Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Living Room

Well I fell off the wagon there and have regretfully missed the last few months of the Round-Ups that are hosted monthly by The Org Junkie. I'm back on track now though and ready for this month's challenge.

This month’s Round Up is living rooms. This was a tough one for me to decide on whether or not to do the “living room” or the room where we actually do the “living” aka the family room. That’s a whole another post though, I never figured out why they call it a living room when seriously the only time it is used is for Holidays and not for living. Oh well I guess that’s why I work in Human Resources and not building houses.

The family room in our house is pretty organized for the most part thanks to the most awesome entertainment center. It fits the hole in the wall perfectly. The entertainment center though helps to keep things in their place. Except for the pile of papers that ends up there instead of on the desk where they belong and the Wii accessories that were begging for a home and not just a shelf to sit on. Last year I added some baskets to the shelves on the left hand side to help organize the play-doh. Play-doh is off limits in the playroom so I keep it hostage in the family room. The couch is a plus and a minus. The couch pillows are always piled up in the corner of the couch, but look so much better when actually set up nicely. There is a center console on the couch that keeps the remotes nicely stored too. All in all not too much to do here since the room kind of organizes itself provided I take full advantage of the organizing features.

The Couch Before

The Couch After....Ahhh
The Entertainment Center Before
The Entertainment Center After

The Home for Play-Doh & Wii Stuff

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Entryway

I'm posting a bit early this month my completion of the Monthly Organizing Round-Up from Org Junkie for two reasons. 1) I was on vacation this week, therefore allowing me time to get the entryway done early and 2) The end of the month is going to be very busy so I figured I would take advantage of the "down" time to get it posted. Now this month was a bit tricky for me, as the challenge was for Entryways/Mudrooms. Well a mudroom is something that I just don't have. Not sure if it's a "California" thing or what but the two houses I have owned and all the ones I have visited in this state simply do not have a mudroom. I guess it's just not on the list of pre-requisites for home builders. LOL!! Can you sense my jealousy of not having a mudroom? After seeing the mudrooms posted on Org Junkie I am a bit jealous that I don't have a mudroom. The other option for me was the front entrance, but there is nothing in the entrance at all, I promise you that. The front door opens and BAM you are in the living room. That left me with my only other option, which in a sense is the "entryway" for us. Through the garage. When you enter the house from the garage you are smack dab in the laundry room. I only call it a room because it has a door, but really it's just a laundry pass through space. It had a lot of potential though as it looked like a mess before I tackled it.

This is a shelf above the washer/dryer. It goes the length of the room and is a good height for all the necessities of a laundry room.

The other half of the shelf. My supply gathering spot. I used to have the supplies in a container, but needed the container for the kids closets, as I was short one basket and the one that used to house my cleaning supplies was a perfect match, so off it went.

(check here for their closets Taylor's Room & Cody's Room)

The side of the washer/dryer. So much potential what is that chair doing in this space though when the garage is literally on the other side of that door?
Ahhh...The aftermath of a day of FUN!!!!!

Looking into the laundry room from the hallway. So peaceful!!!

Purchased a container to put the iron and starch in. Makes it look cleaner and nothing better than having things that go together in one place. I was also able to bring some craft stuff in to fill some of the space on the shelf and finish off the room.

The other half of the shelf. Brought in some baskets for sponges, cleaners, and light bulbs. Also, have a nice little nook on the side for the home improvement books.

The chair that didn't belong made it's way into the garage, where it does belong. Added a hanging storage rack to hold dryer sheets, extra soap cups, and hooks for the hangers.

And of course, with each project there is always something that ends up being my favorite transformation. This is exactly what the laundry room needed...A bar to hang those extra hangers on, nice and organized and easy to get to when folding all the clothes. For this transformation I purchased a tension shower rod, easy to install and extremely functional.

There you have my completed laundry "room". I love doing laundry in my new space.

Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Master Bathroom Part II

A few days ago I posted the outcome of my master bathroom organizing round-up. Laura, being the awesome Org Junkie she is, advised me to add some baskets under the sinks. Who would have known that a few simple baskets would make such a difference. The following is a synopsis of my original post, with the updated baskets under the sink pic and a few other drawers that I was happy with the outcome of.

Under the sink before...

And after...Love the baskets!!!

One of my drawers before....And after

Finally, the biggest transformation drawer...

Ahhh...and after...

Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Kids Bathroom

I was so pleased with the results in the master bathroom (especially after I followed the tip from Laura on baskets for underneath the sink...more to come on that later), that instead of waiting I decided to tackle the kids bathroom right away. And boy, I had no idea that their bathroom was so bad...eek! I think they put everything in one drawer when they are done with it regardless of where it goes. No more of that though, with the baskets and organizers everything has a place.

The "junk drawer" of the kids bathroom

Ahhh..nice and clean

Under the sink a jumbled mess of stuff

And now an organized save haven for all bathroom related stuff.

I even broke out the good old label maker to give it that finished feel.

These challenges are so much fun!! It feels great to once again get some order in my hectic crazy life. Walking into a nicely organized bathroom makes me want to do the whole house. But that will have to wait as I do have homework, work, and kids to tend to.

Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Master Bathroom

I've always been a bit anal when it comes to cleaning and have always had a clean room, apartment, and house. I can still remember the best thing to ever happen to me during my childhood, we moved to a bigger house and I no longer had to share a room with my sister. It was the best thing to have a clean organized room all the time. And quite funny I might add to watch my sister pull something from her closet only to have half her room end up on her head. Ahhh....Sister, somethings never change.

However, it seems things are really changing. As my life continues to get more and more busy; work, school, two very active young ones the challenge to keep it all balanced is taking a toll on me and the part that has been neglected is the house. Now don't get me wrong, the house is still clean, but not clean and organized to the standards that I like. Which brings me to the point of this blog. I have been lurking for a few months on a blog I stumbled upon, The Org Junkie, and have been watching people participate in the Monthly Organizing Round-Up. I enjoy seeing the before and after pictures of the spaces and how much better things look.

It was like a light bulb went off in my head as I was reading her blog one day and I realized that The Org Junkie and her Monthly Round-Up is my way to get things back in order in my house. So here I sit, with my first challenge complete. (Well for the most part, I still want to do the kids bathroom and I need to now get some new baskets for under the sink now that I know what's left after I purged stuff that I no longer need or use). And now for your viewing pleasure, the before and after pictures of my master bathroom under the sink and the drawers.

If I had to pick a favorite drawer outcome this one wins...