What to do with all those digital photos?

In this digital era where we constantly have access to digital cameras and even cell phone cameras, it can get overwhelming to have so many pictures on your computer. What should you do with all of those pictures?

When my daughter was a baby, I spent many hours making lovely scrapbooks with layers of beautiful paper framing each carefully selected picture. At the time, it was a labor of love and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, as we welcomed our son into the family his scrapbooks were a little less ornate. After a couple of years of trying to keep up with getting the pictures into the scrapbook, I simply became overwhelmed.

Then, I found a great solution for our family. I began making digital "yearbooks" for our favorite family pictures from that year. I even take pictures of the kids artwork or fun little notes to include. I enjoy making these so much. With the small size that I choose, they do not add any clutter to our house as well. Since, I love taking pictures especially on vacations, I have made a separate vacation book for just those pictures. So, I can shoot away and feel artsy on our trips.

We use a company called Blurb to make our books and we have been thrilled with the quality of the product we've received. (I am not sponsored or endorsed by this company) I've been able to customize the book to my liking and add text as I wish. Of course, there are many online companies that offer this service.

Here are a few examples of our family Blurb books:

Of course, we don't use all of the pictures we've taken in that year for our book, so we will archive all of them on external harddrives that can be accessed as needed. I have a friend who makes a yearly book then transfers all of the picture onto a disc that is stored in their safety deposit box, a great idea. 

I hope this helps you get your digital pics off of the computer!

Have a blessed day!
Jennifer

Simple Meal Planning

My good friend, Natalie, shared with me her new simple meal planning idea while we were at the beach last week and I just had to share it with you. She has a food theme for each dinner of the week. For instance, each Monday will be a pasta meal. So, she will rotate her family's favorite pasta dinners on Monday nights.

Using her system including the day's theme that she already had set, I sat down after our beach vacation and planned a month worth of dinners in about five minutes. I couldn't believe how much this simplified things for me! 

I usually shop for about one week at a time. Since I already had so many meals planned, I went ahead and bought most of what I needed for the next three weeks. This really simplified things for me and it feels great to not have to worry about what's for dinner!

Be sure to like Simple Home Managing on Facebook!

Blessings!
Jennifer

Your Closet: Spring Cleaning

This is the first in a series called "Your Closet". I know not everyone does, but I love change. My friends laugh when they come to my house, something has always changed from their last visit. Even if their last visit was last week! So, of course I love the change of seasons, especially spring. As soon as we get the first hint of spring, I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to change my wardrobe over. Here's some things to consider when breaking out the spring threads and putting away your winter digs.

I think it is nice if you can display your "in-season" clothes in the most easily accessible location in your closet and either remove or tuck away your "out-of-season" clothes. My "live in handyman" built another hanging rod at the top of our closet to hang our out-of-season wardrobe. This was a great use of otherwise unusable space. You may be able to hang your winter clothes in the back of your closet, or packing them away in a bin may be the best option for you.

Before you go and tuck those clothes away, you need to go through each piece. Is there anything that you didn't wear this winter? If you didn't wear it at all this winter, then it is time to part with it. Is there anything that just didn't fit you well or you didn't feel was becoming on you, get rid of it!

Now you are at the point where you want to walk away and leave a pile of clothes on your bed. Push through and follow these next important steps and you will thank yourself later. You must choose what you want to do with these clothes and not leave them to deal with later. I happen to take my nice clothes to a consignment store, but they only take certain brands. They also only take winter clothes in the Fall. So, if you choose to save your nicer clothes for a resale store, you have to store them in a place you will remember. If you put them in a bin, label it and write on your calendar in September to check with the resale store to see if they are accepting Winter clothes. Perhaps you want to sell them on Ebay. Summer is not the most profitable time to sell winter clothes on Ebay, so the same actions should be taken to remind yourself that you have these clothes to sell.

Perhaps you choose to donate your pile to a local charity. In doing that, please don't send any clothes with stains or holes in them. If you have any garments that fit in that department, maybe you could turn them into cleaning rags if you don't want to just pitch them.

Whatever you choose to do with your unwanted pieces, it is important that you finish the job you started. If you are donating a bag, go ahead and put it in your car. Next time you are out and near your chosen donation center, drop it off.

