The Cluttered House

For KJ, On Your First Mother's Day Without Your Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 May 2015 15:27:00 +0000

Dear KJ--

Today sucks. I searched for a more eloquent way to put that, but everything falls short of how much today, well... Sucks. I know it. You know it. Anyone who has loved and lost their mom knows it.

You have been on my mind so much lately-- a fact helped, I'm sure by all the little reminders of your mom that I see in my own life. Gentle nudges from the beyond, I'm sure. I can almost hear your mom's voice saying "reach out to KJ, she is having a hard time," the way she did when she was still here.

I have no advice that will make today, or tomorrow, or the rest of your life without your mom easier. I'm not going to tell you that your mom wouldn't want you to be sad. True, no mother wants her child to feel pain, nor would you mom want you to spend the rest of your days in perpetual grief. But, your mom also knew the crushing pain of losing a parent she loved. She knew what it felt like to have the whole world go sideways for a while. She knew what it was like to grieve when also trying to deal with physical illness and all the crap life decides to throw at you because life is a jerk and insists on continuing even when you want it to stop. She wouldn't tell you not to be sad. She would instead give you love and support and understanding and, truth be told? A couple glasses of good wine.

Sweet girl, you have had the rug pulled out from under you and the pain of hitting the ground so unexpectedly is immense. You look around and feel like not only did someone pull the rug out from under you, but they stole all the damn furniture too! And all you are left with is this big empty room. And none of your well intentioned friends and family seem to understand the pain of being in that room. Sure, all of us who loved your mom now have an empty room/library/wine cellar with your mom's name on it, but no two rooms are the same. No one knows how big or small someone's grief room is. And while we can empathize we don't fully understand.

But here is what I do know. This too will pass. Clichéd? Yes. True? Also yes. This does not mean that there will ever be a time you don't miss your mom so deeply that you think your heart might split in two. It means that tomorrow, you will wake up and, CONGRATULATIONS!!! You survived your first Mother's Day without your mom. And you'll survive all the other shitty milestones this year will offer. And you'll survive all the other milestones that follow the first year. And you WILL get through this.

I promise you, that even now as you feel crushed by the weight of living in this world without your mom and trying to figure out who you are without her here, you will eventually make your way out of the empty room and into the hallway. That door will always be marked mom. Eventually, you will be able to walk down the hall, see that door and have it not knock the wind out of you (though it still will from time to time, because, as I mentioned earlier, life is a jerk). Someday in the not so distant future, you will pass the door and feel only a small fraction of the pain you feel right now. But you will always, every day, pass that door and think of your mom.

You will feel her loss, always. But oddly enough, there will also come a day when you can open that Mom door, walk into that empty room, remember what used to be there, and not altogether lose it.

But that is someday. Right now you haven't made it to the hallway yet. You are sitting there and feeling all the everything. So for now, feel all the sad and the mad. Acknowledge the empty. But don't let it blot out the joy. Or the hope. Because banking on joy and hope is what will help you inch your way to the door.

And remember that however bleak and empty the room feels, you have all these people here who love the hell out of you and will help you find your way to the hallway when you are ready. I'm one of them. I'm poking my head in the room, offering flowers, a hug, and this picture of Cam Fowler:

You will get through this. I promise.

I love you.

--C

The World's Most Redacted Blog Post (Sort Of)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 14:57:00 +0000

Oh what a week it has been!

It is Saturday and I feel like this is the first minute I've had to focus on anything blog related. Since Daylight Saving (Daylight's Saving? Daylight Savings? Daylight's Savings? Whatever. I just call it "Daylight Evil-Fuckwithparents"), my kids have been getting up WITH me at the ass-crack of dawn (which is when I usually get up to have my quiet time to write/work). I have discovered in my years as a parent that trying to write while small people fight with each other, or make food demands of you, or insist on sitting on you, is virtually impossible. Hence no posts.

There is a lot of other stuff going on, but the vast majority of it I can't tell you about. I am on a criminal jury for jury duty (can't tell you about it), I just read the start of what will, in my opinion, be a great book (no, I didn't write it. I'm not THAT lacking in humility), but I can't tell you about that either. I am in the process of making some professional changes... that I can't tell you about. I'm working on some tweaks and changes and additions to the blog... that I can't tell you about.

Basically, today's blog is like a redacted government document. Aren't you glad you waited on pins & needles for over a week just to read this?

Me too.

Stick around, though. Changes and new posts are coming and I hope you like them.

Now get out there and enjoy your day! I'm going to go work on... something I can't tell you about!

My Little Brony: Halloween Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 20:13:00 +0000

As you know from the great "My Little Pony Underwear Debacle," Duckie loves him some MLP, so naturally, he wanted to be his "frayvrit" character for Halloween: Applejack (this after a year of telling me that he wanted to be a blue "tangaroo" and me figuring out how to modify a dinosaur tail pattern into a kangaroo tail with my limited sewing skillz).

I admit that when it comes to Halloween, I'm kind of a cheap-o. Not that I won't shell out for a rad costume, but more that I prefer that we get more day-to-day mileage out of them. Hence, the last few years, my kids' costumes have been sweatsuit based.

When Duckie busted out his plan for Applejack, I knew I was SCREWED. I couldn't find an orange sweatsuit ANYWHERE. And he was adamant that he didn't want an MLP Equestria style costume. So what is a gal with limited sewing ability and an opinionated 3 year old to do?

Call for back-up!!

My mother-in-law is a genius when it comes to sewing. A stone, cold genius. She actually custom made Duckie's costume using nothing but photos I had printed from Craftiness is Not Optional as her guide.

We did make a few changes-- she added elastic to the waist of the jacket and I ironed the cutie marks onto the jacket. Also, instead of sewing the tail directly onto the pants, I made a belt for the tail, so that he can just wear the pants as sweatpants or the tail separately when he wants.

Little Man also got in on the MLP fun today too-- he is rockin' Rainbow Dash inspired hair for crazy hair day at school today (and will be a sweatsuit-clad Ninja Turtle tonight).

From the Cluttered House to yours, we hope you have a happy, safe, and Pony-tastic Halloween!

They Will Soar on Wings Like Eagles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:31:00 +0000

Today's post was supposed to be a review of What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. It is the story of Alice, a 39 year old mother of 3, who hits her head and loses the memory of the previous 10 years of her life. It was quite a good book, it made me think about the importance of our memories, and I'd recommend it as a good read.

But I have decided against posting about the book, because when I opened Facebook this morning, I learned that a college classmate of mine was dying. This classmate, Jason Manthe, had been diagnosed about a year earlier with early onset Alzheimer's. A husband and father in his mid-late 30s diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Suddenly my book review didn't seem like the appropriate thing about which to write.

I didn't know Jason well. I can't claim we were close or even friends. We knew each other in the way that people who attend tiny Christian colleges know each other-- via passing greetings and mutual friends. I never hung out with him, never had a deep conversation with him, but I knew him to be a good guy. I know the caliber of people with whom he chose to be friends and that alone says volumes about him.

This evening, his family shared that Jason had passed away.

Tonight, I pray for the family and friends left behind. His wife, his four small children, his parents, sibling, friends, co-workers. The people who truly knew and loved him. He was a man of faith and I have no doubt that while the people here on earth grieve him, he is rejoicing with the Lord.

