Sundays in the South: The End {of the Year} is Near

I hope y'all have enjoyed this beautiful Sunday as much as I have!  I'm so sad that my winter break is coming to an end...only two more days and then back to work.  Wah!  I'm soooo jealous of those of you who have this entire week off!  I seem to always need more days AFTER Christmas than before. 

For those of you new to my blog, I like to take Sundays "off" from teaching posts and go a little more personal with posts titled "Sundays in the South."  I know I LOVE when I get a glimpse into your personal lives....it makes me feel like we REALLY are friends...as in real-life instead of just cyber buds! :)

Sundays are my absolute favorite day of the week because it's usually the one and only day that the hubs and I have off of work at the same time.  {insert frowny face} 

Today has not been our usual lounge around the house, trip to Target kind of Sunday though.  Well, we did take a trip to Target, but we haven't been lounging at ALL!  Probably because my husband's Falcons weren't on television today, but I like to think that I inspired him to clean out and organize! {insert happy face because organization puts a BIG SMILE on this face!}

It all started yesterday when I decided to clean out my closet.  I'm not sure what it is about this time of year, but I always feel the urge to do this right after Christmas....probably because I need space to put all the clothes I'm dreaming about buying with giftcards.  :) 

I have a rule that if I buy something new, something old has to go.  Mostly this rule came about because a few years ago we changed ALL of the hangers in our closet to wooden hangers that all match {thanks for that great deal, Costco!}  I bought extra hangers at the time, but as time went on we used them all!  What to do???  I went back to Costco but they didn't have these same hangers and I just couldn't have them NOT match, so "THE RULE" was formed.  It's been a really good rule actually, I've been fairly good about sticking with it! 

I still do purge my closet each season.  What can I say?  I like to shop new clothes {I actually HATE the process of shopping, but my love of new clothes outweighs that!}  Anywho.....yesterday, I got the urge to purge!  Soooo, 66 items of clothes later (many were tank tops, workout pants, and PJs), my side of the closet was a little more organized!
I know the top stacks don't LOOK organized, but trust me, they are!  They're just not very NEAT.
I've thought about turning all of my hangers around backwards until I wear the item so that the next time I purge I can see which hangers are still turned around (meaning I haven't worn those items) and consider purging those items.  Has anyone else tried this??

I love that my husband put the shoe shelves at the back of our closet a few years ago and I think I seriously need to purge that next!  I did get rid of some tennis shoes, but I didn't go near the shoe shelves!
Yep, when there are shoes on top of shoes, I'm pretty sure a purge needs to happen.  Maybe tomorrow?  And how about boots?
{Please excuse the carpet...remember I was cleaning out and hadn't "cleaned up" at this point.}  Not sure about boot storage.  All of my boots and tennis shoes are on the floor.  I saw someone cut pool noodles to put inside of boots to keep them standing and I saw others hang them with pant hangers {ooohh...but those wouldn't match!}  How do you store your boots?  Boots and dresses are definitely a weakness of mine {especially together!!}, but I need boot help!!!

So, what does all of this have to do with my Sunday?!  Well, the hubs decided to clean out and organize HIS SIDE of the closet today!!!!!  I love when he does this!  I'll have to snap a pic tomorrow when he's at work.  His T-shirts will seriously look like he folded them with a folding board (yep, I used to work retail!)  PERFECTION!!  That is, until I do laundry and fold them and put them away! Ha!

Today was dedicated to taking down Christmas decor at our house.  Well, once we got home (from our Sunday Target trip, of course) I went to put something away in the {shiver} closet under our staircase and BOOM! the urge hit me again!  TOTALLY sidetracked.  I had to clean out and organize that closet!

And, I mean "THAT" closet.  You know, the one that houses your vacuum, wrapping paper, and anything that doesn't have a home.  Let's just say my car is packed {again} for a trip to Goodwill tomorrow!  I did some serious cleaning out.  Many summers ago (five years, at least?) I had my mom teach me to sew and I spent the entire summer making purses and bags.

It was fun.

It really was.

But by the end of that summer, I was OVER it.  I don't think I've used my sewing machine since then.  So the five-drawer cart that I had filled with fabrics, trims, etc. - OUT!!  The fabrics, the cart...it will all be at Goodwill tomorrow!

That makes it official.

My sewing life is over.  That felt really good to say!

This closet was seriously scary.  You open the door hoping nothing falls on you.  Or maybe you're hoping it does and then you don't have to worry about entering the closet. :)

Well, it's not perfect, but you can open the door without any worries now.
After THAT sidetrack (and that was a BIG one), we finally got all of the Christmas decor removed and back into the attic.  Well, all of the indoor decor. 

We decided it probably wasn't safe to climb on the roof in the dark to remove window wreaths outside.  It's not safe for ME to do that in the daylight.  Then again, it's not safe for ME to walk down the staircase, but I do that daily. ;)

That will have to wait until Tuesday!  That's right....Tuesday is New Year's Day so the hubs and I will have another rare day together!  Two in one week - whoop! whoop! 

I'm sure I'll have lots of work to do that day (since all of this organizing has cut into my lesson planning), but we'll definitely be watching COLLEGE FOOTBALL all day long!!!!!   Go COCKS!!  And, here's to hoping Cocky can win the Capital One Mascot Challenge!!!

Speaking of watching college football, that's why we went to Target.  Well, not really, we went to Target because it was Sunday - obviously!  But, since we were there, the hubs stocked up on his snacks for bowl games.  Oh yeah, he goes all out with the little weenies and all.  Since I don't eat THAT stuff, I decided to make my own little snack.

