Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my 30th birthday. I know lots of people freak out about 30, but I'm kind of zen about it. 29 was much worse!

If I think of everything I've accomplished in the past decade, it's been a pretty great 10 years! And I'm at a really wonderful place in my life right now, large in part due to my lovely sister and roommate, Selby.

Selby has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She cares so much about others, and is so generous with her time and love.

Today, she just proved that over again. Look how she spoiled me today:




She wrote down 30 reasons she loves me.



All taped to a door with washi tape (which she bought me for Christmas - the girl knows me well!!!).

She made us mimosas to have with breakfast today.

Normally, on our birthdays, we'd take the other person out for dinner, or make them a dinner of their choice. But Selby works at the food bank and works the 12 - 8 shift. I have choir practice tonight and won't be home until 10, so Selby decided to make me a special breakfast instead.

And bought me a birthday outfit!



And got some mini cupcakes from a local cupcake shop.

As further proof of Selby's awesomeness, you should check out her new blog, Extracting Happiness.

Be Less Lazy: Repurpose a Tension Rod

I think I saw this idea in a Martha Stewart magazine ages ago.

I bought a tension curtain rod and put it in place under the kitchen sink. It's a perfect place to hang cleaning products, rubber gloves, and cloths and things. And then there's plenty of space underneath to keep other products.

Be Less Lazy: Faux Pantry

One of our biggest storage issues is the pantry. We don't really have one. Well, we do have one, but it's the width of one can of tomatoes. Honestly.

So in a small-ish townhouse, what are two girls to do? Fashion a faux pantry! We bought a couple of shelving units from IKEA and set them up in the garage. Already it's been amazing to have the space to store things like pop, beer, and wine, potatoes and onions, and rarely-used dishes and kitchen appliances.

I also put a little carpet in front of it, so we can walk in there without freezing our poor little feet!

Be Less Lazy: Why not a Branch?!

The best storage solutions are FREE! This is another project done awhile ago, but while we're on the topic of the vanity, I figured I'd show you.

I drove into the country and pulled this dead branch out of a ditch, then stuck it into a pot of river rocks. Instant necklace rack!

Be Less Lazy: Printing Press Storage

This project was actually completed a while ago, but I forgot to post about it. Short and simple!

I bought a printing press drawer at an antique shop for $30. I then mounted it on the wall, and it made a brilliant place to store earrings and other small jewellery.

P.S. Funny story: I wore that bow tie on the day of our school photos this year. The photographer looked at me, and said, rather condescendingly, "We're not doing silly photos this year." I blinked at her, and finally said, "This is my outfit." She mumbled her apologies and quickly took the photo.

Be Less Lazy: Repurpose Organizing Tools

You don't have to feel constricted by products that are designed for a certain purpose. We have a desk in my room that we use as a vanity: we have makeup, hair stuff, and jewellery there at our fingertips. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disaster.

So for Operation: Be Less Lazy, we tidied it up.

I turned to a bit of an unlikely spot for some storage and organization assistance: the kitchen storage area in IKEA. I installed this rod and hook combo to use to store hair things like bobby pins and elastics, and hair tools like curling irons and straighting irons.

For the curling irons, I just wrapped a clear elastic around the base to hang it.

So nice and tidy!

New Year's Resolution: Be Less Lazy

We finished school on December 23rd. Though at the time, it felt like a huge struggle to teach that close to Christmas, I am thankful now as we go back to school tomorrow. Having the bulk of the vacation after Christmas allowed me lots of time to rest and relax, as well as to do a few things around the house.

Christmas was great. My best gift was an iPad from my Mom and Dad! I am so spoiled! But the best was giving. I always love giving more than I love getting. I will post about the gifts we gave our Mom and Dad later.

And the best was just spending time with our Mom and Dad and other family (including our second family). We literally did not do a thing other than eat and drink wine and relax, and it was just perfect. Exactly what we needed. I am feeling totally rejuvenated now.

For our New Year's resolution, though, Selby and I made a co-resolution: Be Less Lazy. This resolution means lots of stuff, but for now it's mostly taken the form of us getting our house in order.

Over the last few days, Selby and I have tackled a bunch of jobs that have needed tackling, and it's felt really good. Over the next few days, I'll post about some of them. Oh, and Being Less Lazy also applies to this blog: I hope to post more because my lack of posting is really just about being lazy. I have things to say, so I just need to put in the effort and do it!

Here's the first thing: Make a List!

I just took an extra Ikea frame we had and put a piece of glittery black paper in it. Then I wrote on it with wet erase markers.

Having a list is good because it's right there for you to see what needs to be done. And it sure feels good to cross something off, doesn't it?!