Snowhenge and a Plea for Help! (Update: On the Right Track)

Behold, Snowhenge! The recent freeze-thaw-freeze cycles have transformed our Christmas snow fort into this fantastical ice sculpture in our front yard. We get lots of people slowing down to figure out how it was created.

I was all set to chill out in January, but I got more than I bargained for--single-digit temperatures this week, with wind chills below zero. I can honestly say that for the first time since my move to the Northeast U.S., I am truly enjoying the winter. I don't know if it's the (peri)Menopause or the extra fat layers that I've added since we moved here, but I'm not feeling the cold. I am even entertaining the idea of getting snow shoes for me and my daughter so that we can both get some much-needed winter exercise.

In all other areas of my life, however, I'm not chillin'. Four years of haphazard filing have finally come to a head, and I can no longer find even the most basic documents. (The layers of origami paper and other craft detritus on my office desk have not helped either!)

I need help, dear readers. With tax season coming up, I need to get my business files in order. Can anyone recommend a sturdy, ecologically friendly (perhaps even aesthetically pleasing, if it's not too much of a stretch) filing cabinet for a small home office, one that can hold both my business paperwork and family records? I spent yesterday and today scouring two salvage stores, the Salvation Army, Staples (blech!!), and the local antique mall, with absolutely no luck.

I've looked online and found this filing cabinet from Green Tea Designs. It's the right size and made from repurposed wood, but it just seems extremely unsustainable to have something shipped so far (from Korea originally, then to Canada, and then to the U.S.).

I'd love to hear your innovative, Earth-loving organization solutions. You'll be helping me and the planet out!

I'm finally nearing the end of a LOOOONG editing project, and I'll be scarce around here and blogland for the next month. I may pop in to share a divine knitting bag that I got from a dear friend and some Valentine's treats (I'm a sucker for that holiday!!) just because I won't be able to keep myself motivated without the occasional post. I miss popping in to your blogs and saying hello, but I hope to be a much more active blog friend in February.

Hope you are staying warm!!

UPDATE: I've just found a good solution to my storage problem, or at least an idea for how to proceed: repainted vintage filing cabinets, featured at Poetic Home. Here's my all-time favorite, a 1930s filing cabinet repolished to a brushed-steel finish, from The Old Cinema:

Now the hunt is on to find something locally (and cheap!) to reproduce the lovely finish and vintage name plates. I'll keep you posted on what I find.