Please consider donating to the GoFundMe campaign to help support Jason's wife and children and please hold the Manthe family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time.

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

How to Survive a DIY Home Renovation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 15:43:00 +0000

When we were discussing our plan to add on to and renovate our home, I went a-Googlin' for tips to survive a home renovation-- specifically an almost wholly DIYed home renovation. There was a dearth of information out there for home renovators. LOTS of blogs on home renovation, but few about actually surviving without having a complete nervous breakdown, so I thought I'd create a list for you. This list is by no means an exhaustive list, nor have we completed our renovation by any stretch of the imagination, but to date, here is my list of tips for surviving a DIY home renovation.

1. Embrace the dirt

Drifts of it will settle on everything. Floors, shelves, windowsills, your dishes, you name it. Minutes after you vacuum or sweep, dirt will show up again. I'm not kidding. This photo was taken almost immediately after I swept and mopped our kitchen:

And this one is of the dirt that settled overnight/during the work day when no one had been in the house (and I had vacuumed and mopped the night before);

To soothe my jangling nerves, I like to quote Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas to myself:

"Don't think of it as dust. Think of it as maybe the soil of some great past civilization. Maybe the soil of ancient Babylon. It staggers the imagination. [It may be] soil that was trod upon by Solomon or even Nebuchadnezzar."

Perspective. So soothing.

2. Let go of the notion of curb appeal

In the movie The Money Pit (which I find myself quoting more often than I care to admit) Walter Fielding pulls up to his destroyed home and says "Ahh. Home, Crap Home." I have a lot of these days. In fact, I once described our house to someone as the following: "just look for the house that looks like squatters have moved in and might be cooking meth in the back."

Just roll with it. Your house won't look like shit forever, they say. It is all temporary.

Bonus? My 6 year old has pointed out we don't need to decorate for Halloween this year because our house already looks scary and spooky.

3. Understand that accidents happen

What's that? You accidentally smashed a hole through the living room wall with a sledge hammer? The living room wall that is supposed to remain intact? No biggie. It isn't like our child was sitting on the couch underneath said hole and the photo frame that you knocked down landed on his head...

Like I said, no bigs.

4. Invent and embrace a new style of home decor

I call ours "Rubble Chic." It involves a lot of plywood and gaping holes. Plywood is so hot right now.

5. Learn to scream internally/throw up in your mouth when making large purchases.

Generally speaking, home improvement stores don't really appreciate it when people have full-on panic attack freak-outs in their aisle. Just do your level best to swallow the terror.

I find smiling like a deranged beauty queen helps. Sure, it unnerves the clerk a little, but it is much better than being hauled out of the Home Depot in a straight jacket.

6. Create a Sherlockian Mind Palace

This is your happy place. The place where your house is perfect and lovely and tranquil. Mine is mostly comprised of Pinterest pins and Houzz ideabook photos.

It is designer perfect and always smells like freshly baked brownies and sunshine. Go to your Mind Palace when you are on the verge of losing your shit. SO HELP YOU GOD. Retreat to your bathroom, lock the door, enter your mind palace.

7. When all else fails...

Drink.

My Little Brony: A Tale of Heartbreak

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:44:00 +0000

Yesterday, the Cluttered Family took our weekly sojourn to Target (yes, weekly. I have a problem, remember?). This was supposed to be a fairly nondescript trip to the store. My list was comprised of things like toothpaste, mac & cheese, underwear for Duckie, and a shower curtain tension rod. Super exciting.

So after picking up the items I needed, Duckie, Little Man, and I made our way to the children's section to pick out new underwear. This is a fairly novel thing for me. Little Man is small for his age and, quite frankly, has only out-grown one set of underwear since he potty trained at 2 years old. Duckie is tall for his age and insists on growing. Since his 2T-3T underwear had turned into low rise plumber pants, I figured maybe, just maaaaaaybe, it was time to get some new ones. He was super amped up about getting to pick his own underwear. This is exciting stuff when you're 3.

As we rolled down the sock & underwear aisle, Duckie yelled "MAMA! STOP!!!! I thee my unners! MY WITTLE PONY UNNERS!!! I want them!!!!"

I stopped the cart, picked up the package of My Little Pony underwear and examined them. As I quickly scanned my brain for the way to navigate this one, Duckie was proclaiming "I WUV them! I WUV My Wittle Ponies."

Before we go any further, I want the following information noted: I'm pretty gender diverse in my parenting style, opting for mantras like "we like what we like, and that is okay," and "toys/colors are for everyone" as opposed to using the hard and fast delineation "that is for boys/that is for girls." If my boys like something, I roll with it. I'm not trying to make a political statement, I'm just trying to raise kids who feel loved, supported, and confident in their own "okayness."

My trouble with the MLP panties had nothing to do with them being "girl" underwear, but everything to do with fit. Granted, I know that at this age, boys and girls' undergarments are practically the same. I have fond memories of my then two year-old niece CJ (who is also small for her age) running around my mother-in-law's house in a pair of Little Man's hand-me-down Buzz Lightyear underwear, because they were the only underwear my sister-in-law could find that were tiny enough to fit CJ at the time. But I also know that Duckie likes his underwear fit to be more spacious. In fact, 90% of the time, he has his underwear on backwards so as to provide ample room for his boy bits. So, after mulling it over for a few moments, I broke the news.

"I'm sorry buddy, I don't think the Pony underwear will have enough space for your penis. They are made for girl bodies, and girl and boy privacy parts are different, remember?"

Duckie's lip turned downward the way it does when his heart is about to break. "But I wuv them."

"I know baby, but I'm afraid they'll be too tight for your penis. If you really want them, we can try, but I don't know if they will squish your penis or not."

"WHY do they make unners that will squish my penuth? Do they have My Little Pony for boys that won't squish my penuth?" asked Duckie mournfully.

"I don't know. Let's look down here at the underwear made for boy bodies and see if they have My Little Pony underwear with room for your penis."

(I think this is the most I've ever discussed penises in the aisles of Target-- or on this blog, for that matter!).

Unsurprisingly, Target doesn't stock My Little Pony briefs. All Duckie wanted was some underwear that matched with his favorite TV show, as would be the case if his favorite show was Jake & the Neverland Pirates or anything Marvel Superhero. But, it's not. Right now he's obsessed with MLP-- especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash. This is great for me in doling out warnings and consequences ("Please do xyz or you will lose Pony privileges"), but crappy when all a little boy wants are some MLP britches.

His little heart was broken when he learned there were no MLP underwear for him. He bore the look of devastation all throughout the underwear aisle of Target.

For me, this begs the question, why DON'T they have MLP underwear for the littlest "bronies"? (For the record, I hate the word "brony," but haven't been able to come up with a better term. Suggestions are welcome). A quick search of Amazon for "My Little Pony underwear" produces a host of underwear for little girls, but also MLP boxers for men. If the underwear powers-that-be can make MLP underwear for grown men, why not for my little guy? How difficult could that possibly be? I'm guessing there is a market for them, considering how many little "bronies" there seem to be out there.

