Let's Craft Something!

Last week, I told you about my upcoming interview for a first grade position in which I would have to teach a 10 minute lesson to a panel of evaluators.  Well, since it was the first day back from school from a three-day weekend, dismissal was a bit difficult.  They were running about 20 minutes behind, according to one of the interviewers.  I was in the middle of the interviewees; the lady before me looked a little older than me and may have had some teaching experience, and the lady after me looked to be about my age and probably didn't have teaching experience.

I had modified a lesson plan I had found online and explained that for a ten minute lesson.  I explained to the panel that I thought it would need to be something that was part of a unit so that I was able to show more of my teaching style.  They did warn me that because they were running quite a bit behind, they may cut me off early, but it wouldn't be a bad thing -- it was just to get to the second part of the interview.

I was ridiculously nervous, so I thought that my interview didn't go that great.  I was off my game because I saw the lady go in before me that looked much more prepared.  It was also the first time I've taught to a panel of adults in a while.


Thursday, I got an email from another school that wanted me to interview for a kindergarten position.  She said she had tried to call me, but I had no missed calls on my cell phone.  It turns out that she had called my house phone about three times prior to sending me an email.  Oops.  My house phone's answering machine is kind of broken; by kind of, I mean that it will record messages, but you sound like Swedish Chef underwater when I try to play them back.


Anyway, I replied to the email saying I would love to interview, but I didn't get a response until after school.  She had said she was doing interviews on Thursday, but scheduled me for Friday morning at 9 am, and included that she was supposed to be through by 10.


Thursday night when we went to check on Harley, our sick dog, he was not doing well.  He had gotten up and moved from the shed to his favorite spot since that morning; however, he looked like he couldn't get up again.  We gave him his pill in a hot dog, which he happily gobbled up along with a slice of bread, but he wouldn't drink.  We tried to give him a little more bread, but he didn't want it.  He tried to get up, but he didn't have the strength to lift his head and his breathing was labored.  Mom was crying and we knew it wasn't long now.

The next morning, mom went to check on him and was prepared for the worst or taking him to the vet.  He had died overnight.  This was nearly a month after the vet trip where he tried to tell us to go ahead and put him to sleep.  For a month, we took him canned food twice daily, gave him his pills in bread, and told him we loved him every day.  He died lying in his favorite spot in the yard, even before he got sick, which makes me feel better than knowing it was in a cold, impersonal vet's office.


Zach was kind enough to help dig a hole and let us bury him in their spacious yard.  Mom told his dad "All of my other babies are buried in my ex-in-laws'" to which he finished "So you decided to bury him at your new in-laws'."  Even though that's not technically correct, it was sweet.

Unfortunately, this also made me about 5 minutes late for my interview on Friday.  I explained to the principal, who was sympathetic because a similar situation was going on in her family.  It kind of acted as a strange, sad bonding experience between us.

I don't know if it was the strange, sad bond that we automatically had, the fact that it was a one-on-one interview, or the fact that it was my fourth interview in two weeks that made me so much more relaxed, but I really was.  She mentioned that they are working with my alumni university on an ELL program.  I smiled and said, "Oh, Project HAPPENS?  Helping Academic Professionals Prepare ELLs for Newfound Success?  I actually named that."  So, +1 for me.  I was sure to email the professor that developed Project HAPPENS to let him know.


I still haven't heard anything from them, but I'm still hopeful. 

Also, prepare yourself for Steampunk September as I get started on my costumes in full swing!

 Happy Labor Day!

So, originally, I thought it was only going to be an interview on Tuesday.  I spent the entire time from Friday until Tuesday freaking out about it and wasn't able to do much crafting.  (Although I probably should have to keep my mind occupied.) 

For starters, I have developed a small crack in my tire, which means it doesn't stay inflated really well and I am kind of at risk of having a blowout.  The drive to my interview was about 45 miles or so and the majority was highway/interstate.  I was a little wary about driving on it, so I asked mom if she would mind since she was off work.  (Zach had to work and I really appreciated the company on the way to keep my mind off of it.)

