and patience in their rightful place with spending and financial decisions. With the affect of a recessed economy, I've also been able to see at a deeper level the material that my husband is made of...he's struggled with the increased stress and burden, but he has also shown me his strength and determination. I trust him more because of the past year. I think we have learned (and are continuing to learn) lessons that will affect us for a lifetime. Living simply and learning to do more things for myself is satisfying, I have a higher regard for my own skills as a homemaker. Professionally as well, I have a deeper sense of my own worth. I lost a job that was providing a comfortable income, but at the same time it was robbing me of the things that I love about teaching and the things that make me a great teacher. In the last few months I have come closer to finding a balance between my professional life and my personal life. I did not and never would have chosen to lose my job, it was painful, hurtful, and stressful. I can see now though, that it has all lead to me becoming a better and happier person.

So the rest of this week will hold the wrapping of some gifts, a still sort of suprise shopping trip and a stop at a dive store to have a zipper the husband's dive vest or BCD repaired - both are parts of the series of advent gifts I've been giving him this month - the gifts have been progressively getting better the closer we've gotton to Christmas. There will also be a few rounds of Zumba, a good way to offset the feasting that will happen, we are going to have the husband's parents join us for dinner on Christmas Eve before we go to a candle light service at our church. I also have a couple of much anticipated beauty appointments, one to get my hair cut, another to have a professional pedicure - something I haven't had done in over a year! I have also planned to make and can my annual batch of cranberry chutney to give to friends and family, in addition, I plan to try making lemon curd from scratch for the first time...I'll report back on how it turns out. There will also been some work in there, I don't anticipating having too much since most of my students will be taking a break for the holiday, but I do have a couple of special projects that I will be able to tackle with the extra time. I also want to spend sometime tidying up and organizing my office/sewing room. It has been severely neglected in that area for the last couple of months. I'd like to start the New Year with a work space that is neat, I work so much more efficiently and effectively in a clean environment! I may even post some before and afters so you can see in my mess how human I am!

Lastly, I'd like to say Happy Winter Solstice to you...the song that has been going through my head today is the Beatles "Here comes the sun". After today our daylight grows day by day...I love winter, it is cozy, but I'm always happy to see spring come along!

*****************************

"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it."

~Goethe

Back from the Bay

bridge2
Originally uploaded by deetlesbird

We returned from our short but sweet trip to the Bay Area today...it had been a while since the husband and I had spent any time in my old stomping grounds. He actually considers the area where I used to live to be his old stomping grounds too because he spent so much time visiting me there when we were dating and engaged. As we drove through old neighborhoods and past old haunts, the husband was waaay more nostalgic than I would have guessed. It was kind of cute that he felt that way about being in some of the places where we fell in love. We also had the chance to spend time with some of my family as well as one of my dearest friends from high school and her husband and little girl. It was a good time! I have some catching up to do with work and also with a few more Christmas gift preparations...time is getting short, so I've got to get cracking. I'll share as I make progress!

Ornament Exchange Goodies

I mentioned last month that I was participating in an ornament exchange hosted by Sarah of Small Fox. Well, yesterday was the day that some very lovely ornaments arrived in the mail for me. The husband and I are going to be down in California for a couple of days, visiting some family and friends, so I thought I'd share pictures of the lovely ornaments I received for you to enjoy while I'm gone. I've decided that participating in the exchange was a blast, I'll definitely do it again. It was fun to make ornaments and to have the anticipation of receiving ornaments handmade by other ladies all over the country. The best part was that I made my owl ornaments out of materials I already had, so my only cost was postage and time, not bad!

Cozy

This is such a cozy time of year.

Cold But Cozy

It was very cold when I went out to the Jeepster yesterday morning to drive to Zumba. It's a good thing the sun has been shining brightly through the windows of our house. Temperatures have been in the teens at night and the twenties during the day...brrrrr!

Another Garland!

I wiped out the rest of the branches I collected from our woods by making yet another garland, this one for the window in my kitchen nook. On it I decided to hang some extra glass bulb ornaments and I might also display Christmas cards on it. It's been a restful but productive weekend so far...I cooked up a big ham dinner with all of the sides last night...yummo!

I Made Garland!

I saw some lovely live garland being sold at Costco recently. It was made out of Western Red Cedar and was 15' long (if I remember correctly). It was also around $16... So this past Thursday, I decided to try to make one myself...

The husband was recruited to help with the first part of the project, collecting the branches. We went out into the woods on our property and found a part of a cedar tree that had been damaged and was growing at an odd angle.

The growth of this part of the tree was inhibiting other healthier trees nearby, so it was the perfect candidate to receive a good pruning.

Gratuitous pet shot of Bambino, he likes going out in the woods with us, he runs around and plays the whole time. I was able to catch him in a split second of stillness.

Back to the house we went, branches in hand...I was carrying a good amount as well.

That was a very cold but very pretty morning...

Later on in the afternoon, I began the task of assembling the garland. I already had the florist wire and wire cutters on hand, left over from a project that I had done many moons ago.

The garland came together much, much quicker than I predicted. The key was to cut a bunch of wire pieces and a bunch of cedar boughs ahead of time. I did get a little bit of a rash on my hands from the tree's oils and it was pretty chilly outside, even in the sunshine, but it was worth it. (The rash went away after a couple of hours and a couple of hand washings.)

