101 in 1001: An Update

I just spent the morning taking my last two final exams for  awhile. I'm taking a break from school until the Monday after Thanksgiving and I'm very excited about it. That gives me 15 weekends free! Yay!

I'm thinking of working on my 101 in 1001 list. I pulled it up today and realized I'f accomplished quite a few things that I forgot to check off!

#2: Get a job that allows me more time with the kids.
My original goal was to get a part time job that allowed us to break even from where I was when you calculated in benefits, etc. I ended up getting a full time job that will bring in more money but ultimately will allow the kids to spend less time at daycare and more time with mom and dad. Woo!

#21: Join a gym.
Done. However, I should have been more specific. I have yet to actually go. But, I made the first step!

#23: No fast food for a week.
This has been a more recent accomplishment. Recent, as in, the last week. But, I did it!

#80: Get a joint checking account.
Finally! No more bouncing bills between two accounts!

#97: Try two new recipes in one month.
This was actually fun! And I've well exceeded my goal. We hit about 12 new recipes in the last 3 weeks. Most have them have been a hit!

Now, what to fill the next 15 weeks with?

I think I'm going to start with a lot of painting. Roy doesn't know it yet, but we're painting the family room next weekend. I'm sure he'll figure it out when I come home with rollers and paint trays...

Time for the Living Room

I've been bitten by the craft bug. HARD.

My living room is first on the list. I'm hoping to paint this coming weekend.

Here is my color scheme...I'm excited! (The brown is the color of my wooden furniture.)

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Homeless Shoes

My shoes are homeless.

Seriously.

We don't wear shoes in the house. So, this has accumulated inside the front door:

These are the shoes we wear most often. Except the royal blue flip flops. I have one outfit that I wear those with - and I wore it today. I assume the Hot Wheels are there as some sort of Home Alone-esque burglar deterrent, but you'll have to ask Nathan to be sure.

My closet (OK, our closet) is even worse. I just counted and, between the two of us, we have over 40 pairs of shoes.

The left side:

The center (In case you're wondering, all the little dangly things are the ties from my halter tops and empire style tops/dresses. Apparently I have quite a few.):

The right side (also known as "Roy's side" but Nathan has helped me put shoes away so often that my shoes are all over the place):

(By the way, did you see these in there? I lurve them! They're my sexy dancing shoes.)

You see my situation. The worst parts are:

A) The shoes in the living room always slide under the couch so I am forever crawling on the ground before we go anywhere.

B) The closet floor is in desperate need of a dusting/sweeping/mopping which only happens once every eight weeks or so because I'm way too busy too lazy to move 40 pairs of shoes every time the floors get mopped.

Sure, I could buy some cheap shoe racks that will break in a year or two, but I want something a little more study.

Here is my inspiration. I really don't want to pay these prices, so I'm going to see what I can find in the way of thrift stores to get the look I'm going for.

I like this one for the entryway. It would fit right next to the couch inside my door. Plus, the top would be great with a tray to act as a catch-all for keys, sunglasses, etc.

Williams-Sonoma

As for the closet, I'm thinking something simple. I have to be able to house 40+ pairs of shoes, after all.

This would be adorable on my side of the closet. I could put my 18 pairs of shoes that I wear most often on it. The rest could go on racks like the one below.

Container Store

IKEA

A good majority of my shoes are flip-flops, and they would work nicely on a rack like the one on the bottom. I could set them on their sides next to each other. I bet I would only need one or two if I got the clothes tree. . .

Stay tuned. Hopefully I'll have something to show you in a few weeks!

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