Settling in and imaginary spiders

So, this weekend I got a washing machine. I'm actually quite excited! My apartment has hook-ups, but didn't come with a washer and dryer, so I have just been using the complex's laundry facility and doing loads over at my parents' house. There is certainly something to be said for living close to parents sometimes. Anyway, the hook-ups for the washer and dryer are in my pantry and I have grown quite accustomed to using as much floor space as possible for storing random things because, you see, I have a lot of crap. And, shifting everything to one side so the washer could easily fit was a piece of cake, but it now looks like I may be acquiring a dryer soon, too, which means that I need to actually do some rearranging. I know this isn't a big deal and is actually a great opportunity to organize and condense my ever-growing pantry, but I'm kind of dreading having to tackle this chore. It's a lot like tackling the stack of magazines on my hearth that seems to magically get taller every weekend, despite my constant reading. Ugh...

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I have a large outdoor storage area off of my patio that many of the rarely used items from my pantry could get moved into, but I am such a wuss that every time I open the storage closet door I'm convinced a giant, flesh-eating spider is going to jump out and attack me...can we say overactive imagination, much? So, I have to work up the nerve to get into the storage closet. But, I do need to finally put away my snow shovel (here's hoping I didn't just jinx CO weather) so if I can just gather everything that can go into the scary cave where the imaginary giant, flesh-eating spider lives, I think I'll be good to go. No joke, I might make my mom come over for organizational help and door-opening support...or, I could just get her to open the scary door for me! Options, options...

And, speaking of my patio, I really love reading outside when the weather is warm and the sun is shining into my little outdoor area...kick off my shoes, throw on my sunglasses and pour a refreshing glass of iced tea! I don't usually put a lot of thought into the patio because not that many people see it. I'm a pretty good hostess and actually love to entertain, but I'm also insanely possessive of my space, so I don't invite people into my apartment as often as I should; therefore, the patio is essentially for my eyes only. Well, I'd like to spruce up the area a bit this year. I have a surprisingly comfy metal chair and a little table, but I'm keeping my eye open for a cheap butterfly chair...I saw one used on a patio in a magazine and now I really want one for mine. My mom, being awesome like she is, found the perfect outdoor chandelier at a garage sale for me, and picked up some lovely sea green tea lights for it. She also found a steal on a gorgeous blue pot so I can try my hand at an herb garden this year, and we picked up a bright, comfy pillow for my chair. Obviously, blue has emerged as the color theme and I am quite excited to see how this space turns out. As soon as the weather settles around here a bit, I'll start planting a few things and attempt to turn my black thumb and shade of green.

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From cleaning to planting to outdoor living, Spring has definitely sprung around here!