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This week I have a cold, Zachary is getting over one, and I have a lot of work to do that I don’t feel like doing (would much rather rest). Posting this photo of a sunset I captured in Islamorada on our last visit down to the Florida Keys before having dinner at one of my favorite spots, Morada Bay Cafe. I wish I was there right now!
Canon 5D | 50mm f/1.4 @ 1/4000| ISO 160 I’ve been doing a lot of work around the house lately getting things organized, simplifying, paring down and throwing things away/donating. Sitting down too much doesn’t agree with this pregnancy (I get pins and needles in my legs, not to mention that persistent lower back pain), so I have been trying to avoid discomfort by walking around my house and being productive! It’s been working out great, and while it’s not “exercise” it still gets me moving in ways I hadn’t anticipated. This past week, I stocked up on some organizing supplies at Target and got to work in our bathrooms. My guest bathroom (which is also the kid bathroom) wasn’t really disorganized, but there was a lot of “stuff” on the counter and no real place to put an extra roll of TP or a tissue box. A plastic shoebox solved that problem, and now holds the aforementioned items, plus some room spray, a lotion, and Zachary’s bubble bath. Now the only items sitting on the actual countertop are hand soap and a candle. So much more tidy. My master bathroom was by far the most disorganized. Every time I try to clean the bathroom counters, I always get frustrated by how much makeup is on the counter and how many bottles of this and that I have to clear away. I do use all the different bottles (soap, perfume, toothpaste, contact solution, hair stuff), but there are just so many of them. Another plastic shoebox solved this problem as well, as all the bottles now live in a shoebox giving me easy access and an easy way to move it out of the way for cleaning. Additionally, I found an old lucite makeup organizer under my counter just taking up space. I cleaned out the bathroom junk drawer/makeup drawer and now have room for the organizer and ALL of my makeup! I think that cleaning out the bathroom drawers and cabinets is going to have to become a yearly activity, because I was shocked at how much old makeup was in there, not to mention the random expired contact drops, creams, and bottles of Advil! I filled up a whole grocery bag with junk and was astounded by how much crap I have held on to over the years. I’m sure I could even get rid of more things if I went through the drawer again… My husband Adrian has always disliked the makeup being out, so he’s been really pleased, as have I — having all of this space available has really made it so much easier to keep our bathroom tidy. This photo from Pinterest was my inspiration.  While my makeup drawer will certainly never be as neat and tidy as Martha Stewart’s (I contemplated posting a photo so you can see how I did it, but it’s better left to your imagination – and Martha’s is prettier anyway, lol), it’s much better than it used to be, and best of all, there’s now plenty of room on my bathroom counter! How often do you organize your makeup drawer and bathroom cabinets? by karen lisa 2 comments 
January 12, 2012 - 6:57 pm
I have my make-up organized in a drawer and for some silly reason I feel like it’s more fun to get ready when it’s like that. 
January 12, 2012 - 10:48 pm
my makeup is out of control. i have SO MUCH!! i have a little cabinet dedicated to it & a drawer that is full of crap. and of course, my bathroom counter is overwhelmed with stuff, too. i should try getting a plastic shoebox!! sounds like a good way to stay organized. :) Almost forgot to do WW today! Here’s an Instagram shot of our vegetable side dish from dinner the other night – Brussels Sprouts Hash. It was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten! The recipe called for pearl onions, but I just chopped up a little more than half an onion and caramelized it since I didn’t have any of the pearl variety. Definitely going to make this one again! Meal planning is proving to be a fun and healthy adventure for 2012!
by karen lisa 2 comments 
January 11, 2012 - 2:39 pm
I was so not a fan of B sprouts when i was a kid but, as an adult I enjoy them and this really does sound SO yummy not to mention the picture is kinda making me drool!! I just love fresh cooked veggies!! 
