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