Eyes and other things.

My last post indicated the intention to get sh-tuff done this week.  I can't tell you how disappointed I was when the rest of my life had other plans.

On Monday night, my right eye was itchy and watery.  I just assumed it was tired, and I put some drops in it.  Tuesday morning, it was swollen shut and painful.  I knew what this was.  Another corneal abrasion.  A trip to the doctor confirmed it, but I had to be referred to a specialist because one is not supposed to get random cuts on ones eye.  Eww.

I have relied on the kindness of parents, in-laws, siblings, and friends to get through my week.  I couldn't drive, which I only discovered after getting to school on Wednesday, so it's been a rotating series of drivers taking me to appointments, class, and work.  When I was home, it took all of my energy to do things around the house, because light, screens, and general movement aggravated my condition.  I should be in tip-top shape come Monday, but I am definitely more committed to keeping my eyes healthy anyway I can.

Suffice it to say, 40 Bags got a little turned around.  I took Friday off from life.  E went to his usual Friday haunt, and I slept, recovered, and starting getting back on track with everything.

We'll just pretend things happened when they were supposed to: (because they did get done at all)

Wednesday: Electronics.
 - Removed all of the apps I never use (or have on my tablet, which is what I use for portable internet access).
 - Removed music that I always flip by
 - Removed playlists that were created for no reason.
 - Loaded some sweet Sesame Street tunes for the little man.
 - Created some better play lists so I can make my battery last longer (by not flipping through the library).
 - Before adding the playlists, I freed up over 1 GB of space!

Thursday: Needlecraft supplies.
 - Detangled EVERYTHING.  I feel like yarn has a mind of its own and tangles with the other skeins in the drawer when I let them alone too long.
 - Reorganized the yarn by fiber.  One (very full) drawer of cotton; one of worsted; one bag of scratchy worsted; one drawer of higher end yarns; one drawer of other acrylic weights; one drawer of miscellaneous; and one drawer of finished projects awaiting shipping, purchase, or gifting.
 - Put my unfinished projects in shallow boxes on top of the drawers so I see them and get the itch to work on them.
 - Put the huge skeins of yarn in plastic bags and hung them with hangers from the bar in the closet.
 - Cleaned out my notions caddy and took stock of my hooks (all accounted for except F...I'll find it).

Saturday - Sunday: Kitchen.
 - Cleaned and stored Elliott's bottles.  We are officially off bottles.
 - Moved mugs, tea, coffee, and sugar to a cupboard next to the coffee maker.
 - Opened up two shelves.
 - Threw away a bunch of expired hot drink mixes.
 - Re-arranged Jason's baking supplies.

I also went shopping on Saturday with my mom and sister, and I found the storage pieces I've been seeking for a while.  I found a storage box for toys (that can double as a seat), two cute basket hampers for blankets, and an umbrella stroller (which will open up a lot of room in my trunk!).

*This post is crazy late, but I really haven't had the time to type it up.  I'll talk about this past week ASAP*

- Meg

Action is the foundation of all success.

That quote, in a beautifully designed desktop wall paper I found through How About Orange, has been my inspiration for the last week or so.

It may sound as though I'm being hard on myself, but I really could be more productive.  I could find better ways to do certain things, and I could watch a lot less TV.  Still, my intentions are good that that has to count for something, right?

That all said, 40 Bags 40 Days starts this Wednesday!  I have my first few days all figured out.  Unlike Sarah over at Clover Lane, I count weekends because they allow me to tackle the big projects (re-configuring the kitchen; dealing with the attic; beautifying our yard).  However, that gives me days off during the week.  I'm also going on a few conferences just before Easter, so those days are lost.

THIS WEEK:
 - Wednesday, 2/13: Digital devices.  Move music around, remove unused apps, clean the screens, and get my portable life in order.
 - Thursday, 2/14: Needlecraft supplies.  I like starting with this, since it makes my goal to finish crochet projects a little easier.  I'd like to think this will be quicker than last year, but I'm not so sure.
 - Friday, 2/15: Main bathroom.  The shelves are cluttered and not as useful as I wish, and the area underneath the sink is not great looking either.  This is mainly an issue of a deep clean.
 - Saturday and Sunday, 2/16-2/17: Kitchen!  Now that we've been in our house a while, we know where things should be in order to be more efficient.  I'm especially excited about creating a coffee and tea station.

I'll try to get as many before and after pictures as possible, but these posts can get monotonous.  Therefore, I'll be keeping them to Sundays.  If I can find a way, I want to link up other home organization efforts with my own.  I'll let you know if / when that materializes.

