Moving Home {What I'm Up To}

Last week, I did a quick update of what's been going on in my life.  My husband and I are currently living with my parents while house hunting.  He works from home and I'm everyone's housewife.  I'm sure half of you are wondering, WHAT does she do all day?!  Well, I am loving having time to work on all sorts of things, so I'm going to share of a few of my projects I've completed since being back in Minnesota.   To start, remember a while back when I mentioned that my cleaning and organization habits can drive some people crazy?  I now know that it is in response to my mom's style of household.  I love my mama, but she has a tendency to KEEP lots of things, stuff them in to small spots, and then forget about them.  AKA = C.L.U.T.T.E.R.   Since I'm helping out with the house, one of the first things I did was organize the cabinets and closets on the main floor.   The linen closet was chock full of too many towels, an overflow of bath and body products, and tons of smaller miscellaneous items.  I organized all the body products by type and put my mom on a buying freeze until we use up some of the lotion/body wash/etc.  {I recommend this for everyone!  Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you will use it!}  All hotel sample bottles are in a bag that is easily accessible before traveling.  Everything else lives with other like items (nails section, sun section, oils) so it is all easy to find.  Mom only had to help by getting rid of some of the 30+ pillow cases {yikes!}.  Now everything fits nicely, and we even have some extra space!  

Before (I had already removed the items on the floor)

After

Next came the kitchen, where I organized the food cabinets by sorting all the cans, bottles, spices, boxed items, teas, etc.  I now know exactly where items are and what we have available for meals.  I also took this time to get rid of a few expired items.  I cleaned and organized all the drawers in the kitchen...INCLUDING the junk drawer, which I vowed not to touch.  Together, mom and I went through the glassware and were able to make that cabinet a bit more appealing. The kitchen clutter is gone and things are easier to find.  My extra special touch, I scrubbed the floors by hand ;)
For some fun outdoor projects, I painted our bathroom storage and a rusty stool I found outside.  A few coats of spray paint can make anything more pleasant!  I also water stained our picnic table for the season.

Last weekend, my mom and I tackled the porch area.  Since my dad works outside during the day, this is sort of his domain.  It was messy and disorganized.  All it took was a garage sale box, moving some items to the garage, sorting some clothes, a quick dusting, and an intense vacuuming session. We also added a shoe rack, organized the closet by season, and gave dad his own designated area.  It is now a much more pleasant place to be!

These are some of the things I've been able to tidy up since we've been home.  I also keep a weekly cleaning schedule, tend to the laundry, and do dishes a few times a day.  Not having our own home right now is definitely a bummer, but I love to clean and organize, so I'm keeping myself busy around here!  I always make sure to get approval before I dive in, so hopefully I'm not driving my parents too crazy!