365 Items in 365 Days Decluttering Challenge

For the first 5 1/2 years we were together, my husband and I moved 9 times. (I may have lost count) Every time we moved, we did some serious decluttering. I'm sure most of our wedding gifts were gone by the time we moved into our first house in 1999.

Organizational Projects

• Put all owner manuals, receipts and warrenties into 2" binder.
• Work on a school memory book. who, what, when, where, why, how.
• Recipe Binder ideas (could possibly do this for #2 also?
• Org Junkie's 52 wks of organizing links
• Organize our home videos
• print and laminate kids chore charts
• replace cloth on hope chest and DR chairs
• verses to memorize book on index cards in mini-binder
• Organize iTunes; clean and reload ipods
• organize digital photos 
• (DRAFT) Make a 5x7 special days binder for bday, anniversary, date of death (victor), deceased bdays, with monthly dividers and a pocket on back of divider to put previously bought cards for events. 
• a crate for a file drawer
• (DRAFT) Deep freeze organization
• make decorated clipboards

Look what I discovered!

I can write on my Tupperware with a dry erase marker :)

Sometimes it's the little things....

Why I Love Thirty-One Bags

This was my first Thirty-One bag and it was fatal. I was at a party where this bag was $10 after a $31 purchase. My friend's order was big enough for 2 bags, so she let me get one on her order. I couldn't think of exactly what I'd do with it, probably swimming bag, but I love organizing, so what the heck, right?  I fell in love almost immediately.

My husband works swing shift and there are many times I need to get ready to leave the house while he's sleeping. Since we only have 1 bathroom in a 4 person home, we don't have the luxury of storing our stuff in there.

So one day, I grabbed this bag and a flashlight and went to the bedroom. I gathered everything I'd need to get ready...clothes, shoes, hair stuff, makeup, jewelry..etc. I was able to take everything I'd need in 1 trip and put it all back in the bag to be returned in 1 trip later.

Here is my super fluffy, extra-large down comforter right out of the dryer. It's too big to be cleaned at home, so I stuffed it in my favorite bag for transport. And I do mean STUFFED. 

I love you, Thirty-One!

February Organizing Challenge: The Kitchen

• Line drawers with pretty, washable paper
• Get drawer dividers to organize utensil drawer
• Hang measuring spoons inside spice cabinet door
• Hang measuring cups inside the flour/sugar cabinet
• Make a BBQ basket for lighter, utensils, & room for favorite spices
• Get a foil/plastic wrap/wax paper organizer for cabinet door under sink
• Hang a hook under cabinet by coffeepot for my mug

Spring Cleaning Room #2 ~ Master Bedroom

This is another great room to do at the beginning of your spring cleaning. Why?  Because it is a wonderful feeling to go lay down in a freshly cleaned and bedroom at the end of a hardworking day of cleaning.  Plus it turns out, I was approaching that time of the month where I spend more time that usual in the bedroom with cramps and fatigue.

(Picture to come later)

Here's what I did:

• Washed ceiling fan blades and light fixture
• Washed windows
• Put items away that didn't belong in there.
• Decluttered and dusted 2 dressers, headboard, bookcase, built in shelves, side table, and tv.
• Polished 2 dressers, headboard, bookcase, side table.
• Decluttered closet and dressers
• Washed bedding and remade it.
• Swapped seasonal clothing
• Dusted and vacuumed curtains and ceiling
• Vacuumed under bed, dressers, table, headboard, in closet, baseboards 

Spring Cleaning Room #1 ~ The Bathroom

Why start in the bathroom?  It is undoubtably the worst room to clean. We have 1 small (5'x8') bathroom in a household of 4, including 2 adults, a teen boy and a teen girl, 4 dogs that wander inside & out, then of course with teenagers comes friends.

My thinking was that the dirtiest room would show the biggest improvement and keep me motivated to finish the house.

Here is what I did:

• Scrubbed tub & shower walls
• Scrubbed shower doors
• Washed light fixture
• Vacuumed cobwebs
• Emptied & wiped out trash can
• Washed baseboards
• Scrubbed sink w/a toothbrush
• Wiped & polished wooden cabinet
• Scrubbed toilet inside & out
• Repaired a broken ceramic floor tile (temporarily)
• Washed window
• Washed rug
• Scrubbed the floor

Spring Cleaning Challenge

 

Ok, I love a good reading challenge, but a cleaning challenge? Hmmm sounds like too much pressure, so I'd bow out. But it just so happens that this challenge is going on at the same time that I have been motivated to clean. So I'm semi-joining it. I'm going to read the posts & I'll post here what/how I'm doing. But I won't pressure myself to do everything as they are. I'm not really worried about winning prizes anyway, my prize will be a cleaner, healthier home and exercise too.

