Bedroom make over, before pictures. (Because everything has to start somewhere.)

Our bed room... sucks. We've never decorated it, the one new piece of furniture in the room is the cherry sleigh bed, everything else is only there because it has no where else to live, and we have to put our clothes somewhere. It's very, very embarrassing. I keep my bedroom door closed so no one sees it, and rarely clean up in there because... I don't love it.

(Kid's old dressers that some how ended up being OUR dressers.
And a box of new Christmas decorations
that need to go in the attic. My room is just one
big dumping ground.)

We will be buying new furniture for the room in the next few weeks (ekk!!). My husband insist that the bed has to stay (he says because he "likes" it, but he also says he's not into decorating or what things look like in the house. What is boils down to is "We had to finance that bed and mattresses, and now they're paid for, we're keeping them FOREVER.") The problem is, I don't like any of the pieces that go with sleigh bed set. Just don't. So, I'm looking at pieces that go with other sets, but are in the same color, and kinda-might-I-really-really hope will go well with it.


But I'm still working on painting all the doors in the house, and would like to also have to base boards repainted before the new furniture comes. The walls will probably also be repainted, depending on what kind of new bedding I get.





Shield your eyes, brass door knobs can blind a person.




So can the brass ceiling fan. This is also going to be replaced, thinking about moving the fan from the living room to our bedroom, and buying a new for the living room. We live in the south, ceiling fans are a must. I also have them on the front porch. Oh, yes, ma'am. Love 'em.

(Dumping. Grounds.)

I was actually disappointed that today is Sunday, so there wasn't a 21 days to being organized challenge today. But, to get ready for whatever may come, I bought all this:



Oh, yeh, I'm ready.

(Sorry for the crappy pictures. My camera is forever old, I have to sweet talk it for it just to work most of the time. Maybe I'll get a new one soon and get some tips on taking better pictures! But, hey! I'm trying! It's a learning process!!)

21 days to getting organized: Day One

Alternative title: my worse nightmare come true. The junk drawers and I have a bad relationship. I keep trying to tame it, and after a few weeks, it always ends up back at this point:

*scream!*

I knooow, right?!

So, I thought my large basket would be large enough to hold all of my junk, but no, I was wrong, I ended up with this:

That's one basket and two bowls. This is ridiculous people, and I'm totally blaming this all on my husband and kids. All their fault.

So, now that I have everything out of the drawer and in the baskets and bowls, I got everything ready. Cabinet liner, scissors, cleaner, the little boxes I picked up at Walmart today to help me keep these drawers organized, the trash can, all that fun stuff.

The first drawer, I laid the cabinet liner in the drawer and drew lines to cut along. As soon as I started cutting, I realized that was completely not necessary. It's the bumpy textured kind, and there are pretty much lines on the back you can follow.So, the second one I made marks where I needed to start cutting and just followed the bumpy textured stuff. Which was way easier than trying to keep it in place while trying to draw lines.



I finally started to make some progress. This probably didn't really take that long, I didn't time myself, but with the hate that I have for these junk drawers (it started out as one, but the junk started to spread), it seemed like it took forever.



Finally, all nice and clean and organized. Now, if I can keep the husband and kids out of the kitchen, it'll stay that way (remember? This is all their fault??)

Now I'm worried about tomorrow's challenge. What if it's to clean out under the sink? Or the bathroom closet? Oh god, I'm hyperventilating ;)

(This is day one of the 21 days to getting organized at a bowl full of lemons. Join us!)

(Also, please ignore my Christmas decorations that are still up. They go in the attic and I can't put them away myself, and I'm waiting for my husband to get home to do it. Don't judge me.)

Wow I'm tired... and it's gonna be a long night now

So, the painting isn't going too well. I got the bi-fold laundry closet doors (because I don't have an actual laundry room, it's a closet *sigh*), the dirty clothes closet (am I the only person who has a dirty clothes CLOSET?), and the bathroom door, bathroom closet door, and the water heater door painted, and that's it. The kids have been difficult, the older two drew on their bedroom doors, so I really don't want to paint them because they'll just do it again. How do you stop you children from destroying your house? This is what has put a hold on the door painting, I know they're just going to mess it up again. Oh well, I'll get over my pity party next week when they go back to school and start the door painting again. I'm really home with the nice, crisp, white doors that I have done.

