It all started when we got back from Florida. AJ’s supposed to be getting central heating and air in his condo, so the guy came on Monday to do a walk through, give them a quote, etc. He said they’d start work next week, AJ said OK, we go to lunch.

Then AJ gets a phone call . . . and it’s the heating and ac people. The apartment they were supposed to start work on has water damage and they can’t do anything until the water is vacuumed out. Can they start work on AJ’s condo today?

Well, we had to do something with his three adorable kitties . . . so they came over to my apartment. Yes, your math is right, for this week I have FIVE kittens! Don’t get me wrong, I love them all dearly – they’re my babies! But they hadn’t all met each other, and it has been . . . interesting.

AJ’s kittens actually seem to be adjusting quite well. They love me, and everything smells like me, so it wasn’t too scary. And my place has carpet and his doesn’t, so they are LOVING the traction they can get while running around my apartment. My kittens are another story all together. Miles is very slowly warming up to them. He walks around them, lets them sniff him, he even doesn’t hiss at them too much. He’s just kind of confused.

Oscar is mad.

I was quite surprised by this. As I’ve had them, I’ve come to realize that Miles is the dominant cat and Oscar is submissive. So if ANYTHING, I figured Oscar would be cool with things. But noooo . . . he is mad. He has been hissing at the other cats for even entering the same room as him. He bats at them, growls constantly, and is just not happy. He even growls and hisses at Miles now! And they’ve been together since birth! They are absolutely BFF, but he’s not having it now. And he’s growled and batted at me too.

He’s getting a little better. Tuesday it was intolerable – I was afraid to leave them in the same room alone. Yesterday and last night were better. Not great, but now I’m beginning to think there is hope (where before I didn’t).

So, that’s what I’ve been up to this week! Oh, and I started back to school today. Yay?

And since I’m talking about them, I have to show them to you

They are in age order: Jazz (AJ’s, almost a year), Ninja (AJ’s, almost a year), Oscar (mine, 9ish months), Miles (mine, 9ish months), and Ana (AJ’s, 5ish months)

Won’t you pray for us please? LOL, I love them all so much!

• 12/1/2007 -- My Christmas Present from Mama and Daddy!
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 7/28/2007 -- Take Two

All things to keep in mind when I make my new 101 in September (yes, even if I don’t finish this one, I still intend to make a new one, and you may see me revamp some of the current items for the next time). Just because I don’t get finished by the deadline doesn’t mean that a lot of these things aren’t still important to me. And honestly, many of these goals were stretch goals to begin with (see me rationalizing?).

Anyways, back the (very) few that I have completed now!

#34 (Get a pet)- I have two of the most adorable little kittens ever sitting on my bed snuggling with each other. This one is done

(Photo take 5 minutes ago.)

#62 (Switch all lightbulbs to CFLs)- I actually did this when I moved into my new apartment in July
#66 (No more plastic grocery bags – only canvas) – I started doing this last year and actually made a habit of it around New Year’s. Every once and a while I forget to bring my bags in, but not usually.
#91 (Organize recipes) – My recipes are very much more organized now, though I can tell this will be an ongoing effort for me . . .
#95 (Attend 5 year high school reunion) – I wanted to go to my 5 year high school reunion, but I couldn’t go back to FL because of school and work. This made me sad, cause I haven’t even spoken with a lot of my high school friends in YEARS. So . . . I guess I’ll try for the 10 year?

So now I’m more than halfway finished – woo hoo!!! I’ll be honest, I’ve done a lot more than I thought I would! Here’s hoping that I can achieve the rest!

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 1/24/2007 -- Making Some Changes
• 12/29/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #35

The first thing was that when AJ and I went to the shelter to pick them up, AJ’s little kitten was there too, and they were wanting her to go home last night. This was news to us, but AJ went ahead and filled out all the paperwork and so three went back to my apartment. Ana spent the night with me and the boys since AJ wasn’t prepared to have her yet and needs to do some kitten proofing.

