YOCP January List

So a few weeks ago I mentioned that I'm participating in the Year of the Clean Person. Well, the year has begun, and here we go! I'll be documenting progress here, with the hashtag #YoCP. Follow along, and let me know if you're doing it too.

January: Make Your List! 
I've been thinking about this since I read it, and I've started keeping a list on my phone. It looks like this.

Yes, I'm using the "notes"
app that comes on the iPhone

The trouble with using the iPhone notetaking thing is that it's not very easy to organize. And it's not easy to share. And it's not easy or satisfying to check things off when you're done. Ok, that's three troubles. But it's easy to use when I think of things as I fall asleep, which is usually when I think of things. I could use some sort of project management tool, sure, but I think I'd rather just make my list and keep track here. More fun for you! I also have a cork board that I use for house projects that I'll update so Will and I can keep track together. Another post on that (before the end of the month!) when it's done.

But first, I'm dividing my list into Evening Projects and Weekend Projects, to better keep track of what can be accomplished when.

Next, I'm assigning projects to months, sticking to Jolie's YoCP Calendar wherever possible.

February: Reclaim Your Bookshelf and Bins by Couch
Yes, please. Definitely on the February agenda! I assume this is a one-weekend project, so I'm going to add organizing/purging the bins by the couch as well, since that's something I can do in the evenings.

March: Let's All Make Our Beds Misc. Bedroom Cleaning
Thanks to #LAMOB last year, I'm pretty good at making my bed every day. Or at least, my half of the bed (Will is usually still asleep when I leave). So instead of LAMOB, I'm subbing in Misc. Bedroom Cleaning. This includes cleaning/organizing the tops of our dressers, fixing the lamp by the side of my bed, and hanging the full-length mirror (which I'd really like to do before March, but hey we'll see).

April: Create Your Dream Bathroom and Clean the BBQ
This will include fixing the tiles on the floor (something I volunteered to do; our landlord reimbursed us for the supplies, and I've still never done it) and cleaning/purging/organizing the medicine cabinet and linen closet/drawers. Maybe even getting new bathmats or something as a reward. I'm also going to add Clean the BBQ to the April list, because it needs to get done in time for Spring and Sumer BBQs (if it hasn't happened already by April, that is).

May: Winter Clothes Purge and The Big Closet
My version of the Winter Clothes Purge is mainly going to include purging old ski gear and coats, which are all in The Big Closet anyway. I'm saving The Big Closet for May, because it's usually a slower month for us as far as social activity goes, in between ski season and camping season. Plus, Spring Cleaning and all that. Depending on how April goes, I might try to get a head start on this one. And since June is just Car Wash month, I'm giving myself the leeway to spill over into June if necessary. The Big Closet is a bit intimidating.

June: Car Wash
Yeah, I could probably stand to give my car a sweet car wash, re-clean the headlights, check on the emergency supplies, clean out the glove box, clean out the door storage things, etc. 

July: Shoe Purge and Frame/hang artwork
Time to purge the shoes, mine and Will's, but mostly mine. I'd really like to get to this before July, but hey, if it happens it happens. If not, July it is. I'm also adding framing/hanging artwork to the list, because we have a lot of artwork we need to hang up. First it needs to be framed. Would be cool to get to this before August, but it's not likely to happen, so I'm scheduling it in. And I don't have 

August: Clean Out Your Desk and Guest Room Boxes
The small desk space we have could use a clean (namely the secretary desk that stores stationary), and I'm going to use this month to also deal with the boxes of wires, papers, and other miscellany that are hanging out in the guest room.

September: Summer Clothes Purge and Entryway/hooks
Yup. Purge those summer clothes, yo. I'm also going to add hang hooks and organize the entryway in time for winter coats to come back into regular use.

October: Kitchen Organization
I'm tentatively leaving this one on here, and including the hutch/dining room area, though right now I don't have a real plan. Hopefully getting rid of things, reorganizing the party supplies, maybe paring down some little-used items.

November: Clean Out Your Fridge & Pantry
This will probably be a good idea by November. Probably a good idea already, but hey, I'll wait until the pre-holiday season.

