Project 3: Kitchen Bar

 So for Project 3 I have to admit it is a sort of cheat project,  I had started the mail center part before the challenge but never finished it.    But the kitchen bar was a new clean up project that just fit nicely with finishing my mail center.  The spirit of the challenge is getting your life organized and cutting clutter so I figure it counts.

So here are my before pics:

 The bar was becoming a dumping zone for everything including mail, school papers, coupons, etc.

My goal was to clean it up.  First thing I did is sort through all the stuff on the bar and make piles on the kitchen table. 

 Mail, magazines, coupons, etc. 

 I filled up 1/2 a bag full of shredded papers and recycle magazines-all going to the recycle center. 

 Then I set to organizing everything.   

I decided to finally finish my Mail Zone/Mail Center.  I had the box that I got from Target in my favorite colors of blue and lime green and I had some really cute file folders.

I downloaded some free label templates I found on Pinterest.  They were very cute and labeled all the file folders to fit our family needs.

I made a box (from Dollar Tree) to match for outgoing mail with another free label template from Pinterest.  (I love Pinterest)

 I cleaned up the pen cups that my kids made me at school.  I took out all the random things that had found their way into the cups and just left pens and scissors for everyday use.  The flowers are 'Flower Pens' Xander made me for Mother's Day a few years ago.  They don't work anymore but my baby made them so I kept them for decoration, but any other pen that didn't work went in the trash.

I also cleaned up the 'key bowl'.  It is a temporary place for keys since I have plans (thanks to Pinterest) to make a key holder for the wall by the back door.

Small basket, lime green of course (from Dollar Tree) to hold little things on the counter.  Here it holds a card and Genna's face lotion.

 For all the other things that find their way on the counter, I used a white box (from Dollar Tree) to hold everything.  This should keep things organized and keep the counter clean.  

Right now it holds my green and white notebook where I am tracking my Clutter busting, colors and markers for the kids, my coupon file, and two small blue containers that came with the outgoing mail box (from Dollar Tree) to hold small pieces from toys and other stuff.

The cleaned bar! I love it!  The only other thing on the counter is Xander's greenhouse. 

Perfect, the whole family has been warned that things need to go in the correct place or there will be consequences.  Momma is serious about keeping it clean.

Project 2: Laundry Drop Zone

I am still home sick so day/project 2 is another project from my bedroom that I can do while 'resting'.  In our room we have an area we call the 'Drop Zone' pretty much it is an area in our bedroom where we put laundry that needs to be folded and things that need to be put up.  How did such a crazy area come about?   Easy, NO LAUNDRY ROOM.  Yes my house does not have a laundry room just a closet in our super super small upstairs hallway.

There is no place to fold so laundry gets dumped on our bed, but since evenings are so busy often it is 11 and I am too tired to fold or hang clothes - so things go in the basket to the drop zone.  After while it starts building up.   So today, I decide to work through the pile and clear the space.

So about 1 1/2 hours later, this was the result.  Empty bassinet, four empty laundry baskets, one bag of trash and one bag for donation.  

The area now.  My goal is to make sure the 'drop zone' doesn't reappear.  

I have hopes that our IKEA storage for the gameroom will be finished in 2012 so that I can fold in the gameroom while I fervently pray for a future house with a laundry room.  

Project 1: Dresser Drawers

Looking at my cluttered dresser drawers was making me crazy.  The drawers were full of old clothes etc.  Since I was home sick with a nasty, nasty sinus infection I figured cleaning out dresser drawers was a good place to start my declutter since I can do it while resting in bed.   I am starting small, it is day 1 after all.

My before picture, everything was just stuffed in the drawer.  

My blank slate.

Completed project clean and organized.

My donate bag!  

40 Days of Decluttering

All over the web and Facebook everyone is talking about taking control of clutter in the house and organizing your life. 

 So with Lent, talk reached fevered pitch so I decided it was just the incentive I need to get my organizing and purging on track.  So I am committed to decluttering, organizing and cleaning something everyday of lent, 40 days of decluttering.  It is like I am giving up living in a mess for Lent!

To keep me on track I will post my 40 projects online!