Game stuff - Week 7 Day 4

Last night I was able to work on the game box that gets filled with the pieces I find throughout my cleaning.  I don't always have the time I need to put them where they are supposed to go, so I have a little box that I collect the game pieces.

So I sorted them and was very particular about what I saved.  This is a project that I need to do with the kids involved.  I don't know to which games the pieces belong, and they do.

I threw away a lot of cards that aren't full decks, so I hit the jackpot yesterday.

Yesterday's total was a conservative 90 items.

Total for the challenge: 569 items; Goal for today was 340 items

Keep pressing on,

Steph

Holiday things - Week 7 Day 3

Yesterday, I worked on the Christmas things around the house.  I saw that the tree was tilted at an almost 45 degree angle.  It was a little Charlie-Brown Christmas tree so it wasn't too hazardous.  But I did feel like it was time for it to go.  So I decided that it was time to clean up the holiday stuff - my snowmen stay around for January.

I sorted all the kids ornaments and put them in bigger boxes with their manager sets that they make during VBS. I also decided to have specific totes for specific items.  So the tree things - ornaments and garland etc all in one tote, outside lights and hooks in another tote and the wrapping stuff in the red tote above, because the wrapping paper fits inside.

I found lots of things that don't need to be part of my Christmas ornaments.  But I'm working through the totes in my storage room and have an inkling that there is a missing tote.  So I'll keep working my way through that room as I have time.

Total items found for this day: 36 items

Total items for the challenge: 479 items; goal for today: 330 items

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Garage Day 1 - Week 7 Day 2

Today we were to start working on the garage.  I did one of the stalls today.  The other was planned for tomorrow, but it's completely booked so I'm not sure it will work.

I didn't throw anything away today.  Well I guess I did.  An old box, but that was it.  I put the tools away and swept the floor.  It looks so much better, but I didn't get a picture of the better.

I hope you all have a great Christmas!  I don't think I'll be back on here till after Christmas, so I hope you all enjoy time with family.

Steph

Garden shed - Week 7 Day 1

Today was the Garden Shed, where we keep fencing and containers for planting, fertilizer, tools etc.  It gets very cluttered, because people don't hang the tools up as they should.  And things get put here that don't belong here.  I decided the chairs should just go to the toy shed, in a corner.  It's actually the same shed as the toy shed with a divider down the middle and it's accessed from two doors on the outside. 

We found several things to throw away, but mostly it's nice to be able to walk all the way to the back without tripping over things

It's a dirt floor, which we are hoping to change and the shed is falling down and we would eventually like to re-build it.

Total for today: 22 items

Total for the challenge: 465 items; Goal for today 310 items

Keep pressing on!

Steph

Toy shed - Week 6 Day 5

 This area doesn't look horrible.  But the kids and I went in with the idea of being very selective about what stays.  The chair stayed but I'm not sure what to do with it.  It works but we don't have a place for it in our house right now.  Our oldest is considering moving out so there may be room for it soon. I just need to find a seat cushion for it.

This picture is blurry.  We found 17 things for the trash: balls that don't hold air, a bike that is missing a gear shift, etc.  And we put away all the sand box dump trucks that don't need to be out in the weather.  We were done long before the timer went off.

Total for the day - 17 items

Total for the challenge - 443 items; Goal for today - 300 items.

Keep pressing on! Enjoy this season!

Steph

Master closet - Week 6 Day 4

My closet desperately needed to be cleaned out so I adjusted my schedule and did it.  I hauled it all out and then was asked to go in and work for someone who wasn't feeling well.  Thankfully, she was able to wait until I got things mostly taken care of. 

I took some empty totes from the basement and filled them with the blankets.  Then I put all the gift bags and paper in a container, I'll have to sort the things in that container later.  Also youth group study materials were placed in a box for the future.

Total for today: 19 items

Total for the challenge: 426 items; Goal for today is 290 items

Storage closet - Week 6 Day 3

The storage area was clean, so I spent yesterday organizing the laundry area and taking care of all the clothes.  I didn't get rid of anything, but it's maintenance and necessary.

