Category Archives: Pinterest

Random thoughts at 5:00 AM

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-My child is almost one. I can’t even comprehend that. I bought some ingredients for cake yesterday so that I can test it out for his party…which is in three weeks. How did that even happen?

-I should have had more water before bed. My dad is sleeping in the living room and I’m trying to figure out if I have the ninja skills to get to the kitchen without waking him. Since this is me we’re talking about, I’m going to save myself the potential bruises and humiliation and say no.

-Mainlining Doctor Who makes for a really fun night, but it has invaded my head and now I am afraid of very silly things.

-No one is active in my Facebook groups. Many, many people are active on my Pinterest feed. I guess everyone else had the same idea.

-Speaking of Pinterest, this just happened to me while I was browsing: http://pinterest.com/pin/279997301805105522/ Poor Adam. I almost woke him by snortlaughing.

-Why can’t I be this awake and alert at 9:00 AM?

-Someone on my newsfeed just spelled “meow” as “meaw”. I’d call it a typo, but they did it a few other times, which I learned after a quick stalk. Is that a thing? That’s not really a thing, is it? It has to just be someone having no idea how the sound a cat makes is spelled, right? Otherwise I feel like a very tiny portion of my life has been a lie, and that’s just not an acceptable thought at this hour of the morning.

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Waving the white flag of surrender

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Okay, so a year-long Pinterest project when I have almost no spare cash and an infant was probably a bad idea in the first place. So I bid a fond farewell to my Big Fat Pinterest Challenge Project…at least for now. I may go back and try again in the future (and keep a separate blog specifically for it), but for now…no. Too much.

So where the hell have I been for the past few weeks?

I’ve been around. I’ve been reasonably busy. Ethan’s sleep regression seems to be slo-o-o-o-owly getting to a more manageable place for us and he has been an absolute joy lately. He has had his odd Angry Hulk moments, but overall? Adorable. He has discovered a few new tricks – namely, pulling himself to a standing position, some new sounds, and the wonders of waving a spoon back and forth and hypnotizing himself:

 

(Check around the 1-minute marks for the amazing spoon waving. And yes, that bib is absolutely disgusting. It’s the result of me misplacing most of his other ones and discovering them in my sock drawer a week later. I promise his others are less…Pollack-y.)

I have also been working to start making the switch back to a more organic, whole foods-centric diet for the whole family. Ethan only eats organic food (and homemade whenever possible) and we have a fantastic little natural grocery store within walking distance that is in the process of expanding significantly. Obviously, it’s hard to just replace everything in the fridge, freezer, and pantry at once, so we’re just doing it gradually. When we run out of something, we’ll replace it with the natural equivalent. My hope is that by the time we get to winter, we’ll have all or mostly natural and local food in our kitchen. I am feeling – and tasting – a huge difference already. It’s hard to eat this way on a budget, but I do think that if we are smart about it and try our best to make it a priority, it will absolutely be worth it in the long run. I just figure that we encounter enough toxic stuff in our daily lives, stuff that we can’t avoid unless we want to go full Walden. If we can avoid adding more to our lives, why not?

I’m drafting a second “day in the life” post, this time discussing what it’s like on a working day, so that will be up tomorrow.

It’s good to be back!

MBFPCP: Days sixty-two through sixty-six

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Monday was supposed to be my official Pinterest day, but it was a holiday. So I’m not late, okay?

Anyway. On to the pins!

Day sixty-two:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834473600/
The process: A lot of people have seen the pin floating around that features makeup inspired by various characters in The Avengers, which I am mildly  obsessed with. I attempted the Hawkeye design. It was too embarrassing to photograph. You need steady hands for this one, folks.

Day sixty-three:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834801666/
The process: You know what would have been smart? Reading the pin. Finding out what that salt in the photo was for. As it turned out, I rubbed a grapefruit all over my bathroom. It smelled great, but not much cleaning took place. So while I can’t recommend it for cleaning, I can recommend it for a deodorizing situation.

Day sixty-four:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834785148/
The process: Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the most brilliant. How delicious! I used sherbet, not sorbet, but it was still absolutely delicious and so easy. The frothiness was a bit fun, and it turned out a little like a creamsicle. Highly recommended!