- M.

10 Days!

It's only 10 days until the beginning of 40 Bags, 40 Days!  My excitement is really at its height now; our landlord is renovating our powder room and mud / laundry room starting tomorrow, so I'll have a really fresh start in those two areas of the house.  Otherwise, I'm finding all kinds of things to be done, but I'm putting them off until the 13th because I just don't have the time right now.

February is turning into a very busy, but very fun, month.  Lots of birthdays, including Jason's, the Oscars, and a Ladies Day Out with the graduate school ladies.  I'm psyched.

To play hard, one has to work hard, so this is a sort and sweet entry.  I leave you with some pictures from our weekend.

My mom and Elliott.

It was my Oma's 80th birthday!

My cousin Madison and the newest addition to our extended family, Taylor.

 - M.

March for Babies 2013

If you were following me last year, you know that our family walked in the March for Babies in memory of the nephew of our good friend Liz.  This year, I am at it again, walking once more for the Devoted to Dylan team.

Last night I played charity trivia for our team, and we won!  I was able to kick off my efforts with a $350 donation, which is 75% more than I raised in total last year.

If you have the means, we would love a donation to our walk team.  My goal this year is $500, so I only have $150 more to go.

The March of Dimes works to fight pre-term births and to help work for healthy moms and babies.  Our own Elliott spent a few days in the NICU with a minor infection and low blood sugar.  While we were in the hospital, we saw first hand what NICU moms and dads go through and how the March of Dimes supports those families.  The organization started as a group to help fight polio, otherwise known as infantile paralysis, in 1938 by President Roosevelt, who himself suffered from the disease.  Once the disease was eliminated from the US in the late 1950s, the organization rebranded itself to help with infant health.

- M.

Winter Winds.

In our last post, I noted how beautiful the weather was and how energized it made me feel.

Elliott is a little stir crazy...

Forget that...it iced and snowed this week, and my energy is sapped.

I tried to overcome it somewhat with my new camera and some neat-o pictures.  However, the weather also made driving super scary.  I wish I could hibernate until March, when life warms up again.

Our front door is ready for Valentine's Day.

I'm looking forward to 40 Bags, 40 Days, and I hope others will join me.  It will help make winter go by a little faster.  Winter is also needlework weather, so that brings a silver lining to this snowy cloud.

Adorable yarn!  Bonbons from Lion Brand.

- M.

Sunny Days!

Oh my goodness, we have been surprised with a warm and sunny weekend!

Here in the mid-Atlantic or Northeast region of the country, depending on how you classify PA, we enjoy stereotypical seasons.  Winter is snowy, flowers bloom in the spring, summer is HOT, and fall is colorful with changing leaves.

Today and yesterday, it was 50 degrees out.  What?!  Nice weather, for whatever reason, inspires me to clean.  I'm already preparing for spring cleaning.  I love it.  So, I did a little needed cleaning this weekend, but the best part was having the windows open.  Yesterday it was the upstairs windows, and today it's the downstairs.

Is it weird that the bathroom is my favorite room, decoration wise?

Barney enjoying the odd opened window.

Our family room window.  It's a small seat.

- M.

Starting with a Bang

I'm a crazy woman.

I have four classes this semester, which I took on because of financial reasons, and I knew the workload would be challenging, but not impossible.  Without really thinking about it, I also volunteered to be the first presenter in our class on a second text.  In this particular course, our professor asked that everyone pair up and read one extra book, presenting it to the class so we are exposed to even more books than we could possibly discuss as a whole class.  I like going first and getting things over with, but it definitely makes the semester seem more difficult from this perspective.

Otherwise, I really like my new schedule.  MWF's are full of time at school to get homework and graduate assistant work done, as well as schedule PRODUCTIVE meetings (I had a weekly meeting last semester that was frequently a waste of our time).  Tuesdays and Thursdays allow me to have free time with Elliott, dinner with my sister, and two really interesting classes at night.  Wednesday this week was long (8:30am to 9pm), but once my graduate assistant assignments get going, I'll have plenty to do.

I've stuck with some of my goals pretty well for this first week of class, although exercising has suffered.  I try to take the stairs a lot.

This weekend will be full of reading for class, working on projects, and FINALLY cleaning up from Christmas.  I got all of the ornaments and decorations packed away, but I need to take down the tree and put up Valentine's / winter decor.

Not the most exciting update, but happily, there isn't much to report.

- M.