Getting Organized - The Pantry

Yikes! The pantry has gotten a little out of hand and was ready for a spruce up.

The main problem was that I had not really defined what the contents of each shelf should be with a label. I knew where stuff was supposed to go and generally kept like items together, but without it being defined my husband and kids didn't really know where things were supposed to go. I also needed to move the placement of some of the categories around so that they functioned a little better. It really bugged me that the cereal and syrup were on the bottom shelf and not near the shelf with the other breakfast items.

I pulled everything out and then lined the back of the shelves with paper. I used wrapping paper and double sided tape. Once that part was done I had to decide where to put everything.

The Categories
paper products
overflow/condiments
cans
rice/beans
breakfast
dinner
bread/PB/honey
chips
sweets
crackers
potatoes
snacks
beverages
appliances

I just made simple labels with my label maker and put them on the front of each shelf. It's not fancy, but it makes putting things away much easier for everyone.

Paper Source
Michaels - $1 per roll

Linking up to these Blog Parties
A Bowl Full of Lemons - Tatertots and Jello - Positely Splendid - Delightful Order - It's Overflowing

embrace - Feb. 16

Me and my littlest man.

Henry is 2

My baby is 2!
What?

I tried to sing Happy Birthday to him and he told me to SHHH!

We decided to keep his birthday very low key this year, and I must say I enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to just relax and enjoy his special day.  He had several special visits from his grandparents, a donut for breakfast, a trip to the store to get some balloons, a trip to Chuck E. Cheese (he was not a fan), and a cookie/brownie cake. It was a good day.

Getting Organized - The Mail Station

I am not super organized by nature. I have to work at it! But, being organized really does make life so much easier.

Last year around this time I read so many great blog posts about family binders, command centers, mail stations, blah, blah, blah. I really wanted to get organized, but we had just moved into a house that had so much to be done reno wise. I didn't get to do much that didn't involve removing wallpaper, a paint brush, caulk, or grout. Here we are a year later. The reno dust has settled (mostly), there aren't as many walls that still need to be painted, we have a better idea about how the rooms in our house actually function best for us, and it is time to get it together.

I started with our mail center. We originally had a tray on the desk where our mail "landed" until dealt with, but it never seemed to be completely empty. Even after my husband "dealt" with the mail. I'm not the one that handles the mail (or bills) in our house, but it still bugged me that the tray was never empty. I knew that some revamping was in order. The other problem was where to put the weekly grocery ads. I normally meal plan and like to use them when I put my meal plan and grocery list together, but I couldn't seem to find a good place for them. They had a "home" in one of my kitchen drawers, but they always seemed to attracted other random paper clutter. Not good.

I started stalking the archives of some of my fav organizing bloggers and came up with a plan. I knew right away that the mail station that I came across on a Bowl Full of Lemons was just the right fit. I went to Target and purchased this metal file holder. Our desk is close by, but I really wanted something that I could use at my kitchen counter while standing up, and then could tuck away in the cabinet when we had company.

 The categories that I use are grocery ads, coupons, incoming, outgoing, to file, to pay, and then a file for each family member.

Grocery Ads - the current weekly grocery ads


Coupons - take out coupons/store coupons - not grocery coupons


Incoming - where the mail gets put initially if not sorted right away


Outgoing - all out going mail that needs to be taken to the box


To File - holding place until filed in desk


To Pay - holding place for bills until paid and then filed in desk

Family Member Files

the mr. and mrs. - holding place for magazines, things we want to go back and read or stuff that needs our attention
Cade - holding place for Bible Bucks, memory verses, and artwork that needs to be stored (this is working great, b/c my counters and table used to be covered in all of his masterpieces that he creates throughout the day
Henry - holding place for things that need to be put in his baby book

 I am happy to report that after using this system for a month it is working very well. I don't have piles of paper on my counters. The other great thing about the metal file box is that it has plenty of room to hold our new family binder. (more on that in another post) It doesn't take up much room on the counter and it fits nicely in a cabinet if I want it out of site when we have company.

 I couldn't just leave the tabs plain. I cut a piece of scrapbook paper to size and added a label with my label maker. I didn't even stick the label to the paper, I just slid it in the clear sleeve. This way it's easy to change out if needed.

I make sure to go through all of the folders each week and file things as needed. I also have a shredder right next to the counter so that I can take care of all of the junk mail right away.

Do you have a mail system? If so, what works for you?


Linking up to these Blog Parties
A Bowl Full of Lemons - Tatertots and Jello - Positely Splendid - Delightful Order - It's Overflowing

Randomness

• Hi, I really am still around.  I wasn't planning to take break from the blog, but we have had some "stuff" going on that was more important. Family First - Always. I'm going to go ahead and say upfront that my posting may be really consistent OR super sporadic for a while. Just hang with me, please.

• I really want to pick back up with the 2 Bills 2 Blow series, but I have no one lined up. Anyone want guest post? If so, just shoot me an email and I'll get you on the schedule. 

• I haven't been blogging, but I have still been doing stuff around the house. I've got some fun organizing posts coming soon. Oh, and I have rearranged a ton of stuff in my house. (does it ever end?)

