Closets Are Scary...

Even when you know are pretty sure a witch does not live in it. As part of my latest Crazy 8s Challenge, I wanted to do things around the house. And I figured it would behoove me to give you a little update on my first week of this.

If you will remember, I am trying to do something for my house three times a week this month. Sometimes it will be exciting things, like DIYing curtains or a mirror, and other times, it will be a little more mundane. Like what I'm about to share with you.

Last week I focused on three areas in my home that have been overgrowing. Overgrowing with things belonging to husbands, dogs, cats, and spores (gross I know). I figured it was time. Time to (hazardous waste) suit up and get dirty. So I de-cluttered my dresser, de-molded my shower curtain, and de-unorganized my coat closet.

The first two tasks were easy enough, and I'm sorry I don't have before OR after shots. Maybe I will take some later in the day and show off my nice clean shower curtain and my nice (&dusty) clear dresser. Probably not.

The dresser was more of a spur of the moment, Crazy 8s inspired task. It actually happened when I could not find a spot to temporarily place my clean laundry while putting it away. (Or when I could not find a spot to temporarily place my cat when we were cuddling). Either way, I got frustrated. So I not only found a place for all the junk to live permanently (which probably was not the garbage, Babe. Promise. xoxox) but I also got rid of all the the pictures. Put them elsewhere in the house. Cleared that puppy off.

The shower curtain was a problem. We had noticed a little bit of mold on the outside of it in the last few days. We actually were out shopping for a new one (and not finding one we liked) when I decided I wanted to try to kill the mold. So I came home, washed it with bleach in scalding hot water, and it cleaned right up. No more mold. We replaced the shower liner for good measure and called it a day.

Side note. J told me I should not write about the mold. He said "This is R. Simple Life, not R. Gross Life." But it's okay because he barely ever reads the blog.

Now. I thought long and hard about showing you this closet in its before state. I even though about cleaning it up a little and then taking my before picture. But that wouldn't be honest. Not that that has stopped me before :-) So here he is, in all his messy glory, our coat closet.

Yes, we were storing our shoes in a box. And in that green tub. And we were storing old beer bottles (for J's brewing) in there. And our scarves, hats, gloves and mittens had taken over. It was a mess.

We still need a shoe rack. And I personally do not love the hanging cubby holder of outer accessories. But I have yet to find a set of baskets I love, and ditto to a shoe rack. That green tub still holds all our extra shoes, but we did give quite a few away. And in a perfect world, I would have wooden hangers. Shoot in a perfect world, my coat closet would look like this:

Martha Stewart via Avery Design Interiors

Ahh, Martha. Who doesn't love Martha. I don't care that she went to jail, shes still one of my heroes. Anyway, I'm hoping for a more exciting Crazy 8s update next time. Because I just realized how dry this post is. Go grab some lemonade. It will help. How is your Crazy 8s Challenge going?

Crazy 8s FAIL

If you were here a month ago, you will remember my declaration to try new and exciting things, namely CrossFit. The rules were simple -for those of you who wanted to play along- try something new, something fun, something challenging for a whole month. Some things will stick longer than a month, and somethings will not. The biggest rule, however, was to stop if you weren't having fun.

Remember?

Well, I've thought long and hard about this post. I was very tempted to skip right over the progress report from my last Crazy 8s challenge. Just go on to this months. But then I remembered that all important rule. And it was okay.

You may gather that I failed the last challenge. But I'm not calling it a fail. Because I stopped when I wasn't having fun. I followed the most important rule. So really, you could say I succeeded.

Let's start from the beginning. February 8, 2011, I announced to the world blog that I would be trying CrossFit. An awesome workout routine I had wanted to try for quite some time now. I was pumped. I was excited. The following day, I worked up the nerve and went to the gym (in the evening!) for my first CrossFit class.

No one was there. No instructor. Just two people working out. Obviously doing CrossFit, but on their own. With ear phones in. So I got on the tredmill and ran. Waiting for the tardy instructor. Who never showed up. So I ran and ran, and then worked out on my own. And then I went home, defeated.

Next day, same thing. No instructor. Now I was getting frustrated. I wanted some answers. So I searched all over the CrossFit board at the gym to see if there was a name, email, phone number, anything of an instructor. And I found a website. For Vance AFB's CrossFit.