C'mon underwear companies. Get it together for my little guy. I can only take so much weeping in Target (and I reserve that for me at check-out)

Sometimes all you need is a little love from Rainbow Dash

(FYI-- We managed to quell the sadness and repeated asking of "why they don't have My Wittle Pony unners with room for my penuth, mama? Why?" by finding Frozen underwear that did, in fact have room for his "penuth" and then visiting the MLP aisle in the toy section.)

I'm Angry

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 17:30:00 +0000

I don't normally write about celebrity news/gossip. In fact, I don't normally really think much about what celebrities are up to. But there is something I feel compelled to write about and I figured that this is as good a platform as any.

I want to talk about the recent allegations against Stephen Collins. I do not purport to be an expert in the case, not by any stretch of the imagination, but over the course of the last few days a couple things have stuck in my craw regarding the situation. No, I don't want to moan and complain about how "my childhood is ruined" by the recent revelation that Collins allegedly molested several children. I want to talk about two specific things that I find deeply upsetting in this case: the leaked tape and the timeline.

The legal intricacies of covertly recording a private therapy session are not ones that I know or understand. I don't know whether Collins' wife, Faye Grant, was in the right there. I don't really care. If Collins did, in fact, molest those children, I hope that the legal process serves him with swift and due justice. What I find most disturbing is that this tape was leaked to the press, who have then splashed the recording around as a hook to lure people onto their websites and into watching their programming. To me, this is a re-violation of the victims.

What these children have gone through is hell enough. To have the voice of the man who (allegedly) molested them played all over the news and internet, detailing what he did to them is a violation. Regardless of whether or not the names have been redacted from the public recording, these children know who they are and know what happened to them. In my estimation by listening to and sharing and re-sharing the recording, this is the general public contributing to the re-violation of these children and it isn't acceptable. It isn't okay.

I keep thinking of what Jennifer Lawrence recently said in Vanity Fair regarding the posting of her nude photos online: "Just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated, and the first thought that crosses somebody's mind is to make a profit from it. It's so beyond me."

Make no bones about it, celebrity "news" sites know that this recording, this bit of "gossip" will drive people to their sites, thus boosting their revenue. These kinds of things are their bread and butter. They are profiting from the sex crime that was, allegedly, committed by Collins. I understand that this is a news item. I don't think Collins should be shielded from that because up until a few days ago he was a beloved actor. Rightly so, people should know about this-- especially people whose children interacted with Collins over the years. But, to me, the recording being bandied about as a hook is just too much. I feel for the victims who have to hear it and to know that millions of Americans have now been privy to the details of their molestation. This is not okay. It is not right. This recording should never have been put out for the general public to hear. It should have gone to the hands of the authorities and left at that.

And speaking of the recording getting into the hands of the authorities, we have come to my second problem with this whole situation. The timeline of when this tape was recorded and when it was given to the proper authorities to investigate. I do not know what was Grant's motive for recording their therapy session. I am not even going to begin to speculate on that. What does seem to be apparent is that it was recorded in 2012.

TWO YEARS AGO.

Your husband, with whom you are in therapy as your marriage ends, confesses to molesting children and you record it. Then you sit on it for two years? How? Why?

From my understanding of the situation, Grant went into that therapy session planning to discuss and record Collins' confessions of child molestation. She claims to have known about his behavior prior to this therapy session, which is why her lawyer encouraged her to record the confessions. So, she got what she went in there for. A recorded confession.

Seems to me, that Collins' confession should have been handed over to the police immediately. Not two years later. Not on the eve of their divorce proceedings, but IMMEDIATELY. In the two years that passed between when the alleged confession/recording occurred and when it ended up in the hands of the authorities (and the media), Collins was able to go about his day-to-day life, which included interacting with underage actors/actresses. If Grant KNEW he was a child molester-- not just suspected, but had his confession-- why would she ever give him another 2 years where he had access to other children. Why?

This angers me to no end.

While I cannot imagine the shock and horror of learning that a person you once loved and trusted is a child molester, I'd like to think that it would take me MUCH less than two years to go to the authorities. Not because I am up so high on my moral high horse, but because I would not want another minute to pass where a child molester had access to other children. Especially not one whose career cemented him in the minds of the American public as the quintessential dad.

And that, my friends, is why I’m angry today.

Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 19:37:00 +0000

Here’s the problem with DIY projects. At first you start with simple things, maybe Pinterest inspired you to make some mod podged coasters out of tiles and scrapbook paper, or-- in the pre-Pinterest days-- TLC’s Trading spaces inspired you to help a friend silver buff the tacky brass frames of her mirrored closet doors. These projects are fairly easy, you get good results and a boost of praise for your DIY genius. In this buy it/hire it out day & age, the fact that you did something for yourself is, for many folks, nothing short of miraculous.

But these small projects are just a gateway drug. They are the first hits of DIY reefer, and before you know it, reefer madness has set in.

You see, rolling on the high of that first hit of success, you start jonesin’ for more. Eventually, cutesy tile coasters and refinished 80s brass aren't enough. You start looking for the harder stuff. You start trolling the aisles of Home Depot, daydreaming about projects. "I'm just browsing" you tell the Home Depot employees. "Okay," they say, "but you should check out our free clinic on [insert DIY project here]." They know how to get you hooked on the hard stuff. "Just try it one time. It's free. What could it hurt?"

Then you do it. One day you lay your first laminate floor, or hang and mud some drywall, or assemble some kitchen cabinets (or all of the above) and suddenly, you have slid headlong into the DIY abyss. Before you know it, you find yourself floating travertine tile in a chic pattern in your wholly DIYed, halfway renovated bathroom. A project which involved the removal of a wall. Weeks of your life have been consumed by the project. You’ve taken numerous showers with only cheap drop cloths between you and the exposed studs of your shower stall.

When it is finally finished and you have collapsed into a quivering heap of exhaustion, you tell yourself THIS is rock bottom. THIS is as far as I’ll ever go. From this day forth, I swear I am NEVER doing that again.

And for a while, you mean it. You sober up. “I’m done chasing the DIY dragon” you say, and you try to mean it. You putter around the house, trying to ignore the projects that could be. To soothe the DIY itch, you try taking up some crafty hobbies, like scrapbooking and crochet. You make pies from scratch. You repaint the occasional bedroom, but nothing seems to work. The itch is still there. Then one day, your husband (who never “got clean” and but instead parlayed his DIY addiction into a side business, the pusher) brings you to see a “new” house. A 1950s Cape Cod style house with “loads of potential for a handy family.” You WANT to resist, but you can’t stop seeing the potential. The PROJECTS. The someday glory. You WANT to see it as a rundown building with a thrashed roof, terrifying stucco, and decaying wood shake siding. But you don’t. You are utterly defenseless against the DIY dragon's charms.

“There are original hard wood floors under that laminate” whispers the dragon in a seductive voice.

You bat it away. “NO. We don’t do that any more. Turnkey houses, only” you say.

“But, just look at the adorable roof line” it purrs in your ear. “This yard is ENORMOUS. Just think about all the gatherings you could host on your hand built deck.”

Try as you may, you are seduced by the raw potential. Time and finances and sanity be damned, you must have this house.

