Story print by the very talented VOL25

I shared part of our house-hunting journey in my “Day In the Life” post earlier this month. Since then, we found a home in Florida, have been working tirelessly through mortgage processing (and all the goodies that go with buying a home out-of-state), arranging our packing and move through the military (no small feat) and wrapping up loose ends here in Virginia. But how does a 23-week pregnant mama with an insatiable urge to nest cope? In addition to the incredible purging and Craigslist ads I’ve been posting, I’ve been “virtually” nesting via Pinterest. I’ve been planning rooms and color schemes, choosing furniture and envisioning our new life in Florida.

Through all of it, I have come to some interesting conclusions: First, I am over the moon to have a home of our “own” again. We’ve rented for the last four years and there is something that never feels quite as settled. It’s been a long time since I have been so excited about a “project.”

Second, I am repurposing our home and my ideas of what home should look like. With one year of homeschool down and a new addition on the way, our soon-to-be family of six operates very differently now. The furniture I bought pre-kids six to nine years ago isn’t really a fit anymore. The way I arrange our home is going to change. It needs to be more than kid-friendly. It needs to be family-centric, yet mama approved (easy to maintain/keep clean/clutter free — and allows kids to independently contribute to keeping our home)

 That means the family room won’t be overrun with toys- but it  our spaces will be designed for children and their interests too. First to go – our formal dining room and definitely no formal living room. We have an amazing straight-out-of Pottery Barn dining area. We hardly ever use it! The new space will be a multi-purpose room. We’re keeping our large table, but swapping chairs and planning for adjacent space to be an art area and creative space.

The kids will continue to share rooms that will have only a few toys. Rooms will be designed for sleeping and reading and we’ll use the extra room as a playroom –A baby-safe area that rotates toys. It needs to be organized so kids can easily clean up after themselves, but creative and fun without clutter.

Outside has been one of my favorite areas to explore. We are going to have a pool (hooray!), but at the expense of having a large yard. Instead, the kids will have a 15×40 side yard as an outdoor play space. I’ve been researching tons of natural play areas that are both engaging and alternatives to the typical wooden swing set we have now. Some of my favorite ideas:

So there you have it. Pre-planning from afar. Can you tell how much i am looking forward to the family time that is ahead of us? It has been a long time coming. I can hardly wait!

I’m in the middle of spring cleaning, but I’m not scrubbing floors or toilets. At our house, spring cleaning means more clearing out the clutter of the past year than soap and water cleaning. It is clearing out the old, stagnant stuff, to let the fresh, renewing spirit of spring in.

Start With The Kitchen

The kitchen always gets tackled first. It might seem like an unlikely starting place, but I start there because of its importance to our family. Our life revolves around the kitchen. That’s where we spend the most time. That’s the first place everyone and everything that enters the house stops and determines where to go from there. I want this area to be as clutter-free and inviting as possible.

I start by de-cluttering the kitchen landing zone, then move on to the junk drawers. In years past, I have gone through each drawer and cabinet just to make sure I need everything inside. How much I de-clutter varies from year to year.

The Bedroom Closets

Our bedroom closets really need to be decluttered each season (especially with growing kids), but it doesn’t always happen. When going through the closets, I ask myself these questions-

Does it fit?
Do I like it?
Have I worn it in a year?
Do I have anything to go with it?

The answers to those questions determine if the clothes stay or go. So far this spring, I have taken 7 garbage bags of clothes, shoes and accessories out of our closets. Our closets look so much lighter and fresher. I feel less anxious looking into the closets now. Clothes are easier to find and no one is frustrated about the clothes that don’t fit or they don’t like, because they are gone!

The Bathroom

I always think spring cleaning the bathroom is keeping my family healthy. Each spring, I throw away the outdated or nearly outdated medicines, toiletries and cosmetics. Keeping products current, keeps us safe.Getting rid of old products also helps to clear out the shelves and drawers so that what we need is easier to find.

In some years, I spring cleaned the basement or the garage. It just depends on what needs the attention and what I have time for.

Do you spring clean or spring declutter? What spring cleaning/decluttering project do you need to work on?

There’s one wall in my house that makes all the other walls turn green with envy. It’s the show stopper whenever someone new comes into our home. It’s the one that gets the oohs and aahs as the other walls roll their eyes.

It’s this one…

Okay, so the walls are actually yellow. But you get the point. ;)

As a photographer it’s difficult to narrow down images of my own family to display. It’s also difficult to find the time to actually print all the things I want to enjoy everyday.

About four years ago I decided the solution to this problem was a photo collage that showcased bits and pieces of our life as a family. I wanted each family member to get equal time (yes, even mama!) and I wanted the images to be a celebration of who we are not what we look like.

I started with a 36×36 gallery wrapped canvas that included nine 12×12 images. After a few years our family had grown out of the images on the wall and I decided it was time to update.

