Posts Tagged With: organize

custom closet system

Posted on January 20, 2022 by robynbird

Our closet system is designed and scheduled to be installed March 28 and 29.
All! The! SQUEE!

This is what you see when you walk in the door.
My things go on this wall.

This wall is on the right when you walk in the closet and it’s YBW’s space.

This is the back wall and it’s for my things.

This is the left side wall and it’s for YBW’s things.

Everything will be in ‘classic white’ for a clean modern look.
I’m planning to hang wallpaper behind the bench wall and the one with the drawers and cabinet.

After meeting with the closet designer I made a small change in the size of the hanging area on my side. Then the more I looked at the original configuration, I realized were weren’t utilizing the space as well as we could.
YBW and I went over the plans and discussed for about an hour Sunday morning. He was quick to suggest he give up his bench. I was clear that if I could get the space and organization I felt I needed, there was no reason for him to lose his bench.
When we finally landed on this configuration I knew it was the right one.
We went a little over the budget we discussed, but what we’re getting is worth the extra money.
He was content.
I was content.
This is the closet design for us.

Y’all!
I’m so ready!

Categories: around the house | Tags: closet, closet organization, creating a home, getting settled, home improvement, home organization, organization, organizational skills, organize | 6 Comments

everything changed when the fire nation attacked or how I (finally) organized my closet

Posted on January 7, 2022 by robynbird

We’ve lived in our home for five months but I was still ‘living out of boxes’ in my closet.
Actually ‘boxes’ was a plastic bin and big blue IKEA bag of shoe boxes and loose shoes, and a big bag of every random thing from my night table with jewelry trays of earrings on top.
These things were all in the bottom of our closet. Every time Baby K comes, she finds a new pair of earrings to get excited about. I can’t even get mad, those earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are right there for the plucking.

(a fun little AtlA reference)

Yesterday I was the fire nation and I attacked that closet.

It all began because I needed better access to seasonal clothes. It was summer when we moved and I organized the closet with easiest access to warm weather clothes.
Well, that and I wanted to get my earrings out of the floor and my shoes out of the cedar chest.

First, I moved everything out (of my side) and vacuumed.
Then I took all the boxes of shoes out of the IKEA bag and plastic bin. I put all the Chucks, Birks, strappy sandals and fancy summertime shoes in the cedar chest and put boots and booties in the closet. I left out two pairs of sneakers I like to wear to school, and ballet flats.
Next I moved the bin of shorts to the top shelf and replaced it with my winter jammies.
Really I just organized in a way that made better sense.

I didn’t take any before pics.
But I did take some after pics.

I cannot express how much better I feel about how my things are organized in that closet!

The closet system chick is coming next Friday to measure and discuss plans. Of course if this is the way we end up going, they’re scheduling installation for March…
That’s OK, I’m well sorted until then.

I’m so grateful for this snow week!
I had inspiration, motivation, and energy to accomplish so much while I was home from school.

Categories: around the house | Tags: Avatar: The Last Airbender, closet, closet organization, creating a home, everything changed when the fire nation attacked, getting settled, home organization, organization, organizational skills, organize | 3 Comments

organizing my home and brain space

Posted on January 6, 2022 by robynbird

This is the view from our bedroom window this morning.
Can you spot three deer out there in the snow?
I watched them for about ten minutes while they foraged.

Today is snow day number four.
And two to four inches of snow predicted in the overnight hours tonight.
Three full weeks of winter break.
I’m actually ready to get back to school.

Though I’ve been quite productive around here and feel good about it. This additional week was helpful.

I found some good decor items to add with things we already have to style the dining table. I’m being mindful about making sure I have mostly practical pieces that are useful in ways other than simply looking nice. I don’t want decor for decor’s sake. I want beautiful things I can utilize in other ways.
I may end up returning some things, I’m still trying to figure it out.
Photos to come.

I’m actively journaling.
It feels good to get my brain space better sorted. In addition to journaling my thoughts and feels, I’m also writing about writing. My hope is that will eventually translate to this blog.
We’ll see, those thoughts are still hatching…

I’m feeling positive and hopeful about all the things right now.
Inspired and encouraged.
About our home.
About my feels.
I’ll strive to do what’s best for my physical and mental health.
I’ll continue to ask questions that may or may not have answers.
I must consider some serious decisions.
But I’m going to accept what comes as it do.
And I’m going to embrace as much playful fun and joy as I possibly can.

How are all y’all feeling this first week of the new year?
What thoughts are hatching in your brain space?

Categories: me | Tags: around the house, brain, brain dump, encouragement, feeling hopeful, feelings, feels, home organization, hop, journaling, joy, organization, organize, snow, snow day, Style, styling, thoughts, writing | 3 Comments

one week out

Posted on July 22, 2021 by robynbird

This is where I stand when it comes to packing.

