Get Motivated Monday

So, did you catalog all of your Christmas gifts last week? I did and Santa has an issue over here. 11 gifts for the son and 4 for the princess. What to do? Shop, of course! :)

This week's challenge is your LINEN closet... Go through it. Organize it. Pitch yucky towels. Make it look pretty. Get your linens ready for the holidays - find your Grandma's tablecover and your extra guest sheets.

This seems like a simple challenge. Maybe it is for you. But for us hoarders it is a good time to clean out and re-evaluate.

An extra note - if you find blankets to get rid of, consider a homeless shelter. As the cold seeps in, there are many folks who would love that old orange afghan that Aunt Sally made. Pass along the blessing and teach your children to give!

Let me know how it goes, ok?

Get Motovated Monday

I just read that Christmas is 74 days away! Can you believe it?

If you are like me, you have little gifts hiding around your home already. (Check the closets and garage here...)

This week, make a list of people you need to buy for. Plan a proposed budget. Then, log any gifts that you already have on hand and PUT THEM ALL IN ONE PLACE (like your attic...)

I like to use the Holiday Planner from Cynthia Ewer found at Organized Christmas. I made mine with her printable pages and use a 3 ring binder to keep it all together. I have used this system for the past 3 Christmases and I love it. It keeps everything nice and tidy and helps me stay sane in a busy season.

Let me know how you do with this. You mau be surprised at how many gifts you already have!

Pantry Organization - Check!

After posting my challenge on Monday, I decided to get started organizing my main pantry, which is housed in a old closet. Each shelf is labeled so there is no confusion as to where everything should go... Here are the results, shelf by shelf:

SNACK SHELF: fruit snacks, crackers, cookies and anything snacky!

CLEANING SHELF

BAKING SHELF: everything for baking, includes marshmallows, frostings, food coloring, chips, and mixes.

BOXED SHELF: pasta (+ sauce), helpers, and boxed meals

TOP SHELF: breakfast items; including cereal, oatmeal, pop tarts, and granola bars + all drink mixes

NEW & IMPROVED OVER-THE-DOOR STORAGE: holds all condiments, mac and cheese, pouches, and the like.

Now, I know what I HAVE, what I can GIVE, and how to PLAN my meals :) (I just love my labels too...

How did you stack up to the challenge?

Get Motivated Mondays

Hi Everyone! I am ready to start a new series called "Get Motivated Mondays." Every Monday, I will be sharing a personal challenge and something to motivate YOU for the week.

This week, I am feeling inspired by fellow bloggers "Coupon Geek" and "Moms by Heart" to get organized! See their posts on ways they have organized this week:

http://www.momsbyheart.net/2009/09/6-weeks-or-organization.html (Just going to say that this pantry is AMAZING!)

http://www.coupongeek.net/2009/09/6-weeks-of-organization-end-of-week-1.html (Great work here on a garage and family car!)

This week I am going to tackle my main closet pantry. I will toss expired foods, donate things that we have abundance, and just plain SEE WHAT I HAVE! I may also bring up things from the basement pantry to fill it up. By Friday, I will post pics of my before and after and you can see the progress that the pantry has made.

My challenge to you: Find something to clean out. A closet, your car, garage, attic, cupboards, dresser drawers, whatever. Donate what you can. Make it look and feel pretty!

Let me know what you accomplished this week by leaving a comment. No comments = No readers... Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy our new series: Get Motivated Mondays!