I knew that the interview on Tuesday was going to be a pre-screening panel and there was going to be a computerized and personal portion.  I was a nervous wreck because of this...not to mention I've never had an interview for a job like this before.  I had 30 minutes to answer two questions on the computer.  One dealt with how we demonstrate expectations to our students and the other was a data analysis.

They lead me to a room afterwards with some tables, a computer, and an ActivBoard where they displayed my written answers.  There were only two teachers on the panel, a kindergarten and first grade teacher.  (Apparently there was supposed to be a third, but she didn't show up.)  I had to explain my answers to the written prompts and answer a few more questions.  The personal interview was probably over thirty minutes long.  When they asked if I had any questions for them, I just sighed heavily and said, "Is it over?  Can I relax now?"

They could tell I was nervous, but they seemed pretty impressed with some of my answers.  For example, when we were looking at data, I said that I would look at my students first and note any students who had been identified with special needs or were English Language Learners.  Then I would see if there were students who had something to happen at home, were sick, or anything else that could affect their performance.  I guess others hadn't thought of this answer?  It was the first thing I thought of -- knowing my students.

I also got to share one of my favorite stories from student teaching.  I'll give you the shorter version.  My "mentor" teacher had already labeled this student as a 'bad kid'.  He went home every day with his color below green (which means he had gotten in trouble several times during the day).  One day, he checked in late and was amazing all day long.  I sent him home on the highest color that I could.  I also wrote a note to his dad and sent home with him.  Because he was in first grade, he couldn't read cursive, so I was sure to write the whole note in cursive.  It was nothing but positive, glowing reviews of his child.  The next day, I put on my authoritative teacher face and asked, "Did your dad see the note I sent him?"  "...yes..."  "What'd he say?"  "He was so proud of me!"  I had no behavioral issues from this student the rest of the time I was there.

Anyway, Mom asked when I should hear from a principal.  I had no idea when to expect anything because it was just a pre-screening interview.

Wednesday, I got up and went to the substitute teacher seminar for my local school district.  Even though I'm a certified teacher, I had to go and sit through this silly little training where they try to condense what you learn over the course of four years into an hour-long session.  There was one page on classroom management.  All of you educators will know that there is no one page that can prepare you for classroom management.

I got a phone call around two or three in the afternoon that day for an interview with a principal at a new elementary school as a first grade teacher.  Want to talk about nervous?  Just writing down the interview time and that I have to present a ten minute lesson to the administration and what might be my team gave me butterflies.  So many things were flooding my mind -- the most important one was "What lesson can I present in ten minutes that sums up my teaching style?"  I know that's more of what they are wanting to see.

About an hour later, I got a phone call from another school district asking if I could do a last-minute interview.  This would be another pre-screening interview that seemed much less intense than Tuesday's.  The only issue was that it was the next day at 11:15.  It wasn't the short notice that bothered me so much, as I had just finished an interview; I was still on the high from nailing it, apparently.  I was worried that it was two hours away and I had that bum tire.  (I was planning on getting it fixed Thursday!)




Zach didn't have to go into work on Thursday until late -- like 8pm late -- so he went with me.  I was more than comfortable with this because it was the town he went to college in and he was more familiar with the area than I was.  I was extremely careful while driving and we got there without any problems with 30 minutes to spare.  I'm very glad I was that early because the interviewer came to ask for the girl whose appointment was at 11 about three times (prior to 11).

I feel like 15 minutes was more than enough time for these interviews.  They only asked four questions and seemed like they wanted shorter responses than I gave the other panel.  There were only two women taking part in the interview, but there was another in the room.  I admitted that I was not too familiar with the district as I live so far away and one happily told me a summary.  I asked about the English Language Learner population, which seemed to thrill one and surprise the other.

So, now I have two pre-screening interviews under my belt and one principal interview on Tuesd-- tomorrow!  Oh no... Just saying that made my heart start pounding!  If you can spare a moment's thought, prayers, vibes, anything tomorrow, I'd be very thankful.

