The Dissertation Den...

So one of the reasons I haven't been blogging as much is because I've been trying to work on my dissertation proposal.  I am the kind of person who can NOT work unless all external conditions are just right.  I am so easily distracted by "extraneous stimuli" that it's not even funny.  Initially, the Hubs helped me set up my workspace in the basement (It's not as dungeon-ous as it sounds!)  but it was way too chilly for me.  I didn't want to be down there because I was always cold.  So that lasted about a week before I told him it wasn't working.

So last Saturday I took Babycakes out to run errands and the Hubs moved furniture like the manly man he is.  We moved things around so that my scrapbook room/family tv area could become...

"The Dissertation Den"

The Hubs told me that I was a nerd because of the name.  I told him I was simply an, "Intellectual Bad-Ass."

While I was at work on Monday he stayed home with Babycakes since she had been up half the night throwing up and she couldn't go to Daycare.  When I came home I found these AWESOME shelves that he had gotten at Target to help me organize all of my research.

While the purpose of this room is for me to work on my dissertation I still have my scrapbooking stuff in here.  I can't quit that cold turkey.  :-)  Besides, there was no way I was packing all of this crap up to store until I finish.

So while I am still plugging away at getting this Beast completed, I make time for the important things...

Babycakes LOVES to "clean!"

I hope everyone has had a great week!  I am off to my college reunion this weekend for a little relaxation.  Hopefully I can post some pics upon my return!

Resolutions Continue...

Another day off for bad weather.  Living in a rural area where flooding can be an issue allowed me to have another day off today.  I bundled Babycakes up and took her to "school" (read: daycare) so I could get a few things done around the house.  So far I have finished a novel I was reading, paid some bills, and caught up on my blog reading.  I still have a mess of stuff to do but it will get done.  On to the point of this post...

I have been working on decluttering my home during the month of January.  While I haven't made as much progress as I anticipated, I need to focus on what I have accomplished.  So here it goes...

The upper cabinet beside my stove has been a disaster up to this point.  So I brought home some baskets that I had in my classroom that were not being used so I could organize my cabinet a little better.  This is what I came up with...

 The top basket is for my baking supplies, the middle basket (shown below) is for my hot teas and the bottom basket is for things I use on a fairly regular basis when I am cooking.

While not a great picture, this is where I decided to put all of my hot tea accoutrements for easy access.  While I consider myself more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker, I better start using some of this tea so I can free up that shelf!  (Don't worry, we have an entire cabinet devoted to coffee)

I also used some of my decluttering mojo to work on my nightstand.  Since I spend my quiet time before bed reading, sewing,etc, my nightstand has a tendency to get out of control.  But here it is after a little clean-up.

 

My remotes for the tv and DVD player (love me some Golden Girls!), pens, lip balm, tissues, and foot cream are all easily accessible. 

Truth be told, I forgot about the foot cream and discovered it when I cleaned all the crap out of this drawer.  So I went ahead and put a date on it.  If it isn't used up in 6 months it goes.  I even put a date on the bottle to remind myself!

I also decided to clear of the top of it while I was in a decluttering mode...

I know it looks cluttered, but these are my night time must haves - ice water, glasses (so I can see aforementioned Golden Girls), hand cream, Bible, alarm clock, current novel.

And just because I miss her, here are a couple of recent pics of Babycakes...

Both of her Grandpas and her Daddy all served in the Air Force.  This is her late Grandpa Gene's toboggan.  She had a blast wearing it around the house last week!

And her she is with her entire family of bears (Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear 2.0, and Mrs. Bear)

Hoping all of you are enjoying some decluttering/resolution bliss!