What You'll Find at My House

There's a pet alien in a jar sitting next to my computer.  I have a model dinosaur in my book shelf.  There are squinkies on the stairs.  One lone red sock on the coffee table, a stack of misc. cards, a snack cup with crumbs in it.  There's one leftover cupcake on the kitchen counter, some flash cards on the island and a stack of library books too.

But that's not all you will find in my house.

You'll find laughter.  LOUDNESS.  Creativity, encouragement, and celebration.  Sometimes tears, and then comforting.  Acceptance.  Helping hands, Open hearts, and camaraderie. 

Most of all, inside these walls, you will find LOVE.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." -John 13:34


  

Pockets to Fill

Today Rachael Anne over at Home Sanctuary challenged us to sit down and make a list of what we can do in 5, 10, and 15 minute "pockets" of time.  While I have done this exercise before, I thought it would be fun to take my first floor main rooms and group some "pockets" together.  Then I went back and looked at my last pockets list that I made here a few years back.  What a fun comparison to make!  I was in a different season and different home back then so I had a few things on my list that didn't come up this time.  But for the most part, a lot of the things I listed were the same quick tasks as before.  I just grouped them by room to help me maximize my pockets of time better. :)

Here's what my list looks like now:
In the Kitchen:
Load the dishes/wipe down the sinks
Wipe down the counters
Clean the stove top
Clear off the island
Wipe down the appliances
Empty the dish rack
Wipe the dining room table & straighten the chairs
Change the calendar (Wipe off white board, once a month)

In the Living Room:
Stack attack! (Sort papers)
Dust the phone table and the coffee table
Wipe down the phone
Straighten the book shelves
Check the answering machine for messages (Which often gets forgotten!)

In the Main Bathroom/Laundry Room:
Load/Move along laundry
Wipe down washer/dryer
Straighten counter top/wipe it down
Clean the mirror
Clean the toilet
Replace light bulbs

In the Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
Make the bed
Pick up any stray clothes and put away or in laundry
Straighten bathroom counter top/wipe it down
Clean the mirror
Clean the toilet
Straighten the towels

Other:
Clean out purse
File receipts
Clean out/organize a "junk drawer"
Schedule a dentist/doctor appointment

What a fun exercise and a great reminder that you don't have to have big pockets of time to accomplish Small Things that build Sanctuary in your home!

Homekeeping Mission statement 2013

We've been talking about setting up a "real world housekeeping schedule" over at Home Sanctuary.  Last week Rachel Anne walked us through several simple steps of putting together a reasonable plan that fits our current lifestyle and allows time to "breathe," which is her theme of the year.

I have to say, I've been tweaking mine, and adding to it, and moving things around to see where they best fit in to my own simple plan.  Every day I seem to realize something that I forgot to schedule in and I am tempted to make things more complicated and difficult on myself.  But I have to remember that it is not about having an immaculate house, it's about turning this place we call home into a sanctuary. 

When we were done creating our schedule at the end of last week, I asked Rachel Anne to re-visit the small thing of writing a homekeeping mission statement.  I wrote one years ago when I started following along with the Small Things, and then again in 2011.  That was before we moved here, so I wanted to make sure that mission statement still fit my current season.  I didn't change it all that much, just tweaked a few words and re-wrote it in the present tense.   I like how Rachel Anne did that with hers...it had a nice ring to it.

Here's my final draft:

"Our home is a peaceful, simply organized, warm and inviting sanctuary. It is a safe haven where relationships are valued and unconditional love and acceptance are shown. We strive together to maintain a reasonable housekeeping schedule and share responsibilities to keep clutter at bay.  It is creatively decorated and affordably furnished to provide a relaxing living environment for our family and all who pass through our doors."    


I think it really reflects how I feel about what I desire our atmosphere to be here at home.  When I wrote my mission statement two years ago, I had the "three legged stool" in mind that Rachel Anne so lovingly refers to on her blog: peace, order, and beauty.



