Work in Progress...

Ok, so for my first official post, I thought I'd tackle my closet. Aye, what a mess. My husband and I share a small walkin, and it needs help. First things first, getting out what I don't/can't wear. Hubby was a little tired of walking in there with piles everywhere and hearing me whine (I'll admit it, I whined) "I have nothing to wear!" So I started trying things on and if it didn't fit, it went in the donate pile. If I hadn't worn it in over a year, it got added to the pile. And so the pile grew and grew--way more than 10 things. What's left inside is more manageable now for sure, but I still need help. I need a few matching bins/baskets to line the top shelf on one side. I think I'd like to use those for little clutches and bags, scarves, etc. We also need a better way to secure our stacked clothing on the shelf. It's too easy for the stacks to topple over leaving us with the messy piles we currently have. I did separate my shoes some, and now I have my little sandals and flip flops in one of those under the bed shoes thing-a-ma-jigs. (On another note, how does my closet get so dang dusty? Hopefully my shoes will stay a little cleaner this way, at least those 10 pair!)

Anyway, the photos above are the befores (maybe not the worst of the before). Hopefully I can finish this project up soon--it all hinges on those upper shelves!

the boys' closet

Again I forgot to take before pics, but here is my after...

The top shelf was a JOKE. Things were just thrown up there with no rhyme or reason. Piles of underwear too small, baby toys, blankets, art work, ugh, it was just a mess. The clothes hanging were of multiple sizes and always a pain to go through and find a nice shirt for Sundays. Then on the lower shelf, there were again piles of clothes that needed to be put away either too small now or too big or hang ups that weren't hung, ect. Under those piles were a heaping mound of shoes again-- zero organization. The floor kind of rinse and repeat for the shelf. Clothes with tags, clothes in bags, clothes too small, the next size waiting for Matthew needing to go in the dresser... ugh. It was awful.

NOW It is nice a neat!
-The top shelf is very friendly with their baby books/memory boxes then comes baby toys, and a wipes container with pacifiers in it. The brown sack has two different size opened partially used packs of diapers. Next to the brown sack, you can't see is a small tub labeled of two different sizes of too small underwear for Matthew that I didn't want to put up in the attic not knowing when Mark was going to begin potty training.
-Then the hanging stuff on the far left is special jackets/outfits, then extra hangers, the middle is Matthew's and the right is Mark's.
-The lower shelf while in the picture doesn't look very organized, I'm actually most pleased about! ALLLL the shoes are now labeled and bagged and will be very easy to find as they grow size to size. Here's a closer look at the shoes:
-Then the floor... that is a little dark in the picture but the far left is the next size for Matthew (things that have been handed down from cousins), next to that is a bag for my BFF, then the box you can actually see is Mark's current size but summer clothes and next to that last box is the comforter/bumper for the crib.

It looks so nice in there! I keep opening the doors to see it all straightened up! It took two hours last night and about two plus hours this morning to go through all the clothes and all. I got Matthew's dresser emptied of all small clothes and filled with the now size. ( I forget what a huge chore size changing is for them). I boxed three boxes of Matthew's smaller size (goodness, slacker!) and one box from even the size before that (super slacker). Jamie took them up to the attic. I also ended up with a PILE of trash: random papers from the hospital from Mark (eeee!), art work, tags, wrappers... Also I made a give pile (for a friend who's recently had a boy) of some really cute things but my boys just haven't worn. And lastly, I made a small pile of goodwill stuff. LOVE IT!

bedroom closet floor

My chore today was to tackle my bedroom floor... I forgot to take a before picture, but trust me, it was bad. I found our swimming clothes tub with lid under a pile of clean clothes. I had been looking for that tub. Sad huh? So, I moved EVERYTHING to my bed. I hung up what was clean. Made a pile for what was too large to be bagged for goodwill. Made another pile of what is too small for now and put them on a shelf neatly for later. Organized two dresser drawers in the process of finding tank tops and tee-shirts in the closet floor. ... All in all, an hour well spent. Here's my now CLEAN floor and I can shut the doors! Couldn't do that earlier today. That's how much was pouring out of there.



