organization – Carrots 'N' Cake

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 07:23 AM

Neat Freak or Clutter Bug?

Good morning, blog friends!
After Body Pump last night, I slept like a baby. Apparently, the class kicked my butt!

This morning, I planned to wake up and do some writing, but somehow I slept through my alarm. Maybe some writing will happen this afternoon? Will someone please give me a little kick it the butt?

Breakfast

I felt like a mad scientist in the kitchen this morning. I had so many ingredients that I wanted to add to my oats. I just kept throwing different things into the pot!

In the mix:

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup non-fat milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Wheatberries
Chia seeds
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
1 banana
2 scoops of peanut butter

And, I enjoyed some iced coffee with breakfast.

Project: Anti-Clutter Bug

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand clutter. For some reason, it just stresses me out. So, my goal for our new apartment is organize it in such a way that discourages clutter. Like most people, I have a crazy-busy life, so creating ways to keep everything in its place will make life so much easier down the road.

Here are just a few ideas that I’ve implemented in our new home:

Towels

Instead of stacking our towels, I roll them and put them in a big basket in the bathroom closet. Rolling the towels takes up less space and it looks pretty.

Sheets

I forget where this idea came from (I think Martha Stewart?), but it’s one of my favorites!

I keep my sheet sets organized by storing them inside one of the pillow cases from each set. I fold the flat and fitted sheets and all of the pillow cases except for one, which I then use to put all of the sheets and other pillow cases inside. So, when I need a set of sheets, they’re all together in one place.

Pet Supplies

I keep all of Murphy’s doggie supplies in a basket near the door. It makes taking him out so much easier because I’m not wandering around the house looking for his leash or poop bags.

Everyday Items

Similarly, Mal and I keep our everyday items, like car keys and sunglasses, in a bowl near the door. That way, we can just grab and go on our way out. I really hate forgetting my sunglasses, so this is a foolproof way to make sure that I remember them.

Wine

I’m not an expert when it comes to wine, but a wine rep (and friend of mine) told me that I should lay my bottles on their side, so the wine stays in contact with the cork, which prevents it from oxidizing.

I love the way that this wine rack looks, too!

Question of the Day

Are you a neat freak or a clutter bug? Or a combination of the two?

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Don’t forgot to vote for your favorite dress! Be sure to include the full name of the dress in the comments; I can’t count your vote otherwise.

And, does anyone get Woman’s World Magazine? Rumor has it that I am quoted in this month’s issue!?!

Posted by: Tina 145 comments

Posted in: Uncategorized, organization

Tags: Neat Freak or Clutter Bug?, Woman's World Magazine

Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 08:18 PM

Unpacking and Packing

Hi, guys! I hope you’ve enjoyed the recaps of my sister’s wedding. I’ve really enjoyed reliving it through my blog posts. The entire wedding weekend was such an amazing time! It wasn’t even my wedding, but I’m sort of sad it’s over!

After that whirlwind weekend, I’m off to Fresno bright and early tomorrow morning for the POM Harvest Tour. I can’t believe I’m heading to the West coast again!

Tonight, I spent most of the evening unpacking my suitcase, organizing my life, charging all of my electronics, and then repacking my suitcase. Yowsahs. But, thankfully, I had a little help from my favorite pug friend.

So, remember this post?

Packing for trips is always so stressful for me. It totally throws me for a loop! I’m always worried that I will forget something important. And even with all of the obsessing that I do, I still manage to leave something behind!

The biggest mistake that I make when packing is not planning outfits. I usually think of my suitcase as a closet and just throw my favorite pieces together with the hope that I can mix and match. Inevitably, when I arrive at my destination, I have “nothing to wear.”

This time for my trip to Fresno, I finally got my act together and packed strategically. I went with a brown theme for my shoes, coat, purse, and accessories, so everything coordinates, which ultimately saves space in my suitcase.

