porch makeover | step one

Matt has done such an amazing job on the landscaping in the front yard that I am feeling the porch really needs a makeover. I've been dying for a new front door since we moved in. The one we have now is the boring builder grade kind from the dreaded big box store. It has zero personality and that white molding crap around the windows drives me bonkers. I do really like the light that the windows provide the entry and dining areas, but the lack of privacy is a drag. I am thinking that the replacement needs to have the windows but that they should be obscured.

I am in love with the amazing products from Crestview Doors of Austin, Texas. I don't live in a cool mid-century modern 'dwelling,' but the house is a true ranch. Crestview has an amazing program on their site that allows you to 'try on' their doors. These three are the ones I like the best, with the 'Pasadena' being the front runner. Ignore the black. I picked that because the other colors were distracting too much from the design and looked phony.

What do you think?

click image to enlarge

fun with boys

I just bought this kookie 1960s book on eBay. I love the idea of 'fun and crafts for boys.' Can't wait to see what it is all about.

favorite blogs | design mom

On of my favorite bloggers, Gabrielle Blair (aka Design Mom) is hosting "Ask Design Mom Week"--it is a must check out. To do so, click here.

enjoy(:

one day down, 89 to go

Today is actually day one of my 90-day simplification project. It was 2 weeks ago that I wrote my initial post promising myself to finish to up all in-progress projects and meet some outstanding obligations. Well, I have done that. I’ve have gotten everything that needed immediate attention off my plate and lived up to all of my outstanding promises. See, no procrastination! Wow, this getting things done stuff really works(:

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been reading two wonderful books that I think will help me simplify my daily life and manage my time better. 30 Days to a Simpler Life is such fun because it essentially gives you a homework assignment to complete each day. It doesn’t make the whole organization thing seem overwhelming.

In deference to the authors, I don’t want to give too much away here about their specific suggestions; after all, these ladies came up with this stuff, not me. But I would like to share with you from time to time the things I try from these books and other resources that work for me. And maybe I will even gain a little wisdom myself and come up with my own strategies that I can share. I can’t promise they will be earth-shattering breakthroughs, probably more like “duh!” moments, but I promise to share nonetheless.

Ooo…I have one! I tried this a couple of months ago and it’s really working: get rid of your big-ass purse and all of the crap in it.

I was carrying a purse and a tote bag full of crap back and forth to work every day. Some days—no, make that most days—I didn’t even access, let alone use anything, in the tote bag. It was like some weird kind of security bag that I schlepped around.

So, I got rid of the tote all together and treated myself to a nice handbag with just a few pockets and dividers to keep things organized and handy. Then I went through my existing purse and purged it of everything only adding back the essentials:

*wallet (which I pared down, too—more on that in a bit);
*keys (bought a cute new keychain and got rid of all the extra keys, keeping only one’s I need to get in and out of the house and turn the car on);
*a small, but cute notepad to write things down on that I can transfer to my planner later (so I don’t have to carry that everywhere);
* a pen;
*my sunglasses in their case;
*a tampon; and
*ONE tube of lipstick and liner (these thin babies need liner).

That’s it! And truly, that is all I really need when I am out.

Okay, about that wallet. My mother-in-law gave me this cute thing for Christmas and it has replaced my regular wallet. LOVE IT!

All I have in it is my drivers’ license, my ATM card and the card-key I need to get in and out of my garage at work. I don’t carry any of that other crap anymore—no credit card (shouldn’t be using it anyway), no medical cards (they can look it up using my ID), and all of those membership cards (Ulta, FamousFootwear, supermarket)? Trashed. They can look you up, too.

For my change, I use a cute little handmade coin purse like this one I found on Etsy.

Try it. It is so freeing.

the first step is admitting it

One of the things that drives my husband nuts about me is that I am a procrastinator. And it is true. I try really hard to pretend that I am not, but I am. Some of my procrastination is the classic kind—not doing something because I just don’t want to do it. But I also procrastinate doing things that I want to do, that I look forward to doing. I know this sounds completely nuts, but here is the rationale that gets me there: I really should do the things I NEED to do first, the things that are “important,” the things that are no fun and that I don’t want to do. Then, as a reward, I get to do the fun stuff. So it turns out that I am punishing myself for not doing the things that I think I should be doing by restricting myself from getting pleasure from doing the things I want to do.

Confused yet?

I know! Welcome to my bat-shit-crazy world of over-analyzing and justifying. It’s exhausting!

And here’s the rub—when you procrastinate doing the “have-tos” they breed like horny little rabbits and you get buried under them and, if you are playing with my jacked-up scenario, you NEVER GET TO THE FUN STUFF! I like to call it delayed gratification because it makes me feel better but what it’s really called deprivation. And that, my friends, is no way to live. It’s stressful. It makes you cranky and whiney. It makes you say things like, “I never get to do anything I want to do because I am constantly taking care of you people so you can do what you want to do.” It makes you feel tired, resentful and worthless. You get no sense of accomplishment. And worst of all, it makes you mad at yourself because, after all, it is your own damn fault.

Phew.

So I had a little chat with myself that went something like this: Look here, Missy. There is a new sheriff in town. It is time to take responsibility for your choices and commit to yourself and your well-being. If you don’t, dear, they will soon be wheeling you away in an unflattering white jacket to a padded room where you won’t be any good to anybody, including yourself. Got me? Good.

That is how my simplification project was born. I realized I needed to get control of my life. No one was planning on doing it for me.

If you break life down into it’s simplest components you have two things: time and stuff. There is no end to the stuff, but the time ticks away and you can’t get it back. So it made sense to me to start my simplification project by getting my stuff in check so I could make room for time—time to be with my husband, time to be with my kids, time to be creative, time to just sit and relax and not worry about those “have-tos”.

I’ve been reading these two books to help me get there. They are great. Check them out here and here.

when i grow up...

i want this to set my cocktails on

and this for my patio, perhaps through the french doors from by bedroom?

and these to sit in while i sip said cocktails.

All from here.

acceptance

This is how it started:

Dear Marcy,
Congratulations! You have been recommended by the Design Program for admission into our MFA program beginning Fall 2009.

I almost wet myself.

Moving the countdown clock to the top now.