This is our dining room. Everything in here will be handled by the movers. This is in addition to the furniture. And the handful of wardrobe boxes up in our bedroom.

I’ve packed most everything that may not be necessary in the next week. This includes pantry staples and the majority of daily use dishes. The dishwasher was two thirds of the way full yesterday, so I just packed everything that wasn’t in there hoping for success in the next week.
Of course, all these kitchen things are simply in shopping bags in the front room. So, they’re easily accessible if we have some sort of ‘kitchen-things emergency’.

This is what will go our cars.
It didn’t start out looking like too much…but then I did the kitchen.
I finally ran out of boxes. I was able to get all the dishes/glassware into boxes for the movers, but not the foodstuffs and other things.
I’m not concerned, because Thing 1 made the plan I know will work.
And with two trips in my vehicle and one each in YBW’s and Thing 1’s, we’ll have that front room cleaned out in no time!

I look at the rooms in this house and realize, it’s not all that much that needs to move.
We’ve got this.
I did all the organizing.
We did the majority of the work.
One week from today will be the last time we sleep in this house.
We’re ready.

Categories: around the house | Tags: dude I got mad skills, list lady, lists, mad skills, making a list, moving, moving house, organization skills, organize, packing, preparation | 3 Comments

all that compounded smartness

Posted on July 14, 2021 by robynbird

I felt anxious Monday.
Literal low-level thrumming in my body.
This list is enormous!
Three weeks sounds like a long time, but it’s not.
How will I get this done?
How will I be ready for the movers?

My logical brain knew all that was straight up bullshit.
My logical brain knew I’d planned everything out to the nth degree.
My logical brain knew I was prepared.

But my feels were actively attempting to run the show.
That physical vibration was convincing as hell.

To thwart the feels, I over-functioned my ass off.
So much so that I crossed off everything for the week of July 11-17 on my moving list that very day.
But that wasn’t good enough.
I had to do stuff scheduled for the following week too.
I had to get more done.
On Monday.
Of the second week.

This is where I was when I went to bed Monday night.
Monday July 12.

What you don’t see crossed off are two things I actually started working on.
pack bathroom and linen closet
pack clothes

I was chatting with Thing 1 about how I was feeling. She was loving and encouraging. But I simply couldn’t shake the feels.
She was quite clear that I shouldn’t overwhelm myself right before the finish line.
(it’s like she knows me)
I assured her I knew it wasn’t real. That logically I was even more on target than my prep work suggested I be. But I sure as hell felt a way about it.

We talked later in the day when I finally stopped and sat down.
In this conversation I was finally able to verbalize what I was feeling anxious about. I wasn’t sure how to pack all the random things so the movers would take them. I didn’t want to waste boxes I might need for dishes on laundry room things, etc.
It was then I began to realize my panic wasn’t only about being ready on time, it was also about being properly packed so the movers could be successful.
Thing 1 was like, “Uh…Momma. You can put stuff in your car and take it over there.”
(but actually kinder than that sounds)

Her words created an instantaneous shift in me.
My body was still even though my brain was thrumming – with realization!
I didn’t have to pack up anything awkward. I could simply put it in the car.
Y’all! My girl saved the day!
I often tease her that she’s smarter than me. She doesn’t see it that way. She calls it ‘compounded smartness’. That she’s as smart as she is because I’m as smart as I am and she simply built upon it.
(something like that, I think she explains it better)
Either way, she saved the day.

The container we packed in March is being delivered Wednesday of that last week and being unloaded first thing Thursday morning.
Thing 1 offered to meet me at this house after they’re finished at the new house. We’ll each load up a vehicle and take it to the new house.
Then anything that doesn’t really go into a proper box, or anything we’ll need straight away will be there ready for us.
YBW is staying at the new house because the smart home guys will be there working their magic. So he’ll pack up his car the night before instead of coming back home with me.
Those three loads will carry all the awkward things, and the movers can do the rest.

I’m still properly planned.
I’m ahead of schedule.
I’m perfectly still inside.
Like some sort of organizational ninja, this move won’t even see me coming.

This is an excellent example of why we must talk about feeling a way. Just because our logical and emotional selves are at odds, doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution.
In my case, the solution was someone looking at it from a different perspective.
Someone who knows and loves me, and had the patience to listen even though she knew I wasn’t making any kind of sense.
Grown children know what’s up.
It’s all that compounded smartness.

