Seven Rooms, Seven Days - The Girls' Rooms

I'm not sure where to begin. I can only preface this all by saying I hope that even after reading and seeing all of this, you'll still want to be my friend.

Today, I tackled the girls' rooms. Let me sorta explain how our rooms are set up around here. We have three bedrooms - a master bedroom, a very large second bedroom, and a tiny third bedroom. As of right now, we call the second bedroom "Dacey's room" because her toys and furniture and Big Girl Bed are in that room. Big Girl Dacey, however, does not sleep in that room. She is actually still Crib Dweller Dacey. The tiny room is what we call "the nursery" because it has the crib and all of Aliza Joy's clothes in it. But that is not where Aliza Joy sleeps. She sleeps in various locations for naps (the crib, the sling, the swing, the Moses basket . . .) and at night, she starts out in a bassinet by our bed, but lands in bed with mom and dad around 2 am when she wakes up to nurse.

Are we all clear on the sleeping arrangements?

Okay, so . . . Dacey's room needs a makeover in the worst possible way. Her Big Girl Bed used to be our guest bed, and we haven't changed the bedding yet to be more Big-Girl-Friendly. We also have way, way, way too many toys and way, way, way too little cute storage. We want to get new bedroom furniture for that room - at the minimum, a new dresser and bookshelves and some sort of toy storage thingie - but just have not been able to find what we are looking for. As I've mentioned before, we're renting, so painting the walls is out of the question, but I sure would like to do some cute wall art. Anyway, the room needs a makeover.

And the nursery needs a makeover, too. We have cute new bedding and wall art for when D finally graduates out of the crib (and when will that be? Your guess is as good as mine.) but I want to wait until AJ moves into that room permanently to fix it up for her.

Now we've come to the part where I am hoping you can still be my friend. Dacey's room was by far the worst in the house. It sorta started around Christmas when I started slipping on getting her room picked up each night at bedtime. Then after Christmas there were, of course, more toys to add to the piles and I started getting really overwhelmed. And as we all know, the overwhelm can lead to the underperform. It just got worse and worse and worse. It finally got to the point where I was having to remind her Dad to be careful not to step om anything pointy and perhaps lethal as he carried her to her bed after her bath each night.

As I snapped the "before" pictures today, I was so sad and mad at myself for letting her room get this way. I feel deeply ashamed. I half-expected Oprah's film crew to show up to film a segment for one of her "You won't be able to believe that people live! like! this!" shows. I really felt like one of the people on those shows.

I don't know how this happened. I knew it was bad, I just didn't realize how bad it was until I saw it on film . . .

So, anyway, here we go. Brace yourself. (and there's a lot of pictures, too, girls. Forgive me!)

The nursery wasn't too awful. Mostly just clothes that had gotten lost on their way home and toys that had spilled out of D's room:

So two trashbags, one bag of toys to Freecycle, and many hours later, here it is. Still needs a visit from a design team, but at least it's organized!

I don't know why, but the child feels compelled to be at least half-naked at all times.

The dolls, they must be naked, too. That one in the carrier is only dressed because I snuck some clothes on her while I cleaned.

The Dora big wheel really belongs in the garage, it just keeps migrating inside . . .

When Dacey saw the end result, she said, "Wow! Cool room!" and promptly started messing things up playing again.

The nursery looks a might bit better, too.





So, that's that. Tonight as we were reading stories before bed, D kept getting annoyed with me because I would stop reading every little bit to enjoy the view. I couldn't help myself. I feel so. much. better.

Seven Rooms, Seven Days - The Living Room

Yep, got the living room and entryway done yesterday! It was actually the easiest room to undertake because I try to pick it up a little every night. I had fallen a bit behind though, as you can see . . .



I do love me some little baby clutter though!


I remember sometime back that Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary talked about the importance of the entryway to your home - how it demonstrates your welcome to your guests. That's why I feel so awful when our entryway looks like this:






"Welcome to our home, but please understand I can't be bothered to keep the front porch swept for you . . ."




Oh, so much better! NOW, welcome to our home:

Lo hicimos! We did it!

Now, some gratuitous D and AJ snaps:

See? I'm not the only one . . .

who wants you to check the box!

We have a whirlwind of activities today, but I am aiming to get the living room done. May not get pics up until tomorrow. Thanks so much for your encouragement! It's what I'm running on at this point . . .

Seven Rooms, Seven Days - The Bathrooms

I am exhausted. It's been a non-stop, "Mommy, Mommy, I NEED YOU, Mommy!" day since D opened her eyes at 6:30 this morning. And it wasn't just Big. Little was in on the "Please oh please oh PLEASE don't put me down, Mommy!" act today, too. I did manage to tackle the two rooms on the list for today - the bathrooms.

