It’s been a bit of a rough couple of days for me. I know there are much bigger problems in the world and this is so small in the grand scheme of things, but the hard drive on my computer died…on the airplane on the way home from vacation. Argh! So, I was already feeling a bit behind and was ready to hit the ground running and get things done and I had no computer. Fortunately, the computer is still under warranty, so I sent it off to get a new hard drive and, also fortunately, I have all of my files backed up. It has taken a couple of days, but I have a makeshift workflow set up on two old computers. One has my software and e-mail, but it won’t work with my printer and it won’t upload pictures. Nice. I’m using the second computer to upload pictures, but it shuts down randomly. There was a point today when I was almost in tears. Trying to do the simplest task and not being able to do it was making my blood boil and I felt defeated. I needed to take a deep breath and remember that this blog isn’t at the center of the universe and it’s not a big deal.
So, tomorrow I need to take some time to just get myself organized a bit, so I am not so scattered and out of control.
Now that I’ve dumped my complaints all over you, let me share the fun stuff. I’ve been wanting to upgrade my camera gear for a while, but just couldn’t pull the trigger. While on vacation, I was finally ready to commit and, when I got home, I bought this beauty…
The Nikon D800. The camera I have been using, the Nikon D7000 is a solid camera, but it’s a higher-end amature camera and I was ready to move to a lower-end pro. I’m going to get the d7000 professionally cleaned (it has some spots on the mirrors) and use it as a backup and when I want to take a camera “in the field.” The D800 is going to be my “studio camera”, meaning it will mostly just stay at home for blog and freelance shoots. I’m hoping I’ll have some time in the next few days to take some comparison pictures and explain a bit of the difference between the two cameras, other than the price tag. (Just remember that I started out with a $300 refurbished Nikon camera.)
Now, of course, I was very excited when it arrived, so I immediate stuck on a 35mm lens and took a picture of the first thing in view –
Yes. My sink full of dirty dishes. Nice, Marian. (That picture is watermarked in case you were thinking about stealing it!)
I then took pictures of prettier things…
…and went back to taking pictures of my messes. Oh, my office. I can hardly walk in it again and I’m starting to acknowledge the fact that I am chronically disorganized. Well, I didn’t use to be, but growing kids + a growing business = me being chronically disorganized.
The past few years have been a whirlwind for me and I haven’t properly cleaned and organized my house during this craziness. I’ve cleaned and purged here and there, but have done just enough to keep things from looking like a total disaster, but the truth is that the house looks okay on the surface, but I have hard time finding things I need. It’s inefficient, wastes my time and makes me feel stressed out. So, I’m purging, cleaning, rarranging and organizing like never before. Everything has to be functional, easily located and there has to be room to breathe. This means letting go of a lot of stuff, which I am gung-ho about, and getting things truly organized. Not just stuff-it-in-a-drawer kind of organized, but really organized. I’m also excited about having less stuff. I find that I just want things in my house that we use, love or need and nothing else.
Oviously my office and the basement are going to be the toughest to tackle, but after that is the Legos.
Both of my sons enjoy Legos, but my just-turned-five-year-old is a builder. All he wants for his birthday, Christmas and with fun money is Legos. For his fifth birthday, he got the Arkham Assylum, which is a 12+ set and he’s been building it mostly on his own. With all of these Legos comes a problem. Organizing them. I tried keeping them organized by set, but that’s just ridiculous and discourages free-building. For a couple of years, we’ve just kept all of the pieces in plastic bins in a couple of drawers of the Empire dresser in the family room. The amount of Legos has become overwhelming and trying to find a piece you need means 30 minutes of raking through Legos.
I decided to try a different approach. I am sorting the Legos by color…
This keeps them organized, encourages free building and makes pieces easy to find when following set instructions. Some rules will have to be put into place to keep them organized, like – you can build one thing at a time and keep it together as long as you want, but when you’re ready to build something else, take it apart and put the pieces back. All moms of boys are laughing at me right now. We’ll see how it goes. I’m skeptical, but hopeful, too. I’ll give you an update in a few months.
I’ll probably do a bit more organizing tomorrow, but I really need to catch up on some paperwork, computer work, etc. With the technical trouble I’ve been having, I need to take a muscle relaxer or bubble bath or something before, during and after the computer work. If you live near Gettysburg and hear a scream followed by the sound of a laptop or two crashing through a window…that’s me.
I know how you feel with computer problems! Our hard drive crashed a month or so ago and had not been backed up in a couple of months. I lost tons of pictures. I was SICK about it! It was a tough lesson to learn.
And about those Legos… my son loved them too. And now he is a senior in college majoring in architecture. He got his love of design and building from those mess making, foot hurting(I used to step on them a lot), imagination boosting, little plastic pieces! I look forward to the day I see his floor covered in them and his children building with them! I always say,”don’t stress about the mess…it’ll still be there tomorrow.”