(This artwork is courtesy of Rachel Anne Ridge at homesanctuary.com)

Now all I have to do is to carry out my mission statement one small thing at a time!

"By wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches."
-Proverbs 24:3-4

 



The Playroom!

We have this little room above our garage that immediately became the kids' playroom when we moved in last Summer.  Because it is not heated, it got a little neglected over the Winter.  Every time someone would go to put something away, it would just get tossed in there instead of put back in its place.  That's how it ended up like this...

Before

For the past two weekends I have asked the kids to give me an hour a day to work on the mess.  At first, it was really hard to know where to begin.  With some loving direction, they sorted, organized, threw out trash, and finally got it all clean.  Now it looks like this...

You can see the floor!

Games, Craft Supplies and Puzzles

Reading and Drawing Corner

I'm so extremely proud of my kiddos for a job well done!  Just in time to enjoy it with company next weekend!  Way to go!

I could still use one more set of shelves in there for storage, but that'll have to wait.  Garage sale season will soon be upon us and I'll keep my eye out for just what I need.

My March Project(s)

One of my favorite bloggers, Rachel Anne, over at Home Sanctuary, is encouraging her readers to "March to the Finish" in March.  At the beginning of this month she asked us to join her in picking one project that has been put off and take steps to getting it done.  My first choice was the garage mess that has been haunting me since we moved in last June.  We unpacked everything we needed, and the rest of the boxes got stacked in the garage to be gone through at a later date.  We also inherited 50 boxes or so of a game that my husband created with his best friend several years ago.  A lot of them sold, but now there is the question of what to do with the ones that didn't.

Anyway, I've made a little progress on emptying out some boxes, getting rid of trash, and general cleaning.  My next step will be to start opening up boxes and take a good chunk of what we don't use to a local charity.  I wish I could say that I pounded it all out in one weekend, but that would be impossible.  I will say that this project inspired me/my husband to work hard last weekend and get some other things off our list.

1.  He primed our bold blue guest room to ready it for a fresh coat of paint, hopefully this weekend.
2.  We planted some starters for tomatoes and peas.
3.  I raked up the massive leaves pile in our front yard, which filled a large waste can and four more bags.
4.  My husband sprayed around the outside of the house to rid of the annoying box elder bugs and defend against other pests.

In general, we got a lot accomplished around the house.  It was nice to work together as a team and get things marked off our list.

Other things I want to work on this Spring (not necessarily March):
1.  Re-paint the boys' dressers and install new hardware.
2.  Put a splash of color in my daughter's bedroom.
3.  Decorate the downstairs.  (There is currently nothing on the walls.)

I suppose I better stop adding things to my list before I get overwhelmed!  This house is bigger than our last, so I sometimes have a hard time just keeping up with the general housework, let alone getting extra projects done start to finish. 

What projects are currently on your list?  Is there something you need to start, or simply put the finishing touches on that you could mark off your list this month?  I'd love to know.

Have a great weekend!


~Melissa

A Pantry Filled With Love

Labor Day weekend we went over to my In-Laws and canned sweet pickles.  It is actually a three day process, and let me tell you, I'm glad that we did it at their house instead of mine.  Mostly because it stinks!  Her kitchen smelled like vinegar for hours!  I gladly endured the smell for a time though, in exchange for 16 beautiful jars of pickles. :)

After pricing out what a jar of peaches cost now a days, I talked my Mother in Law into helping me can some for my pantry.  I'd done it once before with my Sister-in-Law while living in Spokane.  There's something satisfying about grabbing a jar of fruit from the pantry that you know how much hard work went into it, and exactly what ingredients! 

The three boxes of peaches we bought on Tuesday were ripe enough a day early on Thursday to peel and can.  Luckily, my MIL was willing to change her plans and come over to take care of things!  We used the small kitchen in the basement to work.  I'm told that it's the perfect "canning kitchen." 