We have two bathrooms in this house. The master bathroom is ridiculously small by comparison to the luxurious and spacious master suites of new construction. We decided upon moving in that The Coach would take the master bathroom as his and leave the slightly bigger hall bath for us girls to share. Because, you know, guys have less bathroom stuff and all.

But, oh wait. Not my husband! Something that probably a lot of you don't know about my man is that he is an avid and passionate advocate of wet shaving. You know, the old-fashioned kind of shaving with big, fluffy shave brushes and bowls of delicious smelling, foamy, hand-whipped shave cream or soap. He shaves with a vintage safety razors and has an extensive collection of all things wet shave. Because of this hobby of his, he actually does have a lot of bathroom stuff.

Behold the addiction collection (and this is only about half of it):

His bathroom is his quiet retreat for pondering thoughts on all manner of things. I don't mess around much in there and I certainly don't declutter (lesson learned the hard way). Since I just cleaned up in there, I didn't feel the need to share pictures.

Before I show you the work of the day, I have to show you something funny. As I've mentioned before, we don't own this house. (We're renters.) I have to think that if we owned this house, remodeling project numero uno would be doing something about the lovely wallpaper that has been chosen for the bathrooms here:

Or maybe we would leave it. Because I mean really, if you had the chance to surround yourself with brown and blue trees and birds and butterflies while you are in the loo, why wouldn't you? It's all very "nature calls."

Anyway, tacky wallpaper notwithstanding, here's the sad state of affairs before:

It was cluttery, yes. But also just dirty. Like eeeeeeeeeeew, dirty. Like, please, God, don't send any angels in disguise my way who might stop by to test my hospitality because there is no way I am letting anyone in that bathroom, no matter how badly they need to go dirty.

But now!

Ah yes, I've always dreamed of the day when the message sent by my hallway/guest bath would be "potty learners welcome here!"

Seven Rooms, Seven Days - The Kitchen

Wow! Day o' distractions, friends. My goodness.

Today started with a wonderful visit at my friend Kim's house where D got to try on her first ever princess dress. Magic! I was kicking myself for leaving the camera at home.

But then I had to bust booty when I got home to meet my deadline for today. And again, it was an afternoon just full of distractions and diversions - phone calls, fussy baby, hubby home for the day . . . it was very hard to stay on task.

Can I just tell you I am sincerely overwhelmed and surprised by the response to my Seven Rooms mission? I was thinking this would be total Yawnsville for everyone (and heck, by the end of this, most of you might very well be zonked out), but ya'll have been so gracious and supportive with your feedback. Thank you for that! It was actually very motivating to me today as I undertook the most lived-in, trafficked through, perpetually cluttery room in the house - my kitchen.


So yes, if you were to pop by the house on any given day in the past two or three weeks months, a glance in the kitchen would reveal an assortment of water bottles, dirty dishes, open boxes of cookies, and who knows what else . . .

The kitchen also hosts one of the hottest of Hot Spots. As usual, it was completely ablaze today. Let's see, I spy with my tired eye some cold lozenges and nasal spray that have been there since the week before Christmas (because where else would one store cold remedies?). There's the sinus rinse (fun), Dacey's "bunny scout brownies" over there at the left, and - can I be honest? - a whole bunch of The Coach's stuff.

So in between making and returning phone calls and bouncing cranky AJ and chit-chatting with the hubby, I managed to get this much done . . .

TA-DAAAAAAAAAH!

And here it is, almost nine in the evening, and it still looks almost as good as in the picture. Oh, there's some stuff yet to be done. I have a junk drawer that is scary with a capital S. But that's what zone work is for, right?

Seven Rooms, Seven Days - The Laundry Room

Let the excitement begin!

So, I decided to tackle the laundry room first. Although it is the smallest room in the house, it is also the most neglected. I figured I'd start fast and easy to really boost my motivation. Easy? Yes. Fast? Not so much. When I sketched out my Seven Days plan, I forgot to factor in the ninety-seven kajillion interuptions that have landed me here in the first place.

It took me the better part of the morning to do this one small room. Oy vey. Let me tell you - I have adjusted my expectations for the remaining rooms. This will not be a total declutter, but rather a surface declutter. That which is on countertops, tabletops, bedside tables, and bedroom floors - look out! That which lurks in drawers, under beds, and in the cracks of the couches - hang tight. I'll get to you later.

So here we go. Prepare to be amazed at the junky state of affairs of my home!

Not entirely awful here. I mean, doesn't everyone keep their wedding china in a big green plastic storage bin on the top shelf of the laundry room? And by the way, evidently when houses were being built in the late seventies/early eighties, people must have eaten less. Or maybe there used to be a legitimate pantry around here and I haven't found it yet. Either way, most of our dry goods get stored in the laundry room, because nothing says I Love You like Downy-scented rice.