Ana and my boys don’t NOT get along, but even this morning they were still growling and hissing some, so that was a challenge all last night – keeping them all happy and unscared when they were freaking each other out.

The other mishap – around 5AM this morning, one of the boys got up next to me on the bed . . . and then peed. It was so gross. I mean, I was expecting it to happen at some point, but this was the first night, and it was 5AM . . .

So, I immediately stripped the bed and started washing things, and slept on the sofa. I’m kind of tired, and I was running late this morning since I didn’t have my alarm clock in the room with me . . . oh well.

I still don’t have names for them, but we’re trying to figure something out. And they are at home right now (I’m at the box office), and I am sooo hoping they haven’t torn things apart!

Pictures forthcoming!

(Anyone have tips about the peeing?)

• 12/1/2007 -- My Christmas Present from Mama and Daddy!
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 12/5/2006 -- The Closet Caper!

Last year, I mentioned that one of the things I wanted for Christmas was a puppy. Then I met AJ, we started dating, and he got kittens, Jazz and the Little One. So I changed my mind, and said I really wanted kittens. I had no idea that I liked cats – I have always been a “dog person.” It never occurred to me that I could be both a dog and cat person, but I truly love AJ’s cats soooo much (need to get some updated pictures, they’re so big now)! I even asked for your advice about cats just in case!

Well, the day after Thanksgiving, my whole family and AJ decided to go to lunch together, and AJ suggested a place by the humane society because he decided to get a third(!) cat. We went and ate, then AJ said “OK, I’m gonna walk to the humane society to look at another kitten for me.”

Then my mom said “actually, Lindsey, AJ is not getting a kitten, you are getting two.”

My Christmas present from my parents is two kittens!!!!!!!!!

They decided that since I have a job and therefore can’t travel as much, now might be a better time to get a pet. And since I’ve discovered cats now, they would be better for me than puppies because I am away from home for long periods of time during the day (with school and work). So, that is my present from them – two kittens and allllll the stuff that comes with them (litter boxes, toys, vet trips, food, etc.)

So, we went to the humane society, and I didn’t see any I wanted. Over the next week, AJ and I visited the humane society, two PetSmart adoption centers (with animals supplied by local shelters, NOT bad animal places), the animal control adoption center, and the Animal Adoption & Rescue Foundation (AARF).

I was looking for two kittens that were young – baby to around 6 months old. I quickly realized that most people only want one cat, so it is often hard to adopt out siblings together. So, since I was already looking for two, I decided I wanted siblings because that would be good for the cats. We looked and looked and looked. I wanted short hair, and I kinnda really wanted an orange one, but they seem to be in high demand, so they were hard to find.

At AARF, a nice woman named Rebecca told me about several of her kittens that she is fostering in her home. She brought in a pair of brothers that are black and white, and a pair of sisters that are brown tabbys. I played with both pairs and just couldn’t decided if I wanted EITHER pair. She told me a little about their history, and it turns out the brothers (4-5 months) are REALLY attached to each other, and she would love to see them go home together. So, that made me pick the boys over the girls, but I still wasn’t convinced.

So today we went to a couple of adoption fairs and the humane society again. The first two places didn’t really have anything that interested me, so we went to the adoption fair held by AARF.

It was a NIGHTMARE! That made the decision soooo much harder because there were SEVERAL pairs of siblings, and they were all so cute and so sweet!

After half an hour of cuddling all these kittens, I was down to two pairs – the black and white brothers I had seen earlier in the week and a pair of brothers that were 8 weeks old. They were so tiny and adorable and kept purring and kissing me! They were medium-haired, and one was black and the other was orange (like I’d been wanting)!

So now I had a tough choice. And I must have deliberated for another half hour, LOL! I asked the foster moms of both pairs as well as some of the other foster moms. And AJ and I discussed it a great deal. And the general consensus was that the two little bitty ones would get adopted since they were so small, but it is harder to adopt kittens that are closer to the black and white ones age. The little bitty ones were also so young that even though they kept flopping all over each other and curling up together, they would probably be just fine to be adopted separately. The black and white ones really needed to go together.

