Project: Simplify Master closet cleanup...

I'm on a never-ending quest to simplify and de-clutter.  I have to say that things are less cluttered since getting rid of so much before moving, and I really like it.  Once in a while I'll look for something (or Andy will look for something!) and we'll realize that it didn't make the trip out here.  Which also means that my mom and sister had to deal with it.  Sorry!

I have a tendency to be in a rush all the time.  I'm rushing to get the kids to school, to get breakfast made, to get a project done, you know what I'm getting at.  With all of that rushing around things do not get put back the way they should.  So, now there is a big mess!

The main rooms of the house are usually picked up, even if they need a good dusting (which usually happens on a Saturday morning) or another vacuuming (which happens several times a week).

The bedrooms, on the other hand, are the junk depositories.  The kids haul their stuff to their bedrooms and dump it.  I toss things into my room, or closet, and don't get around to putting them away properly until the stacks are threatening to topple over.

Here's where Project: Simplify comes in.  I'm participating in Simple Mom's 5 weeks program to get 5 hot spots dealt with.  This week was just the master closet, which actually took me very little time, two blocks of about an hour each.  Not bad! 

Here is before...See what I mean about the piles toppling over?  And the shoes.  Yikes!

 

Hangers all willy-nilly, and more of the piles

Now for the after...

Voila!

Catching my breath!

We're in our new house, still looking for some furniture, still unpacking and trying to find this and that, and now school has started. Wow. It has been pretty crazy around here, but the dust is starting to settle a little bit.

School started today, and I felt like I was throwing the kids into a den of lions. I SO remember what it was like to be the new kid in school, not knowing ANYbody, not having a history or shared past with a single person on the campus. It's a scary feeling, and they were a little bit anxious. Do they look it? Fez must have been nervous, cuz he NEVER cooperates in pictures, and I have stacks of crazy photos to prove it.



Luckily, they were all sporting their Cons. Sally's weren't her actual Converse (she's got a pink pair) but they were reasonable facsimiles.

Homeless

We made it. We’re here. Whew! Now we’re getting settled in at Nonni’s, just to (hopefully!) find a house in the area that we need. Summer break is so much fun, but the kids are just darn worn out from the lack of schedule and being late to bed and early to rise. Mario had a skinned up knee that needed attention from the keeper of the band-aids (that would be me) and I set him on the edge of the bed, bandaged him up, gave him a kiss and headed back to the kitchen to finish making dinner. In all of the commotion, I didn’t realize that he wasn’t back out with everyone else until we were sitting down to dinner 15 minutes later. I walked back to the room and he was literally passed out, flopped back onto my open book that was laying on the bed, and snoring away. We tucked him into the bed, still wearing his swim trunks, and he was konked out for 12 hours. Wish I could do that!

We’ve been visiting with friends and family, and eating tons. Why does any and every get-together involve food?

I’ve seen some really interesting (read:crazy) things since being here.

1. There are more Prius’s here than I could even begin to count.
   
2. While spending a nice evening at Lake Mendocino with friends, the neighboring group, which included children in the group, kept lighting up their “medicinal marijuana” while letting their pit bull, who was sporting a nice studded choker chain, run rampant all over the area.
   
3. Strange Missouri-ish weather: clouds, rain, cool weather
   

I’m sure there are more, but I’m not remembering them at the moment!
Grandpa has an AMAZING patch of lettuce in his garden and we cut a whole garbage bag full. It lasted all week, and I even gave some away to a couple of people. YUM!

The cousins here are all having fun hanging out, but we miss the Missouri cousins a ton.
I talked to Abrahm on the phone last week and he says, “Aunt Annie, you’re not my best friend.” Sounds mean, but he just cracks me up!