I told you one Saturday that I’ve been doing revamping, organizing and cleaning. Â The childcare things had just gotten out of hand. Â The kids were doing more dumping than playing. Â It just needed a fix.
The closet is looking MUCH better. Â I already am reaping the benefits of having it cleaned and organized. Â I’ve found things while I’ve been cleaning and I can quickly pop them into the tote that they should be in. Â It is going to make projects with the kids go so much better.
I had miss matched containers in there..some blue..some red..some black and some white. Â I did a HUGE splurge for me. Â Besides the cleaning and organizing I bought containers so there were all clear or white based. Â I’ll pass on the old container to Hubby to use in the garage. Â I am happy I did.
I had a bookshelf by the computer desk but I took that and moved it to the dining room. Â This is better too. Â I bought the tan baskets. Â I am so much happier with this too.
I bought more of the same tan totes. Â I have toys in them in the living room and office too. Â They are placed all over with books, trucks, puppets or other things in them. Â It looks so much nicer without the miscellaneously colored totes around.
Once I got that all figured out I was at a loss.  I thought the toy box was going to fit by the computer but it didn’t  I was stuck.  No ideas were coming to me.  Then I decided to talk to Hubby and see if he had something in the garage that might work.  He has wooden boxes and such in the garage that I can sometimes steal….no luck.
I vowed to keep my eye open for something.
Can you believe that just a day later I stopped at the thrift store and found this shelf? Â By itself it is nothing special. Â But for me, it fits the space perfectly. Â It’s low and accessible for the kids.
It’s beat up but the stain color is perfect for the house. Â I am super happy with it. Â Best of all…$5 was all I needed to bring it home. Â My girls have a theory that there’s a thrift fairy that just brings things our way as we need them. Â I tend to believe more in God seeing my needs.
I did find the extra totes that I needed. Â I’ll admit I even bought two more than I thought I would need for fear I wouldn’t be able to find them. Â I figured I’d rather have to return them than not be able to find them. Â I ended up using them all!
So the childcare stuff is all sorted and organized. Â Next on my list to tackle is the laundry room. Â That’s all getting a revamp too…I have it in my head that if everything TRULY has a place, all I have to do is put everything in it’s place and the house will be tidy. Â I do pretty good with that..but there’s always room for improvement.
The crazy organization started with this book  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Just put this on hold from my library. There are 41 people in front of me! At least they have 10 copies.
Have you read The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room? They have a closet they revamp much like yours! That Tidying Up book is all the rage right now – even my family members are reading it and using it.
I agree that God is looking out for your needs. It used to happen to me all the time. I would pray and talk to God about what I needed, go to Goodwill or a thrift store, and find just what I could use. Never asked for fancy stuff, only what I felt would be the most useful in our home. Sometimes I didn’t find anything, but then I knew God had a different idea, and I worked with that.
Now I don’t need as much so I seldom go to thrift stores – trying not to bring home useless stuff, but every now and then, I feel like going and I find what I need, just like I used to. God knows us, and our needs.
Good job! I love the little shelf unit…perfect for your spot.
This is inspiring to me. I’m in the process of moving. When we get in the new house, I’m not going to use the dining room for a dining room. I’m thinking about keeping a sewing machine in there so I can pick up a few minutes of sewing like you have talked about doing. It will be visible to everyone though, so I want to keep it neat and organized.
I am currently reading the Marie Kondo book. It is very interesting, I can see where lots of it makes sense. There are some things that just seem a little far fetched to me. I just have to get the rest of my family on board, which is easier said than done. Your organizing is inspiring, maybe this spring I can take a weekend and clean up one room in the house. I know this is taboo according to the book, but for now if I’m purging stuff who cares.
It’s one thing to read a book, but to see it put in practice is more inspiring, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us.
I agree with Cindy! Although I’ve read the book it really helps to see organization in practice. Jo you truly have inspired me today!
I’m a little late in catching up. I read that book a few months ago. Definitely changes you outlook on storage, what to keep or not.