Coming Home...

Alex and I have both been doing some traveling, for business as well as pleasure lately. There is something so cathartic about coming home after being away. It doesn't matter if its been a day or a couple weeks. There always seems to be those things that we look forward to doing when we come home.

I look forward to relaxing on the couch, sleeping in my own bed, and drinking my own coffee in the morning. Sometimes coming home after being away can also be stressful. If you left a mess, or unmade bed when you left, you may feel like you're coming back to a pig sty. I have definitely found that I feel much better coming home to a clean house.

This can be challenging for some people. Clean can mean two things.. Freshly cleaned as in mopped floors, shiny windows, and the lingering scent of Lysol. For others, clean just means all the clutter is put away and not visible. Usually there is only time for 1 out of 2 of those. I find that you can better enable yourself to do 2 out of 2 of those things all the time (not just when leaving for a trip) if you plan and organize your home from the get go. I find this process very rewarding.

A home is also about surrounding yourself with pieces and colors that you love as well.I happen to love that process as well. I've been thinking about starting a side business (or maybe just a hobby) of interior design and organization (did you know that it's possible to become a Professional Organizer?). As part of my pondering, I'm looking for guinea pigs! If you have a space that you hate, either for it's aesethic or functionality, please let me know!

Household Item Appreciation Day

One thing I've noticed after being married (or just from getting older) is that we start to appreciate more practical items in a way we never have before.

Below is my list of the 10 things I couldn't live without (well I could.. but why would I?). I posed this question to Alex and his response was "1. MINI BLENDER.... by far my favorite. After that i have no favorite....(I need to give this one a little thought)."

I'll be curious to see what the man of the house comes up with and how it compares to my list.

1.       Sponges, dishrags, towels…

• Anything use to wipe surfaces clean! (It’s difficult to have a spotless apartment, but I at least have to have all of the counters and tables clean and free of crumbs at all times

2.       A soap dispenser filled with dish soap

• We have brushes that have dish soap in them, but having the dispenser makes it easy to soak items in soapy water and clean the wine glasses that I can’t use the cleaning brushes on -  broke two that way oops!

3.       Good smelling candles

• These help make the apt smell good and they help me get into a good mind frame.. right now I’m burning a Fresh Cut Roses yankee candle to get into the spirit of Valentine’s day and infuse a little spring!

4.       Measuring tape & sewing kit

• Very useful for ordering clothes online and making sure they’re right size.. also the seam riper is handy for those new clothes!)

5.       Girly tool set

• This comes in handy because I know how to use everything in it and it’s easy to grab because it’s so light!

6.       Ice maker

• Love not having to empty ice cube trays and refill them

7.       Recycling bins & shredder

• recycling makes me feel like I’m doing my part for the environment and it evens help me organize “trash”)

8.       Blinds/curtains

• Love opening them in the morning and closing them at night. This is probably a habit from my childhood, but there's something refreshing about opening them when the sun has risen and letting in the sunshine.

9.       DVR

• I love to watch tv, but this ensures that I don’t miss anything – tv shows or nights out with friends or nights in with alex

10.   Coffeemaker

• Although it’s annoying to clean this out every day, I love the auto program function, it’s easier for me to wake up when my coffee is already ready!

I love to know how people think, so to me it's really interesting to see how people respond to a prompt like this... I think it can actually tell you alot about a person (Alex's response is so Alex. He likes to keep life simple).