Organizing Revolution: Week Two - The Kitchen!

Spice Cupboard: January 2012 (It was much, much worse in 2010)

If I never did another organizing challenge, I'm absolutely all right with that because I have accomplished the one thing I've been trying to do since I started this blog in 2010. Although I achieved some success with this space early in 2012, it wasn't finished and it has been a thorn in my side for a year.

But not anymore. Now, it is exactly how I first envisioned it.

I spent a lot of time trying to find the right solution and implemented a few but when it came to the "E" in the Org Junkie's PROCESS, the evaluation never help up. It didn't work for me. When something doesn't work, I quickly abandon it.

During a trip to Ikea, I found spice jars that would fit in my kitchen drawer (idea #4 for how to organize my spices) so I bought a 12 (what would fit in the drawer). They sat for a very, very long time as I couldn't afford to give up the drawer space. During an impromptu stop at a big box home store, I found a tiered organizer and for the $4 price tag, I thought it couldn't hurt my cause to try it. In February 2012, I finally implemented it and I like it. Unfortunately, I had more spices than jars so I had to expand the system. Unfortunately, it never happened and the small success I had in 2012 turned into another abandoned mess.

After ordering another tiered storage unit in the fall, this challenge was the push I needed.

Complete satisfaction!

I can access all the jars (and have 3 to spare) and I've inventoried what I have (I discovered duplicates and triplicates of onion powder, parsley and pepper) and will tack it to the inside door. I've used large mason jars to store bulk spices (salt, cinnamon, bouillon) and contained my cake decorating supplies in a basket. I bought a small container for storing packages (mixes, sauces) and contained the "not often used" spices in containers on the top shelf. I love, love, love the cupboard now that it's finally finished. I'm so proud of what I accomplished and think it is fabulous, maintainable, functional and so organized! I still have a few labels to make for my jars as my label maker ran out of labels!!! We ordered them two days ago and they still haven't arrived - thankfully, scotch tape and a Sharpie makes a quick label (and I won't forget what I put in what jar).

I also organized the counter below the spice cupboard (which I've also done before) but after running out of time last year, I finally finished the storage device I decided to use to wrangle my cook books. I took the advice I've seen many times (most recently this post on Bowl Full of Lemons) and kept only the cookbooks I use frequently. The binder tucked behind my cookbook storage solution houses the recipes we use frequently.

Counter - before

Counter - after

I've learned that changes, now matter how small, result in positive feelings and lead to future and continued success. I'm pleased to joining the Organizing Revolution! Congratulations to all the successes I've seen looking through the others participating.

Want to know more or want to vote for my entry? Check out the Organizing Revolution and come voting time Friday, January 11, click on #92 (that's me)!

29 Day Org Challenge: Applying the PROCESS!

Our kitchen is the hub of our home and as such, it is often a dumping ground for mail, packages, artwork and all those “things” a house has that has no other home. We cook, eat, entertain, play games, surf the Internet, craft, take pictures, play trucks, potato head and read books all in this one room. At first glance, it doesn't look much different than any other kitchen across the world; cabinets, counters, appliances, table and chairs.

It's what you can't see that is the problem! Behind the fir and cherry late 1970's cabinetry is a host of clutter and chaos that threatens to spill out every time one opens a door. The plastic containers are helter-skelter, the spice cupboard is a balancing act an aerobatic team would envy and the food storage is a mess of tipped cans, squashed boxes in duplicate and triplicate (because I buy, lose in the mess, buy, lose again, buy – repeat). Behind each closed door is a new disaster.

And I'm ready for change.

My kitchen “hot zones” - areas that continually attract clutter – are:

• spice cupboard
• plastics storage
• pantry/food storage

Other areas that in the clutter trap are:

• lazy Susan's (x2)
• the entire counter top right of the kitchen sink!
• Bread box

The whole challenge has me feeling overwhelmed – there are 20 cupboards in my kitchen, 7 drawers, too much horizontal surface, a work station, our table and the “feeding” stations for our fur-kids. I keep reminding myself it is a PROCESS and to look at it in little bits but as the week is wrapping up and only three left to go, I'm overwhelmed. So I did what any good project manager does and made myself a schedule.

As you see, I spent several days procrastinating, another day cleaning another space and then I planned my month and have been shopping for clutter solutions. I'm not sure if that's the right method – I keep thinking if I find the right system, it will solve my problems... This week, I tackled my plastics cupboard.