When I first started minimalism in my closet, I felt so guilty getting rid of certain things. Now that I see the freedom in having a closet with only the things I love and space for them to hang, I don't give a second thought to it. Enjoy this process and remember how blessed you are to have such an abundance, it is a privilege that not all share.

Paper Clutter: Greeting Cards & Other Keepsakes

If you don't have good systems in place dealing with paper clutter then you can get overrun in this department. Stacks of papers make a house look cluttered and add stress to your life.

Take a look at this simple system for greeting cards and keepsakes. I bought these great little plastic containers at the Dollar General. They are perfect for housing my kids' greeting cards.

 

I also have a larger plastic container that I use for my cards and keepsakes, also from Dollar General.

This easy system helps the special things that you want to keep have a home...and having a system keeps things from piling up.

Treasures? More Like Clutter!

God definitely has a sense of humor. My six-year-old daughter is a pack rat bordering on being a hoarder, while I have a pretty severe allergy to clutter, undiagnosed of course. She has many little treasures, the smaller and junkier the better. Every once in a while, I have her go through her treasures and she picks about three things to part with.

To her credit, one recent day without my prompting she decided to go through her things and donate a few things to "kids who don't have toys". That was a sweet day! I do want to foster more giving with my children, but sometimes I just need to take things into my own hands.

I once read if you added up all the times that you spend picking up some little toy, is that toy really worth the effort? Isn't that the truth with kid's meals toys. Boy, fast food restaurants do have genius marketing to kids. And at the end of the summer we ended up with a little too many junky toys.

So, the first week my daughter was back in school, I set out to clear out the clutter. I went through all the toy bins and organizers and picked out many little "treasures". I also went through their other toys and books. Instead of dealing with them at that time, I simply tossed the toys in a couple of bags and set them in the garage for a few days. I noticed no "treasures" were missed by the children.

Then, it was up to me to decide what to do with them. I'm not big on throwing things into the trash that can be used somewhere else. My decision was made easy when my daughter's first grade teacher requested little toys to have as rewards for the students. I also remembered that they gave out little toys in kindergarten. So, I set up several bags. One was marked for her current teacher, one for last year's teacher, one for the library and one for Goodwill. I quickly sorted the toys. The key to the sorting is to do it with my three-year-old occupied with play-do and my daughter at school.

I hope this encourages you to tackle the little kid clutter and look "outside of the box" on ways to donate it to good causes! If you have any other ideas of where little "treasures" might be put to good use, please share!

Lazy Summer Days

I've gotten a little lazy lately. Beds haven't been made everyday; what would normally be a cooked meal at dinnertime has turned into a tray of fruit with cheese and crackers; bathroom mirrors aren't always sparkling; the floors are a little sticky; I haven't had the desire to organize anything; I've let some papers pile up; I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks; and I've even stopped wearing makeup. Let's just say I've let things go a little bit around here. And you know what the strange thing is? It feels really good.

If I haven't been managing my home very well lately, then what have I been doing you may ask? I've had innumerable hugs from the sweetest little boy on the planet; I've laid on the couch with a little wiener dog in my lap reading fiction; I've played and read with my kids; we've met friends at the pool; taken a week and a half vacation to wonderful Connecticut and Maine; I've gotten on the floor and played with blocks and cars; visited a snow cone stand; eaten frozen pizza and ice cream; taken thousands of pictures of my kids and what ever else strikes my attention; collected rocks; taken walks; visited parks; and the list goes on and on. It's been delightful.

I realized that is one of the nice things about the times I've spent getting my house organized, it's okay to coast for awhile and "let things go". Fall will be here soon enough along with the daily grind. With that, I'm sure I will be back to my clean and organized self. But, what I've come to realize is when my kids look back on their childhood, I know they will remember the simple times. The lazy summer days when their mommy let things go a little around the house and let them just be kids. These days aren't going to last forever, so I'm not going to let my desire for the perfect house take away from these lazy summer days and simple memories for my precious ones.

Anyways, I missed you guys and I hope you are having a wonderful lazy summer, too! Many blessings!

Multi-purpose Closet

Just because a closet was designed as a linen closet doesn't mean you are limited to using it for linens. Our linen closet does store some bedding, but I also use it to house gift wrapping supplies and art supplies for the kids.

I decided to spend a few minutes the other day getting it organized since we are going into summer and my little artist will be home creating many masterpieces.

