I feel positively ridiculous writing this post, but I’ve received enough emails about the coffee table that it warrants a quick mention. Here goes: Not new. Not special. Seriously, not that big a deal.

That said, I’m happy I was able to pull the wool over your eyes!

Our previous coffee table (also not new, special, or a big deal) was a leftover from my college days. I’m notoriously picky about coffee tables and accepted long ago that I will never find one I like and can afford. When it comes to coffee tables, I have a defeatist’s attitude.

The “new” white coffee table is the Imfors from IKEA, now discontinued. We bought it about five years ago because it was round and somewhat indestructible, the two sad, generic prerequisites I held on to despite knowing coffee tables are hopeless. I bought that table with the same jaded acceptance of a woman who, after too long on the scene, narrows down her requirements in a man to (i) penis and (ii) breathing.

We used it for a few years until we unearthed my college coffee table from storage. It sat under old blankets and a painting drop cloth in the garage ever since.

I knew the coffee table from college wouldn’t work with the Ektorp, so I decided to pull out the white one from the cemetery in the garage as a temporary measure. Originally, the legs were chrome, and something about the chrome and white made it look the cheap price point, especially when placed in front of the white sectional. I decided the solution would be to paint the legs a soft gold or aged brass. You know, put some lipstick on that pig.

It couldn’t have been easier. In fact, I did right before I had to pick up Nicholas from school while wearing heels and talking on the phone with a friend. It really was stupid easy. I was pressed for time, or I would have taken apart the table and spray painted the legs with surgical precision, as is my call in life. Instead, I taped everything off and used a ripped piece of cardboard to block the spray of paint.

Which reminds me, I used spray paint. I won’t describe the time I wasted in several craft stores reviewing my paint options and debating the pros and cons of each, except to say that time is gone forever, never to return. Ultimately, I relied heavily on this post by Kate. I chose the Gold Leaf spray by Krylon. It turned out nice, considering it was a beat up old coffee table.

As for how to spray paint, well, I think John and Sherry have that covered.

Here is a close look at all the dings and a water ring I forgot to wipe down. No idea why I feel compelled to share this image, but there you go. Overall, I really like the table. It’s open and airy and can old Skylanders, which is leaps and bounds ahead of round and indestructible. I feel like my relationship with coffee tables is moving in the right direction. Nicholas even calls it the “nice-ee table.” Of course I asked him why.

“Um, mama? Duuuuh! The legs are made of gold. And that is nice. Nice-ee table.

Oh, to be five.

Even though the Imfors line is no longer available at IKEA, you can achieve the same look with the Klubbo coffee table. In fact, I think that’s what Jordan did in these pictures of her old living room in San Francisco.

Aaaaand, that’s it! The story about my coffee table is officially told. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I haven’t gazed at my navel in at least twenty minutes. I need to get on that.

Love and money are the two motivators for this week’s project.

For a while now, I’ve been uncomfortable with how often the projects I’ve been tackling have benefited me directly and/or indirectly. The work I have done to date has been about making my life easier, which is the main benefit to working towards an intentional home. Today I tackled the home office, also known as the studio in the backyard. I never go out there except to use the fax or pick up something from the printer, especially now that we moved the three bookcases inside. The Mister, on the other hand, spends several hours out there every night.

If you ever wonder how I have the time to blog, it’s because my nights are usually my own after the boys are in bed. My little workaholic spends his evenings working, working, working. In a cesspool.

Here’s what happened.

Last October, during my William Morris marathon, I tackled the books in the office. They haven’t moved since because I didn’t know whether to sell them, donate them, or ship them off to Amazon. (I’m still not sure how the Amazon program works.) Then we moved the bookcases, which required me to empty the bookcases completely.

So maybe I just started chucking things onto the floor after touching over 500 books in one afternoon. Even though the Mister couldn’t see the books on the floor over by my old desk, it bothered me to think of him working for hours in such a cluttered environment. I avoid going out there at all costs, and that’s knowing I don’t need to spend more than a minute or two in the mess.

That’s my explanation for the piles and piles of books.

I have no explanation for his area, other than my once neat-as-a-pin husband has turned into the absent-minded professor with an aversion to filing. That heinous frame (and the picture of me, which isn’t bad) has to be 15 years old. Good gravy.

More importantly, those three pictures are what he sees when he sits in his chair to work. Piles of books in front, and a cluttered printing station at his back. That can’t be good Feng Shui.

I knew without him telling me that working there was stressful (how could it not be!) and I knew the prospect of cleaning out from under the mess seemed overwhelming (been there). So, because I love him and think he deserves a nice, healthy place to work (too much), I cleaned it all up for him as a surprise.

