Today's list of "To Do's"

Looks very much like the last 2 days of To-Do's.  Bo-ring.  Clean, tidy, laundry, yard sale prep and paint birdhouses. 

Doesn't that just make your heart jump!  

The great part is I'm having a couple of friends over to help with the yard sale prep and I'm redeeming that from bo-ring to par-tay! 

Here's a face that's always ready to  par-tay!

Lol.  This kid cracks me up.   Enjoy your day!

Routines are a good thing. Why are they so hard for me to embrase?!

I wish I were a little more routine-ly and a little less fly by the seat of my pants-y.  It would make getting things done a little easier.  :)

I've got a lot to do this week. So I'm sharing my To Do List with you all to keep me accountable. 

The Daily Routine:

• Get up, dressed to the shoes, make up on, dragon breath eliminated.
• Feed the kids, deminish their dragon breath as well.
• Dishes washed and put away
• Table and counters washed down
• Floors Swept
• Entry Way Vacuumed
• Loads of Laundry (like 5 or so!)
• Bathrooms wiped down
• Plan for supper

This weeks list to work on:

• a craft fair to prepare for
• a parade float to help with
• kids to spend time with
• sign orders to fill 
• a garage to clean for a sale on Saturday. 

Better get busy! 

**UPDATE**

Wow, it's been one soggy day but I was able to accomplish much.  I did all of the daily routine listed above and I worked a little on each of the items for This Weeks List.  Didn't get really far with a couple of them, but I at least researched or worked a bit on them.  I put away 7 loads of laundry too.  That has to account for something!  Now, what to do with the appliances in the basement that are sitting in water from all of this rain?!
Supper is on and I'm tired.  Time for a coffee and some serious veg time. 

Little steps paid off

I have been working hard on capturing the clutter in my home and finding an orgainizing solution for my "office" collect-all.  I showed you a picture of my delimma in my Procrastinate No More post.  It went from bad to worse very quickly, but I finally came up with at least a "it will do for now" solution and I'm happy with it. 

Here was last nights mess:

And I didn't even take a picture of the entry way where I was dragging and stacking the "need to go's" nor the living room where I dumped the drawers of movies all over the couches.  (This movie mess in turn invited a slob party by the other occupants of the home in which they decided all pillows should be on the floor as well as any toy in the house should be randomly strewn on the floor to join the fun.) 

But this is what I eventually came up with:

I bought 2 accordian folders for some of the paperwork that was in the plastic drawer system I emptied as well as a pot lid organizer for paperwork that I have neatly placed on a shelf in a nearby closet.  Oh, and a plastic bin that fit inside of one of these drawers for pens.

It cost me $21 to organize this area.  It saved me a lot of money just by repurposing what I already had. 

The only downside to all of this is that my unfinished dining room sticks out like a sore thumb to me now and I have the itch to finish it.....NOW.  Uh, the perrils of renovating an old home.  The work is never done.  We keep telling ourselves to stick with one project till it is complete...but that is so hard for us to do - other projects have been just as important and we have a hard time catching our breath in between each.  (Like when you have ice forming on your outlet sockets, and you can't get the temp above 58 degrees in the winter, you know it's time to rip out some walls and insulate.  Or when 1/2 of the shingles from your roof are laying on your driveway....it may be time to put new shingles on.  Or when you have 3 kids, 3 beds, 2 dressers all crammed into 1 small bedroom....it's time to get that back bedroom up and running! ) We have so many ideas and fun things we would like to do to our home....if only we had all kinds of time and money.  HA! 

I keep reminding myself that it's not what the home looks like, it's who's in the home that counts.   God has been so good in what and who He has blessed us with.  I don't want to have my focus stuck on things that don't and won't matter in the scheme of eternity! 

Thanks for sticking with me on this....I knew I could do it and you can too! 

Stay tuned for more decluttering missions!!!

Procrastinate No More!

I have been putting off some cluttery issues that I just didn't want to deal with because they weren't an easy fix.  Yesterday after posting about Little Steps All In The Right Direction I felt invigorated to accomplish much!  I made my list (it was WAY TOO BIG but I can keep scratching things off of it all week long, so I'm OK with it)  and I set off to multitask like mad. 

I did get a lot done.  4 loads of laundry, cleaned the floors, vacuumed, dishes, mowed the lawns, squeezed in a trip to the Dr's office with 6 kids and even made time to take them all to the playground for an hour...then topped the night off with a birthday celebration for my youngest son. 

BUT I still had a couple of things looming over me at 8:30 last night.   The incubator, I mean, The fridge and the home office space which is still a mess. 

