The Transfer

Step One of getting ready for school: Getting organized

How do you get organized? Well, transfer all important dates from first semester from one Lilly agenda to the next, of course!

I had the old blue agenda and then just purchased my new pink "Life of the Party" agenda two weeks ago! Since we're well into August, I figured I'd better do it soon since I've been carrying both around for a little while!

Fun events on the horizon:

Hootie & the Blowfish in Charleston with the bitties (WOOOOO!!!)

Start of school

Start of fall internship

First days of volunteering at the Visitor Center (giving tours)

Perhaps Dierks Bentley concert!

First Bingo night of the school year

Helping my friends move into their new places

Famously Hot Music Festival country concert

And that's still ONLY just August! Man oh man senior year is shaping up to be a good one!

As for today, I'm off to deal with the insurance ramifications from the bad-luck-dress-induced fender bender, figure out the extras associated with my big girl credit card (I've never had one y'all!), and more organizational to-do-list items on my list!

How do you stay organized? Have you made the switch to your new planner for the year?

xxKatie

Organized Jewels

A lot of people have plush, luxurious ways to store their jewelry. Some are leather, some have special dividers for rings and earrings and bracelets. I am a little, out of the box...or in the box...

The TACKLE BOX!

That's right y'all! I organize all my jewelry in a three-level plastic Snapware tackle box from Target! Just hear me out: 

1. It's spacious

2. It's well organized

3. The small spaces for bait and hooks are ideal for earrings

4. It's clear

5. I can see EVERYTHING

6. It's super portable

What's bad about any of the above answers? Nothing! All my necklaces lay on one of the longer layers, and the bracelets have the same thing. On the top level, there are 2 dividers, each with 3 spaces for hooks or bait or earrings that can be taken out (presumably to be cleaned) and organized!

How do you store your jewelry? Have you thought about a box like mine? It's totally worth to conversion!!

xxKatie

Organization Nation

I saw this pin on Pinterest awhile back and pinned it so that I would remember it, the usual Pinterest MO. I have SO many pins, and not many "done's" on Pinterest, however this is one I've actually put into place!

In my room at school, I have two closets--one small one with a single door, and my real closet that has French doors. In my small closet, I store jackets, t-shirts, extra PJ's, decorations, gifts for people, costumes, and my laundry. It's about a foot away from my bathroom, so I figured I would use the door for something too! I decided to convert it into storage for cleaning supplies a la Pinterest!

Mine isn't totally full obviously, but only because my organizer doesn't fit the fatter, 32oz bottles. Most of the slots are different bathroom cleaners, room sprays, and there's even some shoe protectant in there too! I'm very pleased with the outcome and what it looks like--hidden and out of the way!

Also, since this Christmas was the Christmas of shoes, I needed a different storage solution for my shoes. Naturally, I followed suit and got 2 more shoe organizers to hold them too. I'm not exactly sure why I've never used these in the past, but they are great! I've stored all my shoes in big plastic bins since my freshman year, but I'm much happier with this solution.

This one holds all my Jacks, neutral shoes, espadrilles, and metallic shoes.

This one holds my dark shoes, more business-y shoes, and sneakers. 

The rest of my flats, boat shoes, boots and flip-flops are still in the bin where they'll stay until I need to wear them on certain days!

How do you organize your closets? Do you use these shoe holders for anything other than shoes?

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

1. I am thankful for the outpouring of love that I got on the day of my birthday. My family is the bomb and my friends--y'all know who you are--made my 21st the best birthday I've had!

2. I am thankful for sweet people who constantly think about me and my well-being. Whether that's my parents, God-parents, older fabulous Manhattan mentor, or close friends, knowing that you all have my back is the biggest gift.

3. I am thankful for Great American Cookies--never underestimate the power of a GOOD snickerdoodle, or 5. 

4. I am thankful for a trip to Raleigh that I just finally planned officially last night!! Can't wait for that weekend in February!!

5. I am thankful for my new major. Economics is very hard, but I did my first homework assignment successfully and I have a new-found confidence in that class! Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, GAME ON!

6. I am thankful for the closet organization that I did on Sunday. I'll be posting pictures of the way it turned out, and I am so happy!! I even used a Pinterest idea in part of it!! Where's that "Done It" button on Pinterest now?

7. I am thankful for the direction that this semester seems to be going in. It makes me happy to feel like this since it's only the second week of the semester!

8. I am thankful for Twitter. Sometimes I wonder where all my random thoughts/annoyances/etc. went before Twitter existed. So thanks to everyone who reads them and doesn't get too sick of me!

9. I am thankful that spring time is right around the corner! I am so ready for shorts weather!!

10. I am thankful for long drives (or more typically, the 5 mile drive to/from campus to my house) that I can sing at the top of my lungs. Fellow drivers, I'm not offended if you laugh, I probably would too!

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

1. I am so thankful my parents were willing to send my little sis down South for a few days and we could indulge in a sisterly weekend in South Carolina!

2. I am thankful that the weather is starting to cool off! It's dare I say it, chilly in the morning! That's the thing with South Carolina weather; even though it starts oh-so cold in the morning, it'll end up being a PICTURE PERFECT day just like yesterday!

3. I am thankful that it is FINALLY OCTOBER! Welcome to the month of birthdays!!!!! So many of my favorite people have birthdays in October. Speaking of birthdays...I just ordered two gifts last night! Buying birthday presents for other people is one of my favorite things! I LOVE the feeling of knowing when you got the perfect gift for someone!

4. I am thankful that one of my best friends told me to read, "He's Just Not That Into You". It really is eye opening. I've been tweeting and writing down some of the better quotes in it as I'm sure y'all have seen. It's an eye-opening book and I'd recommend it to get a very interesting perspective on dating and relationships and boys and girls.

5. I am thankful for my cowboy boots. Those little suckers are pretty much the perfect shoes for this in-between weather and look SO fabulous with skirts and dresses and pants.

6. I am thankful for Luke Bryan! I get to his is Tailgates and Tanlines concert October 15th and it is getting me through all this crazy schoolwork and tough projects. (Read: I'm in the middle of the world's longest research proposal...)

7. I am thankful for Sharpie Mark It markers. They are making my life colorful one saying at a time. They are also helping me color code my month. Here's to trying my best to keep my life organized.

8. I am thankful for Etsy. It is so much fun to look for all my friends' gifts that way! Plus I know the vendors are excited to get the orders and I look forward to shopping for friends and family that way!

9. I am thankful for the advice of my peers and mentors. I ask for advice a lot from my friends, co-workers and long-distance ladies (you know who you are) and I ask often. I appreciate all the help that y'all are able to give me.

10. I am thankful for the days I feel healthy. I tend to take those for granted, and I feel like I'm on the cusp of getting sick unfortunately. I'm trying my best to drink water and tea and stay on the healthy side of things!

xxKatie

Squeaky Clean

Pip-Squeaks are among my favorite school supplies!

They aren't your typical red, yellow, blue, green markers but they have awesome, fun, different colors instead! Also they're little. Which is always fun. 

I have color coded my entire MONTH calendar as well as color coding SOME of my planner. I find that writing everything in pen in my agenda works best and I am able to highlight the most important of important tasks: see the 4 "STUDY FINANCE" notes I have written down in preparation for a finance test I have next Tuesday. Delightful. 

Anyway, these fun Pipsqueak markers help keep me in line, organized AND colorful. Does it really get much better than that?

What do you use to say organized? Are you a color coder?

xxKatie