Presently, I have no system in place for any area except the plastics. In this cupboard, I have two sets of Tupperware; they stack nicely and their lids sit on the shelf above. The remainder of the 'take and toss' plastic has had various attempts at keeping it together. Snapping the lids in place and stacking them, stacking the containers and placing the lids under them. The current system is to toss them all in, shove them back if you need more room and close the door quickly and run from the kitchen and hope you don't have to open the cupboard next!

Needless to say, this isn't working.

When I decided to tackle this cupboard, I still didn't have a solution in mind. I really have no idea how to manage the 'take and toss' plastic ware. I emptied the cupboards, sorting the 'stuff' by brand and type. Next, I thought about what we use, how we use it and the frequency we use it. 

This made some of the purging decisions simple. The 70's wood salad bowl set belonged to my grandmother – I've hung onto it all these years because I “thought” I needed a salad bowl set... Ask me the last time I used it (it wouldn't matter because I couldn't tell you the last time it was used). The corn holders – again, we have them and may have used them once last summer but there really isn't any reason the cobs can't sit on our plates like normal people! Odd plastics, lids, old mixing bowls and broken items are set and ready to find new homes.

When I reloaded the cabinet, I decided that the way I had it sorted made no sense. I never use vases, I did have about 8 at one time, but I started buying flowers and sending them home with our mother's in vases. It was perfect! I only have two left and they are perfectly happy at the back of the cupboard. Also on that shelf, I put the glass bowls and serving platter. I do use them but not more often then the things now on the second shelf.

The issue still is how to store the plastic ware. After a discussion with my husband, we decided on ONE brand and as we move forward, we will start purging the old and replacing it will all the same brand. In the interim, I've stacked them by brand with their lids sitting under them.

Sitting back and looking at the cupboard, it was a small project but I feel like I had large success. It is tangible and it looks a thousand times better! I have my path for the remainder of the month and although it will be busy, having the cupboards organized and done by the spring will leave me time to plan and design my kitchen improvement project for the summer!

Thanks for stopping by and remember to check out the hundred or so of us participating this month in the Org Junkie's 29 Day OrganizingChallenge!

My first purge pile of the challenge!

29 Day Organizing Challenge - Reporting for Duty!

I can't believe I'm signing up for this... Why? Well, it goes something like this...

In January 2011, I committed and participated in Laura's 52 Week Challenge. I was "solid" for more than half the year... Then I got busy and although I did continue to organize (and reorganize) my space, some of the habits I should have formed, didn't stick... Additionally, there were just some spaces I couldn't (or didn't, maybe even wouldn't) tackle.

My quest for more family time coupled with my desire to really make some positive life changes made the decision for me: I must tackle the one room in our house that sees the most use and is truly one of the most disorganized, cluttered and chaotic spaces I have.

Our Kitchen.

My cluttered countertops

It isn't with much pride that I share this - my home is clean enough and I'm never bothered to have company over... But being a professional, working Mom, my time is limited which results in a couple of problems... The pressure for time means I don't always take the time to put things back where they go and since I don't put things back, I can't find things! I did undertake a cabinet or two in previous attempts to organize (like this one and this one) and for the most part, those two cabinets have remained "OK". I have discussed revamping my spice cabinet several times and the spice jars I bought over a year ago with the intent of completing my spice cupboard as part of Laura's 52 Week project still sit in the cupboard in their original packaging...

Another reason I decided to do our kitchen has to do with the fur ball dog I met and not much to do with organizing. He lives under our dishwasher and I didn't know he was there until our cupboard door fell off (yes, you read that right - nothing says "hill-billy wannabe" like cupboard doors falling off their hinges). As I was sitting on the floor trying to figure out how to help my husband rehang the door, I noticed the mottled gray beast. I wasn't scared - I was in fact shocked to see him there.

Medicine and stemware cupboard

As if I needed more reasons, the lazy susan broke AGAIN and everything toppled over and off into the dark recesses of the cupboard only to reminded of the lack of proper space to store my frying pans (as they are all over the "cleared" counters). Have I mentioned the four boxes of recyling bags I've "found" recently? Under my sink is just as unorganized and when we were 'gifted' a fire extinguisher, I decided this space needed help too.

It is with shame and pride and the willingness to cry-out for help, that I'm signing up for Laura's latest challenge. With her PROCESS in mind (whcih, I have used before on my Cupboard of Doom), the weekend looming and not knowing where exactly I put the cumin I need for tonight's dinner, I'm leaping into the challenge! Want to know more? Want to play along? Want more inspiration or to find people as... Easy Disorganized as me? Let's show all the participants some LOVE!