Feeling smug.

Also, feeling sore. I had to sweep the floors, then vacuum them, then wash them twice. Blargh.

The Mister was beside himself when he got home. I’ve got points banked for months! In fact, I’m pretty sure if I asked him to take me to the mall on Sunday he would say yes and then offer to carry my purse.

Earlier I said love and money motivated this project. It’s no accident this week is more about sweat equity versus cold, hard cash. Last week’s project tapped our wells, and I don’t like giving the impression that making an intentional home requires an open wallet. Clean desktops are free.

Organizing the office was as simple as categorizing the books and then storing them in file boxes. We’ll open the boxes and let people go to town when we have our garage sale. The rest will go into the donation pile or Amazon, if I ever figure out the consignment program and whether it’s worth the effort.

We’re close, but not done. Not by a long shot. The drawers and cabinets desperately need to be cleaned out, and three weeks ago we had a cable problem. The repairman’s solution was to drill a hole in our wall when I wasn’t there–and in direct violation of our agreed upon plan–and run a cord through the front of our credenza, which is why the door won’t shut. Sigh. That will need to be addressed, as will the 293893853 feet of device cords hiding behind the partially closed doors.

Progress, not perfection.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

In January I detailed the projects I wanted to tackle with The William Morris Project. I had this to say about the family room:

Family Room: A cozy, embracing room where bodies sink into stuffed sofas and chairs to read books and watch movies. The lighting is plentiful, flattering, and comfort reigns over form. 

I had a laundry list of requirements, but the most pressing to me was changing the color of the walls and finding storage for our books. I couldn’t tolerate that sickly green-yellow one more minute and I had books stored in every room and on every surface. Two weeks ago our fish tank developed a slow leak. We  bought a new tank but decided to paint the wall behind it before putting it in place to avoid painting around it when we eventually repainted the family room. (Moving a full tank can damage the structural integrity and create slow leaks. Learned that the hard way.) Painting that wall the same calm, soothing gray of the living and dining was all the inspiration we needed to finish the room…sort of.

Finishing the room…sort of…is what we did at IKEA on Sunday, and why I have been so quiet (frazzled! short tempered!) this week. I was trying to have everything spick and span and pretty for today, but there was just too much to do. I still think it looks fantastic, though, which is why ugly rooms are so convenient. They make half-done rooms shine.

A few before pictures for those longing to feel the impact of cat urine walls and sharpie-colored sofas.

These aren’t entirely current–we move furniture around often–but close enough. Also, those pictures don’t really communicate the air of “social security office” we had going on. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

Here is how it looks now.

We bought a white ektorp sectional. I did many months of research on it, read numerous glowing reviews, and liked the idea of rotating slipcovers in more luxurious fabrics from companies like Comfort Works. We planned on a sofa and love seat, maybe in mixed styles, but there wasn’t enough room once we finally bit the bullet and fixed that book storage problem.

What’s that? Did someone say home library?

I came {this} close to making our dining room a library in our first home, but I chickened out. I was too worried about what the neighbors would think, which twelve years later sounds extraordinarily stupid.

We pushed the sectional about 3.5 feet from the wall, took three Billy bookcases we had in our office in the backyard, brought them inside, and added two more. In January we decided to save up for built-in bookcases on that wall. This is our test run to see if we would like it. We like it.

We like it from every angle.

We have been saving up for a china/curio cabinet for some time now, but I can now display many of my most treasured possessions, some holding nothing more than sentimental value, on shelves with my other most treasured possessions. We save money and I get to be surrounded by everything I love like a little pack-rat. Win-win.

Here is a shot of our little hallway. It’s about 2 feet. The dogs like to hang out back there.

There is room for one more bookcase. We held off to cushion our budget and because my desk will make the bottom shelves somewhat inaccessible. If we don’t buy another bookcase, I will hang photographs or art in its place. We are also saving up for the glass doors to help with dust control.

The area above my desk remains a clean slate. I’m debating how to decorate the wall, though even if I had a concrete plan it would have remained unrealized this week. Purging and organizing the books (all in alphabetical order, by subject) took me close to 9 hours. All told, I touched over 500 books on Tuesday. There are more in the office, but those I’m selling or donating.

A few months ago on Twitter someone mentioned they bought a Kindle because they had way too many books. “Like, 50, guys. Not even kidding!” I laughed.

