23.7.13

Cleaning out and organizing



Absurd! The amount of stuff collected in this one little room is unbelievable. It's also a bit overwhelming.

The original blueprints had a laundry room there. I didn't like the idea of the dryer vent directed out toward front porch. I also wanted a mud room that went into a bathroom. So my husband make changes, and the space was called my scrapbooking room. That was the original plan anyway. When my son was born my mom suggested I give him that little room and keep his bedroom for my office. I didn't do it but I still like the idea. "My Office" as it is now called, contains enough occupational therapy tools and books to fill a small clinic. It also holds all of our craft supplies, sewing supplies, gift wrap and gift supplies, scrapbooking supplies which are rarely used now, and yes homeschooling pours into that room too. (Homeschooling fills our entire house, so surely you expected that.) 

So Monday I began tackling this room. This space that could be quite useful was emptied out bit by bit. I found so many projects either in progress or with items purchased that had never even been opened.

I let my son light the candle that he bought me. The calming scent of "Paradise flower" filled the room and then the whole house, while I filled the table with craft supplies and then the whole house with the rest of the boxes and clutter from the room.


The kids swam while I cleaned, then when it started raining they bathed the dogs outside in the rain. I continued to empty my office. Forget the small therapy clinic. There is enough stuff to fill a small island. 

You know those papers that pile put in a box to get out of the way when company comes? I found them. What?  You've never done that? 

Completely out of my favorite caffeine fix diet Dr Pepper, I started this day with more coffee than usual. In the past I have found candy bars and even money when cleaning my house, But today I was so happy to find this:


Three bottles of my favorite unhealthy fuel! Are you a pepper too?

By lunch time the room was only halfway cleaned out. But when my husband got home from work that night the room was beginning to look great. Not the rest of the house. My daughter said "How did all of that fit in there?" My husband asked what I was doing with all of the stuff now.

A few friends have encouraged me with my organizing efforts. The Crazy Mom and I challenged each other last year to get rid of 40 bags of clutter. You would think after a project like that things would still be in order, right? I do know that I don't need to by any of the typical school supplies. Anyway, this year she suggested we do something even bigger to get our homes in order. Then I joined Jon Acuff's START Experiment. He challenged us to reach out toward our dreams, our goals that may seem unattainable. An organized and welcoming home is my dream right now. I want, when we have friends over, not to have to scramble at the last minute and stuff clutter in "my office" which is part of the reason it looks the way it did. I want our home to be cozy, yet uncluttered. 

 So now, I'm tackling the sorting and purging, and hope when he comes home tonight he isn't greeted with this monster of a mess I've created. He picked on me when we first got married, that I moved piles to clean. He was right, but it works as long as I don't just move those piles back. I'll share pictures when it is done. Time to grab one of those diet Dr. Peppers and get started.
Jennifer

7 comments:

  1. Yay for finding the hidden Dr. Pepper's! Hopefully they will be just what you need for the energy to finish the room. I really need to tackle our school room, but I just can't get motivated to get started.

    TaMara

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I tackle a space it seems to get messier before cleaner. You are doing a great job and hope you enjoyed that Dr. Pepper ;) Oh and the calories you burned . . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Jennifer! If anything will get you going it's Dr. Pepper! (Unless of course, it's Mountain Dew!) You are on a mission :) Keep going girl, pretty soon your house is going to be significantly lighter :)

    Happy Tuesday!
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well,I'm not a Pepper, but that's okay. :) Thanks so much for joining me! I had fantasies about cleaning this summer, but I'm quite sure I wouldn't be doing as much as I am without your great idea for a challenge. Right now I'm a bit discourages as I'm in the middle of that mess you have to make to clean a mess, but I will keep plugging along. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Drat! It erased my comment!

    Anyway, nope, not a Pepper. LOL However, I am so glad you got me going on this challenge! I had great plans to clean this summer, but I really do need external motivation to actually get beyond my good intention. I do feel a bit discouraged since I am "so" in the middle of that mess you create when you clean a mess. This post helped me realize that it's normal and that I really am making progress! Yay us!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I currently have two very messy rooms that I am working on and I am amazed at all the "stuff" in these rooms! I have been wanting to get this house more organized since we moved here two years ago. I am slowly getting it done!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You go! I need to do this so badly but I struggle with where to start.

    ReplyDelete

comments from friends: