Blue & Green Swirl Cake

Yeah, I'm totally just posting gratuitous cake pics. Because I can. ;) But seriously - look at the difference in color just from changing the lighting! The "real" color is somewhere between the first two.

interior shot with indirect natural light

exterior shot with bright, direct natural light

Hack: Business Card Holder from Video Tape Case

Do you have a bunch of these laying around the house, collecting dust? No? Just me? Well, joke's on you because I just super-simple hacked them into business card holders. BOOM.

Start with a little video tape recording case, which is the perfect size for a business card holder. I haven't tried it with a cassette case, but that might work too. (if you ask what a cassette is, I can't help you)

Brace yourselves, this is going to get SO COMPLICATED. LOTS of steps.
Nah, I'm joking. This is super easy.

Step One: Open the case and remove the old paper (if it's still in there)

Step Two: Take the two sections apart.

Step Three: Turn the top part around.

Step Four: Carefully shove that top part into the bottom, lining the peg and holes if you can. You're just re-assembling it backwards.

Step Five: Adjust as needed so it stands up and the top part leans back slightly. Add a bit of tape on the bottom across the two pieces so they don't wiggle.

Step Six: Add your business cards and admire your amazingness.

Step Seven (optional): Make more because you are a friggen boss.

Work (or anywhere) Hack: Lotion Your Hair

If the ends of your hair are dry and frizzy, or if your curls are just going everywhere, give this a try: Rub a pea sized amount of lotion on your hands, then lightly work through the ends of your hair. Repeat if needed. It acts as a leave in conditioner and texturizer. Seriously, I'm not crazy. A photo shoot stylist told me that trick. Yes, it will weigh down super fine hair, and if you get it near the roots it'll make your hair look greasy. Just like leave in conditioner and texturizer.

You can thank me later.

And I tried to get a picture of the back of my head, but I just have my camera phone and it's not working out for me. But I've done it other times... actually, my hair in my profile picture was styled with free hand lotion from the hotel we were staying at. Bam, there you go!

Work Hack - Clip It

yes, that's a green paperclip in my hair

Paperclips are your friend.

~ Did your hem fall? Paperclip it for a quick fix. (or use a stapler, staples hold longer)

~ Need a bobby pin or a small barrette? Paperclip it.

~ Food stuck in your teeth? Well, perhaps that's going a bit too far.

Other helpful ideas?

Secret Agent Mom and Other Nicknames

My coworkers think they're clever. I have now been dubbed Cliff from Cheers because of all of the random crap that I know. <sigh> It's funny because it's true. I don't do the know it all thing like Hermione, but when it came up at a meeting, "what's the difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt," and everyone else was stumped, I provided the answer. And when it came up how lard doesn't get used anymore, I pointed out how it really makes the best pie crust, but that a mixture of butter and shortening will work pretty well too... Well, maybe it's just me (and my relatives) but I thought everyone knew that type of thing.

At the same gathering where I got my new nickname, we also had a discussion about what superhero we'd like to be. I said Wolverine (coming from a 5'1" fluffy homebody) and my coworkers had fits. I amended with that if it didn't have to be a superhero, I'd be the lead from the show Alias because I really want to be a secret agent. Seriously, all my life I've wanted to be a secret agent. (hint, hint to any government officials out there, I'm ripe for recruitment) That topic got everyone going, apparently a lot of people dream of the thrill of being a spy or secret agent, etc.

In case you're wondering, yes we do work, and very hard. We've just had a couple of end-of-year gatherings lately where we've been able to chat about non-work related things.

Frugal Luxuries: NOT Using Your Home Printer

my bookmarks

If you use your printer a lot, this post isn’t for you. If you’re like me, however, and print out maybe a dozen pages a month and seldom in color, read on my friend.

I have a printer/scanner/copier at home. At least that’s what it technically is. What it really is: a paperweight/scanner/something-to-stack-filing-on dust catcher. I mostly keep it for its scanning purposes, which it does come in handy those couple of times a year when I want something scanned. We used to print stuff out when we first got it, but then we slowly stopped using it to the point that both ink cartridges have dried up beyond resurrection.