Have a great day.
P.S. this was for Friday

Total items for the challenge:  407 items; Goal for today is 280 items

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Hallway - Week 6 Day 2

Today's challenge is this lovely corner of our house.  Our coats hang on hooks and usually we try to pile too much on each hook.  No one can find gloves, hats or anything needed when we're rushing out the door.  So today I took a little extra time to provide some organization to this mess.

I piled all the coats in the living room.  As I brought them from the hallway, I placed them in piles for each person.  I know that the hallway will still be somewhat chaotic even after I am finished.  Nine people's coats in one hallway...um, you get the picture. 

I have these bags that I don't use often but really can't throw away.  So each person will get one bag behind their coat for a hat, gloves and a scarf.

Final product is much better. One coat per person, each person has a hook or two. It works pretty well for a day or two.

Total items for today: 4 items

Today's total for the challenge:   407 items; Goal for today was 270 items

Kids' Closet #3 - Week 6 Day 1

Today I cleaned the girls' closet out.  They had such a neat closet when I went up there. 

I was surprised because this is the view walking into their room.  Chaos, and disaster.

But it was pleasant that I didn't have a lot to do in their closet specifically.  I culled their clothes and found a few things that they don't like - I only know that because they don't wear the clothes and some that were too small.

Total items for today: 7 items

Total for challenge: 403 items; Goal for today is 260 items.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Kids Closet #2 - Week 5 Day 5

I haven't looked at my list to see how it's supposed to go.  I've just been doing the things that seem like they should be next on the list.  So if you're following my plan and see that I've strayed from it, you are correct.

This is actually what I did yesterday.  I hope to get another closet finished and then the kids' closets will be done.  I also hope to blog about it today, but we'll see.

We went through the box and sorted all the jumble of things in there.  We're going to try to keep the floor of the closet clean.  We'll see.  Not sure if that will happen.  It's my goal and not theirs.  So it would mean me making sure it happens.   Which means I have to put it on my schedule and have it recurring.

My daughter took the pictures above for the clean closet.  The floor is clean and the toys are sorted, but I realize I didn't get to their clothes and I'm sure they have some in their closet that need to be sorted out.  So I'll save that for another time.

Today I found 22 items to throw away.

Total for the challenge: 396 items; Goal for today was 250 items

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Guest room closet - Week 5 Day 4

 The guest room closet...that place where everything goes that has no home...including the things that I've been collecting to donate.  The kids helped me haul that all into the van for piano lesson day so that we can drop the bags off on our way to piano.

I sorted and organized.  I have Christmas presents kept in here, don't tell the children.   I definitely need to start wrapping those.

I still found a few things that headed to the trash can.  And it looks so much better.  I kept our decorations container in there, just so it's available as we aren't really finished decorating our home.

Total items donated or thrown away: 12 items

Total for the challenge: 374 items; Goal for today: 240 items

Keep pressing on and enjoy the season of our Savior's birth,
Steph

Master dressers - Week 5 Day 3

Today was Master Dresser day.  I have perfume that I need to do something with.  I know that there is no way I can use it all and someone else might as well before it goes bad. 

I had to work today so I didn't have a lot of time.  But I did manage to find a few items that I could donate to someone.

Total items donated: 5 items

Total for the challenge: 362 items; Goal for today: 230 items

Even a little is better than nothing.  Keep pressing on.  Have a great weekend!
Steph

Master closet - Week 5 Day 2

Today, I worked on our closet.  Yes, I know, if you're tracking what my list says to do, I skipped a couple of days.  I didn't even get all done.  I mean, I need like three or four days to get this closet done.

 So I just did my side of the closet and really found a lot of things that could be tossed or donated.  I laid out my hang-up clothes according to dress up, work and casual, summer, spring, fall and winter.  Then I asked what I've worn recently and what I really don't like.

I found a bunch of things to donate and throw away.  And it feels good to get my closet organized.  I found some things I'd been missing.

Total items to donate or throw away: 40 items

Total for the challenge:  357 items; Goal for today: 220 items

Keep pressing on, even if you don't get it all done!