I went home and checked it out. The class times were totally different on the website than they were on my Group Fitness Calendar. Aha! I had figured it out! So I emailed asking what the best way to learn CrossFit was. No reply. I tried going to one more class. Nothing.

Needless to say, I was frustrated. Sure, I could go online and teach myself the workout of the day and do it on my own at the gym. But I wanted someone to show me how best to warm up. Or the proper stance. Or to critique me when I was doing something wrong. So I decided it wasn't fun.

Sure, I probably could have asked one of the people who were there CrossFitting it up. But, and this might come as a shock to some of you, I am deathly shy at times. I've gotten better, being in the Air Force. I have to be outgoing, otherwise I am in for a lonely, lonely life. But at times (in big groups, around people I don't know but who know each other, and anytime I feel vulnerable) my shyness comes out. And I would rather cry than step out of my shell. Seriously, my eyes water. I'm that shy.

Side note, in 5th grade, we had a play about sea creatures. I played the xylophone. I was not on stage. And I still got tears in my eyes and butterflies in my stomach. I'm just that shy.

So I evoked the "if it's not fun, don't do it" rule and I stopped. I want to do CrossFit, and I will do it eventually. Maybe I'll just ask J's friends who used to do it all the time to teach me. Who knows. But it will happen eventually.

But I didn't want to be a total quitter. So instead of making my February Crazy 8s all about CrossFit, I made it all about Duke. My new goal for the month was to take Duke outside, for a walk, run, or just a Frisbee toss, once a day. Duke was pretty happy about this change of events. Some days we went out 2 or 3 times. Others it was only once. Once or twice, we did not get out at all. But it was nice. And it is something I want to keep up.

It keeps Duke sane. Keeps him from chasing his tail or pouncing on shadows. It gives me that shot of Vitamin D. Plus it's something J and I used to do in Colorado all the time. And while he is not always on my walks with Duke, it's just nice to keep that tradition going.


So I'm sorry for those of you who were hoping for a CrossFit analysis. One day you will get one. But for this month, you get Duke.

Moving right along, onto the Crazy 8s challenge for March! I am attempting to do three things for my house every week. What are these "things" you ask? Well, they can be anything from making a new mirror for my entry way to cleaning out the refrigerator, to finding a dresser for the guest room, to going through my closet and donating my old clothes. After this month, I hope to have a better organized, cleaner, and more decorated home. Wish me luck!

What are you going to challenge yourself to do this month??

Put Our Service to the Test

I know, I know, I know that we are not done with the office. I've still got three quarters to play. But I'm working with a shoestring budget (literally) and things take time. And I'm not the kind of girl who has the determination to think about just one room in my house.

I want to redo my guest room. I want someone to visit. And when they do, I do not want them to feel like I stuck them in Duke's room. Or a storage closet. Or jail.

Nothing has changed since I took these pictures. Well, I take that back. I currently have a napping husband in there, a few more dust bunnies, and Millie has moved next door to live with the little girls there. I believe her name is Natasha now.

But it still is cold. And practically colorless. And there is a dog cage in there. So I've been daydreaming a lot about that room lately. So you can imagine my surprise when I found an image that is exactly what I had been dreaming of.

Velvet and Linen via Little Green Notebook

No joke. This is what I dream about. Beige linen upholstered headboards. Hotel-like duvets. Trunks at the foot of beds. And whatever that amazing thing is hanging above the bed, I dream about that too. I just didn't realize it until now.

Obviously, the guest room is white with white carpet. Part of that equation works. The other part, I'll deal with (and find a big area rug). But I have plans.

I have a door in my garage that I salvaged saved from one of the houses they were tearing down over the summer. I've been planning on using that for a headboard since the day I found that big beautiful thing.

I also have a crazy DIY plan to get that amazing duvet for cheap, cheap. Like a birdy. Those of you who are savvy to the DIY will probably have already thought of this a while ago, but I'm not sharing my idea until I finish it and have a picture to show it off.

I'm on the lookout for the trunk. Well, technically, I got one of these for my wedding. But the thing is, it's maker became a daddy before I got it. (Yes, I am still waiting, you know who you are...) ;-)

As for the side table, I'm thinking about moving one of the ones from our bedroom (and both when we move to a bigger house) into the guest room. Won't actually do that until I make my headboard (for our room) and get/make less wood-y bedside tables for our room, so for now I'm keeping the chair. Or maybe I'll find something else. Who knows.