But I just couldn’t bear the thought of taking down those memories. So instead, I added to it. I created a new 36×36 canvas with a new set of nine images that celebrated our evolving life as a family. I hung them side by side so they appear as one piece.

And call me crazy, but I don’t think I plan to stop at two. The way I see it, that wall has room for six 36×36 canvases when it’s all said and done. And the neighbors may think I’ve gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs but I can’t imagine anything that will make me happier in 10 years than seeing the growth of my children from babies to toddlers to children to teens on that same wall.

Of course seeing my husband and I change from 20 somethings to, well, 40 somethings won’t be as much fun. But it sure beats the alternative, right?

If you’re interested in creating your own wall o’ canvas, here’s what to do:

- Open a blank Photoshop document in the dimensions of your finished canvas at 300 dpi. Mine is 36×36 but you can create yours in whatever size you’d like.

- Figure out how many images you’d like to place on your canvas, and how you’d like them to be divided up. My piece has nine 12×12 images.

- Open that many images and crop to the determined size at 300 dpi.

- Using the move tool, drag each image individually onto your large blank Photoshop document and position where you’d like them to be. It may take a bit of playing to hit upon the arrangement that you like.

- If your canvas lab allows you to create your own edge color (mine does) you can do that right in PSD. Start by flattening your finished canvas piece, and then creating a new blank Photoshop document at the size of your finished canvas PLUS the depth of your edges. If you’re planning to print a gallery wrapped canvas with a 2 inch edge wrap then you’ll add four inches to each length of your canvas (two inches on each side). So for my 36×36 canvas I would create a new document at 40×40 at 300 dpi.

- Change the color of your new Photoshop document to your desired edge wrap color.

- Drag your Photoshop document with pictures onto your Photoshop document with the edge color. Hint: View > Show > Grid and View > Rulers will help to make sure you have your image file positioned correctly on your background layer.

- Now flatten, save as a JPEG and order from your favorite canvas lab!

My mom was just here for the long weekend, and I thought that I would share my guest room welcome basket.  I really don’t like when I am staying at someone’s house and bugging them when I forgot my toothbrush or need some Tylenol for a headache.  I was staying at my friend Hillory’s house years ago, and she had a basket of sample-sized toiletries, toothbrushes, and lots of other thoughtful things that a guest might need.  I thought that it was so welcoming, that I went home and created my own basket.

Here are some of the things that I include:

• toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss
• shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, hair detangler, ponytail holders, bobby pins, dry shampoo
• face wash, makeup remover wipes, facial lotion, facial scrub
• contact solution, Visine
• Tylenol, Motrin, Advil
• body wash, body lotion, baby powder
• pads and tampons
• Downy Wrinkle Releaser
• mini first aid kit
• chapstick

I also like to leave fluffy towels, a few magazines, and book that I think my guest might enjoy on the bed.  My mom loves Good and Plenty, so I left a box of those on the bed for her too.

The final touches, fresh flowers and a delicious smelling candle.  When my guest leaves, I look through the basket and make a note of what needs to be replaced.  Usually a quick run through the sample aisle in Target take care of it.  My mom told me that staying at my house feels like staying at the Ritz-Carlton, I was flattered that she felt so comfortable.

Here is a previous organizing idea from The Creative Mama

The beginning of a new year always gets me in the mood to organize. The idea of clean and orderly are so appealing after the chaos that is the holiday season. Each January, I want to work through my house organizing everything from the kitchen cabinets to my make-up drawer. The only problem is that my enthusiasm can get me in over my head. I can either get so into organizing that I don’t have time for anything else or I dive in and get burned out.  Can anyone relate?

A little trick I’ve learned along the way to make sure I get my organizing projects completed and keep my sanity is….scheduling. Just like any other event or responsibility, putting it on the schedule makes sure it actually happens and that it doesn’t interfere with other activities going on in our lives.

How An Organizing Schedule Works

• Make list of projects or areas that you want to organize
• Prioritize the list
• Decide where your most important project will fit in your schedule. For instance, let’s say you want to tackle your kitchen cabinets first. Schedule an afternoon to finish the project. If you don’t have an entire afternoon to devote,schedule a little time each day over a week or two. Do a shelf or cabinet a day. You’ll get an organized kitchen and keep your sanity!
• Don’t schedule more than a couple weeks out. Things will happen in life that will be more important than organizing.
• Work through your list and enjoy the results!

How about you? Are you in the mood to get organized? What project will you start first?

I, also, stash a couple notebooks and pens in the basket to write down notes, inspiration or the next day’s to-do list.

My daughter has inherited my “need to read” gene and has her own basket.

Do you read before bed? Are you a bedtime note-taker? In-bed knitter? Where do you keep your stuff?

Marci Goodwin

Marci has a passion for helping people get the busyness and clutter out of their lives so that they can slow down and enjoy what is really important. She is proud mama to an 10 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. Head over to Marci’s blog Overcoming Busy to read more about how she cuts the clutter and gets organized!