Getting ready for Spring

Today I am very happy for two reasons. One, it is 26 degrees (78 F) here in Sydney today. Not bad considering we haven’t yet hit spring yet. And two, I had a couple of packages arrive on my doorstep from the States. I’m sure my husband thinks I’m having an affair with the parcel guy as he is here that often.

 

My sandals have finally arrived...

I definitely lean towards "Sparkly" things. Including these...

Enzo Angiolini Killy Sandals

 

Yes, I did buy two but they were "On Sale" (and I will emphasise this point when I tell/convince Mr FM). I tend to wear both colours in Summer. Black is good for most occasions, but The Silver/Light Gold will be perfect for parties and events over the next few months.

And the best part of all?

The price was amazing.

 

I don't think people overseas realise just how expensive shoes are here in Australia. When I went to Hawaii last year, I went a bit crazy in the shoe department of Macy's and Nordstrom. The young man who assisted me in finding sizes seemed genuinely surprised at how much we would pay for the same shoes here. Although he did say that Australians tended to go a bit crazy shopping wise. At the time our dollar hit $1.10 US and so I definitely took advantage.

I was like a kid in a candy store and by the time I finished I'd bought about 13 pairs of shoes. It also coincided with their sales and the discounts were absolutely amazing. I literally shed tears of joy. Don't even get me started on buying shoes for the children and Mr FM. We all needed extra suitcases. I often wonder what the person cleaning our apartment in Hawaii wondered when she came across piles and pile of empty shoe boxes to throw away after we left. To fit everything in our bags we had to discard them.

I still buy all my shoes from the US and either get them posted directly to me, or if they won't ship here I use a parcel forwarding service. Which technically means there isn't anything I can't buy worldwide. The only downside is the postage. In this instance I only paid around $40 dollars so I am very happy.

Best of all, the US sales of summer stock always coincide with the start of our spring/summer so I never pay full retail price. Same thing happens when they sell off winter stock. Bring on Summer!

On another note, I need to organise all my Jewellery into some sort of order. I bought these a while back from Aldi of all places. Much cheaper than buying them from retail stores like Howards Storage.

I bought about 6 of them and they can stack on top of each other. I'm loving the fact they are clear and I'll be able to see everything I have at the one time. At the moment I have jewellery stored in jewellery pouches and boxes so it take me forever to find what I need. So this is my first task for Spring cleaning. Getting organised.
Now, if I can only find space for these new shoes...

Getting Organised

This morning after I returned from dropping the children to school, I found this in my letterbox...

 

So I went inside, made a cup of tea and sat down to pour over the catalogue. It came right in time for my annual spring cleaning, where I try to get the house into some kind of order, where I organise a council clean-up and throw away a ton of "crap" and where I try to establish some kind of organisation to our house.

 

"Me-Ing - Ideas on how to squeeze some me-time into every day, and find some me-space at home"

 

Oh, yes please. I would like some "Me-Ing". This could be the new buzz word despite the fact it sounds like what I normally order from my chinese takeaway. If getting organised creates more Me-Ing, Me-time or Me-Space then I'm in. So I scan the pages and make a mental list of all the things I need/want to buy. And then I wonder if Scandinavian houses are really this organised and quirky. I also secretly wonder if they have a junk drawer in the house.

 

My junk drawer is the kitchen and is the bane of my life. Spare batteries, screws, hair ties, superglue and all odds/ends lumped into a drawer. I would love it to look like this...

 

There is nothing more satisfying than getting rid of clutter. This time last year I threw out a ton of "stuff", gave away over 6 big bags of clothing to charity, re-arranged my whole pantry so I could actually see everything properly and cleaned out the toy boxes. However I am convinced clutter breeds and in the space of one year I am ready to do it all over again.

 

The BIG job is to get my wardrobe organised. I share a walk in closet with Mr FM and although I take up most of it, I still need more space. And better organisation. If I had my way, I'd totally renovate it and do this... (be prepared to be in awe).

 

From the fabulous wardrobe of British Heiress Tamara Ecclestone - a wardrobe with motorised rotating shoe racks. She also has another one for handbags. Be still my heart!

 

And the floor plan of her wardrobe. I simply have no words...

 

I don't know if I'm feeling motivated now...or depressed. Tamara certainly has "Me-Ing" all worked out. Off to look at the Ikea catalogue again and to see if Mr FM knows how to make revolving racks. I can live in hope.