So how the heck is everybody? I mean, life as we know it has changed so much and sometimes our brains get so full of information we forget how to sort and filter certain types of content. I, for one, absolutely, love to ponder and putter.
This week I felt myself finding balance with projects I had set up for myself to complete and my blog. Nothing like a bit of time crunch to get the ol’ butt moving. I have to say though, that once I set myself up for success it was easier to step out of the comfort zone and get started on something new.
The pondering stage
I am thinning out my house. Now I know many have the spring cleaning down pat, some have the one room at a time tackle, I had the procrastinate until necessary strategy.
I am thinking how there are renovations and upgrades my house needs to have completed. However, I cannot afford many of these projects and so find myself upgrading a step at a time. I do not want to back track, so generally I try to scaffold my ideas so that each one is done systematically as I can afford it. I am planning to fill in under my deck to add a rec room to the house that is large, airy, bright and has access to the back yard. in order to do this I will need to upgrade electrical and move my deck stairs. So what to do first.
STORAGE…
I am struggling with storage and if any family with kids knows, storage is key to having an organized and relaxed style of living.
I have looked on You Tube and scanned Pinterest for ideas and knowledge. it is incredible the amount of useful information out there.
Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of projects that I had put off for weeks because I could not figure out the how part.
First project was my laundry room. It is very small and very industrial. This space that was dirty all the time from installing a new furnace and just dust, in general, from the dryer. I have no space and so what the heck was I going to do. 
I had this make shift cupboard situation and it looked so tacky, so i decided to pull everything out. I created stations for everything, and then pondered the idea, finally implementing.
I decided that 2 situations could occur down in the basement. There is a drain and and so if the water heater broke or the laundry machine leaked anything touching the ground would get wet. So I decided to lift things up onto a cart with wheels.
The puttering stage
I am on a budget so I started by getting a bunch of 1 x 4’s and 2 x 4’s as it is the cheapest lumber for strong building.
I measured the area I wanted to fill and built a landing cart with the 1 x 4’s and added the wheels on the bottom.
i had these cheaper storage/closet add on’s that can be purchased at Walmart for real cheap, and so I placed them on top and added a plank of wood, purchased at Home Depot in the correct size so no cutting. The whole thing just rolls out when you need to clean in behind. yayyy… after using a make shift idea more clean and secure
I find myself calm and relaxed.
Next was the storage shelves in the small rec room.
In order to move around until the new rec room gets built, the boys need a place to congregate and game if they do not want to be hanging out with me. The space is small and so with no storage or book shelves, where does one put stuff?
Eventually the room will become the utility room, but in the meantime it is the utility room, mudroom, rec room. OMGAWD!
So pondering. 
I pondered for the whole week. I attempted to simulate what the shelves might look like before I started to build, I stacked the boxes up against the wall to get perspective on the size.
I need room, space and so having things OFF the floor.
I measured and move couches around. then finally, it came to me. My best friend is also a single mom and watches you tube a lot to get her ideas. I am just learning, and so she suggested Ana White. well kudos to you Ana, because your demo on garage shelving saved me. I loved the duplication trick so that the the outside frame and legs would be the same height, however I had a foundation ledge that made that trick, tricky.
How puttering calms the mind
Puttering turns into doing. no demands just an exercise of creativity. Time to reflect and time to look around and be grateful for what you do have, and who you are. This is where i was able to practice my ideas. I might need to change them, I might keep them, however the calmness of puttering and picking away at the projects, helps achieve them.
The storage shelves were quite intimidating to me. So starting slowly, and just taking my time to find a strategy that worked. It allowed time to think while doing. I was able to modify by adding 2 blocks of 2 x 4’s as filler before adding on the 2 x 4 i was using for the frame. I adapted and I was still able to implement the strategy. It worked like a charm.
I also moved the end 2 x 4 after everything was mounted to the outside facing the length of the shelves which allowed me to push the couch under and against the ledge.
Yes the pondering and puttering of this project was throughout the week, however I had a goal of completion before the end of this week and by persevering I was able to accomplish it.
Because my mind was calm, I had a plan, with flexibility, I had growth.
Hope these snip-its into my thought process helped you try something new.
IN the meantime, stay real, stay positive and never give up.