December: The Holidays Are Busy Enough, Take a Break And Admire The Work You Did This Year!
You got it, Jolie!


Oof. I think that's everything. Here we go. Anyone with me?

The Purge

No, not the probably-terrifying movie that's in theatres right now. I'm talking about one of July's #YoCP projects: The Shoe Purge. Our shoe situation was pretty out of hand -- my shoes were taking over Will's part of the closet, which meant his spilled out onto the floor. Plus, mine were such a mess that I could never get them to fit on the racks, so I just...didn't. Feast your eyes on this little before and after:

Major thanks to Sonja for being my partner in purge, helping me get rid of 4 grocery bags of shoes (and random clothes) and not judging me for the amount of dust that was under the pile. It feels good to actually be able to see every pair of shoes, and know that I'm not holding on to extraneous crap.

How are your July YoCP projects going? Did you launder/clean your shoes? (I didn't, but they didn't really need it) Do you have any other projects going on? My next project is framing and hanging the art we have collected in piles and rolls in the guest room. And I still have to take care of the last June project: polishing the headlights on the car (I did actually do all the other car-cleaning projects. The glovebox has never looked better).

Congratulations on making it through half the year!

YoCP > YoTP

Well, friends the YoCP is over (well, technically it was over when Jolie ended it early mid-way through the year, but I had kept going on it...mostly). Looking back over the year, I'm impressed with how many things I got done.

There was the shoe purge, and the wrapping paper impressiveness, and of course, the big closet. My car was cleaned (and ahem, could probably use a touch up) and the BBQ was scoured. I even threw in a bonus porch project just for kicks.

But I didn't finish everything. There are still two cards left unturned, plus a few of those silly celebration cards. I mean, yes, I had a drink and admired my work in December, but there's something that doesn't quite feel right about turning over those last few "you did it" cards until I've actually done it, ya know?

I've started assessing and paring down the kitchen and dining things (erm, last week, when I also purged the pantry). We did some of the guest room boxes. But there's still work to do. And thus, I begin thinking about what this year will hold, homemaker-wise.

There's no YoCP: Redux happening, but I still like the idea of putting my projects up on the board. It really helped me to visualize all the things I want to do and only worry about them when it was the assigned time. I like structure, and I like schedules. It's my blessing/curse.


I've been feeling overwhelmed lately - something that tends to happen towards the end of the year, with the holidays and wrapping up the year at work, somehow there never seems to be enough time. This is normal, I know. But I'm also prone to overcommitment and a need to fill every moment...and we just have a lot of stuff. No more. Time for change, New Year!

2015 is the Year of The Purge. It's time to make more room in my life. Less stuff, less commitments, less crazy. More space, more time, more sane.

I'll be making a fresh board for the year, perhaps even this weekend, but all of my projects are going to focus on getting rid of things, making more space. Not to fill with new things, but just to breathe a little easier, to see clearer. To practice letting things go. The practice of letting go of physical objects will (hopefully) seep into my psyche, making it easier to say no to plans in favor of a quiet night at home, or to feel less guilty saying no to pet projects. A girl can hope.

Did you tackle any big projects last year? What's on your list for this year? Have any resolutions/goals/intentions/plans?

Project: Clothing Purge

Last weekend (as in a week ago), Reed came over to help me with a little clothing purge. My closet and dressers were stuffed, but I was still wearing the same things pretty much every week. She has great style, and is super creative (and honest), so I figured she'd be a good person to help me figure out how to wear what I have, as well as what I just don't need.

A few hours and several mimosas later, I had a pretty large stack of clothes ready for Goodwill (and Reed got to take home some clothes/shoes as well - win!) as well as a slew of ideas of how to pair some of my clothes in ways I hadn't thought of...and...yes...a reminder about some clothes I forgot I had. Funny how that works.

Newly re-organized tshirt/long-sleeved shirt drawer

Pile of giveaway clothes 

All piled up, nice and neat

Looks sort of more impressive this way.

I included this one for perspective,
and also because I feel like I look sassy.

I meant to post this last week, and then I didn't, and it's probably better that I didn't, because I just did the pants drawer (which we didn't get to last weekend) tonight. But either way, my drawers and closets close a little easier, and I'm looking at what I have in a new way. So that's exciting. Getting things done, hooray!

