Organizing in 2014

2014 has me in the mood to organize.

I started with some bookcases in the dining room. Chris bought me that adorable owl bookend for Christmas, and I wanted to clear a spot for it. So I took all the books off the shelves, wiped everything down really well and started putting everything back in there in nice groupings. Since I actually use my bookshelves to hold books, they are a bit more cluttered than the pretty displays you'll find on Pinterest. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of a sparse bookshelf with two or three books on each level and a couple pretty trinkets. But I love books more. So this is what I ended up with.

My other bookshelf is a little less jam packed. I'm just happy to have everything dust free and cleaned up. It's amazing how much dust books can accumulate.

My big organizational project was the kitchen cabinets though. As I was replacing the handles, I realized that some of the interiors of my cabinets had gotten a little, well ... disastrous.

I used the same technique as before, removing everything from the cabinets, wiping the cabinets and the items down. I didn't have to worry about dust inside the cabinets, but I did have some other messes to contend with ...

No, there wasn't a horrible murder in my cabinet. Turns out a bottle of red food coloring and tipped over and leaked onto the shelf. It had dried, but when I sprayed it with cleaning spray, this happened. Yuck.

Luckily I was able to get the cabinet clean and put back together. And now I have this lovely, organized sight in my kitchen.

Oreo was on hand to help. And by help I mean throw out expired food and create piles of dishes to donate.

After that I organized the rest of the cabinets that hold our everyday dishware and glasses. I got rid of mismatched mugs, extra souvenir glasses that didn't really hold any sentimental value, and vases I don't use very often. Now there's a lot more room for the dishes that we do use everyday.

I also moved the liquor cabinet closer to the other food cabinets and moved the glasses closer to the fridge, which makes a lot more sense.

Next up was organizing the lower cabinets. I turned the one on the left into a drink and party supply cabinet, and the one of the right is for small appliances and bake ware.

A lot of the bake ware from the last picture had been crammed in this tiny cabinet for some reason, so I had to wrestle every time I needed to get out a cookie sheet or cutting board, which is often. Now I can easily access what I need without having to rearrange the contents to do it.

It makes me happy to know that even when the cabinets are closed, there is neatness and order behind the doors. :-)

Remember my end-of-summer task list? Clearly we've missed the deadline, but I sort of wanted to check in on that and see how much I've done. I guess now it's and end-of-winter task list.

Yard

• Weed and add plants to the front yard garden
• Weed and divide irises in the side yard gardens
• Add grass seed to bare spots in the back yard
• Transplant ferns near the shed
• Transplant plants that did poorly this year to new locations
• Do something with that compost bin (never got around to making a veggie garden)

Other Outside Projects

• Paint the eaves around the garage
• Finish up the back porch trim
• Add house numbers to the front door

Furniture I'm Going to Paint/Makeover

• Black china cabinet with mirrors (new hardware, paint)
• Pink desk (paint white with gold dip look)
• Old white chair (reupholster and paint to go with the pink desk's new look)
• Small bookshelf (paint, maybe shelf paper)
• Apothecary unit (going to look for new hardware, maybe sand and stain a darker tone)

Other Inside Projects

• Stuff pillows and hem the sides (mom made two pillow covers from leftover materials)
• Totally empty the kitchen, clean, and reorganize
• Finish up the new terrariums
• Caulk the gaps around the living room's ceiling trim

Not bad! I also need to add "Remove extra set of house numbers from the siding" to the list. I really need to do that still. But overall I'm pretty happy with my list. Maybe in the spring I'll start a new one and add the remaining items to that.

I do think it's important not to beat yourself up if you don't get everything done you want to. Focus on what you did do, and try to plan a time when you'll finish up the remaining tasks at a later date. No stress, just an improved household. :-)