Slow and...... steady?

I wish I could blame my lack of posts and production on delivering and caring for our new baby, BUT NO! sorry. We are still waiting patiently for our little guy to make his debut. I have hit a small stand still in getting the boys room completed because I wanted to have functional yet cute storage for toys and clothes and such. So, although the major task isn't yet completed, I have made progress. I am really excited about this for 2 reasons. 1) I was able to "de-clutter" or start the de-clutter of 3 areas on my list. and 2) I now have a functional and cute storage. The 3 things I was able to use were, OLD BOXES. I store these for many reasons. you never know when you will need a particular size for shipping, storing or for yard sales. I have a crutch in this too, as I can and have taken loads of boxes from work which doesn't really help the inner hoarder in me. FABRIC is another item that I tend to over buy or hold on to all the little scraps for those "just in case" moments. I know deep down the day is coming where I will have to seriously sort through my fabric, so to help me get a head start, I used some fabric for this project. PAINT is something that I think just accumulates for everyone. However, when your husband is a contractor home improvement supplies really pile up. I know when I come to that particular section on my de clutter list, it won't be pretty or easy getting him to sort through his stuff. Here is my before pictures:

now you wouldn't really look at these boxes and think, Cute Storage right? most people will either burn or trash these beauties. Not I, said the Pintrest addict. Thanks to the awesome creative site, I found an idea for a solution for 3 problems; Clutter, Organization, and Home Decor. See below:

VOILA. Boxes, Paint and Fabric. All you need to make Cute and Functional storage. I got some sewing therapy in, and I got my husband to purge some paint and help me out a little. But don't worry, if you aren't the seamstress ( which I am no pro either) then there is a simple solution. Although for this next bin I DID sew, you can certainly get away with hot glue or fabric glue, or a staple gun if you need :)

I had some old t-shirts and obviously boxes. And midway through sewing liners, I got the bright idea to see if I could make a t-shirt work. I mean the bottom is already hemmed... So..

 I took an old tank and cut right below the arm pits. and stitched the hole shut.

That's all folks, then you just place inside the box and fold over the edges:

This actually works perfect in the boys room, and will serve as a bed side bucket for baby necessities. I like to call this the Triple Threat! I was able to make 8 bins in 1 evening, averaging 5 minuets per bin TOPS!! and my average cost was ZERO!!! using things we already had at home! Spend 20 dollars at Target? or ZERO at home and de cluttering at the same time? HELLO?!  what are you waiting for? I plan to make many more of these. They would also make really cute and CHEAP gifts! Thanks for reading and Happy Dropin'!

Declutter Week 2, Phase 1

First of all, if there is anything I have learned from the past 2 weeks, ESPECIALLY this week is that, when you "de clutter" your home, you must severely clutter your home. You have to pull everything out, spread it out, THEN you can separate keepers and donations... Kind of ironic, and stressful, but necessary I suppose.
This week I chose to embark on the GINORMOUS task of "Kid's Items". My 2 adorable children went with the Grandparent's to visit the Great Grandparents in Texas. They were gone for 5 days, so naturally I thought that it would be the perfect time to get in their stuff and do some major de clutter therapy. It was also a holiday weekend so I knew that I would not spend the entire 5 days working inside.. but still I thought I would get it done..... SIKE!( 80's flashback)!
Crysta, our oldest and only girl is getting the boot from the room she is currently in and getting her own room! Which is another reason why I chose this week to do this section of clutter. I wanted to surprise her with her own room when she returns from Texas. She is moving upstairs into the play room. About a year ago, I renovated their play room. Painted and revamped it, I blogged about it too ( so you can go to past posts and see the before and afters there). It was a large undertaking, and I did quite a bit of organizing and sorting. But I ask 1 person to step forward who keeps their kids playroom always nice and organized. I cry impossible but if I'm wrong please share with me your secrets!
Anyway, I call this post "Phase 1" because, although Crysta's room will be completed tonight, the boys room is a disastrous mess and I will need this week to organize. So the pictures I'm about to post are Before's and where I was 1/2 way through. I took them early Sunday morning. By Sunday night, we had Crystas bed in place and curtains hung. There are a few more things left to do, so I will wait to post those until the boys room is completed. I will run down the list of items I sorted through. I will wait until "Phase 2" is complete to share some of my organization ideas.. So don't judge me on my before pictures. I'm sure we look like SLOBS based on these pictures, and maybe we are to some people, but we aren't :)
Here is what I was able to sort through and accomplish this week.
From list: #'s 90-94, 82,84, 38-44,27,,21
I won't bore you with what every little thing is. let's just say it took me watching Les Miserable 3 times ( a almost 3 hour movie) just to SORT toys! Here's my pics.... hopefully next week you will be WOWED. Thanks for reading and Happy Dropin'.
PLAY ROOM BEFORE:

