It's Ornament Thursday and my first official Ornament Thursday on my own blog. The overall theme this year is colors, which is a great way to play creatively, as there are some colors on this list that I don't work with much so I'll be expanding my horizons.

So I was watching the news when I got home from work and saw a segment about an ice cream store in Peoria that had created some political-themed flavors. I just knew it had to be the shop I worked at in Peoria my senior year and for a few months after graduation, and it was! So here's the story about the Spotted Cow on MSNBC.

So here's what I've discovered. This organizing thing can take over. Every time I think "well, that's pulled together," I discover something else that needs to be dealt with. The other day I ran out to find some pretty baskets I could use under the new cabinet, and it turns out the baskets were the perfect size for the video tapes. So I pulled those out of the drawers because it seemed like there were other things that should be stored in the drawers and shelves in the cabinet that couldn't be stored in the baskets below. So then I had to figure out what was best stored in the cabinet. That led to emptying the old suitcases and trunks I have been using for storing photos (I know, a travesty--I'm sure they aren't acid free). Now I have to organize all the photos into albums which could be stored in the cabinets. And then I had to fill the trunks with other things that need to be stored, primarily the linens from the built in china cabinets (so now I have to figure out what goes in all of those drawers. I keep thinking that if I can get some of the pieces of furniture out of the living room and dining room, it will look neater and tidier. So we'll see if I can reach that.

Meanwhile, Saturday morning had me dropping my car off at the repair shop, as the heater just wasn't heating as well as it had been and I'd had the radiator flushed to see if that was the problem. (It wasn't, but it needed to be done anyway.) Since the garage was so close, and it was 8AM on a Saturday, I walked the 8 blocks home. When I got here, I shoveled the sidewalk and the ENTIRE driveway, and about the time I finished, the car was done and they were kind enough to pick me up (as I was pretty exhausted from the shoveling). About 3PM, the sore throat started. :( Perhaps the shoveling put me over the edge and let the germs take hold.

After 14 hours of sleep (no joke), I'm not feeling a whole lot better, so I'm taking it pretty easy today. There's still so much to do around here, but I'm just taking it one step at a time.

If you've gotten sucked into this organizational dilemna I'm experiencing, I'd appreciate ANY advice you've got to share. I'm getting to feel a little overwhelmed, so advice is needed at this point!

So I went to the gym after work and then the grocery store. Now I'm going to tackle a few things around the house--straightening up, improving, and then the chance for creative endeavors. We're expecting snow Friday; it's supposed to start at 6am and snow for most of the day--possibly 4 to 7 inches or more. What I wouldn't give for an early start leading to a snow day! Then on Saturday morning, the winds will pick up, so all that snow will be blowing around. Sounds great, doesn't it? (That was sarcasm, folks.)

As for my current plans for the weekend (since the snow will keep me indoors), I'll be making soup and projects. I've got beef broth, ham broth, and turkey broth. I'm thinking kumla (otherwise known as klubb) for the ham broth--I grew up in a Norwegian area of Illinois where kumla dinner was a once-a-year event at the VFW hall, but I haven't had it in a while so it's time. I might make turkey, wild rice, and mushroom soup with the broth from boiling down the turkey breast. I'm not sure about the beef broth yet, so if you have suggestions, send them on ahead. I could just use it for beef vegetable soup.

On Sunday, Warm & Natural batting by the yard is on sale at Jo-Ann (50% off) and that sounds just perfect to have on hand for the numerous quilting projects I've got before me with that new Voyager quilting machine!

Gotta run, stuff to accomplish before sleeping.

The cabinet is in the living room, thanks to a very good friend with muscles, a truck, and flexible daytime hours. And the folks at Chattel Changers were great about figuring out which piece of furniture I was talking about on the phone, taking my payment over the phone, and helping my friend carry it out.

I still have to clean up the wiring situation and all that (as evidenced by the wires below the cabinet) and figure out the best use of the storage space. There are three drawers behind the two panels on the left side--each hold 30 video tapes quite neatly, amazingly enough. On the right side (the center panel and the two right ones), there's a removeable shelf. Right now, two clear plastic containers fit nicely on the top shelf--both are currently filled with video tapes and DVDs. I'm starting to think I have too many videos if all three drawers and one shelf are pretty full.

So that's the new piece of furniture. Now that I've got it in place, I can finish tidying up the rest of the room and organize the stamping corner. (And making good on my 2009 goal of getting to the gym more often.) Then it's on to sprucing up the dining room. And finally, I'll be going through my closet and dressers and getting rid of the clothes that I no longer wear or need. Only THEN is it on to creative endeavors again--cardmaking, quilting, beading, etc. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted when I regain my creative time. Meanwhile, I'll let you know how the clean-up goes.