Yielding

” Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

About a week and a half ago, I was out walking my 7 pound Yorkshire Terrier, Miles, on a long lake walk. Almost every single morning, afternoon and evening when we take off for our usual stroll, Miles immediately will stop and lean in the direction of his choice, digging his paws into the pavement, until I go the way he wants to go. Stubborn little bugger.

It is such a perfect visual of how my relationship with the Lord is some days. He is nudging me in one direction, while I keep leaning and pulling in another direction. You too? This particular day, as Miles and I headed towards Lake Ivanhoe, I was insisting on keeping our little walk on the land side along the sidewalk. But Miles, all 7 pounds of him, kept pulling me towards to lake. The lake side has a lot more dog smells from his neighborhood friends. But I kept yanking him back to the safety of the sidewalk… until finally, I gave in.

No sooner than we had crossed the street and taken about 8 steps a HUGE BRANCH (I mean...HUGE!!) came crashing to the ground directly in the spot where we had been standing. If I had not given in to this little stubborn pooch, we would have both been crushed. I nearly jumped out of my skin, laughed out loud (I think I was in shock) and immediately praised the Lord for His protection.

How many times have I found myself in dangers way, because I did not yield to the voice of The One who has my best interest at heart? This Scripture above I’ve chosen from Isaiah to memorize this week is a reminder to this stubborn heart, to LISTEN more intently to the voice and gentle nudging of the Lord behind me telling me which way to go. More often than not, it's my own pride and self-centered heart that needs some humbling to get me walking in the direction and will of the Lord.

When we got home later that afternoon, I gave Miles a treat and crowned him My Hero!

Can you relate to the stubbornness I sometimes struggle with? Do you find yourself in compromising situations, relationships, financial struggles, or dead end roads over and over again?  Perhaps we all  need a"gentle reminder" to LISTEN more intently to the Voice of the Lord behind us saying.this is the way..and then to move with it!

Buy this house....don't buy that one....stay in this relationship....get out of that one....stop spending money.....save, save, save.....let go of clutter....be content....take this job.....don't take that one...stop "doing" so much, and just "Be"...and on and on and on. Can I get an Amen?

The past month I've been working with a client to help clean out his mothers estate.
She has been in an Alzheimer's facility the past 4 months and her husband had previously passed away. The family is ready to purge, share and donate her things and sell her home. However, the process to go from digging out to actually selling is taking months. To say hoarding is a problem is an understatement. This sweet woman, with all the blessings she had and the love she felt, had a real stronghold for "things" and shopping and collecting. Many many things with tags still on them. We have found numerous (too many to count) notes she wrote to the Lord as prayers, or to herself in her journal screaming for help to stop the madness of all the stuff she was buried under. Her husband was not aware of her struggle, her family enabled the situation, and so she kept on ignoring the gentle nudges from the Lord to make a change. For years she could not even enjoy what she had, because she didn't know what she had. She was crying out and crying out, but she wasn't listening to His Voice and taking the steps necessary to move in the direction of freedom.

Whatever your situation may be today, I am certain of one thing (as I have learned over and over the hard way some days and the right way some days), the more we know The One we follow, the easier it is to hear His Voice behind us saying...

..." This is the way; walk in it."

Just a gentle reminder to all of us, to spend the FIRST moments of our days this summer (and every day), learning from, listening to, yielding to and moving with The One that knows the way we should take!

And guess what? When you yield...you may avoid a huge branch from falling on your head.
Thank you Jesus for your grace and your gentle shoves in the right direction.

Listening. Yielding. And moving with His Spirit.

Joyful Summer to you all!

He makes ALL things "new"

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands." Isaiah 43: 18-19 The Message

Many years ago, when I was a little girl, our family went through a number of "new seasons", one on top of the other. My parents had separated and divorced before I was 10 and the years to follow meant a lot of change for all of us. In that process, my mom and my brother and I moved a number of times over a 5-6 year period. The Lord was giving us new starts and new neighbors and new perspective and new work to do for Him time and time again. It was a season of pruning, trusting and waiting. Even though much of that season was foggy and fast-paced and ever changing, the Lord was still working behind the scenes to heal, to provide to restore and to make all things new for each of us. 

There are a lot of things I don't remember, but one thing I do remember is the excitement that each move brought for me. A new space, with a new room to settle into, a new neighborhood and new friends to explore, brought joy for me in a season I could not control.