So I’m taking them!

At this point, I was worried since I didn’t have an immediate reaction to them (the “you’re supposed to be mine!” feeling). But after talking with everyone, they said that would come with time once we got to know each other. And in all honesty, this will be best for the cats, because they really should go home together.

So, here is a picture from their foster mom and a little excerpt from her email when she was first telling me about them:

“I’m attaching photos of Jacques and Philipe. They are both short haired, black and white. They are about 4-5 months old. Both are very affectionate, playful and they love each other. Jacques is the more outgoing of the two, but they are both very social. Philipe is a water baby. The other day my husband turned on the shower and left the room. When he returned and opened the curtain, Philipe was standing in the shower! Today, my husband was taking a soaking bath and Philipe was sitting on the side of the tub with his front feet in the water. He is so cute about it.”

They aren’t responding to their names yet, so I will be changing them. They’re at just the right age to be neutered, so the foster mom has an apointment for them to get neutered on Tuesday and I will pick them up and bring them home on Thursday! I have all week to get the apartment kitten-proofed and finish getting ready (I have most everything I need except for food, litter, and a couple of carriers).

So that is my big news, and I am so completely thrilled! Of course, there will be more pictures of my babies (and new names) once I get them, so be on the lookout. I am SO excited!!! Merry Christmas to me! And thank you Mama and Daddy!!!!!

Also, all advice for this first-time cat owner is appreciated !

Sidenote: While we were looking for me, AJ fell in love with another kitten. Her brother has already been promised to a family, so they are going to try to get the family to adopt her as well, but if they say they only want the brother, then little Ana is going home with AJ . . . sigh, he’ll have three cats then!

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions

This post is very picture heavy, so read on at your own peril !

This year I decided to tackle my storage issues, which encompasses the outside patio storage closet, my guest room, and the closet in the guest room.

I had Christmas decorations piled up in my living room from bringing them up from Florida, so the first thing I did was pull out everything from the outside closet so that I could put all the Christmas decorations in there.

I didn’t sort them yet – I figured when I had finished everything else I would pull them back out and use them! And when I got them out to use them, I would then sort through them. I put everything else back into the closet as well except for some things that needed to go to work. My reason for doing this was so that I had a living room to work in for all the rest of it. I then proceeded to pull EVERYTHING from the guest room into the living room. First I had to pull all the things out of the room so that I could even get to the back of the room and the closet.

And of course, the closet.

Then came the sorting. I began with all the paper clutter. I store all my financial stuff and school stuff in my desk, but since I haven’t been able to get to the desk, the papers have all been collecting in piles on the floor and I have an entire box of binders and such that I haven’t even used for school this year. So the first order of business was get all the papers in order so that I didn’t lose anything important while I was shuffling things around.

Oh yes . . . the desk!

I managed to organize the entire trimester’s worth of handouts and assignments into one 1″ binder! I was so thrilled to toss out all the excess. I’ll also note that the reason this was possible was because most of my class notes are on my computer – how much clutter have I saved myself from by keeping everything organized on my laptop? I also got the past couple of months worth of my bank and credit card statements all straightened out too (I keep all my receipts, but since I couldn’t get to my desk, they were all in a big pile waiting to be “processed”). It’s nice not to have all that floating around, just WAITING to get lost!

In my progress report I said that I wanted to get done before Thanksgiving, but the contingency plan was to put whatever was left into the closet and come back to it after my family left. Unfortunately, that is what I had to do, and I got slowed down even more because I got sick! Of course.

The day after Thanksgiving started decorating for Christmas. I put out all my Nutcrackers and my nativity set, and then left the tree for last night. Since I included sorting my decorations as part of my storage organization project, I first sorted through all my ornaments. There was a bag that I set aside that would be great for a little girl (but are a little too young and pink for me), and the rest I put on the tree. I also am donating a few other decorations to Goodwill that I don’t think I will be using anymore (some nutcrackers in poor condition and some stuffed animals.

