Stuff. Grrrr....

When I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mommy.  I envisioned cradling tiny babies, putting them down for naps, feeding them in a high chair, changing diapers, and even nursing them (I had four younger siblings who ate that way- not all at once, of course).

But never did I imagine all the time I would spend managing STUFF.  It is (as of right now) my very least favorite part of managing a household.  I don't mind cleaning very much (when I have the time to get it done) and I don't mind doing laundry.  I wax and wane excitement regarding cooking these days and don't really mind paying the bills.  What I DO mind is all the time, brain space and energy that goes into dealing with stuff.

Now granted, I am thankful for the stuff.  I am not complaining about the *actual* stuff.  The stuff we have is stuff we need and are blessed to have in our possession.

BUT.

When you live in an old farmhouse with very few closets, managing stuff is hard.

When your attic's access is just wide enough for your husband's hips to fit through (forget about bins, Christmas trees, etc.), managing stuff is hard.

When you are over-the-moon fortunate to get beautiful hand-me-downs to clothe your children but have to pile bins of clothes in your bedroom, managing stuff is hard.

When you homeschool and need to save each year's books for the children who will grow into them so you don't have to sell and repurchase books every year, managing stuff is hard.

When your children's ages range from one to just shy of twelve, some toys and books will naturally accumulate for said ages (and in between) making it hard to manage all the stuff.

When you delight in organization, tidy rooms and open spaces, managing an overabundance of stuff is hard.

When your "attic" is an old, detached-from-the-house smokehouse that is mostly sound but not sound enough to trust storing said clothes and books, managing stuff is hard.

When the only exercise you get some days is rearranging and lugging around bins and boxes, managing stuff is hard (even though the exercise is good).

I don't wish this stuff away. I am doing my best to keep us organized.  Yes, an addition would be nice as we seem to be bursting at the seams but it's not in the cards right now.

So I live with the stuff.  I walk past and around the stuff.  I sneer at the stuff and try to will it invisible.  I resent how it makes our spaces look cluttered and hope no one thinks me a budding hoarder.  I am constantly trying to think up ways to house it more discretely but the cold, hard truth is that as long as I have a family and means to clothe, entertain, and school them, I will have stuff.

So, STUFF, BRING IT ON!  I'm armed with bins and I'm not afraid to use them.  Like it or not, I will kick your butt into organized submission.

The end.

Merry Christmas!!

Love,
Jane Pin It

Every Nook and Cranny

When we moved into this house nine years ago this month, I wondered how in the world we would ever use up all it's space.  At the time, it was just Jamey, myself and almost-two-year-old Sam. With it's three bedrooms, office, two baths, kitchen, dining room, play room and living room, much of the house was empty most days as Sam followed me around and Jamey went to work.

Those days are long gone.  All three bedrooms are used (two are doubled up).  The office is now a nursery for childcare/respite.  The play room is also the school room, full to bursting with books and posters, maps and bulletin boards.  This house gets lived in 24/7, hard.  It no longer feels empty.  At times it feels as if we might split its seams and end up sprawled out across the lawn for all the neighborhood to see.  Please mind you that I'm not complaining. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for all of it- not a day.

I'm always looking to better utilize our space.  It's much more practical than fretting about it (I know because I've tried ;-)). A few months ago, my attention fell on our front hallway- the space between the front door and the front hall closet.  When this house was built (and for many years after) there was a hallway that ran from the front door to the back door.  When the owners decided they'd had enough of traipsing out to the outhouse to relieve themselves, they chose the center of that hallway to install their indoor plumbing.  The front hall closet was also added- both additions now block off that front-to-back-of-the-house hallway.

Most recently, our play kitchen was housed in this spot.  It was accessible to little visitors (and our girls who still play with it at times) but I needed more school space.  During the winter months, Sam prefers to do his morning school downstairs because it's chilly upstairs. The living room (with the wood stove) though is right next to the school room where Sadie, Miriam and I are working.  We can be a bit distracting and laying on the couch to do your handwriting doesn't quite cut it for me.  I needed a space for him close to the stove room but further away from us girls...the front hall.

We had some repainting done and I stripped some floors upstairs.  The steps are the last part of this project and I hope to get to them this spring.  This explains why the steps are blue while nothing else is.  

I found a long, narrow folding table and Jamey kindly wired an outlet behind it.  The narrow table allows me enough access to the closet so I can retrieve my vacuum.  I added a cheap desk lamp and we were set.  Of course, I high-jacked the space immediately for some gift-making (more on that soon). I relocated all my sewing gear to that closet along with our extra coats, so the space functions as my sewing room when needed, too.

It's now back to it's original intended purpose and Sam has no excuse for why he can't do his math.  I jokingly call it his office to which he always grins.  So far, it's working very nicely for him.

The poster above the table is a  Bible & World History Timeline  and it's fascinating. It puts Biblical and world history side by side.

As you de-clutter and re-organize this year, keep your eyes out for those spots just waiting to be re-purposed.  What is your favorite use of a nook or cranny in your home? Pin It

Bright and Shiny Part 3: Organizing My Head

Remember how I told you about my recipe binders the other day?  Just before I dove into to my recipe reorganization project, I read Sarah's post about her binder.  I knew she used one, but the timing was just too perfect, so I decided to give her binder method a try because my head needed some organization, too.

