The Great Purge

There is something about this time of year that lends itself to fits of rampant cleaning and organizing. I think I hit a high today.

(Sorry about the poor quality - it's a cell phone pic)

I know it may look like a disaster, but it's an organized mess. Boxes that were full of junk are now empty so I can use them for the move, and the junk is now either in the trash or in a bag to Goodwill. In the process, I've also been able to pack up move of my office stuff and I realized I need to have a move effective filing system. So that was my project the other night.

Other projects have been sofa-hunting. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I also found out that I'm a lot pickier about these things than I originally thought I was. I guess there are some things that I think are worth investing in a bit more than others. I don't trust myself enough to DIY a couch. This is the one that I'm currently leaning towards the most:

Nich, eh? It's on the upper end of our price range but it just may be worth it for the leather (easy to clean and pet dander-resistant) and the warranty protection.

I've also been able to find some great deals on craigslist this week. Since we're lacking so much on living room furniture, I've been trying to keep an eye on the listings. You can't see them in there, but I snagged two nice Lane end tables tonight for only..... $15! These things just need a little love and some new stain. I typically don't like matching end tables, so I may end up using the other in the guest room as a nightstand to break it up some.

I also found some nice lamps and frames this week via craigslist and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Love those deals. I got some fabric from Hancock and I'm planning on recovering at least one of the lamp shades. The frame color is slightly hideous right now, but it's nothing that a little bit of spray paint can't fix!

So those will be my first projects of the year. They may or may not get done before the big move in February. That all depends on how packing goes I suppose. Right now, I need to make sure I'm just keeping an eye on things I'll need between now and then and get rid of what I don't.

I've also been able to keep up with my new recipe of the week. Granted, it is only the first week of the year. My experimental meal of the week was a tomato soup with turkey pesto meatballs and pasta. It was a winner, and I was even able to share with a few friends from college.

Delicious.

Unfortunately I didn't get my planned run in like I'd hoped for. Tomorrow I MUST sit down and get my training plans together for the half I'm already signed up for in April and the full in July.

I guess it's time to relax for a bit. It is the weekend after all.