Dog Days and Dominoes

August is here.

And so am I.

In case you wondered, I survived my month of austerity measures in the name of common sense and the family budget.

No Buy July was an adventure, and frankly, it was fun! It was fun to stretch the creative muscles and discover just what I could do without spending a dime. Were it not for No Buy July, I might never have tackled the vast wasteland called Siberia and transformed it into a free-to-me craft space that I really love. The fact that the checkbook looks much less anemic is just gravy on the taters.

Honestly, it's hard to give up the adventure just because we've turned a calendar page.  August will require spending, though, since Miss Whimsy heads back to college on Friday and needs to be outfitted for her big adventure called the junior year.  Sniff. 

All the more reason that I need a plan to get me excited for the month of August.

August is my least favorite month of the year. In my mind, it has no redeeming value. That's because August brings the Dog Days of summer. In the Dog Days, all I really want to do is hunker down in the air conditioning like a lazy slug and play indoor games.

Therefore, that's exactly what I'm doing to do--
minus the lazy slug part. 

 I'm going take advantage of the excuse to stay inside,
 and  I'm going to play dominoes. 

source

That new craft space, you see, has given me a case of what our family calls

the Begats. 

One thing begets another...

Which begets another...

Sometimes, the Begats are a bad thing...  like when the freshly painted dining room makes the living room look all shabby and no chic. The Begats are a good thing, though, when they open up the box of  dominoes.  

All you need for dominoes is one newfangled storage space. Just one.  Chances are, that new space is going to free up space some place else in the house.  

Which when utilized, begets another...
Which begets another.

Dominoes.

I spent the latter part of last week assessing new spaces available to me right now. Between what I freed by creating that crathroom,  the recently vacated shrine of the Practical One, some pieces of furniture that I thrifted in the spring, and some purging I've done,  I have available...drum roll please...
16 drawers, 4 shelves, 1 cabinet, and an entire closet. 

Woo.
Hoo.

And so...

I have dubbed August the Domino Days,  a time devoted to inside organization. I'll be playing in all of those aforementioned spaces. Even though No Buy July is over, I've still got the thrifty bug so I'll be using as much creativity and  as little money as possible. That's the part that makes it fun.  

In addition to dominoes, I'll be playing some more inside games. 

Like Fruit Basket Turnover:  I'm not only going to organize my new spaces, I'm going to flippity- flop some old ones. I intend to relocate my extra dish closet (yes, I have one) and my holiday and decor closets (I have them too). Her Majesty the Den Closet will even get another makeover.

And I Spy:  I spy with my big eye... something that's expired in the pantry... and the medicine cabinet, and emergency supplies, and the spice rack... and let's face it, some of my clothes have passed their expiration date, too. What better time than the Dog Days to do it? 

And Peek-a-Boo: Yep, it's time folks. Time to lift the skirts on the beds and tables and see what's lurking in those boxes. You wouldn't believe me if I told you...  

But I probably will. 
If you need me, I'll be in the closet. 

So tell me:

How will you spend your Dog Days?

and 

What other inside spaces

  can I add to the Domino Days of Summer?