So, you buy it. You replace the roof. You reclaim the original hardwood floors upstairs (and they are glorious). You rip out chain link fences, you re-landscape your yard, you build a beautiful deck and host a party. People “ooh” and “aah” and marvel at your skills. The dragon sits smugly at the back of your brain, eating up the compliments like Pez.

“What’s next?” they all ask.

What’s next, indeed.

The yard is lovely. The house is livable. You could do some decorative projects, you tell yourself. Bookshelves could be built…

But the itch remains. You find yourself howling “Why can’t I quit you?” at the dragon. In a final act of desperation, you concede that, yes, a completely DIY addition and renovation on the house is just what the doctor ordered.

And so begins your descent to DIY rock bottom.

Raising Adults: Packing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Last week, the Cluttered Family went on vacation. The boys went up to Cowboy Grandma & Grandpa's ranch while Diesel and I went to Vegas for our anniversary. Of course, a huge part of going away on a trip is packing. I hate packing. I love travelling, but I hate packing.

A few years ago, I realized that my packing load was more than it needed to be. While Diesel will pull out his clothes, it falls on me to ensure that clothes, toiletries, and other sundry items for our family of 4 (5 if Rockstar is going with us) make it into the suitcase.

Then I had a major Oprah-style "Ah-ha!" moment. Little Man, at 4 years old, was more than capable of packing his own suitcase.

I know some of you just had the record needle scratch moment and are thinking "Cluttered Mama, do you mean to tell us that you let a 4 year old pack his own suitcase unsupervised?"

And the answer is, yes. Sort of.

I started creating a pictograph checklist for Little Man, which details all the items he needs to bring on any given trip.

As you can see, #1 I'm not an artist. #2 I include the number of boxes equal to the number of each particular item he needs to pack. This makes it easier for him to keep organized. After the first suitcase, I stopped checking his work. And so far, nothing has been forgotten.

Teaching him to be responsible for his suitcase is just one step in my goal of raising my boys to be self-sufficient adults. And the bigger upside? At 3 years old, Duckie is starting to want to pack his own suitcase.

Little Man packed just what he needed.
Duckie packed a stuffed polar bear, a stuffed parrot, 6 books,
1 t-shirt (belonging to Little Man), 1 bed sheet (also his brother's),
1 pair of pajamas (shirt is his, pants are his brother's),
4 matchbox cars, and a giant pine cone

He doesn't always get it right, but it is the thought that counts!!

Life's a Garden, Dig It!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:58:00 +0000

Today I am giving you a photo tour of all the things we’re growing around The Cluttered House. I popped out this morning and shot some photos of our burgeoning suburban farm. Please excuse the mess. Unlike gardens & yards on Pinterest, ours isn’t all that photogenic-- but we love her and she’s come a LONG way, baby!

On our deck:

Blueberries & Lemon grass

San Marzano Tomatoes, Purple Cherokee tomatoes, lavender, cilantro, red Russian Kale, a grape plant, and one hopeful Rockstar (he loves nothing more than to eat produce).

Sadly all of this will have to come out soon because we have to tear out the planter and move the deck in advance of our giant life-eating home renovation and addition (more about that later!)

Clockwise from the left: Lemon grass, some kind of collard (I think), red Russian kale, Lemonbalm, bolted lettuce. And Rockstar’s head. He’s such an attention hog!

By the tent (our temporary “garage”-- again, because of the renovation):

We have one grape plant, and then two sets of “growing shelves” for tomatoes. Diesel built them out of recycled materials from around the yard. As soon as our baby plants are big enough, they’ll get moved out here to live.

Grape close up! (sorry so many of these photos are blown out, my camera has been being wonky). I get so excited to see all these plants growing-- baby produce is ADORABLE!!

The “Orchard” as we affectionately call the back garden:

These two photos are the yard as viewed from the deck. Pay no attention to the trash can full of weeds and other crap around my yard… (also, my thrifty side wants to point out that both the playhouse and the climber were acquired for FREE… woot!). Our grass is a little worse for wear, what with two boys, a dog, and a drought. Last summer, when it was new, it was quite gorgeous

Orchard up-close:

Cinderella pumpkin (grown from seeds I exchanged with a friend, hooray for free seeds!!!)

Howden pumpkin-- a jack-o-lantern pumpkin for the kids!

Peppers galore! The one on the left is a jalapeno (I think), on the right is a white bell.

White pepper up close

Lots of kale and broccoli in front of the wall. Behind the fence from L-to-R: plum tree that produces 3 types of plum, a papaya (non-GMO), tree collard, Valencia orange tree, another tree collard, Black futzu pumpkin, mandarin tree, and some more peppers (we’ll see those up close later!)

Also in front of the wall is a pole bean (with no pole) and a fairly ragged basil. Organic gardening= difficult pest control, which means our leaves are not always as pretty as I’d like them to be! It also means I kill a lot of stuff with my gloved hands…

Fresno chile (central valley, represent!), Poblano chile, and Chipotle chile

Another KEY part of our little pseudo-homestead is located in the orchard area:

This is the dirt pile. My boys spend 90% of their backyard playtime out here digging, making mud, and a whole host of other dirt-y activities. It is their favorite. I highly recommend installing a dirt pile in your yard.

Onions by the barn

We built a lovely trellis that connects to the top of the barn for our vining plants:

Right now we have a baby Moon & Stars watermelon (not pictured), a couple spaghetti squash plants, and one cucumber plant that survived the onslaught of predatory insects as a baby plant. Also, we have flax growing here too…

Ants in a cucumber flower. Ants are my mortal enemy. Ants, aphids, caterpillars, and keeled treehopers. They are all bastards and I will kill them when given the chance (seriously, if you know a good, organic, non-ecosystem disrupting method of getting rid of any of the aforementioned jerks, I’m all ears… )

Baby cuke. It is so cute I want to die!

Okay, now we are going to head over to the actual garden. Full disclosure, when I designed this space in my head, it was going to be a sweet, productive, Pinterest-worthy garden. The kind that has a whimsical water feature and a bistro table situated amongst the cool, tranquil greenery. Where I could retreat each morning to sip my coffee and gather my thoughts before heading inside to fix my children their homemade and ever-so nutritious breakfast, which they, naturally, gobble up with no complaint and with chorusing “thank yous” before scampering off to do their morning responsibilities without being reminded.

Needless to say, my once blank slate:

looks nothing like I envisioned.

You see, several months after we built our cute little garden and had stuff growing, Diesel approached me with the idea of starting a “small” hydroponic garden. I agreed, excited that he was so interested in growing stuff, and assumed that he’d be building something small and Pinterest-worthy.

Diesel doesn’t understand the importance of Pinterest-worthiness. I should’ve also asked him to clarify what “small” meant. Over the last few months, the hydroponic garden grew into an aquaponic garden-- complete with fish we can eventually eat. It is cool, it impresses people, but… um… it ain’t pretty. Nor is the disaster area that we call “the garden.”

So, without further ado…

The Garden:

The “small” aqua structure… Diesel is quick to point out that it has water AND fish, thus making it a water feature. We grow most of our greens here. Lots of chard and lettuce and kale and broccoli and what not. Please don’t ask me how this works. I don’t know. basically fish poop and pee and it feeds the plants… or something. The gutter on the second level is where our seedlings live right before we put them out in the big yard.

