Laundry Room Organized! April 7, 2010

So I posted about a week ago about my desire to have my laundry room more organized. I actually organized it that day, but I’m great at deciding something is going to work and than finding out it really really doesn’t. So I made myself actually USE my new system several times before I could call it a success. And it is!

First the before:

Now that’s just bad!!!! Yeah, I’d like to say I messed it up just for the occasion but that simply would be a lie.  The thing is, it’s a tiny room and it gets really hot really fast when the dryer is on. Whatever system you have in there has to be something that is very streamlined and fast.

Here is the new system:

Cleaned off the top of the washer and dryer and added a small trash can to put lint! It makes such a difference. Also opened up the blind on the small window in there. Makes it a much more pleasant room to be in.

Okay so this might look messy, but I wanted to show the room actually in use. I had just finished sorting clothes and this is how I did it. Straight from the dryer into the baskets. I will take them to everyone’s rooms right after and bring all the baskets back and stack them on that white shelf in the corner, so there is plenty of floor space.

I go ahead and hang out clothes up. To be honest, I don’t hang most of my kids clothes, it just goes straight into drawers or shelves, but it’s great to be able to go ahead and throw our clothes onto hangers right out of the dryer! As you can see I also labeled all the shelves and organized them a bit.

So there you have it. I’m proud of it, it works and it’s not crazy uptight. If something is out of place we will all live. We’re not the type of family that can deal with rigid rules for organization, so this suits us just fine. While I was trying to figure out how to organize our laundry room, I came across some of the most pristine laundry rooms I’ve ever seen. Keeping something like that up would stress me out to the max! This though? This I can do.

It’s all about finding an organizational style that you and your family can work with. And if your home doesn’t look like it came out of a magazine, so what!

Part 2 is the kitchen. I’ve done a bit in there, but it’s not working out so well for me. Need to tinker with that some more.

We Have Broccoli!! March 31, 2010

Isn’t it pretty? And adorable and cute? And amazing and wonderful and spectacular? One tiny little floret of broccoli but it has made my week. I totally understand the appeal of growing your own produce now. This is the first sign that our garden will be edible this year. Fantastic news.

We moved in here mid summer last year and noticed a very beat up raised bed garden already constructed in the backyard.  I’ve always wanted to have my very own vegetable garden after a brief stint growing cherry tomatoes when I was a young girl. My goal is that this veggie garden will help my kids learn more about where their food comes from…and CARE about where their food comes from.

I make most of our food from scratch. We eat very little processed food. I wish that meant that I was skinny and a size 4…but alas you can gain weight eating healthy foods. We also eat out more than I care to admit. My daughter seems to have inherited my appetite and love for all things food. My son on the other hand…well you would think he was on a diet the way that kid eats. Very little and only bread, yogurt and fruit. It’s ridiculous.

Hopefully this garden will broaden his horizons a bit. He waters it with me, weeds it with me, and soon hopefully he’ll help me pick the fruit and veggies out of it. Maybe the sense of pride he feels that he grew this food will encourage him to eat it?

Here’s to hoping.

An Adventure in Organization: A series to get my act together March 30, 2010

I really struggle with all things organizational. It’s all organized up there in my head, but for all the great ideas I have…few ever come to fruition. For example…my laundry room. I have this excellent idea to streamline my laundry by having a system for our family of 4 set up permanently in there. I’ve had this idea since we moved in here…in July. My laundry room right now has a mess of clean and dirty laundry on the floor right now and countless other items that have been thrown in there quickly when company is coming or one of us is trying to get something done quickly with a child on our hip.

So to start my organized home series, I am going to start with the laundry room. I’ll post before and afters…but be prepared to be grossed out by the before! I am not a good homemaker and never ever claim to be. But I have two toddlers, and I can’t let something as simple as laundry get the best of me!!!

I’ll move on to the kitchen next. Luckily the kitchen is not lacking in anything. Plenty of counter space, storage space, large spacious pantry, double oven, double sink, dishwasher…you name it. So why is it a mess so often? My theory at this point is that we just haven’t laid it out very well. If it’s convenient for us, we’ll keep on top of it. If not, we won’t. It is as simple as that. We are a family that values a clean house, but not more than we value time as a family. So our daily chores need to be quick and easy or else we simply will not do them. We keep a sanitary house for sure. But clutter seems to be our friend. Hopefully by putting everything in its’  own CONVENIENT place…we can do our chores quicker and more efficiently (and um…often?).

My crafting area. Okay, it’s a bit of a mess. But it is new to me. I’ve never had my own crafting area. So this is a work in progress. But I don’t want to craft in a messy area. Lets face it, that’s not very inspirational. So it’s time to work out a better system in there as well.

I’ll be working on more throughout the house, but I’ll document these 3 areas. I might document more, but I consider our bedrooms more personal space and really don’t like to photograph much in them. It just seems invasive to me for some reason? Maybe I’ll get over that. But for now, my first project will be the laundry room. Stay tuned!

Can I make this? Why…yes I can! February 4, 2010

So I’ve been on a crafting kick lately.

You might remember a couple of years ago when I made some cloth diapers and baby carriers for Noah. Well now I’m making clothes! I’ve made several things for Lizzie with the help of some fantastic patterns I found at www.youcanmakethis.com . It is seriously my new obsession. I’m still learning and making a lot of mistakes, but I’ve found the patterns on this site are really helpful and the finished product looks so nice and professional.

The makers of the site are launching a new web blog titled The DIY Dish. I’m so excited about it and really looking forward to reading it.

They posted a video introducing themselves and if you post it on your blog, you are entered to win a free embroidery machine or sewing machine. I’d love either, but man I would LOVE and embroidery machine. For someone just starting out, but with years of sewing ahead of me, that would be like a dream come true! Plus I never win anything

I love the You Can Make This site and blog, so there is no doubt that I’ll also love The DIY Dish!

Here are a few examples of some things I’ve made lately (not all from patterns on YCMT):

School Pumpkin Patch October 24, 2009

Yesterday was the pumpkin patch at the Mother’s Day Out that the kids attend (and where I teach!). Luckily my times outside coincided with thier times outside and I got a couple of cute pics.

Elizabeth is 8 months (although only for 3 more days…) October 21, 2009

These were taken a few weeks ago

Dewberry Farm! October 21, 2009

This past weekend we made the trip out to Brookshire TX to visit Dewberry Farm. It’s a long drive, but it was worth it. We learned that Noah apparently knows how to do the chicken dance and Lizzie clapped for the very first time while we were there.

We didn’t pick any pumpkins (we can get them much cheaper at the kids school!), but we saw chickens singing, saw a bunch of farm animals, climbed on big huge hay stacks and played in a giant sandbox. Oh and as usual, took a million pictures!

Company Picnic! October 21, 2009

We recently went to Colin’s company picnic. His company recently moved to a new site. A building they constructed from scratch tailor made for them. Let me tell you, it’s amazing. A track out back, a full sized covered basketball court, a beautiful courtyard, a gym and locker rooms, etc etc etc! This year they chose to have thier company picnic there and it was a total hit. The kids had a blast. Especially Noah. He got to ride in a train, jump in a moonwalk and eat a cookie. Total bliss for him. Here are some pictures of our fun filled day.

First Day of School! September 8, 2009

Once again Noah is enrolled at the Mother’s Day Out I teach at two days a week. This year Lizzie goes too! This is a pic of thier first day, which went great for both of them!

 

Sweetest smile ever (even if it is a bit messy!) September 8, 2009