Originally my Sister in Law had planned to come out and can applesauce with us, but she was unable to make it. That left us with 4, 40lb boxes of apples to make into applesauce!  We gave one to a friend of mine and set to work on the rest yesterday, bright and early.  My MIL arrived at 8:00am, ready with the supplies needed.  We set up the kitchen and recruited everyone to help.  The kids removed stickers from the apples while my MIL and I sliced them for boiling.

Once we got the first pot boiled, my MIL taught me how to use the "Victoria."  It was a very impressive machine!  You put the boiled apples in the funnel, core, seeds, peels and all.  The sauce comes out one end, while the waste comes out another.  We took turns cranking the handle...even RL and JS gave it a try!  It was definitely a family event. :)

After we had enough applesauce, we poured it into jars and began the processing.  I would have to say, one of my favorite parts of the day was celebrating when we would here the "popping" noise of a jar sealing.  It was a very fun filled day and I am so thankful that my MIL is willing to come over and take the time to teach me the art of canning.  It is a very useful skill to have, and very cost effective.  

Cost of peaches including fruit and supplies: Just under $1.50/jar.  In my local grocery store right now, a jar of Dole Sliced Peaches goes for $3.59!

Cost of applesauce per jar including fruit and supplies: $0.58!  Yes, that's 58 cents per jar!  I don't know what applesauce is going for in the store right now, but it's not that!  It would have been even less, but we left some apples for slicing and dehydrating as snacks this week. :)

Time spent with family learning a valuable skill: priceless!

Now that I have all these wonderful jars of pickles, peaches, and applesauce, I needed a pantry space to store them.  I decided to make over a room at the bottom of my stairs that already has built in shelves.  It originally had paint in it, but it serves much better as a pantry!  Now, I have the perfect pantry filled with lots of love! :)

Before

After

The Other Side of After

Company Girl Coffee - Moving

I've known for 4 months now that I will be moving next month.  Slowly but surely I've been packing what we don't need and getting rid of what we will never need again.  I've taken countless trips to Good Will, and I've thrown away numerous bags of trash.  Now that we're down to three weeks, I am anxious to just pack it all up and be done with the moving part. 

I'm ready to close the chapter here and turn the page to our new life in another town, another home.  But oh, this home has been good to us for almost 7 years now.  It's given us room to grow from 3 children to 5.  We've been able to open our doors to family members, and help out a friend by letting them live with us.  We've had New Year's celebrations with friends and hosted many game nights.  There were BBQ's and S'mores in the Summer and snowmen and Hot Cocoa in the Winter.  Yes, we have lived well here.

I am looking forward to those things and more in our new location.  We are moving to a smaller town, with family only 5 minutes away.  We're looking at a quiet, safe neighborhood where I can let my kids ride their bikes without worry.  If we are blessed enough to get the home we want, it is even more spacious than the one we live in now, with plenty of room for my children to grow into teens.  It will be fun to re-connect with old friends from when we lived their before and meet their children.

There are a lot of uncertainties ahead of us, but this I know:  God has facilitated this move, and He is guiding us every step of the way.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." -Psalm 48:14 

Following His Lead,
~Melissa 

Housekeeping Matters

The words "She keeps her house immaculate" resonated through my mind as I worked swiftly, cleaning the kitchen and dining room this morning.  Questions like "Does she keep a schedule," "What supplies does she use," and "Did she keep it that clean when she had children in the home?" arose in my mind as I pondered what "immaculate" meant to the commenter.  I cleaned what I can only assume was boogers off my dining room wall today.  What more could anyone ask for than a booger-free wall?

Seriously though.  Could I do a better job at keeping my house clean?  Sure.  Immaculate, no.  But there is always room for improvement.  I asked my husband last week if there was one or two things around the house he wished I would do more often, or better.  I gave him complete freedom to hand out any suggestions he wanted, and told him I would take no offense whatsoever.

He suggested vacuuming 2x a week instead of one, and making sure the kids pick up their things before bedtime on a consistent basis.  How helpful!  Those are both easily done!  I don't think he expects me to keep the house immaculate.  If he did, that would be asking way too much at this stage in our lives.  I sure can do my best to keep a reasonable housekeeping schedule though.  It all goes back to my housekeeping mission that I revised at the beginning of the year.