There is still plenty left to do, despite the tens of hours I put into the family room this week. We need window treatments, toss cushions, overhead lighting, a little of everything on the fish tank wall (Exhibit A), and we haven’t even painted the TV wall (Exhibit B). Let’s not talk about how the rest of the house looks (Exhibit C).

Still, having said that, this room already feels like us. The boys are over the moon in love with “the library.” I’m so pleased with how everything is coming together. And let me tell you, it’s not often this perfectionist is gentle enough with herself to acknowledge her efforts didn’t turn out half bad.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

While it is true I regularly use the party plates my mom pressured me into buying, I still buy paper plates on rare occasions. For example, this past Christmas most of the Mister’s family came to visit. His dad and one sister plus husband, to be specific. I have to be specific because that brings the total body count to twelve, and one night we were hosting his brother/wife, sister/husband, us and the boys and we don’t have enough plates what are we going to do?!

What are we going to do?!?!

You know how you have people coming over and something happens that falls outside your expectations for the night (like having more people than plates) and suddenly every rational braincell you’ve ever possessed sticks to the steam shooting out your ears and leaves you with synapses that can only shoot blanks?

That happened.

I ran out before everyone came over and bought super cheap, plain paper plates and plastic utensils and used them to eat molten polenta with chicken and sauce. The heat went through the plates and marked the table.

In my panic over People v. Plates, I forgot the 40-50 plates we already owned. This sounds silly, forgetting that you own enough plates to open a small restaurant, but it’s true. I completely forgot their existence.

And that’s because they sure as heck weren’t in the cupboard. They were with my mom, neatly stacked in her cabinets, waiting for the moment I could fit more than a monofilament in mine without causing a ceramic avalanche.

As I was writing yesterday’s post, I truly and with all sincerity, said to myself, “I wish I could store our party plates at home. It would be so convenient.”

Oh, honey.

You could try storing the two serving bowls you forgot you had with the other serving bowls. You could donate the baby plates and bowls you never use. You could move the teas you never drink to the beverage cabinet. (Maybe then you’ll remember to detox your kidneys with peaches and dandelions?) Then you can wipe everything down, put things back, and see if you have enough room to store your precious party plates.

Well what do you know. Will wonders never cease?

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

Mikey’s first birthday party was the first party my husband and I hosted as a couple, and by that point we had been together for almost 7 years. We had people over for dinner, of course, but never a party. Nothing to celebrate our 30th birthdays, my law school graduation, holidays, or whatever other reasons people use to come together. We’re both introverts who avoid being the center of attention.

That’s not to say that I don’t go all out. I do, and Mikey’s first birthday is proof. Sad, sad, proof. I went a little nuts. I invited, oh, everyone we ever knew. I had it catered, had special invitations made, had two outfits for him to wear, and, because it was an Argentine Gaucho theme, had Helena bring over her saddles and bales of hay so the kids could have their pictures taken.

Ever since then, overly produced themed birthday parties leave a bad taste in my mouth.

The one thing I did right was listen to my mother regarding tableware. She felt strongly that paper plates and plastic utensils were a waste of money. She finds them unattractive, flimsy, and bad for the environment. True on all counts, but I didn’t see where we had a choice. She did. In the clearance section of Target she found brightly colored ceramic plates in several patterns. She found matching melamine ones for the kids. She bought enough for everyone attending, and taught me this lesson.

Buy real party plates in fun colors that will work for most party themes. In our case, primary colors since most boy themes (cars, super heroes, animals, etc.) are usually red, blue, green, and yellow. Use them every time you have a party.

I’ve used those plates for birthday parties, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, large dinners, summer barbeques, and ill-fated attempt at Bunco, to name a few. All you need to do is change the flowers and a few incidentals to create a totally different look. Believe it or not, the table never looks the same.

Last year I took that same philosophy and made party decorations I could use again and again, no matter the occasion. I’ve used them at least twice since then, and I am always asked how I made them. They’re easy to make, and I made sure to make them in such a way that you can turn your product waste into party decorations, too.

Here are instructions to make your first set of party decorations.

Here is what you’ll need. Everything (for all the projects in this post) is available at large craft stores, like Michael’s or JoAnn’s.

