The Competition Begins

My coworker and I have a competition during the month of may to determine who can get their office the cleanest and most organized. This is much needed, as my office has become quite the disaster zone. I have files that need to be purged, items that need to be stored in the students' space (not mine), and in general, a lot of clutter that just has to go. It's embarassing.

When I walked into my office today, I was overwhelmed at the amount of stuff that I am going to need to go through. It seems like an impossible task. However, my goal is to break it down into more manageable projects. Here's what I'm thinking:

Week One: Desk

• Clear off top of desk.
• Purge filing drawers (3) and reprioritize which files are in them.
• Develop new filing system for short-term and long-term filing.
• Reorganize top cabinets.
• Take home mugs, other personal items.

Week Two: Floor/Table

• Transfer stored items for students to their office space across campus.
• Take home personal items.
• Unpack boxes leftover from move (some of which are strategically hidden).

Week Three: Bookshelf and Filing Cabinet

• Purge items that are old and no longer used (most of them)
• Implement new filing system for cabinet.
• Better utilize space.

Week Four: Final Cleaning/Organizing/Decorating

I may need to haul in a giant dumpster with the amount of stuff that I hope to get rid of. I'll be sure to take some before and after shots too.

Here's to a less cluttered work life!

K

Wash and Dry

So tonight is my laundry night.

Unfortunately, I do not have a washer and dryer in my apartment, or even in my building. My apartment complex has a separate laundry facility, located just around the corner. Because I have to drive to do my laundry, I do it about every 4-6 weeks. Basically, I do laundry when I run out of underwear.

After packing up my six loads (and my $15 in quarters), unloading them and getting them in the washers, I patiently waited until each hit the rinse cycle and I could add my fabric softener. I then waited a little longer until it was time to transfer everything into the dryers. I was fortunate that when I arrived there were six washers available. I was even luckier that there were six dryers when my wash was done.

See, I'm under the impression that most people in my complex have poor laundry etiquette. Our washers only take about 20-25 minutes, yet everyone just dumps there stuff in and leaves, sometimes for an hour or more. This means that wet laundry just sits there, backing up the cycle for the rest of us. And then of course, they come back, and leave their stuff in the dryers for even longer. I've timed it - the dryers take just over an hour. I too will leave while my clothes are drying, but I know when I need to come back. If your stuff is dry and the dryer is cold at the time that I arrive with my dirty laundry, you should at least make an effort to come back before my stuff is done in the wash. Because of course, there are equal numbers of washers and dryers, so when everyone is waiting for a dryer, which takes twice as long, it's really frustrating.

I long for the day that I will once again have my own washer and dryer. No more saving up quarters (because the machine is always out), no more guarding machines. The laundromat is a stressful place! It reminds me of the Friends episode where Ross and Rachel fight with the lady in the laundromat, and then Rachel turns her whites pink. Thankfully I have yet to do that!

Someday, someday.

It's Time For....

A Mini-Makeover!

So both Saturday and Sunday were gloomy, rainy days, and so I decided it was time to do a mini-makeover on my living room.

I live in a relatively small two-bedroom apartment, that I have been in for almost three years.

That is actually the longest that I have lived anywhere, besides the houses that I grew up in. In three years, I've been fortunate to accumulate some different furniture pieces, most of which have been gifts from friends or hand-me-downs from relatives, which has meant that I've been able to save some money on furnishings.

I have also gone from living alone, to living with a roommate, to living alone again - which has impacted both furniture arrangements and decor. When my roommate moved out, so did some of her really cute stuff! (insert sad face) I replaced quite a bit last summer, including end tables, coffee tables, and a tv.

I also benefited from a friend who was moving and let me take his love seat, which was less than a year old. I've slowly tried to grow the space from college apartment to grown up apartment.

Almost a year later, it was certainly time for a refresher, specifically in the living room. The space was looking cluttered (read: messy) and really boring.

After cleaning up the space, I made a trip to Target, to make see what I could do to spice the place up, within my budget. Two hours and $250 later, I was hard at work in my apartment, decorating away while the tornado sirens blared outside (I'm such a daredevil, I know).

I'm not supposed to paint my walls, so I had to work with the cream/beige color. I first focused on brightening up the two big windows on the south wall of the living room. They are pretty icky windows (terribly drafty) and the mini-blinds don't look so hot either, so I thought it would be good to hide them with some bright white cotton panels. To avoid putting more holes in the wall, I got four bronzed-looking command hooks, and found two matching cafe rods. The curtains didn't come with tie backs, so I found some cheap grey organza ribbon in the dollar section, which I cut and tied back utilizing small white command hooks. I was able to iron and assemble everything in just about an hour, and already things were looking better!

My roommate had purchased two of them when we were living together that we utilized for coffee tables. I was so sad to see them go. I put my new ottoman underneath the left window, providing a new place to hide all of my board games, blankets and DVDs in the room. Plus it's an added seat if needed, which I also anticipate will be used by Bucky to get up into his favorite window. (He's not very brave when it comes to jumping - he currently jumps into the chair, then walks up and over the bookcase).

My second step was to add more storage to the room, to remove some of the clutter. I was ecstatic when I discovered that my favorite black storage ottoman was on sale for just $67.

I also got two cute seagrass baskets for the bottom shelf of the bookcase, and relocated the phone books and old magazines elsewhere. They provide some hidden storage, which is nice, and they lighten up the otherwise dark bookcase.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to get rid of the futon, that serves as one of the main seating areas in the room. While I'd love to buy a new couch, it just wasn't in the budget yet. I could do something about the worn black canvas cover that was covered in crumbs and white cat hair (one of the challenges of having a black and white cat). Unsure of what I was looking for exactly, I purchased two new futon mattress covers, a tan canvas cover from Target, and a beige suede cover from Bed, Bath & Beyond, conveniently next door to Target.

After much debate, I went with the suede, which seemed to look more put together than the canvas, even if it was a little too big. We'll see how it holds up to pet hair.

Two medium command hooks next to the front door also gave me a spot to keep my keys, purse, and other items. While there isn't room for a mud room in my little two bedroom, this was a nice, clean alternative.

After some additional attempts to style the room and clear out some of the clutter, I'm happy with the results so far. It's amazing how some smaller projects can really make the space look new again. I also moved things that I already had in the apartment, to avoid spending money on smaller decor items. I still have to add some art or mirrors to two of my walls, but I'm close to a finished product.

I'm now looking forward to some relaxing, just like Bucky!