Categories: on being a mom | Tags: ability to help, all the feels, anxious, dude I got mad skills, help, kindness, list lady, lists, love, mad skills, making a list, mothers and daughters, moving, moving house, organization, organization skills, organize, packing, patience, preparation, Thing 1 | 7 Comments

a color coded list for the end game

Posted on July 8, 2021 by robynbird

We’re now twenty days out from closing on the new house. Twenty-two days until we lock the door to this house behind us for the last time.
I created a color coded list broken down by week to ensure we’re ready to roll when the time comes.
.blue for me
.red for YBW
.purple for both

This week is already proving to be successful. I’ve crossed off the majority of my list.
Go me!
Yesterday was particularly productive, not only did I pack six boxes, I packaged and shipped Thing 2’s birthday box. Played Chinese checkers with Meredith and Beau for three hours, video chatted with Baby K, and made a quick Target run.

I have some larger items that won’t fit into any of the boxes I have, so I’ll make another quick Target run this morning for some bigger bins.

I’ve got the new car insurance sorted, but having trouble finding appropriate home owners insurance. After working on insurance for two days straight, I’m ready to get that checked off my list too.

This is the end game, y’all.
I’m ready!

Categories: around the house | Tags: dude I got mad skills, list lady, lists, mad skills, making a list, moving, moving house, organization skills, organize, packing, preparation | 13 Comments

time: spending spree or saving for a rainy day?

Posted on May 25, 2020 by robynbird

Excellent news!
The person who was in YBW’s office tested negative for covid!
WOOT!
Even though it turned out to be nothing, my husband’s company took this seriously and was proactive. The decision to send everyone home and have the office properly cleaned shows the health and wellbeing of the employees is important. While it may be a simple fact of keeping everyone healthy so they can remain at work, I appreciate the effort because it helps keep my husband healthy.

In other news:

With so much ‘free time’ we are tackling as many time consuming tasks as possible.
House things are at the top of that list. Things that need to be done as we live here, and in the knowledge that this prep work will assist us when it’s time to move into our new house.
YBW has lived in this house twenty one years. In addition to his own things, he accumulated things from his parents. This time is a gift in which to sort and purge, and make decisions about how he wants to curate his life at the end of his time in this house and the way he plans to live in the new house.

In the unfinished part of our basement in which the mechanicals are housed, there’s also shelving and storage bins. He began tackling his stored things early this year, but on Saturday, I requested his assistance to access three bins of my stuff. It was a successful bit of work as we did a quick survey and purge of other things too. All in less than half an hour!
I’ll be going through those bins this week.

I’m all about this organization, y’all!

Yesterday, YBW cleaned out his closet. And since I already did mine, I chose an activity that kept us in the same room and able to talk about what he went through.
I ironed all our napkins.

Y’all it was so damn satisfying.

Porch life is in full swing!
This week:
Nora joined me for a porch life visit.
we had a virtual happy hour on the porch with YBW’s work friends for which I quickly threw together a half-assed charcuterie board.
we popped bubbly during appropriately social distanced porch life with our neighbors.

Today we planned on a shoot day, but it’s cloudy and damp. Not the best lighting or weather for taking photos.
Maybe I’ll get on my bins sooner than I thought?

I find myself go through spurts of being uber productive. All mindful and self aware. Only to flip the coin and spend an entire day watching Youtube vids, or blazing through books.
I’m currently rewatching all the Harry Potter movies. In true Give a Mouse a Cookie form, watching them highlights how different from the books they are, and how book Ron and movie Ron are two completely different characters, and how much I adore the books, and now I find myself wanting to read them all over again.
My journaling already killed one pen.
I’m on the porch as often as possible.

Do y’all find yourselves doing the home tasks you’ve put off?
Are you using this forced free time to your advantage?
Are you equal parts ‘ruthless efficiency’ and ‘straight chillin’?
Are your streaming subscriptions at peak ‘worth the cost’?
Are you tackling your TBRs?
What about your gardens?
Are you sick of the news?
Do you miss going places?
Are you content to be at home?
Are you tired of being asked questions?

Dang! All those questions felt a bit like…

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Categories: me | Tags: home, home improvement, home organization, organization, organize, porch life, self quarantine, social distancing | 6 Comments

ready for porch life

Posted on April 13, 2020 by robynbird

Ever notice how everything is straight chaos while you’re trying to organize?
YBW and I spent the majority of Saturday on the porch. Bringing out the rugs, furniture, and cushion storage containers. Putting together new outdoor dining furniture.

The breeze was chilly, but it was warm in the sun. You can see the abandoned hoodie on the chair.
We moved all that cardboard to a sunny spot in the yard and asked Thing G to come out and break it down.
Because the winter was rather mild, most of the herbs are coming back. I need to get more basil and lavender, but all the peppermint, cat nip, thyme, and lemon balm is growing like gangbusters! (In case you’re wondering, yes, these herbs do help deter mosquitos.)

We rearranged a few times before we got it right, but were pleased with where we landed.
So much so that we made cocktails and a late lunch/early dinner about four o’clock and ate at our new table on the porch!

