The Annual Purge

One thing that I've never had and do not miss is a sense of occasion. We put our Christmas tree up in January. I give gifts as soon as I purchase them. Birthdays mean free desserts from restaurants we already frequent. Turkey is usually dry and flavorless... even on the third week of November. We do celebrate February 15th; half-priced candy is all the rage.

Sometimes my urges match up in a timely way. This is one of those times. 

The combination of self-help with an arbitrary holiday makes my whole brain shut down. In that way, I dislike traditional New Year's resolutions. However, weight loss and spring cleaning is all I can think about. 

I'm not going on a diet. I'm going to start eating the "Healthy Choice" option four days a week in the cafe at work. I'm going to purchase a Wii Fit bundle and start playing that instead of shopping. Which ties in with my other problem...

I'm annoyed and angry about how much stuff is in my house. My apartment is filthy and cluttered. I believe the root cause is A) the lack of tools to clean, and B) too much stuff and not enough space. 

As a first leap, I bought a vacuum. Not the glorified dust buster we purchased on Black Friday, but a full-on, in your face, sucking the floor off your apartment... vacuum. I've named her Muriel. 

I've also decided to throw out or donate everything I don't use frequently. I feel like I do this every year. I need to stop buying stuff that I don't love or absolutely need. I mean my sweater collection is impressive... and I'm totally cool with having as many as I do. But, why did I buy two pairs of Nike's when I only wear my KEEN tennis shoes? This needs to stop before I start looking like the junk lady from the Labyrinth.

That's hot.

Part of me feels like I need to create a psychological reason for my shopping. Perhaps I am collecting things as a way to anchor myself and create security. Perhaps it's something from my childhood... like how as a child I was surrounded by things I did not choose. Many times I was in a situation I could not control. Now, I'm choosing things myself in an effort to control my life. Or maybe, I just like shopping. Yea, I think that's it. 

I have everything that I need. Now, I just need to get rid of the things I don't. Sentimentality be damned. 

TL;DR: I'm a fat slob. Something has to give. 

Jared Free Weekend

It has always been the case that when Jared is gone for a set amount of time, I get a lot of work done. I'm an organizational procrastinator. Here is a list of EVERYTHING I want to do while Jared is gone this weekend:

Clean my bathroom floor
Clean my bathroom sink
Clean my toilet
Reorganize my closet to be more seasonably appropriate
Reorganize my dresser top to increase surface visibility
Dance with Gizmo
Go through the mail dish
Clean the stove
Window shop online
Clean off that lamp, it is hella dusty
Clean out the fridge
Clear counter tops
Invent crazy stories of fighting off certain death to tell Jared
Clear table top
Watch a movie on Netflix
Make a list of spices I'm running out of
Clean off counter tops and table top
Read Jezebel
Moisturize my hair and do a face mask
Take khakis to be hemmed
Eat a calzone
Declutter living room
Clean off end tables and coffee tables
Do laundry? Maybe?
Sweep floors
Call my mama
Paint my toenails
Wash the dog
Wipe down both gigantic mirrors in the house... as well as the bathroom and vanity mirror
Do some impromptu karaoke (or a lot)
Take photos of all my favorite second hand pieces in the house (or at least some of them for Part I)

Woo. This weekend is going to be a ball of excitement wrapped in an adventure. My next post will pmost likely show off my thrift scores. :D

Busy Today, Slacking Tomorrow

Thursday marked the end of the summer program where I volunteer. The job I was offered was finalized on Monday, and I start work on Labor Day. This gives me a whole month of vacation before a possible Monday to Sunday work week. I have a lot of downtime to come, but this weekend is a little crazy.

Yesterday, I met with my contact at Kelly Mitchell to finalize my job. Part of the paperwork was an explanation of dress code for where I will be working. I walked over the Marshall's downtown and bought a few work tops on sale. I was looking for anything not made of "t-shirt material" and wasn't see-through. Then, I met Cory and Jenni where she was interviewing for the same position. We hopped in the car and drove to the Mall of America. I did some happy I-got-a-job shopping. I bought two dog bowls, dog treats, two more tops and some lady garments. I also picked up my Sephora birthday gift!

Today, I met with Liz, who found me on Craigslist. She was very nice! We talked about dogs, jobs, parents and well a lot of things at Jasmine 26. Afterwards, I went home, watched half of a movie and then took a 4 hour nap. I don't understand why I've been so sleepy, but whatever. (Sorry, Carissa, I slept through the Art Fair!)

Tomorrow, I'm meeting Cory and Jenni in Uptown for the Art Fair. Carissa linked me to a free bus pass for the event. (Yay for not walking four miles round-trip!)

In other news, you may remember that I was entering a bunch of sweepstakes. I have won a bracelet via GreenXC! Once I receive the item, I will give a nice write up. There are a lot of sweepstakes to enter, and I suggest entering when you can! It's worth a shot and only takes a few minutes.

Gizmo is doing great, and his blog is updated daily with photos of him being cute.

