Working On My Weaknesses, One Room At A Time

I have come to terms with the fact that I really, really, really have to work hard to keep my house organized.  Oh sure, I love a fresh, tidy living space and try to keep it that way. Yes, I put out seasonal touches and all things cozy to make our house a home. But keeping up with pantries, closets, cabinets, and other hidden spaces?  I fall short. And I am trying very hard to work on strengthening my weaknesses!  

Before school started, the kids and I worked for two days straight cleaning out and organizing their bedrooms and the playroom.  We packed up bags and bags of things to give away, which made for a lot more space.  We rearranged what we had to give everything a fresh look, and got an organized uniform station ready for both of them so that early school mornings would go more smoothly.  So far this has been a great help! We went through every nook and cranny of both bedrooms and the playroom, and though it was a major undertaking, we all feel so much better now that it is done!  The kids are playing in these spaces more often and truly enjoying the extra room and tidiness.  I have no expectations of perfection - that can be suffocating in a home - but I do know we all thrive better without excess clutter and with extra room to move and functional spaces.

The next thing I wanted to tackle was my kitchen.  This was a long overdue project and to be perfectly honest, I was dreading it.  I knew I needed to basically take every single thing out of my cabinets and pantry and start over.  Everything needed scrubbing and rearranging.  I have a lot of cooking and baking supplies because I use them all the time - we are an eat at home family.  But my cabinet system wasn't working and it needed a total overhaul.  Today was my only open day of the week so I seized the moment and faced this project head on.  I put some good music on my Pandora (so energizing!) and worked all day long.  I took out everything, forcing myself not to stop halfway through when I thought I would never empty it all out.

Several hours later, once my family room was filled with dishes, bakeware, pantry items, and every kitchen gadget imaginable, I vacuumed out and scrubbed down each cabinet and the pantry.  Once they were clean, I put everything back in a totally new arrangement, and got rid of some items I didn't need to clear out some space.  I am excited about my new system, and think it is going to be much more functional!  I actually ended up putting most of my large and heavy bakeware items in my pantry, and designated two cabinets for food.  We will see how this arrangement works, but I think it is going to make more sense and be easier and less cumbersome to get to what I need when cooking and baking.

I didn't finish until evening, but am relieved that this project, which had been hanging over my head for some time now, is finally complete.  I am also so tired I can hardly type!  My plans of writing some helpful or thought-provoking blog, or maybe catching up on facebook albums I have been wanting to upload for months, are out the window.

Because I am going to bed!

More behind the scenes projects await - I'll let you know how they go when I get to them!  Hoping to deal with either my closet or the laundry room next...

Dream sweet!  Rest knowing God loves you, weaknesses and all!  I know I have to remind myself of that sometimes!  He loves with a love that sees past the messy closets, and even beyond the messy corners of my soul, into the heart of someone who is really trying. His love sees and knows.  It is patient with me.

I can rest in that kind of love.