I did spray paint the door knobs to the laundry closet doors the rubbed oil bronze -- and I love it. I'm now considering doing the same to my cabinet knobs in the kitchen. All my light fixtures are that finish, and the pot rack, and I have silver hardware on the cabinets. What's sad is I had these fixtures already when I picked out the silver hardware, I have no clue what I was thinking. No clue at all. I wasn't thinking, I was in a hurry. We did a mini makeover in the kitchen when my husband caught it on fire two years ago (the anniversary is coming up, there will be a post with pictures soon), and we had to move in with my in laws while the kitchen was being fixed. I didn't have time to think about things, I just did it, I wanted to be back in my home. What do you think? Leave them be? Everything doesn't have to be matchy matchy. But, the cabinets are white, my appliances are white, the sink is white (um. Again. Wasn't thinking. All I thought was "hey, I like white!" and it seems to be a little bit too much now.) I think the contrast would be nice. Hey, I did think enough not to get light colored counter tops!

I tried to spray paint one of the bathroom door handles... and boy was that interesting. I think I'm just going to splurge and buy new ones for the house to replace the hideous brass ones (sorry if you like them, they're just not my cup of tea.) I found some egg shaped ones on eBay, and I think I love them! But I'm going to try to think this through before doing anything.

I swear, there will be pictures soon! My camera only works when it wants too, and I just haven't made a decision about that either. So, the pictures of my house may end up being from my iPhone.

This month, I'm taking the 21 days to get organized challenge with a bowl full of lemons. And I'm so excited! I hope that I'll stick with it, seeing how that's something I really need to work on. And It'll help me blog a little more often :) First chalange post will be in the morning/afternoon/night. I'm not doing it at 1 AM. Wait. Why am I writing THIS post at 1 AM?!

Even before I can call it a night now, I have to finish what I started today. I've decided to be more organize, and we have a cabinet that we bought from Walmart when we first got married. It was great at the time, did what we needed it to, but now it's just a catch all. And boy, can it catch a lot of stuff. The kids' board games were in it, their art/craft stuff, my financial/filing stuff, and some electronic stuff. So, yes, everything. I don't even know why this cabinet came with us when we moved (oh, I know, my husband was a hoarder in another life. That's why I'm cleaning it out now and getting rid of this cabinet now, because he's gone and can't stop me from throwing stuff away and giving it away.) I found a new home for the board games (the hall table/"buffet" thing, they all fit in perfect. We're now going to practice the one thing has to leave for every one new thing we bring in when it comes to games), and the kids' art/craft stuff (I had a junk cabinet in the kitchen, how sad is that? I cleaned it out and their stuff fits perfect.) Now I'm left with were to put my financial stuff. I don't have an "office" or room for a desk anywhere, I pay bills at the kitchen table. So, I'm thinking... under my bed. I'm serious. It's a small house (1,500 sq feet, ish) with 5 people. It's tight around here. Like sardines. Stinky, smelly, little sardines...

So, yeh. I'm thinking I'll get some type of box to put all the financial stuff in and store it under my bed. Also living under my bed: A container with extra sheets, blankets, and pillow cases. I did have these in Blythe's closet, but they would pull them ALL down and build tents and such, with all the sheets in the house. Two would have been plenty. So now they're all safe under my bed, because I don't have a linen closet (one day... the same day that I have an actual laundry room, and not a laundry closet.) My ironing board also lives under my bed (see: no laundry ROOM), but seriously? It gets used very, very little. A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do in a small house.

And I still haven't decided where these electronic stuff is going to go.

Man. I was hoping while I was typing this my huge mess would have cleaned it's self... but no...

and now it's 1:30.

Oil rubbed bronze fun!

We've lived in this house for over three years. And the doors, door frames, and base boards have needed to be painted since then. I was holding out hope that our home is really a magical house, and that I would wake up on morning and it just all be done. No such luck. And then I swore that it wouldn't be done until I paid someone else to do it. Then I thought about it: that's $2,000 that I can spend on our new TV and entertainment center/table thingy.

And, no, I couldn't wait until the kids went back to school after Christmas holidays, oh NO, that would be too easy. So I'm attempting to paint with three wild kids running around.

And I'm trying to get all crafty (aka, dangerous). I, um, decided to spray paint the knobs on the wash closet door and the knob to the bathroom door and see how it goes and holds up. Yeh. I'm pretty sure that my husband is going to kill me. He knows I'm painting the doors and all, but not the part about the knobs. But, dude! Have you priced door knobs lately?! It's nuts! The ones in here are those horrible gold -cringe- ones. I'm spraying painting them with Oil Rubbed Bronze. Worse case, I have extra knobs for the wash closet door (because I can't count and when I bought them I thought I bought just enough for the kitchen cabinets and that closet. Um. No. I bought about 10 extra.), and I can just go buy the bronze knobs for the doors (from eBay, I've decided).

If I can find my camera, I'll take pictures. Or I'll just take some with the iPhone.

Leaving on a jet plane....

So. I'm sill in this hotel room. Eating hot pockets.

BORED OUT OF MY FLIPPING MIND.

I'm washing clothes in the guest washing machine. And I'm thinking about cleaning the room.