• Card stock. Do not buy scrapbook paper. You’ll be tempted by the cute patterns, but scrapbook paper is thin enough to curl easily, and it won’t withstand years of use as well as card stock. Speaking of patterns, avoid those with words, letters, or anything that would look silly upside down or cut in half. You’ll be making precise cuts, and an upside-down headless dog won’t look cute on a banner. Unless you’re Tim Burton.
• Yarn. You can use other fibers as well, but you can buy a pound of yarn for around $5.00, and that’s more than you will ever need.
• Glue sticks. Buy the ones with a “no wrinkle” formulation.
• A ruler. You’ll be measuring, so a simple straight edge will not work here.
• A hole punch. Any shape, just make it large enough to thread yarn.
• A cutting device. I recommend a rotary cutter to make quick work of the project. If you don’t have one, you can use the ones at a copy center for free. You can also use an exacto-knife or scissors.
• Buttons. You’ll see.

Fold your card stock in half. You want paper thick enough to stand on end, but not so thick that it cracks when creased.

Take your ruler and a pencil and along the folded side of your card stock make light marks at 0, 4, 8, and 12 inches. Obviously the 0 and 12 inch marks are the ends of the paper. They aren’t necessary, but I still do it.

Next take your ruler and pencil and along the open side of your card stock make light marks at 2, 6, and 10 inches.

Finally, take your ruler and pencil and connect the marks at 0 and 4 on the folded side of your paper with the mark at 2 on the open side of your paper. Do this for all the dots. You’re basically making triangles. Or, like Nicholas noted, a giant zig-zag.

Tip: do this with a light hand. I made sure my lines were dark so that you can see them. If your lines are faint, you won’t see them later. If they’re heavy, you’ll become intimately familiar with your erasure.

Cut out your triangles and separate everything into three piles. You’ll have a pile of doubled-sided folding triangles, single-sided triangles, and goofy triangles.

Grab the double-sided triangles first and lay them out to determine a pattern. You can also wing it.

Determine the length of your banner. Pull that amount of yarn and add an additional 8″ on each side for tails. Lay it out on a large table and position your triangles. See how you like it. I don’t cut the yarn at this point in case I want the banner longer or shorter.

Apply plenty of glue to your triangle and press down firmly for a few seconds before moving on to the next one. When you are done, cut the yarn and finish off the ends with buttons.

Are you ready for your second set of decorations?

The second set of decorations uses the single-sided triangles. The first banner looks great from every direction and can hang from ceilings, across walkways, etc. Banners made from single-sided triangles are better suited for hanging against walls, furniture, or anywhere you won’t see the backside.

These are the most popular homemade banners I have seen. They are often made from scrapbook paper, which is fine if you don’t plan on using them for multiple parties/years. You already know the drill, I’m sure. Prepare your yarn as detailed above. Take your hole punch and punch holes at each end. Thread your yarn like a running stitch and finish with buttons.

(See the pencil marks on the orange triangle?)

Congratulations! You have banners!

(I’ve spread out the triangles a bit in the middle to show you both doubled-sided and single-sided banners can be adjusted for spacing after they are already made.)

We have two more decorations to go before we use up all our card stock. Here is your third set of decorations.

Using the entire pack of 48 sheets of card stock will get you a grip of triangles. You can use them all to make banners, but you can also use some of them to make a fun chandelier garland.

You’ll need

• Three paper punches in sizes ranging from 2″ to less than 1″
• Baker’s twine, #10 size yarn, jute, etc. You need thin fiber, in other words. Embroidery floss is too thin.
• Glue in low or wrinkle free formulation.

Cut your baker’s twine in roughly 18″ lengths. Punch fun shapes from your scraps, making sure you have enough for a front and back side. Generously glue each side, press down firmly, and wait a few seconds before moving on to the next one.

Allow them to dry, and then hang them from your chandelier. You won’t use buttons to finish these off. Instead, trim the twine to the very edge of the bottom shape, like this:

Here it is all together.

What’s that? You see the fourth set of decorations? Yes, just take your triangles–even the goofy ones–and thread them on skewers to make quick cake flags. Easy.

Now, go throw a party!

Two weeks ago during Mikey’s spring break we pulled into the Stater Bros. parking lot to buy…I can’t remember. I can’t remember because as I gathered up my purse and phone Mikey called out, “Mom, look! There’s Father Paul!” And my head shot up, surprised, because seeing your priest in a supermarket parking lot is something that doesn’t compute. I know priests do things like eat and sleep and use the bathroom. They even have cars, which they use to drive. All of this I know logically, but somehow seeing Father Paul dart in between cars in an old Letterman jacket and sneakers was on par with bumping into a centaur in the produce department.

So Mikey called Father Paul over, and it pleased me to see how happy he was to see Mikey. I watched him for a second squeeze between two cars when it hit me. My car was a disaster. A total Mom Car.

No. Nonononononono!