"I want my home to be peaceful, simple, and cozy.  I will value my relationships with my husband and children by showing them unconditional acceptance.  I will maintain a reasonable housekeeping schedule and designate chores to keep clutter at bay.  I will decorate tastefully and affordably creating a relaxing environment for my family and all who enter my home."

Peaceful, simple, cozy.  These are attainable goals.  I think many of us look around and compare ourselves with others far too often.  What is a reasonable schedule for me may be different for a single mom, working mom, or otherwise.  If we set goals that are too unreasonable, then we are only setting ourselves up for failure.

Proverbs 31: 17 says "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks."

There is always work to be done.  For me, what matters is that I decide what I am going to do, and then do it well.  Even if it's the task of wiping boogers off my walls! :)

Blessings,
Melissa

P.S. If you've never set up a house-keeping schedule of your own but would like to, pop over to Home Sanctary and start the process with this post.  You'll be glad you did!

Company Girl Coffee 2.11.11

T.G.I.F! I'm happy to have made it to the end of the week. I have been trying to stick with my 28 in 28 challenge, despite this cold that we're passing around. We've thrown out plenty of garbage, packed boxes of things we don't need and stored them in the garage for the move, and bagged/boxed up items to donate. I am going to reach well beyond my goal of 28 bags by the end of this month.

Today was the 100th day of school. LR was so excited! She's been looking forward to it for some time now. The kindergarten classes celebrated together with a popcorn party and lots of activities involving the number 100.

This morning with my 4yr old I finished off one of the hardest puzzles we've ever done. It took us a few days to complete it. Everyone pitched in to help. We didn't realize until we were half way into it that all the pieces had two holes and two prongs. It made it rather difficult because they all seemed alike. The picture was also a lot like a painting, so the colors all blended together. I'm glad it's done. Now we can move on to the next one! :)

Today we got an offer on my dad's house. I'm happy that there is a couple interested in buying it but I have mixed feelings about the possibility of that chapter of my life being closed. I have a lot of fond memories involving that old house. Growing up we would go and visit my Grandma there and after she passed away, my dad moved in. I was living in Seattle at the time, so I would go over and just hang out with him. I miss my dad so much. It's hard to say goodbye to a home that has been such a big part of my life, but I know the memories will remain stored up in my heart forever.

Speaking of memories, we only have two Sundays left at our church. Last week was my husband's final sermon. He did a great job. He got a little choked up when he was talking about how it's God's will for us all to be plugged in at a church. We are going to miss our church family so much! Our time there has been wonderful.

Things are really coming together for the new store. My DH has been planning and ordering, preparing for the big convention that he and my Father in Law will go to in two weeks. They will be ordering all the product for the store there. When they return home from that, they will begin setting up shelves and preparing for opening day! It's all so exciting!

Well, I've got to be moving on to the next thing on my list, but I'm looking forward to getting around for coffee this week. Have a great weekend all! Thanks for stopping in to visit. :)

~Melissa

28 in 28 Update

Well, we are slowly but surely packing and purging. I love my husband for getting on board and helping me along with my goal to slim things down around here! He has taken the laundry room on as his personal project. Funny, it was exactly a year ago that I went through the laundry room and did a massive clean up myself. We have such a large, long laundry room that it collects anything and everything! He's already thrown out two big bags of trash.

I started in on the kitchen and have already weeded out a box of old appliances/pots and pans that I no longer use. That was just from one corner cabinet (two shelves and a lazy susan). I still have plenty of spaces to go. It's funny how much we keep around, even though we don't use it.

I'm having trouble convincing my kids that some things just aren't important enough to keep around. For example...Valentine's Day is just around the corner. We still have some valentines floating around out there from last year because my kids have trouble getting rid of anything that's been given to them as a "gift." Just yesterday my 9 year old daughter informed me that she was going to keep the empty heart box that held the chocolates her Nana brought to her because it's "pretty." Anyone have suggestions as to how to get them to throw stuff away without hurting their feelings and seeming harsh?