Day sixty-five:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834919905/
The process: Boo! The link itself is blocked for spam purposes. However, just the title was inspiring enough. I combined romaine lettuce, blueberries, walnuts, and goat cheese with a simple balsamic dressing (homemade: reduced balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper) for a light and delicious lunch.

Day sixty-six
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834889292/
The process: This was such an easy and fun breakfast…and even better? I could eat it with one hand (a must with a baby). And yes, I used chopsticks.

MBFPCP: Days forty-six through sixty-one

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I really need to do these updates more often! These Pindumps are getting a little insane. I think I’m going to make Mondays my official “Caroline pinned stuff and then did it and here are the results” days from here on out. Until this Monday, though, here are the pins for this round!

Day forty-six:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835183207/
The process: I had never heard of using a penny and a pinch of sugar to keep flowers alive longer. In the past, I always just used the little packet that came with the bouquet, or (if I had it on hand, which is rare since I’m allergic) an aspirin. I bought a bouquet of beautiful flowers, added the penny and sugar…and lo and behold, they lasted for days longer than I expected! I got five days more out of them than I thought I would!

Day forty-seven:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835183562/
The process: This is such a smart, simple idea to make sure the food in your freezer is safe. Since we get such crazy thunderstorms here and since I am storing homemade baby food in the freezer, I want to make sure our frozen food is in good condition before serving it! I didn’t have a jar, so I just used a small plastic container with a screw-top lid top save space. It seems to be working really well!

Day forty-eight:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834758542/
The process: More exercise? Ugh. Fine. Obviously, there was no way I could repeat this three times through, let alone twice. It’s pretty sad that I’m not even at the level of “intermediate” almost six months post-baby. The thing I do like about this workout, though, is that it would be easy to remember. I could probably memorize what I was supposed to be doing at each step and not have to keep looking back at the computer screen!

Day forty-nine:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835117431/
The process: Since Adam is obsessed with all things potato, I really want to find as many new ways to prepare them as I can.  I made this for myself, just to give it a test run, and all I can say is…wow. AWESOME. It turned out absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to make these for Adam!

Day fifty:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835117342/
The process: These, however, I can live without. Fun fact: I don’t like string cheese. But I do like mozzarella sticks, so I figured if I could find a healthier way to make them, I’d jump at the chance. Maybe I’m just a spaz (yes), but I really made a huge mess of everything when I attempted these. They turned out okay, but not spectacular. I think if I attempt them again, I’ll add some extra seasonings and make a more flavorful dip (I just used honey mustard this time).

Day fifty-one:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834758484/
The process: Obviously, I had to run off the blandy-bland mozzarella sticks. While this wasn’t a particularly difficult workout, it was kind of a pain to have to keep readjusting the settings on the treadmill. I got a little flustered a few times and realized I had it on the wrong setting! I’m sure if I did it again, I’d be better prepared and less, you know…me-ish.

Day fifty-two:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834666030/
The process: This will have to be an ongoing pin, but I love the idea. I do play with Ethan a lot, but since he has become so much more interactive, I wanted to find some new activities and really make a conscious effort to make sure that I am giving him enough consecutive play time. It sounds a little staged and silly, but I set my stopwatch for thirty minutes and really played with Ethan for the entire half-hour. It was kind of amazing – here I was thinking that half an hour would be way too long for an almost six-month-old to play without stopping, but he had a blast each time! What’s more, I felt an even deeper bond with him after the thirty minutes were up. We had a couple of very busy days, so making sure that I was setting aside a block of time to really get down and play with Ethan without being interrupted was a refreshing and much-needed break.

Day fifty-three:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834665635/
The process: I’m still not the biggest fan of eggs in the world, but these are a step towards turning me into one. They’re so simple, they look pretty, and man – they are delicious! Even better, they can be eaten as one-handed finger food. Essential with an infant in the house.

Day fifty-four:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834665508/
The process: Confession: I hate washing fruit. I know it’s important and I know I should be more thorough about it, but it always annoys me for some reason. That’s why I love this pin! Not only does it make washing fruit a no-brainer (and a no-efforter, for that matter), but it’s yet another use for vinegar.

Day fifty-five:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834665505/
The process: I am making all of Ethan’s baby food from scratch, so this pin was really helpful! Anyone who is looking for tips and information about making homemade baby food should check it out.