I have several alternatives that I generally turn to when I want a hard copy of something from the computer:

1.       Use a pen and scrap paper

2.       Print it at work (don’t freak out, I’ll explain)

3.       Bookmark it instead of printing it

4.       Bring it to a printer

Pen and (scrap) paper: It’s tried and true, and doesn’t cost me anything as I generally use the back of an envelope or some other scrap paper that was mailed to me. If I run low on scrap paper I’ll often bring home paper from work (that don’t have confidential information of course) that would otherwise end up in the recycle bin. Outdated letterhead is great for this.

Print it at work: Ok, I know what you’re thinking – that’s mooching off the company. Well, yeah, technically. But in all dear honesty, my office doesn’t care (heck, they all do it too). If I tried to print a novel I’d probably get in trouble, but a few pages a month is no sweat off their back. If you think your office might care, offer to pay the two cents or so per copy that it costs them. The office manager can have a penny jar sitting on their desk, and you can drop in pennies when you make your printouts.

Bookmarks: Bookmarks (as in saving a webpage under your Internet Favorites) is a great way to save information for future use. I have mine set up with a bunch of folders for ease of use. For example:

dailies – has my list of blogs that I check out regularly (daily refers to how often they post, not how often I check – I wish I could check them out daily!)

cooking – recipes, cooking tips, canning/preserving, etc

gardening – seed catalogs, gardening tips, gardens that inspire me

ideas – the crafts and ideas that I want to do someday, you know, when I have time (hahahahaha! time!)

random tidbits – the articles and webpages that don’t fit the other categories (most of those links at the bottom of the list will end up there)

reading – author websites, articles on getting published, library links

Pinterest: Like the bookmark idea, Pinterest lets you save pictures for future reference in an easily accessible format.

Bring it to a printer: I used to try and print out things like business cards and photos on my home printer. You know what? They never came out like I wanted them to. And for the price that I paid for the ink and paper, as well as the time spent fighting with the danged thing – I’d just assume bring it to someone else. Photos I print at the drug store kiosk. Business cards, brochures and larger items that I want printed in color I bring to a printer. When I put together my son’s birth announcement, I put four photos on an 8 ½ x 11 document and had them print out a bunch of copies on glossy paper – instant custom sized photos. I use a local place since it’s all of a mile away from me, but in the past I’ve gone to the big box stores and had great luck there too.

How often do you print? Is it worth it to you to keep a working printer at home? Do you have any other tips on how to save on printouts?

Frugal Luxuries: Cloth Napkins

I NEED this tablecloth!

Who out there owns cloth napkins? Raise your hands please. (pretend I can see you, and for those of you who are super paranoid, I do see you)

Those of you that own cloth napkins, good for you. Now answer me this: Do you use your cloth napkins?

Uh huh. That’s what I thought. Not many of you have your hands raised on that second question. (I’m looking at you, paranoid person. Really. You might want to double check your monitor.)

I have a set of gorgeous napkins by Vera Neumann that I got at an antique store. I LOVE HER DESIGNS. Wait, I need to say that again, this time in bold. I LOVE VERA’S DESIGNS. There, that’s better.

I love those napkins so much that I was afraid to use them because I knew they’d get stained, ripped, the edging would fall off, etc, and I didn’t want to ruin them. So they sat in my linen drawer for years. That’s just sad, folks.

So, I broke them free of their drawer and started using them. Yes, they’re a little frayed around the edges. But, you know what? I enjoy them so much more when I use them than when they’re stored safely away. If I can do it, you can too. Free those napkins, let them see daylight and food! (though you may want to avoid rib night)

Besides the obvious uses – wiping your fingers and mouth (and shirt front) while eating – there are other ways that you can use your napkins. Is your sandwich or snack not too drippy? Use a napkin instead of a sandwich baggie for lunches. I’ve seriously cut down on my sandwich bag use since I thought of that bright idea. Ideally, I’d like to make some reusable fabric baggies, but for now a few folds of a cloth napkin and the occasional rubber band do the trick.

I also use them at work - a cloth napkin wrapped around my utensils and stuffed in a cup looks relatively attractive on my shelf. I've had coworkers compliment me on my Vera napkins. (If only they saw my placemats and pillowcases!)

The benefits of using cloth napkins instead of paper? Well, let’s see. They’re reusable, and don’t take up much room in the washing machine. You can get them used, giving them a longer life and most likely keeping them from a landfill. I’d like to say they use less resources to make, but that could be argued. They’re pretty. They don’t fall apart and get little white paper bits all over your hands and face during especially messy meals. You can wet one down, wipe off a baby’s face (or your own), rinse and repeat.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money either – do you have a fabric stash? Break it out and make some napkins. If you don’t want to do tiny little hems around the edges, use pinking shears and/or do a zigzag stitch around the edge. If you have a serger, you’re golden (and you’re my current envy).

