Trouble Shooting

There are these places around our house that are trouble spots for me.  I think Flylady calls them "hot spots".  For one reason or another they bug me.  Either clutter collects in these spots, or stuff piles up, or they just look messy.  The other day I tackled a couple of them and I thought I would share with you what I did.

The first one is the spot where we keep doll clothes.  

Lovely, right?  All of the clothes were kept in large Ziploc bags.  Whenever the girls play dolls they dump all of the clothes out into the floor.  Even though they are good about picking the clothes up when they are finished there was just something about this sight that got under my skin.  I decided to go to Target and find a plastic container that would be a good fit in this little section of the bookshelf to hold the doll clothes.

I was super excited when I found this since it is a perfect match to the girls' room.  Isn't that just so much more pleasing to the eye?  Ahhh...yes.

I had to laugh (and snap a pic) when I saw the way Olivia was putting everything into the container.

She is her mother's daughter.

Another trouble spot for me was the door to the girls' room.  The backpacks and tote bags and every other thing was being hung on the door handle.  Most of the time I couldn't even shut the door without removing all kinds of stuff.




As I was thinking about where to put all of these items I remembered some drapery hold backs I had purchased at a garage sale back in the summer.

I paid 25 cents for these...can you believe it?

I never intended to use these for drapes (seeing as I don't have any drapes in my entire house) but I knew they would make great hooks sometime when I needed them.  I turned one around like a J and my honey hung it in the girls closet for me, right inside the door.  The size is perfect for holding lots of stuff.  I can't think of another hook that would be able to handle so much.

I'm not sure if you can tell but there's still room for more.  This hook is sturdy and can handle the weight.  As of this posting the girls have hung a whole lot on there and one of them has been keeping her bathrobe on the hook as well.  It's a big hook!  If you come across any drapery hold backs at garage sales or consignment shops let me encourage you to pick them up.  They make fabulous hooks.  I'm already contemplating where to hang the other one.  The garage...by the back door...inside the hall closet...there are so many places where this would be useful.

I don't have time today to post about all of the trouble shooting I've been doing lately but I've decided to try to post a couple of things each week for a while.  Hopefully it will encourage and inspire you in your own efforts to organize, de-clutter, and simplify since I know that's what most all of us are doing in January!

Thanks for dropping by today.  Please visit again soon!

More Hours in My Day - Recommended Reading

Happy Monday morning to you!

For right now my husband isn't working on Mondays so I don't dread Monday mornings like I used to.  We get one more day out of our weekend and I actually love it.  Our only problem is deciding whether to work or to play on Mondays.  It's a battle between yard work and going to the Aquarium or a battle between housework and going swimming.  It's always a hard decision.  On one hand the hubs being home makes it a great day to get lots of things checked off the ever growing to-do list of household projects (i.e. - stain the deck, finish the front door, put down new mulch) on the other hand Daddy being home also makes it a great day for playing with the kids (i.e. - fishing, swimming, going to the park).  I tend to lean more toward playing on these days because I want to play with the kiddos as much as we possibly can, while we can, but there are the chores of life and the weeds in the flowerbeds must be dealt with.

I was thinking about my sister this morning.  She is gutting her kitchen today.  Not her alone, she and her husband and her hired kitchen renovators.  I was thinking of her packing away all her dishes and draping plastic over doorways.  Now THAT'S a Monday!  It will be a ton of work but the end result will be SO worth it.  Her kitchen is being stripped down to the bare bones.  For a while it may be a big mess but upon completion she gets a whole new kitchen...new floors, counter tops, cabinets, and paint.  I hope she took before pictures like her older, (wiser) sister told her too.  *wink*

So what's on your Monday?  I had considered going to pick berries today but I had nightmares last night about snakes.  Not just one, but several.  Those nightmares have dampened my enthusiasm for picking berries.

For this Monday's recommended reading I want to tell you about one of the most helpful books on my bookshelf - More Hours In My Day by Emilie Barnes.  If there is one thing I would really like to have it would be more hours in every day.  This book is the next best thing.  Since we are all going to have to make do with the 24 hours God gives us we might as well learn how to best use our time.  Emilie Barnes' book helped me get organized and manage my household many years ago and still helps me get back on track when I need it.  I keep this book where I can reach it easily for quick reference.  I have written before about it and you can read that HERE).

From the back cover - From general principles to specific suggestions, time-management expert Emilie Barnes guides you step-by-step to a less stressful, more organized life.  With wisdom and encouragement, she reveals her time-proven plan - including helpful charts, detailed instructions, and hundreds of ideas - to help you...

• establish simple systems that save time and money
• turn total mess into total rest
• help your family function as a team
• creatively love your husband, family, and friends.

Whether you work in or out of your home, the "More Hours in My Day" plan reveals how you can accomplish your goals and have more time for what you enjoy!

Order More Hours in My Day here.

Get Ready...Get Set...Monday!

I love a cozy Sunday afternoon!

Everyone has changed out of their church clothes and into their comfy stuff.  All members of the family occupy the beds and couches and favorite chairs.  Some are reading, some are sleeping, and a couple are watching a race.

I've curled up in my favorite chair with a borrowed lap-top (mine is still on the fritz) and a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Would you like to know two of my favorite activities for Sunday afternoons? - Reading and planning.  I love, love, LOVE to read.  I can be found reading just about any time I have an extra few minutes, day or night.  I also love to plan.  I find Sunday afternoons are a perfect time to plan out the coming week.

• First, I take a look at our family calendar.  I always need to refresh my memory on appointments, practices, and lessons we have scheduled for the week.  I make notes on the calendar and set up reminders if needed.  This week we have music lessons and soccer practices and several other things.  I will need to keep these in mind as I plan our school days and our meals.  I like to be sure to make crock-pot meals on the nights we have somewhere to be.  AWANA nights and soccer nights are crock-pot meals for sure.
• Next, I make a meal plan for the week.  I check the refrigerator and pantry when I do this and if necessary make a grocery list.  (With our new driver in the house it is a simple thing now to hand over my grocery list and a short time later have all the ingredients stocked away for the coming week.)
• I write out a school-work list for each child.  It's usually something like 10 Math lessons, 5 Language Arts lessons, Book Report, watch Science video, 15 Phonics pages, etc.  It helps me and the kids to know what we need to accomplish by the end of the week.  
•  I make a list of the errands I need to run during the upcoming week and make a plan for combining them.  My goal is to simplify and consolidate as much as possible so that I am not running the roads every single day.
• Every week I have cards to send so on Sunday afternoons I jot down a quick list for that.  I write down what I'm sending and who I'm sending to  - Birthday, Get Well, Thank You cards, etc.  Having the list helps me to remember, and once I've made the list then I can jot out just one or two cards each day.  I'm usually able to finish my card list by the time Friday rolls around.   

Having some planning time on Sunday afternoons gives me a head start on my week.  If nothing else, I feel organized.  When Monday morning arrives I know what I'm fixing for dinner, I know what school work we need to get started on, and I've got a basic idea of where we need to be and when. 

Before I sign off I'll share my dinner plan with you.

Monday:  Beef Stew, applesauce, and bread

Tuesday:  Chicken Casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes

Wednesday:  Cheesy Lasagna Soup, salad, garlic bread

Thursday:  Hamburgers and Hot dogs, Cheesy Potatoes

Friday:  Stuffed Crust Pizza, veggie tray

What do you do to get organized for the coming week?  Please share!