AFTER: Not hugely different . . .


This is where things get ugly:


AFTER: So much better!


I'm embarrassed


AFTER: Much TIDE-ier! Get it? You know you were going to say it if I didn't!


This side of the room, the one with all the cleaning supplies? Yeah, it doesn't get much attention.


AFTER: Bettah.


Have I ever mentioned I hate ironing? Because oh yes I do.


AFTER: Wondering where The Coach's pants went? I IRONED THEM.


If anyone is looking for me, I'll be drinking tea on the floor of my laundry room - enjoying the neatness and trying to gear up for tomorrow's work - the kitchen.

Seven Rooms, Seven Days Challenge!

The packing, the unpacking, the travel, the being at home with no schedule . . . it's all taken it's toll on my SortaCrunchy home.  

Plus, there's something about the start of the new year that makes me want to mend broken relationships.  I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I think I'm ready.  I want to get back together with Fly Lady.

Fly Lady and I have had a sometimes happy, sometimes rocky, on-and-off again relationship for about six years now.  When it's good, it's very, very good.  When it's bad . . . well, it's ugly.  I broke up with her sometime around September 1st and we haven't been on speaking terms since then.  The thing is, I really need someone to tell me what to do on a daily basis so my home is the warm, welcoming, organized, happy nest that I so desire for it to be.  But, I also have these complex authority issues, and when I feel like Fly Lady gets a little bossy, I turn into a five year old with her fingers in her ears chanting, "You're not the boss of me!  You can't tell me what to do!"

And that's when things around here get bad.  It's shameful, really.

Now, I know Fly Lady well enough to know what she's going to want me to do to get back together with her.  Baby Steps.  But she doesn't know the depths of clutter and junk that have joined forces to overthrow this house.  So I am doing my own little kick-start challenge before I go crawling back to seek her good graces and helpful (but bossy) guidance.

I am giving myself SEVEN DAYS to tackle the SEVEN ROOMS of my house.  And if I learned nothing else from NaBloPoMo, I learned that there's something about public accountability to motivate me to follow through on an idea.  Now, I know this is all going to be terribly exciting, dangerously fascinating stuff.  Reading and watching a woman declutter her house - I mean, really, it's why you started reading blogs in the first place, right?

Just bear with me.  Stay after me.  Pray for me.  

I start today.

Big Bloggy Giveaway Winner!

Good morning all!

Thanks so much to all who entered our Big Bloggy Move Giveaways, and thank you again to Jennisa to donating this great prize! I am thrilled to announce the winner of the Jennisa's Bloggie Designs makeover - Carrington of Capri by the Lake. Anyone up for some delicious newborn baby goodness? Go over to Carrington's place and see her sweet, sweet, sweet new baby girl. (Baby fever, anyone? Stacey? hee hee . . .)

Christy will be announcing her winners later today (she did, afterall, have three giveaways to manage), so be sure to stop by her place later to see if you won.

I hope each of you who are looking for a new design (whether for your existing blog or for your soon-to-be-rolled-out new blog) will consider hiring one of the generous ladies who participated in our giveaways - Jennisa, Blue Yonder Designs ($10 off for giveaway entrants who didn't win!), RS Designs, and Betty of Simply Southern.

Thanks again to all who played. We look forward to seeing you back on February 11th for The Big Bloggy Move!

Been a long time since I been carded!

Missy at It's Almost Naptime has carded me with this. (I'm not sure what carded means here? *scratches head*) I am so sorry, sweet friend, that it has taken me so long to get it done!

Ronie Kendig altered this CARDED meme to include a Spiritual Wish list so we can know how to pray for each other, both spiritually and physically. Isn’t that a great idea?

THE RULES:
1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for Christmas (I'll say the New Year, since Christmas is over!)
2. People who are “CARDED” need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get “CARDED” and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they’re “CARDED”, and to read your Blog.

My Materialistic Gift/Wish List:
1. Clothes that fit my hey-this-baby-weight-isn't-coming-off-quite-as-quickly-as-it-did-the-first-time post-partum body.
2. A new car seat for AJ.
3. Heck, why not? A new vehicle. (For what it's worth, SortaCrunchy Mama is currently driving a trusty 1996 Avalon with over 200,000 miles on it. I am delighted to test and prove the reliability of Toyota vehicles, but part of me fears that the end is in sight.)
4. The services of a professional organizer to come in and completely declutter my home since evidently I am incapable of doing it myself.
5. You wanna know what I really, really want? A personal assistant. Just an extra set of hands, that's all. Can someone explain to me the algebraic formula wherein the number of children I care for has doubled but somehow I am only one-quarter as efficient as I used to be?

