Day 5: Getting There

The pantry isn't done yet. I wasn't able to get a few storage solutions that I will need to get it functional, but tonight was a victory in clearing out.

Best thing I did was stop at the store for a pack of bankers boxes. I was able to sort what came out of the pantry along the way based on how often I use them as well as type (snacks, breakfast, baking, cooking, etc.). I love, love, love bankers boxes. Love.

Last time I tried cleaning this space, I just dumped everything on the kitchen floor. I ended up like Rabbit all painted in corner which is stupid, because trapped is the last thing you want to feel when cleaning house.

Not to say I didn't have my "moment." It happened after I had pulled at least 80% of the stuff out. I suddenly felt overwhelmed, and I must have made a god-awful sound, because the next thing I know my husband is calling down from the upstairs wanting to know if I'm okay.

I worry him with my dramatic flair. You'd think he'd be accustomed to it by now.

After dumping plenty of outdated trash, and removing the cookbooks I will NEVER use, I put the rest back. And -whaddayouknow - it looks much better!

I still want to paint it and have a few other things to add, but heck it looks better than it ever has.

I've just got to teach myself to put things back on the right shelves. Even when I'm in a "hurry" (aka my kids are crying/whining/etc). Maybe I should make some labels . . .

Day 4: Pantry Planning

Day Four appears to be about installing Contact Paper in drawers. Hmmmm..... While I admit a little color/pattern might provide an unexpected joy in my drawers and such, I'm afraid the need is way greater to address other areas of my life. Namely, this pantry:

which is conveniently the theme of Day Five! I took some time today to do a little planning. 

I would love, love, love to paint the inside of this space - if for no other reason but to cover up the nasty stains on the wall near the floorboards. I conveniently don't recall how these came about, but I'm pretty sure I immediately decided that I was in too much of a hurry or too tired to clean them up at the time. 

I made a list of things to buy on my journey to pantry perfection. I am hoping to get to make a trip to one of my favorite stores tomorrow: The Container Store (swoon).

See you tomorrow!

Day 3: Snow Day - Buy Day

I gave myself a "buy" day today. We were "snowed in," and spent most of the day maintaining the delicate balance that is the relationship between 5 & 3 yr old boys. (Do not kick your brother!)

The tip for the day today was designating three baskets in the laundry for "mending, handwashing, and donating." Sounds lovely.

Presently, I don't mend or handwash. Period. If I can't run it through the machine on delicate, I wasn't meant to own it.

Also, I don't have a laundry room, but I will file this organizational idea away for future use while considering my own tendencies to stow things like that and forget about them indefinitely. What good is a mending basket if it just gathers dust, because I left my sewing machine on the screened porch during last year's "monsoon season" and I'm pretty sure the motor is corroded?

Yep. I did that. :( I have some curtains to hem that have been (super) puddling for over a year now. I should just go buy some iron-on hemming tape.

Next time I'm tempted to do another "buy" day, I will take care of that project.

You'll remind me, right?

And to keep my commitment to expose the imperfect around here- a picture of the closet in our guest room.

Day 2: Rough Start

[Name your fave domestic goddess here] I am not.

So, the first task of the 31 days to an organized home is the "entryway." I actually screwed this up a bit, because I got caught up on the coat closet part (which I have, sort of) and missed the whole point of the entryway as being a good place to start.

My coat closet sits under the stairs. The same stairs that you almost fall into as you walk in the door - the entryway is so miniscule.

At any rate, I have a closet problem, so I guess it will do.

So I don't know how this is going to come out on the blog. I'm posting this via mobile app. But what we have here is a before and after shot of my coat closet under the stairs.

To some, this might be like an exercise in "what's different about the picture?" since unlike the "imperfect housekeeper" of the inspirational blog ("have less stuff than you have space for!") my space is dark and small and jammed in both the before and the after.

(I would also like to point out that her closet is painted a lively color, while mine is still ... well, smudgy contractor beige and riddled with giant holes where the wall anchors failed during past organizing attempts. I would like to open the floor for volunteers to come fix that paint problem for me. Anyone?)

I took the advice of another organizer's article (they are abundant), and moved all the crap out of the closet into a separate space before trying to organize.

To indicate what that looked like when I dumped the entire contents of the tiny closet, my husband came into the room at the very beginning of my project and declared, "what the heck happened in here?" before turning on his heel to hide in the bedroom, lest I rope him into the project. I just cackled and got started.

I won't go into much detail from here except I finally tackled that bag of junk that . . . Okay, let's be honest . . . bagS of junk that I'd jammed in there when I was in a hurry to clean out the car and didn't have the stamina to do more than empty it into a reusable grocery tote. (See? Goes back to that "where the hell does all this stuff go?" thing.)

But I did it! Right now there are only coats, winter accessories, and our work bags in there. Oh and the vacuum (which has no other home) and the ironing board (same story) and maaaay..be some random stuff in the very back that I wasn't interested in dealing with tonight.

But it's way better. I swear. ;)

Day 1: It's Getting Real Up in Here

Last night, about 45 minutes after I'd intended to turn out the light, I found myself still chasing the endless trails on Pinterest. Along the way, I landed on this gem: 31 Days to an Organized Home

Wha? Whoa. 31 days to an organized home. Sounds like a dream. come. true.

I checked it out. And I might not have been surprised at being a little underwhelmed.

(DISCLAIMER) I do NOT want to offend the writer of this blog post. I mean, she self-titles "imperfect homemaking," and I feel no ill will toward anyone who struggles to succeed in the domestic arena. She is clearly doing just fine. Any scoffing on my part is purely a defense mechanism, because I wallow in self pity over my daily failure to keep a beautiful, ordered home.

There. I said it. I'm really a slob. This is mostly because I am lazy. I get overwhelmed by too many decisions (read: where the hell does all this stuff go), and I escape however I can (normally involves a book or a smart British drama and always a glass of wine).

Going back to the post. While I am fully aware that my insecurities will lead me to poke fun at the cheery tone (today we'll tackle the coat closet by simply doing x y z!), I am seriously intrigued by the idea of plowing through the house take-no-prisoners in an effort to transform it. There's nowhere to go but up!

Challenge Accepted!

Also, I will be tracking my progress here. And to make sure I'm keeping it real, every post will begin with a photo of my life.

The permanent installation on my kitchen counter. Everybody keeps their painting supplies with the vitamin supplements, right?