Rainbow Book Shelf

Addie had been mentioning how she wanted to arrange her bookshelf in rainbow color order.  She looks at a lot of online posts/pictures of bookshelves.  She loves pictures of bookshelves and libraries. The girl LOVES to read and has since she was 3 years old, no joke.  Her nose was in a book for so many years.  It still is from time to time, but now its more in her phone!  In her defense though, she reads a lot on her phone too!  

So, check out what she did one morning on Thanksgiving break.  I walked in and it was pure joy! There is just something about rainbow order that is so pleasing to the eyes.  God sure knew what he was doing with that rainbow, didn't he? :)

Yeah, I filtered this picture a bit to make the color pop!

School Memories Organization

Okay, this makes me so happy!  Morgan over at MorganizewithMe breathed new life into the way I had the kids' school stuff organized.  My mom kept a little school memories book for all of us girls when we were younger and I loved it and still do!  It's in my memory box right now!  So, I have always kept a school book for my kids, but they were starting to look hilarious with all of the stuff pouring out of the pockets.  And then, of course, I had other tubs to store other random school papers that wouldn't fit into the overflowing pocket.  I so should have taken a picture of those books before I saw the light!  It was pretty laughable.  And really, they couldn't enjoy looking at it at all or writing in it because it was so hard to manuever!  Here is what I did after Morgan got ahold of me.

First of all, thank you Lord, we were heading to Bloomington for a movie that night and so I could justify running into Walmart (right next to the theater!) to pick up these file boxes and colorful folders.  Then I set to work pulling out papers from the overcramped school memories books and placing them into folders.  Their books still have their school pics, report cards and notes that they jot down each year (friends, fave classes, height/weight/goals, etc.) but this file system is much more manageable for cards, invites, awards, newspaper clippings, etc.!  I decided to organize by grade and then at the back are file folders for school journals, essays, tests, art, and portraits.  

Don't they look fantastic??  The school books fit right in the front!

These baskets house the papers from the current school year.  That way, I don't need to open up the file box every time something comes home or is in the newspaper.  My old system was to throw it in the top of the living room closet and then go through all of it at the end of the school year.  This looks much better, don't you think? ;)  No, I do not keep every paper, test, essay. But I do collect all of it and then purge at the end and keep what I think they would like to see later.  Honestly, I don't give them a lot of say in this area, because neither of my kids would take much time or thought to go through it all.  Addie does like to take some of her stuff and stick it to her bedroom wall.  

Here is how I store it for now.  It still goes in the top of the living room closet, but boy, does this make me happy and peaceful when I open the door!  

After I had put them altogether, I showed the kids.  Addie sat in the living room and looked through hers and told me several times how much she loved it and how thankful she was that I had all of this stuff for her!  It is just the right amount of stuff for them to see how much they have grown, changed, or not changed!  She was laughing because she wrote a little essay in second grade about singing and dancing and how happy it made her.  As of now, she really wants to be in musical theater someday, so not much has changed there!

Huge thanks to Morgan for getting my butt in gear and giving me this great idea.

I LOVE this happy little thing!

Laundry Room Organization

This is my laundry room.  It is small, but serves it's purpose well.  This is where we drop off all of our things as soon as we come in the door.  It is also where the kids wash up and brush teeth in the mornings and evenings.  And obviously, it's where I do the laundry.

Now, for some fun decorating and organizing!  I bought this burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby the other day (1/2 off, oh yeah!) and it worked so wonderfully to hide all the ugly stuff behind the washer and dryer.  I had a piece of fabric before that was just getting faded. This looks so much cleaner!  The white basket holding all of my laundry stuff was also a 1/2 off Hobby Lobby buy.  I love it so much!

That's my 3 ingredient, homemade powder laundry detergent.  Love it.

Next, a new shoe organizing system.  This was a Walmart.com, Better Homes and Gardens purchase and I love it. I have tried several different things in this area over the years. And, magically, a shoe organizer has been the best bet so far.  Who would have thought??  I had black tubs where we just threw in the shoes, which was easy for throwing in, but when you went to find your shoes the next time, other shoes were being chucked out and over.  Now, we each have four slots of our own.  Only 4 pairs of shoes for each person can be in this room.  It really works wonderfully.  I know, I am a slow learner.  

