Snip, Clip, Where?

With the holiday season, magazines are filled with wonderful ideas that we all end up clipping and needing some place to put.

We also have have special recipes that we just use for holidays, too.  (Are you seriously cooking a turkey Thanksgiving-style in the middle of June?)

For this, I have developed, and used, two different notebooks to hold my ideas.  (It's similar to using a "favorites" file in your internet browser, or the newly-popular "pintrest", but for paper ideas.)

I've added different tabs to my sheet protector pages - for this Christmas one I have different gift ideas - food and homemade crafts, as well as decorations for my Christmas home.

How many times have you found cute food ideas that would be perfect for a holiday party or birthday.  This photo shows some cake ball ideas in my Christmas binder.

This next photo shows some cake ideas for birthdays.  This is a part of my other holiday/birthday binder. 

There are some very specific recipes for very specific holidays.  I'll only be making a frozen dessert for the Summer season.  So, I grouped all of my frozen cake recipes, my frozen pie recipes, and other frozen treat recipes into groups.  Using my handy-dandy label maker, I transformed a three-section 4 by 6 photo protector page into my official "frozen treats" page for my seasonal/other holiday/birthday binder.

My binders are kept alongside my cookbooks in my kitchen.  Even if I find something later in the year, I have the binder accessible!  (And if for some reason, I need to make that Thanksgiving-style turkey in the middle of June, I will know exactly where my recipe is (and the recipes for all my Thanksgiving side dishes, too!)

Coffee and Steamcleaners vs. Sippy Cups and Yogurt Puffs

I admit... this one scared me a bit.  I do love a good pantry, but this pantry was huge... and full... and well, two families were sharing it.

The original pantry of this big home was too small, so the family extended it to the under the stairs dumb wasted space area.  Good idea!

The pantry had  A LOT of stuff in it - canned goods, etc.  It also had some good ideas and good tools, just none of them seemed in sync.

This pantry was temporarily being used by two families - a mother and father and their son, wife, and two pre-school children.  Eventually said son, wife, and children are to move, but in the meantime, all their stuff (from coffee and steam cleaners to sippy cups and yogurt puffs) had to work in harmony.

I should also explain how I got this job.  I met the daughter-in-law at a speaking event.  She purchased a gift certificate for her mother in law.  Now that's a great relationship.  :-)

We should start at the beginning. When I got there, the client had GREAT tools. She had some shelving, great handled containers, and some lazy susans. I'm not a fan, per say, of the lazy susans, but they were helping her for the time being.



She also had a bag of bags... there's a simple solution to that that I was anxious to show her.

I left the client with just a little homework - the day I came, I needed everything out of the pantry. Move it to tables, counters, whatever: We just needed to start with a clean shelf!

She did exactly as I had asked, and when I got there, it was a blank slate... ready to go!

I'm sure that this client thought I was a phony... I moved stuff in, moved stuff out, laid stuff sideways, and then took it out again.  You see, organizing can sometimes be like a puzzle, and I was just trying to fit it in in a usable manner.

She was great - carrying stuff in - telling me how she used stuff (i.e. Do you eat the golden raisins, or bake with them?) and generally being patient.

An hour into the project, I had a good idea where everything would go.  Cans were being placed (in rows... not on lazy Susan's) back on the back shallower shelf.  I used the metal shelving she had purchased to make a second helpful row to stack items.  I put all the non-can/quick to expire consumables together (bread, chips, cookies, etc.) and used her shelf system to keep these delicate items from being squished and ruined.