Our growbed- it is just like any other raised bed, only instead of dirt it has water and some kind of media.

Strawberry & pepper tubes attached to the front fence; they are also part of the aquaponic system.

The garden boxes have become a jungle. I just really need to get in there and prune.

It’s a fennel jungle in there…

Also, since I’m being all honest, warts and all… Here is how the main walkway looks:

Soothing. Calming. Tranquil. Doesn’t it just make you want to sit in here and sip some coffee?

Yeah… me either! (Good news? People are coming to see our garden this weekend, so we have to clean it up!! Hopefully I’ll have some “after” photos for you!)

OH and last but not least I want to show you the old lemon tree which was on the property when we moved in. Sadly, it is in the way of where our addition will go, so we may lose it. The lemon tree has made a “friend” too-- a random passionfruit vine has taken up residence amongst the lemon tree’s limbs. No idea how that happened!

So that’s it, folks! You have seen my “farm.” Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Tomato Paste

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 May 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Our tomato plants, which until recently have been neglected, have started producing like crazy. Last week I picked about 6 lbs of tomatoes from our various plants. On Saturday I picked another pound and began the process of making my first every batch of tomato paste.

I roasted them in the oven for about an hour. Then I pulled them out and lightly pureed with my immersion blender, and then began the tedious job of pressing them through a sieve to separate out the peels and seeds.

Yeah. I really need a food mill. This part SUCKED.

Then I spent a gajillion hours reducing my paste. Until eventually it was Sunday morning and I had about 16 ounces of tomato paste to can up.

That is right folks... 5 lbs of tomatoes + hours of work = 16 ounces of paste.

I have FOUR of these 4 ounce beauties now...

But, it was worth it. And I was only 2 hours late for a party.

Tasty Feelings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 03:38:00 +0000

I'm in bad shape right now. And I'm not just talking about my feelings. My delicious, delicious feelings.

You see, I'm an emotional eater. Those of you who get so stressed or sad that you can't eat, I hate you.* I want to be one of you, but I'm not. The minute those bad feelings creep in they start yelling "EAT ALL THE REESES!!!!" and I just start hoovering in all the crap I can eat. Blizzards, cookies, candy, Oreo milkshakes, you name it... and they're often washed down with nachos and a margarita.

Basically, over the last two months I have turned into a human landfill. All kinds of bad crap has gone in and just hung around, being all gross and stuff (yeah, all that "real food" eating I normally do went right out the window)

No joke, I currently weigh MORE than I did when I was 9 months pregnant with Duckie. Granted, before my dad died, I was already overweight, but I have gained about 15-20 pounds of delicious feelings in the last two months. My clothes are too tight and I've taken to wearing sweatpants 99% of the time I'm not at work (and I ain't gonna lie, some days those yoga pants go to work with me...).

To curb this, starting tomorrow I am going to start the whole eat less & move more thing, even though I so love the eat more, move less diet. I kind of have a vague plan, but it is something to the effect of starting out walking more this week and then if that seems to be going okay (I tore my calf muscle and it is just now healed enough to start working out on it) I'm going to start back on Couch to 5k next week. 3-4x a week I'm also going to be doing this diabolical plan that Little Man's godfather (co-founder of PrayFit, fitness guru, and all around good dude) cooked up for me:

5 push-ups
10 body-weight squats
15 crunches
Over & over, as many as possible in 10 minutes.

Just typing that makes me want to die a little.

So that is that... Hopefully in a few months I'll be fitting into my jeans and feeling a little better. And my feelings won't be tasting so delicious.

Also, I leave you with this, because she's basically me:

*I don't hate you, I'm just jealous. I love you. Even if you don't/can't eat when you're sad.

Day 2:

An Explanation of My Absence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:49:00 +0000

A few months ago I posted vaguely that I wasn’t doing well. And then I pretty much posted nothing until now.

So, I thought I should share what’s been going on.

In early December, my Dad called me to tell me that he had been diagnosed with congestive heart-failure. This was a major blow, as he had been battling Hepatitis C for many years and at this point, his only (very distant) hope for beating it was a liver transplant. The CHF diagnosis knocked him off the transplant list and quashed the tiny glimmer of hope for a “cure.” It also hit home that my Dad’s life expectancy was being cut even shorter. While I can only imagine what it was like for him to hear this diagnosis, for me, it was crushing. I was finally having to really accept my father’s mortality. It was not a fun experience.

For the first time in my life, I couldn’t get excited about Christmas. I went through the motions for my kids, but I was just so sad. I even attended my church’s “Blue Christmas” service, which was helpful in allowing me to feel less guilty about feeling so sad at my favorite holiday. It just felt like so much hope was sucked out of my world in the span of a few weeks.

During one of our regular Skype conversations in February, my dad told me of his newest diagnosis: Pulmonary Fibrosis. While we joked that he was trying to collect as many terminal diagnoses as possible, my heart was overwhelmed by the magnitude of what that all meant. It meant time was limited.

It was around this time that I stopped posting to the blog because we had a lot going on around the house, on top of my funky emotional stuff. As a result of some huge home improvement projects and my general malaise, honestly, my house was a mess and I felt disingenuous posting about great ways to get your act together, when my act was so far from together. (Though I feel it is also important to note that I wasn't suffering a major depression, but just wasn't in the greatest of head spaces. It ebbed and flowed throughout the spring).

Unfortunately, because I was unemployed and we had purchased a "fixer-upper house" we really couldn't afford to travel out to see my Dad, step-mom and sisters, so we made due with lots of Skype conversations. Little Man loved walking around the house and showing his Pops stuff and Duckie thought Skype peek-a-boo was HILARIOUS. While I loved that my boys could connect with my Dad, part of me sometimes wondered if it would just be better for them to not know their Pops. To spare them the pain of losing him, because I knew losing him would happen sooner than later. It was a selfish thought, and one I couldn't go through with, because I knew how much these Skype sessions meant to my dad.

And yet, with all this illness, my dad was still up and about. Not his old active self, but not on his deathbed, either. He seemed tired and out of breath, and sometimes puffy from the CHF, but otherwise, the normal that I had grown accustomed to. He was definitely not well, but I think my youngest sister said it best when she said “he was sick, but he never seemed like he was that sick.”

On Friday, August 16, my world changed forever. My cell phone rang. “Dad Home” popped up on the screen and I thought “YAY! I was going to Skype him today anyway.” I picked up the phone, expecting to hear his voice. When I heard my older sister’s voice, I was startled. She was calling to tell me that Dad had died that morning.

I wasn’t ready to hear that.

I’m still not ready.

I still needed to call him and say I loved him one last time. My boys needed to have one more Skype session with him. We still had so much to talk about.

And yet, despite all this, he was gone.

The past few weeks have been a blur of travel and childcare arrangements and funeral arrangements and family and all the zillion other things that go along with losing a family member. Now, I am home and I am trying to adjust to the new normal. I know I will get to a place where I will feel better, but right now, I just feel sad. As a normally happy person, feeling persistently sad is a really uncomfortable place for me. I’m allowing myself the time and space to grieve, but I hate knowing how long a process it will be. And that while it will not always feel this raw, it will remain an unfixable hurt.