My husband collects legos too, actually. I bought a vintage roll-top desk to hide some and for the drawer space… it’s now turning into not enough space. He too only wants legos on holidays, birthdays, etc. I’m thinking the next thing I’m gonna try is a beautiful hutch (and try your milk paint) and let him display some stuff him and our son have built and add more shelves below for storage. Legos are a big deal in this house! Haha.
–SB
My 3 sons are all substantially older than yours (the youngest is 13), but I have the fondest memories of Legos. My middle son, who is now 18, passionately loved Legos. I could get all kinds of good behavior out of him when the Lego magazine arrived in the mail each month, because he couldn’t wait to get his hands on it. I vividly remember the sound of hearing him “paw” through his big plastic box filled with Legos – and I miss it! I’ve joked with him a lot the last few years, that I wish he’d get his big box out and rummage through it – just so I can hear the sound again. I knew when I heard that sound, that his mind was fully engaged in a healthy activity.
Enjoy those Lego years…and good luck keeping them color-organized!
I hear you on the computer issues! Don’t take my computer away from me or I will go insane!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you are soon up and running like you are used to.
I also hear you on the legos. I have 3 girls – and they all love legos. We have more huge legos sets than any family should be allowed to have. and mine will not let me organize them – they have a certain way it all has to be for them to find what they want! Thankfully they are all in their room now which helps so much – all of them out in my living space was just too much.
I’m still shooting with my d-40 🙂
I’d like to be able to go to a higher ISO at some point, but that is SO far off.
Are you able to transfer your 50mm fixed lens to it, or do you have to get new lens for it?
I just asked my boys about the Lego idea. They both said they would organize them differently than that, so my guess is that it won’t last long 🙂 I’m just happy if they put them away 🙂
Yep, I shot with a d50for a few years and it did a great job. My early work for HGTV and Cottages & Bungalows was shot with it, so I would never turn up my nose at a $300 DSLR. 🙂 Yes, I can use all of my lenses on my new camera body. I have upgraded my lenses, since the ones I used with the D50 were purchased with my first film SLR and they weren’t working as well with the DSLR. I’ve added a new lens every year or two and am about to buy another one, but I wanted to play around with the D800 for a bit before I decided which one to add.
Yes, when my boys can figure out an organization system on their own, they can do whatever they want!
Thanks Marion! I’m not using film lenses so I guess I’m good there. I’m using the least expensive DSLR lenses and I’m really happy with them.
I’d love to go to a higher ISO; I see those cameras that can go to 6400 and not be grainy and that’s awesome.
I’ve been using the D-40 for many years now and I’m very grateful to have it. A lot of people told me I had to buy a more expensive camera, but I could see that this one would do what I wanted and be much less money. I’ve learned a lot of things and I’m still learning. It’s been good.
I still find miss placed legos, and my son turns 40 next year! The legos come in handy when there is a little one over at the house…
The computer issue sounds super frustrating. Mine has been slooooow lately and it’s driving me bananas. Exciting about the camera, though! Mine is a mid-range DSLR and I’ve been thinking recently about upgrading…what finally made you pull the trigger? I’m excited to see you detail the differences between the two.
The main thing is that I had finally set aside the money for it. The other factors were that I was just ready, if that makes sense. I needed to do a bunch of research to see if a beefy camera body would really make a difference and I was finally convinced that it would. I’ll share it all in the comparison post. 🙂
oh man can I feel you on the computer issues! Our laptop which is really our only functional computer is only 4-ish years old and for the past 2 years it’s had to be plugged in to work!! To make matters worse the charging cord had become loose from overuse and had to be cocked at an exact angle to work. Seriously, I was using Frog Tape to tape it up on the back of the monitor to get the right angle. I finally was able to buy a new extended battery and charging cord and am cordless once again!
Can’t wait to see more about your sweet new camera! I’d love a better one than the Rebel model I have now.
Oh, I hear you on the power cord issue! I had the same problem with my last computer and it is so frustrating!
By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you how much my mom loved your guest post. She thinks you’re a very articulate writer. 🙂 You can be a guest picker any time.
Marian, I’m an IT Specialist for my boring day job and I still cry when my computer crashes 🙂
I am so having camera envy! I am using a Nikon D60, but I have it on automatic most of the time anyway.
We don’t do legos here.
And my computer is fine.
But, boy oh boy, are we on the same page about organizing and purging. My house is currently so disheveled that we can really only use a small portion of the rooms (see my last post). We kicked the terrible painter that we hired to the curb yesterday – and we are moving forward. The plaster repair and painting are DONE for now – I need to put my house back together.
My daughter’s room was one of the rooms on the painting list – and it is FAR from perfect – but we got it reassembled today – only bringing back in the things that she absolutely loves. She liked the wide openness of the cleaned out room SO much that she purged over HALF of her vast stuffed animal collection and she repeatedly packed up her doll clothes and doll bed and put them out into the hallway. . .she even tried to put them back into her brother’s room (all of her stuff was stored in there while her’s was being painted).
I want to purge the WHOLE HOUSE like we did her room. THE WHOLE THING!