Spice cupboard

Thank you, Laura, for the Organizing Boot camp, I'm reporting for duty!

Everything else drawer

Dream a little Dream: Plans instead of Resolutions!

I don't know about all of you, but I have dreams of grandeur. I don't mean that I dream of fame and fortune but I do dream of a life less ordinary. I start out the year (nearly every year) with the thought “this is going to be my year".

The year I lose weight and get healthy, the year I finish/write a story to publish, the year I get organized, the year I get my own business running, the year I succeed.

Each year turns out just like the last and I begin each New Year with the same ideas, hopes and dreams. I've known for a long time that my thought patterns are cyclical and in order to do something, I have to take it further than a list or an idea on a piece of paper. I joke about being scatterbrained and disorganized - and I am, to a point, but I think I also lack a few other things that keep me from succeeding.

Focus - I know this is a problem. What starts out with a bang gives way to me forgetting about it, replacing it with a new and even better idea, or my lack of confidence zaps the life out of it.



Source

Commitment - maybe this is similar to focus but I can't commit to any one thing. I've got a few talents and they aren't the get you rich quick kind of talents but moreover, I need to hone in on one thing and start with that but because I lack focus, I'm not sure how to do that!

Time - not enough of it. I know everyone suffers from this. The real world gets in the way of living one's dream. Food needs to be bought, bills paid and by the time all that is done, there is no time left in my day to dedicate to a start-up. I work 7 to 5 (including commute) and I have a small child who is not known for his ability to sleep... I just don't know how to get it all in...

Health - I lack it. Not just my weight and lack of regular exercise. I have a few health problems that are roadblocks. I've never used my health as an excuse but as the drugs increase in my body, the side effects worsen but the issues aren't really being resolved. My body hurts, a lot, but worse than that is the exhaustion! Any parent, college student, senior or stressed person can relate, I'm sure, but many days, I feel like that times 10. My head gets muddy and I can't think straight and its sheer will power that one foot gets put in front of the other. Working all day and walking all over campus do me in. When I get home, its make dinner, find jammies and SIT! There is no playing with my son, no visiting friends, talking on the phone, and writing or being creative, I am just finished. And the bonus? I get to do the exact same thing the next day!

But I want 2012 to be different. I’m three years from my fortieth birthday and although that doesn’t really bother me, the fact I feel stalled – and like I’ve spent nearly twenty years stalled – does. I want to live life, not wait for a life to live. I’ll let you know right now, I don’t know the answer, I don’t have a plan and I don’t know if I will have any success but this New Year, I’m making a list and I will be checking it twice! Assuming I can remember where I put it…

We Have a Tree!

I mentioned a few days ago that the tradition in my family was to put our tree up a week before Christmas. Since being on my own, there have been years with no tree, years with a white tree (do not ask - I did not buy it, I did not want it but it was purchased for me and I knew better than to say what the hell was my ex mother in law she thinking?!) and years with the tree up at the beginning of December.

I've noticed there are a number of houses in our neighbourhood with their trees up already. Typically, I don't succumb to pressure but as I walked to work one morning, I was thinking "why don't we put our tree up!" - it's our house, our life and there are no hard and fast rules that expressly forbid trees going up before December 1! This year I also decided to put up only one tree... Our house has two floors - the main level and the garden level (fancy term for "basement"). Primarily, we are downstairs but I've always wanted to put one upstairs. The year TroubleMaker was born, we purchased a small 4' tree to put up because I didn't have the time or energy to put up, decorate and chase a nine month old away from the 7' tree!

Anyway, I decided to put the 7' up downstairs... This wasn't "easy" - in part because I did not organize all the Christmas decorations as I'd planned to last January and because it meant removing, relocating and rearranging the family room to accommodate the tree, TroubleMaker's table and toys.

Seven feet of tree and 500 mini lights later, it is up! The decorating process will take a bit longer as I'm still planning that out!

November 27 and my tree is up! Yay! It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays, even if it was +9 with rain today!

Two Burned Fingers and other tales of fun

It is Sunday afternoon and I'm sitting with my feet up, relaxing and nursing two burned fingers... Which, I might add, makes it a little awkward to type! My weekend has been incredibly productive and although I didn't think I'd make it through everything, I have nearly completed all that I set out to do on Friday night.