And here are my ten things. The black thing on the left... I don't even know what it is or what it goes to. The black shoes are too small now and going to goodwill. The leopard slippers are gross and you can't really see in the picture but the toes of the tennis shoes both have duct tape on them. Yah those two hit the trash. The orange bag smelled so it's being thrown out. The walmart sack is the contents of a purse long ago dumped out. I went through and saved two pens and a buck, the rest is being pitched as I obviously don't need it. And the bag is my "too big" pile that is going to goodwill and not staying in my house. So... lots more than ten and so glad it's done.

Next goal.... KEEP IT UP.

Shoe Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you!!

Today's victims came from my closet. Eight pairs of shoes, two necklaces, and two bracelets. While I really like most of these shoes and pieces of jewelry, they have either never been worn or worn to death. So, in my pursuit to clean house, they are out the door!

I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly.......

Children's Closet Before and After

I finally finished my youngest son's closet. I had bins upon bins of clothes that we literally tore through as he grew into the baby giant that he is today. I got rid of (donating and selling) three full trash bags full of clothing in the process. The rest was just a little reorganization.

As a reminder, here is the before:

And the After:

I moved the little armoire (which, by the way, I got for $64 at K-Mart on clearance) into the closet.

I still have way too many baby things, but this is a good start. I worked on it in bits and pieces and am finally done with this project!....for now.

linen closet

YUCK. Okay, here it is. I was hoping to get to this Friday, but it didn't happen until today, Sunday. But that's okay. At least it's done. Too bad it was AFTER our house guests were here three days and opened this thing up. Bleck. Oh well, it's clean now. I realized in this picture, you can't see the shelf, but believe me, it's a wreck too. There are three shelves you can't see, but the top two are towels and linens that actually despite how this looks, stay neatly folded and in their places. I try to ignore this mess but it really was bothering me. It was something I KNEW would be tackled with this project as soon as I posted my first posting. Here you have it, the linen closet. This closet is actually inside our hall bathroom.

See on the right side... the box there? Yah, we moved that box from our apartment to our first house, to this house... never opened... it's one of those neat organizational shelf things for around and above the toilet. Wouldn't that be helpful to actually USE instead of just sit in the closet? Oh well, that's for another day.


Here's the after:

10 things:
-1 bar of dinosoap (one of a two pack, we used the first it was a nasty soapy slimy mess, don't know why the other bar got kept)
-1 basket's handle. Don't know where the basket is, but it's metal handle was in there.
-2 old lotions
-2 old face creams
-1 old moisturizer
-2 old suntan lotions
-foot cream that looked old and never used
-a mask thing that had been never used
-really scary old nail polish
-the plastic wrap from toliet paper rolls
-empty boxes of trash
-grocery sacks that still had the products bought in them (apparently it takes too long to empty the bags and put the items in the closet, I was just throwing bag, stuff and all, in)
-I found our sling for the baby bathtub, that will be relocated to the baby bathtub.

Closet part 2

Okay, I was too embarrased earlier to put the whole of the insides, and I still have a section to do, but at least I'm still making progress. This will be it for today though, I need to start on dinner and clear up the day's play... But this is a plastic 3 drawer mess also in my closet... and it looked like this this morning:

and this is it now:

Okay part 3 to come at some point this week or next

Kate's Closet

Oh the shame.... But okay, here goes. If others can do this, so can I. Here's my way too cluttered, too many clothes in there closet. I have way too small clothes. Wayyyy too large (tent-like) clothes. Maternity clothes. Winter clothes... gracious.

The insides.

the floor.

the top shelf.

I started this task by pulling out everything on a hanger and deciding if it was too small, too big, fitting, in season, out or what... I made piles: Maternity, jammies, um ahem nighties, shorts, pants, shirts that fit and the mound clothes that are too small or out of date...

on the trunk are the mounds of maternity clothes that I can't (and shouldn't) wear right now.

the size of this pile is daunting... it's everything that is TOO small and can not fit and shouldn't be in my closet and WHY am I too lazy to have not done this before?! Most of this was on the floor of the closet or hanging with the rest, trying desperately to be a wearable candidate, but alas, they can not, will not fit.

This still needs to be handled but it will be left for another day... this is what's to the right of the shelf thing, behind the door.



And Ta-Da!

Here's the current status:

Only clothes that FIT on the two shelves (lower is jammies and upper is jeans and nicer pants) and only clothes that FIT hanging up in the closet.

