My 12 Week Organizational Challenge Recap

I've made great progress on organizing my home over the past 3 months.  I'm thrilled with all that has been accomplished.  Much of what I have done has stayed the same.  I have however, made a few changes.  I'll give you a re-cap of the past twelve weeks and update you on any little changes.
Week 1 - My Kitchen Canisters - They were not being used as they should have been and needed a little makeover.  They look just the same and have held up beautifully.  Storing flours and sugars in canisters is such a brilliant idea!! :))

Week 2 - The Kitchen Cabinets - During this week, I cleaned and organized my kitchen cabinets.
The tags I made for the boxes in the cabinets didn't hold up very well.  So I made some new ones and laminated them.

My chalkboard painted cabinet doors is something we use every day.  I'm so glad I painted them!

Week 3 - The Craft Space - I'm happy to say that although I have worked a lot in my craft space since the reveal, it still looks exactly the same.  All the appropriately labeled storage has worked out perfectly!

Week 4 - The Laundry Space - Between my new (to me) washer and much more pleasant looking laundry space, this too has stayed looking the same.  I do leave the detergents on my washer now though because I'm just too short to reach up into the boxes!

Week 5 - The Sewing Space - This space has mixed reviews from me.

Remember the storage totes under the table?  Well, I need to access them more than I thought I would and I need help every time I have to get something out of them.  I need to think this through a little more, but for now, I have kept it the same.  The only difference was what I found down here on Valentine's morning...

I told you all I wanted one of these!!!

I'm so thankful for My Better Half!!

I do love having my sewing supplies so easy to access.  I have been sewing a lot more...even if it's just sewing on patches and mending ripped stuffed animals!
Week 6 - Fabric Covered Cabinet - Love, love, love this cabinet!  The only addition is the old Pepsi bottle at the top.

Week 7 - Bathroom Vanity - Like I shared with you in my Linen Closet Makeover, I took the plastic boxes out from the vanity and put them in the closet.  I replaced them with a laundry basket under the sink.  WOW!!  Why didn't I do this sooner??  Who knew a simple laundry basket in the bathroom would keep all the clothes from landing behind the bathroom door!
Week 8 - Kitchen Sink Base - No changes here and still just as organized!!

Week 9 - The Linen Closet - This one was a biggie.

I am so thankful for my new linen closet.  All the burlap boxes have kept everything so organized.

The labels with our names on them were running from getting wet.

I made new labels for these and laminated them to seal them up from the contact with water.
FYI...I am now allowing the family to use the new towels
Week 10 - The Mini-Van - Our minivan gets a lot of use so I was a bit skeptical about this one.  We are using all the new storage spaces and the van is staying neater than it used too.

I have updated the labels in here too...they were too thick and started peeling off.

I will say, that my favorite thing about organizing the van was the assigned seating chart.  No more fighting about who is sitting where...{LOVE IT}
Week 11 - The Bedroom Closet - I'm pleased with how this one turned out and haven't really had an opportunity to change anything.

I did want to share with you an idea that someone left me in the comments about closet organization. "a little closet hint...when you hang up your clothes..hang the hanger backward..when you wear the item put it back on the hanger the right way.. when you purge you can easily see what you haven't worn.. the backward hangers were never worn."
Brilliant...don't you think?!
Week 12 - Master Bedroom Built ins and Attic Space - Last week I shared with you the purging that took place in this space.

My room can better be the sanctuary it was intended to be.
I hope you have enjoyed these twelve weeks of organization.  They have been extremely beneficial to my home.  I hope they have inspired you on your organizing projects.  I've been asked if I'm going to continue this series and I am...just not in the next few weeks.  I have some big projects coming up and need to devote more time to those.  I'll get back to organizing soon and will let you know when I do!

