January Cure | Week 2

I'll be honest, week 2 of the January Cure was harder than the first week. I don't know if it was because there were 5 days instead of 2 or if the tasks were a little more intensive. But sitting here on Sunday night, I am so glad I did it. My living room is clean, my closet feels better, and my kitchen is ready to take on the week.

This whole Cure thing is about progress, not perfection. I have to keep reminding myself of that.

DAY 7
Set up an outbox.

An outbox is supposed to be a place where you put things to give away, things you're not using but don't want to get rid of yet. At first I put it in the office but after a day of living with it I totally forgot about it. Big red flag that I needed to move it somewhere more visible - enter the dining room table. It's right in the middle of the main traffic area and it's almost impossible to miss.

DAY 8
Take a mini-meditation.

To be 100% honest, I did not do this. Ha! The ultimate goal for this day was to zero in on a project from the list we made last week. Obviously, my project I'm going to complete by the end of the month is the tool closet for the $100 Room Challenge.

DAY 9
Do a 30 minute closet clean-out.

I try really hard to clean out my closet regularly so I don't have a ton of clothes I never wear. But, this gave me the opportunity to really sift through each piece and only keep the ones I loved. I know you're gonna kill me, but I still haven't watched Marie Kondo. It is definitely on the list.

DAY 10
Refresh your living room.

Whew this one was really good for me! We spend 90% of our time in this room so it gets really messy really fast. I took almost my whole Saturday to focus my attention on tidying up but also cleaning the rug, the upholstery, anddddd our new coffee table! We've had it for a few months but I haven't taken the time to photograph it to show you guys. It is my dream coffee table that I've had my eye on since 2015. Out of the whole house, this room gets the best light (from the massive window).

I will admit, this was the space that was hardest to photograph. I haven't really done anything to it. No projects, no mood boards, cheap stand in furniture (I'm eyeing you tv console). But I'm trying to let you guys see it all, not just the pretty spaces I've devoted lots of time to, because we live here and this blog is a process blog, not a before and after blog. One day I hope to have a real vision for this space.

I haven't found the perfect coffee table books yet, so Catan is standing in the gap. Haven't played Catan you say? Stop reading this post, and go buy it. (and then come back..)

The pretty fiddle leaf fig I scored from World Market for the Office reveal has started to feel stale. I think it was super trendy so I hoped on it without really considering my purchase. I don't hate it and I love having a tree in here, but I don't think I love it.

Never would I have thought IKEA would have good blankets, but this cute square-striped thin blanket was only $5. It's super thin and not really big but it's nice for Auston who gets hot all the time but likes to have something on his legs.

DAY 11
Clean the kitchen + treat yourself to flowers.

This one felt gooood. There is nothing more satisfying to me than having a clean kitchen. Maybe it's because we don't have a dishwasher so we have to work hard to keep everything clean and when you look at it with zero dirty dishes, it feels. so. good.

I really tried to find some flowers for this weekend treat, but I just couldn't pass up this tiny bonsai tree. They don't require a lot of upkeep so fingers crossed I can keep this guy alive.

If you want to know more about the January Cure, check out Apartment Therapy. Next week holds a few more tasks but I know next Sunday as I write Week 3 I'll be glad I did it. Are you enjoying the challenge?