Antique stores and yard sales are other good sources, especially for everyday napkins that you don’t mind being stained. Ebay in particular is good if you’re like me and looking for a specific designer. (Have I told you how much I love Vera? Oh, I did mention it? Well, I just want to make sure I’m being thorough.) As with any fabric purchase, make sure to wash it, and I recommend using vinegar in the bleach rinse.

How do you use your cloth napkins?

A Letter From Myself in 2009

carefree college days (I'm a dinosaur in this one)

I wrote this letter to myself in 2009 at the start of the recession.

Had someone told me five years ago that I'd be married, living with my parents and working in an entry-level job at the age of 26, I would have laughed. Not about the married part, but the rest would have sounded pretty ridiculous.

I graduated from a very good Boston area business college in 2004 with a BS in Information Design and Corporate Communication, concentrating in public relations and marketing. I worked through college so I already had a nice resume, lots of computer skills, excellent references, and that fancy degree.

That fall my boyfriend of three years and I moved to San Diego where life and my career was moving along - by 2006 I was working in the pharmaceutical industry as a senior admin with an eye on junior management marketing positions. Then the company hit a bad patch, sold all but one of its assets, and laid off over 75% of its employees. I moved to the architectural industry, got a significant raise and work in marketing, and got laid off due to the economy. Back to pharmaceuticals with a management level promotion in sight, and then - surprise surprise - company wide layoffs. That was at the end of 2007.

Very qualified people that I'd worked with were struggling to get interviews, as I was, and the job offers for them were few and far between. I got no offers and resorted to temp work. The whole county was suffering - people were being laid off all over the place, companies were closing, and people were losing their homes. The news was talking about a possible recession on the horizon, but we were already seeing it up close and personal.

That same boyfriend and I got married in the courthouse while it poured rain outside, which I counted as a good omen in the desert of San Diego county. That was a bright spot amidst the depressing job situation, and I was able to sign up for his health insurance plan.

A few months into 2008 we decided to move back to Vermont where we would have the support of our families and the cost of living was lower. We both got steady jobs after about three months of searching, though I took a 40% cut in pay and accepted an entry level position. It was hard to swallow my pride and accept the job offer, but the job market was and still is stagnant, the company is secure, and it is unlikely that my position will be terminated.

We moved in with my parents to save for a down payment - which to be honest wasn't as much of a nightmare as I was expecting, they have been great housemates and landlords. We have yet to make an offer on a house as most of the homes in our area are listed at their inflated appraisal prices from 2007, or even more. Even our real estate agent is impressed with how much people are asking for houses. One we looked at was easily $30,000 overpriced - it was appraised three years ago for $20,000 less than the current asking price. We're so frustrated with the inflexibility of sellers that we're considering renting for a year and trying again. Though we hate to lose out on the low interest rate and tax break, it's not worth paying more than a house is worth like so many other people did in the last ten years.

Overall, though the recession seems to have handed me a big "Return to Start," sign and I was pretty angry, I've come to terms with how it's affected my life. It was a big wakeup call for me - my career was surging ahead, but it was also very stressful and kept me up at night; I took a huge cut in pay, but I enjoy the industry that I'm in now, I'm no longer working in "cubicle land," and I enjoy my coworkers; I'm living with my parents, but our relationship is better than it ever was; and, well, there's no downside to marrying my sweetheart. He's still angry about the economy, as many people are, but that's his story to tell.

We now have a house and a child, and I'm making a bit more money, though not nearly what I did in 2007. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, the recession has been so much harder for others - family and friends included. If you had written yourself a letter in 2009, what would it have said? If you wrote yourself a letter now, what would it say?

Baby on Board at Work

I brought Max to work with me a little while ago. He had a Dr.’s appointment to check his ears and to show me how to clean them since normal methods weren’t working so well (he produces a lot of ear wax, like champion amounts of ear wax if there was a competition). After his appointment he came to work for the afternoon.

First things first, a nap.

Once he was nice and rested we went down the hall to say hi to everyone. They just love babies, and he just loves attention.

Then it was time to explore the office.

And help mama with the filing.

