Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.
It's a way to live.
~ Jackie Windspear
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
October is almost over! Elli excitedly guessed right last week; today is the day we start (drum roll, please!) Simplify the Season!!!
Whether you are brand new with us this year, or have been following along with Simplify the Season for the past TWO years, you will find new topics and ideas to help you stay organized this Christmas. I am a big believer in using a spreadsheet system to hold all of this data. One file with multiple sheets (one per topic) should keep you in step for a simple holiday. Not super computer confident? That's ok too. Grab a pretty notebook (or a plain old legal pad) and join us.
This is our plan by the week. Try to keep up. If you fall behind or join us late just keep on moving forward. Skip what isn't relevant to you. Use the comment section (or e-mail me juliebavi@gmail.com) with questions and suggestions. Get involved and let's have fun!!!!!!!!
There are all sorts of local events from festivals to school plays to participate in this time of year. That makes November and December even more hectic because we’re trying to fit in all this family favorite extra stuff on top of our normal life schedules and it is just too overwhelming so STOP. Stop right there. Talk with your family about the favorite NO MISS events for this season. Locally we have Winter Wonderland, Trolley Tours, lighted boat parades, church pageants, school concerts, ballet performances, live nativities, symphony… the list goes on and on. Sit down with your family calendar. Map out all of your normal every day obligations and PLAN for some fun time seasonal outings.
What are some of your favorite Christmas time traditions??
I’ve done a poll and enjoyed receiving these responses:
Whether your family favorites are simple (caroling your neighborhood) or extravagant (going to the Nutcracker!) it is easy to feel discombobulated at the vast array of demands. Make some smart choices now.
My most remembered childhood tradition is attending the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with my family. Afterwards, Dad would drive around (ostensibly to make us sleepy) while we watched all the wondrous twinkling Christmas light displays. We would go home and excitedly open one Christmas Eve present. Then we hurried off to bed where we would lay awake and listen for Santa… until the vision of sugarplum fairies took over.
ENJOY making traditions with your family. Don’t let this be the season of over-obligated, hustle and bustle. Choose family favorites together and schedule for them now.
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
"One cannot collect all the shells on the beach.
One can collect only a few,
and they are more beautiful because they are few."
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Perfect thought for what feels like the end of summer.
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
Apparently there is a tradition among bloggers to post a “100 list” for their 100th post. This is my 100th post. Here is my list.
100 things about ME: on chores, life, and being a grown-up.
I hope you enjoyed learning about me. I certainly learned about me as I was compiling this list!
Next week begins “Simplify the Season 2009”!!! I am so excited I could burst; Lots of good things to share this year.
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
Procrastination is Opportunity’s Natural Assassin!
~ Victor Kiam
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
Organize With Julie’s Clutter Crusader ChroniclesIn case you missed this on Tanna Clark’s blog over at Complete Organizing Solutions, this week’s Clutter Crusader Chronicles is a recap of a confession from a professional organizer. I am boldly going to share a BEFORE and AFTER sequence with you from the home of an actual professional organizer. This room was once a wet bar used for entertaining. It then became my office space when I as first starting out. As my son’s art collection and need for a place to creatively create and learn has grown, I have been “kicked out” of my office (which I gladly relinquished!) and he has taken over. I state all of this to let you know that you may have an under-used space in your home that would be perfect for a non-traditional use… like turning a 1980’s wet bar into a school room.
BEFORES:
View of the shelf and Counter top.
Close-up of the Counter Top (aka the hidden clutter).
The art cabinet.
The work/play area.
You aren’t seeing double, the walls are mirrored. (I actually like that feature! It helps me keep an eye on what is going on.) This is our school room. It needed a little attention at the end of summer, as usual. This year that amount of attention was compounded greatly by the face that we spent much of July and August doing renovations. Of course, everything couldn’t be done at once. The walls were completed the same week as half the flooring. The rest of the flooring was installed completely a month later. Everything was in flux for that entire time; I felt like we packed up and moved twice!
If you are saying “Where did you start? It’s so overwhelming!” Well, I’ll show you. It really wasn’t all that bad. It was just a temporary situation.
Counter top: Since that time I have gotten rid of toys and supplies that have been outgrown - like that whole big clear bin of play food for the play kitchen which is no longer played with. The blue plastic handled carry-all, on the right, was how I kept track of our current projects. Since we are doing more of a formal approach to education this year, I set up a 3-tiered desk top file system. All three slots have a purpose - two-week lesson plan rotation and a portfolio of completed work. The blue popcorn tin on the left? It’s not a tin anymore; it is a drum. It has a home with the musical instruments. The green bin (seen in the close up) was supplies that had to be packed up for the painting, etc. I just had to decide where to arrange things so that they could have new homes. You’ll see those lovely glass jars atop the green hutch. Now you can even see (and we can access) the sink. Used for cleaning up paint, Jell-o Art, glue, etc. Have I mentioned yet that our “school room” was actually once a “wet bar”?
Hutch: This hutch has been mine for as long as I can remember. Before it was mine, it belonged to my father’s mother. I have no memory of her. Although it has served many different purposes and been many different colors, it seems to always have a place of usefulness and I LOVE it for that. The games moved onto a shelf in the family room. That leaves more room on that charming green hutch for art supplies! My sweet label maker is out of commission and I’m not super crafty, but I did manage to label all of the clear supply bins. The top of the hutch was once a catch all for “things we don’t want the four year old to reach”. Now look how beautifully the craft supplies are displayed!