I am nester. I love to cozy up to a blank space and make it my own. And even though change was hard each time, and there was a lot of rebirth happening with each move, my mother reminded us of how faithful our God had been each step of the way, and that seemed to make it easier too. Broken cold winter seasons of life are hard, and heartbreaking, and change can be painful, but when our faith is in the "Change Maker" and not just the process, He makes all things new out of our fractured and disjointed lives and He gives us new eyes to see His plans and purposes in the midst of them.

The excitement I had as little girl embracing her new seasons and new spaces during those years, is the same excitement I get when winter is ending and spring has sprung! My soul starts singing new melodies, and my spring cleaning OCD kicks into high gear. I begin nesting and preparing for the birth of a season I have been waiting for. A season that has been dormant under harsh winter cold, but is now bursting forth with new color and new changes. We've had a long hard winter this year, some of us (northerners) more than others. And even in the cold, weary, long suffering months of winter, the Lord is still working and growing us.  

One early morning this past week as I was standing in my kitchen making the coffee, something beautiful caught my eye. For weeks and weeks the three Crape Myrtles in my front yard have been stark and naked and ugly. The gardener had cut all the brown and dying branches in early March to prepare them for a season of new birth. And even though I know this is necessary for the care and maintenance of the trees in my yard, I always hate it after it's done, because they look so small and sad and cold and barren. But this one particular morning I saw it. He was making it glorious again. New green leaves were clustering out of the stubs that had been chopped down in the winter months.  He was making all things new again and spring was coming!

Some of us have been in hard winters of our personal lives recently too. Many of you are feeling cold and pruned and forgotten. Marriages are under fire, our churches are under fire, the economy is still in a struggle, jobs are hard to find, grief has rolled in on some like a heavy burden and winter seems to have come to stay. But take heart sweet friends! A new season IS bursting forth. Don't doubt it. We serve a God of surprise, and we have a choice to stand at the tomb of our circumstances and rest hopeless, or we can anticipate new life to spring forth and Resurrection day to come!  And oh is it ever coming!! 

He will make "roads through your deserts and rivers through your badlands", and the gray of winter will turn to green and He will give you new eyes to see eternity in the middle of this big messy world that we live in. Changing seasons can be painful, but when we let the Master Gardener use our broken lives for His glory, He makes all things new. Because He is a good and faithful God and He loves you more than you will ever know.

Believe it and Press on sweet friends!

Loving Home Well

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. " Luke 10:38

A few weeks ago I arrived at the home of a darling new client so eager to begin, so eager for change, and yet overwhelmed by the thought of the process to get from the mess to the victory. The internal battle was raging, but the glimmer of hope for something new was evident in her eyes. 

We met on a Tuesday, had a brief consultation walk through and then dove in.  After a few hours of tackling her young boys room, we stopped for a lunch break.  When we sat down to eat I offered to pray. I prayed over our meal, I prayed for the work of our hands, I prayed that our work would result in a home that was a safe and welcoming haven for her family to land in and live in daily. I prayed for all who would enter in as guests to feel the love and welcome of the Holy Spirit in her newly organized home free from the burden of years of clutter. And as I said amen, I looked and up and noticed that she was weeping.  

She said to me through a stream of tears.."I have been given so many wonderful gifts in my life. I have a part time job that affords our lifestyle and so many wonderful things, but I'm not enjoying them at all. In fact, I'm so burdened by the things in my home, I don't love my home either. Week by week, we tackled that mountain of years of clutter and unorganized living and began letting go of the excess, creating spaces that made sense, and spaces that said "welcome" and we talked about the importance of loving our home well.  

If Jesus were to knock on the door of your home, would you, like Martha, have the confidence to open your home to him? Would he be pleased with the way you are caring for the good gifts that he has given you?? Doesn't he own everything anyway? If so, how are you caring for HIS things?  Loving our home well is tough for so many people. Life is busy. Kids are messy. Husbands are messy. The temptation to NOT buy more is a struggle. How to manage the flow of stuff is a battle. When our hurried lifestyles collide with our immediate needs, and everything we need is buried under clutter, we buy more because we don't know what we already have. Thus the maddening cycle begins and we end up with a cluttered home and a life we aren't loving. And home that isn't being loved well.

The thief enters our homes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came that we would have life and life to the fullest! (John 10:10).  When we invite him fully into our lives, and into our homes we are able to live well, to say "welcome" with confidence, to love others well and to breathe deep sighs of relief when he comes knocking at our door. He sends his helpers disguised as Professional Organizers to help set the captives free. He loves them in the middle of their mess, but he loves them too much to leave them there. 