Steph

Kids' closet #1 - Week 5 Day 1

Today was what I call a two-fer - a two-for-one.  I had my boy in his room and before he'd had his coffee.  I hauled all the hangars out of the closet and proceeded to have him tell him which was his and which was his brother's.  They share a closet but the older brother is gone and has taken most of what he cares about to college anyway. 

I had worked through the summer bit by bit sorting and organizing their closet, boxing up older brother's special things for him to deal with later.  We're assuming he'll have a different room in the attic by the time he needs those items, so it made sense just to box them up already.

I found a few coats and lots of jeans that are old.  Some nice jeans that are too small for them we saved for the younger brothers and a coat that's very nice.

Total for donation or throwing away: 16 items

Total for the challenge: 317 items; Goal through today: 210 items

Remember you don't have to do all of this in one day.  If you can't do this much break it down - one shelf in the closet is better than nothing.  Don't let being overwhelmed paralyze you and keep you from doing anything.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Kid Dresser #5 - Week 4 Day 5

 This dresser was a bit harder.  I haven't messed with his clothes for awhile as he's a high-schooler and can take care of his own things.  Also we were transferring from one dresser to another, which in some ways helped.

 I made sure he was there to help with the sorting as he should have a say in what does or doesn't get thrown, though sometimes I'm not super happy with his choices of his favorite grubby shirts.   Today, I had a bit of a solution.  Those school shirts that I want to save for graduation day I pulled out of his drawers and put them in a box to keep them nice until then.  Maybe he's growing out of the need for those comfy, stained and ragged shirts, but he was agreeable to my ideas and it went very smoothly. 

Ah, also it could be that it was pre-caffeine.  He'd woken up early so I hauled him back to his room to get his input and he hadn't had coffee.  New plan!  Let's do the older kids' rooms before their coffee!

Total for his dresser day, which is actually for yesterday: 8 items

Total for the challenge: 301 items; Original goal for today was 200 items.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Kids Dresser #4 - Week 4 Day 4

Kid's dresser #4 has a bag of clothes that someone donated to her.  So we'll go through them together and be selective about what we think she will really wear. 

Here's the pile of clothes we took out of her drawers.  She helped me by letting me know what was too short and what she doesn't like.  Younger daughter has a bunch of jeans in her drawer (I did her drawers yesterday).  She has strict instructions to put any that don't fit on my bed when she tries wearing them.  That's a standard rule in our house.  If I find clothes on my bed, I know that someone either can't fit them or won't wear them. 

Today I found 26 items to donate or throw away.

Total number of items for the challenge: 293 items.  Goal for the challenge was 190.

Keep pressing on,

Steph

Kid's dresser 3rd day - Week 4 Day 3

Look at this mess!  I am totally on board with my husbands idea of only giving them the essentials after seeing this.  I was super picky but just made sure that she has enough clothes to wear.  I hung up the nice things and put a few things in her drawers for wearing around here.  We live on a farm so we need a few not nice things.  Generally, though, when I do this, I pull all things ripped and stained and save some of the older nice things for them to start wearing around here.

 Not perfect but much, much better.

And there's the clothes pile.  I counted 16 things.

Total for the challenge: 267 things.  Goal would be 180 things.

Keep pressing on and have a wonderful weekend!
Steph

Kid's Dresser 2nd day - Week 4 Day 2

Today is the second kid's dresser.  It would be a good idea to write down what you need of each item.  Our drawers are for play clothes and we hang up our school/good clothes.  It helps keep it separated in their minds.  Then as you go, sort the clothes into stacks.  I usually pull out things with stains and tears for the trash bag or since we use rags a lot to be cut up for rags.  Things that are too small I put in the donate pile, at least for the youngest child.

Today I found 18 things to throw away or donate and now I have two kids' dressers done.  That makes me happy.

Total for the challenge: 251 things; Goal is 170 things

Keep pressing down,
Steph

Kid dresser 1st day - Week 4 Day 1

Last week while I was frantically searching for a retainer for my son, Tank, I went through all his clothes.  Grandma had come for Thanksgiving and given some new and needed items, so it was a good time to do a purge.  She gave nine items.