This isn't something that happens to me - I usually set out a whole list of plans and get half way through it before collapsing in a worn out heap, disheartened and disappointed that I didn't get through my "to do" list. But today, I am victorious!

I baked up a storm and because my son's internal clock didn't realize it was daylight's savings and because I forgot it was going to be daylight savings and I put him to bed half and hour earlier than normal meant we've been up since 5am.

yes. I said 5am. It was like a cruel joke. i tried convincing TroubleMaker that it was the middle of the night but he was HUNGRY! Then he heard his Dad get up and that was it... We were all awake!

He got up and ate a bowl of Rice Krispies and I started making the icing to decorate the cookies. By 7am, we'd iced polar bears and stars and packaged them up and then we got breakfast underway! By 9 am, I felt like I'd worked half a day, I was so accomplished!

Then I got to work on the Christmas in a Box decorating package and that's where it all began to fall apart... Nothing I put together looked right and things didn't fit the way I had envisioned. After seeking my husband's input, he suggested we go back to Michael's and pick up a couple of extra things - things I'd discounted because of the cost.

An hour later, I was armed and it all went together in just under two hours! I spent three plus hours in the morning trying to get it to work with no avail, and suddenly, it all fit together like a perfect fit puzzle! In getting together, I burned my fingers - after repeatedly telling TroubleMaker to be extra careful because the hot glue gun is indeed extremely hot - I went to secure a pine cone to the swag and CONTACT! I called to my wonderful son (who was in the bathroom washing his face and hair and hands and the bathroom) and he happened to have a icy cold face cloth he ran to my side.

The damage was done and I now have two blisters on my fingers but my package (save for the "box") is complete! And it looks great - I'm so excited! I'll have pictures soon, I promise!

So I'm positioned now to be absolutely, comfortably, 100% ready for the fundraiser! And it's an amazing feeling.

MPM: Grow the Process (because Ice Cream is not a health food)

Ask me how my week went? I dare you!

It didn't. I didn't get healthy, I didn't exercise, I didn't exactly stay on menu. I didn't get a month's worth of menus planned, I made dessert, then it was Thanksgiving and there was gravy and pie and more gravy...


Photo couresty of Blackstone Images
Table centre piece created by me!

I don't want to use the "F" word so soon into this game but I must... I, with grace and fashion and no regard for the promises I made myself and my family,


FAILED!

But it's a new week and although I don't feel any more inspired to get moving, I'm going to keep forging ahead and keep trying. I don't want to quit and the super flashy failure, I hope, will work to keep my plodding ahead!

October 10 to 17

Monday Pizza Party (thanks, Honey!)
Tuesday Tortellini with Marinara
Wednesday Oklahoma Crockpot Steak Soup
Thursday Open Faced Chicken Club Burgers
Friday ???
Saturday Taco Night
Sunday Turkey breast roast with crockpot stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy

I have to admit this menu plan likely had less thought than what I wore today... It isn't that I don't care - I do - but I've painted myself into a corner and I don't know how to get out... I need to get healthier and provide more nutritiously balanced meals for my family and I need to get our grocery budget under control.

I have menu planned for the better part of 20 years but since changing jobs in 2010 and cascading down into a deep depression, I have just lost all motivation and desire so I think it is time to review my strategy, discard what isn't working and try to adopt some new things that I can use and commit too. After discussing with my husband, he suggests that I take a slow approach - as I tend to be a "jump in with two feet" kind of person only to be distracted and disappointed and don't keep it up.

So where does an unmotivated, troubled person go for menu planning advice? Well, to the hostest with the mostest, Laura over at the Organizing Junkie.

When I found her site early in 2009, I thought it was like I'd died and gone to Heaven. More than 200 people were sharing the meal plans each week and it was easy to cruise from site-to-site and "steal" meal ideas. As I got more involved, I started to realize I could plan smarter so I started developing a "tool box" of tricks of my very own. It included a printable menu planner with grocery list which later evolved to an electronic spread sheet. I've started trying to develop a family-friendly meal planning board game and have even gone so far as to develop and create my own recipes, engaging my husband as chief food photographer and my son as my Sous Chef (I've yet to meet another three year old who can wield a kitchen knife with such finesse).

But, like many things in my life, as I get busy, distracted and/or depressed, everything shuts down around me. For a few things, I press on through sheer determination but that isn't working for me anymore, so I'm seeking out something new... A Plan. A real plan I can build and execute and more importantly, maintain.

