I saw. I pinned. I conquered...the art supplies.

Yes, this is another post about Pinterest.

So...last week I saw (and pinned) this...

Source: shadestonehome.blogspot.com via Carrie on Pinterest

A vintage Dr. Pepper crate used to store art supplies.
Brilliant! 

(And cute.)

So I hopped on over to eBay and got one for myself!

Mr. Mailman delivered it this afternoon.

I got right to work.

Here it is all loaded up...

Now if I could just figure out a storage system for these dreadful little things. Uh...the Legos, not the kids!

On Pinterest...

While eating dinner the other night, my girlfriend cautiously advised me not to join Pinterest. Our little talk went something like this...

Have you joined Pinterest? 

Nope.

Oh, don't! It is soooo addicting!

I don't really get what it's all about.

Here let me show you...I've got the app on my phone.

She told me not to do it. Said it would take all my time. That I'd find myself up in the wee hours of the night "pinning". But at the same time...she made it sound so good. 

So I went home, sat down at the computer and promptly joined Pinterest. I thought to myself...I just want to see it on my computer. That screen was so small on the phone. I'm a big girl. I'll just take a look. Check it out. I can handle it.  But I was wrong. So very wrong.

Hello. 

My name is Carrie.

I'm a Pinterest-aholic.

And...for now...I make no apologies! Because it's not like I'm just sitting around eating Bon Bons and "pinning". I'm being inspired and things are changing around here! 

For example, this picture inspired me to clean out and spruce up my laundry room.

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Jocelyn on Pinterest

Pretty, huh?

I found that rug at Urban Outfitters, but it's too wide for my laundry room. Booo!
So I found this beauty of a bargain at TJ Maxx. Yay!!

With my rug in place, I moved on to cleaning out the cabinets. I don't have a picture of what they looked like before...not that I'd share it if I did! But this is what they look like now.

Cabinet 1

Cabinet 2

And Cabinet 3

And then I remembered a post that Amy at Filled with Praise wrote a few months ago. She made really cute tags to label her bins. (You can check it out here.) Once again...inspired! So I made some for myself.

Much more to do...like organizing the bottom cabinet and painting. I'll post pictures along the way. But can you believe it? All of this...because of Pinterest. It's a good thing. Not to mention...Pinterest is really helping me get over my Facebook addiction. Bonus.

For now, I'll leave you with another fabulous Pinterest find.

I need to frame this and read it every morning...

Source: daeofourlives.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

My T/Th Smile...

You know how it is with certain girlfriends...you don't see them or hear from them for like a month (or more) and then you bump into them while shopping or watching your son play football. Your time apart doesn't matter because you get it...life gets crazy. No hard feelings. You jump right into conversation and the two of you never miss a beat. 


Well...so it goes with this blog. 


There was a family vacation to the beach. Then there was everything that goes along with getting ready for school to start while enjoying the last days of summer break. And then we actually went back to school and a routine...and a full calendar. And on top of all that...I can't stop thinking about my time in Ethiopia.


So the blog got neglected. (Again.) But there's no sense dwelling on it, my friend. I'm just going to get right back to it and we'll never miss a beat. 


So here goes...

Can I tell you how much I love Tuesdays and Thursdays? No. I can't. At least not with words. So see if you can tell by smile on my face...

Me and my T/Th smile!

I took that picture of myself right after dropping my younger kiddos off at preschool. (And right before a much needed haircut.) For the first time in three and a half years, I have a couple of days to myself each week. And, yes, that makes me smile from ear to ear. 

Why?

Because this mama can get a lot done without little ones in tow. Like doctor appointments and errands and meal planning and grocery shopping and vacuuming and cleaning out the fridge and making important phone calls and ironing and straightening up the house and going to the bathroom without an audience!

And all the while, my kids are playing and learning and being loved on by the sweet, gifted women who teach them. They love school!

Then 2:00 rolls around and I pick them up. Soon after that, the bus brings Joshua home from school. And my T/Th smile is gone...replaced by an even BIGGER smile. Because when I have some time to get all of that stuff done, there's more time for things like...coloring and reading and cuddling and playing and tickling and laughing and fun trips to the library and the park.

And that makes all of us smile.

first world problems...

The number of days before my mission trip is now in the single digits...7!

The reality of everything that must get done before I leave has finally set in. So I'm going to use this little space in blog world to confess...I'm freaking out a bit.

Here's an example:

The other day I spent what seemed like an eternity staring at bins of travel sized toiletries trying to determine how many packs of wet-wipes and bottles of hand sanitizer are appropriate for a trip such as this. I counted the number of days I'll be in Ethiopia. I counted the number of wipes in each little pack. I calculated. I contemplated. I got stressed out.

Sounds like someone was in need of a reality check A little perspective maybe?

In a matter of days I'll be visiting orphans in a third world country...some of whom live in a trash dump. Yeah...you read that right. And there I stood at Super Target fretting over hand sanitizer. Really, Carrie? Really?

Reminds me of a video Shelly at Good to Be Crazy posted recently...



It's funny and makes for a good laugh. Until you catch yourself  caught up in your first world problems. And then it's so not funny.