Welcome to Our Living Room

Dear friends,

It's the weekly organizing challenge at Organizing Made Fun!  

This week? The living room!  

What great motivation to tidy things up!  (It really needed it, and I'm not showing "before" pictures.  Definitely the "lived in" look with books and laundry and...)

One tall bookcase,
one of many in our home,
is organized by genre.

Antique books on top,
then nature guides / easy science books,
then fiction chapter books,
then Bible & character building,
and finally picture books at the bottom.
(Our other bookcases throughout the house
hold other kinds of books.)


On the floor, I keep a bin for books 
that are too big to be shelved, 
or that need to be put away.

I found the automated kitty cat
at a yard sale for 50 cents.
Purrrr....

A large basket holds
library books 
and current selections.
I just finished reading
A Bear Called Paddington
with my youngest daughter.

A little reminder, not yet a reality.

The color scheme of the room is
burgundy (couch, curtains, area rug, etc.)
and light yellow (walls)
with accents of green and other dark colors.
All of our wood furniture is fairly dark, too.

The couches have sturdy microfiber fabric
with attached back cushions,
which I really prefer since it keeps them in place.
The covers of the seat cushions
can be removed for washing.

I lucked out at Walmart and found four pillows
that were an exact match on the couch fabric.
When they eventually got lumpy from washing,
I took out the original stuffing and replaced it 
with four identical (new) throw pillows from Goodwill.
At $1.99 each, this was much cheaper than buying pillow forms.

The quilt is stored in a large basket
when it's not being used on the couch.

I found the area rug for free
at someone's curb.
All I needed to do was clean it!
Our gray carpet has a lot of
permanent stains on it.
Next time, I'll go for easy-to-clean ceramic tile!

This bin is tucked in a corner between the couch 
and an end table that holds one of our several fish tanks. 
Blocks for my grandsons (that we've had for 20 years!) 
are the only toys regularly kept in the living room.
My own kids store their toys in their bedrooms
(though they do migrate out here!),
and there are more baby & toddler toys 
for my grandsons in a bin in the storage room.

Our piano books are stacked up or 
tucked into a wooden box.
My daughter keeps assorted sheet music in a binder.
When my parents bought this piano 45 years ago,
the bench lid flipped up for storage.
Now we use this padded bench that my husband found at a thrift shop.
The chair, one of my favorites, came from Goodwill last year.
It's amazing how we found our room colors for both.

Chair fabric

Piano bench padding

Our "entertainment center" is an 
antique cabinet from my husband's grandparents.
I store family photo albums down below.
The small basket holds miscellaneous items,
like crayons and hairbands, 
that I find lying around the room.
We have a video closet in the 
adjacent front hallway to the left,
but people have been more inclined 
to pile DVD's on the cabinet 
rather than take a few steps put things away.
Plus, the closet shelves are so big that people 
just throw stuff in there.  It's always a huge mess.

So I bought the black wire DVD rack 
(to the left of the cabinet) for $7 today
at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore thrift store.
It took me quite a while to match stray DVD's to their cases.
I still have a bunch of both discs and cases left unmatched,
but I'm hoping my new rack helps keep things tidy!
Again, one shelf for animated movies, 
one for live action movies, one for short kid stuff, 
one for science stuff, and so forth.
(Our VHS videos are still in the closet, 
but our VCR is broken anyway.)

You can also see to the right that our living room
is connected to our computer room 
in a large L with one step up.
When we first moved into the house 20 years ago,
there were two iron railings extending out three feet
from the walls into the opening between the rooms.  
With our active kids, we had many accidents with those!
When we replaced the carpet, we yanked them out.

Well, that's that with reorganizing the living room today!  

My living room is also featured in this earlier post: Maniac Cleaning Day

How do you organize your living room or family room?  Take some pictures and link right up to the New Year's Organizing Revolution!

My other organizing challenge posts are here:

• A Desk for Mom (Featuring Habitat for Humanity)
• Turning Angst into a Clean Closet
• Kitchen Organization Ideas from a Mom of 10

This post will also be linked at:

• Raising Homemakers on Wednesday
• Whole-Hearted Home on Wednesday
• Walking Redeemed on Wednesday

Until next time,

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Kitchen Organization Ideas from a Mom of 10

Dear friends,

Welcome to my kitchen!

One of the blogs I read is doing a weekly organizational challenge, and this week the featured area is the kitchen!   Since I pretty much already have a place for everything, I didn't need to reorganize mine much or figure out new storage solutions.  Our on-going problem is that 10 people still use my kitchen, and not everyone is very good at putting things away or wiping down the counters when they're done making a snack.  I did make sure everything was in its place before I started my little photo shoot.  

Every kitchen is different and every family is different, but maybe some of my ideas will spark a solution for you.  Let's take a clockwise tour, starting where the kitchen meets our dining room.  I'm not showing you everything, though!