The Internet is a resource like none other. Most of everything you can think of is online and available to you 24 hours a day. If you've thought of it, likely, someone else has too and has posted it. So, I've started my search for the

1. Plan my menu before Sunday night and more importantly, not on MONDAY!
2. Include one meal in which vegetables are the "feature dish"
3. Develop a recipe selection criteria
4. Add (at least) one new meal/recipe per month
5. Divide three of the seven nights into a set theme: beef, soup, sandwiches, etc


There is a lot more I could be doing but I know me well enough to know when to stop... And like the "to do" list pictured below, I can tell you I'm fairly good at adding one new meal/recipe per month already, so I can almost cross that one off my list!


Photo Courtesy of 22 Words

Any more tips for me...??? I am certainly "Organizationally Challenged" but I'm trying! For more great meal ideas, menu tips, hints, tricks and inspiration, please check out all of the people posting at Menu Plan Monday and for more great Crockpot ideas, check out Dining with Debbie, I'm linked up with her too!

52 Week Challenge: Week 38, Take Two

Ok. In all honesty, I had a completely different post written for this week. I was having a brag about my awesome new studio space and all the super cool storage I'd created for it.

But then I read Laura's post.

And although I can't be sure, I'm quite certain my husband had some direct influence on her post. It's a conspiracy, I know... And both will likely deny it, but I know - just as Laura knows her family moves her stuff so she can't find it - that it has to be.

Why?

Well, I've likely already spent my 121 hours searching for stuff... And that's just the past six months.

Things I've Lost Today (Friday, September 23):

• purse
• cell phone
• house keys
• purse again
• water bottle
• knife
• spoon

And today was a good day.

On Tuesday, I lost my bus pass, missed six buses and was 45 minutes late for work. Although I've not yet lost my corporate identification badge, I have misplaced it a few times - the worst time was when it was buried under a pile of crap on my desk.

Laura asked a few questions, that I must again reiterate, have certainly been influenced by my husband... Let's examine them.

So this week’s challenge is this:

• Identify one item that you seem to constantly be looking for. I’m curious to know what it is.
• Identify a “home” for it that makes the most sense for you. Try this tactic…ask yourself “if this item was lost, where would be the first place I’d look for it?” Maybe that’s a good place to create a permanent home? Pay attention to how you think.
• Consistently put said item back when done with it. Ahh that’s the kicker but so worth it!
• Commit to giving yourself at least 20 days to build this new habit.
• Relax and be less stressed!

1. What am I always losing? Everything. Purse, wallet, inhaler, keys. Screwdrivers, hammers, measuring tape(s), seam rippers. If it can be misplaced, I will do it... Trust me, I don't think there is a thing I own that I haven't lost... Except for our house and my sewing machines and our son.

2. I always have a home for stuff. My problem is I very often forget where. Hence why I lose so much stuff (and so frequently). My purse/wallet is likely the one I misplace the most but in my defense, I switch bags a lot. I have a messenger bag I carry to and from work and a purse I use for non work trips. I always move the wallet back and for but neither bag has a "home", per se. I try to put them in front of the appliance cupboard but they get in the way. If I had to pick a new home, I will pick the back entrance - but once it's renovated as currently, there isn't any room (my husband is Mr Marcos when it comes to shoes and jackets).

So, for the sake of argument (and this post), I will pick my... Wrist watch. I know, it's a weird thing to lose but I do - all the time (no pun intended).

3. Put stuff back... I do! My husband and son move it just to mess with me! Or maybe it is that I think I put it away - sometimes I even have visions of me doing it but when I return to where I think I put it, it isn't there...

My wrist watch will always be put on my bedside table.

4. Twenty days... Check back mid October and I'll let you know how I made out!

I commit to:

Putting my wrist watch on my bedside table every night when I get home from work. No more dumping it in the breadbox, kitchen counter, table or purse (or pocket - where I think it is now). I will make a commitment to walk the 30 steps from the back door to the bedroom to put it away. If I can't, I will leave it on my wrist until such time that I can make the trip to our room.

5. Relax and be less stressed. Ya, cause having to do something for 20 days in a row is going to cause me less stress!

Oh... You mean after the 20 days and I've built the habit... Okay, I'll try it then!