You see, there is a small section of counter-top right next to our refrigerator.  There are no outlets there, so no appliances call it home.  And, it's too small to actually make food on, so it never gets food-messy.  This has become "my" counter space.  I have a small bulletin board propped against the wall where I tack coupons and gift cards, my camera sits there, my lists are spread out, mail that's ready to send can be found there as can more lists, and also paperwork that needs attention.  On that side of the fridge itself are more lists: project lists, shopping lists, meal planning lists, etc.

Side note:  One time as we were getting ready to go on vacation, Jamey threatened to take a picture of my counter-full of lists.  I think I had about ten going.  But now, let me explain...there were lists about things we needed to ask the neighbors to do, there were packing lists, things to do before we left, phone calls that needed to be made, what needed packing in the coolers, closing up the house chores, etc.  You get it right?  I was justified with my ten lists...right?

My goal with the binder was to get this section of my kitchen streamlined and organized, therefore organizing my mind.  Well, at least I wanted it to be a way to organize all the things I don't want to forget.  And, with a mind like a sieve (I blame the children), there are a lot of things to remember.  Here is what I came up with:

No, I'm not in elementary school.  This was something I thought we might use for school, but didn't.  I turned it into a place to jot down the meal I have planned for that evening (I was just starting the first week and didn't have it all planned yet) as well as reminders/to-do items.  The following tabs hold the following lists inside....

Meals tab: This section holds a list of the meals I have ingredients for.

Shopping tab: Here I have post-its stuck to the page with the store name at the top.  We try really hard to combine trips and plan ahead.  If we realize we're going to be out near one of the stores we frequent, we can pull the list off on our way out the door.

Posts tab: Blog post ideas. Have any suggestions?

Keeping Track:  This section holds several pages of lists including my Christmas Idea List, my project list (for when I have larger chunks of time), photo books completed list (so I know where to pick up with the next one), and kid milestones/funny quotes page (to add to their yearly summary I write at their birthdays).

Behind these tabs are a few more recipes that are still in plastic sleeves and behind those, a section on special occasion ideas for our table.  The sleeves make these photos look a little weird, but you get the idea.

Most of these ideas came from the Martha Stewart magazines I decided to recycle.  We've made the little acorn men before- they're so cute.  I can't wait to do something similar to the chocolate bunnies at Easter.  The bottom one is likely my favorite.  If we ever have Christmas at home, I want to make these.

With this project complete, my counter-top holds the binder, camera, letter organizer, tissue box, and hand sanitizer (for when Jamey gets home from work).  The side of the fridge is less cluttered as well with only the grocery list posted there (so it's handy for Jamey if he uses something up).  With all my "stuff" in one place, tucked into a neat binder no-less, it gives this organization-junkie peace of mind.

Well, at least until I can think of something else that needs reorganization.  Can you nest even when you're not expecting? Pin It

Bright and Shiny Part 2: Streamlining Recipes

As many of you know, we use a four-day school week curriculum.  Each year our "day off" falls on a different day depending on when other activities (like PE and piano) are scheduled.  Last year it fell on a Friday.  This year it's Wednesdays.

If you know us well, you know that I guard our weekdays pretty heavily.  For us to get all the school work done (5 days work into 4) and for me to maintain a fairly organized household (and mind), we don't do extra things during the day Monday- Friday.  Not even grocery shopping or doctor's appointments (those happen on Jamey's weekdays off and in the evenings when he can help).  I even guard our day off so I have a chance to do some cleaning and work on projects like the one I'm going to tell you about.  Some moms need to get out of the house to stay sane.  I need to stay in.  Well, most of the time, anyway.

Last Wednesday morning, I tackled my recipes.  Ever since finishing the cookbook, I knew this needed to be done.  The cookbook allowed me to consolidate all our favorite recipes into one book and therefore made several cookbooks obsolete- I just wasn't using them for their other recipes.  It also meant I could cut down on my binder collection.  I had three.  The little one was just desserts.  The middle-sized one was non-dessert recipes on recipe cards and the largest was recipes that had been printed out or torn from magazines.

Speaking of magazines, I had saved many recipe-related ones from years ago when I subscribed.  They remained on my shelves because I have a little voice that tries to get me to keep things. And sometimes I listen to it.

So.  I piled cookbooks and magazines I no longer needed into a box to go to the thrift store and purged my recipe binders of all the recipes that I either now have in my cookbook or that I haven't made in years.  This was a significant downsizing and it felt so good.  I was on the fence about the Cooking Light annual cookbooks, but decided to keep them for now.

Now, as you can see, our "half hutch" (made by Jamey) looks so much less cluttered.  I now know where recipes are and that I only have one copy of each.  The bottom shelf is now reserved for gardening binders and resources.

In case you're curious, here's what I kept:

(From left to right) Four Cooking Light Annual Recipes Cookbooks (I use these often for reference when altering recipes), two preserving cookbooks, Mennonite Community Cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks (I asked for this for Christmas and haven't tried any recipes yet), Simply in Season, More-With-Less Cookbook, Extending the Table, Thy Hand Hath Provided, a family church cookbook, (down to) two binders, my canning journal, another family church cookbook, The New Food Lover's Companion (I have an older version), and several instruction pamphlets (ice cream maker, yogurt maker, dehydrator, etc.).

I love checking things off my project list.   Pin It