Unfortunately, all these interviews at irregular times and unpredictable times makes it hard to fit exercising in.  I've done well on my diet, though.  Zach just commented that we haven't had Taco Bell in like a month.  So, while I have been watching my calorie intake, I haven't always been able to exercise this week.  I've only lost a pound.  Well, that's better than nothing.  I feel like I can feel a difference.  I also think my clothes are starting to fit better.  That may just be my imagination, though.

Again, sorry for my spotty posts.  I've been unpredictably busy last week.  If I actually get this job, it'll be another stretch until I can really start posting again.  Thanks for sticking with me! :)
  

Man, oh, man, is it good to be back here and on the internet.  I hate how flawed my week's posts were with forgetting to put pictures and not scheduling posts and whatnot.  I'm going to try to be better, which I do try to do every week.  I liked the silly dog theme for the title.  I hope "excited as a dog" makes sense; I was thinking about how excited dogs are when you get home.  Anyway...

Since people in real life keep asking how Harley, our sick dog, is doing, I thought I'd update you guys, too.  Remember how they didn't think he would be able to get up?  Well, he's moving around pretty well.  There are still times when he has to try again, but he is getting up and moving around.  He's on the dog version of Ibuprofen for now.  I don't know if they are going to add more medicine later when he's getting around like he used to.

He's up, moving around, and eating -- although you can tell he's lost some weight.  He still seems pretty happy, too.

I know I said I wanted to get a working meal planner for myself, but that hasn't happened yet.  I do pretty good to try to plan it out when I know I'm going to be home, but when I'm at Zach's it is a bit harder.  I have made progress, though it is starting to slow.  I just took that as a sign that I needed to tack on more exercise than just walking.

I felt like a total dork doing a Google search on "how to work out at home", but I did.  I actually got some pretty useful results.  I'm going to try putting a routine I found in Women's Health in place starting today.


I told Zach that I missed the classes that I was able to do at the gym at my college.  I did piloxing, which is a combination of Pilates and boxing, on Tuesdays, then used the elliptical and walked on Thursdays.  His mom brought me coupons and a class schedule for the local women only gym she attends.  I want to try them out, but I really don't want to go alone, to be honest.  Her package doesn't include classes, I don't think, so it would be extra for her to go to one.

I've been considering joining a gym.  Though I don't have a job, I have money put back from when I worked at Walmart.  That's my biggest con to joining one.  I feel like it would help me actually go, though.  I mean, if you're paying $25 or so a month for a gym membership, you'd be stupid not to actually go a few times a week.  I'm still unsure on it, though.  If her gym has a free week or something, I may try it.

Oh wait, speaking of not having a job, mom called to tell me about the substitute teacher seminar for our local city schools.  That's how I plan on spending my Wednesday morning.  About fifteen minutes after she called, I got another call from one of the school systems I did my student teaching in.  They wanted to schedule me for an interview!  I interview with them tomorrow at 3:30, so wish me luck and confidence!

I know it's a panel interview, so I'm considering making a few little portfolio packets for them, including my resume, sample lesson plans, etc.  Is that a little much?  I don't know... I'm just so excited and nervous!

Ugh, we finally got out router problem fixed.  We tried using a few other routers from my tech-savvy uncle, but no dice.  We did discover it wasn't the modem, which kind of sucks because then it would have been our power company's issue since we technically rent it from them.  But anyway, one huge headache and a new router later, I have internet again.


Unfortunately, the router issue isn't the only bummer we've had.  Our outside dog of 9 or so years, Harley, had to make an emergency vet visit.  He just wouldn't get up last Saturday.  The vet said he apparently had a stroke; he didn't think he would be able to get back up because he's such a big dog.  (He's a Border Collie/Great Pyrenees mix.)  That wasn't his only issue, but it was the most life-threatening.  The vet called the next morning to say that he wasn't getting up, but about fifteen minutes later, he called back saying that he did get up.  We brought him home on Monday and have been keeping an eye on him for any signs that he needs to go back.

We know with so many issues, it's just a matter of time, but he's still there.  If he had a vacant or pained look in his eyes, it would be an easier decision.  But that's not the case.  He still looks like a puppy -- just happy and loving in his eyes.  He looks like he's not ready to go.