In all seriousness, I know what Laura is suggesting makes perfect sense. I know I waste an incredible amount of my time, my husband's time and certainly my son's time hunting for my stuff. In all likeliness, I'm quite certain many people in my life have spent many of their 121 hours looking for my stuff.

Fact: In high school, my two best friends had keys to my car because I could never find them when we were going out. It became easier to let my friend's have keys so we could actually make it out the door in time.

Part of my reason for participating in the 52 Week challenge was so that I could spend more time living and less time hunting, cleaning and trying to find stuff. I know my husband has the patience of a saint - he has too living with me. I can never find anything (ask me to find my glue gun - it hasn't been seen since 2007) and it drives me crazy - I can't begin to imagine how it affects the lives of those around me.

One of my famous tag lines from my old job was "Have you seen my??? Oh... Never mind, here it is. It was in the wrong pile!"

I don't want to spend another 121 hour looking for stuff. I can most certainly use those five days in a much better fashion - so today, it's my wrist watch... Tomorrow? Who knows? With these helpful hints and a potential plan of action, anything is possible!

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the encouragement and even a little public ridicule... At least I wouldn't mind seeing this on the six o'clock news!

PS For what is worth, I am always surprised when I lose something for I am always certain I put it away. The End.

52 Week Challenge: Purging "stuff"

What do you do with two full boxes of stuff you don't want and/or need any more?

Naturally, if you're married to a photographer, you have it all professionally photographed, edited and touched up and made purty!



Then, once all that is done, you commence the big PURGE.


Any guesses on what this is?

I asked Laura a question a while back about a couple of appliances I had that I never used but didn't want to part with because I might need them one day... Her advice was something along the lines of if I hadn't used them (at that point, it was 10 years) would I ever and what could be in that space that I really do use.

I didn't have the courage to ask her what to do with things I've purchased that I don't remember buying...


I'm sure I thought this was really cool when I bought it...


This little treasure involved a box of wine... Need I say more?


I know - harmless little picture frames... Except for the fact that I made these up more than 10 years ago for our old kitchen. My husband thought they looked stupid (I'd framed pictures of various spices I'd cut out from the side of a gift bag - he had no vision) so I never hung them up. Ever. I tossed them in a box... And they stayed there for eleven years...

Eleven years... Who hangs on to stuff they aren't using for eleven years?


I don't know how to do counted cross stitch.


This is a piece of very stiff, hand woven 'cloth' from the Philippines. In my defense, I bought it as part of a fundraiser the women in the cafeteria where I used to work were doing. In 2005.


Spring tension rod: 1999 New, in package...

See, if there really ever was someone who needed the 52 Week Challenge, it most certainly is me! All of this stuff (along with items like unopened Christmas ornaments from Ikea, four partially painted birdhouses, a ream of 11x17 vellum, a magic eight ball, and 17 plastic embroidery framing hoops) is diligently being posted on our local Earthcycle and Freecycle groups. because one person's junk is always another's treasure!

Thanks for stopping by!

52 Week Challenge: 34 Years of Magazines

While I've been embroiled in home renovations, my organizing has taken a bit of a back seat - that said, renovations are like the ultimate reorg of your home but this renovation is part of the 'big picture' renovation that started with me organizing my office/studio space.

So this week, as I put on the second coat of mud and read about installing wall paper, my husband set to sorting and purging his magazine collection...

I've mentioned his ginormous collection a couple of times since I started participating in the 52 Week Challenge. Today, he went through and photographed his collections... He has decidied to finally get rid of all the magazines. All of them. Assuming he can find someone to take them... If he can't he'll take them all to the recycling depot.

I didn't realize immediately that he was doing this. He kept making trips up and down the stairs (his studio is on the main floor, the periodicals were stored in the laundry room). I offered to help after the fourth time I saw him, but he declined... I think it was his way of "saying goodbye".

As I ventured upstairs to see how it was going, he said...



"1996 to 2011 - that's how long I've been collecting Jeep magazine."

I looked at the magazines stacked all over his studio. Fifteen years of magazines were strewn about in neat, orderly piles. No doubt sorted by year, then my month. He's very organized that way.

"Initially, they only published three or four a year so there aren't as many as I thought there would be." he added.

A while later, as I was preparing dinner he requested my presence in the studio.

"1991 to 2010 - 4WD and Sport Utility magazines."



Nineteen years. Who keeps 19 years worth of magazines?