Small list of thing to do this week:

• Mail out the rent
• Go through mail
• EMPTY junk bowl
• Clean off end tables
• Organize entryway closet
• Hang up new work tops
• Dust all horizontal surfaces
• Sweep all floors
• Do laundry

And things to do before I start work:

• Buy a bus pass
• Hem sleeves of grey jacket

My Ultimate Sales Pitch to Move to My Neighborhood

I was raised to harbor a stoic personality; I tend to be happy with whatever I can get/have. When we were looking to move to Minneapolis, I based where we were living off of Internet suggestions to avoid anything that started with Brooklyn and my need to live as cheaply as possible. We looked around the south side of Minneapolis and visited 5 different complexes. We lucked out in location and wound up in a great neighborhood. Our apartment is on the east side of the Whittier neighborhood which is also called the "International Neighborhood." My neighborhood is artsy with great restaurants and affordable living. It's the trifecta of urban life.

My apartment is less than a block from MIA, MCAD, Fallout Arts Initiative and the Children's Theatre Company. This means not only can I see art for free any time I feel the itch, there are also great murals and little artsy bits around the neighborhood. (Below are a few murals and whatnot from the neighborhood. There are a lot more.)

There is also a fantastic pizza place called Slice of New York just a few blocks away. You can get a huge, face-sized slice and a chunk of baklava for around $6.00 (depending on what type of pizza). I like the guy who works behind the counter too. He talks to you like he knows you, which is refreshing. A lot of people in food services seem to hate people.

There is also Hibachi Buffet down the street, but they already got a full post out of me.

I'm a huge fan of Jabbok Family Services, where I volunteer. Jabbok offers daycare, an after school program, and a summer program to neighborhood families at ridiculously reasonable prices. (It costs $0.50 an hour per family for daycare.) Jabbok has a small full-time staff and a few part-timers. The program has a large volunteer base of people passionate about people.

There are wonderful shopping opportunities in The Whittier Neighborhood. Buffalo Exchange is a nation-wide thrift store that carries a large range of brandname clothing. (I purchased True Religion jeans for $20.00.) Blacklist Vintage is closer to a specialty store. They carry vintage clothing sorted by waist size. It makes finding interesting clothing a little bit easier, because you aren't forced to juggle sizes. Lost and Found is another thrift store off of Nicollet. They carry both vintage pieces as well as modern pieces. Lost and Found is worth a visit just to check out the interior mural by a local artist.

Whittier is home to several great parks. I especially like Whittier Park and Clinton Field for child-friendly parks. Whittier Park has a wading pool which is great for kids who are not strong swimmers.

Music stores in my neighborhood include the Electric Fetus, Treehouse Records. Electric Fetus has a full-sized store front that is very organized. There is a gift shop with clothing, jewelry, gifts and music paraphernalia. Treehouse Records is a smaller store that is owner operated. It has better prices on older records, but you better be in the mood to dig.

Here are more photos of my neighborhood:

MN Catch Up

It's time to do some catch up!

Jared and I are all moved in to our apartment in Minneapolis. We had a really uneventful move and are currently working on getting everything just right. (Jared is building a bookcase in our living room as I type.) We went to IKEA on our second day here and bought two DVD racks, bars to hang up in the kitchen, a hook for my purses, hooks for the kitchen and hooks for jackets in the entry way. Why all the hooks? We're taking advantage of all the vertical storage we can. I'll post photos of our place once we're at a good stopping point. 

I had my San Fran trip right in the middle of everything, and left Jared to himself in the city.

I got back yesterday. Jared told me he bought a gallon of milk for $4.00. We spent all of today learning about all of the grocery stores in Uptown. We bought produce and a large catfish at Shuang Hur. We stopped Truong Thanh and picked up more produce and beef balls. Then, we went to Rainbow Foods and just went nuts and loaded up the cart. Jared was worried Rainbow Foods would be "slummy" because of some of the reviews the store had. When we got there all I said was, "if this is the 'grimy' one, then the one in St Louis Park is paved with gold."

Today we have a lot of banging nails and drilling screws to do before the building's quiet hours at 10 pm. I should get some laundry done from my trip, and some time soon I need to contact the maintenance guy about fixing our intercom.

House Plants

List of house plants I like:

  

      

1. snake plant 
2. croton 
3. jasmine
4. gardenia 
5. peace lily
6. zeezee plant 

Ready Set Go: Part IV

My moving checklist is doing awesome! I packed up a lot of my things and they are ready to go. But, more important than what I've packed is what I haven't packed. I sorted out my clothing twice - once by myself and once with Jared. I filled two garbage bags so heavy with clothing I could barely lift them into Jenni's van. We took the clothing to The Hanger in Dubuque. They gave me $30.72 up front for one basket of clothing and then put another basket up for sale on commission.

Now all of my clothing can fit inside one box and my large and medium Leisure brand suitcases.

I boxed up my trinkets and jewelry. All of my jewelry fits inside of a cigar box and all of my trinkets fit in the medium sized box under that lamp shade pictured above. Everything else is either in a plastic tub to store in Jared's parent's basement or in a box for donations.