Less stuff = more peace of mind!!!
-breida
Hey, I hear you on the Lego organizing thing. I am a mom of four boys and for the last several years Legos have been the main thing on all birthday and Christmas lists. We also gave up keeping sets together and have organized by color – only we have three sets of bins organized by color – one for each of the big boys who have Legos. The littlest boy is still playing with the big Duplo blocks. Color organizing is much easier to maintain. I also have one bin for each of them to keep mini-figures and their accessories. Good luck with the organizing!
SO THANKFUL you are human !! I was trying to live up to your standards. Whew, now I can relax a little.
Oh, hugs to you from Maine! I have my own computer issues these days, they aren’t currently causing problems for my business (which is in a state of evolving) but they do significantly impact our homeschooling. And that’s a biggie for us. I think sometimes God brings us those things to make us step back a bit and see what’s really important, and sometimes maybe it’s just to make us step back and breathe. :).
I’m so jealous of your new camera, but since I’m still learning my way around my entry level DSLR, I have a long way before I purchase a basic pro model. My oldest son would absolutely love your new camera.
And as far as Lego organizing, we’re moving towards the color organizing as well, my Middle is 14, but Legos are still his favorite gift.
Hmmm, ‘chronically disorganized’. Now I know there is a NAME for this condition!!! I just kinda think of it as ‘Artfully Unorganized’, works for me. Love your blog and it may not be a really big thing, but it is entertaining. I’m a visual person and I’m glad you got a new camera. Just tell me where you took yours for a tune up. Mine is non-functional at this point and has been for a couple of years. I need to get it fixed. Thanks ~
I feel your troubles on almost everything! But boy, oh, boy…Organization..has gotten me down lately…I’ve found that week by week I have to focus on being creative or task orientated. I am unable to be both at the same time….same day…same week…same month (maybe). It’s almost impossible for me to switch either one on or off as needed. Even so…if I become so disorganized that I can no longer be creative…the “functional” side kicks into high gear and I want to tackle everything. You are not alone!
You’re just very busy not disorganized, give youself a break.There are people who do 1/2 of what you do and they have three assistants to get it it done. Computer issues are so frustrating, it really makes you feel cut off somehow when you don’t have a working computer Good luck with your organizing and I’m looking forward to hearing more about your new camera, so exciting! I have two girls (now woman) and they loved their legos too.
Have you considered moving your photos to a cloud app like Dropbox? I keep all my photos there so they’re accessible from any device w/ an internet/wireless/mobile connection. I don’t know how I ever did without it. Good luck – I hope your computer’s vacation is a short one!
ahhh…the purge. It feels great when the house isn’t a burden. And just so ya know….in my garage there are two 25 gallon plastic bins full of my son’s legos. He’s 27 years old and saved them for his own son. So why are they in MY garage? hmmmm….
That’s my office and studio right now – a disorganized mess. I know that I would get more done if I was organized but I don’t think I ever will be.
When I lived in Seattle, I read an article by the writer Jennifer James, who wrote about creativity and she said that creativity is messy. Passion is messy. So – embrace your disorganization a bit more…it keeps you creating!!
Linda
PS – jealous about your new camera. Good luck with getting your computer woes solved!
Oh, man! I was right where you were not long ago. I had a dumpster delivered and purged my heart out. A few months later, I’m feeling the same way again! Where does the “stuff” come from? I’ve been so good about needs vs. wants too. I’ll be organizing and purging again along with you. So many unfinished projects, rooms, and their messes and clutter…and I don’t have 5% of what you have on your plate DAILY. I hope you are able to relax a bit…even when you’re not in Colorado. You are so right…it isn’t the center of the universe, but an unorganized space sure makes our smidgen of the universe quite uncomfortable. I’m so jelly of your new camera! I was just looking at the D800 this morning. Shana (Florabella) uses that camera. I’m using the profits from my latest tag sale to invest in a new one. At that price point, it won’t be a D800 (or even the strap haha), but I’m happy that you were able to get it! Can’t wait to see your photos. You were vacationing when we were so I have some catching up to do. And, go little man for putting 12+ year old lego sets together at 5 years old. Someone’s following in his mama’s (and daddy’s) footsteps.
If you’d like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this web-application inspired by David Allen’s GTD:
GTDAgenda
You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, and a calendar.
Syncs with Evernote and Google Calendar, and also comes with mobile version, and Android and iPhone apps.
I so feel your pain. I thought working from home was going to be my dream but my dream has become my nightmare as I have fabric,paint and pieces of furniture both finished and unfinished EVERYWERE!!!
Now the lego… I have 4 boys. I put a queen sized sheet in a huge plastic tub and all the lego goes in the tub. When they want to play I lift the sheet out and place it on the floor. They seem to free build mostly so there is no LEGO stress anymore!
We have all been there. Nice to see “real life” pictures. Enjoy your lego battles,because before you know it those battles will be a memory.