I dawned my big girl pants and attacked the fridge with a vengeance.  Filled the sink with hot soapy water and away I went.  It's not perfect, but the science experiments are all gone.  YAY! 

The office space remains the same today. 
I just don't know what to do with it.  The dining room is the only room it makes sense to have it in as it is right off of the kitchen and it's a big room, plus the other areas of the house just don't have enough room for an office.  No extra bedrooms, they're packed like cord wood with kids.  lol. 

The computers that are here need to go.  One doesn't work at all and the other (that is hiding behind that door) is a dinosaur with a mother board issue.  It's about 8+ years old too. Ha ha.  I think we've gotten our money's worth.  We paid $100 for it 6 or so years ago. So I've been downloading the necessary files off of it so I can feel free to dispose of it.  That's 1 step in the right direction. :)

I really dislike the drawer system, the basket full of scrapbooks and the clutter that is in piles on top of the printer. 

But what is the answer?  I just don't know.   There is a window to the left and it's low.  There is a fireplace beyond that so I don't really want to butt anything right up to it....it would be ugly.  I think. 

I'm looking for a frugal solution.  If you have any ideas or pics, I'd love to hear them. 

Once I get this figured out and fixed, I will be able to move on to decluttering the next room. Until then, be patient with me, I'm working on a solution.  Hopefully it won't take long. 

Little Steps All In The Right Direction.

Do you have a hard time getting anything done?  No matter what you aim to do you have to actually try in order to get there.  (Preaching to myself here) Set goals.  Refer to them often!  Post notes around the house so you are reminded about what you're aiming at.  Sitting around thinking about it doesn't get it done.  Getting sidetracked by all life throws at you won't get it done.  You actually have to set a goal (an attainable one!  So make it small for the first step.) and then set your mind to do it and GO FOR IT!

Flylady says "Housework done incorrectly will still bless your family."     So if a tidy, clean home is your aim, no worries, even if it's done incorrectly - not up to your momma's standards - every effort helps.  Keep on trucking!

I love what Dave Ramsey says in Financial Peace University:  "Do little things all in the right direction, long enough, and eventually you'll get there."


Start here today:

• Make a list of what you would like to and have to accomplish this week. 

• Where to start?  Which task takes the least amount of time?  Start there. 

• Multitask.  Start a load of laundry.  Move to another task.  When the laundry is done washing, that is your timer to stop what you are doing and go switch over the laundry.  Put in another load and start it.   If you have dried clothes, fold them right then.  Once your clothes are folded, either go and put them away (this is where I falter) or start another task or finish the one you were working on.

• When working on a task, pick the entrance of the room and work clockwise or counterclockwise, whichever is more natural for you.  I tend to work counter-clockwise. 

• Pick a time to be finished for the day.  Don't work from 7am to 10pm and expect to want to do it again tomorrow.  Pick a few minutes or hours to work on this stuff, depending on if you work outside of the home during the day or not.   Look at your list of "want to accomplish" and pick only 2 or 3 things to work on today.  It doesn't mean you have to finish those things in completion today, but at least you have a start. 

• Stop reading this blog and go do it.  :)  Can't wait to hear what  you accomplished! 

The Great Home Rescue. Get Organized Now. The Dining Room

Mission 2.  The Dining Room. 

Even though my kitchen is usually a wreck because it is used so much, my dining room tends to be where clutter really clings to.  It's hidden from those who come to the front door because I have a bar to hide it behind.  But when you get into the room...there are cluttery piles here and there because I don't know what else to do with it. 

Here is it's present state.

The Dining Room doubles for an office space as well.  The desk houses 2 computers that don't work.  Well, one will if you reboot it 8 times, stand on your left ear and snort through twizzlers all at the same time.  This to me.....is major clutter.  I dislike it SO much.  Not sure what to do with it yet. 

I just washed the floors so it doesn't look too bad from this last pic, but I didn't think to take a picture before I mopped.  Chunks of carrotts, toys, books adorned the floor.  If only that was "in" nowaday.

.

So today's mission is to declutter.  Start from one end of the room and move to the other.  Look around.  Do you love your trinkets on the shelves?  How bout that Scrabble game on top of the hutch...should it be stacked up there? 

After you get the unwanted's into a confined area, go back quickly with a rag and Pledge and wipe it all down.  You'll be glad you did. 

I'm going to go work on this now!

The Great Home Rescue. Get Organized Now. The Kitchen.