You will be happy to know that the darling young mom has taken back her home, LOVES her home, is spending more time with people and less time dealing with piles and she has claimed victory over the enemy territory of clutter. Glory!

She opened her heart to change, she found some new courage, and she opened her home to Jesus. 

As Professional Organizers, we have a "shoe in" that many pastors and counselors do not have. When the door opens to our smiling faces, disciples disguised as "home changers", little do they know that they are also inviting Jesus into their homes.  I pray that they will know us by our love and by the gifting of the Holy Spirit we have been given to teach them how to love their homes well.

All glory to The One who loved us first. 

Amen and Amen

Happy 15 Years from ORGANIZE U!

   This month marks 15 years since the inception of  Organize U! When I stepped out in faith to start my own business I thought I was crazy to do so. Sometimes I STILL think I'm crazy. Being called to the mission field of clutter takes a lot of patience, strength, encouragement and prayer. But the past 15 years has proven to be MORE than I could have ever imagined. I truly consider all of my clients, friends (old and new). Serving the home and the workplace has blessed my life in so many amazing ways. And hopefully Organize U has been a blessing to you too! 

To thank you for the incredible journey these past 15 years, of clearing the way to bring freedom into your homes and your offices,Organize U is offering a $15.00 discount for every client who books an appointment before April 30th. 

I love my clients! Thank you for believing in the process to becoming organized, and striving to live with less so that you can focus MORE of your days on the things and people that matter most.

How do I love you?
 

Let me count the ways:

1. For believing in the service of organization.

2. For having the courage to ask for help!

3. For being excited and enthusiastic about change, for you and your family.

4. For doing your homework and maintaining the systems you were taught.

5. For asking for help, again, if needed!

6. For sharing your stories with others who also believed in
Organize U.

7. For learning that "stuff" is not what defines you.

8. For having the courage to Let it Go.

9. For opening your homes and hearts to more than just the tangible clutter. 

10. For recognizing the importance of teaching your children the importance of caring for their things and their space.

11. For recognizing the importance of learning for yourself that caring for your things and your space is important.

12. For having the courage to begin.

13. For encouraging me as a Professional Organizer.

14. For shouting out your victories after we have worked together.

15. For 15 years of challenges, changes, victories, freedom stories and lots of fun in the process!

Thank you for your business and your friendship these past 15 years!

Much love,

Kim B.

Pampering your Pantry

SPRING into an organized summer!  Let's begin this first week of summer with a fully stocked pantry for all those hungry mouths to feed, and an organized pantry too. Whether you are living in a cozy cottage with limited pantry space or have a huge walk-in pantry with enough room to dance around in, you still need a "system" that will help maximize and/or minimize your space so that it is easy to see what you have and what you are lacking.

 

Most pantries I have organized have the following problems:

1. Shelves are too deep to see the stuff in the way back.

2. There is not a designated area for "like" things. Everything is stuffed together.

3. The space is so big we don't know what we have.

4. The space is so small we can't see what we have.

5. Lots of product has expired because there is no system in place.

6. My family doesn't put anything back where it belongs.

7. I don't have a place for my Costco/Sam's bulk purchases, so I stuff it in the pantry.

8. I rarely purge or inventory the pantry space, so everything just piles up.

 

If any of these problems sound like you and your pantry, then it's time for a little pampering in the pantry department. Your pantry should be a closet in your home that is tidy, easy to see what you have and easy to inventory when it's time to restock. 

 

Here are some suggestions for making your pantry space "sing" and help you find some freedom in this very important area for you and your family.

 

CONTAIN IT

One thing I have found that helps organize messy spaces and helps me create space for more things, is by containing most things. If you are a family who loves "on the go snacks" you can regain much space by using baskets or bins to store all snacks together.  Purge boxes because they are bulky and dump all snacks into a bin. Boxes take up a lot of space in a pantry and when you have an open container like a basket or bin you can SEE what you have left and you will know when to replenish.

Also, containing pasta's and cereals and baking supplies in similar containers that stack well will help maximize your space and keep small things from getting lost in the way back.

 

ORGANIZE BY SHELF

Designate each shelf to a different category. This helps you know where to look when you are making pasta for the family dinner, or baking cookies for your Bible study.  Give everything in your pantry a "home" so that you know where it lives and where to put it back. Labeling your shelves is another way to remember where things live.

