I love a rainy day ...

Nothing better than staying home while it pours outside and pottering in my home.



First job today -to tackle Miss E's overwhelmingly full drawers! In my defence- they were done a few months ago - but changes in seasons brings a whole new wardrobe ... + hand me downs are wonderful but they increase the clutter too!

BEFORE




AFTER




and the smaller sizes to put away *just in case*


Plus a whole garbage bag for lifeline.

What I hadn't realised was how many of her clothes are too short for her. Thank goodness she is in uniform 5 days a week! But I do think I need to get her a couple of tracksuits and a few skivvies to get us through winter!

My Gran challenge - bed, table +1

My challenge to learn from the wisdom of my Gran is back. Well, it's back now that I can find my table, and all the tools that were on top of it have gone. It was a trifle difficult for a while.

A clean table.


(ready and waiting for Valentine's Day and our Anniversary)

Beds all made.



And I am adding - sink is shined and counters are cleared.


I want to start as I mean to go on.


Just three little things - and my house is one step closer to being tidy all the time.

Baby steps.

Once there was a little girl...

Who had the most beautiful pooh-bear nursery ever ... created with love by her Gran.



Now - that girl is starting school on Thursday ...

And she asked me today if she could take her pooh bear down - because she isn't a baby anymore. She's a big school girl.

Well, who could resist that?

Lucky I had put a few things aside I bought on sale, ready for the day I would create a big girl room for my girl.







It's a work in progress. But she looks pleased!

My "Gran challenge - update"

I'm living in a bit of chaos right now . Tomorrow my kitchen will be demolished. Today I am trying to sort us to live kitchenless with guests for a few days.

In the meantime, this challenge is keeping me sane. At least I can control something! I really encourage you, if you are feeling overwhelmed find SOMETHING you can control. Flylady shines her sink. This is working for me.

6.45am Saturday



Table is pretty under control. (note - table runner changed due to unfortunate playdough incident - no permanent harm ... but it made a mess!)


The letters are staying there. I NEED to post them today! If I tidy them away they will be forgotten. Again.

Miss E's toys were put away (by Miss E) immediately after this photo was taken.

The bed is made. And what a difference it makes. I once read the bed takes up 80% of the average bedroom. So if your bed looks tidy, it goes a long way to your room looking tidy.




Kitchen updates and before pics to come later - plus how I have "organised" life so we can still function, sans kitchen!

Oh, and just some Gran love for you today ....

From morn till night, may your life be bright, and misfortune never frown.
May the sweet content of a day well spent, be yours as the sun goes down.

Wishing you all a day that brings you that sweet contented feeling by nightfall today.

My Gran ... and a challenge

When it comes to the home I want to have, this is my hero. This is my Gran. There was nothing fancy about my Gran's home. No fancy trappings. No new furniture. No amazing new organising gadgets.

But it was a home that every single person who ever visited felt welcome in. It was clean. It was tidy. It was uncluttered. Even when gran was finding it tough to get around she still got things done. She just did them in her own time and at her own pace.

Steady as she goes.

She rose early. She always had time for a coffee and a chat. Her home was organised. It was clean. So that when we came around she had the time to make us the most important people in her world. Ever.

Gran's home meant love to me. Love, and time to listen.

That's what I want people to think of my home as.

So, in my sentimental haze today ... I started remembering the advice Gran used to give me. There was a lot of it, never a lecture ... just a little tip dropped here and there.

On one such day she told me the key to having a welcoming, clean home, was always start the day with a well made bed, and with a tidy kitchen table.

So this is my challenge this week. I am going to try (and with a new kitchen coming in I will have to try!) to keep my table clean, and my bed made. That's it. Simple.

I started tonight. My table is cleared, with something I love on it



My bed is made. (and yes I did make it at 7pm at night ... in my defence my husband was still in it when I started this morning!
.

I miss my Gran. But I am so blessed to have had her. And I know (despite the work I have to do) she would be proud of me. How do I know? I can hear her words now "ALL our kids are wonderful Kathy. All of them". Go hug your kids. They are Wonderful! And we are blessed cause the world has Grans.

