Mattresses, Shelves and Armoires

I feel like a kid writing a paper about “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” only instead it’s “How We Spent Martin Luther King Day.” It was a federal holiday, so my husband and I headed to Macy’s for the final day of their mattress sale. We usually purchase a new box springs and mattress about every ten years. But 3-4 years ago I led us down the wrong path by insisting we try a Select Comfort Sleep Number® Bed . We went to one of their stores and tried one out (for 5 minutes or so) and it felt wonderful and the concept made sense. But within a few weeks, I was sure it wasn’t working right. My side wouldn’t fill properly with air and my back was hurting from the slump on my side of the bed. Once we realized how bad it was, we were past warranty. Every time we called for help, we got the run-around by the company. What I didn’t know, until tonight, actually, is that lots of other folks have had similar problems. But the bed was expensive so I hung in there until my back couldn’t take it any more.

I had read about the Macy’s sale, and off we went on Monday morning. We were greeted by a knowledgeable saleswoman who showed us the full spectrum of what they had to offer. Within thirty minutes or so we had settled on this Sealy Posturepedic PurEmbrace® "Atlantic Cedar" Plush Euro Pillowtop Latex Mattress Set that felt like heaven. I know, I know, it’s also not a conventional bed, but it carries a 10 year warranty, so I think we’re okay. I did a search for complaints about this mattress and found none, and found some positive comments about latex beds in general and Sealy in particular at a mattress blog, so that’s encouraging. The bed will be delivered in a couple of weeks (our choice, due to busy schedule) and I’ll let you know how it’s working!

Back home with 2/3 of our Monday left, I continued the ORGANIZE part of my New Year’s Plan by organizing my sweaters into plastic drawers (from Target) and the space between them on my newly uncluttered closet shelves. There’s even space for my favorite small suitcase, for my frequent overnight trips to Jackson.

I bought some similar drawers for my husband, who happily got into the organizing plan with me. His closet shelves look great, too!

Oh, and last Saturday I finally found the jewelry armoire I’ve been looking for (on the internet and at stores) for about a year. This one from Target, which originally cost 79.99 then 59.98… then 39.99.

It was so much fun organizing my jewelry, and this newly cleared space on the shelves near my bureau is perfect for it. (The armoire comes with legs, but I chose not to attach them so it could sit on my shelves.)

I’m finding myself looking forward to my next project with great joy instead of dreading the work involved, because it’s all making my life so much easier.

Other folks seem to have the organization bug… today I got an email from Laura, a friend who is an artist, who just changed her blog address and sent it to me. I checked out her new blog and guess what I found? A post about organizing her studio! Check out her photos and description of how she even organized the fabric she uses in some of her crafts.

And a week or so ago, I heard from a Memphian I haven’t met, Sandi, who left a comment on my blog, and later emailed me and sent me a link to this article, “Clearing a Space For Change: The Weight of Objects,” which was inspirational. (Disclaimer: I’m not into astrology and tarot and much that is promoted on this web site, but I did like the article about the weight of objects… and I continue to make trips to the trash bin and the Goodwill store as I organize each area of our house!)

If this is making you want to get organized, be sure and check out Maryanne Macdonalds web site and her articles in the Commercial Appeal.

When I saw this picture and read about Maryanne’s plan for organizing attics it made me want to number the boxes my daughter organized in our attic and make an inventory list so I don’t have to search for things up there in the heat of the summer or the freezing cold nights of winter! But I can tell I’m going to have to avoid the temptation to obsess over any one area, or the rest of the house will never get organized!

Thanks to Sandi and Laura for their blogs and comments… I’d love to hear from others who are having success getting organized in 2009!