Organizing Tips Should Be Used As Stepping Stones.

I could look at organizing tips all day!  They are a very important part at keeping things together and making our daily lives flow easier. Since it's the beginning of a new year, many are searching (including me) for those magical new ways to help us in the quest on our journey.  One of my personal 2014 goals is to de-clutter and organize to cut down on maintaining my home in less time. Here is an example of using one of those great finds as a stepping stone.... then moving on.
As soon as I seen this (don't remember where from) I had to do it. What a great idea! Keeping your cooking supplies close to where you use them, and on a turntable.  This helped me so much having everything together within arms reach.  This was a step up from what I was doing.  I still had to clean the turntable, all the items, and the top of my toaster oven...which I use everyday.

 Once I went through and paired down the contents on my spice shelf, I then realized that I could get rid of this handy organizing idea.  Although it served it's purpose, I'm moving on.  This has picked up some of that less cleaning time that I am in search of.

So search out those organizing tips, if it's a step up, go for it.  When the time comes though, don't be afraid to take that next step.  

New Year-Fresh Goals

 For January, I plan on getting the decorations pared down (again) and put away. Some living decorations like this horn of plenty from Thanksgiving is still hanging around.....ugh. Then it will be all about de-cluttering and organizing the kitchen.  I have listed out daily 15min tasks for the month, so we will see how that works out.
The weekly "zone cleaning" is helping to maintain the rest of the house so I will stick with that for January as well.
Monday- Kitchen
Tuesday- Bedrooms 2 &3, bathroom 2
Wednesday- Living room, playrooms
Thursday- Kitchen
Friday- My bedroom, bathroom

DIY "Self- watering container"

 I have NO green thumb.  I once killed an artificial tree (but that's another story).  This year I am going to try to grow a few things.  Since most of my problem seems to be lack of watering what I have tried to grow I am hoping this new "self-watering" container with 1.5 gallon water storage in the bottom will help....this one is for one of my tomato plants.

It already has a few tomatoes on it. 

Grow little tomatoes...grow.

My 3rd set of the 7 items for 7 days results.

I have completed my 3rd set of the 7 items for 7 days challenge.  Here is my results.  Most still has to be delivered but it is ready to go....


1/20
I'm working on my 7/7 challenge today and doing some serious cleaning.  Starting my list but these are not in order.  Finishing projects that have been in waiting for alterations and repair(from other people) this morning.

 1. hoodie repair\
 2. hoodie repair
 3. blanket hem repair
 4. fitted sheet repair
 5. long sleeve shirt repair
 6. short sleeve shirt repair
 7. grey pants-hemmed
 8. lt grey pants- hemmed
 9. blue jeans-hemmed
10. blue jeans- repair
11. blue jeans- repair
12. grey shorts- repair
13. blue jeans- hemmed
updating with my 7/7 challenge items
14.-24. another load put together for recycling
25-35. tub electronic recycling
36.-42. box of items from pantry, trashed

43. -47. 5 small pots w/lids donation bag
48. old but good blender, donation bag

49. broken Blue Ray player, electronic recycling
50. old router, electronic recycling
51. broken printer, electronic recycling

Little extra love for the stove

The drawer underneath the oven is where I keep things like trash bags, storage and freezer bags, foil and supplies handy.  It needed to be re-done.
Before:

After:

Then while cleaning the stove top the drip pans were really looking rough.  Not just dirty but rusty, so we replaced those and added the little disposable protectors.  Now maybe they will stay cleaner longer.

Before:

After:

Round 2 of another 7 Items for 7 Days Challenge

It's the last day for the 2nd round of 7/7 challenge.  Here is what I came up.   I do so well with this method,  I guess because I don't have to stay focused on a specific area, or spot and can just bounce around a pluck things from here and there.

Today is trash pick up day and I am hoping to get as much out there as possible this morning.  Need to do 15 min pickups in my bedroom, bathroom #1, bathroom #2, and the kitchen.


1. 1 bag of items from the freezer-trashed
2. 3 empty box from the under the oven project
3. 1 plastic container to the recycling
4. 1 book "Well-being for Dummies" recycling
5. 5 small pkgs of girls hair bows-added to the bow bag, tossed packaging.
6 Tossed the old little girls hair bow bag(torn)
7. 2 dried up hand sanitizers, trashed
8. 1 empty hand lotion-trashed
9. 2 old hair brushes
10. 2 lids that I can't figure out what they go to...trashed
11. 1 broken fake pearl neckless trashed
12. 1lb sausage from the freezer(freezer burned) trashed
13. 1 cooking pot, trashed-everything stuck to it.
14. 1 small basket-gave away
15.  6 mags to recycling box
16.  1 plastic measuring cup melted, trashed
17.  This weeks newspapers recycling box
18.  2 cardboard broke down recycling
19. 2 broke Christmas decorations trashed
20.  2 shirts to donation bag too small

1/12 updating
21.  New license plate to my son for his new car-off the shelf
22.  2 screws from the counter to put the license plate on
23.  trashed temporary tag
25.  Robe- donation bag too small
26.  2 pair of pants trashed to small and too worn to donate
27.  1 gift box broken down into cardboard box
28.  3 Birthday cards..read and put into recycling
29.  2 pair faded black sock trashed
30.  2 coke codes sent for my end of a trade
31.  2 coke 12-pk boxes out to recycling box
32.  1 toothbrush trashed
33.  6 packages of pudding mix, trashed, expired
updated 1/13
34.  2 large bags of trash from the storage room
35.  1 bunt pan-donated never used it
36.  1 car load of cardboard off to the recycling bin
37.  3 shirts to the donation bag too small
38.  4 movie cases trashed haven't seen the dvd's in years
39.  1 old coupon binder, trashed
40.  2 large plastic containers with broken lids
41.  several nearly empty spice containers-trashed
42.  2 empty coffee containers-trashed
43.  small bags of sewing scraps-trashed
44.  old pin cushion-trashed
45.  jacket ripped never repaired from years ago-trashed
46.  small bag of misc trash from car-trashed
47.  outdated business cards-recycled
48.  outdated business flyers-recycled
49.  2 old sewing patterns that was missing parts-recycled in paper bin
I know some were confused with the numeric challenge but I do so well with this method.  I guess because I don't have to stay focused on a specific area, or spot and can just bounce around a pluck things from here and there.

Day #7 Last Day of the 7/7 Challenge

 7/7 challenge...I made it!
33. broken heater-trashed
34. Fabric softener bottle- trashed
35. box of new Christmas lights- donation box
36. 2 pillows(flat) -trashed
37. stack of Dec P&G inserts- recycle box
38. 5 knifes in 2 plastic containers-trashed
39.  2 coke codes entered, recycle box with cartons
40. 5 Christmas card envelopes  -recycle box-entered address in address book
41. 5 magazines-recycle box
42. 2 takeout menu from closed restaurants- recycle box
43. 3pk globe lights, replaced burned out ones threw old ones away
44. 3 old grocery lists-recycle box
45. 2 empty chapstix
46. 2 kids puzzles-trashed- too many pieces missing
47. stack of receipts into December folder
48. dried out gel pen- trashed
49. 2 dvds that wouldn't play anymore-trashed
50. weeks worth of newspapers- recycle box

Here's a picture of some of the items I started gathering up closer to crunch time.