Organizing Our Linden Closet

So as we settle into our new place we have been trying to find a place for everything. As I started to unpack our bathroom boxes I just kind of threw things on the shelves without thought. After a couple of weeks I finally took the time to plan out how I wanted to organize the linen closet.  So here are the before and after pictures. 

Before

After

After

It felt so good to get the linen closet in order.  Well my friends until next time.

Pitters

My New Home Office

After living in our new home for 5 months I am finally getting around to setting my office up more to my liking.  When we first moved into our home I was all set to run my Paparazzi jewlery bussiness out of it.  But after a long convertation with my husband and seeking God in prayer I made the choice to not continue.  So the office sat in dissaray, mostly a dumping ground for things we did not have a place for.  I thought is would be a fun craft room, but that to was always a mess. Marshall thought it would be a good dressing room, becuase it is in our bedroom with it's own door.  But I just did not like that idea.  As the kids have gotten older we have talked a couple of times about me finding a job I could do from home.  So now I am ready to take that step and I am looking for a job I can do from home that has a consistant pay and is legit.  Many of at home office jobs require a work space that can accomidate two computer monitors.  So I bought two desks that works better for my office set up, insted of one large desk, to house a computer set up like that.  I am also still using my smaller desk in my office for if the kids need some help with homeschool durring the day.  They will have a work space. Or I might turn it into a vanity area.  I also have three cuby storage shelves.  Two of them are 3 by 3 cubies and the other one is a 3 by 1 cuby set up.  My hope is that with the new office set up I will also be more consistant in writing my blogs, making videos for my YouTube page, and posting on the Facebook and Instagram pages for this blog.  

I am working on stoage solutions fror my office, but very budget friendly.  I will be sharing what I am using for storage in my office and pictures of my set up.  This will be in a follow up blog.  I will be sharing my before pictures. Well a much let messy, but still messy before pictures.  

So I have some organizing to to do.  I still have one desk that Marshall will put together this week.  My daughter is working on the gardening merit badge for scouts so that is why I currently have potted plants in my office.  She has started herb seeds and some vegetable seeds.  Once it is warm enough they will go our on our balcony.  But that is a whole other blogg post. As you can see I am a baby Yoda fan.  But back to the topic at hand.

So what do i like about my office space? First off I love the fact I have two nice size windows.  I love it is right in our bedroom so I can have a quite space to work.  Also if my kiddos are sick I am not far from them if they need me.  I am glad that even as teens they still need me. I am excited to finish my office and show you all the things that i am using for storage solutions on a budget. 

Until Next Time,

Pitters

Fall and Halloween Decorating Time

 To me decorating makes a house feel more like a home.  By adding your style, your little touches can help people feel more welcome in your home.  It can make the people living in your home feel warm, loved, and cared for.  As we head into fall I am so excited I can hardly contain myself.  I love fall and decorating for fall.  Now that it is October I can add a touch of Halloween to my décor as well.  Whether it is dollar store goods, thrift/yard sale finds or DIY crafts.  I love to add candles through out the home even if I never light them.  Candles that smell like the season can be very aromatic and add to the things your family and guest experience in your home. When you know you have guest coming over you should try and have a little snack or treat ready to go.  Even just having filled candy dishes can be a nice touch.  I love to have music on in the house, it helps motivate me when cleaning, it can be just nice to have soft music playing when guest are over. When decorating and making a home welcoming you want to hit on as many of the senses as you can. 

So many of my fall decorations are from dollar tree and yard sale finds.  The little skeleton bath was an idea I saw on Pinterest. I am not sure who originally posted it.  The one I saw has round and clear Christmas bulbs in it for bubbles.  But I had some eyeballs left from decorating other places so I add them instead.  

Here is a new DIY project I am working on.  This was a dollar tree find, every thing I am using on it was from dollar tree, except the silver sharpie marker.  I even found hot glue sticks at dollar tree!! 