BEDROOM BEFORE

1/2 WAY THROUGH Crysta's new room

1/2 WAY THROUGH BOYS ROOM

Week 1 of Operation Declutter

I have wrapped up week 1 of my de cluttering process. I think I may have bit off more than I can chew. I chose the easiest area, or so I thought, for my first week to kind of ease me into the process, but I did not think it would take as long as it did. I chose to start off with our bathroom/hall closet because it's the smallest area of our home, with what I thought was the lease amount of clutter. This "small" area took me 3 nights with a total of about 5 hours... Which doesn't seem like a long time, but trust me it is... I couldn't believe just emptying out and sorting a small hall closet could take over 3 hours! I am very happy with the result and it definitely has motivated me to keep moving forward with this plan, but I almost feel like I need more than the time I have allotted myself. We have a busy few weeks coming up, with the biggest event being the birth of our 3rd child, which will take me out of the game for a bit. 

Here is what I was able to sort through and organize from the list I posted last weekend..# 12,13,14,16,17,50,51.( Medicine, Make-Up, Hair accessories, Beauty appliances, Shampoo/Conditioner, Towels, Linens, Nail polish, Perfume, and First Aid). I will tell you one thing I learned, Medicine can and will pile up if you don't keep it organized. I found 5 bottles of sunscreen, ( 2 unopened), maybe 5 bottles of prescription Amoxicillin, and maybe 13 bottles of dried up nail polish that I know I would just push around in the bag. and maybe 100 band aids that were out of boxes. It took a lot to look at each item and decide to keep, pitch or donate. When all was said and done I ended up with a trashcan full of expired, dried up, old and empty items from this little closet. 

Here is my before and after pics. I didn't take any of the bathroom because it's so small and wasn't worth posting....BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

I read somewhere if you roll your towels, you save space.. I think it worked for us. I also nicely folded our sheet sets and folded them together for easier storage and space saving. I gathered random baskets from around the house and separated items accordingly. One thing I am really happy I did, was I bought zip lock bags from Dollar Tree and separated medicine according to purpose and stored and labeled them in the bags. Makes it easier to see what you have for what purpose and if a bottle spills, the mess is contained. ( I discovered a emptied bottle of Pepto under the mess when cleaning... YUCK)

Anyway, that was week 1.. Doesn't look like much, but it was an undertaking. 

For week 2 I have decided to under-go KIDS stuff. They will be gone for 5 days in Texas with the grandparents, so I thought this would be a good week to get in there and pitch a lot of things.. I may need 2 weeks for this one, but operation de clutter KIDS starts tonight! Wish me luck!

