Monday, November 17, 2008

Enjoy some pumpkin cake truffles, just because. It's almost Thanksgiving! Anyway...

Thanks for all your help on the Christmas lights post, you guys! We've talked and made drawings and planned and I think we know what we're doing this year, but I won't elaborate so that it can be a surprise. We would have started this weekend, but super cold and rainy is just NOT my favorite weather for Christmas Lights...

Instead we decided to be super productive, which, let's face it, is rare for us. We can be productive, but honestly, it comes in spurts, and goes just as easily. The fact that we're on an insanely strict budgeting system helps with this productivity, as we've denied ourselves the cash we would usually spend on a weekend at the movies, out to eat, or shopping at Lowe's with the other married people. Having none of those options, and being too nasty outside for lighting work, we turned our productivity inward.

We cleaned out the spare room.

You guys. We have not done a thing to that room since we moved in this house, over a year ago. It was a Poltergeist room. You know, in the movie, where the little girl's room is just massive chaos and things flying around and the family just kept the door shut all the time? That's what I'm talking about. We referred to this room as "Matt's office", a complete and total joke that we repeated in all sincerity because, after all, there WAS a desk in there, and Matt's computer, and I often sent him in there to work or mess around on the internet with little to no shame--I am a cruel wife. My "office" is nice and shiny and usually clean and has couches and a TV and two walls of windows, and my husband was performing the same tasks in the Poltergeist room, filled with unpacked moving boxes and leftover detritus and all the crap we tossed in there when we didn't know where to put it and the garage was already too full.

So, we gutted that room. We took everything out, we cleaned, (we even paused to buy a new vacuum cleaner belt) and vacuumed the whole shebang, including the closet, before putting anything back. We mercilessly tossed out LOADS of crap, we took a truck full to Goodwill, and we organized the rest. You can walk in there, y'all. There is a beautiful area rug covering the hated stained carpet, and you can SEE it. You can see corners. You can get to the desk without damaging your ankles. WE HUNG PICTURES. YOU CAN USE THE CLOSET. Oh, my. Talk about satisfaction. Every time I go by that room now, I run in, stand in the middle, and spin. Because I can.

So, yes, productivity in the face of budgetary restrictions is good. Very Good. I should mention this to the Federal Government, maybe they don't realize what an opportunity lays before them...

Now, it's Monday, and I'm doing my new Monday routine. Send The Boy off to work full of oatmeal and scrambled eggs. Do some cleaning, some laundry, make the weekly meal plan and shop for groceries. Get it all set, all done, all perfect. Because tomorrow? Tomorrow I start my new job.

My New Job.

More on that later this week ;)

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OH, and also, please go visit my friend Katie's lovely shop, Texas North, as newly featured are the Market Bags she and I collaborated on (collaborated? Well, I drew the animals!) Today the lamb is my favorite. Tomorrow, the donkey, and so on. I'm fickle like that.
Fantastic job Katie, they look great!

6 comments:

KatieKate said...

I can picture the room. And, I am so proud of you two!!! What an accomplishment.

And the bags are FABULOUS. The donkey is still my favorite. When I get a screen-printing kit, there will be simpler options, but I am loving the fabric animals right now. You did a fabulous job. They were so fun.

And I cannot wait to hear about this new job. Do you get to wear an APRON???

Hannah and Kelvin said...

OMG!!!! NEW JOB!! MUST...KNOW...DETAILS!!!!!

Sunday Grant Photography said...

so excited about the job! can't wait to see what you decorate. great job on the room. You have only slightly inspired to even begin to think about doing that with the guest room closet. You can't open it without everything falling on you.

Shanna Mac said...

i want to be motivated to go organize, but alas, i think i'll go take a nap instead. i got rowdy last night and had THREE whole alcoholic beverages last night (over a four hour period), and today i'm absolutely worthless.

can't wait to hear about the job!!!!

The Colorado Carrs said...

Cant wait to hear more details on the job and to EAT those pumpkin cakes....oh dear lord they look divine!!

christy said...

I wanna see pictures! :-) and I'm also waiting on pins and needles here to hear more about the new job! You only gave a tiny bit in your comment on my blog!! That's just MEAN.