Project #3- Master Closet (Part 1)

Well, I am working on our closet. It is a really big closet so it is really full. My plan of attack is to fold all of my sweaters and put them in some baskets on one shelf. I need to organize my shoes (and get rid of some) in some way that makes them all fit. I want to group all like types of clothes together. I have a small dresser in there and I need to reposition it so it doesn't take up so much floor space. We have some extra stuff on the very top shelf. This stuff can all come down and go somewhere else. I can put things we rarely use up there.

I'm hoping Jake will work on his half of the closet. Maybe he will We'll see.

I'll keep you posted.

My Ultimate Goal

I was doing some thinking today about this blog and what my goals are. I know I listed my projects and when I wanted to be finished with them. But what happens when they are all done? Am I just going to be done? Is organizing ever really done? Probably not. I think it's like cleaning the house... never finished. It will become easier with time, but for the most part, I will always be able to organize something more or better. Right?

I would like to continue with this blog as long as I can still type. I want to become the kind of woman whom everyone knows is organized in every part of my life. I want to be a blog that many people read on a daily basis (ok in reality maybe weekly). I'd like to come up with my own organizing and decluttering ideas. This will be a very big challenge for me.

My first challenge to you is to make a comment every time you read a posting. I have two great friends who always make comments and I can't tell you how much I look forward to that. It keeps me going. I check my blog, almost on an hourly basis, after updating to see if you have read it yet. Thank you.

The second challenge is to click on the button on the top of the right margin and follow my blog. My goal is to get at least 10 comments for each posting and to have at least 20 followers. I don't have a date to end this goal. I think it's one that will need to be modified (hopefully the number will need to be raised) and will go on forever.

Let me know what you think.

My New Diet

I found a great organizing plan online today. It is called the "Clutter Diet." It is a program that sends you "meal plans" for the week. They include a main dish- such as organizing your closet and 2 side dishes- which are 10-15 minute jobs. A sensible snack takes about 5 minutes and then of course there is dessert which is your reward for the week. You can post questions on a message board and get advice from professional organizers. It is $4.95 for the first month then $14.95 each month after that. There are discounts for paying for a year up front.

I think this will be a great investment.

Impromptu Project

Well, one chapter in Organize Now is how to organize your email. Even though it isn't one of my projects, I did it today. I have to admit, I feel great. It was very liberating to get my inbox down to 3.

I use Gmail for most of my emails. It allows me to label each message I get and put it in a corresponding folder. It then allows me to color code each folder which in turn, color codes the label. So, when you glace at your inbox, your messages will be color coded with each group it belongs to.

I made sure I labeled all of the stray messages that have been staring me in the face for who knows how long. I then made new folders and put them in the correct one. I was able to clear all 400 messages from my inbox in a short amount of time.

Organize Now suggests that when you want to reply to an email, but you don't have the time, hit the reply button then immediately save it as a draft. After that, erase the original message from you inbox. This keeps the message in a "To Do" folder of sorts, you can come back to reply when you have time, and you inbox stays clean.

I always like when I have a clean inbox. It makes me feel like something is clean and organized. It's not overwhelming with all of the messages demanding attention.

Let's keep it this way.

Not Much Done...

My next project is the office closet. It is a large walk in closet. I have so many ideas for it. I plan on having an area for my craft and scrap booking stuff, an area for all of our gift wrapping paper and ribbon, and an area to hold all of my past issues of magazines (because you never know when I'll want to read that one story again). However, this weekend has kind of been shot because of this whole "we may get a barn, we may not" thing. Just got word today, he wants $8,000 more to deliver it plus extra to put it back up and he wants the money now. No thanks. Sometimes a good deal, just isn't.

Anyway, needless to say, this weekend has kind of been a waste when it comes to decluttering project #3. I'll try to do some tonight and maybe some tomorrow morning. We'll see.

Project # 2- The White Desk (Part 2)

Well, project # 2 is done, however, the desk is no longer white. It is a light, sage green.

We had old mail, work papers, and just everyday stuff piled on it. I took all of that off. I laid all of it on the floor and tried to do it that way. As you can see, the boys were trying to help me. How can I tell that face he was in my way? I made piles out of all of it: "Toss," "File," and "To Do."

I also took off all of the hardware and spray painted it. Spray paint is my new best friend. It is so easy to get a great look. I used a hammered bronze color and I love it. I used an empty box of manicotti shells and stuck all of my screws into it to hold them upright as I sprayed them. I sprayed the key hooks also. Next, I took my leftover green paint (from the 2nd time we painted the kitchen) and used that to paint the entire desk. It did take 2 coats so it required some time to dry. The color is "Restful" by Behr. It is a Kitchen and Bath finish so it is a little shinier than a satin but less than a semi-gloss. I thought this would make it easy to clean when the time comes.

I bought a few wire desk accessories and probably spent about $30 on those, but aren't they so cute?!?

This project has always been one of our biggest problem areas so I'm so relieved that this is decluttered.

I'm 2 projects down, 10 projects and 16 weeks to go. Right on track.

"Organize Now"

I was at Joann's fabric store this morning and found a book called Organize Now: A week-by-week guide to simplify your space and your life by Jennifer Ford Berry. Of course, I had to buy it.

I went out to my car and flipped to the table of contents. It sounds great! It has 52 weeks of organizing different things in your life from specific rooms, to your purse, to your bills, to your pets. I'm going to pick my way through the book and not go in order since some of them don't apply to me (i.e. my pregnancy or nursery). It seems as though each topic is only 4 pages long. That makes it seem very easy and quick.

Jennifer Ford Berry has a website you can check out and a blog.

I will be using this book to help me organize my house and find Simplicity.

If you decide to challenge yourself to declutter as well, I already highly recommend this book. Enjoy.