You Have to Start Somewhere...

Have you ever gotten so sick of something that you just can't not do anything about it anymore? Gotten so fed up that you finally just dig in until it is taken care of or fixed? No? Just me then? Hmmm...okay. Well, this weekend, we started evaluating just about every process in our home from budgets, to meal plans, to schedules, even down to which bathroom our diaper sprayer should be located for better efficiency in diaper rinsing. What needs to change in order for life to run more smoothly? What needs to go in order to pay more on student loans? What processes need re-assessed so focus on family isn't lost in a sea of tasks and/or piles of junk?

Overwhelmed yet? I was a little bit. But I am feeling much better now that I have processed through a lot of it. I decided to tackle something small first. That is, small after already writing out a new budget for the month. I needed to step away from the harder task and have instant success rather than waiting all month long to see how the budgetary goals played out to feel like I actually accomplished something.

The target? Our Entryway. I was sick and tired of dealing with an ugly gross pile of mail, keys, coupons, receipts, and other junk that accumulates on my entryway table. I mean seriously...this is ridiculous. Not only can I not find bills that need paid in this mess, someone is bound to get strangled with that lamp cord -- which has never been plugged in by the way. In 2 years. How's that for awesome? (please hear the sarcasm there) ha ha ha! And it's a wonder I ever know where my keys are since I "try" to put them on this table when I come in, only usually to lay them someplace else where I think they will be less apt to get stuff thrown on top of them...only to forget this said new location when I need to leave the house. Just me again? Hmmm...Okay. ha ha!

So what's a girl to do besides dump everything in the trash can and wish for the best. First things first. Decide what I really want on this table. Since my desire is for a welcoming yet organized/functional entryway, I decided to start with a new "mail center" with folders for specific items like incoming mail, outgoing mail, bills to pay, receipts, coupons, and individual folders for each member of my family. This meant I could pull out the old label maker and have a bit of fun, too. Score!


I am hoping that by having an incoming mail folder, I can just throw mail in it when I don't have time to actually stand there and sort it via person or put bills in the "to pay" folder. We'll see how it goes. The other folders that I think will come in handy are the receipt and coupon folders...we are always losing these so having a centralized place for them seems to make sense. Every month these should be sorted and either filed or discarded.


Next up, my keys. Several months ago, I found this little sign, but never knew where to hang it until now. My hubby gave me some little hooks that I screwed into the bottom and ta-dah, the perfect little key holder for this space.


Lastly, I added a nice little plant to replace the lamp that never was. I think indoor plants really add that special something. We don't really have a lot of plants inside because our light situation isn't that great, but I came across the perfect "low light" plant to set on the table. Overall, this is a great improvement and I can't wait for my next organization/re-evaluation project.

Do you have spaces in your house that could benefit from some organizational change? Try doing a little makeover on one thing this week...You won't be sorry you did -- believe me! :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Weekend Project

We built a shed this weekend...it was hard work, but was fun. Here are some shots I snapped along the way. :)

This is my favorite...His, Hers, & Hers Drills!! :)