I've lost track of what number bag we're on at this point...I know it's more than 9. Still more to come though...we've been here six and a half years now. This clean up was long over-due!

28 Bags in 28 Days - Day 1!

"The greatest wealth is to live with little, for there is never want where to mind is satisfied." -Lucretias

Hello! I'm super excited to say that I began my 28 day challenge today! I divided my house into zones, and my zones into areas, and today I tackled the entryway closet. Believe it or not, I filled a large kitchen trash bag with items to donate that were outgrown or simply not being used. I straightened the shoes and threw out trash that mysteriously makes its way into the closet. I also went through the scarves, hats and mittens tub and found a few items to give away. My "to donate" bag will go right out to my van when I head out to pick up my kids from school.

Yesterday, I was so excited that I couldn't resist getting a little jump start on purging. I began by cleaning out our craft drawers in the dining room and sorting crayons, markers, and other art supplies. Yes, I sorted my kids' crayons by color. I divided the loot in half and put some back in their crayon bucket and some in a travel size container. The markers found a nice home in a used Pirouette tin. I love reusable containers! I also filled our kitchen trash can with old coloring books and other papers and projects that didn't make the "keep" cut.
That's all I have to report today. I probably won't post every day, but I wanted to get off to a good start.

You're welcome to join in the fun this month. I look forward to reporting my progress, and the great feeling I'll have when it's all done!

28 Bags in 28 Days

Good morning! And welcome to Company Girl Coffee! I'm on my second cup this morning, as I didn't get a very good night's sleep last night. It was one of those nights where I had way too much on my mind to sleep. I thought about blogging, but it may not have made much sense at 4:30am. I am not much of a morning person!

We're nearing the end of January. For me, January is a month of getting back on track with routines and schedules. Kids are back in school and I find myself thinking about a little early Spring Cleaning. This year, the "urge to purge" has hit me very hard, since we will be moving in June. I've come up with a little February Challenge for myself that I think will be a lot of fun.

I call it 28 bags in 28 days. I know, not a very original name. I'm not going for idea of the year here though. Actually, I can't even take credit for the idea. It's a combo of several things I've tried over time. I've taken cues from FLYlady and divided my home into zones. The idea to do a certain number of bags in a certain number of days came from my friend over at Clover Lane who did this challenge herself last year during Lent. As suggested in several organizing books that I've read, I will be using the "give away, throw away, and put away" method. I picked February because of a fun contest Org Junkie did last year with one space in your home.

28 days, 28 bags. Four weeks of glorious purging. Doesn't that sound fun? After all, I can't take it with me to heaven, so might as well slim it down to the bear minimum to move. I'll be sharing it right here as I go, so stay tuned for more excitement! :)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:19-21

Have a great weekend all!

~Melissa

Sanctuary in the Middle of Change

I've been thinking a lot this week about my Homekeeping Mission Statement for 2011. The first time I wrote one, was back in 2008, when I joined the Company Girl fun and dove into Small Things.

Back then, I had a one year old, a three year old, a four year old, a five year old, and a six year old! Needless to say, I needed that mission statement to keep me sane! Today, my children are a little older, and four out of five of them are in school. Though the wording has changed some, the main statement (in bold) has stuck with me.

HOMEKEEPING MISSION 2011
I want my home to be, peaceful, simple, and cozy. I will value my relationships with my husband and children by showing them unconditional love and acceptance. I will maintain a reasonable housekeeping schedule and designate chores to keep clutter at bay. I will decorate tastefully and affordably, creating a relaxing environment for my family and all who enter my home.

Do you recognize the three elements in the beginning? They may be different words, but they are still the same three legs of an old reliable stool. Peace, Order, and Beauty. You can find the origin of this story on Rachel Anne's Blog.

And now for my big announcement:
My family will be moving to a new location in June of 2011! We have the opportunity to begin a new business adventure in my husband's home town, where his parents still live. I will be blogging more about it in the future, but today I simply wanted to share the good news with you over coffee.