Top shelf are all sizes that are too small still, but I things I didn't want to donate, in hopes of getting there again sometime in this lifetime and not wanting to re-buy everything. They are folded and stacked (and labeled) by sizes.

Oh and the floor is totally clean of everything but only shoes.

Stats:
-THREE trash bags full of clothes that are too small to be donated
-TWO trash bags full of maternity clothes (someone had just given me a lot of her things earlier in the year so her bag was still in there untouched) that will go up to the attic
-Two broken pair of shoes, no clue why I kept, that is now trashed
-One pair of heels that are in great condition, just too small to be donated or sold
-About 15-20 wire hangers trashed
-random tags and trash I found on the bottom of the closet trashed
-one really faded old nightie also hit the trash

Whew. I'm worn.

Airing My Dirty Laundry

First a few things unrelated to my dirty laundry: My friend Cheryl came over and took away my sister's chaise after she saw my blog about wanting rid of it. Thank you Cheryl! If it doesn't work in her house, she's donating it to her daughter's school.

While she was over she mentioned how this blog has inspired her to tackle her garage, which is currently serving as her office, laundry room, and craft room (she also mentioned how much she wants Jackie's Super Woman costume, ha).

Unfortunately, there is so much work for her to do on the garage that it's daunting. I reminded her that while a lot of the girls blogging here are tackling and finishing major projects, the original intent was to see if just throwing/donating/recycling 10 things a day would have an impact on our homes and lives. I've already noticed that instead of piling up papers that make their way into the house, I now make an immediate determination as to whether the item is trash and most things are going directly into the trash or recycling. Yay me!

My daunting project is my laundry. I have so much clothing, most of it old or ill fitting. Coupled with my severe dislike of folding and putting clothes away, it has gotten WAY out of control. WAY OUT OF CONTROL!!! The pictures you are about to see are the most embarrassing thing I will ever share.

This is my laundry room. The clothes and towels on top and in the basket are clean and need to be folded and put away:
This is my laundry cart. The bins are full of dirty clothes that need to be washed:
This is an extra bedroom we don't use. It has both clean clothes on the floor and dirty clothes. At this point, I'm not sure which are which and will probably have to just wash them all:

And this is my shame of shames. This is my closet with the floor covered with shoes and dirty clothes:
It starts off in a small pile, and then I rummage through the pile for things to wash, and then the pile is everywhere, so I just start taking my clothes off and throwing them on to the floor. Why not, it already looks like this? And Morgan was upset with her husband. Imagine how my husband feels about me?

But you have to start somewhere, so I sat down on my closet floor and tacked the clothes behind the closet door, and the bottom two drawers of my dresser, finishing one load of laundry and gathering the following 10+ items:

To be donated:

2 pretty sun-dresses that don't currently fit

1 ugly brown sweater I should never have purchsed

1 pair black biker shorts (??)

1 pair gray leggings

1 pair pink Adidas exercise shorts

1 child's jacket

1 child's sweater

1 pair child's pants

5 pair of ill fitting flannel pajama bottoms (I hoard pajama bottoms)

And for the trash:

Old white T Shirt

Old wool sweater
Baby steps ...

Reassure Me I'm Being Reasonable (Or Tell Me If I'm Not)

This is our front hall closet:


It is completely full to the gills. I have some jackets in there, but the majority of the stuff in here is A's. More than half the coat space is his stuff (most winter stuff that is out of season), the stuff on the floor is all his shoes (plus the dustbuster), the stuff on the top shelf is some shopping bags, duffel bags, and other random stuff.

All I want from this closet is to be able to hang a few guests' coats here rather than putting them upstairs in the guest bedroom, and to be able to put the vacuum in here. Right now the vacuum lives down two flights of stairs (we have a split level), and it's incredibly heavy, so the main level doesn't get vacuumed as often as I would like because it's so much effort to get the vacuum up and down the stairs. I'm sick of it.

A refuses to move any coats (or his sports jerseys, he has almost a dozen and they all live in this closet). He keeps all of his shoes here instead of in the closet upstairs (and he has the better closet). He refuses to move the duffel bags down to the basement for storage, even though we only use them every few months.

I am fed up, and I think I'm putting my foot down.