Have a joyous Labor day weekend
I love your crayon photo, it would go great in my kids playroom. Do you sell your prints?
Erica
This is so timely for me, I am going through the same issue. I sew, upholster, make jewelry and general crafts, and of course I paint and collect. The stuff you accumulate to do all these things starts to really get out of control. Last night I couldn’t find my electric knife to cut foam. I think I waste more time finding what I need then actually working. Can’t wait to see the solutions you come up with.
I organized my son’s Legos into a rolling Craftsman tool cart. I was able to use the top smaller tool drawers with organizer trays from Ikea to separate specialty parts. The bottom drawers housed larger bins that were then used to organize all remaining building blocks by color. The greatest asset was the ability to lock it all up when needed.
I feel your pain. My husband & I have our own business selling construction equipment & own a 6 unit rental property. We also have 3 boys (11, 13 & 16) and all the other trappings of life that will quickly turn one’s life upside down with frustration, stress and chaos. Brava to you for jumping into the reorganization project. Streamlining will make your life infinitely more peaceful and productive. I recently read a Guideposts item which talked about not beating the donkey in your path & recognizing that God sometimes puts obstacles in our path to move us to reevaluate. Kudos to you for recognizing that & taking action. Thanks for sharing. You may never know the true depth & breadth of your impact. You continue to bless us all. Good luck with the Lego battle. Legos have occupied my boys for hours on end for well over a decade. Love the color organization idea. If yours are kit builders it may not work. If they are freelancers, you are brilliant! Good luck with the computer stress and congrats on the new camera.
Computer problems are the worst so good luck with that! It’s such a relief to be up and running. I went nuts the other day with no telephone line, hence no anything else. It turned out to be my Daisy dog laying on the telephone cord to the point of unplugging. I was dizzy with relief that it was such an easy fix.
I’m in the middle of organizing for the hundredth time, but this time I’m unpacking things for the last time as we are finishing our renovation and I am determined to have a place for everything.
I’ve found that starting with picking out the most special, can’t do without items first and putting them aside lets me focus on the clutter, misc left and be able to donate, sell, discard a lot easier. I also try to think that if someone else can benefit from something that I’ve had forever, it’s then easier to release it. It helps.
Marian-You and I are so on the same wave length. I was just telling a friend yesterday that I want to have a swap where we all get together and trade accessories. Except I want to take all of mine and leave with NOTHING. I desperately need to get organized and remove all the “decorative” clutter. Thanks for this post. It’s keeping me motivated! ~Beth, Farm Fresh Vintage Finds
I will be driving through the Biglerville/Gettysburg area today for work. I’ll be picking up my bushel of peaches to can this weekend. If I see a woman going all office space on a computer, I’ll know to keep on driving. 🙂
Beautiful pictures! I bet you’ll love the new camera!
I know how you feel with technology not going the way you want it to. I am using an old PC desktop. I have to load my SD card into my husband’s lap top and drop all my picture to dropbox. I then have to head upstairs to my desktop where I have my editing programs. When I want to be mobile or do some networking in my living room I just have my ipad. The other night I dropped my $800 camera face down and screwed up my only lens. It still takes ok pictures but something is wrong with it. The husband isn’t happy with me right now because I want a new lens, an imac and a laser jet printer. I know, those things all come with time! Selling lots of stuff at the consigment shop 🙂
We have our Legos organized the exact same way. As a matter of fact we even have the same bins with white lids 🙂 It’s been working for almost a year now. My son is not a builder like yours though so they go untouched for weeks at a time before inspiration hits and he hauls them out again 😉 But even when they start to get out of hand again it’s easy to get them organized quickly.
Sorry to hear about your hard drive, hope you get your computer back ASAP!!!!
So sorry about your computer trouble – that is so frustrating. I’m also on a organizing/purging run these past few weeks. I love getting rid of the excess and only have what we use around, but it’s definitely a process. Only have one more closet to go!
I don’t have children, so I can imagine, but have not experienced, the stress that their stuff adds to life. Are you too young to remember the shtick that George Carlin did about our “stuff?” So funny. You are so determined in everything you do, that I am sure you will have everything under control in no time.
Here is one practical suggestion that may or may not relieve some of your frustration. Desk top computers are relatively inexpensive. Instead of putting your money into another lens right now, why don’t you give yourself a break and buy a new computer that will help you get through this tough time. That may seem counter-intuitive when you are trying to purge but you need to have the right tools to do your job and a computer is the most important tool in your line of work. Hopefully you won’t have more problems with your lap top. If you do, though, it would be good to have a back-up. Even if you use the desk top just while at home, it would reduce the burden on the lap top and extend its usefulness, although I suppose they would have to be networked in some way. I have almost no computer expertise, so maybe this is not a solution to your current problem. If it would help now or in the future, though,I hope you will think about it. My father always said that most problems can be solved with either time or money. I believe that to be true and have discovered that there is an inverse relationship between the two. What is your time and frustration worth?