“Okay, Mikey! Out of the car! Let’s go! Hurry up. Hurryuphurryuphurryup.” I tried to sound sing-songy and chirpy, casual even, but the overall effect was shrill. The  mountain of toys, clothing, and baseball gear did nothing to speed up Mikey’s exit, so to my great dismay Father Paul approached our car and–in slow motion, surely it was in slow motion–opened Mikey’s door to help him out.

Out came Mikey, stumbling over a Hot Wheels, followed by a trail of detritus rivaled only by the trash vortex of the North Pacific.

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. My car is as dirty as my soul.

It’s a slippery slope, these mom cars. You toss snacks into the back seat for them to eat between school and baseball practice. I let them bring a toy (I said just one!) when I rush them out of the house to run errands. They bring home paperwork and leave it on the seat next to their jacket on top of their glasses. They get thirsty and hungry and cold and hot and bored. And I, I just get apathetic. Sometimes forgetful. Who knows. All I know is that the back seat and trunk of my car had three jackets, four hats, three sweaters, two blankets, four baseball bats, two baseball bags, five baseball gloves, two books, twenty hot wheels, some Star Wars heads and action figures, two chairs, a watch, a missile, and a sword.

Oh, and some coloring pages and potting soil. A first aid kit. I used to have jumper cables, but who knows where those went. They’re probably in the same spot I left my dignity.

In the front seat, which I admit doesn’t always look like this, were 12 or so books to return to the library, receipts, and a magic 8 ball. That magic 8 ball saw a lot of use the last couple of weeks.

The next day I went to WalMart for car organizing supply “things,” because if there is ever a place one should go to for a boost in self esteem, it’s WalMart. You can’t walk out of there without feeling at least a little smug. A little dirty, too, but everyone knows sanctimony becomes before squalor in the dictionary.

I bought a version of these back seat pockets and this trunk box. Then I spent an hour cleaning out the truck. After that, I took the truck to the car wash for an express detail. I didn’t have that special polish to clean the plastic panels that are fading from the sun, nor did I have the high powered vacuum to suck up all the dust and dirt from baseball season. (I tried using my household vacuum with little success.) Also, most important of all, I completely lacked the motivation or desire to clamber around my truck like a tree monkey with a soapy sponge.

After paying someone to do all the hard work, I set about organizing the truck.

I have been meaning to buy backseat organizers for 8 years now. Finally did it. Yay me? Given the 2,920-day delay, I really wanted to love them, but I don’t. They’re okay, I guess. I would have liked something a little less janky, but these are the only pockets my WalMart carried, and I’m still mad at Target. I’m not much of an online shopper.

The trunk organizer is a different story. That one is well constructed and quite handy.

Two weeks later, and the car is still as clean as the day I had it detailed. I’m shocked! Not bad for an 8 year old truck with 84,000 miles. I thought for sure the boys would bring back in the vortex, but so far they seem as eager as I am to keep the truck clean. Of course, Mom Stink Eye might be motivating them a wee bit more than the glory of an uncluttered floor, but I can’t be bothered by such trivial details.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

Short answer: No clue.

When the Mister and I were first married, stainless steel refrigerators were just coming into style. Appliances like stoves and ovens, I think, were still white. If they came in stainless steel, they were probably expensive and definitely not included in our new, builder basic 1100 square foot home. We bought a white side-by-side refrigerator, a Kenmore, and for the life of me I can’t remember what we did with it when we moved. We might have given it to a friend.

When we moved to this house, our standard size refrigerator dwarfed the room. We had to buy something counter depth if we planned to use the kitchen for activities like cooking, standing, and opening cabinets. I was thrilled. By God, this time I was going to have a fancy food cooler right off the runway, or where ever it is they reveal newly designed appliances. We bought a stainless steel French door/armoire refrigerator, which we now affectionately refer to as “that thing that blows.”

“Worst decision ever” for short. I’m sure many of you have a similar refrigerator, and I am sure many of you adore your bottom freezer. You’re crazy. Kidding! (AM I?)

Armoire refrigerators look nice. Theoretically, you have more room up top to store large trays of food. It’s nice to have all your food at eye level and if you have a narrow kitchen, like me, the small doors are a must. That said, this fridge gives me the fits.

1. The left door never closes. You have to firmly shut the door; swinging it closed isn’t enough. We had to set the alarm to alert us when the door is open after we woke up to a thawed refrigerator one morning. None of the other refrigerators I’ve owned have come with doors alarms. Why? Because the doors shut.
2. Although the width up top is nice, the counter depth never allows me to store much. I feel like I am always shifting things around to get a good fit.
3. In order to see anything in the fridge or access the food, I have to open both doors. That wouldn’t be a problem if one of the doors shut properly.
4. The freezer. My God, the freezer.