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:
Organizing Made Fun
Craft Junkie Too   Five Days Five Ways   Delicate Construction       Remodelaholic   504 Main  Lolly Jane

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring  Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping Saturday:  Six Sisters' Stuff Remodelaholic    Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember  Sunday:     Ask Anna  The Kurtz Corner      C.R.A.F.T,  ,  DIY Showoff,  The Girl Creative   Homemaker on a Dime  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  Monday:   Making the World Cuter   The Better Mom    Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things Dittle Dattle,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  ,  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna  Tuesday:   Mommy By Day Crafter by Night    At Home With K    Polly Want a Crafter ,  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  All Thingz Related ,  DIY by Design   Lil Luna,  Blue Cricket Design,  Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Wednesday: Southern Lovely   Blue Cricket Design 733 Blog   Passionately Artistic   Savvy Southern Style Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Feeding Four ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sew Much Ado ,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  Beyond the Picket Fence ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara,Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy ,  Thursday: Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Diaper Diaries ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  Feeding Four ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Little Knick Knack ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows

I'm an organizing junkie 

Taco Salad

Taco Salad is one of my favorite meals.  During the Spring and Summer months we consume it A LOT!  Last week I took it to a family gathering and decided to spruce it up a bit by layering it in my trifle bowl.

It looked really pretty and tasted especially yummy!!.

This is the taco salad recipe I use:

Printable Version
2 heads of lettuce
2 cups Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
2 cups Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
(you could use 4 cups of the mexican blend instead)
2 lbs of ground meat (fried and drained)
2  packages of taco seasoning
2 medium tomatoes (diced) ( I don't always add these because not all of us like tomatoes)
1 bag of  crushed tortilla chips
2/3 of a bottle of Italian Dressing
sour cream (optional)
chili beans (optional
Usually I mix all of this together and then add the chips and dressing right before I serve.

It makes my big tupperware bowl completely full.

The layered look was for the special occasion.  The quantities in the recipe are for the large bowl not the trifle bowl.  The trifle bowl used about 1/2 of the recipe above.

Either way is delicious!

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:
Craft Junkie Too   Five Days Five Ways   Delicate Construction       Remodelaholic   504 Main  Lolly Jane

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring  Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping Saturday:  Six Sisters' Stuff Remodelaholic    Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember  Sunday:     Ask Anna  The Kurtz Corner      C.R.A.F.T,  ,  DIY Showoff,  The Girl Creative   Homemaker on a Dime  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  Monday:   Making the World Cuter   The Better Mom    Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things Dittle Dattle,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  ,  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna  Tuesday:   Mommy By Day Crafter by Night    At Home With K    Polly Want a Crafter ,  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  All Thingz Related ,  DIY by Design   Lil Luna,  Blue Cricket Design,  Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Wednesday: Southern Lovely   Blue Cricket Design 733 Blog   Passionately Artistic   Savvy Southern Style Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Feeding Four ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sew Much Ado ,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  Beyond the Picket Fence ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara,Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy ,  Thursday: Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Diaper Diaries ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  Feeding Four ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Little Knick Knack ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows

My Spring Porch

Spring has sprung and here in NE Ohio it is GORGEOUS!!  Typically, we are still fighting the snow storms but not this year...{Love it}!!  I've decorated the inside of the house for Spring and God has taken care of the flowers and trees on the outside.  The blooming forsythia, daffodils, and tulips are lovely.  It is nice to enjoy all these beauties so early this year.
I love decorating my front porch and was able to use things I had around the yard and garage.

I use my little ReStore chair regularly when I decorate my porch.  It is just the right size and I got it for only a few dollars.  The hand planer was just a buck or two as well...gotta love ReStore!

I dug up daffodils from my yard when they were just coming out of the ground and was hoping they would bloom in this ReStore watering can.  YAY!  It worked!

The "Spring Sign" was my first attempt at making rosettes.  How fun!!  I used old stained and ripped shirts for the material and the board is just an old piece of recycled decking.

I've had this grapevine wreath forever and just change it out for the different seasons.  Adding this pretty ribbon from my loads of ribbon and a few plastic Easter eggs from past egg hunts, does the job!

I love to find things around the house to use for decorating and try to make or use things on hand.  Decorating is so much more fun when you can do it for a little bit of nothing!

Look around...what can you find that would make a beautiful Spring display??

