Making Space, Settling In

Last fall, after we found out we didn't get the two-bedroom rental we had hoped for, we decided to take a break from the housing hunt. Chris had gotten a new job and we rediscovered contentment in our small space. One thing I had requested however, was some funds from our housing budget to make some improvements to my living space.

As minor as it was, I replaced our Europe photos in our kitchen with clipboards. These clipboards offered two things: 1) changeable displays of art, photos, coupons and quotes, 2) an in-sight holding place for bills, unattended mail, and to-do lists and 3) it was pretty and made me happy.

Here's how it looks:

It has done its job of making our table less mail-cluttered and I like looking at my wall again. The clipboards ended up costing a bit more as I couldn't find in-good-shape used ones but I like them. The prints I have were printed from Shutterfly using discount coupons so they were reasonable.

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The second change we made was getting rid of one of the four dressers we have. I've come to realize that we don't all need our own dresser and we certainly don't need all the clothes we have accumulated. I heard a presentation by a stylist a while back and she made a comment about hanging all your clothes so you could see your options. You aren't going to wear something you can't see. So that is where I started. I purged some tops and hung up the rest which freed up an entire drawer in my dresser. 

Then I purchased a hanging closet rod that fits underneath my tops and hung up all of William's clothes. His undergarments and miscellaneous things fit perfectly in that newly emptied drawer. And then we got rid of his dresser.

That was a little harder -- I really liked that dresser and it was sad to let it go but it no longer worked for our needs and it freed up a lot of space in the bedroom. I ended up finding a family in need who just moved to the city and needed it for their little guy. That made me a little more willing to let go.

Shortly after we freed up the space, I found a friend who was willing to lend us her play kitchen for a while. Until Stephen moves to a big-boy bed we will be able to indulge in some bigger toys!

As you can see, I still have some work to do! In the process of purging we removed two bookshelves that were above Stephen's crib (earthquake hazard that was giving me nightmares). Some books were given away, and a few kept and moved to where you see them now. It's a little too chaotic for me but I'll get to it soon.

Ideally, I'd like to get some nice artwork to put on their walls and clear out a bit more of our stuff. I need to find a solution for all the stuffed animals that used to be on the dresser we got rid of. But getting rid of a dresser was a good start! 

Do you have any space saving tips for me to consider?! Please comment below--I'd love the help!

Last fall, after we found out we didn't get the two-bedroom rental we had hoped for, we decided to take a break from the housing hunt. Chris had gotten a new job and we rediscovered contentment in our small space. One thing I had requested however, was some funds from our housing budget to make some improvements to my living space.

As minor as it was, I replaced our Europe photos in our kitchen with clipboards. These clipboards offered two things: 1) changeable displays of art, photos, coupons and quotes, 2) an in-sight holding place for bills, unattended mail, and to-do lists and 3) it was pretty and made me happy.

Here's how it looks:

It has done its job of making our table less mail-cluttered and I like looking at my wall again. The clipboards ended up costing a bit more as I couldn't find in-good-shape used ones but I like them. The prints I have were printed from Shutterfly using discount coupons so they were reasonable.

________

The second change we made was getting rid of one of the four dressers we have. I've come to realize that we don't all need our own dresser and we certainly don't need all the clothes we have accumulated. I heard a presentation by a stylist a while back and she made a comment about hanging all your clothes so you could see your options. You aren't going to wear something you can't see. So that is where I started. I purged some tops and hung up the rest which freed up an entire drawer in my dresser. 

Then I purchased a hanging closet rod that fits underneath my tops and hung up all of William's clothes. His undergarments and miscellaneous things fit perfectly in that newly emptied drawer. And then we got rid of his dresser.

That was a little harder -- I really liked that dresser and it was sad to let it go but it no longer worked for our needs and it freed up a lot of space in the bedroom. I ended up finding a family in need who just moved to the city and needed it for their little guy. That made me a little more willing to let go.

Shortly after we freed up the space, I found a friend who was willing to lend us her play kitchen for a while. Until Stephen moves to a big-boy bed we will be able to indulge in some bigger toys!

As you can see, I still have some work to do! In the process of purging we removed two bookshelves that were above Stephen's crib (earthquake hazard that was giving me nightmares). Some books were given away, and a few kept and moved to where you see them now. It's a little too chaotic for me but I'll get to it soon.

Ideally, I'd like to get some nice artwork to put on their walls and clear out a bit more of our stuff. I need to find a solution for all the stuffed animals that used to be on the dresser we got rid of. But getting rid of a dresser was a good start! 

Do you have any space saving tips for me to consider?! Please comment below--I'd love the help!

Bookclub: A Good American

This started out as a really interesting story. Frederick sweeps his girl, Jetta off her feet. They start a romantic relationship and flea to America to avoid family tensions after getting pregnant. I really enjoyed their story and how the author unfolded their acclimating to life in Missouri. 

Around a third of the way in to the story, Frederick goes off to war and dies. This took me by complete surprise because he seemed to be the "Good American" and how can you have two-thirds of a story left to read without the main character? Well, the narrator (Frederick's grandson) shares the story of how his life came to be and a little of his father and aunt's story. 

The book lacks a real climax or arc and is more of a narrative of connections and a few traumatic events. There are a few really random turns concerning high school boys and their music teacher (completely caught off guard by this as it really didn't seem important or fitting in with the story). There is also a strange religious experience that the local pastor experiences and is just bizarre. The ending took another random turn and seemed rushed. 

Regretfully, I wouldn't recommend reading this one. It was really odd to not like it. I really enjoyed the first third, but the rest of it wasn't that interesting. I finished it but didn't really think it was that well written. Have you read it? What did you think?

This started out as a really interesting story. Frederick sweeps his girl, Jetta off her feet. They start a romantic relationship and flea to America to avoid family tensions after getting pregnant. I really enjoyed their story and how the author unfolded their acclimating to life in Missouri. 

Around a third of the way in to the story, Frederick goes off to war and dies. This took me by complete surprise because he seemed to be the "Good American" and how can you have two-thirds of a story left to read without the main character? Well, the narrator (Frederick's grandson) shares the story of how his life came to be and a little of his father and aunt's story. 

The book lacks a real climax or arc and is more of a narrative of connections and a few traumatic events. There are a few really random turns concerning high school boys and their music teacher (completely caught off guard by this as it really didn't seem important or fitting in with the story). There is also a strange religious experience that the local pastor experiences and is just bizarre. The ending took another random turn and seemed rushed. 

Regretfully, I wouldn't recommend reading this one. It was really odd to not like it. I really enjoyed the first third, but the rest of it wasn't that interesting. I finished it but didn't really think it was that well written. Have you read it? What did you think?