Living Room Makeover

This past fall, I did a little redecorating. I always seem to get a little bit homebody-ish when the weather cools down, even though the "doesn't really count as cold" 70-degree October we had wasn't exactly cozy nesting weather.

Ahem. The towering stack of board games in the corner of our living room was stressing me out.

Left photo: towering stack of games. 

Kind of impossible to get one without knocking them all down.

Right photo: much better.

Now I feel like I need something to fill that space, like a 3rd picture or something.

Once I'd moved everything out of the corner, though, it needed a place to live. I purchased two of my favorite IKEA storage shelves, and loaded them up in the corner, perpendicular to each other. The little brown wooden table sits in the corner space between them, holding our wooden Settlers of Catan board and puzzle mat (we are very cool), and probably a fair amount of dust as well. One of these days, I may find a lamp that fits nicely in that corner, but alas, not yet. 

Left photo: before, with rocking chair kind of blocking the whole

corner, and video game controllers  

Right photo: games are neatly organized by type, and a basket

(also from IKEA) corrals the controllers. Swapping our two chairs

also meant more room in the corner.

This new layout also meant that there was finally a spot for the "bubble hockey" game to live, and now we also store the Fisher Price hockey game (this one) on top of that. Both childhood hockey games in one place, where they're easy to take down and use, but otherwise out of the way. 

These photos were taken in October, and things have changed up a bit since then. The stack of games next to the plant is gone, replaced by a hammered "gold" bowl (Nate Berkus, Target) and a small wooden elephant (souvenir from our trip to Thailand - did I mention we went to Thailand?), which makes the space look purposeful and planned. And we have a rug. A RUG!

I'll have to do a Part 2 of this post to showcase the elephant and the rug. They're that awesome.

I'm feeling sort of inspired to purge and organize lately...it feels like springtime in the Bay Area, and that makes me want to Spring Clean All The Things. Last night I bagged up an entire grocery bag full of shoes that I never wear. Some I've held onto for sentimental reasons, and some I just don't know why I even have, but it felt good. I foresee a great many more posts of this nature in the next few months...

Mommyblogging?

Well, friends, the time has come. I'm officially knocked up (we're 13 weeks in at this point!) and ready to join the ranks of my friends The Mommybloggers. No, this blog won't turn into 100% parenting and pregnancy, but if you'll recall my past hobbies/interests, the blog does tend to shift topics along with what's going on in my life (knitting, weddings, moving, etc). So. Fair warning. You are likely to see some babby content around these parts.

I'm not looking particularly pregnant at the moment, more just burrito-bloated, but I'm looking forward to growing and showing and glowing and crowing and whatever else pregnant ladies do. We're officially concluding our pregnancy announcement communications rollout (TELL EVERYONE!), and I'm lamenting the lack of cold medicine in my life (head congestion without meds is no joke). Starting to make lists of lists and Pinterest boards and floorplans and feeling the urge to purge, but that's par for the course.

And yes, I'm still planning to go to BlogHer '16. 35 weeks pregnant. It'll be awesome!

And because it's my favorite pregnancy announcement ever:

How did you announce your pregnancy? Have you ever attended a conference while preggers? How pregnant were you? TELL ME EVERYTHING!

YoCP April: bathroom and BBQ

It's the end of May, so what better time to write my April #YoCP post? I don't have any photos, so this will be a quickie.

April was "bathroom and BBQ" month - technically, it was "Create Your Dream Bathroom" month, but I knew we'd have to get the BBQ ready for summer so I threw it in the mix as well. So what was on the agenda to create my dream bathroom?

• fix loose tiles on the bathroom floor (a task I'd set out to do nearly two years ago)
• clean/purge the linen closet (time for that annual "what's expired? how many of these towels do we really need?" cleaning and re-organizing)

I fixed those loose tiles - turns out it's way easy! All it took was a little 2-in-1 grout/adhesive, and about 48 hours (about 10 minutes of hands-on) and the loose tiles that have been bugging me for years were fixed. The color's a little off in that section of the floor, since it's brand new, but after just a few weeks it's dirtying up to match the rest of the floor nicely :)  And sure, I could scrub and bleach the rest of the floor, but honestly the tile in the bathroom is so old I don't think I would make a dent on the 50+ year old grout, and well, we don't own it. So. Eh.