I’m sure that for a while, if/when I post on here, the posts won’t always be chipper. I apologize in advance for that (I know I don’t have to, but c’mon, who wants to read a downer blog? Not me!). But, if you can bear with me for a little while, I’m hopeful that we’ll get back to a new normal and I’ll be telling you how to reorganize your life in a few easy steps…

For now, I just miss my dad so much that I barely care if my junk drawer is a hot mess.

Cluttered Mama (as a Cluttered Girl) with her Daddy, may he rest in peace

Painted Pots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 22:31:00 +0000

Recently, Diesel did a cabinet install for some clients who were also in the process of re-landscaping their back yard. They asked him if he would be interested in some fiberglass flower pots for which they no longer had a need. He snapped a photo and sent it to me and I responded with a resounding “FREE FLOWER POTS? HELL YEAH!”

Nope, these pots are totally not my style, but they were FREE. I like free stuff. Free pretty much trumps ugly any day of the week when it comes to items, such as flower pots, where function is more important than beauty.

I decided that I wanted them for on the deck, but they’d need some freshening up. So I got some spray paint at Home Depot and went to town. The texture of the pots was perfect for someone like me who is fairly heavy handed with the spray paint. Any extra paint just sort of oozed into the lumps and bumps and made me look like I was a spray painting genius.

I’m actually pretty pleased with the project. Granted, it wasn't “free” because I paid about $16 for spray paint (would've been more like $8 if I had opted for just one color), but considering that at Home Depot, one painted fiberglass pot of a similar size is about $20, I’m gonna say $16 for 4 is a bargain!

(In case you’re curious as to why I chose the colors I did, the inspiration was the door mat on the back deck)

A little before & after to really hit home the change (and for your pinning pleasure!)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:52:00 +0000

Hello my dear readers!

It is April 1. I am back on the blogger horse. What can I say, sometimes life yells "SWEEP THE LEGS!!!" and you find yourself on your ass! That is where I have been the last month an a half. I'm not back to feeling 100% great, but I need to start blogging again to help shake my funk away. It is just hard to come on here and talk about getting life all organized and tidy and whatnot, when you are looking around you and thinking "I am in shambles and so is this house."

And yet, I would venture to guess you guys come here because I'm fairly real about my struggles with trying to get my act together!

So, right now I am ignoring the pile of dishes sitting next to the sink, and the laundry in the basket, and coming here and writing to y'all!

Now, lest you think Cluttered Mama has been just laying around doing nothing but moping and having panic attacks, I have actually been furiously applying to jobs (and getting no replies) and working on the house. I have spent the better part of this week trenching the front yard & garden for a sprinkler system, which is super fun. In the way root canals are fun. Today I found a partial skeleton of what I believe is a cat. Also awesome.

I also started the boys in swimming lessons and scored some free lawn chairs from the side of the road! (YEAH!!!) So we're keeping busy.

Now, I have some stuff ready to write about this week, some old, some new, but all good I hope. So I'll be seeing you soon!

And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the kind wishes and emails after my last post!

Hi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:16:00 +0000

I've been having a rough time. Bear with me. I'll be back soon, I promise. :)

Happy Pre-Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Today, Little Man and I got our craft on and made these cute little Valentine's Day cards for his classmates:

I, of course, found these through Pinterest, but give MAD props to The Teacher Wife for creating this cool little Valentine. Cute, sugar-free, and inexpensive! (Ours were essentially free because I happened to have cardstock and glow sticks on hand). All I had to do was print & cut out the hearts. Then Little Man signed his name and helped me tape the glow sticks on.

I love a good free Valentine!

How will My Garden Grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:10:00 +0000

We're gearing up to put in our garden soon. I have so many thoughts percolating around in my head about what I want to do with our garden. I'm really excited to get started, but am having major "gardener's block."

There is so much to consider, as we are basically starting over from scratch this year. What do I want the garden to look like? What kinds of raised beds do I want to use? Where should we put the compost bin? The list goes on and on.

And I am NOT looking forward to the cost of restarting everything from scratch. First year vegetables always end up costing more, because of the expense of constructing raised beds (I know we don't HAVE to use raised beds, but I prefer it) and getting a garden started. In the years to come, eating produce we have grown ourselves, using our own compost, will be more economical, but this year will be the $100 tomato year.

Oh, I know there are tons of ideas on Pinterest about how to create raised beds out of pallets for free, but that also means finding the time to procure enough pallets, finding a place to store the pallets, etc. Plus, you never know where that pallet wood has been and you don't want something that is going to leech chemicals into your garden soil, etc. I LOVE the idea of recycling and repurposing, but I'm not sure if I will be able to pull such a feat off!

I have just fired up my Grow Veg garden planner for the season and am trying to plot my garden out. I have had a Grow Veg account for a few years and I really like it for planning my gardens (I promise you that this is a totally organic, unpaid commentary). The #1 reason being that you put in your zip code and it guides you with planting dates. Living in So Cal, a lot of gardening books don't really apply, because we don't have clear seasons. Normally, there isn't a "last frost" after which I should put out my seedlings and we can often grow plants for a longer time period than other locations around the country. I also like that it has a square foot gardening tool so that if you, like me, utilize this method of gardening, you are able to easily plan your garden.

That being said, it is a hell of a lot easier to plan a garden if you know what you want!

Off to Pinterest to find more gardens that mine will never live up to... :)

And the Prize Goes To...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

On Thursday night, a package addressed to me arrived at my home.

I hadn't ordered anything recently, so I was perplexed as to what it could be. I noted the return address was "Award Claims Department," and giddily said to Diesel (in my very best dad-from-A-Christmas-Story voice) "It's a major award! Why it could be anything. It could be a bowling alley! You know a fella down in Terra Haute won a bowling alley... I sure hope it isn't fra-gee-lay," all the while wracking my brain for what contest I had entered. The only thing I had tried to win lately was a copy of Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook and I knew I hadn't won that give-away.

I tore into the box. There, beneath layers of bubble wrap and air-paks, lay a simple white box. I lifted it carefully from its wrapping. It was heavy. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of what untold treasure lay within. Diesel looked on expectantly. What could it be? What amazing thing had I won?

Slowly, I lifted the lid. I peeled back the gauzy foam wrapping, revealing my major award. I looked at it. Looked at Diesel and said "you have GOT to be shitting me," as I allowed one vitriolic giggle-snort to pass my lips.

"What?" he asked

I reached into the box, and heaved out a mantle clock. An art deco inspired, wooden mantle clock. An art deco inspired, wooden mantle clock emblazoned with the logo of my former employer.

The packing slip announced that the clock was, in fact, a "DeVry Anniversary Gift."

You see, back on August 20, 2012, I celebrated my 5 year anniversary with the aforementioned company. Much back patting and "what would we do without you"-ing ensued. It was a heady day. On September 19, 2012, I was laid-off as a part of a nation-wide downsizing.

And apparently, DeVry thought NOW, months after laying me off (and just as my unemployment is about to expire), would be the appropriate time to send me a commemorative gift. Fan-frickin-tastic.

I am not trying to bash my former employer. I was laid-off. A lot of people were laid-off. It was business, it wasn't personal.

