Day #3: Getting Organized Challenge {The Messy Tupperware Cabinets}

Alrighty, getting to the organizing stuff in just a moment.  But first, thank you for all your understanding and sweetness.  I'm thankful for all of you!

And... on to organizing.

Day three's challenge wasn't too bad, really.  It was to organize that tupperware cabinet... and lucky for me, I haven't accumulated that much plastic ware during our marriage.  Here's the before:

Mostly, it's just a mess.  The tupperware really only takes up half the cabinet, but there wouldn't be room for anymore, thank you little apartment kitchen :).  It's never going to stay perfect, because my sweet 21 month old loves to help in the kitchen, or bring them to her little kitchen to "cook" with.  If it makes her happy and keeps her involved, I'm all for it.  That being said, it was time to restack and re-organize.  There were a few pieces in there and we don't use a lot, so we set those aside to donate. (I'm saying we, but I was really the only one working on this.  My hubby has dish duty, so we was plugging away at those.)  And the after - all stacked and ready to go.  And yes, the bowls did multiply, as I said, my hubby was working away at the dishes.   Oh, and nothing was said in the challenge about keeping Nugget's magnetic letters off the ground... so, just focus on the lack of clutter okay?  Focus :).  

PS Can we ignore that there are canned tomatoes and other possibly embarrassing things stored in the background?  I promise we're working our way away from them... we've found a great alternative in Pomi, but I'm still weeding out the cans and trying to find a steady supply of the other. 

Sometimes... I don't know what I want

After another run-around on my tests (I'm always having to remind people where they need to send these things, for some reason), I talked to my doctor today.  He told me I had had some kind of an infection which caused the hormones and that I shouldn't need medicine.  He'd see me in two months.

um... okay?

See, at this point, I was disappointed.  While it's great that it shouldn't be a long term thing, what about all those symptoms I was attributing to the thyroid issue?  The relief I felt that maybe I'd feel better than I ever had?  Kind of dashed some hopes there.  I mean, when I go back, there could still be an issue, but it could also mean that the anxiety, depression, fatigue, weight gain, etc etc were all just that.  Their own issues that I need to figure out from square one.  I think I was most disappointed that I couldn't solve all of my problems in one disease.   I think I was a little disappointed that the specialist didn't take a moment to say "and if you still feel like ... poo... we should look into this further" or explain things.  Yes, I should have been my own advocate and asked more questions, but I get a little stunned and over polite when I talk to people who are smarter than me that hold my medical records.  My mom, being the dear, sweet, super smart nurse that she is, spent pieces of her day researching for me and coming up with a little nugget that often they still treat the symptoms until the virus is all cleared up.  She told me I could/should call back and figure some of these things out, and she's probably right (my mom usually is, she's good like that), but I'm not sure if I have the guts yet.  Maybe I'll just start feeling better?  I'm seeing fruit, dance parties and a whole lot of cleaning in my future to try to bully myself into a better attitude.  Anyway, this is a whole lot of rambling, but I figured I could say it, and you could read it if you want. 

and if you skip ahead to the cute picture, I don't mind one bit.  Sometimes I do it, too.

Day 2: Getting Organized Challenge {The Computer Desk}

As I mentioned, I'm doing a little 21 day challenge.  Day 2 was the cleaning of the top of the computer desk.  Ugh.  Okay, here's time for honesty.  I hate my desk, like a lot.  It's hard to move (we've been in three apartments in three years), it's clunky and there are a whole lot of spots for me to stuff random stuff.  I'm a bad random stuff stuffer.  I like things to be organized, but am not very good at following through.  My desk becomes the place to put everything I don't want our long-legged, long-armed little Miss to get into.  It gets ugly.

Case in point:

Apparently I couldn't even be bothered to try to take a decent picture of it... my apologies.  Those two glasses, by the way?  Um, I collect water glasses... I just pick up one everytime I walk through the kitchen.  This is pretty good, of course, I took this earlier in the day, so I think I added a couple more before I was done.  My big issues always come from the random stuff.  I just don't know what to do with it, and some of it I just can't pitch!  I did take everything off the desk; though, even the computer, so I could scrub remnants from whatever had been sitting on the desk away.  That printer?  Well, as much as I love printers... this one has been on the fritz for a while... it works, but sporadically.  We decided we should move on and consider finding something smaller, but useful, when we can afford it.  LOVE having that space back.  The printer didn't sit all the way back in that cubby, so I was always losing things behind it. 