Day fifty-six:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834642419/
The process: This is another one of those “I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this on my own” pins. Wrapping celery (and other veggies) in tinfoil before putting it in the refrigerator makes it last many times longer. Duh.

Day fifty-seven:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834639543/
The process: Now this is my kind of workout. Walking! I love walking! It’s like running, but easier and without all that silly effort! Oh, wait, there’s an incline and it’s more like power walking. Sigh. Fine. In all seriousness, though, this was a really pleasant workout after way too long of a break.

Day fifty-eight:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834638582/
The process: Because I have a baby, I also have a ton of baby powder! I never knew about most of these uses, so I was keen to give them a try. I chose to try it as dry shampoo on a day where a shower was just not going to happen. It seemed to work pretty well! It’s no substitute for a shower, but it certainly made me feel (and smell) a lot better.

Day fifty-nine:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835137531/
The process: Oh my. Oh yes. Oh yes, please. I absolutely adore figs, and prosciutto is sent from the gods themselves, and ever since pregnancy I have developed a great love for blue cheese. Unfortunately, this pin doesn’t actually link to a recipe, so I improvised: I sliced the figs in half, put a little blue cheese on top, wrapped the prosciutto around, and brushed the figs with a mixture of olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. I then cooked them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, until the prosciutto got a little crispy. They were absolutely divine.

Day sixty:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834210816/
The process: Since I almost always have avocados and goat cheese on hand (and because I had prosciutto left over from the last pin), I finally gave these a try. Surprise, they were delicious!

Day sixty-one:
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994835117350/
The process: I just made these tonight! I used peanut butter that had honey flavoring in it, just to add a little extra “yum” to it. I also added some semi-sweet chocolate chips because I am ridiculous. It’s hard to beat the classic peanut butter cookie, but wow – these turned out SO good. And from making them to baking them to clean-up, the time totaled about 20 minutes!

MBFPCP: Days thirty-four through forty-five

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I fell WAY behind on this. Mostly because I dreamed that I had updated this blog and assumed it was true. That’s what happens when you’re sleep deprived, folks – life goes all Inception on your ass and the lines between reality and dreams get blurred.

So here is my very delinquent post!

Day thirty-four
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834641136/
The process: Not much of a process. Pour tea in ice cube trays, put trays in freezer, and wait. But it really is a smart idea – when tea gets diluted, it just doesn’t taste very good. Adam loves iced tea, so making tea cubes just seemed like a logical thing to do in our house.

Day thirty-five
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834678953/
The process: I suppose this would have been much cuter if I had written a message to Adam, but I didn’t. I wrote “Chunkamunk” (Ethan’s nickname ever since his thighs filled out), just to see if it worked. It did!

Day thirty-six
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834678751/
The process: This is an easy enough way to make the garbage disposal smell better. It’s incredible how much of a difference it made for the freshness of the kitchen. And since it’s such a cheap way to take care of things, why not give it a try? I already had lemons and vinegar on hand and it took almost no effort.

Day thirty-seven
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834667338/
The process: Ethan is still a little bit too young to really participate in sign language, but I still use it around him all the time. This chart is really helpful! He seems to think it’s funny when I sign, but hopefully in a couple of months he’ll start signing back!

Day thirty-eight
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834665982/
The process: Exercise hurts. I don’t wanna. This one is an easy enough workout to complete, but it’s still exercise. So I still hate it.

Day thirty-nine
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834636740/
The process: Cash envelopes are your friend. It’s so easy to spend a few extra dollars on a debit or credit card, but carrying cash makes it impossible. I’d like to stick to cash whenever possible!

Day forty
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834972632/
The process: Okay. I kind of feel like an idiot for never thinking of the whole using-a-pants-hanger-to-hold-my-recipe thing. That’s genius. And it worked wonderfully! I haven’t tried it for a whole cookbook yet, but that’s next on the list.

Day forty-one
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834529602/
The process: I still hate exercising. But this one was pretty fun! Ethan loved swinging around. It’s nice to do something that involves interaction with him – this way I didn’t have to wait until he was napping or in bed to get a workout in.

Day forty-two
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834520800/
The process: NO. I’m sure it works. But ugh. Four minutes feels like a punishment, not a workout.