And then, we got to the coffee.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of coffee, and if I do drink it, it's fine to Folgers (gasp... I even like the freeze dried instant!), but this client and family were into their coffee.  They had a Keuring and many many coffees.  I'm a fan of the idea - no wasted coffee and everyone gets what they want!  However, we had to figure a way to organize the little K-Cups.  The first thing I noticed is that there are flavored and non-flavored varieties.  I also noticed decaf vs. regular.  (I mentioned this and got a big laugh that nobody here drinks the decaf... okay, maybe at night or if there is a guest.)  So we sorted the decafs out and put them in the "special box" and then sorted the remainder flavored vs. not.  All is happy in the families coffee world now.  :-)

After everything was in it's place, and the client approved (I had to move some baskets because the cool handles on them prevented the drawers from pulling out - buggers!!) I sat down to a cool 40 minutes of labeling.  And thus... the results:

Bail Money Would Cost More

I braved the stores beginning at 10 PM on Thanksgiving night.  I know I've said to various people (including my own mother) that I wouldn't go out on actual Thanksgiving, but I did - Legos were on sale, and I was trying to get a Blu-Ray.

I learned a couple of things:

1) There are great deals out there.
2) People are crazy.
3) The deals aren't great enough to deal with the crazy people.
4) I wish I had taken a camera.

I wandered into my Wal-Mart at 10:20 or so Thursday evening.  I had easily found a parking spot in the mobbed parking lot (yes... LUCKY!!).

I found the 1,600 piece Lego set that was only $30 and carried it around for awhile.  There were no carts, and I was actually glad about this, because I couldn't have pushed it through the crazy aisles anyways.  Anyway, I also needed some sourdough bread and lettuce to go with my leftover turkey dinner, so I wandered that way and found the only section of the store empty.  I balanced my Legos, my bread, and my lettuce and headed to the checkout.  (I figured when the Blu-Ray player went on sale at midnight, it was best for me not to balancing bread!)  Anyways, I'm standing in line and the girls behind me have 2 frozen dinners and some beer.  That's it... I can understand the frozen dinners - one of the girls was very pregnant - and when you want chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes at midnight, that's a good fix.  The beer - well, maybe that was the other girl's way of cooping with the pregnant girl's rants and ravings.  (Shocking, I've digressed, let me get back to my story...) I check out my 3 items, then head to the car to put them in.  I've got to be mysterious in my walking to the car, so that nobody thinks they can have my spot.  I don't want to get in a fight in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 11:30 on Thanksgiving night.

I head back into the store and stand near the electronics waiting for the Blu-Rays to come out.  (They are bringing out wrapped pallets of things that they plan to unwrap at midnight for people to grab from - good idea?  I think not.)  There is a fight that breaks out in men's wear (I only know that because I can hear yelling, and then Wal-Mart people running and yelling out "Men's Wear".)  Pretty soon that is dissipated ("Oh no you didn't take the last pair of men's 32x34 corduroy pants!")

So while waiting, I text my husband to let him know about my score on the Legos, and he says, "you should have got two."  (Seriously, I think, I am the one out in the middle of the night while you hang at home watching movies?  I suppose someone had to stay home with the kids, and I'm totally the better shopper, so I guess okay.)  So I wonder around, and I found another abandoned Lego box that I'm now holding (guess that blew my take-it-to-the-car theory).

Then, 11:45 comes.  People are pushing towards the plastic covered pallet.  I admit, I'm almost touching it myself.  Two police officers and 4 associates also surround the thing and it got me thinking maybe I was in over my head.  Midnight comes and the plastic is torn.  I think people were flying in from the ceiling and mission impossible jumping.  Kids were lifted over and above me.  Elbows flew.  People yelled... and I backed away.  Seriously: 1) bail money would be more than I saved or 2) my dental bill would be more than I saved.

Suddenly the cops were yelling, "STOP everyone!" and we were just staring at the remaining 20 boxes or so.  We stood there several minutes while the police/associates tried to figure how they could solve this problem peacefully.  I stood looking my sweetest in the background hoping they would pull me from the crowd and hand me one.  (It's my "best student" philosophy - she who is quietest gets to line up first.)