Someone come save me.

The airport is right around the corner. I'm thinking about jumping on a plane.

Childless and lost... I just can't win!

Joey and I have ran away to Houston. He had to come for a class for work, and I just tagged alone to watch tv all day, read, and stalk people on Facebook (admit it, you know you do it too.) I've never left the kids for more than one night and day, so I've kinda been freaking out. I left the baby sitter a 3 page letter on how to take care of the kids. Seriously. Joey thought I had lost my mind.

So I'm all childless, and I don't even know what to do with myself. The last 7 years of my life have been devoted to taking care of kids and cleaning the house and paying bills. What do childless people DO all day long all the time? Because I have a feeling that by tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest, I will be loosing my mind. And I will have gained about 15 pounds too, because all I have to do is eat. And watch tv. And Facebook stalk people.

I'm so ready to get home, we're going to have Christmas early, because Joey gets to come home for a few days after this class, and then has to leave on the 22. So Santa is coming Saturday night. And I swear, this will be the best Christmas ever.

And, since I'm a gluten for punishment, I've asked Joey's mom if she would like to have Christmas with us early, while Joey's home. We usually do Christmas with Joey's mom and dad, sister's family, and brother's family Christmas night. It's how we've done it for years, if Joey's home or not. But I want to do it while Joey's home (we're getting the kids an xbox kinect, and she's bought them some games.. family time, people! I swear we're not going to wait for the kids to go to bed and play ourselves!) This would need to happen Monday night, and I figured since everyone would have to work that day, we could have it our house and I would take care of all the food....

Wait a minute. I thought this was a good idea, WHY?

And then, my mother in law says we should invite her mom also. Ok, that's good. Then she says we should invite her dad and step mother also.

Oh. Crap.

Mrs Juanita. Joey's step grandmother. I forgot to get her anything. Joey's grandmother, got it. Step grandmother... no.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

BUT! In my defense, they've just moved back, and...

I'm not super woman, ok? When it comes to Christmas, all I care about is my kids.

And, of course there's drama, because it's not Christmas without some family drama, huh? Joey's brother isn't talking to his son, so if Joey's brother comes, our nephew won't. If our nephew comes, Joey's brother won't. Oh sweet, Jesus. I've handed this over to my mother in law. They get to decide who to invite and who to leave out. That's allllll them.

So I'm looking at around 10 people at my house. This is not a big deal, we've had 50 people over for the kids' parties.

Wanna hear my menu? Oh, this is good, you'll love this. I'm getting a sandwich plate from Subway. Oh yeh. I'm going to make some type of potato soup or something to go with it. Mrs Sue had bought some appetizers from SAMs, so I'm going to get those from her and heat them up so she doesn't have to do anything but show up with presents :)

I'm just slightly bored out of my mind with Joey in this class all day. I watched 4 movies on HBO yesterday. That's more movies than I've watched in the past year. And it's only Tuesday.

After a month of silence, I still have nothing interesting to say.

I said that I was going to post on a regular basis, but it doesn't look like that's working too well for me, does it?

But people, seriously, there are nights that I get in the bed and all of the sudden -bam- the urge to pee hits me like train, and I realize, I don't think I've peed all day.

I thought that I was strange, and I had to be the only person who does this, but one of my close friends, who also has 3 children, and I and an entire conversation just the other day about how sometimes we forget to pee.

But yet we can find the time to have whole conversations over forgetting to pee? Something is wrong here, I believe we may need to seek therapy.

So. Like I was saying, forgetting to blog and forgetting to pee are totally the same thing... ok. No it's not.

It's been a month, so I'll give you quick review of what's going on:

• Jonah's asthma is under control. Kinda. We've only had one episode in the past month, on our way home from a trip to go see Joey at work. 3 hours from home. On a Sunday. I'll save the details of that trip for another post.
• Blythe is still doing great in school, and we're still fighting like cats and dogs. The child is 6. I'm not looking forward to the teenage years.
• Peyton is... a hoot. He wore a raggedy felt cowboy hat for three weeks. Around the house, to school, to church, to bed, every where. People loved it. Then we lost it. I'm going to search the yard tomorrow and see if I can find it. The swing set area has been known to eat sippy cups, maybe it ate his hat.
• Toy Story 3 is Peyton's latest obsession. Blythe and Jonah never had specific things they just LOVED, Peyton is full of them. Oh, wait, Blythe went through a year and a half phase were all she would wear was dresses. Peyton started with Thomas the Train, which he still loves. The only foot wear he will wear is boots. Don't think you're putting anything else on him. Don't try to fight it, this kid will win. every. time. Then the whole hat thing, now Toy Story 3.
• I still hate Joey's job.
  

I'm sure there's much more... but... I can't... keep... my eyes... open..........