My new favorite organizational tool is definitely the itso storage system from Target. (That's pronounced tar-jay :P) I had this grandiose idea of building shelves that could hold books or have foldable fabric shelves to tuck away clutter, but it turns out Target read my mind and made itso! I already bought two of the white plastic ones, and they got filled up almost inmediately. And for $13/box - I find it hard to believe I could make my own much cheaper. Especially considering how prone I am to making large mistakes...Unfortunately, the plastic version has a lot fewer options, but I don't think a college apartment merits anything sophisticated.

There is something so exciting about re-organizing! I love knowing where everything is and spending the time to explore under the bed and beneath piles of old magazines and school binders to find that long-forgotten necklace or an old pair of knitting needles that are still perfectly good. I have been searching everywhere for this skein of deep red yarn that I want to make a wristlet out of, and I could not find it until I braved the tower of cardboard boxes in my room. The ones that were packed at the last minute, the ones that do not have a list of contents on the outside. They are a total mystery until you open them up again, only to find a six-pack of toilet paper and the charger to your vacuum cleaner. Woohoo!

I have not done nearly enough cooking since I have been home. Aside from making stir-fry and cutting up a massive amount of fruit salad for a barbecue, I have neglected my cooking aspirations. Good thing one of my summer to-do's is to cook a fancy dinner. I was thinking of something exotic like coconut rice....except I got the idea from one of those pre-prepared rice packages at the grocery store, so I don't know if I can truly call it exotic. I'll let you know how it goes...going to go explore TasteBook :)