I’m back and ready to organize this week! Here’s an update:

• My first client has been maintaining the work we did in her bedroom, and best of all, she’s made progress in other areas of her house. Yeah!! I’ll post before & after pictures of her home as we finish each room.
• Savannah passed her test for her ice skating class! She’ll be starting the “Basic 3″ class sometime in March. She’s very fast going backwards!
• Phoebe learned to say “no” and to SCREAM when she’s angry…all in the same week. Lovely.
• I’m currently reading a book called Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. It’s the book that inspired Flylady to do what she does. I borrowed it from the library, and I’m really enjoying it so far.
• While I was down last week with the migraines, I got inspired by a few of my favorite shows to work on some small projects. Two of my favorite TV shows right now are “neat” and “Mission: Organization”. They always have great ideas!
• This week I’m finally tackling my recipe disorganization!

I’ve been frustrated by my collection of recipes for a long time now. I have recipes ripped out of magazine, entire magazines with pages dog-eared, recipe cards, and of course, a collection of books that grows every year. They’re taking over my kitchen! I really love baking, but cooking is another story. I have a sweet tooth so that’s a big reason why baking is more enjoyable for me, but also, I have a 7 yr old so that makes cooking a lot more challenging. Kids are picky! Mine is anyway. As I try different recipes in my books I always note whether or not we all liked it, if it could have used some tweaking, whether it was worth the time to cook it, etc. There’s probably a dozen dinner recipes that all 4 of us really enjoy and that I try to cook on a regular rotating basis. I finally got the right idea on how to organize all of this mess on a blog called Forever Whenever. Thanks for the idea, Kim, and for permission to post it here Take a peak at her site to see more pictures and ideas.

The basic idea is just a 3-ring-binder with dividers to keep all your favorite recipes in one place. There’s also room for the take-out menus! Yeah! My goal is to be finished by Friday, but here’s where I’m at right now…

First I gathered all my loose recipe cards that were shoved into a drawer and all of my magazines.

Next I gathered up my new dividers, some cardstock from my scrapbooking stash, page protectors, a glue stick, and a Sharpie. I used the dividers for Menu, Dinners, Breakfast, Dessert, and Take Out. I may switch those up a bit later this week if it doesn’t work out quite right. Then I took my messy cards and glued them right onto the cardstock. Of course I remembered to keep like items together, like two chicken recipes on one page, not a casserole on one side and a cake on the other. I did all of this while catching up with my DVR. Isn’t multi-tasking great? After I finished my show, I wrapped everything up and put it away where I was. I slid my take-out menus and my ripped-out magazine recipes into page protectors and put them behind the appropriate divider.

This is another look at what I was able to accomplish in the time it took me to watch The Amazing Race last night. The pile of magazine scraps and cards is what I was able to get rid of with the use of my new binder.

Quick and easy! While I’m working on this project this week, I’m also going to purge through my cook books that I don’t really love or that I rarely use. I don’t need this taking up valuable real estate in my kitchen!

When you’re surrounded my clutter, do you tell yourself that you just don’t know where to start? I think that’s why so many people find themselves buried in their belongings. Feeling overwhelmed is common when dealing with a disorganized space. Let me help.

There are different options about where you can start.

1. If it’s a BIG mess, like an in-danger-of-twisting-an-ankle-or-misplacing-a-child kind of room, then I’d suggest just closing the door and walking away. Just kidding! If you do go that route, it will just cause more stress, even though you can’t see the mess through the door! You’ll know it’s there and the weight will be on your shoulders, or maybe a monkey on your back. I don’t know. I think monkeys would just make more of a mess, so let’s go with the weight. In a room like this, start small. Spend 10-15 a day on the room. Start by just clearing a path! Don’t get excited and try to spend hours at a time. You’ll burn yourself out. I promise you will see a difference with just a few minutes of work!

2. I like to start with the bedroom. I’ve mentioned it before. The bedroom is crucial. You spend 1/3 of your day in there, right? Your bedroom should be your retreat. You’ve heard the “no TV” rule about bedrooms. I’m hoping that one day my TV will be hidden, but I do want one in our room. If I didn’t have migraines, maybe I’d change my mind. Maybe not. I make my bed every day. I always thought that was such a waste of time when I saw my mom doing this every day when I was growing up. Why make it up if you’re just going to get back into it later? It just feels better, so do it!

3. I’ve read that some suggest starting in the kitchen. With it being the “heart of your home” and all, it leaves an impression on you to keep the rest of the house clean I guess. The kitchen is constant work with the cooking and cleaning. If it helps you to start there, then start there! My point is that there is no right way to organize. Do what works for you!

4. Another idea if you don’t know where to start, is to look at the laundry. Sometimes it just gets SO piled up that you can’t see your floor anymore. In cases like this, start there! I’ll admit, that I would be VERY embarrassed if you could see my bathroom right now!

5. Lastly, think about what the worst-case scenario would be if you didn’t organize. Would it be that all the belongings that are piled up on your basement floor would be ruined if the basement flooded? Or maybe your utilities would be cut off if you lost the bill and then forgot to pay it. Perhaps all the clutter in the laundry room is a fire hazard because of the way it is piled up? While this isn’t a very fun exercise, it may be what you need to think about in order to get motivated to organize and simplify your life!  

Photo from Pottery Barn

I finally got my closet decluttered!  I’m not quite ready to take pictures of it, but I do think it’s done being organized.  Yeah!  The last thing to do is decide what kind of storage boxes or baskets I need, if any.  For now, I’ll save my money and leave it the way it is.