projecting

"behold, mine is a house of order...and not a house of confusion" doctrine and covenants 132:8

well, not really. but i'm trying. 

this past winter i've really tried to rededicate myself to having some sort of functional organization system that even kids can understand and participate in.

truthfully though, it's mostly for me. i feel like everyone at our house depends on me to be able to find most anything in an instant and our previous organization "system" simply wasn't cutting it. as in, no one could find anything when it was all shoved in one drawer and that drawer couldn't even close. i guess not every drawer can be the junk drawer. 

the task is far from complete, but i've made a few key improvements so that tupperware and it's plethora of mismatched lids is not a nightmare and i can pack a lunch in less than a minute. go ahead, i'll let you time me. 

plus, i found that by putting things that spilled easily, like all my plastic untensils, on a higher shelf, they were less likely to spill! it's like rocket surgery!

it took me about 10 minutes tops to organize each drawer. i thought it would be some daunting task, but it really wasn't. i bought several organizing tubs and everything practically jumped in place, like a disney musical. i have BIG PLANS for my pantry! it may include a label maker. 

i still get excited and occasionally will open drawers just to see if they are still in good shape. more entertaining and satisfying than TV!

these used to be the junk drawers that stuff went into and nothing ever came out:

CRUMBS!!! so nasty! how does that happen?

my junk drawers are now called "le junque" drawers because they are so pretty. 

in other decorative developments, i've been trying to finish furnishing and decorating my home on an ultra small budget. i was inspired by a good friend's ultra frugality(she had just paid off her whole mortgage way ahead of schedule) and i decided to up my frugal game in my decorative quest. last fall i found a table set at goodwill for $60. it's a little old but other than that it's in good-if-you-have-rambunctious-kids condition. 

before, a classy card table:

after:

the hardest part was finding ample cushions for a price that didn't break the bank. i paid more than twice on cushions than what i paid for the table. i wanted something really colorful, but those cushions were either crazy Golden Girls style tacky or CRAZY expensive. i decided to be happy with a neutral. perhaps in all my copious amounts of free time i will paint the table set a nice glossy grass green or ocean blue. thomas already vetoed a lacquered orange shade. every party needs a pooper.

my most recent development was recovering the chairs from my dining room set. ALL 8 CHAIRS. i found the set and china cabinet on craigslist for a STEAL. probably a fourth of the original price and she had only had it a couple of years. i think i paid the previous owner's balance on what she still owed for the set. 

the previous owner had about 54 cats and 40 kids and most everything was still in nearly perfect condition except the seat covers. 

my inspiration came from this post on little green notebook. 

this is me in room decor. i don't pinterest, but i did bookmark this. the only other thing i have bookmarked is my recipe for the world's best bread machine pizza dough. (and it is!) 

i love the predominant black and white color scheme with animal prints as as neutrals, the mix of metallics(so brave!), the blue and white chinoiserie delftware china, faux bamboo everywhere, greek key trim, and LUCITE! it's a bit of heaven for me.  

i'm still at the very beginning stages of this room, but recovering the chairs has really inspired me to think of more cost-saving ways to decorate this room. i spent $60 on striped fabric from fabric.com, which is my favorite resource for any fabric, and i still only used about half of the fabric. i foresee scarlett and blythe both wearing several different sizes and variations in striped skirts over the next few years. 

the first morning i started on the chairs it took me about 3 hours to do three chairs and after that i needed a break. it's really hard to be precise with a baby on your lap constantly asking you to blow up balloons. 

i'm pretty thrilled. i feel like a real grown up with a mortgage and everything!

the final inexpensive update of late was this plant stand and planter. a friend gave me all her plants when she moved. 2 coats of metallic spray paint and it looked brand new and like it belonged in the room.

while i'll never consider myself crafty, i guess i am a little decoraty. 

the end.