Here’s what I packed for a 3-day trip:

3 pairs of pants. Nice jeans, casual jeans, corduroys.
5 tops. 2 cardigans, 3 t-shirts, 1 hoodie
1 dress. For a fancy dinner out.
1 jacket. For cool nights.
3 pairs of shoes. Sneakers, flats, and a pair of heels.
1 set of PJs. I usually pack shorts and a t-shirt. They take up very little space.
4 pairs of undies. One for each day plus an extra.
2 bras. Beige and black.
2 pairs of earrings. Dangly and studs.
2 sets of workout clothes.
1 pair of sunglasses.
1 purse. Dark purple. It matches all of my outfits.
Toiletries & makeup. Check out my tips on packing sample-size products.
Hairbrush & straightener.
Electronics. Camera, computer, phone, flip cam, etc.
Healthy snacks. Travel is so unpredictable. Might as well be prepared when hunger strikes!

This probably seems like a lot of stuff, but it’s actually pretty streamlined for me! I took the time to plan outfits and weed-out the things that aren’t necessities for my trip. It took a little longer, but I think it really helped!

Dinner

We had a few veggies that needed to be eaten today– or get tossed– so I made myself a big salad with roasted broccoli for dinner tonight.

For dessert, I enjoyed a pumpkin chocolate chunk muffin that I baked this afternoon. I used a recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins, but substituted chocolate pieces for the walnuts and raisins.

I still have a million things to do to get ready for tomorrow!

Good night!

Posted by: Tina 31 comments

Posted in: Uncategorized, organization

Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 02:03 PM

Leisurely Sunday: Crafts and Togetherness

Mal and I have been enjoying a leisurely Sunday together. I love days like this that have no plans, no agenda, just a relaxing day spent together. The extra time this morning also allowed me to get crafty!

Lunch

After our grocery shopping for the week, Mal and I made a tasty lunch: roast beef sandwiches with tomato and wasabi horseradish. I had my sandwich in a whole wheat pita.

The wasabi horseradish had a serious kick to it! I spread a nice thick layer on my pita. It made my eyes water it was so spicy!

Along with my roast beef pita, I had a couple of pickles and some BBQ Kettle chips.

The BBQ chips ended up in my sandwich. I loved the BBQ flavor and crunch!

With pomegranate-lemonade…

My sweet treat after lunch was the usual. I’m addicted to this dessert combo!!!

Breakfast

I changed it up this morning and traded my oats for cereal and milk. I ate two bowls of Peace cereal mixed with Cascadian Farm multigrain squares and milk.

I also enjoyed an iced coffee with milk and agave nectar.

Bowl #2…

Hunger-wise, my two bowls of cereal didn’t hold me over like I had hoped, so mid-morning, I snacked on two Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies with a smear of peanut butter and chocolate and peanut butter chips on top. They were SO GOOD! The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookies are pretty good, but they definitely need the addition of chocolate and peanut butter chips. They’re sort of boring without them!

Arts & Crafts

After breakfast, I felt a little crafty and created an earring holder out of an old 4″ X 6″ frame, some wrapping paper, and 2 hair ties. The earrings in my jewelry box are always such a tangled mess, so this hanging idea was the perfect solution.

Materials needed:

4″ X 6″ frame
Wrapping paper
Scissors
2 hair ties

How to:

Remove back of the frame and cut wrapping paper to 4″ X 6″ to fit inside the frame.
Place wrapping paper inside of the frame; reattach back piece of frame.
Wrap hair ties around the length of the frame and adjust to your liking. The top hair tie will need to be higher on the frame for longer, dangling earrings; lower for shorter hanging earrings.
Use stand on the back of frame to hold frame upright.
Hang earrings on hair ties; adjust as needed.

I had a similar 4″ X 6″ frame and leftover wrapping paper, so I also made a “catch-all” for my random pieces of jewelry and mini-perfume bottles. The only difference for this project is that I removed the stand from the back of the frame. It was a cheap-y frame, so it came right off, no problem.