the weekend + committing to...

hi, everyone--how were your weekends?

mine was good. i came home from work on friday, stripped off all my clothes, put on pajamas and proceeded to lounge in my bed with oscar-cat and my book for the entire rest of the night. then, on saturday, i woke up late (really late) to the odd realization that i hadn't spoken to another human being in about 10 hours, so up i got and off to ikea i went. it was a good trip--i got exactly what i went for (some picture frames, a side table, and a couple of other little home items); you can't beat those prices--and a bit of an adventure, to boot: google maps decided to take me there via the most backwoods-florida route ever. i drove through cow-towns, rural countryside, and i think i also may have found the only mountain in the state of florida. interesting roadside scenery, indeed.

then i came home and the great clothes purge of 2010 began. i cleaned out my entire closet, which was a mess; organized all the clothes i'm keeping (and repurposed a bookshelf while doing it); and moved everything else into consign, goodwill, or trash piles. i also got all my kitchen items in order and rearranged some other knick-knacks, and i have to say, my apartment really feels much more like home. i still have a lot to do (paint the bedroom being number one on that list), but it's amazing the difference a little tlc can make. and also what i can get accomplished when everyone i know goes out of town and i'm all by my lonesome.

it's also amazing what a difference a weekend of nesting can make on my mental landscape. i still have that "want-to-move-somewhere-new" feeling, but i also am feeling that, since i can't do that at the moment, i should start embracing what i have--starting (after my family and friendships) with my  home. for the first time since i moved into my apartment, i'm really and truly looking forward to coming home to it. now i just have to keep it clean!

and on that note, here's my list of little goals for the week. tell me yours, too, ok?

+ doing pilates every night. (nothing beats that stretched-out feeling before bed.)
+ trying a new recipe.
+ focus-focus-focusing on a big work project.
+ keeping the newly lovely apartment clean, as mentioned
+ trying to flush out some ideas i have about next steps in my career (first step: work on a professional website!)
+ finishing my new book (above), which so far i'm loving. i have a feeling it's going to be a summer of reading.

have a wonderful monday, friends! xoxo

photos by me