Anyway, let's get off of these depressing topics...

Did you guys get to check out the meteor shower on the 10th through 13th?  I got two good nights of star gazing out of it; it was pretty cloudy the rest of the time.  We saw some that were so big that they looked like missiles!  Huge orange comet-like tail and everything!  I was so amazed.


Remember my huge upgrade from the Droid R2D2 to the Galaxy S4?  My mom just made an even bigger upgrade due to dropping her phone in a pool.  (The bag of rice trick didn't work.  I guess it had been too long or it was just beyond repair.)  She went from the Samsung Alias to the Droid Razr M.  Holy crap, Batman.  I tried to take care of as much of the initial setup as I could.  Zach said, "Aw, isn't that sweet of you!"  There's a fine line between "sweet" and "selfish."  I did it to save the headache of walking her through doing it.  She's adjusting.  It's taking a while for her to get the right touch for the touch screen, for some reason, but it's coming right along.

I've mentioned before that I'm reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series, right?  (The Game of Thrones television series, if you're more familiar with it that way.)  I made it to the second book, where things start to differ from the television series.  As you may know, the second book is called A Clash of Kings; however, I've renamed it to "A Crash of Kings" because every time I try to read it, I struggle to stay awake.  I don't know why.  So, I decided it may be a good idea to get the audio book so that I could listen to it while I was on the treadmill or something.  Such a great idea.  In one day I listened to about four chapters.  It usually works out where I'm on the treadmill for about one chapter.  I'm over halfway done with the book now.

Speaking of being on the treadmill, when we last talked, I said I was trying to lose weight.  During my absence, I've lost about 10 pounds!  Yep, about 5 pounds a week.  Not too bad, if I do say so myself.  I've been dieting and walking on the treadmill to build stamina before I start running.  I started doing half a mile each day, then a mile.  Next week, I'll do a mile and a half.  Of course, right now, I'm just walking; I'm afraid I'll hurt my legs if I start off trying to run.


Last matter of business: I had considered adding a blog post per week mentioning some of the things I had pinned or saw on Pinterest.  What do you guys think about that?  Just like a little highlight of a few pins, nothing too extravagant or anything.  It was just something I had been toying around with while I was only able to surf the internet through my phone.

Alright, sorry for the huge wall of text!  I had to catch you all up with what had been going on while I was semi-off-the-grid.

 

Well, once again, I have failed to look into technology as much as I should.  I've been taking it for granted that after I schedule a post, it automatically publishes it.  I would be wrong.  I will henceforth remember that if I schedule a post, I must then click "publish".  There's my mental note to myself on that.

My life seems to have calmed down and resumed its regularly scheduled programming now.  I've been attending the some of shenanigans with Zach's family as they did their family vacation.  Monday we went to the water park.  Tuesday they went horseback riding -- which Zach and I missed it, though.  Wednesday morning they went canoeing, but running water isn't quite my bag; if something is living in the water such as fish, I don't much want to be in there with it.  Wednesday and Thursday, they went on a camping trip, which really isn't my bag, either.  They got back on Friday and we went to the river after lunch and went jet skiing on one of his mom's coworker's jet skis.  Saturday was for relaxing and they went to the movies to see Turbo while Zach was at work.  I would have gone, but my terrible migraine's have come back.

Sunday, we celebrated mom's birthday with my grandparents.  Monday we're going to dinner for mom's birthday.


Oh my... This was the free cake that came with her birthday dinner.  It was huge.  Three layers deep and it had to have been from the biggest pizza pan they had.  It was gargantuan.  Those are peach slices for reference, by the way.  The best part about this diabetes educing cake is that it's on the menu for three dollars.  WHAT?!

As for crafting, I'm still working on my headpiece.  Wednesday will be your first update on it and you'll get to guess what one of my costumes will be!  People are starting to get on my case about sewing because there isn't as much time as I would like between then and now.  They seem to forget my powers of procrastination.


