My OCD Moment - Organizing Pictures

Costco Frames - Gotta Love em!

For those of you who know me, you know I'm borderline OCD - not diagnosed do you hear me!  If you follow this blog you'll find I have a lot of OCD moments of organization madness.  I actually have an identical twin sister, a clinical psychologist, who says it's a close call.  Listen, just because I straighten all the Caprisun juice pouches in my fridge with labels facing forward doesn't make me obsessive, just organized right?    Anywho, I am a stickler for exactness and it spills over into everything I do.  My recent photo project is clearly an example of my "attention to detail", we'll call it.

I needed to arrange the savvy family photos and after measuring the width of the wall, dividing in half to find the center and measuring each frame moving outward for exact spacing, here's what I got: (FYI - my Macgyver husband hates it when I ask him to hang pictures, because I can spot a 1/4 inch difference and then we have to re-hang everything!) I love that it looks as though the pictures were all hung with ribbon - they aren't.  I would probably lay awake all night worrying if my treasured frames were about to come crashing to the floor if they were only hung with ribbon (again, not diagnosed), but I wanted that same look.  So I decided to fake it and no one can tell the difference!

Rod Works wrought iron picture hanger

Project Requirements:

Level                              
Measuring Tape             
Ribbon
Scissors
Sticky Putty
Nails
Picture Hangers (The kind that screw into the wall.  I found a great selection at Rodworks!)

To hang your photo arrangement, determine the width of your wall.  Find the exact center and determine desired height of the highest frame + 6 inches for 1st hanger placement.  The actual hanging nail will be approximately 7 inches below the hanger.  Using (1) approximately 20" ribbon length per top frame (draped over hanger) and (2) 10" ribbon lengths per lower frames, attach ribbon at ends with sticky putty and hang photos frames on nails.

Organizing your photos is easy and fun too! (Really, I'm just trying to get more of you to join the OCD ranks!)

Savvy How To: Cleaning Organization

Savvy How To:

Be Resolved to Not Be Perfect!

Well, I made a horribly difficult New Year's resolution for 2010 in addition to the American standard of losing 10 pounds: NO CHOCOLATE for an entire year! I mean it! No dark, rich and mouth wateringly exquisite chocolate nor any artificially flavored imposter shall pass my lips for 365 days! Absolutely CRAZY, I know. But, it's the point of it all: to prove my resolve and let my will control my wants. Plus it helps with the first goal and is the only way I could keep myself from eating it everyday!

You may have set an outrageous goal for yourself as well and now, after only a few days in, are wondering how you'll ever make it.

It's just my two cents, but I believe one of the biggest problems with goal setting is being overly critical of our perceived failures no matter how grandiose the objective. Setting difficult goals should inspire us to try harder, do better and reach higher. There should be bumps along the way! It's moving past those stumbling blocks that make us stronger and more determined in our resolve.

BUT, no one is perfect! While I can be a bit obsessive in my quest for perfection, the weight of trying to be perfect wastes time, saps strength and is simply depressing. There has to be room for error and credit for partial successes!

As a mother of young children I've found that setting smaller goals, and using them as stepping stones is essential for long-term success. Being organized in our homes is likely a goal most of us share.
I, too, wanted a perfectly clean house, but it seemed perfectly impossible. So I developed a schedule of short-term daily goals about eight years ago to help organize my time and achieve my objective while still allowing time with my children. I laminated this list and hung it on the fridge as a constant visible reminder. Note: I NEVER get everything perfectly done every day, but as long as I get something done - even one shelf in the refrigerator wiped down on Monday or 20 undistracted minutes with the kids, I've succeeded in my goal! Any success, no matter how small, is ALWAYS a win in my book! Try writing down your daily goals and you might find some of them getting done more often! One step in the right direction is still a step and as an old Chinese proverb says, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Daily Goals:

Monday:
    - Clean Kitchen
    - Song Day (Sing or listen to music with the kids.)

Tuesday
    - Bathrooms
    - Book Day (Read books or be read to.)

Wednesday
    - Paperwork
    - Game Day (Play a game - indoor or outdoor.)

Thursday
    - Bedrooms
    - Kids Craft/Cook Day (Try something new or an old favorite.)

Friday
    - Laundry
    - Computer Day (Explore outer space or just space out!)

Saturday
    - Vacuum & Dust

Sunday
    - Cut Coupons, Rest

Being perfect would be awesome; oh I relish that thought! And, though I do scrub my tile floors with a toothbrush on occasion, I can't be Super-Mom all the time! Organization in life comes in spurts, a little at a time. Take it when you can get it and relish those moments too!

Savvy How To: Food Storage Solutions

 

 Savvy How To: 

Creative Solutions for Food Storage Clutter

Food storage is definitely an important part of investing in your future. But for many, storage options may have them bursting at the seams. Storing and organizing your food in small spaces may seem overwhelming and maybe even impossible. However, finding room to keep yourself organized in limited spaces can be simple, though it does require a little planning and some elbow grease. Beyond traditional shelves and cupboards, there are many creative and efficient options for food storage. I asked my readers for their suggestions on how to creatively store food and here are a few of their ideas:

Make Food Furniture: Yes, you read that right. Why not turn your boxes, cans and crates into furniture that serves double duty? Jan Barker of Payson suggests: “How about putting a round piece of wood on top of a stack of boxes or buckets and a round tablecloth on top of that to create an end table or nightstand?– Try filling hinged ottomans with a case of corn or beans. Or what about covering a small shelving unit with fabric and topping it with glass for an instant vanity table, says Riana Jasperson of Santaquin. It's easy to disguise self-rotating can units with a little fabric and wood. One click in the World Wide Web provides a plethora of detailed plans to custom build your own “cloaked” shelving unit. Or take an even easier route and use extra #10 cans as support for plywood shelves. Furniture solutions are a do-it-yourselfer's dream and certainly an inexpensive alternative.

Closets Aren't Just For Coats: You may have an unused coat closet or even “dead space” overhead just waiting for shelving, says Sadie Cunningham from Mona. Years ago, in my small-town home in Southern California, I didn't even have a coat closet. I had to get creative! I utilized the space under the stairs in one of those weirdly misshaped angled closets by simply installing a hanging rod for coats and a series of shelves just above the rod. I filled the shelves with “vacuum saver” type bags full of blankets and pillows and even created ample space for a family game shelf. Small shoe organizers and bookshelves readily purchased at hardware and retail stores lined the angular walls to provide extra storage. Stacey Johnson of Cumming, Ga., didn't waste space here, either! She installed shelving and even “cut a hole in the drywall at the back under the stair's landing and framed the hole.” Hanging a no-sew curtain with a shower rod can easily hide storage items, not to mention it also adds a “cute dimension,” Johnson says. You can also utilize closet doors for additional storage. “I use shoe storage organizers (the ones that hang behind doors), Ale Wortmann of Springville says.

Bedroom Follies: Under the bed is a treasure trove of space waiting to be filled by things other than dirty socks and broken toys. You can raise your bed to new levels by adding bed risers that can increase storage space by 12 inches or more. Use an extra long bed skirt to cover your secret stash! Once you've created space, use “under the bed storage containers, fill them up and just slide them under all the beds in the house” says Julie Taggart of Pleasant Grove. Taggart even organizes her bathrooms this way. Using shoe-size clear containers she stacks and organizes personal hygiene items under the bathroom vanity. “Buy one for toothpaste, another for deodorant, another for razors, etc.– You can stack them a few high, using what is normally wasted space.

Don't let the lack of square footage deter you. Being prepared and getting organized will pay off when you're eating food today at last year's prices!