New type of poundage

Since my slim and trim hopefuls for this bod has been put on hold due to the wonderful blessing of a baby, I have decided to embark on a different kind of Dropin' Poundage. I am "DUE" to have this kiddo in just 6 weeks time. However, given my past track record, I won't expect to see this little guy for at least 7 weeks, with the hopes that my Doctors won't make me wait longer than 1 week over due. Anyway, My weight loss will be in a different form over the next 8 weeks. I say 8 weeks because its a good round number, and it will give me a good cushion time.
What kind of poundage am I hoping to loose? CLUTTER! 10 years of marriage, 2 kids, an addiction to crafting, yard sales, and hobbies for the hubby can really clutter a place. I actually just had a yard sale this morning, however, the items I sold were left overs from a yard sale LAST YEAR. Thus, nothing new has exited my home.  I....WE have a lot to do to prepare for the arrival of our 2nd son and 3rd child, and I thought if I wrote everything down and documented it, I might hold true to my goal... ( but I am ME, so don't get your hopes up)
I was browsing pinterest (another addiction) and I came across a list of 101 ways to DE clutter your life. I printed this list off and have let it sit in my living room for the past 3 weeks... yes among the other clutter. I guess just putting a list with intentions doesn't automatically do the job for you. I realize I must do the work myself, and hope to ensnare my husband and children to help me out. Keep in mind, this list is more guidelines and ideas. Some of the things on the list I don't have at all, and some I actually just went through, which should make this task a little less daunting. But I am a small hoarder. I see potential in everything, and I often use the excuse " I might use that one day". so this will be refreshing and enlightening for me.
Here is the plan... there are 101 items on the list to "purge or severely minimize". I am giving myself 8 weeks to complete the list. I figure if I commit 3-4 days ( evening, morning ect.) a week to complete this, we should be less cluttered, and ready to welcome baby. I have divided the list into categories: Kitchen, Closet/Bathroom, Kids, Tina, Terrance, Home and Family. That's 7 categories for 8 weeks. so the 8th week HOPEFULLY won't be needed. Since Sunday is the first Day of the week I plan to start tomorrow. I PLAN to update this weekly, maybe more if I need to vent :) I will post the list so you can have it too. Wish me luck, and if you decide to try this too, please share your experience with me on here or Facebook. I love to hear of others experiences. Thanks for reading wish me luck, and pray that I can get my family on board! :) Happy Dropin'!

1. Glassware
2. Cookbooks
3. Kitchen gadgets
4. Kitchen appliances
5. Pots / pans
6. Mixing bowls
7. Tupperware
8. Water pitchers
9. Magazines
10. Newspapers
11. Books
12. Over-the-counter medicine
13. Make-up
14. Barretts / hair clips / ponytail holders
15. Cleaning supplies
16. Personal beauty appliances (hair dryer/curlers, electric razors)
17. Bottles of shampoo/conditioner
18. Photos
19. Photography supplies
20. Sewing supplies
21. Craft supplies
22. Scrap-booking supplies
23. CD’s
24. DVD’s
25. Decorative items
26. Candles
27. Figurines
28. Crystal
29. Vases
30. Audio/visual components
31. Audio/visual cables
32. Computer equipment
33. MP3 players
34. Furniture
35. Video game systems
36. Vdeo games
37. Video game accessories
38. Shirts / shorts
39. Pants
40. Coats
41. Dresses
42. Hats
43. Clothes hangers
44. Shoes
45. Winter gear
46. Jewelry
47. Purses
48. Coins
49. Pillows
50. Towels
51. Linen sets
52. Candle Holders
53. Televisions
54. Items on your bulletin board
55. Magnets
56. Artwork
57. Mirrors
58. Home office supplies
59. Pens/pencils
60. Old batteries
61. Tools
62. Hardware
63. Rolls of duct tape
64. Coolers
65. Manuals
66. Phone books
67. Coupons
68. Sporting good supplies
69. Sports memorabilia
70. Aluminum cans
71. Glass bottles
72. Automobile fluids
73. Automobiles
74. Scrap pieces of lumber
75. Brooms
76. Rakes
77. Shovels
78. Garden tools
79. Plant containers
80. Empty cardboard boxes
81. Board games
82. Puzzles
83. Decks of cards
84. Unused wedding gifts
85. Baby clothes
86. Baby supplies
87. Old schoolbooks/papers
88. Army men
89. Bath toys
90. Toy balls
91. Toy cars/trucks
92. Toy musical instruments
93. Stuffed animals
94. Plastic toys
95. Childrens’ old school papers
96. Suitcases
97. Soda
98. Alcohol
99. Processed foods
100. Christmas / seasonal decorations
101. Cable channels

Support Support Support

 While I was running this morning I was thinking about my friends and family. I was thinking about all the changes that have happend in the recent past, and how thankful I am for those around me. So after my jog with the dog, I came home to check my blog site, and I found an old post that was sitting in DRAFT. I totally forgot about this post, I think I started it like 6 months ago.. Anyway, I thought that it was fitting for my thoughts I had this AM, so now I'm finally publishing it........ Enjoy.