Marion,my son was a Lego fanatic! I tried the organizing thing.Let me tell you ,I finally bought a table with two big drawers.All the Lego’s went in the drawers.My son spent hours digging through them finding just the right piece.Don’t waste your time with sorting.Remember it’s the hunt for the right piece that is fun.Just like shopping.Let him play ,build four different things at a time.Don’t worry about how many projects he builds at one time.Keep it in his room. Just tell him to keep them in the drawers,pieces cannot be left on the floor when he is done playing.Oh how I miss the sound of him in his room raking through the Lego’s.Just a thought .
Mary
I liked your phrase I am not the center of the universe. Very timely for me we finally pulled up that nasty carpet in our upstairs bath. What a can of worms the floor was rotted with black mold I cried. We have to fix this ourselves there is no money to hire this out. I am glad it was found before the toilet fell thru the floor and we have a functioning bathroom. But I am just sick and they installed the vanity over the carpet arrrrgh ! I was complaing to a neighbor her husband has been in the hospital for over 2 weeks . And I have a bathroom problem what was I thinking! Your right in the grand scheme of things what will this mean in 5 yrs .bless you Marian .
Everything is relative… my $150 Kodak digital apparently died today.
I learned of it’s passing as I tried to download the pics of the headboard I have been procrastinating on, and finally dove in and completed in one day.
Every time I get back on the horse, there’s a hurdle that stops me in my tracks.
I thought the lesson I was supposed to be learning was to keep trying and prove how much I wanted Late Bloomers to succeed.
I am starting to think the lesson is ‘Girl, give it up!’.. cause there sure isn’t any budget, with no furniture sales in months, for a new camera, even another cheapie.
Ack! I tried to comment from my phone last night. Didn’t go so well.
Technology is awesome. Until it fails. Then its like a limb is missing. But somehow we always find a work-around and get through it.
I’m still shooting with my trusty 35mm SLR, though it’s on it’s last legs. I’d love to upgrade to a DSLR, but I just can’t justify the expense, what with 3 boys who always need stuff. You know, like food to constantly shove in their faces. Or replacements for the shoes falling off of / pinching / strangling their feet. You know how it is.
You know, I’ve tried every dang thing I can think of to corral and control the Legos in my house. I think we have eleventy-bajillion. Separating by color worked, as long as Logan was the only one building. But Gavin and Aidan enjoy building too, and could care less whether or not things are organized and pretty. After all, it’s much more fun to accuse your brother of stealing the one single part that your entire creation hinges on, then starting a fight, than it is to just rifle through a bin of like pieces to find it. Good luck hon!
we never never call it disoranized…it is called Creative…….never Messy always ideas on hold…You go girl..cannot wait to see and read about the new toy. Sheryl
Marion,
I just love your work and look forward to reading your blog daily!
I am so excited that you got to go on vacation! And computer problems, coupled with uploading dilemmas are always frustrating, but hang in there! God will provide you with all you need!
Please post an update on how the Lego organization plan goes. I think every mom of young boys out there is trying to tackle that organization problem, and we can use all the help we can get!
Any idea when we find out the name of your new color?
Yup – you have me laughing out loud, Marian! I have a 7-year old Lego fanatic who is doing the 7-14+ teeny-tiny pieces sets – we have more Lego kits than we know what to do with, and it’s a CONSTANT struggle. I have leatherette covered bins and a bookshelf with fabric drawers in my family room, in order to try to keep the clutter contained and out of sight, but it’s a never-ending battle.
We have the “play with one toy at a time, then put it back before taking another out” rule, but it doesn’t always work for us.
Please let us know how the Lego wars go!
Marian…I am so sorry for the computer problems you have been going through…nothing is more frustrating…we rely on our computers so much these days…I can remember not too long ago when we did not have home computers….I think our lives were simpler then…really…
Great camera!…and fabulous pics…I am still learning my D7000….
My granddaughter is a lego fanatic…my daughter in law sorts her legos also by color and has a rolling rack of drawers to house the lego parts…there is never a day when you walk into their dining room and see a table of lego projects…I think they are just the greatest for kids!
Marian,
I always love your photography and gush when you make mention of any tidbits that you have learned over the years. I liked whne you showed us your bathroom lighting trick.
I’d love it if you would do a “behind the lens” post describing what lenses/lighing/camera settings you are using for each shot. I think that Camera Settings are what really perplexes me.
Thanks!
Nicole
Marian, congrats on your new camera! I’ve been using D7000 for a couple of years now and love it. I’m looking forward to seeing your comparison and opinion on it vs. D800. Will you be processing the photos the same way – with LR?
LOL… Marian, I just LOVE your honesty and transparency!! No “posing’ for you, no ma’am, just keeping it “real” – dirty dishes, boiling blood, zillions of Legos and all!! Thank you!!
BTW – just how many “color” submissions did you receive? I’m sure our lengthy submissions didn’t help your laptop. 🙂
Hi Marian, oh well why should your life and your organization be any less all over the place than ours….. 🙂
It seems to me that we are in a constant state or organizing, purging and then getting new stuff, new crafts etc. etc.
