Subject: Clutter!

Melissa -

Ahh...wasn't that a lovely week off! Now it's back to work on our respective houses. Here is how I'm feeling, both physically and mentally (I want to thank you in advance for not juding me):

I got the new issue of Better Homes & Gardens last week, and the whole issue focused on organization. So now I am feel inspired to get going with cleaning out closets and getting things organized. This upstairs closet really needs some work and I would also like to tackle the garage as well. I went through my closet and drawers and took out a few things that I no longer wear, but I really need to go through and rid of a ton more. I just love the feeling of shedding stuff that I no longer use or need. This is especially true after the holidays, when we get new clothes and gadgets and have to make room for them. I have heard of some people who will only allow themselves to bring a new item into their home if they get rid of one old item. I am not that vigilant, but I can appreciate the spirit behind it. Also, after Suz's first Christmas, I now understand how families can end up with so many toys! Ugh. I had to find a spot in her room for a basket to hold all her toys that don't fit in the buckets under her changing table.

So there is lots to do in my neck of the woods in terms of getting my house organized and also implementing some ideas I have been sitting on for too long, which means I will be recruiting you and your fabulous input and ideas for the following:

• To paint my kitchen or to not? I love the green it currently is, but is it time for a change? This April marks four years in this house and four years of a green kitchen, so maybe I need to move on with a new color? Also, I feel like I have to get this done while Suz is still taking two naps a day, so my deadline is March. Hopefully she will continue on with two naps way past her first birthday, but this at least gives me a target date to shoot for to complete a pretty big project. (Also - we have a first birthday to plan! More on that later.)
• Drapes for my living room and bedroom - it needs to happen, but I have been stalling on the living room because my fabric choice hinges on whether or not I paint my kitchen.
• My dining room chairs - they need a new coat of paint and some new fabric, especially if I paint my kitchen.
• My yard. It needs serious help. Every year I say, "THIS will be the year my garden is planted" and it never really works out. Basically I'm listing it here so you'll hold me accountable!

I think that is all. Do you have any New Year's resolutions or goals? I like the term goal better - it seems more positive. I don't usually make many, but I give myself to June to try and keep them and then I use the last six months of the year to start coming up with new goals for the next year! I'm going to try and read more, but limit myself to non-fiction (like biographies) and for fiction - only classic works. For an English major, I have not read many of the classics! I haven't decided if I will try to find a list of the top 50 or 100 classics to read (not that I would get them all read in a year, but at least it gives me some direction) or come up with a list on my own of books I consider classics but that I've never read. And there are some classics that I read in high school or college that I don't think I fully understood, so it would be interesting to go back and read them as an adult, given all my mature wisdom now! Speaking of classics, I got this shirt for my brother-in-law (a fellow English major) for Christmas:

Of course, these goals might get grouped into my "30 before 30" list (18.5 months to go!), which I hope to be sharing with you in the next few weeks as well. See, there's so much to do!

So, after some relaxing time off, it's time to get to work!
Kara

P.S. I remembered last week that it was two years ago that you called me while I was visiting family in DC to say you were engaged. Crazy that two years have already gone by!