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One of the best things about being married and having our own place is finding small ways to improve the way we live.  I recently bought a magazine about small space storage solutions and it has given me a lot of ideas towards making our lifestyle more ergonomic.  Part of the reason I have to put off painting another day is because I've got to pick up the mess we left before leaving for Christmas.  If we had better places for everything, I see myself having more time. 

 

So, I've been searching for some big wall hooks. I want to put two in the stairwell by the front door for coats, umbrellas, and bags, and 3 or 4 on the wall near the closet where we can toss clothing that we don't have time to hang up right away (it's better than it being on the floor, right??)  Ryan and I went to Ikea on our way home from New Braunfels on Sunday and we got some great stuff.  Among them, a magazine rack that hangs on the wall in the bathroom (will replace the magazine basket on the floor that was never really meant to hold magazines and will free up valuable floor space), a wine rack that also mounts on the wall (which will clear up a little cabinet space... we only have one bottle at the moment, heh), an orange wire mesh basket to store our salad shooter and all of its various parts in (no more parts sitting loose on the shelf taking up more space than they deserve), and a french press (which allows Ryan to take his coffee maker-that we hardly use-back to work and clear up that much more counter space).  We got some other fun stuff like 2 colorful pots that will be new homes for the baby aloe veras that are springing up from our big one (even cheaper than the ugly plastic ones at Home Depot), some more bath washcloths, wisks, and a flatware caddy (which I actually needed).  I think that's it.

 

The magazine had some good ideas.  It suggested keeping a canvas bin in the closet for clothes that need to be mended, so when I get out my sewing machine I can take care of business.  I also really like their idea of putting small appliances with many parts in their own bins or baskets.  It makes it easier to keep everything together and put away nicely.

 

We're going to spend New Year's Day rearranging our bedroom, and I'm excited because I'll be able to look through the stuff under the bed and maybe get rid of something.  There's at least 2 big boxes of books I need to try and sell on Half.com or AbeBooks.com.  Maybe I can get something for my old N'Sync memorabilia... haha!

 

Ryan got on eBay last night and found the parts that he needs to fix my iMac. The guy was asking $95 but we made him an offer of $75 and he liked that well enough.  I can't wait to get that thing fired up again.  It has so many old pictures.  Not to mention Photoshop and Illustrator.  Fixing it will also mean I will start using my video camera again, because for some reason my laptop doesn't have a fire wire port (even though it is supposedly the "media center/entertainment" machine... pshhh...) and I'm pretty sure Ryan's computer doesn't. 

 

So, the progress continues.  I am driven to look for ways to continually improve our day to day, whether it be with a coat of paint or a cleaner floor or more income (I'll get to that one later).  I wanted to have an inspiring blog like Rachel (http://firelogsandalmonds.blogspot.com) where her every post points us to do something to help stop genocide in other parts of the world.  However, I can't deny what's on my mind... I think I am programmed to be a homemaker and an entrepreneur.  Although I do enjoy helping to end world hunger on www.FreeRice.com when I'm bored.  You can play various trivia games and the UN sends rice to starving nations per your correct answers.  Some people think about the whole world, some people think about the immediate people around them and all of their future offspring that don't exist yet...