However, this was just too ridiculous to not share. They sent me a gift for 5 years of service, six months after the anniversary, and five months after laying me off. WHO DOES THAT?!?!?!

So, dear readers, what do you think I should do with the "gift"?

Sell it at a yard sale?
Send it back to the corporate office?
Call HR and ask why I haven't gotten a pay check in 6 months?
Other? (I'm open to suggestions)

Organize-a-Palooza Week 4: After

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Well, it has been 4 weeks of re-organizational bliss! And now it is over. I have three nicely organized and more functional spaces in which to work. Kitchen was good, Linen/Hall closets were good, my office?

Well, it turned out GREAT! So great that I pretty much want to spend all my time in it!

There is still work to be done (mostly filing. Ugh), but I can actually come in here and work and craft and be creative. I'm so excited!

The rest of this post will mostly be pictures and explanations. Enjoy! (Before pics are HERE).

Panorama of the Office

Closet:

(you may notice that I did not photograph one side of the closet. It is not because I am hiding all my clutter there, but because it houses stuff for Diesel's work that I am not supposed to show)

Top Shelf: briefcases, scrapbooking bag, extra baskets & bins, photo DVDs (and a nightlight that needs repair)
Second shelf: Diesel's R/C stuff
Third Shelf: books for work and blogging, magazines (his & hers), clear bins of batteries, writing implements and lots of miscellaneous kids craft supplies

Fourth (center) shelf: typical "desk" stuff-- staplers, tape, pens, my P-Touch label maker (that ran out of tape midway through this project, forcing me to HAND WRITE labels; the horror!), box of mailing supplies
Fifth shelf: file storage bins, box for paper to reuse in the printer

Sixth (center of pic) shelf: File boxes filled with project supplies
Bottom shelf: more future project supplies and a box of stuff to file

Close up of one of the file bins. I use it for storing our paper, labels, manila folders, etc. vertically.
Makes it much easier to access this way.

Close up of my file boxes: one filled with notepads, binders, etc. The other two are project supplies.

Tall Bookcase:

Top two shelves are photo albums/scrapbooks with room to grow.
And "placeholder" chotchkies until I can figure out what I want to put there!

First shelf is boxes of scrapbooking supplies
Second shelf is more supplies, scrapbooking reference materials, and the 12x12
boxes are where I store memory stuff for each of the boys and for the family.

I think you know what that is! :)

I skipped photographing the smaller bookcase, because I talked about it last week.

Scrapbooking Cabinet (and annex)

This is the scrapbooking cabinet Diesel built me (out of scrap material left over from a job) when we lived in the Original Cluttered House. It was built to fit into a tiny corner of our bedroom, and the cart on the bottom rolls out, providing a small extra work space for me. It is pretty rad.
On the wall are my yard sticks and cutting mat. I found that going vertical was the best way to store them.

Top shelf: Project Life stuff I got last Christmas, but have yet to start, Xyron sticker/laminator/magnet maker, small Xyron sticker maker and some 8.5x11 paper & letter punch outs
Second shelf: Embellishments, markers, humongo tape runner, more embellishments and my Crop-o-Dile Big Bite

Vertical supply storage. This is where I keep the majority of my stickers and
embellishments in Cropper Hopper sticker envelopes

Cutting tools, more paper storage and an empty 12x12 box

Paper. Probably wouldn't hurt to go through this and purge some paper.

The scrapbooking cabinet "annex." has individual, take it with you sized boxes in it. This is where I store scrapbooking projects that I am working on/will be working on.

Supplies for scrapbooking Little Man's 4th birthday party photos. Which I will get to soon. Right after I finish his second birthday and then start on his 3rd. Good thing his birthday is in 4 months and he'll be five. I'm not behind, right?

Desk Area

In an effort to keep the desk as clear as possible, I moved some storage up onto the side of
the scrapbook cabinet, and hung a little collage of family photos up above it.

Stuff that will be on the wall above my desk soon. Perpetual calendar, magnet board, inspirational quotes, etc.

Cord central. I used Cable Drops to secure the cords for the various electronic machines I will need on my desk, that way it is much easier to move stuff around as I need it. I have each cord labelled (you can kind of see my Cricut label) so I can easily identify what is what.

Diesel built me this chair to match my desk. He's awesome.

File cabinet. Full of files. The caddy on top is where I put notebooks/research at the end of each day to keep my desk clear of piles. I love piles, but they are counter productive.
Propped up against the wall is a black & white print of the Empire State Building that I haven't quite decided if I am going to hang up in my office or not. And the baby gate I use to keep the children out of my office.

So that is the end of the tour. My last thought I am going to leave you with is this: once upon a not so distant time, a friend and I were in stitches over a website where the site owner had made custom covers for her dogs' kennels. We were DYING at the ridiculousness of it-- they were even embroidered with each dog's name. But now that I actually have to share my office with an ugly old dog kennel, I'm starting to think that lady was onto something...

Luckily, my office mate is cuter than his kennel.
Yes. His kennel is labelled. Little Man insisted that we label it back when we lived at the
Original Cluttered House, back when I was making mail sorters for everyone in the family.

And also, all that black & electric lime green on my scrapbooking storage has GOT TO GO! I purchased them on super sale a LONG time ago, and now they don't fit my "vision" for the office. Since they are still in great shape, I think I might have some box recovering projects in my future!

So how did your organization projects go this week? I'd love to hear about them (and see them?)

DIY Storage Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

As you know, I am trying to keep my spending on storage containers to a minimum as I reorganize the house. Reusing and repurposing is my main focus.

But I was really stumped when it came to what I wanted to do for a "work in progress" (WIP) basket. I wanted a place where I could put projects that I was either in the middle of doing or about to start working on. I also wanted something that was large enough to hold a few projects, but small enough to fit on a shelf easily. It also needed to be un-lidded, because I know that if a project is out of sight, it is out of mind for me. Which means those works in progress will never actually make any progress.

I had resigned myself to keeping my current WIPs in a lidded file box (you'll get to see those tomorrow) that was too tall, not wide enough and had a lid, so none of the things I was looking for in a WIP basket, but it was readily available, so I settled for it.

On Sunday we did a Costco run. They provided us with a box for our purchases, and as soon as I laid eyes on it, angels began to sing. It. Was. Perfect.

It also conveniently fits an on the small side 4 3/4 year old, so that is a bonus too!

I had some cute wrapping paper that I had purchased months ago on clearance at Target, so I set to work!

First, I had to trim off the nubbins at the tops of my "basket." Anyone will tell you that nubbins are no good!

Then I rolled out my paper, got an approximation of the length of paper I would need to wrap it lengthwise. Then I sprayed adhesive on the bottom of the box and affixed it (crookedly) to the paper.

I then used my yard stick and a pencil to create cutting lines on all four sides of the box.

Using the lines as a guide, I cut all the way to the box and then in from the sides, to create flaps.

Then I realized I had started with the wrong side and that if I did it this way, the front of the box was going to have all kinds of crazy folds and lines, and the sides would be all neat and smooth. So I had to rip all the paper off and start over (but remember those directions for later).

I salvaged as much of the paper as I could and began working on the two sides of the box. I knew that I was going to be covering the entire bottom of the box when I covered the front and back of it, so I went ahead and cut enough paper to just stick on the bottom (about 5") and then come up the side and into the interior of the box.

