43 Things + Many Beginnings Today

There are days that I am bursting at the seams with ideas and optimism, and today is one of them for so many reasons my head is swirling with thoughts right NOW.

I am wearing my favorite t-shirt from my favorite product line. Life is Good. Explains most everything.

I am officially on vacation!

My house is clean!

And the big ideas for the day/week/month:

Idea #1
Our extra bedroom is sitting empty -- it's our storage room from when we moved into this house in August of 2006. I was in there staring at it the other day when it absolutely hit me like a ton of bricks. Garden room. It's the only room of the house that has south-facing windows. And then the ideas begin like a rush of water...

OMG! I can start seeds in this room! Need some furniture. Need to repaint the walls. No-VOC paint. Where do I get that? Looks like Sherwin-Williams carries it. Is there one in Folsom? Yep. Google says so. Ooh - houseplants. Have to looks through the Logee's catalog more carefully for fun things. ... and so on, and so on.

Today I cleaned up the room and decided to give away the things we don't need or use. People comment on how little "stuff" we have, but I'd rather buy something I need when I need it than keep something I'm not using. Plus you get to give away things to people who do need them. We've pared our life down so much, and continue doing so. Simplicity is wonderful.

On that note, we cleaned the garage as well. This has been an ongoing project since the cabinets were installed, but I think that today we finally hit a good note because we weren't just moving clutter around, we were putting away our beloved items in places where they belonged. I used to be embarrased when folks would drive by when both the garage doors were open, but today, I was proud -- all of our things were put away in their logical locations -- my gardening stuff, Chris' tools, etc.

Big Idea #2
I spent all day looking for a small desk for my garden room. Since I had cleaned out all of the catalogs we received when we first moved in (and no longer get, thanks to GreenDimes.com!), I came across some Crate + Barrel catalogs amongst others. Beautiful stuff, overpriced.

And then I saw this simple bookcase/desk combo and fell in love. After that wore off, I said to myself,

"Hell, I could make that myself."

And then it was so. Over a glass of Cabernet Savignon this evening, I told Chris that I'm interested in making furniture. And he didn't laugh at me. I was surprised.

Chris: Uh, didn't your Dad make most of the tables and shelves and bookcases in your Mom's house?
Me: Oh, yeah -- he did!
Chris: Must be in the blood.
Me: I though you would laugh at me, but a few months ago I had the urge to look into making furniture. I've always been creative and love working with my hands. I'm so fidgety on the weekends because there isn't much to do with the landscape (hurry, rush, then stop now), that I need something to do with myself.
Chris: You should do that; I know it would make you happy.
Me: I'm just worried it's one of those things that I get really into and then stop doing.
Chris: I don't think that will be one of them. Remember gardening?
Me: Oh yeah.

I completely forgot that my Dad used to make furniture! What a weird sensation it was when Chris reminded me. It was as if I rediscovered something in myself.

Perhaps my Dad needs someone to store his woodworking equipment. Haha.

In my new hobby, I went searching to locate a local reclaimed wood lumberyard, and came up with some good options.

Cool Idea #3
I also came across www.43things.com during today's quest.

And I'll leave it at that. I'm a lister. I live to make lists. And so it begins.