• Henry turned 2 yesterday! Seriously, how did this happen so fast?  I need to do a whole post about his b-day, but I will tell you that he is not a fan of Chuck E. Cheese. Oh well, I tried.

• That is all for now.

New Kitchen Curtains

I know it's Wednesday and you should be getting a 2 Bills 2 Blow post, but apparently I'm a slacker and didn't get anyone lined up. I need to work on that. (if you are interested in guest posting, feel free to shoot me an email)

I have new kitchen curtains!

When we moved into our house 1 year ago, there were copper blinds in the kitchen. They could not stay, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted. Did I want curtains or did I want blinds? Since I didn't really know what I wanted, and knew I didn't want nasty copper blinds, I found some table cloths on clearance at Target that would be good placeholders until I was ready to commit to something. Table cloths + curtain rods and rings = easy curtains.

I actually modified some other curtains somewhere between the original table cloth curtains and the new ones that I am showing today, but didn't like them so I never showed them to you.

Anyway, I briefly mentioned that I came across a yard sale that was being held by a decorator. Guess what she was selling? TONS of fabric still on the bolt. I went to the sale pretty late, but as soon as I drove up I spotted this brown and white herringbone fabric by RALPH LAUREN and knew that I had to have it. I then looked at the sticker and it was marked $2 for what was left on the bolt. SERIOUSLY! It was perfect. I took it home and measured and there was roughly 3 yards. Plenty to cover the 2 windows in my kitchen, and I liked it better than anything I else I had come across. Oh, and it was TWO DOLLARS!

So, that is the story of my $2 Ralph Lauren kitchen curtains.

Free Printables - exceeding abundantly above

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us   -  Ephesians 3:20

This has been one of my favorite scriptures this past year, and continuing into this year. It will soon be framed and on my desk.


I thought I would share, so I am offering this as a free printable to anyone that would like it. These are for personal use only. Just right click on the picture, save, and print. (prints best up to an 8 x 10)

Linking up to :
Delightful Order
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Positivly Splendid
Tater Tots and Jello

2 Bills to Blow - HOME:MADE

A big, southern "Hey, ya'll" to all you Nikki's Nacs' readers!  My name is Alana and I am the woman behind the blog, HOME: MADE, where I share my passion for intentional homemaking, mostly from the angle of living an organized life.  Two of my favorite hobbies are organizing and decorating, so this series is right up my alley!

First of all, I'd like to thank Nikki for inviting me to take part in this fun series: 2 Bills 2 Blow.  When you asked, I did not hesitate one bit.  After all, the next best thing to shopping for real, is pretending to shop, right?

Of course, if I really had $200, I'd probably put it towards bills or buy a deep freezer because I'm usually super practical that way.  But, the rule states that it must be spent on home decor, so I had to think long and hard about what I might do with that kind of money if, in fact, I had it.  Then, it hit me!

This is my kitchen.  

{Side note: please excuse the iPhone pic.  A professional camera is on my wishlist.  But, alas, it's gonna cost me more than two Benjamins... Sigh...}  

Anyways, back to my kitchen...

Everything, except the wall color, is the same as it was the day we moved in.  Cabinets, counter tops {laminate, ugh!}, back splash {laminate, again.  double ugh!}, floor tiles... everything.  The wall color was chosen "under pressure", which is never good.

Needless to say, I'm not head-over-heels in LOVE with my kitchen.  I've kept it this was mostly because of budget restraints {Money could always go elsewhere.  See?  Super practical...}, but also because everyone who comes over to our house, seems to like it.  I know, I know... that last reason is a pretty pathetic one.

I say all that to say this: if I was given $200 to use on home decor, I would use it to jump-start a kitchen makeover, taking it one step closer to becoming a place I enjoy.  {Hey, maybe if I spend more time in there, I'll become a better cook!  One can only hope, right?  That "one" is probably my hubby...}  ;)

Here is one of my favorite kitchens thus far via my Pinterest board:

{Via}

I absolutely adore this kitchen.  That tile is beautiful but probably pricey.  Because I want my kitchen to be a bright, colorful space, I plan on bringing that teal color into my kitchen, along with orange like those flowers and the yellow of those lemons.  I'm thinking something along the lines of this color palette:

{Via}

So, here's how I'd use the $200 to get the ball rolling on my kitchen makeover: 

I'd paint my cabinets white and then repaint the wall color.

Anyone good at math will automatically realize that this doesn't take up my entire $200 budget.  I have $80 leftover.  I'd probably purchase one of each pattern of these {$36} just because I absolutely heart them:

{Via}

Then, I'd use the rest {approx. $44} to buy one yard of one of my favorite fabrics so I can make a faux roman shade for my kitchen window:

Ahhh... loving my new kitchen already.  Too bad reality is going to set in next time I get a hankerin' {southern word for "craving"} for some sweet tea {southern word for "sugar with a hint of tea"}.  Oh, well!

Whenever I do get around to making these changes, I will be sure to post them on my blog, so be sure to stop by and follow along.

Nikki, thanks again for having me.  

I had so much fun daydreaming about how I'd spend some "free money".  ;)