morning's light

15-minute segments

Closet, originally uploaded by Luxita.

After posting a photo of an organized office this weekend and having the day to myself, I spent 15-minute segments on the kitchen, clearing off the kitchen counter/bar, the bathroom, laundry, dishwasher and finally - tackled 15 minutes in the closet that I've been avoiding. To keep from going in the Biggest Closet Ever (in my apartment renting history - scratch that, in my LIFE), where the Boxes of Stuff are piled up, I have been living in and wearing just a few items of clothing that I keep towards the front of the closet.

After 15 minutes yesterday (Sunday), I'm ready to spend another 15 minutes again to see how much more I can get done. It's been a couple years since I even looked in the boxes and and was amazed at how much I could donate, recycle and toss now that I can see what I really need in my life.

I found a thrift store that is the most organized, tidy, clean and non-thrift-store smelling store I've ever been in. And they take magazine donations. Good news for the big ol' pile of magazines that is about to topple over on a chair in my bedroom! It's nice to think that the donated magazines can be bought by people cheaply (a quarter a magazine) rather than my sending off the pile to the recycling center.

Another boost to this cleaning/organizing spurt has been the fact that the FlyLady now has a blog!   I like the daily digest emails from FlyLady but the blog is great too!

UPDATE:  Just found out that Laura Cattano, professional organizer whose 250 s.f. apartment has been featured on Apartment Therapy, has a flickr page and a blog!!  Below is a closet from her 250 s.f. apartment.

 

white office

Soothing white office in a small apartment.  Lovely.

more photos here

tagged/Chicago brownstone

Lincoln Park brownstone, originally uploaded by novicephotographer.

I’ve been tagged by RightBankGirl and here are the rules:

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.

2. Tag eight other untagged people.

What is your current obsession? Everything French.

Good fika (coffee) place? Starbucks.

Do you nap? Only on Sunday afternoons. Bliss.

Who was the last person you hugged? Holly, one of my church youth group junior high girls! (And she hugged me repeatedly.)

What’s for dinner? Salmon, rice and salad.

What was the last thing you bought? The truth? (You can't HANDLE the truth! oops..got carried away there) bottled water and toilet paper for home - mundane things.

What are you listening to right now? www.klove.com Music to keep me company in my office.

What is your favourite weather? Unexpected warm spring days + crisp fall days where you can walk through leaves and enjoy the day.

What’s on your bedside table? at night... cell phone (for the alarm), ipod touch, and my book.

What are you currently reading? Maeve Binchy's latest book. I heard her speak years ago and she announced she was retiring. I thought "Oh nooooooo!" but every couple years, she seems to come out with a new book - building upon the other books and characters. PERFECT! Her books are my favorites - hands down! I don't want this book to end.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Hi! Love your blog, love that you lived in PARIS! and I'm happy you tagged me!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? A Chicago brownstone. (See photo above.) I went to college in the Gold Coast area of Chicago and always wanted to settle down in a brownstone in that same neighborhood as the university. I'm still dreaming of that.

Favourite vacation spot? San Francisco - to see friends.

Name the things you can’t live without. It's THINGS, right? not people?? Lipbalm, lipstick, cash in hand, digital camera, ipod touch, phone, computer, internet, books, music.....

What would you like to have in your hands right now? A little bite of a decadent chocolate dessert.

What is your favourite tea flavour? Hmm...here's where I admit that I've not tried that many tea flavors. And I had a roommate who works for Mighty Leaf Tea and I only tried their tea once. (Sorry, AZ!) I have some at home I will try this weekend!

What would you like to get rid of? The items in my home I call "stuff" - as in things in boxes in the back of my closet that don't have homes...so they get lumped into a box labeled "To be dealt with later". Oh and my car that has 140,000 miles on it....so I can get a Honda CR-V. (used)

What is your favorite scent of candle?  I have one I ready about on Dooce (www.dooce.com) that actually smells like men's perfume.  It's from Bath & Body Works.