Over the next several months, I will be living out my Homekeeping Mission Statement while I pack, organize, and slim down our belongings. I'll be honest with you. Maintaining sanctuary in our home while preparing for the big move will be a challenge. Hopefully, with a little patience and a lot of prayer, this Company Girl will be able to keep peace, order, and beauty alive in the middle of it all. :)

May all of your homes be blessed in 2011!
~Melissa

The Little Bitty Small Thing

I've been a follower of the blog Home Sanctuary for a while now. It's a very helpful blog where the author, Rachel Anne, posts what we Company Girls like to call the Small Thing of the day. It involves completing a task that applies to one or more areas of bringing Peace, Order, or Beauty to your home. All three of those areas then work together to create "Sanctuary" in your home.

The fun thing about it is that there are points and prizes involved! :) Since it's a new month, I thought I'd just take a minute and talk about today's Small Thing.

Straighten your kitchen chairs or bar stools. That's it. 10 points a pop! Doesn't get any easier than that. I collected 90 points today in about 2 minutes.

So, if you're interested in maintaining Peace, Order, and Beauty in your home during what can be an otherwise chaotic season, stop in and visit Home Sanctuary and join the fun. You'll be glad you did!

~Melissa

A Good Working Attitude

If only I could do windows with a smile like that! :)

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," -Colossians 3:23

Safety First!

This week my children learned about fire safety in school. Yesterday one of my sons approached me a little concerned and asked "Mom, does Dad check those white things on the ceiling regularly to make sure they work?" It took me a minute to figure out that he was talking about our fire alarms. I told him yes, but he wasn't satisfied. "But does he check them every week? Because if there's a fire, we want to be safe."

His persistence made me smile. We have talked about exit strategies and where we would meet, and other fire safety rules. Should there ever be a fire in our home, (which I hope and pray never happens) we will be ready for it. I believe it is important to educate my children here at home about safety matters, and I'm glad they teach it in school also.

Apparently, after a week of discussing fire safety, someone thought it would be a good idea to have our own personal fireman watching over us. Let me explain with photos.

Do you see him there, at the top right corner of the fireplace? Here...I'll move in a little closer for you.

When I questioned my son about it this morning he said that the fireman was making sure we are safe. That's my boy! Safety first! :)

Have a great day everyone...and be safe!

To Keep, or Not to Keep...Sentimental Attachments

I have been thinking a lot lately about the reasons why I keep things. I would not consider myself a "pack rat" by definition. (A collector of miscellaneous useless objects, according to Dictionary.com) I would, however, fit into the category of someone who keeps things for sentimental reasons.

In the past 24 hours I have read two articles that addressed this issue. One was about making decisions regarding sentimental clutter, and the other was OrgJunkie's article on letting go of stuff and clutter excuses. When addressing the issue of emotional attachment, OrgJunkie said "Our memories are so wrapped up in physical material possessions…..that isn’t where the memory is and you know it. It’s in your heart…the stuff just triggers the memory for you….so many of us are afraid we will forget."

That's me. I tend to keep things because they trigger an emotional memory for me. Perhaps I think one day I will not be able to recall certain moments in life unless I have a physical item to cling to. Maybe I just have a hard time letting go because I wish that I could hold on to the past. Some things I have kept simply because they remind me of a loved one that has passed away.

I'm working on it. I don't save cards anymore unless they have a special, hand written letter in them, (like the ones from my grandmother) and those have a small box that houses them. I no longer collect key chains or other souvenirs when we go on vacation. If I really want something I buy a t-shirt instead and then when it's worn out and its usefulness to me is gone, I toss it. I take pictures of my kids' special projects and store them on my computer instead of in a box.

This challenge has really got me looking around my house and asking myself a lot of questions about the things I own. I'm finding myself on the road to simplicity and I think I'll like it there once I arrive!

What is your #1 reason for keeping things around?

Monday Miscellany

It's Monday, and I'm ready to face another week! If only I hadn't stayed up so late last night!