So, without further adieu, my AFTER pictures!!!

The guest room:

The closet:

The desk:

Where the decorations were . . .

And where they are now (please notice that there are two boxes that I was able to get rid of a few boxes and I labeled the ones that I kept as I sorted through everything)!

And, of course, the back of my car (plus two more bags that are still in my apartment, but I had to take them out to use my backseat, LOL)!

One of the hardest things that I found about the challenge this time around was letting go of some things that I’ve carried from apartment to apartment the past few years . . . things that I don’t really ever use, but think “oh, I could use that one day!” It was also hard to let go of some of my sentimental Christmas things that I never use anymore. I love that I’ve finally got my closet functioning so that I know where things are and everything is compartmentalized (things that are longer term storage as well as better paper management). This is so exciting, and since the room isn’t a wreck any longer, it is a room that I can actually USE!

Almost all the purged stuff is going to Goodwill. There are a couple of things that have been relocated in the apartment, but seriously, they would all fit in a purse. It’s all getting out of here, and that is so refreshing! This apartment has so much more room now, and I know that I will better be able to function myself as well as having guests over!

I really hope that I win this challenge because I put a LOT of hard work into this (especially considering that I work 30+ hours a week, am a full-time graduate student, and hosted my first holiday with my parents coming from Florida, my brother coming from his university, and my boyfriend, who I had not shared a major holiday with yet). Sorted through so much stuff, and have made my life so much more functional. In all honesty, just finishing the challenge feels like winning to me, and the prize is an apartment that works!!!

I can’t wait to read everyone else’s challenge posts!

• 12/5/2006 -- The Closet Caper!
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete

TiVo, in a rare moment unreliability, decided to delete the parade before I got a chance to watch it. Grrr . . .

So I started Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Mama and I went and bought a very real(istic fake) tree for my apartment. My first Christmas tree! I brought up all my Christmas decorations from Florida the last time I was home, so I put out all my Nutcrackers and my nativity set, and then left the tree for another day (since I wasn’t feeling well).

Last night I got the tree all set up – AJ helped me by putting it together and helping me fluff out all the limbs (he’s pretty good at it, LOL)! I then sorted through all my ornaments. There was a bag that I set aside that would be great for a little girl (but are a little too young and pink for me), and the rest I put on the tree. Drumroll please . . .

This is my lovely decorated apartment !

My first Christmas tree!

And a little close up of some ornaments:

Some of the ornaments are newer, like the little Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that look just like Ella and Olive and the little Moravian star to remind me of Winston-Salem, NC (where I attended both undergraduate school at Wake Forest University and graduate school at North Carolina School of the Arts). Others are very old, like the pink sand dollar with a Nutcracker (this was given to me when I danced in the Nutcracker for the first time) and the blue and yellow angels (these hung on my mother’s Christmas tree when she was a girl)!

As I have mentioned, I have a Nutcracker collection, so here is a look at it:

Hmm, let’s get a little closer! Here are Steinbach wisemen . . .

And Steinbach Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare!

And a few more that I have on a bookcase near the kitchen (the short one on the left was my mother’s first nutcracker from before I was born – it’s the first in my collection)!

And my nativity set – I just got this last year and LOVE it!

The only thing I’m missing is an Advent wreath for my table, but that may have to wait until next year.

So, now I’m ready for Christmas for the first time in my adult apartment. Ahhh! I’m so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 7/19/2006 -- About
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions

Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve done a little Christmas decorating around the blog! You can thank Lisa for the AWESOME design that she’s made for me! I can’t express how excited I am about this design. It makes me want to drink hot chocolate by the fire while listening to Nat King Cole!

How was everyone else’s Thanksgiving?

• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 12/16/2006 -- Christmas Meme!
• 7/19/2006 -- About

When we moved to Florida, my new studio didn’t put on a production of the Nutcracker, and this devastated me as I had fallen hopelessly in love at this point. I had to stay involved somehow, so I started a collection. Today my nutcracker collection is quite extensive, and I am so thrilled that I have my Christmas decorations in North Carolina now because I will be able to put some of them up in my apartment! No worries, I’ll post pictures when that happens

I was thrilled when my senior year in high school, the women’s chorus that I was the president of at my school was offered the opportunity to sing the vocals at the end of the first act. I was thrilled to be involved again with my favorite ballet and a now required part of my Christmas. It was fantastic to be able to participate in this show in a new way, and I still sing along when I hear the soundtrack!

And now, it’s all coming full circle. Today, here in graduate school, I am in my box office rotation. And every five minutes or so the phone rings and I sell a few Nutcracker tickets to children and their grandparents . . . does it sound cheesy for me to say this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy?

I love the Nutcracker . . .

• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 12/1/2007 -- It’s the Most Wonderful Time . . .
• 7/19/2006 -- About

For this year’s 30 Day Organizational Challenge, I’m tackling my storage situation. A little background: I moved to a new apartment in July. For the first time I am living in an apartment all by myself, but it is a two bedroom apartment. I feel like I’ve got my own little house – this place TRULY feels like it’s mine! When I moved in, I got the kitchen all set up, the living room is all nice and homey, and my bedroom has everything just where I want it. The only problem? All that stuff that didn’t really have a place to go, so it got tossed into the spare bedroom/office (with a little overflow into the outside storage closet). And I just kind of . . . left it all there. 5 months ago. And about a month ago I went to my parents’ house and brought back all my Christmas decorations (Christmas at my place!!!) . . . and I just stuck them in the living room because there was no other place to put them.

So for my challenge, I am getting my storage situation all figured out! I’ve got a massive closet in the spare bedroom as well as a great storage closet outside by my little patio area. I’ve also got my desk which, once I get my computer actually set up, will provide great storage. And since I’ve already sorted through the rest of the apartment as I was putting things away from moving in, all the stuff in my apartment that could be purged is in that room – so not only am I anticipating using my storage space, but I’m also sensing a trip to Goodwill.

Here are a few before pics – I have more, but you’ll just have to wait until November 30 to see the whole process!

Patio Closet Before

Guest Room Closet Before

Guest Room Before

It’s time to get organizing!

• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 12/5/2006 -- The Closet Caper!
• 10/31/2007 -- Works for Me: 30 Day Organizational Challenge!

Personally, I work well at the last minute. Working to make the deadline keeps me motivated on tasks that I might not ever get around to otherwise. This works to my detriment when it comes to housework, because unless someone is coming over there is no deadline for housework.

Until now. Last year, Laura “The Organizing Junkie” (check out her new digs on WordPress!) gave us an awesome deadline – the “30 Day Organizational Challenge.” And I totally participated (read all about my great closet adventures from last year – it’s a doozy of a post, lots of crazy pictures). And since I took the time to truly sort through things and get my closet under control, it stuck. Like, really stuck . . . the closet truly stayed that organized until I moved in July, and when I moved I carried over the organization to my new apartment. And it’s still organized the same way!!! I am in total shock people, and if you knew me at all in real life you would be too.

So, since this CLEARLY worked for me last year, I’m taking it a step further with this year’s 30 day Organizational Challenge. How am I doing that? You’ll have to come back tomorrow, cause that’s when the challenge begins! Plus side – since the challenge runs the entirety of November, I’ll have my big organizational nightmare taken care of by the time December rolls around . . . I may actually try to get done in time for Thanksgiving, but I do reserve the right to use up my entire November !

You should participate too! The first day is tomorrow, so post up your goal and make sure to visit I’m an Organizing Junkie to link to your post!

The awesomeness of the 30 Day Organizational Challenge? Works for me!

• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 11/1/2007 -- It’s time to get ORGANIZED!
• 12/5/2006 -- The Closet Caper!