Closet Love

I still haven't finished organizing the new closet systems, but chances are they aren't going to look much better than this any time soon, so I'm posting pictures anyway. The Rubbermaid systems are fantastic and I think you'd have to see them in real life (or have a lot better pictures than what I can take) to really appreciate how much space and easy organization they provide.

Master bedroom closet before:

Master bedroom closet after:

The curtains are blocking how much more we were able to fit into our closet with the new system. It's tight, but it's organized. All of Matt's music gear now resides in our closet in addition to our clothes and other random storage. The curtains on our closet are temporary--we couldn't fit a crib in our room and still have room to open the closet doors, so we put up some curtains.

I didn't take a picture of Winnie's closet before, but it was just the standard building model with one shelf and a rod. The after in her room is more exciting to me than our room, even.

This closet is where it feels like we have a lot of room now--I'm not sure what to do with all the extra space so I haven't really done anything. All of Matt's gear is in our room now, but all of my craft supplies still reside here.

The only person who's not entirely happy with our new closets is Winnie--they were one of her favorite places to hide and now she doesn't fit in either one!

Buy What You Love? Or What Works?

I'm always torn between buying what I really love and buying something cheaper that gets the job done. After Winnie was born I went with the "buy cheap" philosophy with my wardrobe and now I only have about 4 outfits that I really like to wear. Right now I'm looking to buy a baby wrap and the question is, do I buy a plain brown one that's nothing special or one I love that costs twice as much? I've been trying to decide for the last month and I change my mind just about every day!

We installed new closet systems in our bedrooms. Once I actually get everything put back in them and organized I'll post some pictures. We went with Rubbermaid Titanium systems and I love them! I think I get more excited about home organization tools than I do about any other purchases. It's all part of the dream that one day my house will always be clean and organized.

Where Did January Go?

I'm not sure what happened--one minute it was Christmas and the next it's the end of January. So far, so good with my 2009 goals. Matt and I haven't missed a day of taking of lunches with us all month, I have a new shelf in my bathroom and I've actually started and completed a project in the same calendar year! Of course, I haven't come close to finishing all the goals I set for myself this month, but I expected that. If I get half the things done on my to-do list on any given day I consider it a victory. I'm not sure how so many people are able to do so much. Do I move slower than most?

One of the best things about 2009 is that it is now the year Matt will graduate! Matt just got his grades for last semester and did really well! In about a week he's headed to DC for a trial advocacy competition. It's the kind of thing I think we'll both be happy he did once it's over. I hope this semester will slow down just a bit for him after.

We had a week or so of cold, nasty, inverted weather that started me pining for spring. I found out that Community Action Services is renting out garden plots again this year and I spent an evening planning out our vegetable garden and looking through seed catalogues (maybe this is why I don't get anything done?). Unfortunately, I always feel the most enthusiastic about gardening during the off season. Luckily we have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of months, so I think they'll go fast.

Winnie continues to crack us up with the things she says. Today her arm was hurting. When I asked her what had happened to it she said, "I don't know. It's ruined." Not even two and she's already partially ruined.

George Taylor House

The George Taylor House is for sale! The real estate listing doesn't have much detail, but I suspect it's because the house is in pretty bad shape. According to county records, the Catholic Church has owned the house since 1991 and from the looks of it, it's been a poorly maintained rental for that long or longer.

The Taylor house is on the National Register of Historic Places for its Gothic Revival style and cross-wing plan. The location is really transitional right now (it's just east of the lot where the St. Francis of Assisi used to stand), but it's a total gem of a house. The lot is large--almost a 1/3 of an acre. The MLS listing says it's 3 bedrooms and lists it as a single family home, but the county records say it has 6 bedrooms and is a 2-family residence. The house is eligible for Provo's pioneer neighborhood home buyer assistance programs. Anyone want to make it a good home?

Finals

Matt is about half-way through his finals--two more exams and a substantial writing assignment to go. He's on a trial advocacy team that will be going to a competition in DC in February, so he'll need to spend some of the break preparing for that. Matt isn't sure how much down time he'll get with all that he has going on, but at least he won't be going back to school in the evenings after this Thursday.

I'm still only about half-way done with my Christmas preparations. All of the easy gifts have been purchased and wrapped and I've been steadily replacing plans for handmade gifts and treats with things I can buy. Evidently I'm much better at shopping than sewing and baking.

We bought and decorated our tree on Friday and then I ran out of Christmas Spirit and all of the other decorations are just sitting in boxes blocking the walkway. In the meantime, Winnie's been playing in the boxes and our house looks great! Nothing like Halloween and Thanksgiving decor strewn about the kitchen floor just in time for Christmas. Maybe we'll finish tonight for Family Home Evening. . .

Hooray!

Look what Santa is bringing me!

Look what Santa is bringing Winnie!

Now Santa just needs to find something as fun for Matt.

I Thought I Took More Pictures. . .

This is the only picture that ended up on my camera from our Thanksgiving weekend at my parents' house. Jack is just 5 weeks younger than Winnie and they are really cute to watch together. Don't let Winnie holding a fork fool you. . . While Winnie begs for utensils before she's willing to eat, her hands are still her tool of choice. Jack looks a lot more fierce with that fork than he really is, too.