I just reduced the number of indoor plants, because to hard to go on trips, business or pleasure and always have to find someone to water these darlings. And guess what it did
not take me long to replace them with cacti and a dozen orchids, I admit they need lots less
watering, but we just cannot stop our urge of creativity….
By the way Congrats on your new Nikon, I just got a small Nikon to shoot quickly something to remember from a trip or other, and I am thinking about which one would be the next better one for close ups, I love to take like insects, birds, details of flowers, and
just intricate patterns of nature. So I will keep on looking to see which one I would like
to tackle next, will let you know when I decided….
Good luck with your organizing, the legos look like you have a perfectly organized home!!!
See it just depends on what photos you post…..
Keep it up and do not worry too much, sooner or later we all get somewhat a little behind, and then we always catch up…
all the BEST
Edith
AACK! It makes me so much better to see your mess! We run three businesses out of our home and have 8-year-old twins who seem to think the words, “clean up” are spoken in Chinese. I met with a professional organizer this week and keep telling myself it’s worth the money to pay to objective eyes and an extra pair of hands. You are brave to share your “before” photos. I’m trying to bring myself to do the same, but shame may defeat me. Good luck with your plan!!
I had to smile about the Legos because my grandson, age 6, also puts together the older Lego kits and wants Assylum for his October birthday. He will sit for hours reading the “constructions” (i.e. instructions) page by page as he concentrates and puts these huge kits together. He asked me to write down on paper that he wants Assylum and because it’s expensive, he told me maybe I could call Nanny (his other grandmother) and see if she wants to split the cost with me, Grandma. Now, how can we say no to that?????
are these raw photos, or did you edit with a filter? if so, what filter, or sw program do you use? I love the brightness of your photos!
Oh!! Thank Goodness!!!! You ARE human after all….now I can relax a little.
Yes, I am cracking up at your Lego organization goal! (Hope that didn’t sound too pessimistic!). We, too, have GAZILLIONS of Legos. I tried years ago to sort in divided drawers in wheeled organizer carts. Seriously, by color/size/shape of brick, wheels, people, etc. What a colossal challenge, &, I might add years later, waste of time. My Dad proudly purchased pounds of Legos at a garage sale & shipped to us, which, along with cousin clean outs, overwhelmed my feeble organization attempt. Oh well…the kids still have fun free building & don’t seem to care at all! I shudder when I see the many shelves, bins, bags, etc of Legos past, present & future.
No need to apologize for complaining about your hard drive issues just because they aren’t on par with world hunger. This is YOUR life. And what happens in it IS important. And having a computer poop out is huge. Especially when you make your living w/that piece of equipment!!! So glad it’s getting fixed and that you had backup. Thanks so much for keeping it real, Marian. 🙂
MMM I love it that you’re so real. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Funny but I’m headed down the same road with you. Have been going through my house and putting stuff away and in boxes. I also want to trim down what I’ve collected over the years and have less. Going through drawers and closets I’m finding things I’d misplaced or forgotten I had. My daughter and I are set for a BIG yard sale in October. So there’ll be lots of nice collectables and great junk we’ll be selling that get to go to new homes. Hang in there. My mom used to say “You can even eat an elephant a bite at a time.”
Ha ha ha!! I can totally relate to the lego disorganization!! I am a mom to 4 boys (and 1 girl) and one Christmas break I was determined to organize it and for them to keep it organized! We spent a week sorting lego into tubs of lego men, wheels, different colored bricks etc. It stayed that way for about 2 months! The irony of it all is that my boys don’t care that they spend 30 minutes looking for 1 piece to build something! Now as long as it is put away in a container – I am happy!
Oh yes, this all sounds so familiar. The Legos and my son (who turned out to be a Construction Management Engineer and is almost 29) I contribute Legos to that career! He had to keep all the projects he built! So they were placed in totes in the attic. (Long story he lost all of them, I’m hoping they went to a future Engineer). The camera upgrade, computer crash, dishes in the sink, and the want to simplify and purge! However it seems when I do 6 months down the road I find a need for the very thing I got rid of. Never mind I packed it around for 20 years before not needing it! Keep up the good work, and know that we are, or have been it the same place at some point. Just keeping it real……..
Hey……..
It’s a BIG DEAL to us!!!!!! Computers make me cry sometimes, too. LOL.
Best of luck. Remember, patience, patience, Patience (she says with a smile)
Ter’e
Love this post! You have just explained how I’ve felt all week! What a crazy one! And I can relate to the Legos stress. 2 boys ages 5 and 9… Legos everywhere. New ideas to organize. Works until I let my guard down. Then I step on a Lego. Swear in a made-up language. Try not to cry. Run away for a Mommy-timeout. Regroup. Pray. Decide that there are many things in this world much worse than stepping on untamed Legos. Reappear with a smile on my face and an apron on ready to cook dinner. And still feeling blessed. Good luck with your tech issues. I”ve had massive tech issues this week myself and indeed wanted to throw my computer (and work colleagues) out the window. Tomorrow’s a new day!