I love the finished product, I can't believe how easy it was and how great it turned out. The husband put a couple of small hooks in the top of the door fram for me to hand the garland from. Once it was hung I did go back and add to the garland in a few places to fill it out and give it a richer look. I ended up making a second garland right after this one for our neighbors. We owe them a debt of gratitude because Berkeley (our rooster) has been recooperating with them (long story that I'll try to remember to share another time). I've gone back and forth with the idea of adding ribbon to my garland or hanging some of our extra glass bulb ornaments on the it. I may still do so, but then I may just leave it as it is...I do kind of like the "natural" look. This is the first time I've every done anything more in the way of outdoor Christmas decorating besides hanging a wreath on the door...it was fun. Of course it is very satisfying to know that I did it all essentially for free, my only costs were some wire that I already had and time in. I'm planning to make one or two more of these garlands for inside the house...if I actually follow through on that plan, there will be pictures shared. I'm finding this whole "handmade holiday" thing to be more fun than I would have predicted.

I hope your holiday decorating and celebrating is as satisfying as mine! Cheers!

Decking the Entryway

This year is the first year that I really gave decorating our entryway and staircase a good try. I like how it turned out, simple but nice. It is very cozy at night with the lights on the tree and the garland turned on. I feel like this is the first year that I have really taken true domestic initiative for the holidays, it feels instinctively right!

Figaro Naps Under the Tree - Another Holiday Tradition

I realize that there are fairly frequent posts about where and how Figaro likes to nap, but because I have been talking a bit about holiday traditions this week, I had to include this one as well. Every since his first Christmas (this year will be his 3rd), Figaro has taken to sleeping under the tree. This picture is from the night the tree was just put up, it hadn't even been decorated yet, and he was already cuddled up for a winter's nap. We decided to use our artificial tree again this year rather than getting a cut tree. Ever since moving here, I have felt a bit daunted by the size of the house and what it would take (and cost) to fully decorate it for Christmas. So, every year I try to thoughtfully add just a little bit to our decorations. This year instead of buying a cut tree, I decided to get a second artificial tree for the entry way and some lit garland for the staircase. Next year I will probably shift everything around and begin to decorate a ledge that is above our front door in the entry way, it would look great with a lit tree. I would also like to get a couple of those spiral topiaries that are pre-lit for either side of our front door, but all in good time. I'm learning that there is something to acquiring things slowly and patiently. We live in a culture of instant make-overs and 30 minute decorating shows, there is a push to have it all and have it now. I'm not the type to completely give up being a consumer, acquiring things can be fun, I am just trying to train myself moderation. Besides, I've found that anticipation makes acquisition much more satisfying and enjoyable. There's my thoughts on that!

Our Annual Ornament

As promised, I wanted to share what some of our holiday traditions are. This year and for the 4 years prior, around Christmastime, the husband and I have always gone to Leavenworth, WA, a Bavarian themed village I have talked about before. There is a store there called Kris Kringle, that we always visit to pick out an ornament. It is two stories full of all things related to Christmas. They have every category of ornament you can think of...there is even a room full of the Christmas village houses that light up all displayed creatively (this is the s-son's favorite part). The store is either heaven or overwhelming as hell, depending upon who you are. I happen to like dropping in there once a year, to me it is a part of what it means to celebrate the holidays in Washington with the husband.

Enjoying Slow Cold Mornings - A New Tradition!

It is getting quite cold at night lately. This morning was the kind of morning where if I still had to commute to work (or if my commute involved driving a car rather than walking down my hall), I would have requested that the husband drive me to work because of the icy roads. I grew up in California, you see, so I have yet to become really comfortable with slippery conditions. Because I didn't have to go anywhere, the frost on the ground was kind of nice, even cozy. It wouldn't have even bothered me if it had been an inch or two of snow. The sun came up bright in a clear blue sky and the air was so cold and crisp it was almost piercing. As a teacher, I'm used to being home in the summertime, but having the chance to slow down a bit and enjoy a winter morning still feels like a treat. Of course there is still work for me to do, I can't sit and blog all day, but I do have a few pictures to share, it was such a pretty morning that I was inspired!

Advent Calendar

I have mentioned that I had a suprise for the husband this Christmas, this advent calendar is it. The idea was inspired by a few sources, one of them was Maya of maya*made, I saw an advent calendar that used toilet paper rolls on her blog last year and I liked the idea of repurposing something that normally is thrown away. I have been saving the rolls for the last couple of months, sometimes forgetting to stash them. I only had 12 rolls saved when I started the project, so I supplemented by making paper "envelopes" of different shapes, trees, snowflakes, gift boxes, even a snowman, all from paper that was headed to the recycling bin. The insides of each day's container holds either a present or a clue to find the present. Some of the items cost money, others are more of the "thoughtful" type of gift. Some are practical items, others are a special treat or something that the husband has mentioned in passing over the past few months. It took quite a bit of work to plan and assemble the calendar, but I enjoyed it completely. It has actually been hanging in the arched entry to our rec room since the evening before Thanksgiving because I was so excited to have it ready to go. I can already see myself making an annual tradition out of this, though I might try to get an earlier start in the future. The husband has been reading the blog a bit lately, so I can't get into too much more detail about the calendar, but perhaps I'll get to share a bit as the 24 days before Christmas pass.