Do you have atleast 1 person to talk to about anything in your life? Do you have that one person that you can 'vent' to about good and bad things that are jumbled up in your heart and mind? A person that will listen with everything they have and not judge you for it? If you don't have someone like that, GET ONE! I know its harder than just going to the store to buy the right size of friend, but they are truly important. There is a reason why God created 2 people in the begining. A man and a woman for obvious reasons, but he also created 2 people for companionship. It is truly a life saver that when used at the right moment can save you from your most dire circumstances. I believe in the power of prayer. I also believe in the power of friendship.
I have been pulled out of some incredible moments by my friends. I am truly a blessed woman to be surrounded by the people I am. And funny as it sounds, each one of my friends and family serve a purpose. Some I know I can go to for just a good laugh, others I know I can lean on in times of unjudgemental struggle. And others well, they just comfort me.
All of them are important to me, but when it comes to things like Loosing weight and a fork in lifes road. Honesty and a swift kick in the rear is the kind of friend we all need. I have a wonderful girlfriend who, even though she is telling me like it is, says it in such a posotive way that I don't even realize shes just slapped me in the face. Sometimes its hard to hear what we need to hear like " that shirt may be a little to tight." or " I think you have been hanging out with the wrong kind of people." or even " are you sure the choices your making are really bringing you closer to God and your family?" Some of those hurt a little. but think of it as a good hard work out. dont you always feel better and rejuvinated after a butt kicking workout? we may not want to do it, and it may kill us in the process but you always are thankful that you endured it in the end.

Back in the Saddle

To be honest, the reason I haven't posted on here for a while is I felt like a broken record. ' I will REALLY do it this time.' or ' I know that NOW I need to really change my eating.' And like all the records before this one, I would really do it for a while. I would do what I said I would, and yes I would feel better, but then I would just stop. Either because I was doing so well I thought I could "treat myself", or I just simply stoped.
I am not posting today to say that Im going to do it this time around becuase I'm sure I will stop at some point. The thing is, I have 2 really big things that I would love to do. Things that will require me to get serious about endurance and strength training. Things that I know I'll regret NOT doing. The first one is a 5K called The Warrior Dash. A few years ago, a friend of mine sent me an email as a joke with information about this outrageous 5K obstical course. Though, she really sent it to me as a " yeah right, this would kill us but look at all the crazies that do it", I was so pumped about it. I wrote her back and said " LET"S DO IT!". that was 2 years ago. This year, I'm in a postion where I really could do it. My kids are older now, so I can sneak away and run for a bit, and get in the gym. I have been doing that atleast twice a week already but now I'm thinking I better pick up the pace. So for my birthday I asked my husband to pay mine AND HIS registration fee and he has to do it with me. It's pretty pricey for a 5K, but the memories will be worth it, and I figure a military style obstical course would make it more inticing for the guys. So we have a pretty big group going..
The second thing is the MS150. Its a 150 mile bike tour in Missouri. I know the MS150 is nation wide and well known among avid bikers, however I just learned about it a few months ago. 2 years ago, my wonderful Mom brought me her old bike from Colorado. She paid for a tune up for me to get it ready to ride. Sadly, the bike, new tune up and all, sat in my garage for a year. This year I have been getting it out more and realized I really enjoy riding. A friend later told me about the tour and I was instantly eager to sign up. I did some research online to see what I would need to do to prepare for such a long tour. To be honest, what I found discouraged me a little. 'You need to average 50-60 miles a week' one biker wrote. 'atleast 4-6 hours on your bike a day.' another one suggested. Now, I can manage an hour run, or even 2 hours at the gym, but 6 hours riding my bike is a little far fetched for a wife and mother of 2 kiddos. But I had to keep in mind, these are AVID bikers. A marathon runner will tell me I need to run 10 miles for a daily JOG. Im in a diffrent leaque than they are, and although they are more experienced than I am, I can't be discouraged because of that.
The bike tour does offer a shorter, easier route, but for now Im aiming to do the full 150. I even have a few friends who would join my team if I created one. So alas, for my birthday from the rest of my family and friends I have asked that they donate money to help me raise enough to enter in the MS150.
I could ask for many things that I want, but this is something that not only I,but others will benifit from too. It is also encouraging me to get out and burn those calories. I am motivated to, not kill myself, but challenge myself to get stronger for the 5K, and build endurance for the bike tour.
I would encourage anyone who gets bored just going to the gym day after day with no real goal, to look around your area and find those races and bike tours. You will find that there are a lot of people around you looking for the same kind of atmosphere. Your energy is diffrent when you surround yourself with people with similar goals. People to push you, people to encourage you, people to drag you out of your box.
So heres to getting out of my box and getting ready for september. If you live close to the Kansas City area, check out the Warrior Dash. Its September 29th in old Monroe, MO. and if you are close to the Jeff City area and would like to join my team, check out the MS150 to Columbia,MO. September 8-9. I'll post details on my team later. Join me in trying something you have never done before. Get out there and burn some calories, sweat A LOT, and feel amazing! Happy Dropin!

