everything in its place weekend.
so, we are really good friends if i'm showing you my sharpie drawer & closets! (feel free to say "TMI!" any time). in the meantime, this weekend was full of small, important moments & i'd love to share them.
ryan had to study a TON this weekend (for the navy wives, NATOPS is this week, eek!). that gave me time for some serious spring cleaning. you may be thinking, "mary you're so type a & you just moved into that place, what could you possibly need to clean?" well, fair point. the initial organization system i had wasn't quite working now that we've really lived in this place, & thus, some tweaking.
so, i got my office in better shape with this fabulous drawer (i heart sharpies). i also took on getting my printer & files in order.
then, i tackled my closet. with some bins from target, i made this tiny, old house closet fully functional (& not look jam packed!). my favorite things are the little hooks by the mirror with my necklaces (meaning i might actually wear one!).
next up? the linen closet. i recently learned a trick (you probably already know) where you put the sheets inside the pillow case so you know what set is which (especially handy if you're like me & not brave enough to have anything but white linens). ryan was so confused by our old linen closet set up -- he got a tour last night (before he even saw it he was saying "ooo & ahhh," such a good husband, that one) & there are handy bins & labels so if he's just looking for advil, he has a fighting chance of finding it.
i'm one of those people who feels better about life when i clean. when i was younger certain movies would inspire me to go clean/re-arrange my room -- specifically mrs. doubtfire for some unexplainable reason (i loved that house in san fran!). i've just always loved to nest.
this weekend wasn't all about cleaning -- the beauty was i had the time as i walked up our stairs (one of my favorite things in this house), to look at the light pouring in. then, out the window at the bright blue skies. i don't know about you, but months go by without the time to really pause, and it was nice to soak up these small moments.
i also found one of my favorite christmas gifts -- these awesome herb stakes from anthro. makes me even more excited to begin my garden with my dad next weekend!
finally, sunday morning is the one real consistency in our lives. here's our ritual: we wake up (usually late), swing by starbucks, & head to church. so, because we're usually running late, i jump out of the car, grab a grande nonfat latte and grande chai (when ryan has to order his own drink, he jokingly asks for his manhood back with it) & we run to find a seat in church.
so, this is an expensive habit & we are going to start making homemade drinks. but, this weekend we were ahead of schedule (?!), so we actually had time to sit & talk. i love this photo of my handsome husband (plotting which girl scout cookies he is going to buy from the stand right outside!).
warm drinks aside, the last photo is really the whole sunday ritual -- it's getting to sit in a pew next to each other. to hold hands. to sing worship songs. to listen about how much God loves us. to feel His grace in our lives. when i think about deployments, i know this is one of the things i'm going to miss most. i love going to church with ryan. it's grounding, for us & for our marriage.
i titled this post "everything in its place" not because of any closet or type a organizing project, but because of that last picture. our house can be a hot mess & life can be tough, but when we sit next to each other in church & remember how broken this world is & how good God is, we have much to be grateful for.
do you have a weekend ritual? i'd love to hear.
married life Tue, March 1, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Reader Comments (13)
This is EXACTLY the inspiration I needed to tackle some organizing of my own. Everything looks great. Especially your Sunday morning :)
favorite part of this post: that you were taking pictures in the church pew
Hi! I am new to your blog, but love your style! Also a Navy wife and in the Va Beach area what church do you go to if you don't mind me asking?
taking a photo IN church was ryan's favorite part too -- i turned off the flash (& took it before the service started...) and tried to do it subtly, but i'm sure someone saw us and thought - "what is she doing?!" just a committed blogger trying to take some photos :)
I've been doing some spring cleaning this weekend also! It's amazing how good a clean house can make you feel. Sundays are the only stable day of the week for me too, except this Sunday we decided to go to the earlier service at 9:00, which called for a nap after lunch.
I might be the only person left of this planet who didn't know the sheets in the pillow case trick.... thanks for filling me in :) My closet will never be the same!
Eva,
I felt the same way too!! It was a crime I made it to 27 and no one bothered to tell me! If you want to really be inspired look at Martha Stewart's tips on organizing your linen closet: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-organize-a-linen-closet
xo, mary
I have killer starbucks recipes! Since Guam doesn't have Guam I had to learn how to make them. Now, I am hooked and I think they are even better than Starbucks. Let
Organizing weekends are the BEST weekends :-) I love the cute bins in the linen closet.
i just love weekends like this... productive and fulfilling and relaxing all the same. what labels did you use for your linen closet boxes?? i am working on a similar project and those rounds would be perfect.
the labels are from paper source (they were in my stocking this christmas!) & i love them!
Hi Mary:
I think it's great that you really soak up the time you have with Ryan. One of the things that I miss the most when Tommy is gone is falling asleep next to him. I really love taking in all the small (and big) moments when we're together. xo. Claudia
You just blew my mind with the linens inside the pillowcase! Why have I not thought os this before!
Such a cute blog!!