The bottom drawer is too deep to remain tidy.

The top drawer? The top drawer isn’t a top drawer. It’s a large basket (with an ice maker) that sits on two ledges. You slide the basket (and ice) along the ledges. No tracks, no rails. Just ledges. It doesn’t take a physicist to realize what will happen to the contents of a large, heavy basket allowed to slide on plastic ledges. The basket swings left or right depending on the hand you use. The contents get jostled. Ice always falls to the floor. Always. It’s a pain. So much so, we never slide the basket out. We just blindly pull out or push in food and ice as we need it. Hence, that mess above.

Which ended up on my counter for a super fast 30-minute purge. That’s the good thing about cleaning the freezer. Once you start, it’s not like you can get sidetracked. You’re working under a time constraint. Which brings me, in a round about way, to what I hate most about bottom freezers.

The gunk that collects at the bottom. Note the ice from the sliding basket.

Yes, all freezers collect gunk at the bottom, even side-by-sides. But with side-by-sides, you need only remove the bottom basket to clean it out.

To clean out a bottom freezer–at least mine–you have to take it apart. That’s exactly what I want to do on a rainy Wednesday. #Sarcasm.

I used a broom to sweep out most of the gunk, which I picked up with a dust pan and tossed. Then I scrubbed down the interior and wiped down the top basket.

I wiped down the bottom basket and door, too. As you can see from the condensation forming, I was quickly running out of time. Luckily, I purged all the food first because putting the refrigerator back together almost killed me. Not physically, but I swear it almost broke me mentally. It was just like putting a drawer back in your dresser, only the drawer is twice as wide, three times as tall, and five times as heavy. Getting both sides on the track = total bear. But I did it!

I put all the fruits, vegetables, and random tub of unopened Cool Whip I do not for the life of me know why I own (must have bought it for a recipe?) in the top basket.

On the left bottom basket I have most of my flour. I have another large bag in a refrigerator in the garage. On the right I keep rice and meats, which I admit look meager. I will also keep chicken carcases there, which I save after roasting and then turn into stock.

Many people buy additional baskets to store foods inside their freezers, but I didn’t do that for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t want to spend the money. Two, my freezer baskets have sloping sides, so if I bought straight-sided baskets I would not be utilizing all the available space.

I know some of you must be wondering what type of refrigerator I would like. Not the side-by-side. I can’t get anything to fit in those, either. This is going to sound crazy, but I really like the good ol’ fashioned top-freezer models. Of course, Smegs are pretty. But even the basic jobs you get at Sears are great, if you ask me. I have one in the garage, and I get so much use from it. The top freezer is much easier to organize and the fridge cabinet itself is cavernous. I feel like I could store a body in there and still have room for pickles. Something the neighbor with the loud music and even louder dog would be wise to consider.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. There are buttons to add to your post or sidebar, too, thanks to the lovely Alex, of Type A Calligraphy. Let me know if you would like one for your site. Please link the buttons back to Pancakes and French Fries.
5. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

Saturday was cold and rainy, but Sunday was glorious. I planned on finally potting my cacti this week (eighteen months and two plant-deaths later), but the garden center at Home Depot proved irresistible. I bought one or two or 30 or so items that weren’t on my list.

I’m not the only one obsessed with planting this week. John and Sherry worked on their patio, and The Nester published a micro-series on how to decorate with plants. As for me, I have had a longtime love affair with plants. At one point, I had almost 20 houseplants scattered around the house. Over time, that number dwindled to 4 sad, root-bound cacti. I grabbed one of the lavender pots from IKEA, bought a few succulents, and gave my remaining green friends a new home on the dining table.

The pot is a bit crowded, but I’m hoping everything will grow large enough for me to split and replant.

Next, I did something I’ve been talking about for well over two years, probably three. I bought a fiddle leaf fig tree (Ficus lyrata).

He has a commanding presence.

I’m a little nervous taking care of such a large tree, but I have it in front of two windows where it should get enough light (eastern and northern exposure).

I’m very happy with my new houseplants. I want to buy more.

Moving outside is just depressing, but I have no choice but to show you the before.

I present to you seven years of gardening failure. The planter in the first two pictures receives northern exposure. The three year-old asparagus fern gets plenty of light and because that planter suffers from poor drainage and receives the bulk of the water runoff from the back yard, I water it only during the summer. The planter in the second picture is much larger (twice what you see here) and receives both northern and western exposure. The soil is dryer, more compact. The asparagus fern in this planter doesn’t fair as well from my neglect. Everything I have ever planted over the course of seven years has died.