Mission One: The Kitchen

I'll start here because it seems to be the hub of the home. At least it is in my house. 
In order to see what clutter you actually have you have to have your dishes done.  Set a timer for 15 minutes (if it takes you that long) and do all the dishes and put them away.  Empty the dishwasher if you have one and make sure your sink(s) are empty. 

Now that you have that done, let's take a look at the counter top. Is it cluttered?  Look at it as if you were a guest in your home for the first time.  What do you see?  Can any of your appliances be put away in a cupboard and taken out upon usage - Like the can opener or toaster? How about the mixer?  Start from one end of the counter and work toward the other end (or in my case, the bar).  I move anything that does not belong in that area to the bar and then deal with the bar at the end. 

Once you have that done, wipe all the counters clean with your favorite cleaning solution. 

Now, before you deal with "the pile" let's do the same for the refrigerator.  Look on top, on the front etc.  Do you have pictures or papers all over the front?  Take them all off.  Set them aside.  The top of my refrigerator seems to be a collector for anything I don't want my toddler to reach.  It gets wild up there!  Today isn't so bad, but it wasn't that long ago I decluttered it.

Wipe the fridge down (outside only - the inside is a separate task for a different day).

What does your windowsill look like?  Does it have earrings, buttons and medicine bottles on it?  It should be bare when you are finished.  Wipe it down.  (I'm guilty, mine has plant starters on it right now...not all that attractive, I admit!)

Everything should have a home.  If it doesn't have one, you need to create one for it or it'll reappear right where you found it! 

Ok, let's deal with those piles now.  This is what I'm looking at: 

Papers should be filed properly where you can find them later. 
Toys don't belong in a kitchen...have a kid put them away properly.
The purse should have a home in a closet somewhere.
Tools should go to the utility room or garage or basement - where ever it's "home" is.  (yes, there are tools in this pile...lol)
Books & CD's need to be put away in their home.
Dishes that need to be returned to someone need to be taken to the car.

You can do this!  It feels GREAT when the house looks good, keep that goal on your radar and GO FOR IT!  It didn't take me that long...take it a bit at a time if it's too overwhelming.  Set your timer for 15 minutes each time & work as fast as you can.  You'll be amazed how quick it comes together!

Ahhhh! My home is swallowing me up!

Tell me you feel this way at times.  You look around and the question arises - did I do anything last week in this house?  You know you did, but the house can not prove it.  I'm going to spend some time organizing and cleaning my home and I hope you'll join me by working on yours! 

I figure the greatest reason why we have clutter is that we have too much stuff.  We are a stuff oriented society.  My motto has been if I don't use it in a year, it's going to a better home.  If it is used that seldom, ask someone else to borrow theirs!  They won't mind and you can invite them to do the same with you!


Stuff clutters our hearts, our heads and our homes.  It's gotta go.  Keep what you need.  Bless someone else with your overflow.  My last post about clutter touches on this too.  Check it out here.

I'd like to use a cute catchy phrase like 31 days to being organized but I don't know if I can be organized in only 31 days. HA! 

So, let's call this series "The Great Home Rescue. Get Organized Now."  We'll attack the house one room at a time.   If you have any suggestions about what works for you or extra areas I'm not touching on, please feel free to leave a comment so we can all learn from you or figure out a plan for your dilemma!  


So go get 3 boxes, laundry baskets or bags ready - give away, put away and throw away.  We're on a mission and we need the proper tools for the job! 

Music is good for the soul

Not everyone feels music to be such an outlet as I do, but for me, it's essential.  When I am faced with a difficult decision or if I've had a hard day, I will take time to pray about it, read my bible to see what God is telling me and then I tend to turn on my tunes. 

I don't listen to just any tunes, usually.  I have a handful of songs in my music library that are not Christ based songs and to be truthful, during these times, I have to skip them when they play.  I don't find they help my mood, my heart or my soul. 

This was the case for me the other day.  I was looking to God for some clear answers on a situation I was facing.  He answered me.  I didn't like his answer and truthfully I was kinda angry at his response. 

As I mulled over going forward with my fleshly approach or be obedient and go with what He was asking of me, I mowed my lawns.  :)  (it's always a good outlet for me to get rid of angst.) I had my ipod on and the music was blaring truth in my ears.  Matthew West was singing my prayer!!!  Stop the World.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAMg1WaEJ98

The next song I listened to was Aware by Salvador.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJwtcF3ykhU

I believe God used these two songs to quiet my angst and speak right to my heart.  I had to remember it is Him I serve and His ways are so much better than mine, He is so much bigger than my trials.  I am so thankful for the personal relationship I have with my God who is able to make good of any situation.  I am so thankful he gave us music to express encouraging words and our love to him in.