Cheers!
Congrats on the new camera, it’s always fun to get a new piece of photo equipment. Your pictures are always so beautiful and illustrative, you tell a wonderful story with your eye. I know what you mean with the organizing, I have been trying to purge and organize my studio and a few rooms this summer, but it seems that for every one thing I get rid of I have three more. Best of luck with those Lego rules, I am sure I’d be the first one to break one. 🙂
Yup! My Lego Man is now 35, and he is a Landscape Designer! The next one just turned 22, but my 2 grandsons are 8 and 5 and are inheriting some of those Legos. I think there are still more upstairs! As long as they are in some sort of container, they are considered organized! This too, shall pass!
I understand about the computer, too, Been there, done that. What I HAVE found over the years, tho, is that when God allows a big HALT to something in our lives, even due to broken equipment, all of our attempts to keep doing the thing we were set out to do are still hampered, quite often He is telling me to BE STILL…..and listen for His still small voice. Is there something else He needs for me to do? Does my husband or my children have an unspoken need, perhaps because they know how stressed out I am at the moment? Or do I just need to fall at His feet and REST?, so He can renew me and talk to me?
Like you, I have that type AAAA++++ personality, and want it done when I want or need it done, and not when my equipment is fixed! It is so hard to stop and breathe in the moments sometimes….
Can’t wait to read your new articles on the Nikon differences. I just got my first starter one for Christmas, and have a lot to learn, but it has been a lifelong dream, so at 55, I’m finally going for it!
As the others said, thank you for being real! And we will hold you up in prayer!
Dear Kathy,
You message is beautiful.
His still small voice…
Set your mind on God’s instruction…
Many blessings to you for you inspirational message to MMM & all of us following her blog.
Tracy : )
Nice pick on the Camera!!! I currently shoot with the d7000 & I love shooting with it! Enjoy you new camera! 🙂
I have to comment on the Lego-organization attempt because I did the very same thing, only I put mine in gallon-sized ziploc bags. It mostly worked, but they are the culmination of 3 boys and now grandchildren. The now five-year-old loves to build with them but when his friend came over and they got them out, out went some of the color separation. Arghhh! I have all the bags stored in a big Rubbermaid tub. I think that is a great way to organize them if you can enforce the ground-rules. I love your camera and I feel your pain over the computer. Life will get happier so watch a Kidssnippets, like The Principal, and just have a good laugh. They’re addicting.
Marion,
Here’s one more Lego meets Camera tip… I have the same lego rule of disassembling an old creation before building a new one. My son is now more than happy to do it because I take a picture of it for him before he takes it apart. 🙂 Now everybody’s happy!!
I know why I’ve always liked you…because you are a real-life version of Martha Stewart. All the creativeness, full of great information, a real go-getter….but not perfect, not supported by an army of staff, and willing to admit pain and frustration! You show us all that we can be great and still be “normal” and a big key to it is: smile, laugh when you can, and dust yourself then get back up when challenges knock you down. Thank you Marion. You are a treasure!!! – Sharon
Here’s what I love about you and this post – it’s real! Love the attempt at lego organizing! We recently pulled out the huge box of legos for the grandchildren! Who knows when they outgrew them, but the box has not been touched in years. Everyone loved seeing the bits and pieces of half-built legos and I must admit there was a book or two mixed in as well as a few old crayons! Still crazy after all these years 🙂
Watermark = instant classiness! Love it!
I have a 27 year old son who last week went to the LEGO store in the mall and bought a container full of pieces. These were to add to his Rubbermaid bins in his storage room (yes, room). I think this is a toy boys never out grow. He’s going to be a LEGO for Trunk or Treat. I know another grown man who requested a LEGO grooms cake. It doesn’t get neater, just larger.
I have 3 sons, and the only thing that worked with legos for the long run was to put them in a couple of under the bed boxes. Of course, they are all mixed up, but it just wasn’t worth the hassle to keep the colors separate. My sons are all grown, but my daughter, age 12, has them under her bed now and still pulls them out on occasion. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your organizing of your house, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You have more going on that three or four normal people!
hi there just curious what lens is your most go to? I have a Nikon d5100 and always struggle to choose which lens to take out and about I hate toting a bag full of camera parts. I am new to dslr and going to country living fair in couple weeks id love to have a go to lens while im there! thanks for any advise!!!
I’ll post about that, too. The lens I use most is my 35mm 2.0 lens. It’s wide enough to shoot a vignette of a room, piece of furniture, etc., but it can also shoot close-ups. When I take one lens, that’s the one I take. It’s also small and light for traveling.