My Spiritual Gift/Wish List:
1. DISCIPLINE. I need discipline in all areas of my life, but particularly the discipline to spend quiet time each morning in the Word and in prayer.
2. Discernment and direction in our ongoing "is this the church we are being led to?" journey.
3. Willingness and opportunity to use my gifts for the furthering of the Kingdom.
4. To be daily reminded that this world, this life, is not. about. me.
5. As my friend Melissa recently wrote, I want to live more like Whole Foods.

The People I have Carded:
1. The above mentioned Melissa of how 'bout the etheredge fam
2. Laura of Sweet Awakenings.
3. shoeaddict of Diary of a Shoe Addict (when she feels better!)
4. Amanda of ohamanda!
5. Sheila of the day of small things

Enjoy!

One year ago

On January 5th, 2007, The Coach and I were shocked, thrilled, excited, and not just a little terrified to discover that I was pregnant. Thinking back on that afternoon . . . that feeling of seeing the two pink lines affirming what I could scarcely believe to be true . . . amazing.

It's funny. December had been our first month to sorta try for the next babe. When we were in Oklahoma over Christmas, I started getting "I'm pregnant" vibes, but then my sister-in-law told us they were expecting again so I figured my vibes were just a little off-target. Hence, the shocking, thrilling excitement of discovering that for once, my intuition was spot-on!

Aliza Joy is four months old today. In spite of the occasional "my teeth are killing me, can someone please help me?" cranky episodes, she continues to be the most joyful, happy, talkative, and engaging baby I've ever known. Every day, she discovers something new - rolling back and forth from her tummy to her back to her tummy again, making baby bear growly sounds, catching someone's eye so she can delight them with the most brilliant smile . . . Maybe that's what she only sleeps for thirty minutes top at a stretch during the day. She needs more awake time to think up new ways to keep us entertained.

One year ago today - so much unknown. Four months ago today - so much to discover. Today - so much joy.








(Today is the last day to enter the Big Bloggy Design Giveaway! Winners announced tomorrow!)

Happy Blogiversary to me!

As Miss D would say, "Hit! Hit! HOORAY!"

Today is SortaCrunchy's big ol' two year blogiversary.

Can't believe it's been two whole years since I nestled into this little corner of the blogosphere. I am not going to link back to my very first post because it's quite anti-climatic. Sure, look it up from my archives if you want to, but personally, I wouldn't bother.

If you read my posts directly from the SortaCrunchy homepage, you may have seen the note at the top of my sidebar inviting you to be here on January 2nd. Curious? Here's why!

I don't think I can ever quite express how much my readers mean to me. Within this little group are very dear, very wonderful friends from my community; there are friends I have known for over three years via mommy message boards (including Meghan to whom I owe all my inspiration to blog to begin with); and there are friends who have happened my way quite unexpectedly from points near and far through the wide world of blogging.

I wanted to celebrate my readers today with two surprise prizes. (We are just all about the giveaways these days, huh!)

The first prize I am awarding goes to the reader who has left the most comments in the past year. Calculating these was no small task, let me assure you! You sweet friends are so generous with your feedback around here. I genuinely would love to give each and every one of you a token of thanks for making blogging so delightful for me! But that might mean my family going without groceries for the month, and The Coach prefers a menu that stretches beyond ramen noodles and celery sticks, so I must restrain my gift-giving.

The reader with the most comments from January 2007 to today is my dear friend LORI of Fairytales and Margaritas! Lori, please go over to Just Being Notesy and pick out what you would like on a set of custom cards made just for you. Email me what you want and I will take care of ordering a set for you. Love you, mama!

Since I am celebrating TWO years of blogging today, I wanted to give away TWO gifts. The second gift is a random selection. I figured I have posted about 168 times this year. I took out the three giveaway posts and my blogroll post and went to random.org for help in randomly picking a post. Funnily enough, it picked one of my favorite posts from the past year - See the Fine Lady Upon the High Horse. That little entry gathered nine comments, and so again, random.org chose a number for me. Number eight - my dear and delightful friend Megan at FriedOkra! How fun it was to pick out a thanks-for-commenting gift for newly with-child-number-two Megan! Here's what I found from one of my verrrrrrrry fave handmade soap makers - Frost Fish Cove Soaps: a Body Worship Butter Blend stick to ward off stretch marks and cure cold skin blues AND some relaxing massage oil so hubby can take care of your child-bearing self! Email me your address, mama, and I will get these sent to you.

What I had really wanted to do was what Gretchen at Lifenut did recently in her Thank you Thanksgiving post and link to every person who commented here in the last year. Alas, that plan did not come to fruition, but maybe next year. Next January, I plan to offer THREE little thank you prizes to my dear friends who take a minute away from their busy lives to hang out with me here.

Really, ya'll. Thank you. I can't say it enough.