Cleaning Supply Cabinet Cleanup

Say that 10 times fast!

I only had a few minutes to do some extra organizing today, so I dove into the cleaning supply cabinet in the laundry room. I knew this one would be quick and easy as it was mostly just reorganizing.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

And here are the 10 things that I got rid of from this cabinet:

Quick, easy, and DONE!

Small things are starting to make a big difference!

Hot Dog! I Did It!

This is some exciting stuff. Almost as exciting as candles! So you don't sit on pins and needles any longer, I will cut to the chase (no pun intended). Here are the before and after shots of the dog cabinet in the laundry room (sorry for the poor lighting):

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Here are a few of the things I got rid of:

1. A mason jar (which I shattered on the floor while cleaning, dammit)

2. A dead Roomba (it costs as much to fix as it does for a new one)

3. A new but unused collar for our St. Bernard (who was put down last May)

4. A harness that has never been used

5 & 6. Two mostly empty peanut butter jars that we call "Dog Peanut Butter"

7 & 8. Two rogue tea light candles

9. An empty bottle of ear cleaner

10. The extra food container and the nasty pig ears that were in it

One of the nice things that came out of this project is that I found my St. Bernard's collar. Instead of getting rid of it, I made a little memorial to him on the door. I hung his picture up with his collar hanging around it. I miss my big guy and this is a nice way to think of him more often.
So, as I work my way through the laundry room cabinets, my next stop will most likely be the cleaning supplies. Can you stand the excitement?!

My Name is Jackie, and I'm Addicted to Candles.

We all have our addictions. At least I think everyone does. I have several, one of them being candles. I have a cabinet full of candles. Call me a liar because I actually have TWO cabinets full of candles.

My husband and I have come to the conclusion that we will never be minimalists. We dream about it---about living without plethora of things, about being stripped down to the bare essentials and not be weighed down by our possessions. But let's face it. It's not in either of our blood---especially mine. However, we have come to the conclusion and agreement that we will only keep the things we use (including my service for 60). And believe it or not, I use the majority of these candles throughout the year. Many of them are seasonal and are used at different times of the year. But in the spirit of cleaning things up and eliminating things we don't use, I give to you my candle cabinet(s)!

Before:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I do not have photographic evidence of the things I discarded, but I have a bag full that went in the trash and some that are headed to our favorite donation spot.

I'm trying to make my way through the laundry room (where the candles are located), so stay tuned for some very exciting stuff like the dog cabinet. I bet you can barely stand the anticipation!

Mudroom Mayhem

Today's task was relatively simple but impactful. Although this is our side door, most people enter through here. This is a multipurpose room as it serves as our mudroom, laundry room, butler's pantry, and entrance!

Before:
First Impression

After:

...minus the clutter (and dog!).
Before:
Parting impression.

After:

...minus the clutter.

Again, this one was surprisingly simple. It was superficial as I've yet to tackle the cabinets and drawers.

I've really found through this blog that although I thought I kept a fairly neat and organized house, I really haven't been! I always cleaned the same things: our main living spaces. So, it felt/looked clean. However, I now realize that on the periphery I was piling, accumulating, and letting the mess take over. It would become part of the scenery and I would look over it and not notice anymore. Pictures a quite telling! I've learned a lot!

10 things from the Mudroom/ Laundry Room/ Butler's Pantry/ Entrance:

1. 2 wine holders (to garage sale)

2. Decorative topiary trees (to garage sale)

3. Plastic file cabinet (to garage sale).

4. Dry erase board (trash)

5. 2 empty boxes (trash)

6. 2 flower vases (to garage sale).

7. Dead Amaryllis bulbs (trash)
8. Newspaper (trash)

9. Bag of trash from armoire cleanup (trash)

10. 2 storage bins (re-purposed)