Here's the before:

Here's the after:

I just tried to tighten things up and I wanted to make a space for the black bag which I use when I go organize other people's homes. It was taking up much needed space in my laundry room.

I am all about using what I've got when it comes to organizing, so I pulled a few unused bins from the garage for this little makeover.

I got to use my new label maker, pretty exciting! I went through the gift bags and put them in an easier place to access. I always save gift bags we get presents in and reuse them for gifts. I don't see anything wrong with this form of re-gifting!

I picked up this Container Store organizer at a garage sale the other day for a dollar. I wasn't sure what I would use it for at the time, but I felt like it could be useful. It actually motivated me to go through a bin of greeting cards and I put them in this container. I was able to separate them by occasion, for instance thank you cards and birthday cards each have their own section.

Once again, this closet isn't perfect with all matching containers. But, every shelf has a purpose and I think it will be easier to reach in here for what I need and get it back to it's place. I hope this inspires you to make whatever space you have work for you!

Giving Toys a Home

I believe the key with keeping toys organized is giving every toy a home. This way when the room gets destroyed it is so much easier to put back together, since you know there is a place for everything. Instead of going for the big toy box where everything ends up together, think about using smaller storage options to keep like objects together.

Here are a few example of inexpensive strategies for giving toys a home:

These little trashcans are so inexpensive and work great for toy storage.

Little plastic bins work well for holding cars and tools.

Baskets are always a favorite when dealing with storage, I pretty much buy all my baskets at garage sales for practically nothing.

This pop-up storage from Ikea works for stuffed animals.

 I think this is a great way to teach young children organization and to be good stewards of their things. Remember, letting some toys they no longer play with go to a new home will also help this area!

Making the Most of Your Space

If you're living small like we are then I have a few suggestions for making the most of your small space.

Turn unusable space into usable space.

This little nook in our hallway is the perfect place for child size coats in the winter and pool bag storage in the summer.

Built-ins take up less space and can add a tremendous amount of storage.

This built-in located in our daughter's room houses many books, art supplies and games. It also serves as a desk for her. I'm thankful for my handy husband who did a great job building this on a budget.

Here's another one of Matt's creations. He refers to it as a slimline desk. Basically, he took a shelf from Ikea and turned it into a desk. I think it's really a genius way to keep the space feeling open while adding a good work surface.

Look for places to hang shelves.

These shelves my husband added to our laundry room gave us so much more pantry storage.

I hope this inspires you to look to your walls for a way to add storage by adding built-ins, shelves or simply adding some hooks for additional storage.

Cottage Bathroom Solution

If you're not convinced that garage sales are a great place to reorganize your space on a budget, then check out this adorable bathroom. You might remember the cute cottage that I've been helping a friend get organized on a budget. I forgot to take before pics of this bathroom (sorry), but the main thing it was lacking in was adequate storage. So, I went garage sale hunting in hopes of finding an affordable solution.

I found this great metal square shelving unit. I couldn't have drawn up a better solution than this and it only cost $10.00! I fitted it with several garage sale baskets and a cute floral box. I also added a splash of color with the yellow mug that houses q-tips. I love using non-traditional items for storage and at $.25 this was a no-brainer.

Instead of using valuable cabinet space for towels, I utilized a fairly large basket she already owned. I think it looks cute and is functional with towels rolled in it.

The bathroom already had a nice built-in linen closet. I made better use of the space by adding some plastic containers to keep items together. I simply used pencil boxes for make-up, hair accessories and manicure supplies. I also used plastic shoe boxes for hair products and baby care products to name a few. For about $15.00, I was able to make a cute bathroom function better for this sweet family.

Paper Clutter: Magazines

Do you have stacks of magazines laying around collecting dust? Here's some ideas to clear up this area:


-Keep the article you like, not the magazine. Simply cut it out. Maybe you could keep a binder with the articles you enjoy and would like to read again.

-Donate them. Some places that might enjoy them: libraries, schools like them for crafts, hospital, doctor's office, my husband's work has a pile that we donate and collect from on occasion.


-Cancel the subscription. Do you really still read these magazines? If not, put an end to them showing up in your mailbox.

Paper Organizing System: No More Stacks!

Almost nothing stresses me out more, or makes a house look messier than stacks of papers lying around.

At times, I've had different ways of dealing with them, like having a basket to put paper in. But, that would just end up to be another stack of papers, just located in a basket. That's a step above the counter but it's still not a great solution.