Gardening is one of the few physical activities, aside from tennis, where I enjoy myself so much that I lose track of time. I don’t have any pictures of me clearing out the planters, but I did. I do have a picture of the asparagus fern root system. I decided to transplant them to the backyard. I split the roots and planted those, as well. I’ll have several more ferns next year if all goes as planned.

I’ve always planted for western exposure in the past, mainly because in my area we have light and heat. This time, I picked shade plants like impatiens, ornamental grasses, and calla lilies. The bird, which reminds me of the Mockingjay from The Hunger Games, is all Nicholas.

I don’t like the xanadu philodendrons the guy at Home Depot convinced me to buy. They look leggy and odd. I might transplant them to the backyard and replace them with Kimberly ferns. I’ve had ferns for three years now, and really wanted something different…but not these giant green tarantulas. The impatiens and calla lilies on the left, where the drainage is poor and the soil swims, are thrilled. They’re out there and loving every minute of it. The lilies and impatiens that receive just a touch of western exposure are not amused.

Come on! What a bunch of wimps. The high this week hit mid 70s. Mid 70s! Just wait until September, sweetheart. I gave everything a good soak at around 4:00pm. I went out shortly after 10:00 pm the same night and the calla lily almost looked normal. I can see this summer will be spent watering the planter on the right.

Not that I’m complaining (too much). I spent six hours gardening, received two spider bites, and annihilated my manicure, but it sure was fun.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. There are buttons to add to your post or sidebar, too, thanks to the lovely Alex, of Type A Calligraphy. Please link the buttons back to this site.
5. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

I had big plans for this week. Big! I bought a rug and then accessories. I drove to IKEA and deliberated between finishes. Then I sat down on Tuesday to put together my Swedish find from China only to realize 15 minutes later that I had two right panels instead of a right and left. I quadruple checked my work and called the store to confirm that, yes, I bought a world-wide manufacturing error that wouldn’t get resolved before Friday. Oh well. Maybe next week.

On Wednesday I created a Plan B and worked towards wrapping up some odds and ends in the kitchen. I replaced the plastic containers I talked about last week with glass, stocked up on the canning jars I use to store almost everything, bought storage lids for the jars, and made two other small purchases I’ll talk about in a bit.

One project always leads to another, so I cleaned out the refrigerator, too.

It looks good from afar, but it’s far from good on the inside. The woman who used to clean our house said that before she did her weekly shopping, she deep cleaned her refrigerator top to bottom. Everything came out and she washed and disinfected the interior. While the refrigerator dried, she went through all the food (now on the counter) and tossed anything old or near expiration. Then she put everything back and made her grocery list. She made Martha Stewart look lackadaisical.

“Well,” I said, “that’s why you do what you do for a living, and why I pay you to do it.”

I miss her.

Cleaning out the refrigerator seemed like it would take a while, so I decided to first tackle the small projects to gain a sense of achievement. The first thing I did was lay out our new Dish Drying Mat. We’ve always used towels before, and aside from the inconvenience of having one less towel, we ran the risk of damaging our cabinets if the towel failed to hold all the water from drying dishes. Because of the way our sink sits, drainboards don’t work. We’ve never had a problem using just towels, but I wanted a proper dish mat. Done and done. I think it looks nice and simple, and it’s very absorbent. What a difference from using a towel! I love it. As far as dish mats go, of course.

Next, I hung a little towel bar on one of the cabinet doors (the cabinet doors I need to replace with news ones sitting in the garage). I’ve wanted one since August 28, 2008. I know the date because that’s when Nicole revealed her kitchen remodel, and I asked her about the towel bar. She said, “I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond!” I said, “Cool, I’ll go pick one up!”

Exactly three years and 8 months later, I did.

Tackling the storage drawer was a breeze. I decided to buy the Pyrex brand glass containers. The price worked better with my budget, and the BPA-free plastic lids don’t bother me as much as it would to store glass lids in a small drawer. It looks like I went from thousands of containers to just a few, but I only lost four pieces. Everything fits so nicely that the drawer seems cavernous. I’m going to buy a few ultra-small containers, and so that everything fits I’ll store the lids underneath the containers. Right now there is enough room for them to hang out on their sides.

The last task I used to procrastinate involved transferring nuts into canning jars. Fascinating! I ran out of canning jars months ago, but kept forgetting to buy more. I use them to store nuts and seeds in the refrigerator and pasta sauces in the freezer. I noticed Tamar Adler used them in the videos I shared yesterday to store her food for the week, so I figured now was as good a time as any to buy more. They are so inexpensive. I love canning jars.

