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By Aimee, February 26, 2010

If you remember, I decided to take a crack at the 28 Day Organization Challenge. I joined a bit late, but I was somehow able to accomplish it! Here are the very embarrassing before photos of our laundry room:

The room had become a HUGE catch-all space. Storage items always seemed to find there way into the space, as did some other things that didn’t belong. If it’s hard to tell what is in the before photos, here is a quick break down. First, a workout bike took up a bunch of space. This actually belongs in the room when it’s not in use in the adjacent family room. Second, items that actually belong in the kitchen that are hanging out until our kitchen is done. Third, a desk and table that never get used. And that big brown thing? It’s our broken foot board from our master bedroom.

Here are the afters:

I decided to go with the flow… this room seemed to want to be a storage space, so why fight it? I purchased two shelves, and put everything on them. Luckily I already had a few fabric cubes and two fun bags that could store loose items. The top shelves are now holding all the things that will return to the kitchen. The white wicker chest of drawers in the corner keeps linens inside.

The second shot shows the wall where the bike can now easily come in and out of the room. And now that there is a place to store extra laundry supplies, the chest of drawers near the washer has a much neater top.

The desk, table, and the foot board have been moved to the basement where the long term storage is. The foot board will be re-purposed when we rebuild our bed frame which is why we are holding on to it. My husband wanted to keep the other two items because he has a future use for them (or so he promises, lol).  It’s amazing the difference this transformation makes! With more space and no clutter to contend with, I may actually find myself wanting to do laundry!

Edit: I just saw a post that said we need to answer these questions for the Organization Challenge (there are prizes as stake)! So here we go, though this is mostly covered above, I want to make sure I don’t disqualify myself.

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it? The hardest part was figuring out what to do with the space. It had been so many things, and kept getting cluttered. We have had many ideas for the space in the past as well, but I overcame the challenge by giving in. I decided to just go with the flow and let it be a storage space, since that is what ended up happening all the time anyway.

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order? Now that I have actual places to store items, being able to put things away and keep it in order is going to be easy. The main problem before was everything ended up on the floor, or piled on one table. Now everything has a place to be.

3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space? What could be donated went to a local charity. The bigger items were taken to our basement for long term storage, and future use. The bike, which was taking up most of the space, comes in and out of the room when not in use in the adjacent family room.

4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries? I purchased two storage shelves, and everything else were things we already had. I was lucky enough to have two fabric cubes, and two fun totes to use as storage. The cubes hold painting supplies and soap making molds. One tote holds gift bags, while the other holds more crafting items. The chest of drawers in the corner holds extra linens, while the one next to the laundry holds household items like hammers, as well as laundry related items.

5. Why do you think you should win this challenge? It was a big challenge, with a lot to do. Though I would love to win, I feel like I have won already just by getting this space done!

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By Aimee, February 26, 2010

I hear spring is right around the corner. I am more than ready. Winters are not my favorite. It’s cold, the air is dry, the ground is wet, my hands get cracked, bleed, and hurt a lot. It’s hard to find the motivation to do much. All that sounds good is to sip hot chocolate, watch old movies, and try to keep warm.

Granted, this winter has been fairly mild. Other than some very cold weather in December, and a few big snow storms, we have had it much better than last year. I have even seen a lot of our daffodils and iris starting to come up (and we are still getting snow off and on). It’s still cold though. And I miss my garden and being able to play outside.

My husband got me these flowers for our anniversary. A gorgeous bouquet that has all my favorites, including Gerber daisies (which aren’t in the photo). They are bringing a bit of spring to our home. I really loved how the sunset coming through the window was highlighting the flowers. One of those magical moments.

It’s too bad humans don’t take a cue from bears. Hibernation sounds appealing right now, doesn’t it?

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By Aimee, February 25, 2010

We have an icky problem in my office. It’s a problem that we had in the past in my ficus tree. We thought we had fixed it by repotting the tree in brand new, dry dirt (even washing off it’s roots). We remained free from pests for several months, until now.

The problem returned recently after I finally set up our Aerogarden. It hasn’t even been set up for that long, and BOOM! We are deep in an icky infestation of fungus gnats! Here is just a taste of what has been going on (if you find bugs to be gross, you might not want to watch):

Icky infestation from Aimeeroo on Vimeo.

I had actually vacuumed the windowsill, drapes, and the top of the garden about 15 mins before I shot this video. It was actually much worse this morning, which I had to show my hubby. Gross isn’t it? I could not believe how many more there were in such a short amount of time.

I vacuumed again right after, and have also taken wet towels to the windowsill twice again, removing more than I could ever count. I can already see more. Where they are coming from now is anyone’s guess, since the Aerogarden has been emptied and cleaned, and is now banished to the basement. I’m sad though, my plants were doing so well, but if the larvae were in the sponges, the problem would have just kept coming and coming. RIP tomatoes.

And I don’t even know how many little gnats I have squished by hand. They are attracted to light, like most bugs, and come to the computer often. I even think one went in my nose.  I’m pretty sure our bird has been snacking on them as well. It’s gross.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

*Update: We still have tons of gnats, and it looks like the Aerogarden just attracted them from another source. They are still flooding the windowsill and drapes. I see them crawling in the tree pot again, and I am now worried that other plants may be infected as well. Sad.

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By Aimee, February 23, 2010

Book: When Turtles Fly

Have you been watching the Olympics? We have been watching off and on, and of course it is always awesome to see people who are at the top of their profession. Just knowing that each Olympian is the best from their country is quiet inspiring! Did you know that you have a better chance of winning a lottery than you do of winning an Olympic medal?! Those are some crazy odds, aren’t they?

Right before the Olympics started, I got a review copy of a new book called When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out. Written by Olympic gold medalist Nikki Stone, the book features stories from successful people from different kinds of professions, including her own journey.

The book centers on a turtle analogy which comes from Nikki’s mother. It’s called the “Turtle Effect”, and teaches of 3 things a person needs to have to become a success. Each story draws on aspects of the “Turtle Effect” (a hard shell, a soft inside, and a willingness to stick out your neck), and how they have applied to the individual’s life. It’s not just stories from Olympians, though there are many medal holders included in the book, there is a huge range of success stories! Here is just a sample:

• Designer Tommy Hilfiger
• X-Games/Olympic Champ Shaun White
• Jazz musician Branford Marsalis
• Special Olympic Chair Timothy Shriver
• NFL quarterback Steve Young
• Perfect ’10′ gymnast Nadia Comaneci
• Prince Albert of Monaco
• Best-selling author Stephen Covey
• Olympic skiing Star Lindsey Vonn
• Top venture capitalist Vinod Khosla
• Celebrity chef Todd English
• And many more . . .

I really love to read about people’s stories, so I enjoyed this book a lot. Reading about people overcoming their obstacles and reaching their dreams always gives me hope that it’s possible to do just about anything! Of course it helps to have a passion for what you are doing, and you have to be willing to do the work, and this book demonstrates loads of examples of people doing exactly that. You can learn more about the book, and even submit your own story (in the blog invite section), on the When Turtles Fly website.

I think this is one to keep on the bookshelf, ready for reading when I need a little boost to keep working on my passion.

25% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society.