i have to laugh when i read that lead in…

“in my free time…”

there is very little of that happening for me this summer. but i am trying my best to squeeze as much as i can out of each day. even if i have 15-30 minutes of free time (usually before kids wake up or after they go to bed), i feel good having worked on something that is makes me happy. even if that’s something small.

(it is however summer…so my number one priority is enjoying the kids at home. this time is priceless and precious.)

this summer i have 2 projects i have chosen to work on in my free time. both projects i would consider to be very time consuming. but i’m going to focus on breaking each one down in small chunks and hope they get done before the kids are back in school. of course, when they are complete, i’ll share all of the details in here with you guys.

the 1st project is to finally start (and finish) our daughter’s first year scrapbook. a few weeks months ago, i blogged about my scrapbook collection boxes. having these little boxes put together makes it easy to get started on a scrapbook whenever the urge strikes. i am woefully behind in scrapbooking – like….really, really behind. but i do feel slightly better knowing everything i want to put into one scrapbook is gathered into one, nice little collection box.

i’ve had our daughter’s first year items and photos in a box for a while. i even left the box out in the open so as to annoy me. maybe guilt myself into getting started. but tonight i am. not sure about you, but once i get started…it’s easy going from there. it’s always the “starting” part that holds me back.

so, this afternoon i tidied up the office closet, where i work on my books…

 

got my little project desk ready…

and pulled out my pretty papers, cutting tools, and extra sheet protectors. having these items located directly behind me makes it easy to turn around and grab what i need…

i can’t wait to get started on her book!

my 2nd big project this summer? our upcoming garage sale. this – i can not wait for! we’ve been collecting items for almost one full year. just wait until you see the photos of our piles under the house. it’s unreal. and those piles are getting under my skin. each time we are under the house grabbing something, that pile is in the way. i am tripping over bags and boxes and random kitchen appliances.

it’s time to get this deal organized and on the calendar!

and we did!

my husband is taking a few days off in the coming weeks so we can work on this fun project together. i can’t wait to grab a cup of coffee with him and spend hours on end alone with him in the hot, humid, sticky, dirty garage.

sounds fun, right? 😉

good news is – we have the date on the calendar and that is the exact push we need to finally get the garage sale into the history books.

in addition to the items hiding under the house, i have been throwing toys into the attic, tossing clothing into bags in the coat closet, and more. since the clothing will take a big chunk of organization time, this week i grabbed 3 clothing racks from a friend and started hanging items…

yup, those 2 toy bins and the little racing car toy on the bottom left – those are in the sale too! 

for the next few nights i’ll spend an hour or two out here working on the clothing – tagging, sorting by size, pinning matching sets together, bagging up socks or shoes, etc….

 

it will be a fun little project to work on after the kids are in bed. then any other free time i can find i’ll start lugging bags and boxes up from under the house.

like most people (or maybe this is just me?!), one project leads to another. can you relate? i am anxious to get these 2 projects wrapped up because they will fuel additional projects on my list….this includes finishing more scrapbooks and getting started on a big garage organization project.

it’s always something. 🙂

are you working on any big projects this summer in your very little free time? i’d love to hear about it!