This week is also my friend Heather's birthday and we will be attending the shenanigans with her in Tennessee later this week.  I'm super excited because she's having a Harry Potter themed party.  Now, I'll admit that I haven't read all of the Harry Potter books.  Shocking and saddening, I know.  I was reading them as they came out, but during one of the breaks while a book was being written or published, I started Lord of the Rings.  After that, Harry and his friends seemed -- well, childish.  I dropped the series and ventured on to more adult literature. Since her party is Harry Potter themed, Zach thought it only suiting for me to marathon the movies, and I agreed with him.  We just finished Deathly Hallows Part One tonight.

I'm planning on doing that poo-free post soon!  I think I'm going to do a special Tuesday or Thursday post for it so that I don't mess up my regular programming.

Alright guys, let me just start off with something I just noticed before I go into my weekend.  Holy crap where did those almost 400 pageviews come from the other day?  I usually schedule my posts in advance (when I'm not writing them last minute, which is a common trend as of late), so I don't always see my pageviews.  To be honest, I hadn't looked since maybe Wednesday, so when I jumped from 1,000 to 1,358 in a week, I was surprised.  I had a spike of almost 200 on Thursday.  So, woah, holy crap where did these pageviews come from out of the blue?! 

I hope you liked it and decided to stay!  Please do comment and feel free to follow on social media. :)

As far as the blog goes, I'm planning on doing a post toward the end of the month on my experiences with going poo-free.  I've been taking periodic pictures of my hair to show my transitions.  Don't worry.  I'm not going to make you sit through a vacation slideshow photo presentation of my hair or anything.  Besides, it will only be one month.

I've also decided a little bit on an upcoming project.  A few friends and I are doing a group costume for this year's Anime Weekend Atlanta.  I just hate to spoil the surprise before it comes together!  I'll hopefully be helping Zach with his, too.  It's going to mostly involve sewing, but also a little imagination and construction, as well as a little sculpting and painting.  What on earth could it be?!



Remember me posting about sewing patterns last Monday?  Well, between Zach and my grandmother I think I've decided to at least give it a shot at making the steampunk dress I bought a pattern for.  Now, I'm planning on buying the cheapest non-tulle fabric I can to give a practice run.  I really don't want to spend a lot of money on fabric just to give up in the middle of it or to mess it up.  I'll definitely keep you posted on that!


Sometimes, I feel like I have a million things going at once.  Of course I want to spend time with Zach, Benni, and my little Booger.  I want to play video games.  I want to craft.  I want to play Dungeons and Dragons.  I want to read.  I want to craft.  I want to blog.  Ugh, all these things I want to do!  I have them almost all going at the same time, but I feel like I get nowhere with them.  Sacrifices, I guess.  (Enjoy the silly collage.  If you want, it enlarges when you click it.)

Now, on to the sadder news.  Zach and I received news late last week that one of our friends' mom passed away.  This was a friend that we spent almost every day with during last summer and had been friends with since high school.  We were all very shocked because, although we knew she wasn't in the best of health, she was still relatively young.  He is an only child, his father passed away some years ago, and only really has his grandmother, aunts and uncles.

I'm not saying this to be depressing.  He has always been a bit of a loner and will deal with it in his own time.  He has all of us and his girlfriend who has helped him tremendously throughout this whole ordeal.  We just don't think he's dealt with his feelings yet or gained closure.  If you have a spare moment, send your thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, good vibes, or whatever it is you do to this little family in Alabama.

I hate to leave you on such a sad note, so here's a picture that always makes me laugh:


See you guys soon.

As I was scrolling through my Facebook updates one day recently, I came across a picture.  Now, most of the time, I do just scroll through it; I glance at who has updated to decide if I want to read it (there are a few people that I read their posts regardless), and scroll on.  I generally stop for pictures.  No, not always because I'm interested in someone's vacation photos, but because I've "liked" so many pages that update with things that amuse me that I've become trained to stop and look at the funny pictures.