What did you want to become as a child? I didn't know! I read a lot, played the piano, and just lived my life. Not much thought for the future. Assumed I'd go to college and figure it out from there. I'm still figuring it all out!

What do you like better, e-mail or telephone calls? Calls from friends (to hear their voices!!) and emails from everyone else and for everything else. Apart from communicating with friends, I'm Socially Awkward on phone calls. My calls end with "Okay, BYE!" instead of "Good talking with you, I hope you have a good night, have a good evening, talk to you soon, goodbye". By then I've hung up and realized the other person wasn't done. A-W-K-W-A-R-D and I feel bad when I do that.

I'd like to tag: Nicole, Gina, Marta, Sharona, Katy, Annelies, Loren, and Elena.

red shower room

Another photo to capture my attention....actually, I'm staring again.  Katherine (of Brooklyn, NY) designed a red shower room that is so beautiful.  I adore the shade of red subway tile she used!

chips + broken english

My niece, Mimo, and I went out to get dinner for her and her two brothers on Friday night.  Mimo was so excited about the sandwiches and chips, that she put all three bags of chips in her mouth.  I thought it was cute enough to share with you.  Have a great Sunday!

 

Oohhh..I watched a good movie last night.  "Broken English"...had the cutest Frenchman in it.  My friend and I swooned all night everytime he spoke in his charming French-accented English.   

 

Melvil Poupaud

color

I could have sworn I posted this [color me blogg] already.  Turns out, not so much.  I'm going to share a photo with you that I could stare at for hours.  If I stared that long, it would be kinda weird.  How 'bout I just show you the photo?

• I have been looking for dark denim jeans and here is a great pair!
• People challenge me about all the black in my wardrobe.  They'd be shocked to know I stare at this photo (shoot, there's that weird staring thing again) and plan to buy brightly colored tees, sweaters and scarves for spring and summer (air conditioned office).
• The mix of colors is stunning.
• My favorite is the orange and yellow as they're my two recent new favorite colors.
• However, blue and green are awesome together.

Sorry for keeping this photo and blog to myself for so long.  Enjoy!

[s]

color me blogg

we are two friends who, in the dead of winter, tired of grey and black, decided to celebrate COLOR and share it with those around us.

we challenge ourselves to put together, each day, a new color creation to brighten our moods, inspire ourselves and others. this is where we share our colors, and we invite you to participate.

my fashion "a-HA" moments

Sometimes in gazing at a photo, I'll go "OOOOOOHHHHHHH" and finally get it.  In some of the photos below, I see...

• how stunning it is to add some pretty flats (silver) and add a few (not too many!) silver accents
• to have a neat, clean look (this first photo below)
• to wear black + one accent color  (lovin' the yellow!)
• dress monochromatically (navy has never looked so good!)

 

images 1-3

image 4

sonic: worth a mini-roadtrip?

Sonic Sunday: took two "Sonic virgins" and one Sonic fan to the latest Sonic to arrive in Wisconsin. How to survive an hour long wait in a line of cars snaking around a building to be allowed to enter the drive-thru lane or a drive-in stall?  Drink lots of sugar, entertain the driver, and take loads of photos.

 

   

 

 

 

 

Loving the "heavenly light" illuminating Molly as she enjoys her first ever Sonic sandwich.

 

 

Worth the drive, the wait, and the nap after lunch!

pile o' magazines? you're goin' DOWN!

*sniffle*

*cough*

Caught the office cold. Perfect time to tackle with gusto the stack of magazines on the table near the couch. At two magazines per day for the next month (keep the inspiring pages while recycling the rest), I'll get through the two piles completely.   Kleenex, water, low-light lamp, couch, blanket and pillow.  Reading then resting. 

Hope you have a good evening!

image: flickr

organized dressing room

Ryan's side of the room, originally uploaded by briones.photos.

What an organized small bedroom - turned - dressing room! More photos if you click the photo's link.

paris pastry chef at home

What a beautiful Paris apartment this pastry chef lives in!  (click photos to view larger versions)

 

 

typical youth group night: fun + games + discussion

No photos of the discussion but plenty of pics of the fun and games!  Last night was quite the night with the junior high (pardon me: "intermediate school") students. 