We went over to the construction site Sunday morning and walked around in the townhouse unit that’s like ours will be. YBW spent time looking at where to put some sort of chase in which to connect future solar panels on the roof with the electrical system. I was all about furniture placement.
We had our cameras with us and planned to visit a park and walking trails, just to get out of the house. But as we were leaving the new houses, it began to rain. No sense walking around the park in the rain, so we headed home. We drove right out of the rain in one county and into a warm sunny day in the next.

I picked up Meredith’s book and plopped myself on the porch all afternoon until it got windy and rainy and I had to come inside.

The maple tree helicopters are flying about. The oak trees haven’t yet dropped their weird little wormy-pollen-things. I’m waiting to set up the fountain until after that mess. I missed the water sounds as I sat out there, but I’ll be patient, I hate cleaning oak tree pollen out of the fountain.
I’m ready for porch life, y’all!

Of course it’s pouring and windy with mad storms on this Monday morning.
But I’ll be patient because I’ve got all spring…and summer…and fall to spend on that porch. And when the world opens back up, I’ll invite loads of folks to share in my porch life!

Categories: me | Tags: back porch, cocktails, deck furniture, hard work, home organization, IKEA, love, love my life, organize, porch life, self quarantine, social distancing | 9 Comments

might as well do something productive

Posted on March 25, 2020 by robynbird

In David’s comment on my opportunity post, he suggested I make a list. I loved it!
I mean, duh!
I’m the freaking List Lady, and it never occurred to me to make a list?!?

So here’s what’s funny, I didn’t actually make a list…
Yet!

What I did do was pull nearly everything out of my closet.

Y’all see my Nats World Series hoodie right there? Makes me so dang happy!

Anyway…
I put back only what I truly believe I’ll wear this spring and summer.

I’ll definitely wear all of this.
(Well, not the boots, sweaters, and hoodies, but they have to be somewhere, right?)

There are some dresses starting with the black khaki and white stripes and ending the solid blue one next to the navy floral one that are questionable. I’m going to give them a chance to prove themselves between now and my birthday and if they don’t, they’re out.
That’s valuable real estate.

I even purged shoes.
What you can’t see in this photo is that there are six pairs of Chucks on the bottom shelf. There were ten.
You can also see when I find a shoe I dig, I get it in different colors. Those Sam Edelman Felica ballet flats and Greta sandals are absolute faves! And I bought them all during a huge 4th of July BOGO sale!!

Here’s what’s going away…though I’m not sure any place is accepting donations right now.

I sent pics in the group chat with the girls.
Thing 1 said: Wow!
Thing 2 said: That looks amazing!
I said: Y’all!! It FEELS amazing!

I made that closet my bitch!
And(!!!) In between, and after two conference calls, YBW pressure washed the porch today in anticipation of me prepping out porch life.
I feel accomplished and content.
His shoes are soaked but he’s satisfied with his work.

Look at us using this opportunity presented to us!
I’m going to pour us some wine.
Y’all be good now, ya hear?

Categories: around the house, me | Tags: closet, clothes, home organization, making a list, opportunity, organization, organize, porch life, self quarantine, shoes, social distancing | 10 Comments

collecting my reflections

Posted on August 22, 2019 by robynbird

In the last month I’ve had a house full of daughters, a son-in-law, and one sweet baby.
Organized and hosted the most wonderful party to celebrate Baby K.

welcome to the Bubbly & Baby to celebrate Baby K

Who’s that baby?
a guessing game

yummies and goodies

a monogrammed cake was one of my ‘must haves’

*all photos credited to Thing 2 and used with permission*

I spent precious time with my girls.
We shopped. Visited with friends. Attended a party to celebrate a friend’s daughter going away to college.

Yesterday, I made the long journey home from GA where I left Thing 1 and Baby K at home. (Husband N was here for two weeks and returned home empty handed, while Thing 1 and Baby K stayed here with us for another two weeks.)

Now here I am, daughter-less and baby-less, which I don’t love in the least.
But, the truth of the matter is I’m content to be me.

I didn’t write in my journal or for this blog in all that time.
I was so busy living in the moment, I didn’t take the time for reflections.
My reflections are shooting out all over the place and I’m racing to collect them.
I need a bit of time with my journal for sure.

I’ve finished the first half of my thesis paper. I’m meeting with the course adviser this afternoon to create a plan to proceed with the second half. My plan is to submit the finished paper by the end of the month. I’ll be OK if it comes back for revision because my term doesn’t end until September 30th. That gives me another whole month to make sure all I’ve dotted all the i(s) and crossed all the t(s). And then I’m finished.

I’m a bit overwhelmed even thinking about all the time that will free up.
How will I spend it?
I don’t want to waste any more time.
I mean, I’ll waste some time, cause I like to watch the TV occasionally, you know?
I want to use my time successfully.
For the betterment of me.
For my own personal pleasure.

I’ll get about that soon enough, right now I’m going to take a moment to miss little nugget of deliciousness.