We each have a hook for our coats/purses/backpacks.

Finally, the closet.  It can get pretty scary in here as this is where the dirty laundry is sorted. Amazingly it doesn't smell too bad.  I stash fabric softener sheets in random spots from time to time, which helps :).   This is pretty much self explanatory.  I did find a great over the door large pocket organizer on Amazon.  It's now an On the door organizer thanks to 3M hooks.  The hooks that came with it were too thick and the door wouldn't shut, but now it's great.  The pockets works perfectly for what I need.  I labeled each section or group of sections so everything has a place.  I also have several containers and baskets labeled within.

Laundry sorter.  Ooooh, I so need to take an SOS pad to that bar.  That is where I draped our dirty rags before I got the new system below!  Also, our basket for magazine and paper recycling to the right of the sorter.

Dirty rags, hats, gloves, bags and all sorts of other goodies!

Lint? You ask?  We save it to make fire starter for our camping trips!

Denny is our beloved beagle.  This stores, his brush, treats, monthly meds, etc.

Well, that wraps up the laundry room!  I actually enjoy this little room now.  You caught it on a good day, of course.  The sink and mirror can get a little disgusting with two kiddos who love to sing and dance while washing their hands and brushing their teeth.  Sometimes, there is a full show going on in there.  Addie just cleaned it the other day, so it looks pretty good for now :)

Small Random Storage Containers

Fall Cleaning/Organizing strikes again!

Here are a few random things that got a tweaking.

Gift wrap/Bags/ribbons/tags and everything else that was crammed in this box.  It is a great storage box when used correctly.  Before, I couldn't even shut it.  I save every gift bag ever given.  I don't know the last time I bought a gift bag!

Rolls of paper fit nicely in the bottom, along with a few small boxes, larger bows/ribbon.

I got wise and stored all of the gift bags in a larger gift bag which containerized them!

Two little "shelves fit on the top.  This one holds ribbon/tags/scissors/tape.

This shelf holds tissue paper and small scraps of wrapping paper.

The box actually closes now and stores nicely in my basement closet.  Imagine!

My other random container is my greeting card box.  This actually is such a no brainer, but I tried so many different other options over the years.  I love to have cards on hand to send out (Yea! for Dollar Tree...great cards/great price!) I had them in a binder and it just wasn't working, but it was out of site out of mind.  Well, as were strolling through Meijer the other day, I saw this box built just for cards and it was 40% off. So, I snagged it up and came home and joyfully transferred all of my cards over. It is so beautiful! :)  This is housed in my laundry room closet.

Lastly, I had so many random pictures that haven't been put into albums/scrapbooks.  Several are ones that are given to me by other people.  I love looking through them, but they were just shoved in memory boxes or photo boxes that didn't really house them well.  I had looked online for some photo boxes and saw one I liked for $16.99, but that was just too much as I knew I would need at least a couple, maybe more.  

So when I was out and about running errands, I hopped on into Tuesday morning and they had the exact photo box I was looking at for $5.99!!  I bought two red ones and the rest was history!  I brought them home and sat in the living room with my photos spread out in front of me, sorting and making piles.  What I really love about these boxes are that they have separate little boxes within so each small box has a specific category.  I really like that.  If we are looking for a picture or specific frame of time, it's right there.  

I think these are marketed towards scrapbookers to organize as they are making their books, but I really like the organization it provides for my random photographs that have no where specific to go right now!

Here's to the random little storage ideas that make things happier and easier!

Basement pantry

More fall cleaning/organization!

Our kitchen is fairly small, so there is not a lot of room for extra storage.  Soon after we moved to this house, Shannon built some shelves in the basement to store all of our bulk purchase and to be used as a pantry.  It is a great storage area. It houses tons of canned goods among other things.  I really wish I would have taken a before picture.  I need to start getting better at that.