I saw this pin on Pinterest and it had my name written ALL over it!
I am definitely a nutty/salty girl, but I have a sweet tooth, too.  Caramel Mix?? Perfection!  The only problem is that the site (click on the pic for the original site) does not provide the ingredients (as far as I can find...or anyone else, it seems).  So, I headed to Publix and found stuff to create my own.  Can I say addicting???  Oh, my word!!
Here's what I found that I thought would work well together.  {Of course, I added a bit of chocolate because everything is better with chocolate, right??}
* Caramel Dulce Cheerios
* Honey Nut Chex
* Caramel Popcorn (Cracker Jacks)
* Caramel Bugles
* Cashews
* Chocolate Granola
* M&Ms

Seriously, I could eat this stuff for dinner.  Okay, I may have done that already.  I stored the mix in gallon-sized ziploc bags and it took THREE bags!  This would be awesome for a large party or if you have to take snacks for a faculty meeting.  It's so different from the "traditional" chex mix (which I'm NOT a fan of, by the way). 

Now you know what I'll be doing for the next couple of days - watching bowl games, eating my caramel mix, purging shoes, and finally tackling those lesson plans!  Hope you're enjoying your last few days {or week, if you're that lucky!} of relaxation.  We'll be back to the grind in a blink!

Right now, I'm off to read your New Year's resolutions...thanks so much to everyone who has linked up to the party!  I love reading your resolutions and find it very comforting that many of us have the same goals!  Let's strive to reach them together! 

14 comments

  1. Oh my goodness, I just have to say I am totally jealous of your closet!! It is amazing!! And your clothes and boots are adorable. Makes me want to go out and go shopping!! haha I haven't tried the hanger trick before, but I was thinking that I should try to wear every top in my closet once before re-wearing my regular go-to favorites! I'm thinking I may have to do some purging too, because some of them I haven't worn in forever!! The hanger trick may help with this! :)

    Molly
    Lessons with Laughter

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  2. I'm also jealous of your organizing. Here I thought I was organized, but now looking at your pictures I see that I'm not really - I was just kidding myself. I make up a chex mix that is similar to yours - I love the sweet stuff too. I also add in butterscotch mini kisses and mini marshmallows.

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  3. I am in LOVE with your closet organization...& the rule of one new in, one old out! Gotta do this!

    Amy Howbert
    Little Miss Organized
    amyhowbert1@gmail.com

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  4. Good gracious! You have so many clothes! If I purged 66 pieces of clothing, I would be left in my knickers... If I'm lucky! :) I hate shopping though - despise it. That caramel mix looks delicious. I'll have to try it! :)

    Leslie
    Miss R's Room

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  5. Wow, your closet is amazing! I love pinterest. Have you checked out foodgawker? Great recipes!

    Shelly
    Smiling and Shining in Second Grade

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  6. OK, I am officially jealous of your HUGE closet and huge amount of clothes!!! Wowzers!!!! My teeny old closet would fit into about 2 feet of that space! Love the organizing and that treat is screaming for me to make it:)

    4th Grade Frolics

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  7. Jealous of ALL of your clothes, boots, shoes, closet, organization!! Oh.My.Word. If that was my closets, about 1/5 of it would be full! I completely understand the difficulty in purging shoes. I think I have like 6 pairs altogether, so I don't really have that problem currently, but I LOVE my shoes and would hate to say goodbye to any of them! Enjoy the New Year celebrations :). Oh and you don't eat mini weenies?? They are De-lish!

    Ashley
    Primary Teacherhood

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  8. Okay, people...now I'm starting to wonder if I have a clothing addiction?! Maybe I need to be on that show with the people that have strange addictions?! hahaha....at least I'm not eating fuzz or drinking my own urine (seriously - http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/my-strange-addiction) and we think WE need to make resolutions?! Cray Cray!!

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  9. I'm with ya when it comes to an organized closet! My side always looks good, but when you look at my husbands, it's a totally different story! During Christmas I keep all of our shopping bags in our closet. So just imagine what it looks like then! Anyway, last Sunday I finally got around to wrapping (which I do in my closet so I can keep 2 curious little girls out!). I decided to take a break and a few moments later, we heard a loud crash. The top shelf in my closet had fallen on top of the floor where all of the shopping bags and wrapping paper were! It was a mess!!!!! This was the second time in a few months that it had fallen. Mr. M says it's because I have too much stuff! Nonsense!!!! I did purge though when I was putting things back together after the hubs had to fix the shelf again!

    Karen
    An Apple a Day in First Grade

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  10. I love your closet! SOOO jealous!
    One of the things I love about AFTER Christmas is that urge to trim down and reorganize. I think it's OCD ..or maybe control issues... at any rate it makes me feel better to go back to work with a CLEAN HOUSE and CLOSET!

    Michele
    Coffee Cups and Lesson PLans

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  11. I did the hanger trick with my clothes a few years ago...it was hard to let go of those pieces I didn't wear because I still liked how they looked. But I had to accept the fact that I didn't wear them for the entire season (and probably the season before that).

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  12. Your closet looks great! I love the idea of turning the hangers around backwards. I'll have to try that! I also have to have all matching hangers :) Hope you have a Happy New Year!

    Erin
    The Open Door Classroom

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  13. Ummm. Your closet looks AWESOME!!! WOW! I would love those hangers. That might have to be a future investment. I love the one in one out rule! Thanks for sharing!

    Sarah
    Kindergarten Korner

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  14. Nice job Amanda! I like the idea of turning the clothes around so you know what to purge! It will also help you to wear more of your closet treasures instead of your "favorite shirt" all the time. I started using the fun noodles this year for my boots and it works great and is inexpensive. I've also used large binder clips to clip the pair together at the top, but if they're really tall they sometimes still fall over. You can also use filled water bottles to hold them upright-taller bottles for taller boots.
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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