Clutter and Panelling

What is something that adds stress to my everyday life? CLUTTER. what makes that stress particularly hard to handle? PANELING! I have been in a battle with both of those things for 2 years. But 3 weeks ago I began raging the ultimate war to finally rule over them once and for all. My motivation was a visit from my Mom. We have lived in this wonderfully old home for 2 years, and yes, have had guests up there before (including my Mom). But this time, I decided that it was time to make improvements and revamp the finished attic in hopes that it would motivate me to keep it clean.

I'll share a secret with you. I am a terrible housekeeper. I clean homes for a living, and I am very good at what I do.what I am not good at is putting things away. I am also borderline hoarder.. not really, but I do have tendencies that I could see get away from me. I see use in everything. I keep all jars, boxes, ect. I believe that I could do something crafty with them or use them eventually. Our basement and attic storage is full of boxes filled with things. I also keep sentimental items. I believe I have every card ever given to me since I can remember, I still add to that collection, and I have kept all cards my husband and kiddos receive as well. I just like to look back at them, read them, remember when I got them, and yes I plan to do something crafty with them.

Anyway, my Mom is coming to visit ( she actually flies in tomorrow). My kids were going to be gone for a whole week camping with the In-Laws, I had a slow week with cleaning so I saw my opportunity and I grabbed that paint by the brush. It took me the entire week my kids were gone to paint. Paneling is hard and time consuming stuff. I'd rather just rip it out, but time and money didn't allow for that. You will see in the pictures to follow I had my work cut out for me. The playroom was a disaster to say the least. Toys everywhere! and not just big toys, little toys with lots of little parts, doll clothes, hot wheels, movies, blankets and yes I did find some dishes and food up there. My craft room was no better. fabric and scrap booking stuff covered my desk. Gift wrapping and books covered my floor and I was even using it as my closet! ( 1950's homes were built with TINY closets). The office area still had Christmas boxes out waiting to be put away and I had tons of papers to file. so you see, I really needed a week in solitary with no kiddos to distract or undo anything.

Long story short it took me 3 weeks to finish my attic. Toys sorted and organized, crafts too. Papers filed and Christmas stuff packed away until next winter. I finished it 2 days ago, and I did everything by myself. I am very proud of what I did. It was a daunting and very time consuming task that required a lot of late nights and sore back. But I think about what I did, and it really does motivate me to keep it clean. I enjoy going up there now, and I know that it is a usable space. before I go any further, here are the before and after pics.... enjoy.

Office area B and A

Hall way B and A

Playroom B and A

Craft Room B and A

I hope you can see the difference! I try to relate everything to health. So here is my health reference for the post. This time the poundage I dropped was Clutter and Paneling. but the moral is.. If I can motivate myself to do something so daunting and lets face it, UN-fun, then I should have no problem motivating myself to make better choices for my health. The liberation I felt after hanging that last picture on the wall was so great that I kept going upstairs just to walk around and admire the work I had done. So if I think of my body as my attic, I need to put in all the time and effort to revamp it and turn it into the space I need and want, and then I will be satisfied with the work I put into it and put forth the effort to take care of it. make sense? If not, that's OK. It's late and I am super excited to pick my Mom up from the airport tomorrow. I hope you find motivation to get that task done that has been on your "To Do" list. You will feel like you dropped a million pounds when you accomplish it! I leave you with a picture of my helper for the first day. Good luck and Happy Dropin'!