Until Next Time,

Pitters

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

-Proverbs 31:27

My Daily Cleaning Routine

     I will start off by saying I am still working on my consistency on this. Sometimes life just gets a little off track.
Cleaning Routine:
* Make our bed, unless it is laundry day.
* Breakfast dishes
* Wipe off the table and counters
* Start a load of laundry or have the kids depending on the day. We each have a set laundry day.
* I vacuum every other day
* I dust on vacuum days
* I wash windows once a week
*Lunch dishes
* Trash as needed
* Sweep the floor once a day unless needed more.
* I mop a couple times a week
* Dinner dishes
* I try and do a pick up before heading to bed.
* I also do bathrooms a couple times a week. But we wipe things down everyday.
* I clean out the fridge once a week
* Also deep clean the kitchen, dinning room once a week.
* I do a general pick up in our bedroom as needed.

The kids are responsible for cleaning their rooms, doing their laundry, and they help with dishes and trash.  Also they take turns mowing the lawn and helping clean up the yard.  We live on a very busy street and people toss trash from their cars all the time into our yard and the neighbors yards.

The main thing is that you find a schedule and routine that works for you.  To work at being constant and finding what works.

Weekly Clean Schedule

     So I have said before that I used to have a good cleaning schedule.  I also shared that I have slacked off with that schedule.  So one goal for me this year is to get back on my schedule.  I learned growing up that a cleaning schedule is best if done with a routine.  My grandma always had the same day for different chores. She had a set day for laundry, dusting, cleaning the bathroom, etc.  So for our family, we have different laundry days because it takes more than one day to do all the laundry.

Photo Credit http://thestoryofeve.weebly.com/1950s-housewife.html

This is our Laundry Schedule:
Monday: my two oldest that are at home
Tuesday: My mom and my Aunt that live with us and also bathroom/ kitchen towels
Wednesday: My two youngest at home
Thursday: My Father in law that lives with us and also bathroom towels.
Friday: My Husbands and Mine
Saturday: Any miss. laundry we might have
Sunday: NO LAUNDRY

Photo Credit http://www.littlethings.com/1950s-good-housewife-guide-vcom/

Our Cleaning Schedule has most rooms being done twice a week and some things done daily.

This is our Cleaning Schedule:
Monday: Kitchen and Dinning Room deep cleaning
Tuesday: Bathrooms, Kids Bedrooms, and Classroom
Wednesday: Kitchen, Dinning Room, deep cleaning
Thursday: Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Classroom
Friday: Kitchen Dinning Room, and Laundry Room
Saturday: Yard Work, Front Porch, Music/Family Room
Side note: we do dishes and counter tops daily in the kitchen.

You might notice I did not put living room on this list.  That is because the room that would be our living room right now is our classroom.  We do have a family room/ music room.  Our 17y/o plays guitar, our 14 y/o plays drums, our 12y/o tries to play keyboard, and our 9 y/o is trying her hand at guitar also. So we needed the music room which is also our family room.

Family Laundry!

    Our house hold is large.  In our household there is our four kids, my mom, my father-in-law, my aunt and my husband and I.  Yes we are a house hold of nine.  I sat down trying to decide how to do that much laundry.  So I decided to make up a schedule.  I have two family members on most days Monday - Friday.  Bathroom and Kitchen towels are a couple times a week.  I try not to have to do laundry on Saturdays and Sundays.

     My kids started helping with laundry when they were about 5 years old.  It started with them putting thing in their dirty clothing in baskets and helping put away clean laundry.  As they got older they helped more and more.  Now my kids do all their own laundry, some times they have to learn the hard way that if they don't do their laundry then they don't have clean clothing.

     I feel that teaching our children at a young age to help with their laundry and then do their laundry as they get a little older is a valuable life skill.   We are raising future adults, not children.  Ok let me say this yes my kids have had freedom to be kids.  On the flip side of that, they also have been thought to clean up after themselves with age appropriate chores. I want my kids to be good room mates and some day a good husband or wife.

     My hope is to post more tips about cleaning and decorating our homes.


Until next time
Pitters