Then he took off down the hall to find A, who he was just fascinated by. He loves grammies with white hair almost as much as he loves bananas. I was pretty impressed that he remembered the way and found her office with no wrong turns. Our building is like a rabbit warren and people often get turned around, but not my little boy. He was on a mission!

We had a lot of fun, and I am encouraged to try bringing him in again. Previous attempts ended in screaming (his, not mine). This time he was happy to play and was just charming. Phew!

Work Hacks: Writing During Breaks

image source

As you’ve probably figured out, I like to utilize my breaks for more than just hanging out and relaxing. Though sometimes I do relax and read, and I enjoy surfing the internet during lunch as much as the next person, I prefer being productive.

You may wonder how I’m able to manage a blog while having a full-time job, an infant, a husband, a mid-reno home, and the plethora of projects I work on. Here it is - I do some of my blog writing during my breaks. This helps me write posts ahead of time and schedule them to post at 12:30 every day. That’s a very strategic move on my part, as I wouldn’t be able to put something together every single morning or evening.

My method is this:

When I get an idea for a post, I make a mental note, jot down a few key words on a piece of paper, or make a note on my cell phone.

Then I mentally draft the post while I do fun things like data management, filing, or one of the other mindless but necessary tasks that make up a sizable chunk of my job. (Oh, the thrills.)

Once I have a good idea of what I want to say and how I want to say it, I start to write it out during a break (generally lunch). If I finish the post in one sitting then I’m pretty impressed with myself. Normally I have two or three ideas that I partially write (this is one such post, the other one I started drafting was about exercising during breaks), getting enough down that I can go back later and finish writing and proofing the post in 5-10 minutes.

Once or twice a week I’ll use part of my lunch hour to proof and schedule the finished posts, adding photos, etc.

I schedule all of my posts to go live at 12:30pm so that if I need to make a last minute change, or if I plan on writing a fresh post for that day, I have time at the beginning of my lunch hour to do so.

This works really well for me and my situation. I’m able to be productive during leisure time – just today (and by today, I mean the day the majority of this post was written) for my lunch hour I exercised for 20 minutes, wrote for 20 minutes, and checked my personal email for 5 minutes. Now, I have 15 minutes left of my hour, so I’m going to wolf down that sandwich and do a little light reading. Time well spent!

Posts Worth Reading: Leisure Time Not Idle Time

layers 3, 4 & 5 of kitchen flooring

Leisure Time Not Idle Time, Written by Trent at The Simple Dollar.

I’m not going to bother re-write what someone has already done such a great job of doing: explaining the difference between leisure time and idle time.

I spend almost all of my spare time as leisure time – as in I’m doing something, generally something productive. It’s this great big gray area between work and play. Idle time drives me nuts, unless I’m too sick or tired to care. In which case, as Trent points out, there’s always the option to take a nap which is productive because you are taking care of a problem (being tired).

On a recent, somewhat warm day I had the whole house to myself. I considered flopping on the couch and eating pie while I watched TV. Instead, I cleaned the bathroom (including scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees), put dry cleaner on the carpet in the back room (again, scrubbing on my hands and knees), picked up and thoroughly vacuumed the computer/craft/side entry room, moved the yard sale items from the side room to the garage, went in the basement/glorified crawl space to put out mouse poison (I gave them a fair chance with live traps, but now they're P-ing me off), sprayed insect repellent around the base of the house, refilled the cat food bin, refilled the litterboxes, sprayed the cat pee smelling areas, and then settled down in the kitchen to work on ripping up some more old flooring for an hour. Now that's some leisure time! haha

I don’t just use my leisure time at home, I use it at work. Hence all of my Work Hack posts I’ve been writing lately where I make note of what I do on my breaks. Even while driving I’ll listen to audio books, given the chance.

This whole blog was inspired because I use my leisure time in a way that, through documentation, others might find a glimmer of inspiration by what I do, as I find inspiration in what they do.

Now go get your leisure on.

Work Hack: Mending

Do you have some mending to do? Is it something that can be mended by hand? Do you get breaks at work? (You know, a real break. Not the supposed “breaks” where employers tell you your 15 minute break was taken up already because you went to the bathroom three times for 2 minutes each time. Yeah, I worked at a place like that. I didn’t stay long, I refuse to work for such a micro-manager that they time you in the bathroom and tell you that’s your break. OK, I’m done ranting now.)