I have a 10 yr. old builder that started his Lego career before he was 5… & I chose the exact same organizing route you did! It has worked great for us. We have a shoe box sized container for black, dark gray, light gray, blue, white (we have a ton of Star Wars), red, yellow, green, & tan/brown. I have 2 ex-large Pottery Barn Kids box containers (snagged at the Outlet) that house the “we need to clean up fast” disasters. This is key to being able to support & maintain the “sorted by color” concept. I also bought 10 plastic school supply boxes (50c ea. at Target) to sort wheels, windows, tires, mini-figs, accessories, & specialty pieces. Because Stephen truly loves to build (not just collect) – it’s never been an issue about not keeping the set together. I know some moms have collectors: they want to keep everything assembled & on display forever. I hope your system works for you!!
Nix the only-one-Lego-creation-at-a-time rule! Let the boy’s creative juices flow.
I agree! After numerous frustrating attempts to get my son to USE the organizing system his sisters and I took hours to sort and create, I gave up. He just wants to be creative and build…and he comes up with the most amazing stuff! We use 3 large under the bed storage bins and a dustpan for a shovel to clean up. Not perfect, but it works, sort of.
Marian, can’t wait to read a future update on your camera and how you’re liking it. I’m still enjoying my D7000 and I’m finally getting to the point where I’m getting the hang of it. I hope to graduate eventually to a full frame…one day, so can’t wait to hear more about how you like your D800. I hope your week improves greatly! I’ve had those “almost in tears” days and they are frustrating! Have a great weekend and enjoy that new camera! 🙂
Marian, Censational Kate has a fab feature on Lego organization and a table she built for her kids. She had the same issue. Check it out. My kids are way past the Lego stage.:) Enjoy it. It is great for their minds.
Marian, I love your “I am normal” pictures. I, like you, have tried many times to keep an uncluttered house. I am thinking it come with being creative. I can’t wait to see new pictures with your camera. As for the lego situation, besides having them clean them up into buckets when they are done, I have no luck with having the kids sort them. I have stumbled upon a site that has old instructions so the kids can rebuild or try to build a model that they do not have but have plenty of legos to replicate, http://www.brickinstructions.com. My son has made plenty of new/old legos from this site. I am thinking that I will just have to wait it out, because eventually they are too old to play with them. Alaina
I just purged one of the kiddos bedrooms yesterday (middle and youngest daughter share that room). Middle daughter loves Legos as well and has started a collection. I lady a post on Facebook last night asking for suggestions on how to keep them organized and received some good suggestions. Heading to Target today for supplies to implement them! Maybe that will work for Barbie stuff too, as younger daughter likes those. When you’re purging, just think of the poor mom who has Barbie and Legos in the same room! Lol!
Isn’t the lovely thing about Nikons is your lens will work even when you upgrade the camera. My D5100 is on the fritz (under warranty but they want to take 3 MONTHS to fix it) and I DON”T have a back up. So a very smart move in keeping the D7000 for that. I will look forward to you sharing the differences with the new camera as I am in the market again.
My son is 6 and just starting to enjoy Legos more. I see it coming….:) We all appreciate hearing (and seeing) the “real” stuff sometimes, Marian. You have a knack for making even dirty dishes look pretty. Have fun getting to know your new camera!
Jeanette
I love the crayon picture! Do you by any chance sell your pictures?
Marian, I’m so sorry about your computer! I am so *happy* you shared this genuine post. I think you always speak candidly, it’s just that this post particularly hit me. xo
Tech problems are the worst! But, camera upgrades are the best! I went from a canon rebel to the mark ii recently and have never looked back! I look forward to hearing what you think about the differences.
My son is 3 and not yet into legos…he has the bigger ones and I’m thankful for this because I can see my 1 year old putting them in her mouth at all times. 🙂 Something to look forward too, I’m sure! I can’t believe how expensive they are and I can’t wait to step on them without shoes on!
So weird!! the hard drive on my computer died and my moms died at the same time as yours! I’m hoping there is not some rogue virus going around killing hard drives. I guess so far its just a coincidence…but
I’m keeping my eyes peeled.
Anywho, congrats on the new camera!
When it comes to Legos, there is no easy way. We have separate bins for the “special” ones when completed. They are stored mostly intact, or built,(after an appropriate play and display period, of course!) Each Star Wars ship is stored separately and can easily be pulled out as needed for play. It was quite a job finding a container for the Millenium Falcon, though. Our soccer stadium legos are in one bin and most of Harry Potter is still living together. I will admit this plan only works if you have a storage area for all the bins that don’t fit under the bed. Fortunatley, my son’s closet fit the bill. The only real problem I have is that he’s in college now and I still have the Legos!!;-)
Marian, You know we all love to see your photos of your gorgeous home. But, I love that you also show us that you are like the rest of us. Sometimes the home isn’t always picture perfect. My office is ALWAYS a mess, it seems to be the catch-all place and I think it will always be like that. I also upgraded my photo equipment a couple of months ago. I went from my Canon Rebel to a Nikon d7100. I was on the fence for so long with the d800 vs d7100 ended with the d7100 because it had a couple of things that the d800 didn’t. I’m still learning where everything is on this one!
Keep keeping it real Marian!
Tina