I went through my blankets and art work and cut both down by half. Artwork is going to the basement. Jared still needs to go through the blankets. We went through the kitchen and have a mondo box for pots and pans to donate. Basically, all of my pots and pans came from thrift stores and are really showing their wear. Early this week, Jenni and I went to Monroe to the Swiss Colony Outlet store, and I lucked out and found some nice enamel pots and pans for a whopping $52.47. They retail for $139.95, but one handle's paint was cracked and I had a 25% employee discount. The new set makes a lot of our older pans obsolete. I went through my toiletries last night. I really wanted to just toss all of them and start fresh, but once again Jared was the voice of reason. I can fit all of my remaining toiletries into a small travel bag.

The other thing I did this week was finish up those pesky tables I've been meaning to paint. I started priming the tables in early March when the weather was suddenly warm for a week. It was really cold the following three weeks and this Wednesday was the first good spray paintin' day. Here is a before and after of my metal end table and just an after of my typist's desk.

Previously, I said I wanted to reupholster the chair we have upstairs, because the fabric was worn out and faded. Jared thought that wasn't a good use of money. He tends to keep me grounded when it comes to projects. However, on my trip out to Monroe, I found a cute pillow that matched in both color and kitsch. The pillow really covers up the faded back of the chair (that, apparently, only I see.)

I'm really ready to move. I just can't wait. Today, we're visiting Jared's folks and dropping off boxes for storage (mostly artwork, records, and Christmas decorations). I emailed our landlord to double-check our address. I want to order checks with a current address on them. I want to see if Jared's dad has some pegboard I can fit into two identical frames. I plan to hang them as his and hers key holders.

Preparation and Inspiration

I've been rained in for the past two days and haven't been able to work on painting my tables. What I have been doing instead is going through my closet (clothes and trinkets) and sorting out what goes, what stays and what will be stored. I've also done a fair amount of research on storage in a small apartment. Along the way I've found a lot of inspiring images from Apartmenttherapy.com.

When the decision was made that we would be moving to a city, I began a quest to read up on organization and diminishing clutter. Technically, this decision was made mid-2009. I have developed a system of determining what to keep and what to get rid of. If I don't love it or if I don't use it incessantly, it goes. It has to meet at least one of these claims or hold a ridiculous amount of history/sentimentality.

I took every article of clothing I own and put them into two piles: keep and donate/sell. (I toss damaged clothes after they're damaged. So, I don't have a "toss" pile.) Then I bag up the donate/sell pile and begin piling into the following categories of type: pants, jackets, sweaters, hoodies, short sleeved t-shirts, long sleeved t-shirts, tank tops, dress jackets, skirts, shorts, jeans, pj pants, pj shirts. I have so many sub-categories, because I have a very large amount of clothing. Then I went through each pile with Jared, who sees me everyday and knows what I wear. He told me what additionally I needed to donate/sell. (Of course I had veto power for my one plaid shirt.) The point of going through this with a close friend is that he helped me make tough decisions and justify my keeps. For example, I purchased a sweater on clearance that I love. However, by the time it was on clearance it was a size large, and in Jones New York I wear a small. Jared told me I've never worn that and told me that if I'm not going to wear it, get rid of it. Easy for him to say. In the end, I have two 13 gallon trash bags filled if items to take to a resale shop. Which leaves me with one large sized box, one large sized suitcase and one small sized suitcase of clothing to haul to Minneapolis.

Trinkets was much more difficult. Originally, I had two large plastic tubs filled with trinkets. I emptied both tubs into four piles: keep, toss, donate and store. I now have a plastic tub to storage and one medium/small box of trinkets that I Tetris-ed into place. Unfortunately, I only went through the trinkets upstairs in my closet that were already boxed up. I still have to go through the trinkets downstairs and in the upstairs bedroom. I also need to go through all of our kitchen items.

I need to go through all of the house by next Saturday. Jared and I are going to make a trip to his parents to drop off all items marked for storage. (Shouldn't be too much. Although, Jared has decided we aren't bringing my record player along.)

I've been researching the best way to add storage to a small kitchen and small bathroom. What I've landed on is that pegboard solves a lot of problems and when in doubt, use magnets. I want to install pegboard in the kitchen as well as above the end-table in the entryway. I've drawn up a diagram of where we'll be placing furniture in the apartment. I'm only having a problem with what to place the rabbit and the hamster. Parts of me wish we didn't have to worry about the pets and where they'll be living. We'll have to solve this issue when we get there. I have a hard time imagining three-dimensional space.

Here are some of those inspirational photos from Apartmenttherapy.com.

1. The print on this chair from the Kindel Manufacturing Company is classic in a granny way but very fun and loud.
2. I'm modeling our bedroom on this design. The layout of out room is a little larger with a larger window.
3. Magnetic paint is being used on the back of this bathroom door to create storage.
4. I'm really feeling accordion scissor lamps. 
5. I can't get enough of this table set. I'll need to keep an eye out for one of my own.
6. This wooden sewing storage would be good for all-purpose storage as well.