My husband. The organized pack rat. I am very proud of him for doing this - it is hard to get rid of something. He started reading both magazines because of his keen interest in "off roading". He got his first Jeep in 1991 and his passion and love for four wheeling was born. Passions and people change and all our purging will make way for new adventures and excitement!

For more fantastic inspiration, check out the Organizing Junkie's 52 Week Challenge and get inspired today! Thanks for stopping in and we'll see you next week!

52 Weeks of Organizing: An Amazing Accomplishment!

This weekend, I. No.

This past weekend, we accomplished something I didn't really think was possible. We accomplished the impossible.

First, it was a team effort. I could not have done any of the work if it hadn't been for my wonderful son and my amazing husband. Everyone was involved.



This was my husband's office. This is the area that will be opened up to the rest of the family room. The picture above is of my husband going through 20 years of filing. Tax records dating back to 1990. Instruction manuals for tools that have not been in his possession for nearly 20 years. Every certificate our dog has earned in his 11 years (which always makes people ask why he is so unobedient if he's been so well trained). The receipt for my sewing machine (it was a gift from him in 1999). There was more - lots more.



There are three more full garbage/recycling bags to go out next week. Plus we've got two large boxes (and an armful) of items to be posted on our local Earthcycle group. Did I mention that I haven't actually gone through my stuff yet? That will happen after the renovation and I know just how much space I've got left.

I also believe we've got the only three year old who understands the importance of 'shredding the evidence'. ;) I'm not sure, but could this be proof of his future as a politician?



No one was harmed during the cleaning of this space. The dog couldn't find a place to lay down and the cat decided it was safer upstairs and we only lost TroubleMaker in the piles once.



I enacted Laura's PROCESS. It just so happened I had so much stuff that I literally buried the rest of the family room under my mountains of stuff. I actually exclaimed to my husband "Can you imagine if I was a real hoarder and our whole house looked like this!"

There was only a very narrow path to the laundry room and the stairs leading up to the main floor.



You can ask my husband why there is a toboggan in the middle of that picture... Since it arrived in the mail last November, it has been in my office. I'm not really sure why but since there is was so many things piled in my space, I honestly didn't realize there was a toboggan in there until we started emptying the room.

After almost an entire morning, we did something I thought was not possible. I had no idea it could be done and I'm still surprised when I looked at the pictures. We did it. We actually did it...



Just in case you don't remember just what this space looked like when I started it... Here is a refresher...




I also just realized I never took a picture of the third angle. It was SO bad that even I felt I had to hide my shame!

Can you believe the change?



I know, I know... You're wondering if the rest of the family room still looks like an episode of the Hoarders... I am proud to report it does not. I absolutely refused to stop working on the Saturday until we could find places to sit. Because we are going to be taking down walls, all of my stuff has been packed into boxes and bins and it stacked in the back corner of the room that's coming down. I will cover it with drop cloths and start the demolition this coming weekend.

By Sunday afternoon, my husband was set back up in his "new" office space and continued purging his files. He went from a four drawer vertical file to a two drawer file cabinet! He's got enough space in his new digs for a reading nook and a third desk! We'll be putting the finishing touches on his space next week.

I'm not sure how I top this week's project. I am so proud of me and my boys - this was an enormous undertaking and means significant change for our entire house. Because my studio will be open to the family room, it necessitates me to pare down my mini-craft/design store to a reasonable collection and also will force me to work and live more organized! Thanks to the PROCESS, we were able to effectively empty two spaces, purge, purge, purge and then put it all back together again in a way that will work for our family!

Although I'm not really sure where the toboggan went... Probably to the same place the pair of eyeglasses I had to return... If you see them, please call...

To see more super work and for more information about Laura's PROCESS, check out the Org Junkie's 52 Weeks of Organizing!

52 Week Challenge: Week 25 - RVing made easier! The Power of a List

I know I said I wasn't going to post this week, however, it occurred to me on the drive home from my Mom's last weekend, that I needed to get my act together regarding our upcoming vacation. I have six days before we leave - and I work five of those days and I'm meeting with a client one night this week so that leaves me Sunday to get it together...

I like lists. I love making lists, I love following lists, I love striking things off my lists. I'm a list-o-holic and I get it from my Mother. She likes lists too. She is probably the only person I know who itemizes her dinner lists so she doesn't forget to serve anything. We were at her house today for a Father's Day barbecue. She had a list - and as she got everything out, she checked it off. It was awesome and just a little inspiring!