Bryan updates us on his sermon from Sunday - which is the topic for the youth discussion tonight in our small groups.  I was distracted by the pretty sunset visible from our meeting room.

Jennie created a custom crossword puzzle for our girls to complete.  It was such a success that next week I'll introduce a word search puzzle based on next week's theme.  (Thank you, Internet, for having tools to create these puzzles!)

What are they looking at?

oohh..THAT's what they were gazing at.  LOOK!  The ball is about to go into the basket!

   

Three of the girls I'll have in my group next year!

That's all for now.  I'm happy the week is almost over but I like Thursday evenings:  puttering around the kitchen while listening to Dean Martin + Friends, putting groceries away, creating something for dinner, feeling productive while the dishwasher and washing machine are running during The Office and CSI. 

Kitchen Detail

Kitchen Detail, originally uploaded by abchao.

More of the kitchen that I find darling!!

kitchens + office (dublin/paris)

Found some beautiful kitchens.  This first one appealed to be because of its clean counters and pretty artwork.  (Note to self: get some pretty art for the kitchen.)  The kitchen is part of fuse interiors in Dublin.

Then these next two photos are from the residence of French designer Matalie Crasset.

friday fun

it's been quite the week.  am happy the weekend is almost here.  haven't much planned apart from an eye doc's visit (have to get my eyes dilated), might see "slumdog millionaire", a little card playing, and I really want to see a friend's puppy, Bjorn, who is a Saint Bernard.  Apparently he's a little ball of fluff and I'll never want to give him back once I cuddle with him.

 

Bjorn Amadeus + his "mama"

 

elena

elena + kalette fake sleeping - to give the impression of lack of fun at my apartment.  so not true!!

here's how they really were (blurry photo alert):

happy, happy friday to YOU!!

 

coffee break with orla kiely

Well..not WITH Orla Kiely - but with one of her mugs available at Target. This little photo containing Girl Scout Cookies made its way to London where Sharona realized she won't be getting any of those cookies this year.

photo:  sunnygirlsf 

new favorite blogs

I love getting immersed into the world of blogs.  A few clicks and you're in a new world that connects to your current world.  

Tonight I was introduced to "From the Right Bank to the Left Coast"...she posted such gems as these:

The bedding colors are striking and the organized closet with the pretty curtains - love it!

Then I began reading "the paris apartment" and I love this little girl's tea party!

mimou [sweden]

Thought I was ready for spring - we've had enough snow, ice, cold temps, icy rain, freezing temps and grey days to last a lifetime.  So I thought I was ready for spring.  Then saw these photos.  Now am even more ready for spring to arrive.  Or perhaps these fabrics from Mimou would help hurry spring along.

 

 

ab chao blogs again + photos of her kitchen

ab chao has some of my most favorite photos on flickr and I used to read her blog. then she stopped blogging.  and now she's begun again!!  I'm thrilled!  I love her blog - all the white space on the pages  and how clean everything looks. Not sure what "hashai" means.  Here's her kitchen.

Photos by the 10 cent designer

braids

hair, originally uploaded by so_ill_drink_some_more.

I love braids..and wish my hair were long enough to wear them.
This hairstyle is simply pretty!

clean lines + color

I love clean lines.  So this first photo of an Apartment Therapy house tour had me so happy. I love the whole apartment - which you can see here.

 

 

 

colorful bedroom

It is late Saturday night...technically Sunday morning. I began catching up on blogs after some friends left (we spent the evening watching House episodes, playing games on my new iPod Touch, and eating sloppy joes + homemade brownies while laughing uncontrollably).   So once I'm alone, I find this colorful bedroom and begin swooning because my bedroom lacks color and a sense of style.  If I could recreate this room exactly, I'd be a happy camper.

It's neat and tidy, organized and colorful.  *sigh*

photo: AT Chicago