We have a half-empty cedar closet in the basement that has more than enough room for all of his coats and jackets. If he picked out just four that he wanted to keep upstairs for the season (with the rest all still readily available), that seems like it should be enough. I have a couple, E has a couple, we still have half a closet for guests. His sports jerseys should live in his closet, not this one. Same goes for his shoes (especially since mine have to all live in my closet). There is no reason the duffel bags need to be up here. I want room for my effing vacuum, and I don't think that's too much to ask!

A is going to fight me on this one, I know it, and it's going to be a battle. So if you think I'm being unreasonable, or if you see some other solution, please tell me. He doesn't get back from Taiwan until next Thursday, so I have time to consider this.

The closet

Reading this blog has inspired me so I felt motivated and decide my first project would be something that has been bugging me for awhile......my closet! I can't stand my closet. I can't find anything in there, I hate trying to shove things around to hang more clothes. I mainly use my closet for work clothes and zip up hoodies but it's been a hot mess lately. We have a decent sized closet but as you can see we have this big shelf thing in the middle where the tv is (DH's idea) and it has some drawers and shelves where you can put clothes (all dh's clothes.) So my clothes go in my side of the closet and in my dresser-that one is for another day!!!

Here is the before pic, and it makes me cringe that I am showing this!! The jeans are DH's freshly ironed jeans lol!!!




Here is a look at the bottom of my closet. I really don't even know what the hell happened here. I am guessing some clothes fell off the hanger and got lost down here.....and come to find out there is a bag of clothes sitting under them!
The top-seriously no clue what’s in that Nike box back there. Everything is just thrown on top of there with no sort of organization.

And here is where you can see all my clothes shoved in there.
This is what I hate!! I have no room! I need to get rid of my winter clothes so I have room to hang the clothes I am wearing now.

It took me a little over an hour. This is what my bed looked like at the half way point. I think I sneezed about 17 times.

And lo and behold-----the random Nike box had a new pair of shoes for me. I love me some Nike MaryJanes in the summer. This is my 3rd pair and I wear these all summer. DH must’ve gotten me 2 pairs of these last summer and I’m guessing I saved these for this year. Either way-score!!!

I got rid of a huge garbage bag filled with clothes and 6 pairs of shoes. I packed them up and left them right by the front door and the next morning donated them to the church so they are OUT OF HERE!!

And here is the end result. Top is nice and clean, new shoes stored away until I am ready for them, Uggs stored away, bags in their protective bags and stored away, shoes are nice and neat and there is ORDER in my closet!! The most important-I HAVE ROOM IN THERE! I can hang things and look through things! Dresses in the back, long sleeve shirts, pants, capris, short sleeves and zip ups. AHHHH I can breathe again. I packed up all my winter stuff and stored it in the basement so now I can hang everything I need to hang and have room for it all!

Now my DH says he wants to work on his side. I hope he does it!




The next morning I was so happy about this I decided I could do my counter really quick. It has become a charging area and we have a million chargers there. Not really sure what all these things even charge!

I had an empty box that I found in the bottom of my closet so I stored all the chargers in separate bags, labeled them and put them away.

If anything this is making me realize what I slob I actually am. I thought I was pretty neat and now am realizing just all the things I can organize and all this stuff that can be thrown away.

Closet Castaways

This was/is a tough one. I ventured into my closet today. Our master is on the first floor and it inevitably becomes a dumping ground when we are cleaning. Most often, last minute clean up items end up in here.

Before photos:

Some of the most interesting items:

My Wonder Woman Costume complete with boots and cape. Doesn't everyone have one of these?

My string bikini purchased in France 50 pounds ago. I don't think I'll be needing it this summer. Just a guess.

Items tossed (this is just a sampling):

I'm not sure if you can see that there is actually dust on these shoes. I wore the black boots on the right for my Beth and Dog Bounty Hunter costume for Halloween last year.

And then..........

............the Heavens parted and angels sang!
CLEAN CLOSET!!!!

I'm kind of proud of this one. I used a 60 spool holder to hang my necklaces.

I still have the rest of my room to clean. There is a lot more that will have to go in the closet since I have a tendency to wash, dry, and fold my laundry....but never put it away. Hopefully I can still keep it in order with the new additions.

To be continued.....