 

INVENTORY OFTEN

Your pantry (and your frig) are truly the "action central" of your kitchen.  These two areas should be stocked and ready for daily living, for last minute dinners and parties and for all those hungry mouths in your family.  When you have an organized pantry, and you inventory often, you know when and how much you need to replenish so that you are shop "ready" when it's time to visit your local grocery store. Also, when you inventory regularly, you save money and time. You won't be buying duplicates of items or find yourself running back to the grocery for that box you forgot. KNOW what you have and be prepared.

 

Pampering your pantry takes a little time and effort, but it's worth it to invest in some tools, some purging and some practice. ORGANIZE U (www.organizeuco.com) loves helping clients pamper their pantries. Give us a call today and together we will SPRING into summer with a well stocked and organized pantry.

 

Happy Organizing!
Kim B.

 

 

 

Perfection

 

Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from taking flight.

Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Organize U is here for YOU this Fall



Back To School Tips!

It's hard to believe it's that time of year again! The aisles at Target and numerous office supply stores are bursting with supplies for the upcoming school year. A new season of fashion is drawing in the eyes of your kiddo's who are asking for that new dress and those new shoes and a cool new backpack. I remember those days so well. I can still smell my new box of crayons like it was yesterday! It's all very exciting and it can be somewhat overwhelming too if you don't have an organized plan in place. The first day of school will be here before we know it, so let's focus on some tips that will help you and your family be prepared for another outstanding new school year.

1. After a summer of staying up late and spending long hot days in the sun, our kids sleeping patterns get a bit off track. A week or so before school starts, get back on track with your school year bedtime routine.

2. BEFORE you go shopping for those new tops and pants and shoes, block a morning to do a whole family closet purge. Purge/donate clothes that do not fit, clothes that are torn or soiled, and the few that were never worn. Go through drawers, hanging clothes and all shoes to make room for your new things. Make a list of what the essential needs are and try to stick to that list. Go ahead now and schedule a clothes maintenance day quarterly throughout the year. This will make your next year an easier transition.

3. Many teachers provide School Supply Lists for their students. If this is the case, stick to that list. This can save you time and money. Some things on the list will need replenishing throughout the year, like paper, pencils and notepads. Go ahead and buy some of those items in bulk so that you save yourself a trip later. Make sure you have an organized place to store your supplies.

4. Save time on busy school mornings by making lunches the night before. Have a drawer in your kitchen that is the lunchbox drawer for snacks and lunch bag/box supplies. This way you will know when you are low on your supplies (because you have one place to look as opposed to a cluttered pantry) and your kids will know where to go to make their lunches.

5. Putting clothes together for the week is another time saver for those morning outfit decisions. Fold together pants, tops, underwear and socks in a drawer or a closet organizer. This will save you time and fashion stress on those busy school mornings.

Be sure to include your kids in the Back To School organizing process and use these opportunities to teach them the importance of planning and being prepared.  Getting back into the school rhythm is such a hectic time of year. A little preparation and teamwork will help you and your family have a successful start of the 2012-2013 School Year! 

Cheers to a wonderful school year kickoff!

Yours truly,

Kim B.

BUNGOBOX for your next MOVE!

Enjoy some savings on your next move!

Organize U is partnering with BungoBox this summer to help you and your family/business with your next big move. Organize U can help get your homes show and sell ready (purging room to room) and packing efficiently and then set up your home organized on the other side. 

BUNGOBOX provides a wonderful new solutions to your packing supply needs!
Bungo Boxes are durable, stackable, eco-friendly plastic containers that’ll

cut the cost of your packing supplies in half and protect your stuff a lot
better than cardboard boxes! Whether you and your family are moving or
your whole office is moving- BungoBox has the best solution for you.

What ORGANIZE U loves about BungoBox is that it is an easy, affordable and
efficient way to pack and move.  Less steps for you and more money in your pocket.
Take advantage of these great savings with BungoBox for your summer move!

Organize U gives BUNGOBOX 2 thumbs up! 