January 11, 2012 - 2:42 pm
They were very fresh and tasty! I actually got them at the farmer’s market, and can’t wait to get more! A couple days ago, I did a recap of my 2011 resolutions, and was pretty pleased with how many of them I accomplished. My motto for 2012 is “Get Things Done” and I think my resolutions for this year will reflect that. 1. Spend 30 minutes a day (at least 4x a week, let’s be reasonable here) doing something productive or organizational around the house – cleaning up the kitchen, doing dishes, folding laundry, sorting mail. 2. Read at least 50 books this year (same as I did last year) – if I hit that, read 75! Additionally, record my reading adventures more on my blog – I’ve been reading so many good books, and want to share them with others. 3. Finish designing our family photo albums and get them printed. There is no excuse for not having an album from our honeymoon seven years ago. Get caught up before things get busy! Yes, this is a repeat resolution from last year since I feel that I didn’t do well with this. 4. Maintain a healthy weight during my pregnancy and eat well afterwards in order to drop any excess, hopefully by the end of 2012. 5. Spend at least one day each month sorting through things to get rid of or donate. I actually started doing this a while ago, but I need to continue, since we are going to be clearing out my office for the new kids’ room and swapping Zachary’s current room with my current office. 6. Be a better blogger. That includes redesigning this blog, too. Another repeated resolution from last year. 7. Shoot more for myself and capture more details of family life. Capturing my life no matter what format it’s in (DSLR, iPhone, Point & Shoot) is important to me, so while I would LOVE to use my DSLR more often for personal stuff, it’s often more convenient not to. My goal is to just shoot as much as I can, with whatever I have available. 8. Make a concrete plan and to-do list of what needs to be done to get the kids’ new bedroom and my new office finished in a reasonable amount of time BEFORE baby #2 gets here. June is much closer than it seems! 9. Take more time out of each week (or at least each month) to spend on marketing for the business, such as working on my photography blog, business facebook page, or meeting with other vendors. Another repeated resolution. I feel like I could have done a lot more than I did last year, and want to make this a focus as well in 2012. 10. Start meal planning at least 3 nights per week so we always know what we’re having for dinner – and most importantly, it’s good for us. Have reliable alternates with items that are “in stock” so I can whip something up on tired nights or non-planned nights. 11. Put together a rough schedule for each day, and follow it. Working at home, sometimes it’s easy to slip into taking lots more breaks than you normally would, so I want to have a good idea of what I should be doing at what time, with a goal to stay on track so I can keep up with my backlog. 12. Spend lots of time with family and friends, and make more wonderful memories! What’s your most important resolution this year? What are you looking forward to getting done in 2012? by karen lisa 6 comments 
January 6, 2012 - 9:41 am
1. Spend 30 minutes a day (at least 4x a week, let’s be reasonable here) doing something productive or organizational around the house – cleaning up the kitchen, doing dishes, folding laundry, sorting mail. I’m insanely jealous if you have so little dishes, laundry, and organizing that it’s 30 min, 4x a week. Or I’m jealous of your productivity, because that amount of time would definitely not cut it in my house!
January 6, 2012 - 11:17 pm
i think the idea of setting a goal for organizing time is a good idea. i tend to organize whenever the bug hits me. sometimes it is frequently, and other times……not. LOL. also, i hope you write more personal stuff about your family. i used to love reading your entries on LJ. i was thrilled when you friended me. i’m excited to hear about things w/ the new baby!
January 6, 2012 - 11:31 pm
Melissa.. hehe… :) My house really does need far more than 30 minutes a day; however, I absolutely HATE doing housework so this is meant as an improvement for me to keep me on track for staying organized. That said I am pretty speedy at doing laundry and dishes, though actually getting up to DO them is what I have to work :) I also plan on hiring a cleaning lady 2x a month especially since doing the big stuff (like mopping and deep cleaning the bathroom) is no fun when pregnant or just after having a newborn.
January 6, 2012 - 11:34 pm
thanks kristen :) I was actually thinking about this recently and I do plan on making more updates with the pregnancy and the baby. not having a updated looking site (or one I can easily redesign at the moment due to server limitations) has been really annoying for me and makes me not feel like blogging much, since this design shows pictures of zachary from when he was only 10 months old and he’s now over three years! plus I have been so busy the past year and haven’t felt like doing much personal blogging. hopefully soon, my site will be moved to a new server (with no limitations) and I’ll be able to install the new site redesign and will feel more in the mood for writing like I used to! 
January 9, 2012 - 4:02 pm
I love this list! You have so much direction and I agree with previous posters about posting more about your pregnancy! I am curious though — what server limitations are preventing you from easily redesigning the blog? I think we both use ProPhoto, so I’m really curious.
January 11, 2012 - 2:26 pm
Amber, I forgot to reply to this. The server limitations are the fact that the current server we own does not have the latest version of PHP, which is preventing me from installing ProPhoto4 and my new design theme. Soon my blog will be moved completely to Amazon Web Services, which has the newest PHP, so at that point I can start doing my redesign! I love this photo (iPhone 4s, Instagram)! Zachary found his love for Play-doh a few months ago, and it’s greatly increased in recent weeks. We do Play-doh every day now (sometimes more than once a day). I enjoy this time for him to be creative and use his imagination. What crafty toys do your kids enjoy playing with?
by karen lisa 1 comment 
January 4, 2012 - 1:56 pm
great picture, really good quality to :) Your son is so cute, he looks like you :) My 3 yr old loves play doh too, and moon doh as well. she also loves to paint and build with blocks. |
by karen lisa
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