I bought this little paper organizer about six months ago and it has really cleaned up my stacks of papers. You might remember this from Clutter Control: Kid's Schoolwork and Art. Another good option is an accordion style organizer. You can tailor the dividers for whatever fits your needs. I have the dividers labeled:

Haley Schoolwork and Art

Important School Papers

Coupons

Bills to Pay

Receipts

Weekly Menu Plans

Important Papers

Harrison's Folder

Church Stuff

Follow-up Folder

This needs to be in a location where you go through mail and backpacks. I have it in my laundry room, which would be my command center. It is located right off my kitchen, so I go through Haley's folder and the mail each day on my counter. Then I immediately put the papers into their home, which is also the recycle bin a lot of times.  

If you do this on a daily basis, then you won't have the stacks of papers that build up and can become a daunting task.

I go through the organizer as needed, but at least once a month. I actually don't pay the bills. So, I put those in this orange basket located on Matt's dresser along with any mail that is for him. This way Matt has any mail specific to him in a place where he can easily access it.

We also have a file cabinet and I will take another post to go over that with you. I hope this simple solution helps clear off your counters or desk!

Feeling Overwhelmed...Try This

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the things you need to get done? When I start feeling this way it really helps me to make a to do list. That way I get everything out of my head and on paper.  

Put everything that needs to get done on the list, even the small things. When you have some time to start tackling the list, then go for the easiest thing on the list first. Once the task is completed, cross it off.

Sometimes we just need those small successes to get the ball rolling and all of the sudden the to do list looks more attainable!

Junk Drawer Challenge

A friend of mine told me the other day that she had been cleaning out some drawers before tackling the bigger project of her master closet. She wanted to have some "successes" before starting her closet. I thought that was a brilliant idea, so I decided that we should all tackle our junk drawer together. 

Since you know me, you know that I do clean out my junk drawer regularly, but things still end up there that don't belong.

Here is my junk drawer:

Start by pulling everything out and putting it on the counter:

You might want to separate it out into piles. I keep my plastic bags and food wraps in here, so I went ahead and put them back in:

Now determine what you want to have in your junk drawer. Some items that are useful include: scissors, pens, paper, stapler, tape, batteries, twist ties, rubber bands, phone charger, to name a few. I actually house a lot of these things in a cabinet to keep little fingers away:

It helps if the smaller items have little homes inside of the drawer to keep things organized:

Now, take all the keepers and put them back in the drawer:

A small pile of stuff is left to deal with:

It is important to go ahead and get this stuff to where it belongs. If your pile is mostly paperwork and you aren't sure where it should go, then give it a temporary home for now. I am going to start walking you through some good paper solutions in the upcoming weeks.

You also might notice that I have some empty space in my drawer and cabinet and that's okay. Here is a picture of my kitchen, it's not large, but I have it set up in a way that allow me to have some "breathing room":

I hope this little illustration helps you tackle your junk drawer!

Non-traditional Toddler Furniture

I have been working on organizing a friend's adorable cottage on a budget. When working on a budget there is no better place to shop than garage sales. It is also great if you can "think outside of the box" and use non-traditional furniture for various spaces. I wanted to show you the before and after on her toddler boy's room.

Here's the skinny on garages sales: To have the best chance of finding the things you want, look in your paper for neighborhood garage sales. Most importantly, you've got to get there early. Never ever pay full price. Most people are really just trying to get rid of stuff, so they are very motivated to drop their prices.

Okay, back to the toddler room makeover. I had a hard time getting a great picture of this space. It is small but the windows make it so charming. As you can see by these before pictures, the room was lacking in sufficient toy storage.

I found two "like new" pottery barn baskets for $3.00 each at a garage sale the week before, so I was on the hunt for a piece of furniture to go with them. I found this television stand at a garage sale the next week. Although, not a piece you might think to use in a toddler's room, it worked perfectly. It's just the right height to make the toy baskets accessible for the little guy and it also works for book storage. They were asking $20.00, but I bargained with them and got it for $15.00.

She also needed a table for his CD player and humidifier. I found the little folding table in the corner for $5.00 that serves its purpose perfectly.

Room Makeover Breakdown:

$6.00 two pottery barn baskets

$15.00 toy storage solution (formerly known as entertainment center)

$5.00 matching folding table

$26.00 Total