There is a low counter between the two rooms.  Where the counter meets the wall, I put a shelf to give me an extra layer of storage.  On top, I put a tray that holds a power strip, a can opener and a small blender.  There is also a large container of hand sanitizer.  Underneath, there is a small electric food chopper, a large basket of trivets, and a small basket for miscellaneous little stuff, which I put away every few weeks.    Other items that stay on the counter are a vertical paper towel holder, a banana stand, a large bowl full of paper plates, and a fire extinguisher. 

Over the counter hangs a cloth bag for storing plastic grocery bags.  I bought it at Walmart.





This cupboard is over the aforementioned shelf so I have to stretch to get to things. The top shelf holds our stoneware dishes that I don't use as often.  The middle shelf stores our beverage supplies like tea, coffee, cocoa, and drink packets for water bottles.  Our spices are on the bottom shelf; I use the rotating lazy Susan for general spices and a plastic bin for baking spices.


Plate racks in my cupboard allow for different sizes and types of plates.  Plastic ones are on the lower shelf, where my younger kids can reach them, while the glass ones are above them.

The top shelf of this same cupboard holds my medicine and first aid bins.  

Other appliances that always stay out are the toaster and a large electric skillet, since I use them every day.  I bought the skillet for about $40 from Walmart when the inner coil of our large stove burner quit working.  I love the size of it. It is so much easier to use than a pan on the stove anyway!

A low cupboard holds my pots and pans, as well as a larger blender and an omelet maker.

Next to the stove on the other side: a large glass pitcher for my spatulas and other cooking utensils, and a smaller crock for mixing utensils.  On top of the microwave, I have a large bowl for hot pads.

At the other end of the top of the microwave there is a basket for measuring cups.  It's too hard to store them in a drawer or cupboard.  In the small corner between the microwave and the sink area, I tucked in containers for small plastic miscellaneous stuff and various sizes of sharp knives.  I keep another paper towel holder and our drainer rack there, too.

The kids run about two or three dishwasher loads every day, but in the meantime, my husband and I try to keep the dishes rinsed and stacked in the sink so that we don't have a huge messy overflow.

Next to the sink, I keep a small organizer for sponges and a toothbrush for scrubbing nooks and crannies.  I noticed yesterday how gross this organizer was getting.  I had to give it a really good scrubbing.





I store extra dish liquid and detergent under the sink.  One of my adult daughters, who as a nursing student is very conscious of safety, recommended that I start putting a mat in front of the sink to prevent slipping on drips.  It also cushions the feet.  I've been doing this for a few months and love it.  I try to buy seasonal mats.  I found this one at the dollar store and bought three since they were so cheap.  The key for buying a kitchen mat is to make sure it has non-slip material on the bottom, and it's generally better to not get really light colors since they get dirty.

A drawer by my sink holds dish towels.  

A high narrow cupboard holds small cleaning supplies like sponges, the store brand of Magic Erasers (I love these for getting marks off walls), and small cleaning solutions.  

My brooms and dustpans are nestled in against the back door.  I love the dustpan with the tall handle, which saves me from a lot of bending over.  I also keep small wastebaskets for recyclables and wet linens.  The rug keeps sand from getting tracked in.

I use bins in the refrigerator and pantry cupboards to keep things organized.  Every once in a while, I take everything out, wipe it down, and reorganize.

I store a bin of larger cleaning supplies, my sugar container, and our plastic cereal containers on top of the refrigerator.

I hang our large calendar and a bulletin board on the access door for our air conditioning unit.

One thing that I moved out of our kitchen recently is my basket of cookbooks.  Besides these regular cookbooks, I also keep a full size notebook of recipes that we have gathered from other sources.  One of my cookbooks fell apart, so I removed the spiral binding, hole punched it, and put it into another notebook.

Our house is about 40 years old.  We've been here for nearly 20 years, and put a lot of wear and tear on the whole house, but especially the kitchen.  While we have replaced all of the major appliances at least once, they each have their own issues, like loose handles or burners that don't work.  We haven't ever replaced the cabinets or drawers since we can't afford to do it and our kids are still likely to damage them anyway.  Some of the doors have been rehung, and there are lots of nicks and places where the laminate has come off.  But I make the best of it.  I often tape pretty note cards and sayings to the cupboard doors to draw the eyes away from the places that are less than perfect.

We did replace the kitchen floor -- twice!  When we moved in, there was horrible vinyl sheet flooring  that kept peeling up.  I used duck tape to keep the edges in place.  Blech.  We replaced it with  heavy duty urethane tile many years later, but that took a beating, too.  In 2004, we finally put in ceramic tile with a wood grain design and that has been wonderful.  It is so durable and easy to clean, and I love how it feels under my feet.  Highly recommended!