Most of the time, when I come across a picture with a quote on it, it's religious, related to a new couple, etc.  Rarely do I find insightful quotes on pictures.  Then I ran across this one:



"In the age of information, ignorance is a choice."  I don't know why this struck me so, but it did.  It's something I haven't quite been able to get out of my head -- almost like a song.  Now, I'm not going to track down when and where this was first written or said by Donny Miller because it's somewhat doubtful that the words mean the exact same to both people.

You know Google's amazing autocomplete feature?  Well, it automatically filled in the quote with "meaning" after it.  I skimmed through a few of them and strangely enough, they had nothing to do with how I felt the interpretation of the words.  It's high school English class all over again!  Two of the opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum responses I found were one where it was related completely to technology (mostly privacy issues), and the other was about a family matter and being isolated from a particular part of the family.  Of course, it could be related to anything news or politics themed also.

I, however, took it to be general knowledge. How many times a day do you think of something, whip out your smartphone, and look something up online?  I do it all the time.  How often are you watching a movie and think, "Oh, that guy in Kingdom of Heaven is Jaime Lannister, isn't it?!" (or something along those lines) and do a quick IMDB search?  How often do you want to learn how to do something and do a quick YouTube search? These examples are a little more specific, but you get the point.

One of the schools I did my student teaching at issued each student a laptop.  One morning before school, one of my students came up and asked me, "How old is the Queen of England?"  You also have to understand that this came out of left field because we weren't studying anything remotely English.  I looked at her and said, "You know, I don't know.  But I do know someone who does.  Let's go ask Google!"  She opened her laptop, went to Google and typed "How old is the Queen of England?"  It brought up the Wikipedia page and she almost automatically called to me and said, "She's 87 years old!" before going right back to reading the article.  She stayed on there until the bell rang for class to begin.

When I was working on my plarn bag at Zach's one time, his youngest brother who is seven years-old came up somewhat fascinated.  He was not necessarily interested in the process of crocheting like Katie was, but interested in the fact that I could do it.  "How did you learn to do that?" was his question.  "Well, it was something I wanted to learn how to do, so I learned how to do it.  I went online and looked up videos on how and practiced until I could do it.  Almost anyone can learn how to do almost anything online now."  (Naturally, he went in the seven-year-old-boy direction of my meaning and turned it into, "So a baby can learn how to skateboard?", but that's neither here nor there.)

I've always been a learner, though.  Before the internet was widely available, I was the weird kid that loved encyclopedias.  I would even go so far as to taking them into the bathroom with me when I was young.  When I mean young, I also mean young.  I was reading in pre-school, so by kindergarten I was using encyclopedias.  That's how I learned the sign language alphabet by kindergarten.

I joke that I'm probably on some kind of government watch list because of some of my searches.  For example, I've recently looked up eunuchs and lepracy.  Eunuchs was because of the emphasis of them in Game of Thrones and lepracy because of Kingdom of Heaven.  If I run across something that seems to be a reoccurring theme, I look it up because I want to make sure I'm getting the author/director's full meaning.   

And that's just in books and movies.  Imagine what other strange things I've Googled!

"In the age of information, ignorance is a choice."  I'm not saying we can know everything about everything, but make sure you indulge those nagging curiosities every once and a while.  Learn something new!  Google doesn't judge your searches.  Don't just choose to be ignorant.

Phew, guys.  We made it.  June is over with.  Isn't it a relief?  I finished Junk-Free June.  You have no idea how accomplished I feel about it.  My room seems to be so much better.  I still have a few miscellaneous items I need to find homes for, but that's okay.  It seems like I'm finding one every day, so it keeps getting smaller.

Just because my month of dedicated organization is over with doesn't mean I'm just going to stop organizing.  I feel like I've made myself become a more organized person through this, even if it is just a little bit more.

I don't know if I'm going to do a theme for July just yet or just do whatever crafts come to mind.  I know that I'm going to finish that stupid plarn bag, though.  Ugh. I just got so tired of two stitches per every one bag link.