Handbag organisation

I loves me a cute bag or two! (or more!)

And I have a weakness for cute handmade bags too.

Before they were in several different cupboards - I had no real system.

This handbag organiser was about $15. Well worth it. Handmade on one side, leather etc on the other.

The thing I love about it is it places limits too. When I run out of compartments in the organiser, I either need to not buy any more, or start to cull.

And limits are a GOOD thing in MY life!

Clutter baskets

I have no idea but that man I love has exactly one trillion cables throughout our home.

And I really don't understand it - but most of them seem to live in our bedroom :(

I've come to realise that some habits you just need to work with. And this is one of them. So in the spirit of "if you can't beat 'em ...." I've given him his very own clutter basket.




Now I can be happy - because the cables have a home and aren't spread everywhere ...

And he can be happy because they are right there in the bedroom where he "needs" them to be ;)

(and just to make ME happy - it's pretty and pink!)

Sigh ... isn't that better!

Getting ready for school

My beautiful girl starts school in two weeks.

So I'm doing my best to set up systems that will work for us. Here is one.
The organiser was from Big W I think but you can find them in lots of places. It used to hold baby blankets etc.




Now I have set it up so her school tracksuits are in one section, clan shirt in another, school shirts in another and socks, shoes and hankies down the bottom.

This is really simple and very uncluttered so I hope it makes it easy for Miss E to get ready for school. (and for daddy when I am doing an early shift!)

Today .... the spare room closet

This is the closet we use to store the clothes Eliana has grown out of, and a lot of our baby stuff *just in case*.

Oh - and jackets and formal dresses - stuff we don't use every day.

I don't have a before picture. If I told you that I pray a little before I open the door to put something else in would you understand?? Or that you open the door, throw it in fast and then close the door as quick as you can???

(tell me - don't we all have a closet like that? OK - some of you don't - but I did. (did - don't now!) :)

So - this is the after.




And this is a bed full of stuff ready to go to the garage to wait for our yard sale.

Miss E's bedroom - the shelf unit

Miss E's bedroom needs some serious decluttering.

She is past the toddler stage ... and moving onto big girl toys (my girl starts prep soon!) so we really need to re-evaluate what we are keeping.

Plus we have a stack of baby things hidden in her wardrobe, and with no sibling so far we only want to keep the bare minimum just in case.

Step one was this expedit unit (from ikea - we love this unit by the way - have used it in so many rooms in so many ways!)

Before (top of unit)



Before



After



I love how by turning it sideways she now has a home for her gorgeous dollhouses. The dolls you see to the right now live in one of the pink boxes so they are no longer there. Her school bags will have a home in one of the boxes.

So far so good. I'm much happier!
And one garbage bag of toys/clothes/baby stuff to sell, and one in the bin!

Use the good stuff ....

I was reminded to write this post from reading this post on getting organised http://loopdelou.blogspot.com/2010/01/use-good-things.html

As I was going through cupboard I found a beautiful silver and glass dish we were given for our wedding 10 years ago. For 10 years it has moved from cupboard to cupboard as it was too good to use.

I was briefly consdering donating it as it got no love when I had a brainwave.

And now I use it every day. And I enjoy it. And I love it.




And the best thing is now they are on disply I wear my beads almost every day too!

Use the good stuff ladies. Life passes by just too fast to keep it in boxes.

Clutter Kicker's challenge

A challenge was issued by clutter kicker on an online forum I go to. http://clutterkickers.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-have-i-done.html

The challenge was to attack an area 5 min at a time. Progress not perfection.

Most of the mess ended up being clothes that had fallen down, bags and backpacks and Paul's shoes.

This area had become a dumping ground. It was pretty bad - not sure I want to post a before!


And this is the after - the white box on the right is for Paul to put his shoes in once he has sorted which ones he is keeping.




And I am going to install hooks on the inside of one door to hang his backpacks on.

So much better!