Organize U clients can save %10 with BUNGOBOX

Promo Code: ORGU10


To rent your BungoBoxes, call 888.479.1888

or visit www.bungobox.com.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I am a letter writer.  A letter writer who is trying hard to keep the tradition alive. I am also a letter lover.
It's a rare thing in this age of social connectedness to actually receive a handwritten letter from someone you love, isn't it? We text, we email, we send messages via Face Book, we are Linked In, and we Tweet. Would you have ever believed all this craziness would consume our world 5 or 10 years ago? Me neither. Believe me, I'm a fan of social media to an extent, but there is nothing quite like getting a REAL letter in the mail. Don't you agree? Something to hold and touch and open gingerly and read with a hot cup of tea. A gift that keeps on giving.
Not only am I a letter writer, but I'm also a letter saver. Not to be confused with letter hoarding because thankfully I am not spilling over nor out of control.  There is a purging process in place of course : )
I save letters that have the most personal message written to me with much care and love. I save letters that are fancy and cards that make me laugh, and cards sent to hold my heart, and letters that are handmade and cut and pasted together with glue.  I save letters from old friends (grandmothers in their mid 90's) who also share the love of letter writing, but whose letters are hard to read because the hand that writes them shakes. But they STILL write to this day. Precious. I have one box dedicated to my oldest and first friend, Mary, who has written me letters for over 40 years. Some of our first letters began shortly after we learned to write! You can imagine the spelling. Off quite a bit, but darling indeed.
Believe it or not, I even have my letters organized by name. I know you're shocked. If you are a friend or family member who has written me consistently over the years, you have a designated tab with your name on it and all the letters that I treasure that came from you. On a rainy night, I pull out my bundles and my box and go down memory lane. Ain't nothin' like reading and re-reading a good letter from a kindred spirit. Nothin'. It is a tradition that is near and dear to my heart and one that I believe the world needs a little more of, don't ya think?

The lost art of letter writing is making a comeback. I feel like there are more letter lovers out there like me that truly do "care enough to send the very best". It's not that difficult to write a letter once a day or a few times a week to encourage someone. It takes a few minutes of your time, and it could mean the world to someone who treasures your words for a lifetime.

Here are some things that I do to keep my feet to the fire with my letter writing. Being well prepared is half the battle.

1. Keep a variety of note cards or personalized stationary on hand that make you happy.
2. Find a cool place to store them so they don't get smudged or wrinkled. Pretty colored box or an organized drawer in your desk.
3. Carry a few in your book bag/purse at all times and store in a zip pouch filled with stamps, a pen, and return address labels.
4. Buy a nice pen at your local art supply or office supply store that feels good in your hand and makes you feel like Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice (ultimate letter lover) when you write.
5. Buy card boxes (at Costco or Sam's) with ready made greeting cards for seasonal occasions.
6. Order stamps online and save yourself a trip to the post office.
7. Set a date(s) on your calendar as a reminder for your letter writing day.
8. Make it a goal to send between one and three handwritten letters a week (or month).
9. Start a "happy file" for all the cards and letters your receive.
10. Keep your address book up-to-date and on hand (hard copy or Smart phone) for those letter writing occasions.

What are you waiting for? Get busy. There is a world of hearts out there waiting for you to send em' some encouraging news and some love in the form of a REAL LETTER.

Happy Writing!
Kim B.

I think everyone should paste this up somewhere for the entire family to See and Do!  Don't YOU? Thank you Simple Organized Living.  Simple...easy...reminder.

Contentment

Walking across the threshold of hundreds of homes for over 12 years gives a person a whole new perspective of the sense of contentment....and the lack thereof.  I've worked in homes the size of small arenas and homes the size of a shoebox, and no matter the size, there is always a battle for CONTENTMENT.

Holman Bible Dictionary defines contentment like this...“An internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances”.  I want that. Don't you? Satisfaction with who I am, what I have, and where I live. Life would be so much easier if we would embrace contentment every single day.  There is much freedom in living a content life. Freedom from feeling the need to know and to have and see what the world is doing all the time. Freedom from needing MORE. Ya see, that's where the problems begin. When we think we NEED more stuff to be content. When we have the more that we think we need, then we have to deal with it.

When we live a discontent life, we are often caught in a position of comparison. Years ago I heard a pastor say.."Comparison is the thief of joy". And it's so true. When we compare our lives with the lives of others, we lose our joy for the gifts we have been given. Everything in the world belongs to God. We are only managers of all this stuff on planet earth.  How well are you managing what you have been given? So often we take on more stuff when we cannot seem to manage what we already have. And we lose our peace, and we lose our joy.

So how does one find a life of contentment?  In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. " Philippians 4:12 NIV  - His secret was that he had found where true joy exists. Not in the things of this world. Not in popularity or fancy living. Not in the wisdom of this world, but in all things eternal. In things that are lasting. In Jesus Christ. I think Paul was a pretty cool dude. He had found the secret after many years of living a discontent lifestyle.