His drawers were packed full.  My husband begs me to only leave what is minimally necessary for life in their drawers. He feels that too many clothes really just make it super difficult to keep what we have nice and to keep them in order.  I agree, but I don't do great with this.  It would also help my laundry situation if I would do this.  When their drawers are full and they have more laundry to put in them, they don't.  The clothes end up on the floor and after a day or two go back in the wash unused. 

So I tried, I really did, but there were some special t-shirts that I left in his drawer.  I saved some things for his little brother and donated some.  I was very selective about what I saved because we usually get clothes from Grandma. 

I purged about 20 items from his dresser.  Some were donated and the others were thrown away.

Total for the challenge: 213 items; Goal to date: 160 items.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Storage room 1st day - Week 3, Day 5

It's after Thanksgiving and I still haven't gotten back into the groove of normal life.  I just want to do my own thing and not worry about the things that need to be done.  I missed this post yesterday because of procrastination.  But I did get it done.  So here it is!

This day is the storage room - Day 1.  But it just needed things to be put away and cared for at this point.  I mean we haven't even done the kid's clothes yet so... I rearranged my schedule for what we are doing and moved the second day of this room to after all the closets and dressers have been gone through.

Here's what my new schedule looks like:

Week 1

1. Kitchen drawers
2. Kitchen cupboards - upper
3. Kitchen cupboards - lower
4. Kitchen junk drawer
5. Kitchen linens

Week 2

1. Kitchen other or pantry
2. Kitchen cookbooks and recipes
3. Videos, CDs and DVDs
4. Your desk or work area
5. Children's books - Day 1

Week 3

1. Children's books - Day 2
2. Adult books - Day 1
3. Adult books - Day 2
4. Medicine/vitamin cupboard
5. Storage room

Week 4

1. Clothing - Kid dressers - Day 1 This is where we will start tomorrow.
2. Clothing - Kid dressers - Day 2
3. Clothing - Kid dressers - Day 3
4. Clothing - Kid dressers - Day 4
5. Clothing - Kid dressers - Day 5

Week 5

1. Clothing - Kid closet - Day 1
2. Clothing - Kid closet - Day 2
3. Clothing - Kid closet - Day 3
4. Clothing - Master bedroom dressers
5. Clothing -Master closet

Week 6

1. Hallway
2. Storage room
3. Decorative items in living areas
4. Garage - Day 1
5. Garage - Day 2

Week 7

1. Barb’s closet
2. Laundry room
3. Scrap shed
4. Backyard shed
5. Kid's school supplies or backpacks

Week 8

1. Holiday supplies
2. Kids' toys - Day 1
3. Kids' toys - Day 2
4. Closets
5. Any other area that has not been addressed yet

This is how it looked when I started.  Mostly I just straightened things up.  Actually looking at the picture, I realize there is something in there that needs to go with us to Wisconsin when we go for Christmas.  So I'll pull that out today and put it in the van that will go.  We won't use that van until we go anyway, so it won't be in the way and (this is the most important thing) I won't forget to do it later. :)

Outside chairs and furniture usually gets put here, so the hall tends to get  a bit crowded.  I do need to go through the totes to find out what should be thrown away or donated.  I may just have to do that after this whole 8 weeks is done.  I keep seeing things and areas that should be part of this challenge.  Each house would be different - different rooms etc.  Probably not too many would have 5 kid dressers and 3 kid closets.  As they grow up and leave the house, I am getting fewer kid dressers but will still have the closets, though probably not with their things just mine. Oh dear!

I didn't throw anything away.

Total for this challenge to date: 193 items; Goal: 150 items

Keep pressing on,

Steph

The bathroom closet/medicine cabinet - Week 3 Day 4

This is our bathroom closet.  We keep towels and hair things and a first aid kit and everyone's individual boxes for their own personal hygiene items.

It took me less than 15 minutes to straighten this and organize it, but I like how it looks now.  The kids' bins are less than beautiful, but everything is where it should be.  We aren't striving for perfection, just efficiency.

