tidbits

i'm not selling gossamer (2).  i've decided that the two pieces belong together.  for now.  and i'm enjoying them hanging together on my wall.  thanks to those of you who shared your opinions.  i really appreciate the input.

i've been running around all week, trying to put my house in order - literally - as much as possible before starting another huge renovation project next week.  from the big - selling our living room furniture (which i purchased nine years ago at eight months pregnant - hormonal purchase?!), to purging our basement storage area of years of accumulated mess (which feels so good.  so, so good.).  to the small - finding new knobs for all of the doors that were painted in march and have been without knobs since then.  and everything in between - washing and putting away the winter jackets and hats and gloves (and putting them away so that we won't require an archeologist to find them come november).  i've had zero time for creating anything (other than order) this week, but it does feel good to make order. 

i happen to love order.  (everything in its place, you know?)  when my surroundings are in order there is so much more space in my brain for everything else - for mothering and creating and partnering and baking and gardening and dreaming and breathing.  i just prefer to think and live in orderly surroundings.  which doesn't mean that my house is always neat.  or tidy.  it's not!  not at all.  but i'm happier when there are systems; when there are systems, i don't care that things are all over the place (like the legos covering my living room floor for the last five days), because i know that they can easily be put away. 

 

i love order in cabinets and closets.  i love order in the basement storage area.  i love things packed away neatly so that they can be found again.  i love for things to have their own homes so that anyone in the family - and not just me! - can put things away or find them again.  i love organization, whether it's little bins of playmobil pieces separated by "clothes" "hair" and "food items," or separate boxes in the closet for winter boots and summer sandals.  

finally, after living in this house for five years - we moved in with a three year old and a newborn - finally, we're beginning to settle in, to make our own space and order within these walls.  i can feel the space becoming available in my brain.  and it feels good.  

i'm certain that plenty of you are groaning, thinking that i'm some sort of neat-freak.  i'm not, i promise.  i just prefer the order, and i enjoy making it.  (i don't always enjoy keeping it up, i just enjoy setting it up in the first place!)  so please, don't groan.  i just love systems.  it's always been a part of me. 

 

in other news, tomorrow i'm painting outdoors at a farm.  i'm so excited for this; it's been in the works for weeks, but the weather has not cooperated.  tomorrow, finally, is the day.  tonight i'll be preparing panels and packing a small box of supplies, my lunch, water.  and tomorrow i'll be spending the day in a field with brush in hand.  i hope i'll be able to sleep tonight!

finally, before i go, and as a sort of antidote to all of that talk about household organization, here are a few things i've been enjoying in between the running and purging and selling and organizing.  before bed each night i've been reading this.  and in the kitchen i've been listening to this.  and this.  a lot.  and i've been looking at this.  all afternoon.  soothing, isn't it?

(these two pictures are from my photo-a-day project.)

Comments

[Mama Urchin]

I am the same way. Stefan used to make fun of me for knowing exactly where everything was, or at least where it should be. He doesn't make fun anymore, now he tries to comply because finding what you're looking for is a generally a good thing.

[Theresa/t does wool]

order...for me this is almost a medatitive state...I can think clearer and am more productive...good luck on your orderliness

[Theresa/t does wool]

order...for me this is almost a medatitive state...I can think clearer and am more productive...good luck on your orderliness

[Alicia A.]

I completely agree. I am not tidy by nature, but when I really work hard to keep things orderly, I *feel* so much better.

One of my most favorite things is to take big bags of stuff to goodwill. ahhhhhh....

[leslie]

oh. disorganization. chaos. drives me crazy. i am glad you are getting more order in your life. yatta!

[muralimanohar]

I have no organization. But I have phenomenal finding skills. :p

And thank you for that Josh Ritter song. I am on play number five now. lol

[heather]

oh emily, i could have written this! but thank YOU for doing so. i am with you every step of the way - except for spending the day at the farm painting... good for you! have a wonderful time! thank you for the yummy links as well. best of luck with your systems... fellow virgo by any chance? ;)

[TD wool design]

ha...virgo, or possibly libra? i am very much an organizer, so i know the bliss and comfort that comes with it! good for you :)have a wonderful time painting. it sounds heavenly...did you dream about it? please show us what you create. have a wonderful holiday weekend!

[erin]

i strive for order....still haven't found it!

[Tracy]

oh! I am so excited for your painting expedition! I so wish I had a group that I could do that with! So fun. I'll be thinking of you.

I feel much better when things are organized too, so I don't think you're a neat freak. We seem to constantly have things out of order, and it definitely makes it harder to find the space in my brain for the other things. I totally understand.

Thank you also for sharing the music. I like that Josh Ritter song. I like it quite a bit.

[Grace]

Yes.

I love the order, too, although I'm sure that anyone who visited my house would not perceive this. :P

Can you tell what your next big reno is? And when you sell your furni, what are you getting instead?

Also, good news on the housing front for us!!

[heidi]

It's funny - I've been doing the same thing. After three years in my house I'm suddenly getting things together that have been dormant for just as long. It feels really good and I do think it is a creative activity - it clears the mind for the big projects to come. Enjoy your day on the farm!

[hrsj]

oh, you could be painting outside at the farm right now as i type this and i hope you are! I want to see and hear about it!i need to do some serious organizing around here, it's nutso. perhaps you've inspired me to do so!

[amisha]

hope you are having a wonderful time at the farm!and i agree about order... i am not the neatest or tidiest of people, but creating order is deeply satisfying to me.xox

[tonya]

I love, love, love Iron & Wine. (If only I were so into order!)

I highly suggest listening to Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet. (I can send you a link if you'd like). It's perfect to play while you're creating something beautiful.

[leslie]

"mommy is so much happier when things are in their place"!words i speak often around here!i have been doing a lot of this too emily.a drawer a day. really makes me happy. :)

[Molly]

I really like the photos in this post. Home - I love it!

[caroline]

I really wouldn't know anything about organization. But if you like Iron & Wine, check out SeaBear, Bon Iver, and Joshua Radin. Also, if you haven't already read it, The Queen's Fool is a great Philippa Gregory book.