You can read more about kitchen organizing at these other posts:

• Organizing and Laundering Your Linens
• Prepping Your Kitchen to Fix a Feast
• Organizing First Aid Supplies, Medicines and Supplements
• Cooking Ahead Without Too Much Complication
• A Place for Everything

• Organizing with Plastic Zip-Style Bags at Home and On the Go

• Menu Planning Tips & Links
• First Steps to a Tidy Home / Children & Chores

Happy organizing!

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Who is Ready to Get your Kitchen Organized? Challenge #2

This will also be linked here:

• Domestically Divine on Tuesday 
• Raising Homemakers on Wednesday
• Whole-Hearted Home on Wednesday

One Word: Refresh

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”  

Jeremiah 31:25

"You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance." 

Psalm 68:9

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, 

  reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground; 

  for it is time to seek the Lord, 

  until he comes and showers righteousness on you."  

Hosea 10:12

"For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
    like poplar trees by flowing streams."  

Isaiah 44:3-4

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way
    and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, 

    and he will have mercy on him,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower 

    and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
    and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
    for an everlasting sign,
    which will not be destroyed.”  

Isaiah 55:6-13

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.” 

Isaiah 61:1-3

Many of my blogging friends have introduced me to the concept of picking just ONE WORD as the theme of the new year.  It didn't take me long at all to choose mine and to find several Old Testament passages to go along with it.

My word is REFRESH.  That is definitely my desire and prayer for the year.  I feel like I have been sojourning in a dry and weary land, and I'm in need of spiritual refreshment.  RENEW and RESTORE are its partner words. I trust that I'm in for a blessing.

How about you?

What is your ONE WORD for 2013?

Please visit Deeper Story One Word 365 to find out more and learn about other people's words for the year.  You can even share your own.

You might also like to read my poem Rebound.

Grace,
Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com


The picture at the top of this post is from earlier this evening.  While waiting for my husband in the car in the driveway, I caught this view of rain on the windshield, with my sons' well-lit bedroom window in the background.  Rather abstract and a little bit artsy, it will probably be my submission to the P52 / Sweet Shot Tuesday photography challenge next week.

Keep Calm and Carry On

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..." Isaiah 30:15

Enough said.

(Sign is from Michaels Craft Store.)

My Holiday Wrapping Station

Dear friends,

I've seen several posts recently on organizing holiday wrapping supplies.  Here is my simple solution.

I needed a place to put this vintage tea cart to make room for the Christmas tree in the living room.  The master bedroom is the usual place to stash extra stuff in a time like this, so I decided to take advantage of it and use it as my bedside table and as my wrapping supply station.  I do all of the wrapping in my room so I can lock the door to keep out prying eyes.  I spread everything out on the floor or the bed to work.  Usually one of the kids at a time helps me wrap presents for brothers and sisters.

The rolled papers go on the bottom shelf,
along with a small bin with rolls of ribbons.
To keep the paper from unrolling,
you can use a rubber band around each roll,
or a small piece of tape at the very end of the roll.
I do have a tall bin especially designed for wrapping paper.
I'll store the leftover paper in it at after Christmas,
but it's hard to get things in and out
without squishing the paper.

Scissors, tapes, bows, tags and pens
are hidden in the drawer.
It's always best to have extras for when
two or more people are wrapping at once!
Small scraps of paper are in a vinyl folder
which goes down with the rolled papers.

Larger scraps of paper go in
the same big bin as the unwrapped gifts,
which are in bags labeled
for each member of the family.
The bin stays in my closet except
when we get it out to wrap another pile.
I also keep a stash of Christmas gift bags
in my closet, because I don't want them out
for anyone to grab.
(I buy the my bags at the dollar store -- best deal!)

The end result for now
is present piles growing taller under the tree --
at least until we unwrap them
on Christmas morning!
And let me tell you that with eight kids
still living at home and two married daughters
coming over later with husbands and children,unwrapping is quite the spectacle at our house!

How does your family organize wrapping supplies and other holiday items?

Read more at this post from Organizing Made Fun: Organizing for Christmas: Gift Wrapping Stations

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Holiday Desserts (Aldi & Albertsons)

Dear friends,

Lots of sweets on Monday 

for a home school co-op Christmas program

and my fourth daughter's 20th birthday!

Christmas cookies made from Aldi ingredients:
sugar cookie mix
vanilla frosting
red and green frosting tubes
canister of a variety of sprinkles
(My 11 year old daughter made these!)

This canister of holiday sprinkles 
will last us all season!
It has one of those neat rotating lids
where you can choose which kind you want.

Candy cane pie about $6 from Aldi -
a decent sized pie
with a chocolate cookie crust,
a layer of chocolate french silk
a white layer with crushed candy canes
and whipped cream with crushed candies on top
Yummy!

A Hanukkah cake about $5 from Albertsons
for my oldest daughter and my grandson
who celebrate the Jewish holidays.
"Hanukkah!"

Yes, we love saving money and eating well with groceries from Aldi!

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com