If you’re like me and you want to stay as productive as possible when you have spare time (and you have an infant at home that makes it impossible to use sharp objects), do your mending on your breaks! You want to make it clear you’re on break and not slacking off on the clock. If you have an office, it’s easier - just close the door. If you’re working in cubicle-land or an open concept office, try hanging a sign on the edge of the partition or your desk saying something along the lines of, “Please do not disturb until 10:30 – I’m on break. Thanks!” Or if you drive to work, temperature permitting of course, take your break in your car (I occasionally take lunch breaks in my car for napping purposes). If you don’t have a desk but you do have a hook to hang your coat and a place to sit during break, bring a small bag of mending with you that is easily portable. 

This works best with one small project at a time, so don’t bring in your whole mending pile at once. Just the one pair of pants with the tear in the inseam, or the shirt with the missing button. Or that pair of black leather gloves that you love dearly and that need some TLC and some carefully placed stitches. ahem Also try and keep your mending tools to a minimum – a spool of thread with a needle stuck in it and the needed button. If you have scissors at work use those, it’ll cut down on your chances of losing your personal pair. You don’t want to be lugging around a ton of stuff – not only is it annoying to carry, it clutters your work station with non-work related stuff.

I’ve mended these gloves a few times on my breaks, and as they get a bit older and more worn out I’m tempted to just carry a spool of thread and a needle in my purse with me next winter. This winter really did a number on them. 

Do you think you could pull this off? What are some other ways that you utilize your breaks to save you time at home? Or do you use the time to chat, read, or relax (or nap)?

Work Hacks: Exercise During Breaks

image source

So in my attempts to exercise more, which I don’t really like to do, I’m exercising at work during breaks. This takes care of the distractions issue (no baby, no hubby, no chores, no projects). And I find that when I get up and move away from my desk during the day I feel better – less muscle tension, less eye strain, less headaches. That helps with the motivation part.

Now that summer is coming, I’ll have ample opportunity to get out for walks which is great for my longer lunch break. But what about those 15 minute breaks when I want to do only a few minutes, or days when it’s rainy, or when I just want a more intense workout?

I had a major light bulb/ah-ha moment: YouTube + Zumba. Genius.

I searched YouTube and found that there are several instructors who have either recorded their classes or have made little instructional videos. I saved the ones I liked to a playlist and viola! Instant personalized exercise “video.” And since it’s saved virtually I can access it from any computer. Like the one at my desk! How handy!

I chose Zumba, but if you love kickboxing (don’t break anything), yoga, Pilates, step aerobics, or whatever, give a look around and see what you can find that you can modify to work for you. If you can’t find what you want on YouTube, and you know the moves already and just need the music and/or verbal instructions, see if you can download an audio workout. Bas Rutten is my husband’s favorite – though for home, not work.

I have very little shame, or rather I don’t embarrass easily, so I have absolutely no problem exercising at my desk where people could walk by my door and see me. If you do, you may want to close the door or hang a curtain across your cubicle opening. (speaking of no shame at work – remind me to tell you about the time I was a student worker and sent across campus with a box of empty Tupperware to pack up the extra food from some other department’s luncheon lecture)

Some tips:

• Wear headphones with a long cord
• Move your chair and other obstacles out of the way before hitting play
• Do the moves in place rather than moving around
• Change first if you want/need to (don’t do this in heels!)
• Let your neighbors know what you’re up to, and stay confident when they look at you like you have two heads (maybe that’s just my paranoia)
• You may want to get a little fan or a towel to keep the sweat in check, and reapply deodorant

This can be done at home too, of course, and I plan on doing that as well at some point. But working out on my breaks is a great first step in getting back into exercising.

And, Liz, if you’re reading this, sorry for the thudding coming through your ceiling.

Quick Work Hack - Keeping Food Warm

Ok, don't tell the IT guys I'm saying this. But, you know an easy way to keep your food warm? Put it next to your PC tower. That thing gives off a lot of heat. Or at least the ones that really need updating (ahem) do.

I had whole wheat rolls and butter pats (saved from take-out) for breakfast the other morning. They were cold from the fridge, but after half an hour next to the PC they were nicely warmed up. I also use this method for keeping my toast warm (yes, it takes me so long to eat toast that I actually have to keep it warm).

It doesn't work that well for liquids, and certainly doesn't keep things hot. But for a quick fix, it works pretty well.