I haven't done the linen closet yet, but my mom's coming to visit in a few weeks, and she was bummed to have missed the big closet (where do you think I get my organization obsession?) so we'll knock that one out when she's here. And now of course I've noticed that the grout in the shower could use a good scrubbing, so that's gotta get done too, despite not being on the original list (oh god, no! self-imposed restrictions!). My dream bathroom certainly doesn't come with moldy grout.

The BBQ ended up taking several hours to clean - the morning of my birthday, we opened it up for the first time since last summer, and it was...well...a bit moldy. We took the whole thing apart and washed all the pieces, which was a much more involved process than I'd anticipated. This year, I think we'll be better about cleaning as we go. Somehow, we damaged the ignition button (it still lights with a match), but we grilled up a storm for my birthday.

So. That was April. Onward to May! Ahem.

A Jon Carroll Roundup

I had about 20 unread Jon Carroll items in my Google Reader this morning, so I decided to plow through and read them. That sounds like I thought it would be unpleasant; quite the opposite, actually - I was looking forward to it. Much in the way I enjoyed giving my apartment a pretty decent cleanup yesterday evening (giant stack of magazines and catalogues? Recycled! Floor? Swiffered! Duffel bag from camping trip? Unpacked!), it felt good to give my reader a little purge. There is still much to do (though I did just mark 249 unread Apartment Therapy items as read...without reading them. the horror!) in order to get caught up, but in the same way I am slowly but surely clearing off my dining room table and my keyboard-cum-extra-shelf, my unread Reader items will someday be down to zero. Maybe.

Anyway, there were some Carroll columns that I thought were just too good not to share. So here they are.

• Soft Action Shirts: This one had me literally laughing out loud.
• Clintonmania Abates: About how Obama is making the politically necessary baby steps towards the center, and how it sucks...but so do politics.
• Operator, Can You Help Me?: It's funny 'cause it's true. Or maybe it's terrifying 'cause it's true.
  
• That Noise? Birdies.: Jon Carroll goes to the opera. It really made me want to go to the opera.
• Trauma Techniques: My high school started the really toned-down version of this, where everyone knows it's going on, and volunteers from the theatre department act in it on the day of. I don't think either way is really effective...but I guess we won't know until it's been going on for 10 years or so and someone has done studies about it. Reading the material at www.every15minutes.com, and thinking about it, I can see how parents/teachers/people who are not disaffected high school students might think it is effective - and it's certainly better than doing nothing at all. However, I know that if this had happened at my school while I was there, we would have thought about it a bit on the day of and then looked at the tragic memory pages for the students who died (usually from drunk driving accidents) that year in the back of the yearbook. I don't propose a solution, but I don't think that this is it either.
  
• This one didn't have a title, but it was just so lovely. When I was young, I was really into cemeteries. Now they kind of freak me out, and I'm not sure I'd want to picnic in one, but this sounds very pleasant and gave me that sort of "everything is connected" feeling I get when I'm standing on some sort of hallowed ground...old buildings, historic monuments, they make me feel connected.
• Remo Man: Read the paragraphs that describe the fantasy remodeling situation. I've never remodeled a home (not having a home to remodel), but my parents did some backyard work a few years ago, so I have an idea of what he's talking about. And I'm pretty sure it's the same everywhere.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Cure Update

It's already check-in time for Assignment #3, Assignment #4 is coming tomorrow, and I'll be honest...I'm not even done with Assignment #2.  I did do one utensil/tool drawer, but there's still one to go.  There doesn't seem to be an assignment listed that involves cleaning out my tupperware and pots and pans and such, so I'm gonna lump that in with Assignment #2 and say I just haven't gotten that far yet.

I did take pictures of utensil/tool drawer that I cleaned though...does that count for something?  I'll post them eventually, I swear. The kitchen is currently a big ole mess...the stove needs scrubbing, the counters need cleaning, there are cupboards to purge and floors to mop. We have far more than we need in there; we both agree that we should start minimizing and living a little more simply (aka not having three pizza cutters - who needs three pizza cutters?!?).