Day forty-three
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834453266/
The process: Surprisingly, I liked this one. Go figure! And I really felt it the next day.

Day forty-four
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834450934/
The process: I liked this too. I did it three times (once during each naptime) and it was quick and easy…and relatively painless.

Day forty-five
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834450914/
The process: This stuff is delicious, refreshing, and easy to make. Highly recommended – if not for weight loss, for something a little different!

MBFPCP: Days twenty-eight through thirty-three

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For  the next six days of My Big Fat Pinterest Challenge Project, I focused on cleaning with alternative products. When I started nesting during my pregnancy, I ended up spending a small fortune on cleaning products. Now that Ethan is here and will soon be crawling all over the place, I wanted to find a less expensive way to clean with fewer chemicals. Pinterest is chock-full of great suggestions to do exactly that, so I went crazy this week making my apartment shine!

Day Twenty-eight
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834539512/
The process: The idea that I could clean my shower with Dawn and hot vinegar was very appealing since it was much more frugal…plus the pin made it look like a miracle gel. While it was pretty effective in the actual tub, it didn’t work that well on our tiles. There is still some blue stain mixed with the grout. Gross. I’ll have to try one of those magical Pinterest grout cleaners to fix it up.

Day Twenty-nine
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834849157/
The process: This worked so well! My towels turned out fluffy and soft, which they desperately needed since they were starting to feel a bit rough and worn. They’re as good as new now!

Day Thirty
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834678746/
The process: Since my dishwasher is new, it wasn’t quite at the point where it had a bad odor or serious stains. However, I figure it’s better to try and prevent them in the first place, so I gave this pin a try. I guess I can’t really report too much about it since it wasn’t a dramatic difference, but it does seem to have freshened things up a bit.

Day Thirty-one
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834547104/
The process: After all that cleaning, I wanted to pamper myself a little. I mixed some used coffee grounds with an egg white to put on my poor, dimpled thighs – it felt fantastic! My skin certainly felt tighter afterwards. Time will tell if it makes any difference in the appearance. And I must mention (and completely embarrass my husband in the process) that Adam gave it a try on his face and liked it as well. You’ll look ridiculous while it’s on, but it is completely worth it.

Day Thirty-two
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834676397/
The process: This pin came into my life just as I realized I was running low on fabric softener, so I took that as a sign. It seems to be working nicely! I used lavender oil, so it has a very pleasant scent. I’d love to try it with some other scents next time around.

Day Thirty-three
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834678762/
The process: This one was great because I love lemons and always have them in the house. I have always known that lemons are great for cleaning, but I didn’t realize just how effective it would be! I’ve started using lemons on my kitchen counters as well, which has been great for getting rid of small stains, anything sticky, and leaves a wonderful, fresh scent behind.

I cannot recommend using vinegar to clean enough. I mixed equal parts water and vinegar with a squirt of blue Dawn in a spray bottle, shook it up, and cleaned basically everything – windows, mirrors, and counters – and it worked like a charm! But the best thing of all was that to make that entire bottle of cleaner cost about $0.40. Can’t beat that!

MBFPCP: Days eighteen through twenty-seven

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Holy ginormous update, Batman. I’m not going to do honey bunches of pictures for this entry because it’s just too much! And also because I didn’t take pictures because I was too lazy/nothing I did was really interesting enough to justify a photo of its own. So here are the pins for this chunk of the project, complete with a new format for reviewing them!

Day Eighteen
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834626749/
The process: I tried repairing a scratched DVD with a banana. It seemed easy enough, and I was thrilled at the notion of being able to watch a previously-unwatchable movie again. Unfortunately, I think this DVD was just too far beyond repair for even the cleverest tricks, so it was a no-go. I’m sure if the DVD were less deeply damaged, it would have been more successful.

Day Nineteen
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834786225/
The process: I truly dislike exercising. I know it’s good for me and I always feel good after I do it, but working out is torture lite to me. It’s boring and it hurts. But I thought that perhaps a quick workout to some favorite songs might make it a lot more enjoyable…and it did! I chose a couple of songs that make me feel like a badass (for example, the cover of “Immigrant Song” from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and went to town. I definitely felt like I had a decent workout and it went by pretty quickly. Hopefully I can memorize the exercises and their order so I don’t have to keep checking my computer screen the next time I do this.