I worked hard to sort the random (that took me into the evening... sorting random things doesn't work with a nearly-2-year-old who wants all the random things).  I even weeded out my overflowing mason jar of pens, moved some pictures around, put the cleaning supplies away and added that little tower of drawers.  I'm not sure it looks that organized in the after picture, but trust me, it so is.  It feels SO nice to sit down and work, now.  I kind of love it, I even tried to get a better picture of it, I liked it that much.  I'm not promising it will stay this awesome, because I just don't work like this.  But I promise I'll keep returning it to this awesome, because I do work better like that :).  My hope is to replace the desk someday, but in the meantime, I can be happy with an organized hand-me-down (except, ahem, for the drawers... luckily today didn't include those!).  Happy Friday!

You can find Day 1 here.
 

21 Day Challenge: Day 1

So, our apartment is a bit of a mess.  Part of this is because we're busy and I'm an awful sorter, and part of it... well, no, that's pretty much it.  Oh, and we have a two year old.  I saw this 21 Day Organization Challenge {she had a button, but apparently too many people have used it, because I couldn't get it to link, so go to that link right there to check it out!) through pinterest and decided I would try it... baby steps, right?  Yesterday was Day 1: The Junk Drawer.  Well, we have a whole lot of drawers... with junk in them, but no specific junk drawer, so I chose a few drawers in my kitchen.  They weren't necessarily rife with junk, just messy, disorganized and in need of a really, really good scrub down underneath everything.

Here are my befores:

As you can see, the top drawer is kind of the catch all - crumbs, scissors, random utensils and cookie cutters that didn't make it to their home.

 
This drawer really just needed to be straightened, the cookie cutters to find a collective home and to move those aluminum pans somewhere else (I needed one once and now have the leftovers forever!)

annnd... After!  They aren't perfect, but much happier.  Random utensils moved to another, less opened drawer, all the drawers got scrubbed and silverware washed (just in case).

Here the cookie cutters found a home and all of our boxes got a straightened up a little.  While we're trying to cut down our use of all the plastic baggies, we're not quite there, so they need a place for now.

And, I don't have a before of this one because I didn't know I was going to do any organizing... but it's Miss Anni's drawer.  Pretty much imagine all of those spoons (I'm not sure how we have so many, but we do!) and other little parts scatter everywhere!  I got this little organizer while picking up some other organizing bins at Big Lots yesterday, and she was pretty excited to un-organize and sort everything!  It's nice having a place for things :).

That sweet day

Yesterday, Daniel took the day off.  That had more to do with the fact that I couldn't hold a toddler and stay still during my thyroid scan than with the fact that it was Valentine's Day... but that was kind of a bonus.  I went to take my radiation pill by myself, because it was supposed to only last 15 minutes and Anni was just rolling out of bed.  By the time the first half hour had ticked by, I was lonely and wished I had both of them there.  This part was technically simple, they brought out the (single) pill in a lead-lined bottle.  I mean... really.  One pill in it's own chamber.  Should I really be putting that into my body?  It had another container inside, from which I was supposed to put it straight into my mouth (no touching with my HAND!  This was supposed to go in my body and destroy things there).  Okay, probably being a little over dramatic... but you wouldn't read this otherwise, right?  After that I went home and was tired.  I had to go back for the scan in a few hours, but in the meantime, it was breakfast burriters and chocolate... lots and lots of chocolate.

My scan was actually super quick and nice and painless (minus the moment of panic as the um, scanner? got a little too close.  I'm just a wee bit claustrophobic).  The tech told me there would be three "pictures", each 10 minutes long... except, after the first one, he helped me out so he could measure something and pronounced me ready to go.  When I asked why, he told me it was pretty obvious from the first scan, and I didn't need to do anymore.  I, of course, just wanted to know what was obvious and he (after an appropriate disclaimer that I would need to wait for sure to hear from my doctor) told me that a normal thyroid absorbs this stuff at a rate of 16% by this point (or 6-9%, Daniel and I disagree on what we heard... either way) and mine was currently at 1.4%.  Yeah... my thyroid is barely functioning, which kind of blew my mind since it was supposed to be crazy overactive and all that.  He explained that hypothyroidism (thyroiditis most likely in my case) presents as hyperthyroidism when an infection sets in and explodes a bunch of hormones everywhere.  Weird.  I'm not exactly sure what any of it means, so more waiting until my doctor decides to call.  That's all.  Except the tech was wearing Cornhusker crocs. 

Upon returning home, we realized there really wasn't time to make the stew I had planned, and we threw together a haphazard meal as we walked through the aisles of the grocery store while giggling (just a teeny, little bit) at the vast horde of men gathered around the flower section, a few looking completely bemused. 

Luckily, my husband saved the night with wine and love songs on the guitar and taking care of me when I felt yucky.

Oh, and more chocolate.

Today my funk continued... I'm blaming it on my darn thyroid.  Luckily, sweet Lucy and her mama came to play in our amazing blanket tent.

They brought sugar cookies and talked and played.

Anni adores Amy!  They spend enough time together that she's completely comfortable with her.  Plus, Lucy is kind of her best friend.

All in all, a pretty good day.

Take that, funk.