This Kitchen Cure is certainly going to take more than the allotted 4 weeks, especially since I'm going out of town next weekend for an early Passover.  But I will carry on.  I will!  Maybe. Totally.  Can I take a day off work to clean?  Strike that: there's still loud construction going on by the apartment, and I would have a major headache listening to it all day (hello, 7am jackhammers! Supposedly construction starts at 8, but I swear they were there earlier than that).

With the lighter evenings though, perhaps I can trudge onward towards a cleaner kitchen...and one with less unnecessary stuff in it.  Tonight: he will wash more dishes while I clean the stove and counters.  Probably.

Kitchen Cure: Assignment 1

Ok, so you may remember that I am tackling the Apartment Therapy 2010 Spring Kitchen Cure.  Assignments are given on Fridays, so basically, participants have one week to complete each one.  I am thinking I will be more along the lines of the "if you don't finish it one week, just do it at your own pace and keep going" route, as things have just been crazybusy and we'll be out of town for a few days (blah blah excuses excuses), but I will keep track of the assignments.  And I will complete this cure - even if it takes me more than the allotted 4 weeks!

Week 1 Assignments:
1. Take "Before" Photos. - Done.  You can see my photos here.  Messy, disorganized glory.  And some nice things too, but mostly I see a lot that I want to clean up!  Note: I found Flickr (which AT is using to group photos for the Cure) much more difficult to navigate and use than Picasaweb (which I normally use).  Uploading, deleting and grouping photos wasn't really intuitive for me and it took longer than it should have.  Hopefully next time I need to upload pics to the Kitchen Cure group, it won't be such a pain.
2. De-clutter and purge old food.  - I did throw a few things away today, but I have not done all that really needs to be done.  I know there is more in the fridge/freezer that needs to be purged.

3. Wipe down the cupboards, fridge and remaining containers.  - Definitely haven't done this yet.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my little updates - and let me know if you are participating in the Cure as well! It's not too late to sign up if you want to :-)   I'm guessing that at the very least, y'all will enjoy seeing other people's kitchens as much as I do!

From Guest Room to Nursery in Just 4 Easy Steps

I’ll start out by saying that we definitely don’t live in a Tiny House, or even what most would consider a “small space”. Our current apartment is roughly 1,200 square feet -- twice the size of my first apartment post-college! And yet, after living here for nearly five years, we find ourselves somehow running out of room. Maybe it's because we're secret hoarders. Since we're going through this process of getting rid of things and repurposing our house, I thought I'd share a little bit about our process.

While we are extremely lucky to have a second bedroom, we had been using as a sort of guest room/office/storage facility since we moved in. And, you know, we’re in need of a nursery. So all that stuff is coming out. I’m definitely in nesting mode, and we’ve been working hard to get the house ready for this kid to move in (hopefully not before her due date - stay in there, little girl!).

Guest room in action - a fold out loveseat

is clutch for a small space!

Not so great for a baby though...

How have we tackled this project so far? Just a few easy steps!

Step 1: Realize how much stuff you have. Panic.

For us, this was compounded by the fact that our landlord has reduced the amount of basement storage we’re able to use (totally within their rights, just not great timing for us - ah, renting!). We’d been storing off-season decorations, childhood memorabilia, oversized camping gear, and other basement-y paraphernalia down there, to alleviate some of our storage needs in the house. Once we moved the basement stuff up into the house, things started getting really tight.

Our very own storage unit, inside our house!

But where will baby go?

Step 2: Disagree with your spouse about the quantity of stuff you have.

In hindsight, this was an important step for us, because it meant we’ve actually had to stock of what we have, rather than just dumping it all in a storage unit without really knowing what we’re storing. It also means we’re thinking a little bit more about what we’re doing so we don’t get the wrong size unit. Even if you don’t disagree on your plan of action, taking the time to make a plan means your path to storage will be more efficient.

Step 3: Sort (and Purge) Your Stuff.

