Getting Organized

Things are pretty slow in my shops these days so I'm trying to take this time to get myself organized. You never know when you're going to be moving or having a baby, so why not get ahead while you can, right?

One of the ways I've been organizing myself is by planning my meals. I created a Weekly Meal Planner for myself & it seems to be helping me a lot. I'm no longer standing at the fridge every day wondering what to make for dinner. And to be honest, I really enjoy flipping through my cookbooks to find new things to make. It's a lot easier to shop with your meals planned too.

Pop on over to my website and you can download my Weekly Meal Planner for free. You'll get a single PDF file with both a portrait and landscape version. There's also a handy metric conversion chart to download. It's helpful when reading Japanese patterns or when you want to know how many inches 5/8 of a yard is. Enjoy!

I'm also working on a cleaning schedule. Things are a little less stressful if they're spread out over the week. Who wants to spend a whole day cleaning house? Not me. I was saying to Nick that I'd like to make some of my own cleaning products too, and then we went to the book store.

You know those great Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products? The all-natural ones in the cool packaging? Well, there's a book too, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home: No-nonsense advice that will inspire you to clean like the dickens. I got it last night and I'm already hooked. There are some great tips, recipes for easier ways to clean things without nasty chemicals, and a suggested weekly cleaning routine. I highly recommend it.

I also have this book, which is a great resource for living green and making your own cleaners. It's full of recipes and information.

Some other ways I get organized:

• Go through the bookshelves, closets and dressers periodically to find things you can donate. I am very good at this, Nick is not. :)
  
• Check all of your medicines, makeup and other toiletries for expiration dates. It's not just your food that needs to be thrown away after it gets old.
• Give your computer a good look and see if you've got some files you can archive. Every 6 months or so I like to burn cd's of my photos and other files that I don't need to access as often.

Things to check out:

• Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
• How to make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
• Alternative Cleaners & Recipes
• Seventh Generation
• Make your own cleaning wipes
• Make your own cloth diaper wipes
• Organized Home
• The many uses of Borax
  

The bomb that blew up in my sewing room

The weather here is still like the picture below, we had one sunny day in the last week I suppose. I've got so many things I want to do that I don't know where to start. My sewing room looks like a bomb blew up in it, which is not normal for me (I'm so anal retentive, or "AR" in my house). Usually when I finish a sewing project, I tidy up and put away all of the little bits I've been using. Obviously I'm a little behind. I've got about 6 zipper pouches laying on the table, a monkey backpack that needs finishing, a cup of coffee from 3 days ago, shipping supplies, etc., etc.. What a mess! I really want to clear out some fabrics and organize a bit in here.
The good news is that I'm starting to find some time to plan my wedding, which is now only 3 months away...yikes! I have a florist, caterer and cake on reserve, still need a photographer. The other stuff is pretty easy. Naturally, I have purchased most of the fabric I need to make various things. Here it is, waiting to be used...

along with some yarn for the place cards/favors. Here's a hint at what those will be. The Spring patterns are starting to trickle in so I'm beginning to think about my dress. Yep, I'm making it. I'm no Project Runway contestant (but I'm a huge fan), I need a pattern to get me started. I think the hardest part will be committing to the fabrics, and fitting myself! Anyone want to come to the Bay Area for a little visit? haha

And, last but not least, I got a chance to check out some of my favorite blogs this morning and I've noticed a lot of you are in the same mind set as I am right now.

Katie's Cleaning Up.

Jessie's scraps are taking over.

Jenn, as usual, is all organized and getting things done. Dang!

Thanks for all of the inspiration ladies. I need it when the skies are grey and I don't have farmer's markets staring me in the face. My goal today is to make at least 2 of those zipper pouches and maybe a pattern for them as well, but this is what I want to do.