Day Twenty
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834751238/
The process: I’m not the biggest fan of eggs in the world, but I’ve been eating them more often to try and get some more protein. Of course, hard-boiled egg shells can be a real pain to peel off, so this trick seemed smart. It worked pretty well! I’m still a bit of an eggshell spaz, but it was definitely smoother than usual.

Day  Twenty-one
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834665509/
The process: I love ranch dressing. But I don’t like being chubby. So this seemed like a great way to avoid that particular side effect of the deliciousness that is your average bottled ranch. And oh…my…YUM. It was. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a lower-calorie way to dress a salad or enjoy a dip! The recipe makes quite a lot and it’s absolutely delicious.

Day Twenty-two
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834549568/
The process: Okay, it’s not like this is particularly innovative or difficult, but it was pretty. I wanted something nice for my dining table, so I floated some rosemary in a bowl along with a tea light. It looked quite nice and I felt very fancy.

Day Twenty-three
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834547104/
The process: I drink coffee like it’s my job, so as you may imagine, I end up wasting a lot of coffee grounds. I really didn’t know most of these tricks, so this was a fun pin to stumble across! I made a mask out of the coffee grounds and an egg white. I have no idea if it made me look any different, but it felt nice and it was fun to pamper myself a bit. I should try it on my cellulite-ridden, post-baby thighs and see if that helps…

Day Twenty-four
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834547052/
The process: I’m cheating. I actually started doing this over a month ago. But it WORKS! It works wonderfully! I love green onions and use them a lot, so I figured I’d save a buck and grow them myself. They really do start sprouting in about two or three days, and I’ve been harvesting the same onions this whole time. It’s pretty cool to have them available and fresh whenever I want them! Plus, this is the first time I’ve grown something without killing it almost immediately, so that’s pretty cool.

Day Twenty-five
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834546843/
The process: Since I use my cutting boards all the time, they’re starting to look a little dingy. I love lemons and almost always have them in the house, so I figured it only made sense to give this one a try. It worked like a charm and my boards look (and smell) good as new!

Day Twenty-six
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834546805/
The process: Having a baby means I wash my hands more often than Monk. Before bottles, after diaper changes, and anytime it looks like my fingers are about to become teethers, I wash my hands. While it’s great that they’re clean, they are starting to dry out and get a little rough. I tried this olive oil sugar scrub and it worked really nicely. My hands felt much softer and it was far cheaper than any hand exfoliation system I’ve ever seen!

Day Twenty-seven
The pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/213146994834546394/
The process: Diagram or no diagram, I will never be able to fold these stupid things. Pin fail.

MBFPCP: Days ten through seventeen

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Yikes. I’m a wee bit behind on this. I’ve been doing the equivalent of a project a day, but I have had to double- and triple-up a few times (should there be a hyphen there? Too lazy to Google. Someone just tell me). I am, in fact, caught up through today, but I haven’t actually taken pictures of every project – a couple just aren’t really interesting enough to need a picture from me. The one from Pinterest is good enough (or better).

So, what did I do on days ten through seventeen?

A freaking lot.

I tossed out one more bag of junk as part of my modified “40 Bags in 40 Days” project (which, by the way, I may revisit next year for Lent. Not because I observe Lent, but because it would probably be easier to remember to do it). The bag of junk came from all over the apartment, rather than one concentrated area, so there’s really no point in taking a picture. But after getting rid of 10 very full bags of useless items/trash, I can say that I feel a lot lighter. It’s amazing what a difference a small effort like that can make! It took maybe 10 minutes a day to fill a bag, sometimes less, and it looks so much better.

I attempted to turn a cheese grater into an earring stand, which is a great idea in theory, but it turns out that I really don’t have as much jewelry as I thought I did. Basically, I have a (unpainted. I know. Lazy) cheese grater sitting on my dresser with four pairs of earrings dangling from it. So it looks kind of stupid. Perhaps if I actually paint it and treat myself to a few more pairs of earrings, it will look better.

I made my own air freshener, using baking soda and essential oils. I used peppermint since it’s one of my favorite scents, and it actually worked incredibly well. The scent is strong, but not overwhelming, and it’s ridiculously easy to do. I’ll probably redo it with a prettier container, since right now it’s sitting in a Tupperware container covered in tinfoil. Not terribly attractive.