Do you like the new look of my blog? I figured, as long as I'm giving my laundry room a makeover, I might as well do the same for my blog! Thanks, A, for letting me be your guinea pig as you learn a new program! :) I love how colorful it is.

Speaking of the laundry room, I'm still making progress. I have cleaned off the desk and am ready to take it apart. The huge "L" shape just does not fit well in there, so for now, we'll just keep the hutch. I'll be spending quite a bit of time down there today doing laundry, so hopefully I'll get a lot more accomplished.

I took Saturday off from the project to spend the morning at a friend's house making projects of a more creative kind. My sweet friend A (the same one who designed my blog) let me use her craft supplies to make valentine boxes for my kids. Last year the valentines that they brought home got spread all over the house. This way, they can be kept in their special containers. Thanks again A!

Today over at Home Sanctuary Rachel Anne is helping us Menu Plan for an entire month! I tend to be a weekly planner, (I have about 9 weeks of menus, recipes, and grocery lists saved on my computer so far) but if you've never menu planned before, her instructions are a great way to start! Then there's no guess work involved in what's for dinner. :)

Well, I had best get started on my laundry and other chores for the day!
Have a great week all!
~Melissa~

Company Girl Coffee 2.5.10

Welcome! Come on in and have a virtual cup of coffee or tea and visit for a while. It's been a busy week here. It was packed full of appointments, lunch dates, and school awards assembly. I also worked on my new project, the laundry room. Many of you know Org Junkie. This month I joined her 28 day Organizing Challenge. You can just scroll down to read about my progress, or take a look at my before pictures.

In my perfect world, the laundry room would be spotless, with cupboards for this, and shelves for that. There would be a beautiful tile floor and neat, organized stations for laundry, household supplies, and perhaps even some linen storage. I dream of stainless steal, front load washer/dryer on pedestals so that I can do the laundry with ease. It's a picture perfect, sparkling room right out of Home and Garden magazine!

But let's get real here...

I am lucky to have a fairly large sized laundry room. It runs almost the full length of my basement. There is plenty of room for junk, um, I mean storage, under the stairs. I've got floor to ceiling shelves at one end of it that serve as my overstock pantry. Plus, even though it's under ground, there are two windows to let the sunlight in. The problem is, since the room is so large, it has become a collect-all space! Thus, the reason for my joining in the challenge.

Yesterday a friend of mine came over and together, we came up with a plan. It has three phases, and I will be sharing them here. Stay tuned this month for the great transformation! :)

What's your "catch all" room in your house?

Have a great weekend everyone!
~Melissa~

The Laundry Room, Day 3

I thought I'd post an update on how my laundry room is coming along. I'm having so much fun with this challenge! If you don't know what I'm talking about, just scroll down to the next post and take a look at my before pictures.

On Monday I started by just picking up any obvious trash that I could find. Not just trash, but broken toys and full coloring books and whatever else looked worn out and no longer able to be used. That filled up one bag.

Then yesterday I dug in and began to go through some of the containers on my shelves. I threw out any expired food in my pantry overstock and re-arranged the food in an orderly manner. In my household supply overstock I threw away any expired medicines and old lotions. I also went through all my cleaning supplies and took inventory of what I have and what I need.

Today I picked up any stray toys and returned them to their proper homes. I packed up a few files that we have to keep for another 5 years but won't need to get into unless we get audited and moved them to the garage. I sorted the dress-up box and tossed any torn, unusable items in it.

When my DH got home, I discussed the idea of separating the parts of the desk (which is a whole other mess) and just keeping the hutch up so that the kids would still have a place for their computer and playstation, but it would take up less space. He agreed.

Tomorrow I have a good friend that I trust coming over to help me take inventory of what I should keep, give away, sell, move, or just plain throw out. She's also going to help me come up with the best way to use the space with the furniture and storage containers that I already own. Yay!

Progress! I'm feeling better already. Well, that is, until I have to confront what's lurking under my stairs...but I'll save that for another post.