Art cabinet: The completed art work was disposed of. (If you read my blog for long you will learn how unsentimental I am. It isn’t heartless. They are only papers.) The stack of books from the top left of the art cabinet photograph are now nicely sorted in a bin on the counter top behind my desktop file system. I can still grab them for easy lesson planning. They are containerized! And the art cabinet now contains supplies for art, sorted and spread out for easy access.
The work/play area. The box of dress up hats has been relocated. Foamies have been corralled. Furniture has been replaced. (Sigh.) All is right with the world!
The new and improved countertop/hutch.
Inside the art cabinet.
Work/Play Area.
Temporary situations can lead to long-term or even permanent clutter issues when they aren’t resolved. If you are feeling stuck, contact a professional organizer near you to help you move forward.
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
Not only is she graceful, thoughtful and amazing! Tanna Clark is a Professional Organizer and self-proclaimed office supply junkie. She’s the Owner of Complete Organizing Solutions in TN. If you are interested Tanna’s services or have any questions, she would love to hear from you. Contact Tanna at Complete Organizing Solutions by clicking here. You can also find Tanna on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TannaC or @TannaC.
“Twenty years from now
you’ll be more disappointed
by the things you didn’t do
than by the things you did.”
~Mark Twain
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
Organize With Julie’s Clutter Crusader Chronicles
“Simplify the Season 2009” is on the way.
It is newer, bigger, faster, stronger… you get the idea.
Launching soon! Stay tuned!
I thought it only fair that I follow up last week’s post with its counterpart. Whether you are a total slob, perfectionist, minimalist, pack rat, prefer nothing out, or prefer everything out- you certainly have some sort of organizing style! Some of you may be chronically disorganized and some of you may be so close to perfection that everything in your home is not only in its place, but sparkling with cleanliness. You may see yourself in one or more of the following styles. Many of us probably fall somewhere in between.
Organizing Style One: Everything Out Are you a visual person? Do you find that when things are put away you can’t find them. If something is in a cabinet or a drawer… or even a notebook, is it a matter of out of sight out of mind? Are you artistic and creative? Do you remember well what you see, but often forget the things you only hear? Do you like having everything out in the open? This is your place. You have found your organizing style. Use color coded systems as often as you possibly can, especially for filing. For all other items try using clear containers, containers without lids, and label label label when you put things away. These simple steps will give you a visual cue and allow your belongings to not be your clutter.
The Opposing Team: Nothing Out Do you like everything in its place? And do you like for that place to be out of your line of sight? Do you prefer your things to be behind closed doors? Do you learn tasks step by step and through trial and error? Are you most productive when there is no extra stuff in your space? You probably clean your desk of daily, if not hourly. Your home and office could be featured in a magazine. You can accomplish keeping the clutter tucked away because you don’t need the visual cues that a visual person needs.
Organizing Style Two: Pack Rat Are you emotionally attached to many things? Does it seem that you hold onto everything? Did you save every piece of baby clothing? Are you holding onto all your baby teeth? Are your walls covered with artwork and achievements? Are there pathways through your house around all of the items that you love? Are there rooms in your home that you cannot use because there is only room for storage? You may be heading towards the slippery slope of hoarding. Consider contacting the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization to find out how you can get help. Just last month the Detroit news posted an article about a couple who did not escape their home in a fire due to having too much stuff. Friends, do not let your collections lead to a fatality.
The Opposing Team: Minimalist Do you find that you throw everything away? Would you or your loved ones consider you a minimalist? I am not saying that your friends and family would compare you to a character like Monk, but it may be possible. Material things hold no value for you. Make sure you are making healthy attachments to those around you. Does this sound like you? To keep from getting rid of important papers, have an “on the way out” file that you empty regularly. At the end of each week sift back through the “on the way out” file just to make sure you haven’t accidentally decided to trash something of grave importance.
Organizing Style Three: Perfectionist Are you organized to perfection? Do you enjoy organizing and being organized? Is you laundry always put away immediately from the dryer? Are your cabinets labeled? Do all of the spatulas in your utensil drawer lay neatly and point in the same direction? Do you never lose a sock? Do you never forget an appointment or an important date? Would Martha Stewart envy you? CAUTION: Make sure you are not too hard on yourself. Perfect is a hard image to keep perpetuating. It is great to be organized, but remember to live life too. Every day is a gift!
The Opposing Team: Total Slob Do you lets things fall where they may? Is it a “good day” when your dirty dishes find their way back into the kitchen, let alone the kitchen sink for someone else to wash? Do your clothes rarely make it into the hamper? Are you scarcely on time for anything? Would others describe you as a slob? It’s time to step up. Claim a new life. One step at a time. I’m assuming that if you are reading this, you are indeed an adult. I don’t think many children would find an organizing blog incredibly interesting. Start today. Pick up after yourself. When you take off an article of clothing hang it up or toss it into the hamper. When you have finished eating, do your own dishes. If you take an item out, put it back where you found it. These things will eventually become new habits and will replace the bad habits of your past. Live it!
Friends, did you see yourself in any of these descriptions? What is your organizing style? Do you feel a call to action to change your ways? Or are you happy with how it has always been?
Special thanks to fellow organizers for contributing their brain power to this week’s blog post. Believe me when I say I could not have completed this without their help.
Christie Love of SOS www.simpleorganizedsanity.com
Linda English of Organizing With Ease www.orgwithease.com
Lynne Rizzo of Practical Solutions by Lynne LLC, Alexandria VA 22308
If you are in the Jacksonville/St. Johns area and would like your home better organized, and would like the assistance of a professional organizer, e-mail juliebavi@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook by clicking HERE or searching for Organize With Julie. Want to follow me on twitter? Find me @juliebavi.
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