New Things

I got a new washing machine for Valentine's Day and I am super EXCITED about it.   I know what you're thinking:  who gets excited over a new washing machine?  And for Valentine's Day nonetheless?  Well, this girl does!

It didn't start off as a Valentines day gift but the weekend before the special holiday our old washing machines decided it was retiring.  It gave us no notice either.   She just quit.   So we went looking for a new machine and it so happened most stores were having  President's Day sales.   We found a great deal on a Samsung Activewash with the built in sink.   You know like the one in the Kristen Bell/Dax Shepard commercials?  Yes, that one.   It's really awesome.  It was delivered the day before Valentine's Day and so I claimed it as my gift.  Sweetheart was on the fence, I could tell.   Was I really excited about the appliance as a gift for this holiday or was it a set up?  I assured him it was the BEST gift ever!  So he went with it.  

Is it right to get so giddy about the built in sink??

You can use the sink for treating or pre-washing or in this case, I just needed this one thing washed.  It's a delicate so I soaked it, used the ridged sides of the sink to gently scrub, then rinsed it.  When I was done I lifted the sink and the water fell into the tub and then the machine automatically drained the tub.  BEST gift ever. 

And speaking of best gifts ever....

She's parked all by herself at the Outlet Mall......I love that I found a shaded spot with no other cars around for her first day out!   I

It's my early anniversary gift.   It's a 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring.   It's loaded with a push button start, leather seats with seat warmers, dual A/C (great for our road trips), moon roof, a navigation -system, bluetooth hands-free phone & audio, Sirius XM radio, steering wheel mounted controls, lane departure warning and so much more!   It is SO fun to drive!  I just love it!  

Valentine's Day

I feel like I was sidelined last year when it came to decorating for the different holidays.  I have always decorated for every holiday, big or small.  But last year my main rooms were in limbo because I couldn't decide on a paint color and nearly the entire year went by without any type of decor because I had grey paint samples on virtually every wall.

But this year, I'm back in business!    


  

Just about everything comes from the dollar section at Target.   The heart shaped board, the "love" card, and the white container with a gold heart on the lid.  I actually bought two white and one red because they are so darn cute.  I placed unscented candles in them and light them in the evening when we watch TV.   I love the soft glow of candlelight.  It's so romantic, yes?



Here's the red one.  The "xoxo" also from the dollar section:



And this pillow is actually a place mat:




It started out like this:




The pom-pom garland is also from Target:



The faux flowers are from Joanne's.  Everything else is a Target find:



Up next:  Easter!!!    Happy Valentine's Day wishes!! xoxoxoxo

Kate Spade Agenda

I love my iPhone, my iPad and my iMac.   Like can't-live-without-them type of love.  But when it comes to calendars and keeping schedules, I love putting pen to paper.   My new favorite is this Kate Spade Cameron Street Agenda.   It has a zip around closure and it is just the right size to fit in my handbag.



I actually ordered this late last year and I was just so excited when I was able to start using it.    I love the hot pink color.  I almost ordered the black one but I decided to move out of my comfort zone and add a hint of color this year.



The agenda has a tab for each month:




A monthly calendar:



and a weekly calendar:



And it has eight slots for business cards or even credit cards:




It fits in my bag:



Without adding bulk:



It's the perfect agenda!

Estee Lauder

I get a call every year at Christmas time from the Estee Lauder counter at Macy's.   Before that,  the call came from Robinsons-May.    As I type this, I realize that I've been using this brand for over two decades.  Amazing.

I squeal with excitement when I finally get to open this up:

Two full size lipsticks, full-size mascara and a full-sized Advanced Eye Repair.  Along with eye-shadow, blush/bronzer/highlighter, a cleansing foam and some moisturizer.    Also a small fragrance.   And a train case to house all my goodies!

I'm squealing right now!

Organizing Food Storage Containers

The Christmas vacay from work, so far, has been glorious.  In total I will be off 13 days until I get back to work on January 3rd.   Initially I had every single day scheduled for some type of project around the house.  Then I discovered the Hallmark Movie Channel and the wonderful Christmas movies they show and that first plan was nixed for a more relaxing, uneventful one.  I'm not even joking. 

I did manage to tackle the food storage cabinet and I also got the Laundry Room organized.  The food storage cabinet has always been my nemesis.   I am constantly nesting containers and asking Sweetheart to nest, nest, nest -- which incidentally he claims he doesn't know how to do.   More times than not, anytime this cabinet door was opened something would come tumbling out.

So I took to Pinterest to find a solution.  I was in search of a realistic solution; not to mention a frugal one.   The best one I saw was one that utilized the cabinet doors.   I thought that would work for the small space I have designated for the food storage containers and I also thought it would be a cheap fix.   Well it was cheap alright, but getting those two letter holders was quite the chore.   I went to two office supply stores, Walmart, Target and Marshall's.   Just as I was on the verge of abandoning the idea,  I ran into these wire ones at Hobby Lobby.   At first I wasn't sure if I wanted wire ones but once I had them up I realized it was ideal:

I hung them with Command hooks so I can remove the hooks and not damage the cabinet when it's not needed anymore.   Also, the wire hook is more sturdy and won't snap off if someone is too rough when placing lids in the basket.   Also, it passed the "swing the door" test.   When i swung the door open/closed, it stayed in place!

I placed one on the door -- this one holds the more frequently used lids.   I placed one inside the cabinet for those lids that we don't use often and don't need to be up front and center.  Although they are both pretty accessible and taking them off the hooks and placing them back on the hooks is a snap!

Now, nothings tumbles out and I can easily find what I need!  

Operation Laundry Room

I'm not calling it a make-over because the laundry room was a hot mess and really just needed to be cleaned up and organized.  And also because I wasn't about to spend a ton of money on a room that I visit once a week.   I forgot to take a picture of it before I started hauling everything, and I mean everything, out.   But I probably would have been too embarrassed to post a picture of it even if I had. Trust me, a hot mess.

This is how it looked once I started moving everything out.

I actually moved everything thing out and put in on the dining table so I could sort:

The thing about having a disorganized laundry room is that duplicates happen.  Which to me is a complete waste of money.   And nothing bugs me more than wasting money.   But I digress.   After I sorted everything I placed it back into the laundry room: It was starting to look better but I thought this could easily turn messy because it needs more organization.   So I took a quick picture of the room and ran to Target to buy some bins.    Having a picture helps with knowing what size and how many bins to buy. 

And since I already had this glass jar for baking soda, I figured I would buy two more.  One for the laundry pods and one for the dryer sheets.   

I bought five large-sized bins and two medium-sized bins and it was a perfect:

Once I finished with the organization, I put some labels on everything because I just love labels!

I used chalkboard gift tags that I had on hand for the bins:

The gift tags are from the dollar section at Target  

And I added chalkboard labels to the soap and dryer sheets:

The labels are from the Dollar section at Target too

I moved my chalkboard notes board to the wall next to the washing machine because I thought it would be more useful there:

I made this about five years ago from a picture that I found next to a dumpster.

My sister mocks me because on laundry day this board will have a list of loads I need to complete.  She thinks it's silly and calls me a drama queen.   But for me, there's something about crossing off each item that is so fulfilling.   At the end of the day when all my loads are done and crossed off, it's complete euphoria.    

My after:  

It's nothing fancy that's for sure.  But it's organized and nothing makes me happier than some organization with a side of pretty!

Christmas Cheer

Some more Christmas cheer:

a gift from my sweet niece and grandniece 💕

I'm off to get ready for Christmas Eve mass and then our traditional Chinese Christmas eve dinner...just for the two of us.

Merry Christmas
Have a bless day!