We can't take one thing from this life with us into the next can we?  So why do we waste so much time fretting over what we don't have and taking on more than we can handle? Well, because sometimes, we are just dumb sheep in need of some clear direction. This week while you walk around your home "doing inventory" of all that you have been given, remember to do these things too:

1. Give thanks the Lord for what He has already given to you.

2. Tell Him you are sorry for thinking that it was not enough.

3. Find joy in the season of your life that you are currently living.

4. Create fun spaces with the things that you already have to make your heart happy.
5. Make a check list of the things that create discontentment in your heart and keep it up on your mirror as a reminder of where you don't want to be.

6. Think less about what you want and more about what you already have.

7. Stop comparing yourself to others!

8. Donate to a worthy cause (fundraiser, Good Will, a single mom in need).

9. Rearrange your furniture. Sometimes re-purposing what you already have, makes you feel like you got something new.

10. Be content.

Finding real peace is a process.  The Apostle Paul could tell you that ! He was the most discontent man on planet earth. Until he met Jesus.  Then everything changed. It can change for you too!  A life in Christ will bring contentment to every area of your life.  Home and Heart : )

Press on towards that PEACE y'all!

Faithfully yours,
Kim B.

Clutter....worse than dirt.

Isn't that the truth? Clutter DOES like to breed. Seems that just when we get one area under control, another area has crept in and taken over.  That's why I tell my clients that a maintenance program is so important when it comes to staying ahead of the clutter in your home.  Just like a diet!  Once you lose the weight you gotta embrace the maintenance program or the pounds will creep back on.  Once you have purged that closet or rearranged those cabinets, or set up that new filing system, ya gotta put some boundaries around it to keep the clutter from creeping back in!

Here are a few things that I do to keep clutter under control in my world:

1. Spend 10 minutes every morning/evening putting things back where they belong.

2. Open the mail over the garbage can.

3. Use my shredder to keep paper management under control.

4. Go through my closet every 3 months and pull out what I am NOT EVER wearing.

5. Keep a "donate bag" in your closet or mudroom open and ready to fill at all times.

6. When I buy something new, the "one thing in...one thing out method" is put into action.

7. Clear all work spaces every day (including my desk, dining room table and kitchen counters).

8. Purge old food in my frig weekly to make room for more and to avoid salmonella.

9. Check spaces that are used often to see if they are filling up and need some relief.

10. Buy what I need, not necessarily what I want.  Avoid shopping when I'm hungry, angry, lonely and tired. I ALWAYS buy too much when my world seems hopeless.

Let's breath some new life into our clutter maintenance program and use this summer to get some control of the stuff that is controlling us. Your home deserves the attention, and you will find that you actually have more time on your hands when you are dealing with less clutter. More time to focus on the things that really matter.

Like going to the beach and reading that good book. Yes, that's where you will find me.

Cheers to a clutter free summer y'all!

Happy Organizing!
Kim B.

Some Resources to Organize YOU!



This is YOUR YEAR!



Below is a super list of websites for organizing resources to help your 2012 get off to an organized start!

GENERAL SUPPLIES

Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/
Target stores: http://www.target.com/

GENERAL OFFICE SUPPLIES

Avery: http://www.avery.com/

MomAgenda: http://www.momagenda.com/

Neat Co.: www.neat.com/products

Office Depot: http://www.officedepot.com/

Office Max: http://www.officemax.com/

Quill: http://www.quill.com/

Staples: http://www.staples.com/

UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL OFFICE SUPPLIES

Levenger: http://www.levenger.com/

russell + hazel: http://www.russellandhazel.com/

See Jane Work: http://www.seejanework.com/


HOME IMPROVEMENT/CLOSETS

Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/

Lowe's: http://www.lowes.com/


ORGANIZING PRODUCTS

Bed, Bath & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/

The Container Store: http://www.containerstore.com/

Crate & Barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/

Current Catalog: http://www.currentcatalog.com/


Hold Everything: http://www.holdeverything.com/

Lillian Vernon: http://www.lillianvernon.com/

Linens-n-Things: http://www.lnt.com/


OnlineOrganizing: http://www.onlineorganizing.com/

Organize.com: http://www.organize.com/

Organized A to Z: http://www.organizedatoz.com/

Pottery Barn: http://www.potterybarn.com/

Rubbermaid: http://www.rubbermaid.com/

Stack and Stacks: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/

Storables: http://www.storables.com/

SCRAPBOOKING

Creative Memories: http://www.creativememories.com/

Cheers to a New Year!  Will a little less clutter and a lot more peace!

Simply Yours,
Kim B.

Container Clutter

While helping my clients purge to pack to move, I've noticed a recurring issue house to house. CONTAINER CLUTTER. Shoe boxes, containers, old cardboard boxes, etc. saved for those "things" you may ONE DAY put in them.  They seem so useful. The right size. Handy. Stackable. The problem is, they pile up quickly, eating up space in our homes, rarely used to their fullest.

