Female Brain, Meet Bulletin Board

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The kiddos have been out of school the past two days due to extreme cold temps.  It's difficult to think of things to do when it's so cold outside.

So, what did I do for entertainment in the cold? I hung our bulletin board in the mudroom.  It sounds like such a small thing, but like the female brain, things are all interconnected (ahem, complicated).  Hanging a bulletin board was done in 7 NOT-AT-ALL-TIME-CONSUMING steps (note sarcasm):

1. To hang the bulletin board, I first needed to find and purchase a non-puncturing apparatus to mount it to the wall so that a nail wouldn't pierce the china cabinet on the other side of the wall. I found some velcro strips at Target used for picture hanging. I attached them to the bulletin board. Check.

2. Next, I needed to paint the part of the wall that the board would hang on. But hey, while I have the paint can out, I should touch up around the trim that we recently put up to mount our hooks onto.  I should also should touch up the paint in the kitchen around the china cabinet where some of the stain got on the wall. And why not touch up some other spots around the house where the paint has been nicked up? Rinse and clean paintbrush. Check.

3. Wow, this mudroom is such a disorganized mess.  I can't hang the bulletin board in all this chaos.  I rearranged the shelves and drawers and made new labels for boxes that I scored on clearance at Target.  I made files for the girls' pile of schoolwork that's been accruing in the mudroom since the beginning of the year. But where's my box of files? Go dig in the basement through boxes until I find files. While I am in the basement, I switch the laundry and bring a basket of clean clothes up and fold them. Put files in filing cabinet. Put newly folded clothes away.  Check.

4. The rug in the mudroom looks awful. I need to clean it to get the soot and dirt off of it from the day the guys hauled the boiler out of the basement. While I have the carpet cleaner out, I should also clean my living room rug and entry rug as well. During this process, I ran out of carpet cleaner and had to go digging in the basement for a different bottle.  While I'm in the basement I switch the laundry and haul up the clean clothes basket. Carpets clean, clothes folded and put away. Check.

5. Order more carpet cleaner. Check.

6. Now there's a big clog in the carpet cleaner from the wool rug. I empty the dirty water container for the carpet cleaner and rinse out the wool. But there's still some stuck in the machine. I grab a screwdriver and take a couple parts off the machine and clean out the wool. While those parts are off, I give them a quick rinse in hot water to get the storage dust off of them. Reassemble carpet cleaner. Check.

7. Hang the bulletin board. Check.

See, so easy!