I did have some sort of system for where the cans went and how they were stacked, but because the shelves are so large and kids help put stuff away, cans tended to topple and things got rearranged and then it would take a while to find what we needed.  Now, it is much better!

I went online (yes, again!) and scoured picture after picture.  I found some great, beautiful pantries with canned food storage, but I just knew I couldn't justify buying more baskets/containers for this shelving system that sits in our basement. :)  So, I just started looking around. 

I collect shoeboxes.  Well, I don't officially "collect" them, but I don't throw them away.  I was a teacher once and so the teacher in me always thinks about what could be built or stored in the shoebox. I get made fun of from time to time, but I saved a few fourth graders a couple years ago who needed boxes for their diorama projects!  

Okay, that was a tangent... but you can see where this is going!  Shoeboxes!  They aren't pretty, but man, are they super functional in this case!  I used both bottoms and lids and there you have it.  My cans are contained and it really helps with the boxes and jars as well.  And, things are really easy to find!

I did have a few containers/baskets being used in other places that worked better here, so I brought a few down.  Honestly though, the shoeboxes and lids worked the best in this situation because of the depth of the shelves.  It used the real estate in a more efficient way.

We store other random things down here as well.  Extra office/school supplies...

And bulk/extra toiletries and cleaning supplies...

Umm, the toilet paper spot is empty...that's in my Walmart.com shopping cart!

Can a basement pantry make you happy?  Absolutely.

Basement Storage Room Organization

Soooo, I have been going a little crazy with the "fall cleaning/purging/organizing".  It's like once I start, I can't stop.  I think my family might think I will cram them into a cute little basket and put a label on them if they stay still too long.  I am going to start a series of posts about all my organizing/purging/cleaning tasks that have been going on lately.  You'll probably get to see each room of the house that way too, because there was something to do everywhere!

I just LOVE to organize stuff.  It makes me so happy to see things orderly and tidy.  Do not misunderstand me...there still may be dust lurking about this house.  As a matter of fact, I know there is, but getting rid of clutter can prove to be just as "clean".  Well maybe not technically, but it brings such joy to my eyes.  Lets get started.

This is our basement storage room. It's funny because we still call it our craft room.  Addie was into all sorts of arts and crafts when she was little, so this room was her room for that.  It was nice because it had a concrete floor for messes and was in the back of the basement out of sight and mind!  Now that stuff is all gone and Shannon built these shelves for me.

I have all sorts of stuff stored here that we don't have to access everyday:

*Memory tubs (childhood, college, high school).  Shannon and I went to the same high school and college so a lot of our stuff is combined there.  

*Pink and green tubs store Addie and Reece's memories (musical/show t-shirts..might make a quilt some day with those, fave toys/blankies, art projects, letters/cards, etc.).  

*Air mattresses

*Beach stuff/swimsuits

*Shannon's coaching mementos

*Random computer parts that Shannon might need

 *Out of season clothes (we have small closets)

*Luggage/Bags

*And more :)

I labeled everything with paper and packing tape and of course Syncopate font!

It is extremely nice and handy to walk into this room and know exactly where everything is located. And my goal is to not spill out of this room.  No more shelving!  So, no more tubs.  If something can't fit in the tub, I need to get rid of something else!  

This indeed makes me happy!

COZI, my friend

I love keeping lists and calendars.  For years, I had a paper planner that I carried all around with me in my large purse.  Now, I have a small purse and a large planner will not fit!  But, no fear, I found the Cozi app.  We love the way it works for our family.  Shannon, Addie and I have it on our phones and can update whatever we need to and all of us can view/edit and get reminders.

Calendar at a glance.

As of now, we have the free version and it really works just fine for us.  I am sure that Cozi Gold could bring us a wealth of new stuff.  But, I like free, so for now, I am sticking with that.  I kind of have the view that if I don't know what I'm missing, it's not that bad.  Although, there may be a blog post down the road that I upgraded.  There are ads that pop up at the bottom, but that doesn't really bother me.  We have been using it for over two years and it's been great!  And now that there is finally a Windows app, Shannon can use it more efficiently.