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:
Craft Junkie Too   Five Days Five Ways   Delicate Construction       Remodelaholic   504 Main  Lolly Jane

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring  Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping Saturday:  Six Sisters' Stuff Remodelaholic    Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember  Sunday:     Ask Anna  The Kurtz Corner      C.R.A.F.T,  ,  DIY Showoff,  The Girl Creative   Homemaker on a Dime  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  Monday:   Making the World Cuter   The Better Mom    Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things Dittle Dattle,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  ,  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna  Tuesday:   Mommy By Day Crafter by Night    At Home With K    Polly Want a Crafter ,  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  All Thingz Related ,  DIY by Design   Lil Luna,  Blue Cricket Design,  Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Wednesday: Southern Lovely   Blue Cricket Design 733 Blog   Passionately Artistic   Savvy Southern Style Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Feeding Four ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sew Much Ado ,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  Beyond the Picket Fence ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara,Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy ,  Thursday: Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Diaper Diaries ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  Feeding Four ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Little Knick Knack ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows

Organizing Challenge Week 12 - The Built Ins and Attic Space

Several years ago my Better Half designed and built these beautiful built-ins for our bedroom.

They offer a ton of storage to our little room.  With storage however, sometimes comes disorganization.  This was the case for us.

This beautiful window seat was hiding a nasty secret...a big fat mess...leading to another big fat mess.  Below this window seat is a lot of storage space which leads to our attic crawl space.  Both of which were in utter disarray.  I didn't take before pictures because you really couldn't tell how bad things were until you got down in there, so instead, I took pictures of all the stuff that came out of there.

FOUR bags of stuffed animals.  We purged them down to two!

 

Now you can see what it looks like under the window seat and in the attic space.

The boxes on the right are filled with my children's artwork.  I can't bear to get rid of them!

 

Some of the stuff had to go back in there so we packed most of that in Space Bags and cut down on the space it took up.

I left the luggage within arm's reach.  I never know when I'll need to run get away.

We also got rid of a ton of stuff as I purged and organized the drawers.

So now that I have the drawers and the closet all cleaned and organized...and even the attic space, I can call this room done!  PTL!!!

I'm really learning through this process, that half the battle of being organized it getting rid of the "junk" that I don't use anymore.  It allows me to be more organized and consequently better at a whole lot of things in my life.
Wow, twelve weeks of organizing done!  Next week, I'll give you an update of all the projects and let you know if they are holding up and the changes I have made since all this organizing began.

Blessings,

Linking up to these parties:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring  Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping Saturday:  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember  Sunday:  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Monday:  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things Dittle Dattle,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  ,  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna  Tuesday:  Polly Want a Crafter ,  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  All Thingz Related ,  DIY by Design   Lil Luna,  Blue Cricket Design,  Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Wednesday: Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Feeding Four ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sew Much Ado ,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  Beyond the Picket Fence ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara,Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy ,  Thursday: Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Diaper Diaries ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  Feeding Four ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Little Knick Knack ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows

I'm an organizing junkie 

Spring Lollipop Bouquet

I love Spring.  Winter is usually hard and long here in NE Ohio and so when Spring hits, I am eager and ready.

I made this bouquet for my girls 5th grade class at church a few weeks ago but think it would be perfect for  a Spring celebration.

It was really easy too.  I cut out the flower part with my cricut but they would be easy to cut out by hand and you could use a paper punch to cut out the little hole in the center.

I wrote a verse on the petals...you could write a verse of your choice or leave them plain.

After putting them together with the blow pops (you could use regular suckers or tootsie roll pops), I stuck them in a vase with Easter grass bought last year on clearance (it's the best time to buy).

The girls loved them...although I must admit, they were more interested in the lollipop than the flower!

Blessings,

Linking up to these parties:

Linking to some of these fun linking parties:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring  Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping Saturday:  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember  Sunday:  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Monday:  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things Dittle Dattle,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  ,  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna  Tuesday:  Polly Want a Crafter ,  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  All Thingz Related ,  DIY by Design   Lil Luna,  Blue Cricket Design,  Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Wednesday: Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Feeding Four ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sew Much Ado ,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  Beyond the Picket Fence ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara,Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy ,  Thursday: Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Diaper Diaries ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  Feeding Four ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Little Knick Knack ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows

I'm an organizing junkie