Container clutter is one of the biggest space eaters in your home. Once or twice a month schedule a "container/boxes" inventory day to see what can go and what you WILL use. 

Then the next time you tackle an organizing project and think you need to shop for containers to tidy up your space, first reference your inventory to find ALL the containers and shoe boxes that already live there and repurpose your stock.

Containers are great, but only keep what you have room to store and walk in freedom as you donate and toss the rest : )

Notebooks

Are you a note taker? 
I am a BIG TIME note taker.  I take notes in church, from the radio, while watching TV, or whenever I need to write something down so that I don't forget it later.  We have so much information coming at us all the time, and it's really hard some days to keep up!  AMEN?  So ya know what I do?  I keep little notebooks in my purse, book bags, car console and on my nightstand.  Small enough to keep my purse from overflowing and big enough to take down a substantial amount of information when needed.

Notebooks are great to have on hand when someone needs to give you directions, a phone number or a date for your calendar.  When you're on the go, sometimes it's much easier to have pen and paper ready.  IPhones and Blackberry's are good for jotting down quick information too, but we don't always have time to pull up the app, and type. The good old fashion pen and pad has proven to be the best solution for me. Below is a photo of the notebooks I like best.  The brands I use are called Hot Chocolate and/or
Studio C.  Both can be purchased at your local Target or CVS stores.  I simply love their whimsical and colorful presentation. And two other fabulous features are their stretch straps that keep the pages protected and closed as well as an inside pocket for extra notes or business cards. 

Cute! Useful! Economical! And they pack a purposeful punch. 

What are you waiting for? Go shopping and get your thoughts and note taking covered!

You don't want to miss another incredible piece of information do you?

This little tool could be the beginning of the rest of your organized life (and thoughts!).

 

Don't forget to buy one in every color!!



5,000 Digital Photo's?

 

I bet you have a million pictures just sitting on your computer at home?  Am I right? If you are like me, and you love taking pictures, you've probably accumulated enough to fill 1000's of albums.  I'll bet if you layed those albums side by side, fillled up with all your memories, they could  probably reach from here to Texas!  That's A LOT of pictures.

If you're like me, you probably have some of those photo's in folders on your computer, some labeled with titles, some with dates and some with a series of numbers that give you no clue as to what is what. Day after day you say to yourself.." THIS WEEK, I'm gonna organize all my photo's on my computer!"  And then another year goes by and you've accumulated another 1000 photo's.  Sound familiar?

Wherever you may be in the process of gaining some control of all your precious memories (or not), let's look at some things we can do today to make the process easy and once and for all, give those pictures a real home.

• First of all, choose a software program that can help you organize your photo's.  There are a number of programs to choose from, but for starters, here are a few that I think are good.  Picasa is a good free option, and iPhoto is great too.  These programs help you do some basic editting and organizing.
• Next, decide how you would like to organize your photo's.  You can group them into chronological order (by date), or alphabetically (by category), giving each folder a title (ex: Kids/Kentucky Vacation 2011/Scenary, etc.).  Or both.
• Label your photo's with a description.   Give each photo a name and date.  For instance the lable for this photo below would look like this....20110401-Miles.  That way, when the computer sorts your photo's alphabetically, they will also come up in chronological order.

• The most important tip for organizing your photo's on your computer is USE YOUR DELETE BUTTON! You may think that every picture you took has value, and perhaps they do.  But it's so much easier to manage a reasonable amount of EXCELLENT pictures, as opposed to 1000's of just O.K. shots.  Use your delete button and wipe out all those out of focus shots, duplicates and bad shots.  This will help you cut down on your snap happy clutter and you will value the ones that you keep so much more! 
• Back up your pictures!  You should have an external hardrive for your computer to backup ALL photo's (and documents).  You can save pictures to a disk, external hardrive or an online site (ex; Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc.). I actually prefer both.  My pictures are stored on my computer hardrive, backed up to my external unit, and over time, I've saved many to an online website.  Online websites also make it easy to share mulitiple photo's with your friends and family and to create fun albums and gifts for people you love.

Getting organized is a matter of time, and your memories are worth it!  Set a goal to have all your digital pictures purged, sorted, dated and named by a certain time period.  Then break down the project by weeks.  In no time, you will have created an online photo storage that is ready for the albums you want to create or the family reunions you will attend. 

Keep taking pictures!  But don't forget to take some time to manage your memories too.