I did my best to organize my laundry closet with what resources I had. We had been given a set of baskets for a wedding gift, and I love them but have never had a place to put them until now. I was so glad to find a good use for them!

Before

After

Organizing under my kitchen sink didn’t really go as planned since I realized I didn’t actually have any of the materials featured in the pin. But I guess it looks a bit better.

Before

After…not sure why it ended up looking so much more crowded post-organization, but whatever.

Pin fail: I was planning to organize my entryway like in this pin, and I even had a cute wicker basket all ready to go. And then I learned that the basket didn’t fit on the table. So I guess we’ll try that one again some other time.

In attempting to clean and organize my fridge to look more like this, all that happened was me getting very depressed over the fact that there is absolutely no food in my fridge and I really need to go shopping. And I also need to scrub my fridge, so no pictures because it’s kind of embarrassing.

I made these coffee cubes, which are awesome. I liked them a lot – I poured vanilla almond milk over them – but Adam was the one who really freaked for them. He likes coffee but can’t drink much caffeine without feeling sick (and I don’t buy decaf because it’s stupid). These let him get the coffee taste and drink a ton of his beloved milk without overcaffeinating.

Finally, I turned the hangers in my closet around to see what I really wear. I thought this was a great idea since I always have trouble remembering the last time I wore some of my more formal stuff. I’m not wearing much from my closet at all right now, since most is still too small or meant for cooler weather, but I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and get it taken care of now.

So it was an eventful few days. And I know I’m still technically behind, but I promise I’ll get the documentation up as soon as I can. Days eighteen through twenty-five will probably wind up being another big post like this one, since we leave for the beach on the 26th and that will wind up being cocktail week, natch.

If you’ve got any great pins you’d like to share, send ‘em my way!

MBFPCP: Days four through nine

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Okay, so I realized that daily updates were probably going to get really annoying, really fast. So I’m probably going to start consolidating entries about this project into weekly or twice-a-week progress reports so that I can dedicate more entries to what this blog was originally about – parenting and mommying and general baby-related stuff.

But in the interest of showing off my progress with the great decluttering, check it out:

Our desk looks like…well, a desk. The stuff on the seat is our chessboard (which does not currently have a home, but which may end up residing in our closet) and several picture frames that need pictures in them! I’ll get around to it eventually, I’m sure.

This cabinet currently resides in our dining room and has sort of been a catch-all. I’m hoping to use it in Ethan’s room once we move him into it. I think it might be a nice place to store some clothes.

The closet took four bags and four days to complete. I know it doesn’t look all that different, but I got rid of a LOT of stuff and have lots of space now.  I think we’ll be moving a few more items to other parts of the apartment to tidy it up even more. I’m really glad it looks better – it was stressing me out a bit.

Tomorrow, I’m going to fill one more bag o’ stuff to get rid of and then choose the next pin to try…I’m obnoxiously excited about this project. It’s ridiculous.

MBFPCP: Day three

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On this third installment of My Big Fat Pinterest Challenge Project, I attempted to tackle my pantry.

My pantry is ridiculous, so please judge gently.

When we moved here, Adam was in charge of putting pantry items away, so (bless him), there was pretty much no rhyme or reason to where things were. Spices were together, but everything else just would up wherever there was space. What’s more, a lot of waste ended up in there – items that were no longer good, things that we didn’t need anymore, and a few random things that just didn’t belong in the pantry (which I discovered today). So while I am eternally grateful to Adam since he had the daunting task of setting up our home more or less completely on his own, I felt that there was a bit of room for improvement.

The obligatory “before” shots:

Logic: there is none.

This is our upper cabinet, which was basically just stuffed with stuff.

I have to confess that I didn’t actually get a full bag out of this decluttering day. I consolidated some spices (for some reason I had three mostly-empty containers of cinnamon, two of cayenne pepper, and a two sea salt grinders. No idea), rearranged a few things, and tossed out some stuff. The end result?

I know. It doesn’t really look all that different. Honestly, with the pantry, I wasn’t aiming to make it perfectly organized and orderly and logical. I just wanted to improve it a little and start to get it moving in that general direction. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting the pantry in the future of this project, but for today, even this little bit of improvement is enough for me. It feels much better!