I'm considering a sewing project.  While I'm still hoping to lose weight before our annual anime convention, it'd be a lot easier to alter it closer to time than stay up all night sewing (like I've done almost every year...).  Zach and I went to JoAnn's and they were having a sale on patterns where they were $1.  I stacked up on anything that seemed remotely Victorian.  I have about six patterns that I could use, but the one pictured above is by far my favorite.

I'm working on compiling a page for tips and tricks.  I don't always necessarily like calling them "life hacks" now since someone pointed out that they're normally just crafts.  So that's coming up.  I also have been considering trying some of those home-made products lately.  I mixed up some shampoo and conditioner on Saturday to try it out.  I don't wash my hair every day, anyway, so I don't think the "detox" some people had complained about will be as much of a problem, but we'll see.  I'll keep you guys posted on that, too.

Thursday marked mine and Zach's seven year anniversary.  Seven years and I still don't know why he puts up with my crap.  Regardless, I love him and I love him more every day.  Did you know year seven was the year of the horse?  That's right.  Without any collaboration, I got him a horse head mask, and he got me the unicorn mask.  Everyone just kind of looked at us like, "Really?  Why did you buy that?"


Zach also got me a beautiful necklace.  I believe it was our first anniversary when he got me the necklace I have been wearing almost daily.  My new necklace is made from a page of Lord of the Rings.  It's a piece of elvish from the picture of the Mines of Moria.    We've decided that the page was from a library copy of LOTR where the binding was all falling apart and some pages had already been lost.  I mean, that's the only reason someone would destroy a copy, right?

We also had some awesome sushi at our usual place, walked around the outdoor mall for a bit, and saw World War Z.  (Which was pretty good, in my opinion, though apparently completely different from the book.)  Don't let my breezing through the description mislead you -- I had a great time!  I just don't want to bore you all with the details.  (Besides, you probably had your fill of mushy stuff in these past few paragraphs.)

June is nearly done and thankfully, so is my organizing spree of my room.  I can't think of much more that could be organized by this point (thank goodness).  I mean, of course I could find more stuff to organize, but the large projects are done, which is a great relief.

I thought that I might do a post that was rating my new organizing systems and/or the products that I used to organize.

Closet

Shelving Organizer:

See my blog post here for how I installed and use this organizer.

Price:  This ClosetMaid shelving organizer was $89.  All basic parts were included.  The price of doing this yourself is around $120.

Assembly:  It was super easy to install.  It came with instructions for 4, 5, and 6 foot closets.  Each dimension had about four different configurations with instructions.  The instructions also included for drywall or cement.  It used very little tools; the only thing I had to cut was one of those tracks at the top.

Notes:  I liked the versatility that came with it.  I had very few leftover parts, which makes me feel like I didn't overpay for the two extra feet of closet space that I don't have.  I've only had it a month, but I've had no problems with it.  I was leery of the hanging shelf rods at first, but I've grown fond of them; I have no problem with clothes falling off the edges.


Overall Rating:  Because I haven't been able to see how it does over time, I rate it at a 4/5 stars.

"Hanging" Shelves:

See my blog post here for how I installed and use this organizer.

Price:  I got my hanging shelf organizer for $6 at a dollar store.

Assembly:  No assembly was required for use as-is, but I wanted to stored horizontally.  I added supports made from plastic hangers.  This added an additional $1.50 to the total price.  Cutting these was easy and they are just sitting in there.

Notes:  This fixed my top-shelf storage easily.  It holds all my sweaters and keeps them nicely organized.  I don't have to worry about them all falling if I want a sweater.  I haven't had it through the winter, so I'm less sure of how well it will hold up with constant use.


Overall Rating:  Again, because I haven't seen how it holds up over time, I'm giving this a 4/5 stars.  A good cheap, easy solution.

Bathroom

Over-The-Toilet Organizer:

Price:  I believe this was around $50, but I got it a few years ago from Walmart.

Assembly:  Oh my god.  This assembly was terrible, but I think that was mostly due to the fact that our box -- which was unopened, I might add -- lacked assembly instructions.  It took mom and me a few hours to assemble this with the help of a few margaritas and intuition.  It hasn't fallen apart, so I guess it's put together correctly.  I emailed the company about there being no instructions and they replied a few days later (it was apparently bought during the weekend) with a PDF of the manual.  Good guy company tries to make up for their errors, so I have to give them props for that.

