Clearing the Clutter

Well, after months of purging, organizing, and redecorating- I think we finally got it! I'm loving the look of our house now- it feels like a new home!!

Here are some photos (in no certain order mostly because I'm not gadget girl and this is the best I could do uploading multiple pictures on blogger)

The Dinning room

Formal living room

Master bath

A cute model

Master bedroom

Art work in the dining room

One view of the formal living room

Family room

This is above the family room couch (that's my husbands hair, hehe)

She kept following me around saying "cheese, cheese"

Above the kitchen sink

Above the microwave

It's not just the garage...

I wish I could blame all my, ahem, clutter on my wonderful Mother in law, but the truth is it's a problem we've had since moving here 6 years ago.

I'm an "everything in it's place" girl, and the fact is we just don't have a place for everything. And, I believe, that's because we simply have too much!!

So far, I've gone through each closet and got rid of clothes that don't fit/have a stain/or damaged. I've also gone through the kids toys, and if it was broken it got thrown away. Any unnecessary toy got given to family with little or no toys. Since then, my kids are actually playing better! They enjoy the toys they have, and can find them (imagine that!).

I've filed all paperwork and have a place for unpaid bills- I'm finding it less stressful because I know where everything is!!

By nature, I'm a "piler". I make a pile for everything... I'm working on that! At the end of the day, I have a pile for Lily's stuff, Logan's stuff, unpaid bills, laundry, stuff that needs to go in my car, etc. But, each night I'm taking 15 extra minutes to clear the piles (well, the one's that can be cleared). This makes my mornings easier and less stressful. I think once I find a home for every orphaned item, that task will be easier, too!

For now, I'm enjoying cutting the clutter. It's cathartic!

Less is MORE

Alternately titled: Out with old, in with the... well NOTHING hopefully.

We have too much stuff. We live in a beautiful home, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and adequate living space. Our problem, however, is we have too much stuff!!

I am a purger- I always have been, always will be. I do hold on to somethings for sentimental value, but my hard and fast rule is "if it hasn't been used/worn in 6 months (with the exception of seasonal items) it's going to Good Will". My hubby on the other hand has clothes that he wore his senior year of high school... no seriously he does. Which would be totally fine if he wasn't adding to his collection- but he is... and it's craziness.

My mother in law is a self proclaimed "stuff girl". She knows how to place it, stack it, pack it, fit it, and organize it. She's an interior designer and her home is beautiful; it looks like a showroom for a magazine. However, it's not functional for a family of 4 and not functional for a stay at home mom with two small children.

Anyway, in love, she passes down stuff to me. I in the past, have purged the things I don't want- then she says "I see you don't have the [insert purged item here] out anymore. May I have it back?" Me "uh....."

So now, after being questioned several times, I have kept things I'm not using in order to ahem avoid having an awkward conversation. Now I have a garage full of stuff I don't want. FULL.

Today, I'm purging. Out with the old, in with the... well NOTHING.

I'm learning to be content with what I have.

Skim the Fat

Ok friends, it's time to get real. My house is FULL of stuff I don't need (i.e. 3 years worth of magazines I haven't picked up since the month they were published... I have issues with books and magazines). It's time to skim the fat.

All of November I am going to be going through our house and getting rid of stuff we don't need. I'm tired of feeling closed in in our house. I don't find value in material things (for the most part), so it's time for me to go through all our stuff and get down to the things we actually need.

Let's start a movement. Who's with me?

Less clutter for 2010.