Menu within app

The normal color of Cozi is orange, but it's like a little palm tree moment for me when they have sponsors colors on there from time to time.  The other day it was a lot of pink and purple and it made me smile so much!

Shopping List

I like how it will send reminders to whomever the calendar has listed for that particular appointment/meeting, etc.  I also like how you can have several different lists.  Shannon is pretty much the best husband because most weeks when he goes into work (he works 4 days from home and goes in one day) he goes to the grocery store on his way home from work.  I can add to the list; he can pull it up and get what we need.   

Just a little side note... we live on a farm and are about 25-30 miles from the nearest mall/Target/Walmart/large grocery store.  Side note within a side note, we are actually 14 miles from school, so yeah, we have to drive to get to anywhere.  So, to save time and gas we don't go but usually once a week to places like that.  And actually depending on the week, I might not get there at all.  Shannon picking a few things up each week is a LIFE SAVER for me.  It is pure joy, really.

One more thing that Cozi has that I use and enjoy is the journal.  I am really not very good at it, but I try very hard to record little things that happen that we want to recall and remember.  I like that it's not a huge commitment on here. I can post a single picture and then a story.  It then lets you share/send it at the end of the month if you would like.  Anyway, I like how simple it is, because that's just the best I can do without getting overwhelmed with that sort of stuff!

Cozi is that happy, little, functional thing!

YNAB

YouNeedABudget.

I love a good budget. I love plugging in numbers.

I love seeing our savings increase whether it's for an upcoming vacation or a new vehicle or something else fun we see in our future.

I also really love trying to keep our numbers low in the other areas by finding bargains or doing without.  It's really like a game to me.  A fun game. 

And with YNAB, I always seem to win, and we seem to sock more money away.  It keeps us on track and we can totally see where all of our money is going and adjust where we need/want it to go. 

YNAB logo.  I pretend it's a palm tree.

I've tried a lot of other things like basic pen and paper or other online/downloadable budgeting tools and this just seems to work best for me.  We've had it for about 10 months now and after a small learning curve, I am so hooked.  Addie and Reece even have their own budget set up within it and they actually LIKE it!  It really helps to see where your money is working!

Lug Purse

So, while visiting the chiropractor a while back for some neck and back issues, he looked at my huge purse and asked if I carried that around all the time.  I looked at him with a look of, "well, duh, I need EVERYTHING with me at all times, in case there is some emergency!"  I carried so much in that purse that my family would laugh at my "what ifs" for everything that got pulled out.  It was very similar to Mary Poppins carpet bag.

I decided that maybe for the sake of my neck and back and really for the sake of simplicity that I could look for something smaller that would suit my needs.  I had to really change my way of thinking, but I found something fabulous.  And honestly, it stores just the right amount of stuff.  I have never found myself needing for anything when I am out and about running errands or shopping.

Can you say pink?

This is the Lug Carousel Mini Cross-Body Bag.  Lug has all sorts of different style bags and all of them are so cute!  They also had many colors of this bag.  I, of course, chose the rose pink.  It is a beautiful fuschia.  The best color in the world.  The strap can be shortened to be used as a regular purse. I keep it long and across the body just because that is more comfortable for me.  The strap can also be removed, so if ever I need to carry a larger bag, I can take off the strap and use this as a larger wallet.  MUCH larger wallet.  But, I like that option.  It can go straight into a carry on or beach bag!

Love the stitching and detailing!

It is a fabric purse and washes up like a dream!  With all the little compartments, it really works well for me!  Maybe I will do a blog post sometime about all the goodies I keep stored in my purse.  I lobe a lot of things in there!

The best part about all of this was that I used an Amazon gift card to purchase it, so I didn't mind spending the money. :)

**Update:  I still love this purse soooo much!  I've noticed the price has dropped dramatically.  I wonder if I need another one in a different color.

A made bed

I love my morning routine.

Especially this part.

I just love throwing open the curtains and making the bed.  It's as if my day can officially start.  To me there is great satisfaction in a made bed. 

No one in my family agrees with me on this point. Not. one. single. person. 

But that's okay.  It only takes a couple minutes of my time and starts my day off happy!