 

If you are interested in cleaning, joining the challenge, winning prizes, or just reading more posts, click the button above.

Where do I put my purse?

One of the blogs I read regularly just asked where we store our purses, so I thought I'd take a picture and show you. She said alot of people put their purse somewhere in the kitchen, which is very gross when you think about how disgusting the bottom of our purses are. I hang mine on this hook shelf next to the front door. The bag on the right is my errand bag, so I put stuff in it that I need to take with me on my next trip to town.

So what about you? To read the original post, click here.

Book Review ~ Organizing Magic: 40 Days to a Well Ordered Home & Life by Sandra Felton

Every busy, harried woman wants to be more organized. But actually satisfying that desire is another story. Why does organization have to be so difficult? It doesn't! Not according to The Organizer Lady™. She's back with an all new, forty day plan that will help women achieve a well-ordered home and life. Practical and easy to apply, Organizing Magic shows women how to get control of the clutter, chaos, and disorganization of their homes. Each day they'll learn tried and tested organizing tips such as how to - recognize the time realities of modern life - simplify your solutions - wrestle that e-mail to the ground - handle paperwork - zap hidden hindrances - and more Readers no longer have to settle for mess! With a fun, two-color interior, reader-friendly design, and Sandra's own signature warmth and compassion, Organizing Magic will show women how to create an organizational system to manage their space and time. Organizing doesn't have to be difficult, says Felton. Because an orderly home is never more than forty days away!

Well, it didn't change my life, but it did give me some organizational ideas.
Rating: 3 It was ok
Website: Messies Anonymous

How much do I love command hooks? Count the ways!

This one is holding a pair of silencer headphones on the side

of my computer where I use them most!
This is the inside of my daughter's closet door holding a belt hanger she
uses for belts, scarves, necklaces, headbands, etc

These are behind her door for her jacket, book bag, purse, cheer bag, etc.

This is 1 of the swags I have hanging in the living room.

We have them hanging over all the windows.

I love these things! Thanks to OrgJunkie for getting me addicted!

Garage Update

Notice the supervisor sitting on the propane tank! LOL

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Tackling my purse!

Cute purse! But where are my keys?

Holy Cow! No wonder I couldn't find anything in there!

Ahhh! Much neater!

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Talk about Tuesday--Home Tour

It's the 1st TAT of the month, so it's a home tour! Here are a few additions to my newly renovated kitchen:

Adorable Apple hook from JoAnn's that I've hung over my sink in the kitchen & figured out what to hang on them!

The pitcher on the right is the vase my anniversary flowers came in. I use it weekly to water my plants, so even though it doesn't fit the apple theme, it is VERY handy there!

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Destruction before Construction

Site of our new garage!

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Daily Routines Checklist

Click for printable version.

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My new living room wall art

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Tackling a new routine.

I have fallen off the Flylady wagon, hit my head on a rock, & gotten amnesia. I never really redeveloped a cleaning routine since the kids went back to school in Sept. I have a friend who has condensed the Flylady routine into a 1 week swing instead of 1 month. She does 1 room/zone per day. I'm going to try this & see if it works. I've even scheduled a light day for Tuesday because that's when I do my bible study. Here's the plan:

• Monday--Bathroom & Weekly Home Blessing
• Tuesday--Dining room & Hall, Bible study & grocery shopping
• Wednesday--Bedroom
• Thursday--Kitchen
• Friday--Living room,office, & water plants
• Saturday--Pre-blog
• Sunday--Menu Plan, clip coupons, scan sales ads
  
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Tackle it Tuesday before Talking about it....

Before:

After:

• reorganized cd albums (blue & yellow on top left) so Christian music in one & misc in other.
  
• removed a shelf & stood the albums up
  
• added a few scrapbooks
  
• removed a box of scrapbooked pages that are not in their albums
  
• straightened the games section
  
• rearranged the pictures
  
• decluttered & straightened the games & movies
  

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Works for Me Wednesday: Dog Food Storage

When we remodeled our kitchen this summer, finding a new place for our 50 lb bag of dog food was top on my to-do list. I wanted it out of the kitchen, but not far so it wouldn't be a major hassle to fill their bowl weekly. So DH drilled a hole in the handles of a trash can & used bungee cords to secure it to the deck railing so the dogs couldn't knock it over to get in it & the wind wouldn't blow it over if we had a tornado. Plus we keep a lid on it, so it doesn't put out the inviting smell of food for raccoons & opossums.

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