Then a girl tapped me on the shoulder and told me there was an entire other pallet of Blu-Rays 15 feet from where I stood that nobody was around.  I walked over, grabbed one, quietly thanked her, and turned back to laugh at the mob that stood crowded around the 20 remaining Blu-Rays on the original pallet.  HA... there were at least 100 on the one I took from.

After a 45 minute line to check out, I went to Kohl's.  I love Kohl's.  It was peaceful and quiet dispite the hundreds of women walking around.  I could hear the Christmas music playing and not once did my teeth feel threatened.

So again, why the long tale for the organizing site?  I got some stealer deals, and I don't necessarily have some one to give these things to right now.  However, it's certain that my five and three year old children will have upcoming birthday parties and I will be able to give AWESOME deals of gifts.

I buy fairly generic - Barbie's, Legos, board games, etc. and never anything trendy or after a certain movie.  Then I store them in two desigated tubs.  One is for Legos and one for everything else (the Legos just stack easily together.)  ONLY do this if you have the room!  :-)

Fairy Wands and Pom Poms

After the Thanksgiving dishes were washed and put away, the table cloth was washed and rolled, it was time for our next big chore of the holiday season: Clean Out Your Closets!

We started in my five-year-old's room.  He's in kindergarten now, so "baby" toys are apparently not allowed.  (Last May when we did this, he informed me he was too old for (most of his) Fisher Price Little People, and it nearly broke my heart.)

It's an easy process - maybe 10 minutes from start to finish with Peyton there, and we're done.

Peyton's closet is (obviously) already organized.  All I do is pull out certain things and show them to him.  He's good about "yes" he likes it and he still plays with it or "no" he's done with it.  I, of course, get veto power - but only when he says "No".  If I have seen him play with it (and enjoy it recently), I'll ask him to give it one more chance.  (This is why when Peyton told me he was done with his Little People, they stayed in there another 6 months until Mommy accepted it.)  If he says, "yes" he wants to keep it, I'm not going to veto it.  (BUT... I may stick a post it note on it.  If Peyton plays with it, he removes the post-it, but if he doesn't by the time the 6 months is over, it's gone!)

This is the perfect time to do this project.  The kids know that Santa is coming, and he usually brings some cool new things.  Plus, the kids are full, and happy - they have been off school for a week, so they are quite cooperative by now, and they are generally more happy when their closets are clean, organized, and things are easy to find!

 I also do this process with my three-year-old, Kallee.  She's a messier child, but she's also only three.  She can't read the labels we put on her bins, although we recently changed hers from pictures on her bins to words.  (That's the teacher in me!)

On our adventure in cleaning out the closet, we discovered FOUR fairy wands.  Now, even if she fairy wanded with both hands and both feet, there's no way she would be able to say that many hocus pocuses to make them all work.  Kallee decided pretty quickly which two she would like the most.  (Saying things like, "Wouldn't it be nice to let another little girl play with a couple of these?  Do you need all four?  How many can we give away?" helps the weary.)

Kallee was particularly fun to do this with, because she was so excited every time she "found" a "new" toy.

She takes a bit longer (as a baby does opening Christmas presents Christmas morning) because she likes to discover each new toy.

In the end, I asked he how she felt about her closet, and she gave me a big "thumbs up"!  (Which made me give a big thumbs up, too!)

 *We do this twice a year - once right before Christmas and once right before their birthdays (which both happen to be in May - a good 6 months apart, convienent for me!)

The Iron Haters Club

As I was setting the table for Thanksgiving, I suddenly realized how thankful I was that I hadn't folded my table cloth last year.  I had rolled it - results were perfect - no folded creases that I would have to iron out.

You see, if there were an iron haters club, I just might be able to run for president (although it might be a conflict of interest with being president of the vacuuming haters club - which now, as I think of it, might be that I hate both ironing and vacuuming because they are both repetitive motions of blah.).  Anyways, back to Iron Haters Club...