Perfection makes it too daunting to keep up.  We want something that we can keep up with, to some degree.

I was able to find 5 things that needed to be thrown away and nothing to give away.

Total for the challenge:  193 items  Goal was: 140 items

Keep pressing on,
Steph

My books Day 2 - Week 3 Day 3

Again today it was mostly organizing and straightening.  It didn't take anywhere near 15 minutes.  But it's nice to have it clean, dusted and looking neat again.

Total items for today: 0 

Total items for the challenge: 188 items.  Goal: 130 items

Keep pressing on and Happy Thanksgiving,

Steph

My books Day 1 - Week 3 Day 2

Our books are kept in our room and usually aren't something I'm going to purge too much.  But as you can see it does need some straightening and cleaning up.  Egg cartons in the bedroom may seem strange and it is.  My husband is preparing to incubate eggs to increase our flock, so we are keeping the eggs in our room so I don't accidentally use them or put them in the fridge.

Ah, I just love making things new or at least look better. 

Again I found 0 items today to throw away or donate, but I found several items that belong in the garage and other places in the house.

Total for the challenge: 188 items.  Goal for today 120 items.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Children's books, Day 2 - Week 3 Day 1

Again, here is my before picture, after we had started cleaning some.

I didn't find anything I was ready to get rid of on this side.  But it's all organized. My helpful books and National Geographic books are on the top shelf.  Gardening books, art books and extra books are on the second shelf.  History books and dictionaries are on the third shelf.  Then science books and piano books are on the shelf above the encyclopedias.  It feels good to have that organized and I found some books that I'd like to use with the kids that pertain to the things that they are currently studying.

Total items found today: 0 items

Total items for the challenge:188 items.  Goal was 110.

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Children's Books Day 1 - Week 2 Day 5

We had already started cleaning before I took a picture.  This job is always hard for me, but today I decided that we would keep the special books that we've outgrown, and give the others away.   I also thought it would be helpful to keep a few littler books (cardboard ones) for little people that visit.

On the left is the books that aren't school books, on the right is the bookshelf with homeschooling books - history readers, science readers, some of my educational books and the bottom row of shelves all the way across is encyclopedias and childcraft books.

Today we'll work on the children's books.

I found 27 books to pass on to others.  We also cleaned up the game pieces and toys that we were laying on the shelves.  Why do they put those things on bookshelves?

It seems I always have a box of game pieces that need to be sorted.  At least if we're playing a game and missing a piece we can look here for it. 

My boxes for sorting - one was burn trash and the other was dump trash.  We don't have regular trash pick up here so we burn our paper and collect our non-burnable to take to the dump about once a month.

Total items for the day: 27

Total items for the challenge: 188 items.  At 10 items a day, I should have 100 items.

Next week we'll only do three days. For Christmas we'll skip Christmas Day and then also New Years' Day.  So we should finish by January 5th

Keep pressing on,

Steph

Your desk or work area - Week 2 Day 4

Today is desk day!  I didn't realize how much I would find today.  I had started this project before we even started the de-cluttering and you can see that I had much left to do.

I was able to get it all cleaned up - again with the help of the kids.  I usually have them find all the pencils and put them where they go or find their own things and put them away. 

I went through my Thirty-one business supplies and found many old catalogs and things.  I always save one so that I can check prices, but I found multiples of catalogs.  I store these in the bottom drawer. 

It was so nice to have that project tackled and finished!

Total things found to donate or throw away: 66 items

Total for the challenge: 161 items

Keep pressing on,
Steph

Videos, DVDs and CDs - Week 2 Day 3

This is a huge project in our house.  So I worked for my fifteen and then did another.  I also have had a cleaning project on my to-do list - to get all the cords hidden  behind the beautiful entertainment center my guy made for us last Thanksgiving.

CDs

Video games and cords everywhere

DVDs

 NO CORDS!!!!  Yay!

It took a bit longer to get all this done but with the help of my kids we succeeded.  We'll call this cleaning.

Total items found to donate or throw away: 3

Total items for the challenge: 95

Keep pressing on,
Steph