I also want to bring in some DIY curtains (maybe navy blue? Dark brown? White?) to class that window up a bit. Since the view from it is really just my neighbors back yard. And a dresser. Something kind of antique and old looking.

Source

So what. I'm a room floozy. But they are all my rooms, in my house. So I can think about whichever one I want to. Whose going to be our first guest and send me into a panic-induced crazy makeover of this room??

Another Office Redo

I started my new job today, and although it was just a day of training, I am beyond excited to be working for Style Me Pretty! To sum up my first day of work, I sat in my office, on my phone, eating grapes, and trained with two other new girls. And it was a lot more exciting than that sounds, believe me.

While I was sitting in my office for 6 hours today, I realized (again) that this office is b o r i n g. Not just boring, plain. Not just plain, ugly. Not just ugly, hurts my eyes to look at anything in here. I love this room because of the amazing light we get from the north and west facing windows, but that is about all it has going for it. It is a box. A box with a closet. A box with a closet that a boy has been using as his office for the last five months. The only feel/theme/personality this room has is "Undergraduate Pilot Training." Seriously, I have a model of an air plane sitting under the lamp my lovely pilot hubs has had since before I knew him (the lamp, not the plane. We got that a few moths ago from the toy section at Walmart.)

Yes. I know. Horrendous. Tremendously horrendous. Not pretty. So my next step is to redecorate. As we all know, I'm cheap as a little robin, so it will probably be a while before I have enough time to collect everything I want to complete this room. But little by little, it will become the office I will love to work in everyday. It will become pretty and it will look like it belongs to a girl.

Now, I have to make my first decision, and I want your opinion. We all know the rest of my house is Pottery Barn (the look, not the price). It's neutrals, it's a little coastal, it's a little traditional with a teeny, tiny modern twist to it. The question therein lies: Do I do my office with the same feel? Lots of neutrals? Navy blues? Or do I go completely out of the box and style it real pretty and feminine? Or maybe somewhere in between (lets not forget that the man of the house will still be using this room in the evenings for study time)?

Some things to consider. The desk, computer, printer, and probably bookshelves all have to stay. I'm going for low budget here, and that means changing out the decor, hanging curtains, finding the perfect rug, not replacing all the furniture. So think about it. And let me know what you come up with.

Some Light Reading.

Our bedroom gets amazing, warm light between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. We have north and west facing windows in the room and the light just breaks right through the blinds, providing the most amazing place to read in the early evening. While this picture comes close to capturing the light, nothing is as good as the real thing.

I'm really loving our house on Vance AFB.

Movin on up!

I'm thinking the next time I do a tour of our home, I'm doing it cribs style. So much more entertaining. And I'll get to show off all the diet coke with lime in our refrigerator.

Anywho--Here it is! In all its unpacked glory, I would like to introduce to you 1204 Bass Drive.

((Disclaimer: There is no artwork on our walls. I realize this. You must be patient. One day, our house will look like our home. Probably a week before we move. But as I put pictures on the walls, I will update the blog. Please do not look at this video as an idea of my decorating sense, instead view it as an idea of my furniture arranging sense. Thank you for your cooperation.))



It's coming together, yes? Starting to look like a home? This is actually the first sneak peak of the house for J with all our stuff in it too. Do you think he'll like it? I sure hope so! Stay tuned this week for some of the artwork on the walls. I'm moving right along!

Mi Casa es Su Casa

Really that title is from J to me. I'm not on the "lease" to our house. I'm authorized to live here, but I'm not authorized to sign the lease. That's just how military housing works I guess. I'll try not to take it to heart.

Anyway, here it is! Our humble abode!



Yes, the outside is nothing great to look at. We know. But once you get a look at the inside, you'll understand why I'm so excited. I'm like Jessie Spano on caffeine pills.



How much do you love it?! I admit, its a little plain... okay andreally white... and pretty much devoid of any character... but that is all a quick fix. Once I get my decorating hands on this baby, its going to be a gem. A diamond, in fact.

What do you think? Want to come visit? You saw, we have a guest room! Who'll be the first?