How do I prepare for this? I make lists. Lists for what clothing we need, toiletries, food, activities, regular gear, things we need to get, toys, books, crafts, staples. There are lots of lists to be made and a bit of shopping we need to do. I have to (well, I don't have to but I do) bake for the trip - cookies are a must, granola bars, snack mix, trail mix, dog treats...

I don't have a fancy template for my lists and they aren't necessary organized in any particular fashion but I know, without a doubt, that I couldn't plan a successful trip without a list. Even the trip to my Mother's, which I've made a 1000 times, is generally done with a list... Especially if it is an overnight trip! We dared the turn-around trip without a list... And guess what?

We forgot our fur-son's food!

So, how do you organize? Are you a list junkie like me? Do you wing it?

This week, I decided to ORGANIZE my lists - what a good idea, I say! I pack the same things all the time - so why not create a master set of lists to use to make my life easier...

This week, I'm going to share with you two of my lists. The first is an RV Checklist - we have a motorhome and although it is essentially a duplicate of my bricks & sticks kitchen, I feel more secure knowing that I've double checked all the essentials before I leave. I also know the other list I can't live without is my clothing/activities list.

I've created both in a handy-pdf for everyone to download an enjoy and use to make your next trip a little more organized! Please note, the preview looks a little weird, when you open it, it is better but I'll need to revise the font type.
RV Checklist_Basic Inventory



Of course, these aren't exhaustive lists and I've already thought of 4 other things to add to the RV list (walkie talkies, matches, barbecue lighter & tongs) but it's a start and oh-so-pretty!

Clothing Checklists

Do you have a list? Are you a list keeper? Do tell and share what works for you! I'm linking up this week to the Org Junkie's 52 Week of Organizing. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

52 Week Challenge: Week 22 & 23!

This week, Laura proposed that every home needs a “command centre”. I myself had been thinking about this very thing. Last year, we implemented a family calendar – which has been an amazing addition to keeping our lives on track! Although previously, we had been digital, it didn’t always work because:

1. We’d forget appointments

2. We’d forget to invite each other so it would show in the others calendar

3. No access when the computers weren’t on

So we use “THIS” family calendar and it’s good. It’s got lots of room to write and it fits perfectly on our broom closet door (which is adjacent to the kitchen). We keep a pencil clipped to it and all appointments, meetings, classes, get-togethers, play dates and days off work get written on it. It is the bomb! My only wish is that we could amalgamate it with our phone desk. Although the phone desk doesn’t get used as a desk (remember week xx?) I like the idea of pens, note papers, address books, phone books and other implements of a good command centre all is in one place! However, until we get there, our Family Calendar keeps us organized and on track!

For my organizing chore (really, it is a chore for me – one I don’t mind, but all of it seems so laborious – thirty some odd years of disorganization will do that to a person) I’m working again on my magazines. In theory, I’ve did this last week too. I did the big box from my Mom but I still had five magazine holders of my own to do.



As I mentioned here, the session I attended with the professional organizer, stated that most people misuse magazine holders. They are not to be for long term storage – one should look through their magazines and pull out the pertinent sections. Only those should be filed in the holder. The rest of the magazine can be recycled. I thought this was sound advice.

Last Sunday, I went to the stationary store and purchased page protectors, a large binder and reusable dividers. Tonight, I finished going through the last of the holders. It's taken two weeks - working a couple hours each night - and I even went through some of the ones I did initially in Week 20 and got rid of a few more pages I thought I would keep! I am getting rid of over 100 hundred magazines and about 10 craft books. It was a tough choice to get rid of the books but most of them date back 5 or 6 years and I haven't opened them since they arrived in the mail!



I'm really working on letting go of stuff. It is stuff. It brings no happiness, joy or even use. It takes up space and reminds me of all the things I've not done (that I wanted to). But there are so many things (like making Barbie furniture out of plastic canvas) that even if I did make, I'd have no use for. My niece is getting older and the dinosaurs my son plays with don't have bendable knees to sit on furniture! Furthermore, I want to spend the time I do have (for crafting - if I ever get the basement renovation completed) doing the stuff I love!



Each week it's getting easier to let go - I just wish I had more time (and energy) to devote to it! The picture above is what I'm passing on... Sure, there might be crafts I'd like to try in those pages, but the reality is, I don't have to do the things I love - when would I find time to do the ones I might like to try???

Thank you for stopping by and to see more inspiration and great ideas, check out all of us playing along with the 52 Weeks of Organizing!