Sweet Baby Girl. I love you so much! You are thoughtful, sweet, funny, and so much more! This move has been hard on you (side note: thanks to Mama’s friends for the good advice. Even if she’s still struggling, I feel much better about how I’m handling it! Thank you!) You are overwhelmed. Almost every day you ask if the truck is coming today. I know you’re excited and nervous. I understand completely.

You want to help me so much. I appreciate it. However, some things are better for Mamas to do. Like packing. You wanted to spend quiet time in your room today. Usually you’re asking if you can have it in the living room. That should’ve tipped me off. You couldn’t wait to show me what you did. Of course, you locked your door on your way out, so I had to unlock the door before I could see your accomplishment.

You emptied all of your drawers because you “wanted to take all these clothes to Texas!” I know you wanted to help. I appreciate your sweet spirit. However, Mama had already packed those drawers. I put your hanging clothes in them and they were almost ready to be put on the truck.
I’m not upset at you. You were helping. But boy, I’m tired. And packing things twice makes me more tired.

While you were working on that, I was packing up the kitchen. Buddy was doing his own work:

Yes, you two help me so much!

Thanks, Baby Girl! I love you! Please stay sweet. Please stay generous with your time and your love.

Now, no more packing for you!

Love,

Mama

Today I have three friends coming over to help me pack. I think we’re going to pack up my kitchen. But then I wonder if it’s too soon to be packing. I mean, we still have to live here. So, what should we pack? I just don’t have any idea!

But I hate packing. I actually look forward to unpacking. I love putting things into their places. I love organizing! Just a side note: when we visited Texas I walked through The Container Store. Oh my! I seriously thought I was dreaming. I could get lost in this store for hours. It’s a little pricey, but what neat things to help in organization!

My friend Tasha drooled when I showed her these. Her boys would love to have these in their room!

Seriously? A hanger for flip flops? My organization for flip flops includes a basket and mass chaos. This would be awesome! (However, $12.99? Yikes!)

Anyway, that was just a side note. Or maybe it was procrastination so I don’t have to think about packing.

My table is overflowing with things that need to go in boxes. Round things, spherical things, rectangular things, square things. And this is why I hate packing. How do you make it all fit? Here’s hoping my friends are better at packing than I am.

So, the moral of this blog post? Don’t call me to help you pack. But if you need help unpacking? I’m your girl!

Remember the first two Quick Cleaning posts? We talked about hidden storage and out-in-the-open storage. It’s been awhile, but I have one more favorite that I use when I need my house to be clean (or at least look clean).

1. Vacuum. Even if you just run the vacuum around the well-trafficked areas, it makes it look like you cleaned really well. The only problem I have with this is that my vacuum needs a new bag, and I don’t have any here. So, it hasn’t been emptied, which means that it is heavy! Carrying it up and down stairs isn’t fun. However, the joy of having those marks on my carpet just makes me feel better. Really, it’s those marks that make the room look clean. Even if your vacuum didn’t pick anything up, people would think you cleaned. Deceitful? Maybe. But hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

2. Make the bed. This one is more for me than for anyone coming over. When I walk into our room there might be clothes on the hope chest or chair. There might be shoes sticking out of the closet. If the bed is made, though, I feel calm. Having the decorative pillows on the floor and the sheets strewn all over makes me feel like there’s work to be done. When it’s made I know that even if nothing else gets done, at least my bed is made. And I love sleeping in a bed with sheets pulled tight. Ahhh….

Now I’m going to climb into that bed and take a nap!

I’m back with more tips for keeping a clean-looking house. This house might not pass a White Glove inspection, but it will work for company coming over or even just to make you feel better. I don’t know about you, but it stresses me out to see clutter and dirt.
Read here to see my previous post. We talked about hidden storage.

Today, it’s all about out-in-the-open storage.

This stand sits right by our door. I love it! The dish holds our keys (and my husband’s whistle? I don’t know why). The drawer is perfect for junk…outgoing mail, sunglasses, store saver cards, etc. I love that it’s hidden! Underneath the table is a trashcan so that when the junk mail comes in, we can throw it away right there. What a great, cheap organization fix!

This is our reading nook in our bedroom. The basket in the corner is for my reading materials. Okay, I’ll be honest. I am more likely to read in bed or on the couch, but doesn’t it look inviting? And honestly, the basket has Baby Girl’s baby book, a journal, and some other odds and ends. But if I look over there I’m not stressed. In fact, it relaxes me. I love it!

This is my bedside table (Classy, isn’t it? And let’s not even get started on my alarm clock from 1996.) But, the point is, the basket again. I love baskets! Have I mentioned that? So, I keep my Bible, devotional book, and some pens in this basket. And obviously, my Woman’s Day. So, if I have a few minutes I can sit and relax. And I’m not running around trying to locate my Bible (which would make me less apt to ever read it!).

I hope these helped you. I love storage! I love having things organized, but it isn’t easy. For me the best way is to have a place for everything!

This morning I realized that I have a talent. Ready for this? Making things (or people) look good quickly. At least, I think I do well. I don’t wear make up in the summer…too much work, but I think I’ve figured out how to go out looking like I haven’t let myself go. I never think my house is clean, but I think I’ve figured out how to make it look clean. Sometimes that is good enough.
So, I’m going to start showing you how I do what I do. If you think I’m completely dumb, then that’s you’re opinion. I think I’ve got a good system. If you have a better one, please share!

First thing…how to make your house look clean (this is a longer subject but for today, I’ll give you a few thoughts).

Hidden Storage! Don’t underestimate the power of hidden storage. It’s my saving grace sometimes. I have a junk drawer. I’m horrified to admit it. Sometimes it’s clean, but other times it’s full of all that was on the counters and table.

The drawer on the far right is my junk drawer. If any
of you come over and look in it, I’ll be very disappointed. The white cart is
not hidden storage, but still storage. I’ll talk about that another day.
This piece of furniture in the middle hides so much stuff…extra silverware, George Foreman grill,
extra set of dishes, dish towels, etc. It’s not totally my style, but it totally works for me!

See the ottoman in the bottom left corner? It’s a storage ottoman. It hides blankets, pillows, and right now
some pictures and stuff that I don’t want out.
The basket on the bottom shelf of the bookshelves hides Baby Girl’s toys. Just putting those away at the end of the night
makes me feel like the house is already cleaner. What a wonderful feeling!

I have several places where I use baskets or bowls so that everything has its place. That’s kind of my theme…a place for everything. Sometimes nothing is in its place, but when it needs to be clean it only takes a few minutes to put everything where it belongs. Even Baby Girl is catching on! Later in the week I’ll show more pictures and give more ideas! I hope this helps!