I sprayed adhesive on the face of the side and smoothed the paper over it.

Then I folded the piece of paper on the front and back faces like you would fold it when gift wrapping and cut away the excess, leaving only a piece to adhere to the inside of the box. I sprayed more adhesive and smoothed the interior piece down. I now had one side completed.

It was at this point in time where I realized that using spray adhesive in the craft room wasn't such a great idea. Not only was I getting a little woozy from the fumes, I was also getting spray adhesive all over the floors.

That white stuff? Yeah, spray adhesive.

So production moved outside. To my ever so fabulous backyard, which is both overgrown and disheveled, so be kind...

I finished the other side

And rolled out more paper for the front. Using my yardstick, I roughed out where the box would sit and reapplied my spray adhesive.

I then cut along the shorter lines and folded the flap up on both sides.

I folded down the corners

And pulled the paper up and affixed it to the front face and sides.

I then trimmed about an inch above the edge of the side to the corner of the paper.

And then glued that down.

Then the camera battery died, so allow me to paint you a word picture. Fold the paper over, smooth and glue into place. Repeat for the other face. Then, cut a piece of paper the same dimensions of the interior bottom of your box and affix that over all the flaps. VOILA! You have a cute storage basket!

So there you have it folks, an easy-peasy, lemon squeeze-y DIY project for your Saturday! Now go get yourself a free box and get to work!

And here's a little before and after if you want something to pin (because you're all pinning this stuff, right? RIIIIIGHT?!?!?!?)

Help How You Can (Friday Round-Up)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Today, I'm going to the Scrapbook Expo. A place where I spend hours envisioning how very crafty I could be if time, money, parental responsibilities, and talent were no object. So, as you read this, I am somewhere trying to silence the little voice in my head that says I need more paper, stickers, stamps and rub-ons.

I do not, in fact, need any of those things.

In fact, I am inordinately blessed in what I have. So today's Friday Round-Up isn't going to be about me and the stuff my family has been doing and what I have been reading and liking (though I really like what it is about).

It is about how you can help a wonderful family bring home a little girl who needs them. Who needs a family. Who needs a home where she is loved steadily and unconditionally, forever.

Brink Bunch Journey from Brink Family on Vimeo.

I normally try to keep The Cluttered House as non-asking-you-to-do-something as possible, but today I ask that you help the Brinks in whatever way you are able. Do not feel pressured to do anything other than watch their video and lift up a prayer or positive thoughts.

If you can give, please do. If you can pray or send good "juju" to their growing family, please do. If you can share their video with others, please do.

Thank you.

-Cluttered Mama

This is the site referenced in the video. If you search for "Hanifah," you can find the Brinks' section of the page.

"I Want That"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:38:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, in the Friday Round-up, I wrote about not comparing my beginning to other people's middles, and off-handedly I said "And who knows, maybe out there, there is someone who is thinking 'Man, I wish I had x,y,z like Cluttered Mama does.'"

And what do you know, it happened!!

On Monday, I posted a "sneak peek" of my office/craft space on The Cluttered House's Facebook page (What's that? You want to like The Cluttered House? Oh, okay...) and one of the comments-- from someone I don't know in real life, so not like my mom or someone like that-- was "I want that."

I can barely wrap my head around the notion that someone would want my office. It was not so long ago that I was dreaming of having a house with a yard and more than one bedroom, let alone an office. I spent hours pouring over pictures and pins of beautiful, creative and organized office/craft rooms (Who am I kidding, I still do this), imagining what I would do with such a space. It is amazing to me that my one little picture of my office made someone say "ooh, me too!"

But then, I think we sometimes forget how blessed we are to have what we have. Today, as I sit in my almost organized office, I am taking an extra moment to count my blessings.

Tinted Mason Jars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Since the office is coming along swimmingly (as long as I ignore the very full box that said "to file" and the not one, but TWO drawers of teaching files that need to be gone through-- one isn't even in files, the stuff is just piled in there), I thought I would attempt another Pinterest craft. My goal is to try to do at least one Pinterest project a week, so this will fill my quota!

And, I thought it was time for me and Mod Podge to kiss and make up.

So, because I have decided I need a cute pen jar, I tried this mason jar project by Liz Stanley at Momtastic:

Liz Stanley, via Momtastic

Look at how cute those are, and all you need is food color, Mod Podge and a jar.

Of course, I didn't have any high gloss Mod Podge (I had fabric and matte), so I had to pick some up at Hobby Lobby (I had to get a frame anyway). Came out to about $3 for the Mod Podge, which I am cool with because the way I use Mod Podge, that stuff will last a millenia. I didn't do the math, but I figure $3 every millenia is pretty dang good!

Being a bear of slightly above average intelligence, I read through all the comments following the tutorial, to see if there were any best practices. There were. People recommend mixing the Mod Podge and the water and food coloring all at once, so I gave that a whirl.

So here we go (not a tutorial, just pics from along the way).

High gloss Mod Podge, food coloring (I was going for yellow-y green), bowl, jar

"Hello Mod Podge"
(Imagine me saying that like Jerry Seinfeld saying "Hello Newman")

Let it be known that I am not a good pourer

All ready to bake up. I'd recommend moving it from its spot
after the 30 minutes of pre-oven drying.

So there was a LOT of Mod Podge left over. If you are just doing one jar, I'd halve the "recipe."

I recommend moving the from the initial upside-down location before baking.
I did an still got a lot of booger-y clings.

Baked on booger clings. :/

No worries, they scrape right off-- just make sure you don't peel
over the lip and into the jar.

That's a good lookin' pencil cup!

I was actually impressed with how easy this was. I didn't enjoy the smell of baking Mod Podge, but all-in-all, I think it is a pretty easy craft that you have to work really hard at to screw up. The only think I would do differently would be to make the green a little darker. Unless the sun is hitting it, the jar pretty much looks clear.

Now I'm nervous, because I'm on a crafting hot streak (what with the book cover and the jar). This is not normal... which means one of the next crafts will go spectacularly wrong. Probably when I try to do something above my skill set, because I'm getting a big head from all this successful crafting.

Weekly Planner Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

I have been trying to be better about planning out my time. I'm not naturally a planner, but have found that life runs a little more smoothly if I have some semblance of a plan. Nothing set in stone, mind you, but at least jotted down so I remember what I need to do and when I need to do it!!

In an effort to be more efficient in planning my weeks, I started looking for a weekly planning printable that would work for me. I like the printables at Life Your Way, but the big block style of of their weekly planner didn't work for my brain. I like having things broken down by some kind of a time frame, so big open squares didn't work well for me.

So, I made my own!

I broke the days up into three sections for morning, mid-day, and evening/night. So far it is working well for me, because I'm able to jot down more of an approximate time when I want to work on certain tasks, and it gives me enough room to write a little more detail if I need it.

You can download a copy here, if you would like. I use a Monday through Sunday format, but I have also made a Sunday through Saturday plan, for those people who plan their weeks that way. I think it is all mental, but I like seeing my weekend in one big block. Makes it feel more weekend-y!

What do you do to keep yourself/your activities organized week-to-week?