Notes:  If your box has assembly instructions, it's a pretty good product.  I have a bathroom probably about the same size as my closet, so again, I need all the space I can get in there.  I would also recommend NOT screwing in that bottom panel toward the floor before you get this thing over your toilet.  Learned that the hard way...


Overall Rating:  Just because of the difficulty of assembly, I'm giving this a 4/5.  I know, they couldn't help it and they did what they could to make up for their errors.

Decorative Hair Accessory Organizer:

 See my blog post here for how use this organizer.

Price:  $2 or so.  The basket at the top was in a junk room, the glasses on the top shelf were from candles, the black baskets on the bottom shelf were bought at a dollar store in packs of two, I believe.  Can't beat that price. :)

Assembly: None required.  I just went through things that I didn't use as much and put them in the top basket, cleaned the candle holders before storing hair accessories in there, and the baskets kind of happened on their own.  (First is things I use most often, second is hair accessories, third is a combination of hair products and makeup, and last is facial cleaning things.)

Notes:  Easy fix with minimal cost.  Check out the related blog post for some more solutions like this.  I know, I shouldn't technically review this since I hadn't purchased anything for it, but I'm still pretty in love with those glass candle holders as storage!


Overall Rating:  You can't beat cheap, effective, and pretty in my opinion.  Not to mention it's easy because you know where everything goes.

Bedroom

Nightstand:

Price:  The lamp was $6 from Family Dollar.

Assembly:  I didn't have to assemble anything -- even the nightstand when I bought it.  Instead, I used a shoe box as an organizer for remotes, glasses case, and things I might need more handy during the night.  (Minds out of the gutter, please.  I meant like a flashlight.)

Notes:  I know, again not a real product review, but I was having a really hard time with just knowing my nightstand was a cluttered mess.  Now it's nice, neat, and organized -- plus I have a handy spot for my blankets for when I get cold.


Overall Rating:  I'm giving the shoe box drawer organizer a 5/5 because it's cheap, easy, and effective.  I even used the lid for some of the bulkier items that I kept in there!  Effective and efficient.

Shoe Storage:

Price:  I got my under the bed shoe organizer for $10 at Walmart.

Notes:  I like that it's horizontal, breathable, and zips closed, but it's awfully flimsy.  I understand that it's intended for under the bed use, but it's so floppy it didn't want to slide under there.  I found a way around it because I had a large white board that I was storing under the bed which I just used as a base for it.  Also, the dividers aren't fixed to the bottom of the organizer.  I understand the point of this being for higher heels, but in my struggle to slide this under the bed, some of my shoes slid out of their compartment and into the next.


Overall Rating:  While it does get the job done and my shoes are stored nicely out-of-sight, I would opt for something a little more sturdy.  If you have carpet, I would suggest getting a piece of cardboard or something to place underneath it to make it easier to slide.

Yarn Storage:

Price:  I got my organizer for $5 at Walmart.

Notes:  I had seen something like this somewhere on the internet (probably Pinterest or one of the crafting websites I've seen lately) and thought it was an amazing idea.  I don't have that much yarn yet, but I thought it could be a good place to keep craft items in general.  My only issue with the yarn is some of the bulkier skeins don't fit so well, but with a little squeezing, it's possible.  Not to mention, if you take the labels off of the yarn and get one of the clear plastic organizers, it makes the back of your door nice and pretty -- plus your yarn is out-of-sight!


Overall Rating:  I think the pros easily outweigh the cons here and it makes for a pretty organizer behind closed doors.  I'm not sure what all will fit in there just yet, but I'll test some things out.



All of that being said and done, Zach and I celebrate our seven year anniversary this Thursday!  I'm pretty sure that I got him the best gift ever and I'll be sure to post it, but I want to wait and not spoil the surprise.

Let me also just quickly mention that I don't know what to do now that Game of Thrones is between seasons.  I mean, I have to finish the books but, but...  The feels!