It’s a Good Day, Woo!

Today’s been a good day. It was a not-so-great night (3 wakings, and screaming) so when Max decided to go back to sleep at 6am, I joined him. We slept in for an extra hour and a half, and since I’d showered last night and hauled it though the morning routine I was only 45 minutes late to work. Thankfully I have a flexible schedule most days. I generally work through my lunch hour and leave early so I can run errands before picking Max up from daycare. Today I’ll just work through my lunch hour and leave at the normal time. The extra sleep was wonderful, and totally worth any extra hassle this morning. Woo!

And… It’s 40 degrees out! I don’t like winter for more than two weeks (hence one of the reasons I lived in San Diego for four years), and with all of the extra snow this year I’m sooo ready for it to go away now. Our roof (along with everyone else’s) has been leaking from ice backing up into the gutters and seams, the back gutter will need replacing because the weight of the ice has broken it and… well, I’m just done with snow and ice. The 40 degrees today reminded me that it’s going to melt, and spring will come! Woo!

And… I got an email from my local library this morning saying that the book I had requested arrived and is ready for pickup today - right after I finished the previous book in the series which is in my purse ready for return. No lag time between books, and only one trip! (And… I’ve actually had time to read lately, can you say woo!)

And… I brought chili for lunch and I was thinking it’d be nice to have some bread to dip in it - and my coworker brought in the rolls that I had ordered from her son’s fundraiser. Tasty, and made by the kids which is just too neat (with help from their awesome cafeteria ladies). Woo!

And… well, I think that’s about it. I already celebrated Valentine’s Day yesterday with hubby and Max – we went out to breakfast at our favorite diner and Max had his first ever blueberry pancakes (no syrup). He went wild, double handed fistfuls, shoveling it in (versus his usual single handed eating), it was hysterical.  It reminded me of that Family Guy episode where Stewie has pancakes for the first time and becomes addicted…

Matchy-Matchy

I love to coordinate things. Organization, visual appeal, etc. It just makes me happy. I even have a degree involving information design – as in organizing information in a useful, easy to understand, visually appealing way. <sigh> Bliss. Now if I could only find a job locally that utilizes that…

I enjoy decorating our home (not that you can tell right now, it’s in the middle of renovations) which involves coordination – of color, size, shape, texture. I try not to make things too matchy-matchy, that can get boring. You need that visual dissonance to keep things interesting and to keep the eye moving.

I also love coordinating things at work. It helps that I’m good at it – statistics, spreadsheets, files, schedules, etc. And really, there’s nothing like a freshly reorganized supply closet to set the mind at ease. (Yes, that’s what I do when I’m having a really frustrating day at work, I take half an hour to decompress and reorganize the supply closet.)

I hate clutter. I really do. I hate it when things are not in their right spot. I honestly get anxious if things are disorganized. Unless that’s the way it’s supposed to be – like toys. Toys all over the floor during play times only really bug me if they’re a walking hazard and I stub my toe. And then I’m usually more annoyed at myself for not paying attention.

I’ve gotten better (really!) as I’ve lived with my husband for the last 8 or so years. He’s not tidy. It drives me nuts, but it does keep things interesting. I must admit he’s gotten better too. We’ve both moved in from our extremes to a somewhat compromise, though it definitely doesn’t match exactly. He has no problem with socks left anywhere in the house. I do. Small things like that.

What got me thinking about this was two things: First, a comment I left on someone else’s blog about keeping the eye moving in decorating, as I was thinking the bedroom might be too matchy-matchy except that the nightstands are different and that gives it just enough dissonance to keep things interesting. Second: I coordinated my outfit to Max’s this morning. Yes, I did. We’re both wearing brown shirts with blue accessories (earrings for me and a pacifier for him). I’m not into totally matching outfits for us, but the little color coordination makes me smile and keeps me thinking about him all day whenever I look down at my brown shirt. And no, I don’t do this every day. Just once in a while if I notice that I have a clean shirt on the shelf that’s the same color as his outfit.

So, no matchy-matchy anywhere, just coordination. Which is good. Except in the supply closet - I’d be ok if the supply closet stayed totally matchy-matchy. Though I’d have to find something else to do when I can’t stand looking at my computer anymore…

So, what about you? Do you love coordination? Do you love clutter? Do you love to leave dirty socks out because you think it's cute when your significant other gets fussy?