What Ana Does

Closets are are in and I'm IN LOVE!  I've been stalking the ELFA closet systems from The Container Store for years. And when we decided to convert the room attached to our bedroom to a closet, formerly used as an office, I knew I wanted to custom build an ELFA closet for us.  Here's what I was told: They're super-easy to build. And they are customizable even after installation; you're not stuck with a certain layout. So if I get a job at an office where I need to be dressed up, I can reconfigure my closet to include more hanging space. Or a pants hanger. Other closet systems were cheaper, but you were committed to that layout.  I got the room measurements during the inspection, went on the website and did all the work to create two walls of closets. And we did one for Alice's closet, since a) she didn't want her closet doors and b) her existing closet system was a disaster.  And, lucky us, we got 25% off all three closet systems ... during their annual sale...

Dave had a vision for the garage. He's in the garage most mornings using the gym space and likely daydreaming a bit of how to better organize the things taking up space. So I reached out to our contractor to see if he was comfortable coming over and building some shelves that we could use to tidy up. I drew out a master plan of how best to organize all the crazy amount of stuff in there. It included installing the four ceiling hoists for our bikes from the ceiling! Our contractor was up for it. He built most of the 9ft shelves at his house and he came for one day to do the install (and swap the items in the powder room). Minimal contact in these weird times. Here it is! See how cool those bikes are hanging from the ceiling! We'll spend the upcoming weekends going through the junk in the foreground, sorting it into piles, and finding containers to store them in ... WITH LABELs. YAY! Final picture of Dave's vision of space and organization coming soon.

I was getting suspicious but once I started to really clean out my pantry yesterday, the signs were CLEAR. Mice have been getting into the food in my pantry. Cleaning Out In Progress! Yes! Mice! Hungry vermin! Gross Gross Gross Gross Gross! I refuse to go into details. It was a horror movie. After I freaked out a little and dry-heaved in the corner, I got my big girl panties on and cleaned the whole darn pantry out. Anything that wasn't sealed up, got tossed out. And everything remaining (with nuts and chocolate, especially) got put into containers. So this is why people use these beautiful, labeled containers in their super-tidy pantries. ( Like this .) Consider me totally on-board. I also set a few traps because I'm going to catch those bastards and make them pay!! Lastly, I started walking around my kitchen to try to discover where they are coming from and if it's something I can plug up. Like a vermin detective! Ugh. Not the way I wanted to spend my we...

Last, but not least, in this three-part Totes series is the jam-packed, summer-ready Mom Purse. I'm a big fan of having a few purses at the ready: a tiny one for just my wallet and phone, a medium sized bag for adult day trips when I don't have to pack like a Mom and a big Mom tote. And I like to switch based on the need for the day, when I can. Items very in each of the bags, but the Mom Tote is what I tend to use the most. It's slightly over-sized for a purse and I can jam whatever I need into it -- or out of it. Here's the rundown of what's usually inside: The Summer MOM TOTE Wallet, keys and iPhone, obviously Sunscreen Sunglasses for me and child-sized Notebook for to-do and grocery lists A little bag of Advil, lotion, lip balm and Altoids Tissues Felt pens in assorted colors, also a Sharpie and pen/pencils Hand sanitizer  iPads - mine and/or the kids' Book or Kindle or magazine S'Well Water Bottles, because they're friggin...

To continue the Tote project for the summer, let's tackle the Park and Tennis Totes. This summer, Leah is taking a Sunday tennis class at a nearby park. This gives Alice and I the perfect excuse to play outside for an hour. Here's the lowdown on the tote ... The Park Tote Park Tote This is the bag that will have a hundred things to do outside, so we don't get bored waiting for Leah and fall back at staring at our iPads. Sunscreen Hats Rain gear - jackets and umbrellas Picnic blanket Books Coloring books/paper Deck of cards  The kite I got on sale at Target two years ago And I'll toss in snacks like clementines and granola bars, and icy water bottles. Tennis Tote All this bag includes is our ... tennis rackets, one for everyone in the family new containers of balls larger practice balls water bottles and sunscreen so we can head to a park at a moments notice and practice Leah's new-found tennis skills. We'd likely bring along the P...

There's nothing worse than scurrying around the house trying to pull all the necessary items together for a simple trip to the park or pool. So each summer I try to create some pre-packed totes that sit on a hook and are ready for walking out the door. This summer we're going to need a Pool Tote , a Tennis Tote and a Park Tote . Plus, a slightly-more jam-packed Mom Bag . Let's start with the Pool ... My Pool Tote - Minus the Towels Town Pool Tote This tote is the MOST important because we love the town pool. And, because we have a membership, we can wander in and stay however long we want. There's no pre-planning or spending "at least 4 hours to make it worth it." Here's the list of Pool Tote items, in priority: Goggles - two, of course Pool diving toys  Several large pool towels Spray sunscreen and a sunscreen stick for faces  A baseball hat to keep the sun off little faces   Magazine, this week it's Magnolia Journal Water bottle t...

In Progress I've been resisting adding hooks on the long hallway off the garage entrance ( as posted here ). But OMG if I have to STEP on another bag or sweater thrown on the floor I'm going to LOSE IT. (!!) We have hooks all over this house for a reason, people! In a fit of rage, I bought a piece of trim and ordered a bunch of hooks in a variety of colors for that wall. But then decided ... maybe if I improve this wall -- which sits directly opposite from the garage entrance -- I might solve the problem without adding yet another wall with hooks. So, I got these little pine boards and some neato steal hooks and used Saturday night while the girls were away to install the whole system. Replacing the dinky row of pegs that just wasn't doing the job. It went up very quickly, finishing it up while the girls watched Frozen on Sunday morning after their sleepover. I included a sign that says "Hey You! Hang Up Your Stuff" on the magnet board just above it. J...

Hours after getting home from our relaxing winter break trip, I decided I absolutely needed a paint brush in my hand. I mean, it's been weeks since I painted any walls -- and I get a little crazy when I can't improve my surroundings. Don't you? Anyway, I looked at my laundry room and decided that it was a bite-sized project I could easily tackle in our last weekend of winter break. Before the Paint. And Look at Those Messy Shelves. The Horror.  So, first, I finished the aqua paint around the window. Next, we removed the collapsable drying rack -- why? Because it's collapsable and that's what it kept doing; Collapsing. Tres annoying. We found wall-mounted drying racks at the Container Store and installed those. Last, I shuffled, moved and ordered the supplies on all the shelves so they're better organized and used. There's nothing I hate more than good shelving going to waste. At the End of Day 1. Note the Collapsable Drying Rack. No! I w...

I've been saving glass salsa jars because they are just the right size and shape for markers and pens. One night I got creative with labels (thanks to Martha and Avery.com). They came out cute! Reuse = Less Art Supplies Everywhere