So, I'm setting my table and wondering if other people have this same feeling of "ick" when they think of ironing (I personally have had the same iron since my freshman year in college (what kind of HS graduation gift is that?!) some @#^# years ago.  Obviously a seldom used iron has many years in it.)  So, I wasted a little time doing some reasearch.  Nothing on Facebook (and if it's not there, maybe there isn't one.) I did however find 7,486 crazy people who listed "Ironing" as an interest and 93 people who listed it as a sport.  There's also a place in Hattisburg, MS called "The Ironing Board" and 20 people like them.  That means there are at least 7599 crazy Ironing Lovers around.

But back to iron hating... I googled it.  I found something about "Hate to Iron... try this steamer!"  Really, if I hate ironing, why would I like steaming something instead?  And my iron must be fancy dancy because it's got a steamer feature.

I'm not going start the Iron Haters Club, so if you want to, I'll allow it without any rights to the idea.  It's yours.  I don't know what the club would do really - as much as I've racked my brain, I can't think of one useful activity.

So, why the ranting and raving about ironing on my Simple Spaces Organizing blog?  It's simple really - no need to do it when you roll your tableclothes.  :-)

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

My first "job"...

So, when I first started thinking of becoming an organizer, I was well into my first gig.  For some reason, though, I decided to take pictures.
As you can see, they weren't really specific, but nothing in that room was.  My buddy had just moved (apparently by dumping everything into a box and then moving that box and then dumping the box out).  I'm fairly certain I took the picture just to prove to my husband what I had done all day.

So, we began by scooting everything aside and creating little boxes (shoebox size) of all the different toys.  This is why is super important to have the client with me when I work.  I wasn't able to tell that a miniature fork went with one thing while a plastic (is that something) sword went with something else.  So we sorted and sorted and sorted... in the end we had some 50 boxes.  (This is the day I fell in love with the latch boxes from Sterlite... you can find these at Walmart.)

The second thing we did was get rid of all the extra stuff.  (Something that should have been done before they moved.)  There were baby toys (and she didn't have anything close to a baby) and toddler girl stuff (she didn't have one of those either) and broken stuff (beyond repair...).



Now this buddy of mine had a brand spanking new house built by David Weekly with a GREAT closet for the game room.  As you can see from this before shot - she was using it willy-nilly with nothing really organized.

We cleaned that puppy out and found all kinds of other nick-nacks that didn't belong in there.













That's when the magic started... we started filling up those shelves in an organized way - keeping all the youngest child's toys on the bottom (she has three kids - boy, girl, boy) and designating spots for everything else.  We labeled things for a garage sale, and put donations right in the car for immediate drop off.  No excuses and no regrets.  :-)

There was a plan, too, to make sure all the games/toys were being played with.  We put a post it note on the inside of all those buckets.  Everytime the kids played with a game, they could remove the post it note if it was still there.  Six months later, she went back and got rid (donated) all the toys that still had their post it notes.

As for the room... it's now a functioning room with plenty of space to get out and play... there is a designated section for television and video games, a section for art, and a section to get together and play one of those board games.

Simple Beginnings

Seems like everyone is moving away from the "traditional" (can you say traditional when something isn't at least a couple generations old?) website and into a bloggers world.  So, here I am... on the blogspot.

Simple Spaces is all about being simple.  If we live our lives in a simple way, we can find so much more time (and peace and happiness)!

Just think about it - when you were a baby, you were handed a toy, your food, your blanket.  You didn't have to say, "Where are my keys??  What's for dinner?? Why isn't the laundry done??" - it just was.  As an adult, you have these questions - but do you really have to? - The answer (is simple) - NO.

Use this blog as a tool to make simple adjustments for making your life simple, too.  Ask me questions about what works for me and how we can make it work for you.  And if you aren't a doer - call me, and I'll come help.  That's what I love to do.

Simple Spaces is more than organizing "stuff" - it's organizing your life to make all the "stuff" work, too.

Live Simply, So You May Simply Live