We're Getting Organized

** I fixed the link that wasn't working. Sorry for the confusion (and thanks, Holly!).

Something about starting a new school year has put me into an organizational frenzy. I am purging drawers and closets, buying cute color-coordinated baskets and labeling everything within reach. One of my favorite blogs to peruse for inspiration is this one, although I'm a little too realistic to ever achieve her level of organizational nirvana. On Saturday we took a family field trip to IKEA. The last time we ventured into that behemoth of a store I left with nothing but the beginnings of a panic attack. Way too much stuff to look at! This time, I went in armed with my dog-eared IKEA catalog, a list of wanted/needed items and a gift card. Much more manageable. I was able to quickly find my first few items and enjoy browsing in earnest. When the inevitable grumblings from the 3 less-than-enthusiastic shoppers in our party began, Tye very graciously whisked them away to enjoy lunch off-property and I finished up my shopping. They came back just in time to help me with the heavy lifting and we were done! Almost everything I found was for my craft/sewing room and I love the new tidiness and organization it provides! It's not quite show-ready, but it's getting close.

The pantry was the next area to see some rearranging and editing. All those labels facing the same way make me happy but a little paranoid (ever see Sleeping with the Enemy?). The clear plastic containers make it much easier to see when we're running low on an item so I can restock. We're big cereal eaters around here, so those pourable containers are more kid-friendly than the cereal boxes and sacks that we usually contend with.

Ava is my little neat freak. Seriously, she didn't sleep in her room last night because we are in the middle of rearranging/cleaning it out and she couldn't sleep with it all "chaotic" like that. When she saw my pantry project her little heart leaped with joy! She saw some room for improvement, however, and decided to step in. Those cereal canisters needed to be labeled, we agreed (I had already printed some from here), but if we purchase a different cereal than what is labeled, that just messes up the system, and it's wasteful to keep making new adhesive labels each time. What to do? She promptly pulled the old cereal boxes out of the trash, clipped off the logo, and made her own recycled labeling system. Now we can all sleep at night.

I know this post has nothing to do with anything, but now you know why I didn't get much sewing done over the Labor Day weekend. Have a great week!