this is why we don't fold clothes

This all goes down in about 45 seconds (Claire was helping). Baby tsunami. I'm afraid of what life will be like when the girls start walking.

serious business

Audrey takes playing seriously. Very seriously.

I was able to get her to crack a smile:

hoarder

I'm constantly trying to become more organized. I found something on Pinterest that recommended getting rid of 10 items per day for 40 days... Hello to 400 less pieces of junk! 

I decided to tackle the master bedroom first- I stopped counting how many items I tossed, but here are the results:

Lots of receipts shoved into purses, socks without mates, and random paper clutter. Like this:

And this. From 2001.

But in all the clutter, there were a few gems, like this card:

Who knew absolutely incredible kid day was a thing? I'm sure my grandma gave a card to all her grand kids, but I bet I'm the only one who squirreled it away for all these years.

baby tornado

more fun with organization

I've been on a bit of a home organization kick lately. If only I enjoyed cleaning half as much as my little projects...

Up first was switching around storage in the kitchen cabinets.

We went from this:

(Yes, that is jenga you see stored in a kitchen cupboard... It has been moved downstairs where it belongs)

To this:

I then had some free cabinet space to play around with:

I want to get storage containers to house all my baking supplies- it would be a lot easier to track how much flour and what not I have if it was stored in a clear container.

While the girls were napping, an idea for purse storage popped into my head. It involved a table runner that I bought in my college days that was sitting in the goodwill pile and a hanger... Pretty simple, right?

All I needed was a scissors! No needle, thread, or hot glue gun required. I had enough fabric to make two of these handy dandy contraptions, so now my purse and diaper bag are kicked off the kitchen table and have a home in the entry closet. 

I am obsessed with the container store and am convinced I could spend a months salary there in a matter of minutes, but I love it when I can come up with easy solutions that are free or inexpensive.

Have any tips I should know about? Share them in the comments!

you gotta roll with it

My kitchen linen cabinet has been the bane of my existence since moving in. It was overstuffed and just a downright disaster. I took to my trusty friend google for organizing tips, thinking perhaps there was some sort of fancy system I could pine over, but the most common solution was to roll your towels. I was skeptical, but figured worst case scenario I would waste 15 minutes, so I gave it a shot. I really should have taken a before picture, but here are the results:

Both shelves had been completely stuffed prior to my rolling. I was admiring the nearly empty shelves, but then remembered my cookbooks that had been relegated to the basement. I keep all of the cloth napkins in our guest room dresser, so I decided it would make sense for the tea lights and napkin rings to join them. For the first time ever, my cookbooks are living in the kitchen!

Even better news? I remembered the cookbook holder I bought on super clearance at target a few years back... It was a great idea in theory, but due to space constraints had to be on our highest pantry shelf... One that I need a step stool to access (most other shelves I can access by climbing on the counter... a habit I suppose I soon must break).

At any rate, I am quite pleased with the results, and  thrilled to have found an organizing solution that required no supplies.

Wow. I get really excited about this stuff. Congratulations if you've stuck with me this far... Now here are a few pics of the girls:

thanksgiving

Due to work schedules we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday this year. It actually worked out quite well, as this way I had all day Thursday to prep.

I used my trusty dry erase board as a way to stay organized- seeing everything helped me have a game plan for getting everything cooked. 

I actually ended up doing a lot of the prep on Thursday- I did the desserts and also made the mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and sweet potatoes. I also set the table and got the serving dishes prepped on Thursday. Friday was actually quite relaxed- I only needed to prep the green beans, carrots, and stuffing and warm the items I made ahead of time up in the oven. I totally felt like I earned my good housekeeping seal of approval- everything was done within minutes of each other (which is no small feat for me) and I didn't get stressed at all.

I love having a properly set table with linens and napkin rings, but I only seem to do it for the holidays. Perhaps I'll try make it a more regular occurrence- it just elevates the whole experience with minimal effort.