Because we disagree on the amount of stuff we want to store long-term, we’ve been doing some serious sorting (and purging - hooray!). If you have some space in your house, you can temporarily create a pile in a corner, or better yet, in the middle of a room where you’ll see it all the time and be forced to deal with it. For us, right now, all available space is either Baby Stuff or Stuff To Be Sorted. Sorted Stuff is either purged, moved temporarily off-site (thanks, friends letting us use a corner of their garage!), or in a pile in the only available floor space we have left. Oops.  When you’re thinking about putting things in storage, take the time to sort before you store!

The bulk of the stuff that we removed from the nursery.

It’s a lot of stuff. We feel like hoarders. It’s embarrassing.

And this isn’t even all of it.

Step 4: Take Stock

Once we were (mostly) done sorting and purging, we took stock of what we have and decided what size storage unit we actually need - my plan was to avoid moving into a storage unit that’s too big or too small and having to move it all around twice. We’re about ⅔ of the way done here (rough and unscientific estimation), and we've begun moving things into storage. Separate post on this coming soon...

Have you undertaken any home changes that required you to change the way you think about storage...and stuff?

How Berkeley? So Very.

This weekend, I finally had one of those stereotypical Berkeley experiences. I can't believe it took me 8 years of living in this city to get around to it. Yes, folks, I walked to Berkeley Bowl and did my grocery shopping with a backpacking pack. For years, I've shopped there and had a hearty "oh, Berkeley" chuckle to myself watching people stroll up with their oversized packs, happily loading them up at the checkout, in their own endorphin-induced contentment. I never thought I would be one of them, but we've entered a new season of life, guys.

Anyway, my friend Sonja is one of those friends who brings out the best in you. When we're together, we always seem to have great ideas and end up eating well and getting housework done; she's a good influence on me. Basically, we're perfect sister wives. And our menfolk love each other, so all is well in the world when we're living in the same city. Which we currently are. So, Sonja's in town, which means that we get to get together randomly, like on Sunday, when I texted her asking if she wanted to help me purge my shoes (part of July's YoCP). Not long after, she was on my doorstep and we were crafting a plan for the day. Our grocery shopping trip involved 3.3 miles of walking (and I carried 20lbs for the second half!), great preparation for the 3-day backpacking trip Will and I are taking this weekend. We weeded the garden, did laundry, purged the shoes, dealt with some fruit flies, and did a little stretching. 

When Will came home from the driving range, the three of us went back to the garden to thin the carrots and do some more weeding...and we ended up picking radishes, sugar snap peas, and mint for our dinner, along with the tops of the carrots we thinned (which we later turned into pesto, along with the radish greens). The garden is looking pretty damn good after two months! We'll be picking tomatoes soon, and cucumbers and beans are growing well too. Hell yeah. Oh yeah, we planted a garden for my 30th ("dirty thirty" garden party). It's going well.

Anyway, we needed to make some dinner before Will's hockey game - it needed bread, and meat, and we wanted to use all the veggies we'd picked (along with some we'd bought at Berkeley Bowl). From the braintrust that is Kim and Sonja in the Kitchen, we came up with the following:

Mexican-Inspired Bread Nachos

Start with one sourdough baguette from La Farine.
Or any baguette. Or probably any similar bread.
Tear it up and put it in the bottom of a baking dish. 

Top with leftover meat (in this case, shredded Barbacoa beef
from Thursday's lunch at work).

Top with cheese (we used sharp white cheddar and pepper
jack), pickled jalapenos and salsa. Would've used more
salsa and jalapenos but I ran out.

Top with more cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes at 350F. When the
cheese is melty, switch to the broiler and broil until golden
brown and crisped up, another 5-10 min or so.

Marvel at the ooey gooey deliciousness you created.

Serve with a crispy, crunch salad full of veggies to make
yourself believe you're eating something healthy.
Have seconds.

This recipe is basically a variation of the Rachel Ray "lazy lasagna" model: bread + sauce + meat + cheese. It's a great way to get mileage out of stale bread, but I like it with fresh bread too...it just gets extra squishy. It's super forgiving, and very adaptable - I bet it would be great with veggies and a cream sauce, or with a pesto and some chicken, or with bacon and egg as a breakfast casserole...there are lots of options here, people. Have you ever made this type of bread hot dish meal? Have any good combination recommendations?