My Favorite Things

Today has been a reminiscent day of all things I love and things that have proven useful and beautiful to me.  I thought I'd share some of them with y'all.  And you are welcome to hum "My Favorite Things" by Julie Andrews as you peruse MY favorite things : )

Daisies....the happiest flower.

Cool Car Containers for things you need everyday.

The best store on planet earth.

Beautiful totes in EVERY color. I cannot have enough tote bags!

It's a fetish...I admit it.

Old window pane used as home decor. Super idea from

my pal Annie.

Cool signs that encourage and inspire!

My new jewelry tree inspired by Kara M.

Doubles as home decor and obviously very useful.

Sweet refreshment. Need I say more?

My faithful assistant.

Miles the Wonder Dog!

Jesus...the One and Only.

Happy Easter (a little early)!

Every pathway that leads to the beach!

These are a few of my favorite things! 

This is the STUFF...that drives ME crazy!

One of my favorite singing groups of the past are The Carpenter's. I just love Karen Carpenter and her deep lovely voice. One song she sings that continues to be a favorite  in my life is Rainy Days and Mondays.  The song is actually a bit on the depressing side, but it sure rings truth on those days (like today) when a Monday is A MONDAY. And on top of it...it's raining! But if you are an allergy sufferer like myself, you are actually breathing a little deeper today. So there IS blessing in the rainy Monday. A new song on the top Christian charts that I love is by a young sweet mom named Francesca Battistelli. It's called, This Is The Stuff...and it's about  all the "little things" that seem to pile up into bigger things.  The little things that are really just that....little. But depending on the day of the week (Monday), and the condition of the day (Raining), and the hurried and harried YOU that is trying desperately to get through it, those little things can ofter seem monstrous.  Amen?

However, when we look at the little things that keep tripping us up as blessings and lessons in disguise from our Creator, we can dance in rain and we CAN make it through our Mondays. What can you eliminate today from your home, your calendar, or your thought process to make your Monday a blessing and not a curse?  Think about it! Let's be intentional about living The Simple Life this week.  I've attached this fabulous song for your enjoyment.  Don't take yourself quite so seriously today. 

It's all just stuff...and most of it...is little. 

Happy Rainy Monday!



Clutter Free Gifts

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for ways to "give" to others without adding more things to the mess of their lives. We all love stuff.  And we all love getting and giving gifts. But do we honestly need one more tchotchke (pronounced & defined: CHOCH-kuh\, noun:(a trinket; a knickknack)?  I think not. 

As we approach Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mothers Day, and a load of birthdays in between, let's think about some CLUTTER FREE Gift Giving Ideas that will bless the socks off the people we love.

Here are some hot ideas for your gift receivers!

Clutter Free Gifts:

1. Acts of Service:  One of my favorite gifts to give to new moms for Mothers Day (or birthday) is a dinner out and free babysitting.  You could also help a friend with an organizing project that they keep dragging their feet on or don't have the skills to do.
Landscaping is much friendlier with two...give someone a day of yard work help.

2. Charitable donations: Give a gift (money, food or clothing) to your friend or family members favorite charitable organization in their name.

3. Entertainment: Movie passes/theater tickets, or a year's subscription to Netflix or Blockbuster.

4. Spa Treats: Manicures, pedicures, massages and facials are always a big hit for the women AND men in your life!

5. Gift Cards: Who doesn't love to have money burning a hole in their wallet? Gift cards are a great way to get the people on your list exactly what they want.

6. Restaurant Gift Certificates: Do your friends and family members have a favorite restaurant that they frequent? This will save them money and you can be sure if it's a favorite spot, it will be used up.

7. Special Outings - Take the people on your list on a picnic that you prepared or go boating, or skydiving, or to the theater! Do you have entertainment parks in your area? Treat them to a day of fun!

8. Homemade Goodies: If you like to bake, make something yummy along with a homemade card. Every birthday and holiday my daddy says to me..."Ahhh, just make me a card. That's all I really need." Who doesn't love receiving something made with love?

9. Ready Made Items: Gift packages from Harry & David or Honey-Baked Ham or a basket of coffees are wonderful store bought items that are consumable and delicious!

10. The Gift of Organization:  In a world spilling over with clutter, giving the gift of organization to help the people you love find peace and order in their lives. This is the the gift that keeps on giving!  And I think I know a Professional Organizer who can help : )  Gift cards are available.

Let's spend less money this year on things that may never be used or will probably be re-gifted later, and let's find creative ways to give the people we love, gifts that bless and relieve and encourage.