And then, the refrigerator. It didn’t take as long as I feared. It never does.

Much better. The second picture is a close up of my canning jars so you can see how I store my nuts and seeds (I use them in salads). You can also see the BPA-free storage lids I finally remembered to buy. I drove ten miles out of my way to buy those things, but they’re worth the $200 extra I had to spend in gas. The standard silver ring and lid that comes with canning jars rusts easily. These plastic lids will last much, much longer and they are infinitely easier to use.

Now all I have left to do is the freezer. Dear God, the freezer.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. There are buttons to add to your post or sidebar, too, thanks to the lovely Alex, of Type A Calligraphy. Please link the buttons back to this site.
5. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.

Today’s project is something I wanted to do in October. I didn’t, but I can’t remember why. It might have been because I forgot, or it might have been because this isn’t a project with show stopping results. When you are doing one project after another, a pretty “after” is a lot like a pat on the back. This project, organizing potatoes and onions, is a lot like your mother leaning over and picking the lint off your shoulder. Annoying, but helpful.

To the left of our sink is a lazy-Susan cabinet where we keep our casserole dishes and the potatoes and onions. Right now, the potatoes and onions sit in plastic mixing bowls (sometimes in their plastic store bags, sometimes not) and slowly rot from abandon. My mom has always stored these cellar vegetables in two separate baskets in her pantry and, to her credit, rarely has a problem with rot. Of course, potatoes and onions wouldn’t dare defy her will by getting soft or sprouting greens. And, if they did, heaven knows my immigrant mother wouldn’t let a little thing like decomposition stop her from making dinner. No food goes to waste. Ever. Slice off the mold! That sprout is good luck! Quit being a baby!

I don’t have the space to store my vegetables in a basket in the pantry, but I realized shortly after our kitchen remodel in 2007 that I could store them in small baskets in the lazy Susan cabinet. It’s 2012 now, so, you know. Tick-tock! (Hunger Games)

I pulled everything out and vacuumed out the cabinet. I didn’t put anything in the donate pile. I use everything here, perhaps infrequently. I’m not really a casserole person, yet I seem to have several. Honestly, the French white Corningware dishes were a wedding present for an acquaintance whose wedding we missed at the last minute. I tried for a while to meet up with her, but our schedules never connected and when we would bump into each other on the street, it’s not like I had the dishes in my purse. She later divorced. I use them now to store leftovers from dinner.

I dream of a plastic-free kitchen. In fact, I emptied out my tupperware drawer today intent on cleaning it out. I changed my mind at the last minute. I didn’t have everything I need to replace the plastic and I felt rushed, like I was doing the project for all the wrong reasons.

I’ve been housebound for a week now, and today was no different. Nicholas has the stomach flu and Mikey is recuperating from the flu I had last week. They’re doing fine, but I couldn’t leave the house for baskets. In the end, I think that was a good thing. I’ve put this project off for 5 years, and searching for the perfect basket sounds like something I would do to procrastinate. I found this old fashioned picnic-like basket in the garage and used it to toss in all my potatoes and onions.

I panicked a bit about mixing the potatoes and onions and even researched it on Google. The jury is still out on whether I did it for curiosity or to extend this project to six years instead of five. My gut says procrastinate, because in the 12 years I have mixed potatoes and onions like a pimp I never once pondered the ramifications of this crime against nature. In case you are curious, research says no, you should not store potatoes and onions together because the chemicals they release hasten hasten spoilage in the other. Research also says 99.9% of homeowners who don’t have underground cellars or large pantries store their potatoes and onions together because life is too short to worry about root vegetables.

All together now: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

In researching storing potatoes and onions, I did find these storage canisters, which are all the rage on sites like ChowHound, The Kitchn, and popular remodel websites. They’re cute, but large and expensive. I would consider buying them if I wasn’t so averse to items cluttering up my counter. I only have a few precious feet to work, and having large ceramic crocks (pretty though they may be) monopolize my work area would drive me batty.

1. Please link to a specific post, not a general blog address.
2. Your post must relate to your efforts to create an intentional home. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it.
3. No links to giveaways, please.
4. There are buttons to add to your post or sidebar, too, thanks to the lovely Alex, of Type A Calligraphy. Please link the buttons back to this site.
5. Let’s use this weekly link up as an opportunity to gather inspiration and motivation. Click links. Discover new people. Say hi and good job. I know I will.