Tina...I had to make a list or it would end up being Sunday evening on the last day of Spring Break and I would find myself having done not a darn thing for 10 days except eat a bag full of chocolate chips and play Bingo online.

This evening I've employed Cyd's wonderful graph paper technique of moving furniture. So much easier on the back! My bedroom is the thing I'm trying to tackle. You see, my old bedroom was HUGE. I'm serious when I say that our whole new place could fit inside of my old bedroom. It was BIG! When we moved here, I gave the master bedroom to DD because she just has more stuff than I do and she does all of her schooling in there and all of her music stuff. And, quite frankly I like a small bedroom. BUT....I've moved from a massive space into 8x10. Because of the door, closet and window configuration, all that I can fit in the space is my queen sized bed and my armoire/dresser. I love them both, and I am not going to get rid of either one. However, at the moment, the armoire is turned in such a way that I cannot open the doors or drawers and access them from the front. I have to get into them from the side. I really don't like it as it is awkward, plus it makes the room look even smaller. I'm having to think outside the box again, and after rearranging on my graph paper, I think my only solution is to move the armoire out of the bedroom and into the hallway. There is one wall in the hallway that is exactly the perfect size for it, but I'm going to have to change my mindset of "one must have their dresser in the bedroom" way of thinking.

The past few houses/apartments that we've lived in, I have just not "bonded" with the place. They just have not felt like "home" to me. I want this place to feel like it is my home and not just a place where I reside. Part of that means that I'm going to have to get these boxes emptied and decorate each room rather than have everything bare because I'm afraid as soon as I get it all set up, I'm going to be moving again.

Another thing that I'm going to have to do is set some boundaries in regards to work. Since I do love my job, I have a tendency to just work and work and work and leave no time for anything else (ie, setting up my home). I know that when I'm doing my homemaking things, like cooking and decorating and sewing and crafting, that I just sing to myself. R used to comment that he could always tell when I was truly happy because I would be working away singing to myself and not even realize it. That hasn't happened in a long time, and I must get back to that place of contentment with my surroundings.

That was a very longwinded way of explaining the WHY of having so many Household related things on my April Goals list.

jay didn't want to go til 8 (after dark) so i took my jacket to the cleaners and did 2 b/s on the house. i'm not sure if i posted it as part of thu, but i read for 45 min and finished a ch.

mary

Actually Carol, I was quite impressed with your list and how small it is after moving and being so busy with school.
Perspecitves I guess.

I think you can do one room, complete it and then move on.
Sometimes things go quickly, but not always.

I hear you on the bedroom. I have built ins under the window in my bedroom, so I only have room for a nightstand and queen sized bed~it is an awkward room, but only one wall for the bed...the rest are closet doors (one whole side) the other side are doors to the bathroom and to te hallway. The tv is on a table in front of one of the closet doors, but the room is peaceful, and I have a gorgeous view of the back yard, not complaining. It is difficult to readjust to new places, but you have the right idea and plan, and moving the dresser in the hallway to a perfect space for it is great!

Definitely take time each day for YOU!

Carol,
One thing you might consider. My DD has a 10 x 10 bedroom and a queen sized bed also. We had to remove the closet doors and put the head of the bed in the closet. It gave her 2 more feet of walking space. We then took a closet in the hallway, just outside her room and she uses that. I can send pics if you want. You can then just store the doors in the garage. We tossed hers since we didn't like them anyway.

Kimberly... I love the idea of taking the closet doors off to put the head of the bed in there, BUT unfortunately, the closet in that room only has the regular kind of door that is about 2 1/2 - 3 feet wide. It's not going to fit. It would have been a wonderful solution though.

Bummer! It works so well for Sam. Everyone who goes in her room oohs and ahs about the little space she created in there. She added shelves and lights too. Darn!

I did take the bi-fold doors off the laundry closet though, and I love it! This morning I've totally cleaned out the shelves and organized the whole laundry space. But, drat, darn, and snizzlefritz...When I was hanging the tension rod to hang the curtain to cover the opening, I twisted the thing too far and snapped the plastic spring inside. I'm now wondering if I go to the hardware store and purchase a metal spring I can fix the thing rather than having to buy an entire new rod. I suppose it's worth a shot. I was SO close to being finished with that whole area it's a bit frustrating, but another little annoyance that is making my brain think outside of the box. I'm sure this is all in preparation for something further on in my life. It just has to be.

Carol, we've all admired your creativity. Moving has so many challenges so your positive attitude and willingness to think 'outside the box' is great!

If the tension rod spring is not easily replaced, the rod might be held in place with a series of XL cup hooks that screw into the top of the laundry closet door frame.

You could also take it back to the store, and maybe they will replace it for you. You always come up with great ideas, as doe Cyd!

I can't take the rod back to the store because I've had it for 10 years. I suppose, in reality, it has served me well and it's time for a new one. But, let's face it, I'm cheap. If I can make it work for a couple of bucks, I'll do it rather than shell out the full cost of a new one. It's one of the thick ones that are usually used for shower curtains.

I've moved on to another project now though. After spending about an hour letting the tears flow, never know when that's going to happen, but I just go with it when it does as the tears are cleansing and healing. Anyway, after that, I started in on sorting through all of my curriculum. I've got 9 grades worth to go through. The school has replaced all of the math books so I have two sets, one of which I need to get rid of. I also have duplicates of some things for some grades. I'm just tired of moving all of these books so I'm purging. Due to my contract with the school, I'm not allowed to make any money off of them so I'll donate those that I no longer need. The boxes that hold my curriculum are going to make the "table" in DD's bedroom.