New Year, New Changes

Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2015 is treating you well and, if you're in my neck of the woods, I hope you're staying warm. It's 9 degrees outside right now with a windchill of -17. I'm happy to be inside!

I left you in November with a few thoughts on what I was most thankful for and a notice that I was planning to take the month of December off from blogging to spend time with family and friends and truly enjoy the holiday season. That break was a blessing! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season as well.

Taking some time away from this blog allowed me to realize how much of a chore it had become in my life. I started this blog with an excitement about writing and sharing my love of organization with all of you. As the year went on, I cut back more and more on my posting schedule until later in 2014 when I was posting just once a week. Trying to balance a full-time job, upkeep on our home, our strict budget, and this blog was wearing on me and I felt like the quality and enthusiasm of my posts was dwindling. I promised myself that I'd take December off and not really think about my busy to do schedule. 

Once we rang in 2015, I sat down to focus my goals for the year and think about what was really important to me. Spending quality time with my family, supporting my Mister through another year of Master's classes, and taking time to enjoy the little things won out. I don't want to make it sound like I don't enjoy the time I spend here in this space, because that is certainly not true. I love sharing organizational tips and tricks, projects around our home, and just life updates in general. Even more, I love your comments, messages, and social media follows. That makes my decision to step back even further that much more difficult. 

I'm not really sure what the future of Open Concept Organizing looks like and I'm trying not to worry about it too much either. I'm content with taking things day by day. I plan to keep my Facebook page up and running - sharing organizing articles and blog posts from other bloggers around the world wide web. But beyond that, the future is unknown.

What I do know is that I love and appreciate all of you and thank you for your support over the last year. The blog will stay active so all past posts will remain available, with one small change. Just this week, the web address of the blog changed. To find me, you'll need to visit www.openconceptorganizing.blogspot.com. The old link will no longer work (www.openconceptorganizing.com). You may have to update your bookmarks to reflect this change. 

I wish you all a very blessed 2015!

T is for Thankful

My original intent for this post was to pick one of my favorite products and talk about all the reasons I am thankful for it, hoping to share some ways to use this product outside of its original purpose. But then I started thinking about the long list of all of the things I’m thankful for, and my intent changed dramatically.

I have been blogging here at Open Concept Organizing for about a year. (Can you believe it’s been a year already?) This is post #93! I’ve learned a ton about the World Wide Web, the land of blogging, organizing and what it means to be organized, and about myself. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some online friends who I wouldn’t have known without this blog, and I’ve had some opportunities to get to know the people around me in my own community just through networking this blog. For all of these things, I am thankful.

But my thankfulness goes well beyond that of this digital home of mine. I’m thankful for my mister who lets me write about our home and the happenings within it. He never once rolled his eyes at one of my crazy project ideas (or at least didn’t let me see him do it.) He encourages me and supports me day in and day out. And I’m thankful for my family who read my posts pretty diligently. They also provide encouragement and support, and are more than willing for me to “practice” organizing with and for them any time.

Beyond that, I’m thankful every morning for a new day, for a body that is healthy and working. I am thankful for my day job that allows me to help pay our bills, have a little fun, and blog in my free time. I’m thankful for a roof over my head and heat coming out of the furnace. I’m thankful that I have a car to drive to get to where I need to go. I’m thankful for the food in our cupboards and I’m thankful that when I go to the grocery store to buy more, I have the means to do so. I’m thankful that pure, clean, drinkable water comes out of my faucet whenever I turn it on and bright light comes out of the fixtures in our home when I flip the light switch. 

Though technology can be overwhelming sometimes, I’m thankful for the internet and the ability to make friends around the world without leaving my home. I’m thankful for so much knowledge at my fingertips and I’m thankful for the desire to learn that has been planted in me. 

Even further beyond that, I’m thankful for my faith. I’m thankful that I live in a place that allows me to express it freely and openly.

As the holiday season rolls in, I’m overwhelmed at just how much I have to be thankful for and I’m reminded of the real reason I celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m reminded that it’s not about rushing around, spending money, eating until my pants don’t fit, and gaining more new things. It’s about reflection. It’s about giving. It’s about sharing time with those we love and showing love to those who need it. It’s about the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. It is about hope and peace and gratefulness.

I’ve decided to take a few weeks away from this place. I enjoy blogging here so much, but with a regular full-time job and a full social calendar, it’s hard to squeeze in the time to write quality stuff while staying focused on the meaning of the season. So, I bid you farewell temporarily. I wish you and yours a very thankful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas season. I plan to return in January with a new year of organizing posts, tips, tricks, and excitement. 

Don’t forget about me while I’m gone and I promise, I won’t forget about you.

Let's Get Social

I decided to start this blog for one main reason: to share my love of organizing with other people. Each week, I hope that my posts inspire, teach, encourage, and bring joy to others. At the same time, I look forward to hearing from all of you. I want to hear your organizing ideas and learn from you. I want to hear your questions or areas of trouble. A one way conversation is no fun. So, I’m inviting you to get social with me!

In addition to my weekly blog posts, there are a number of ways for us to all connect with one another. I encourage you to check out one or more of the options listed below. I hope you find them as beneficial as I do! 

Connect with Me through E-mail

How to Do It: Just above my photo on the right hand side of my page is a box that says “Subscribe By E-mail.” Type your e-mail in that box to sign-up. You will get a confirmation e-mail almost immediately. The next step is very important, and one that most people forget or overlook. You have to click the link in that confirmation e-mail to confirm your subscription. 

Why to Do It: Each time I post on the blog, that post will be sent directly to your e-mail.

What You Get: You will never miss any new posts. If you’re like me, you are logging in to your e-mail daily anyway so you’ll never have to remember to stop by the blog page. Plus, you can save e-mails/posts you find particularly beneficial in an e-mail folder for easy reference later.

Connect with Me through Facebook

How to Do It: Click the blue and white "f" icon under the “Follow Me” heading on the right hand side of my page or visit www.facebook.com/openconceptorganizing. If you’re already logged in to Facebook, type Open Concept Organizing into the search bar. Click on my page. Click Like or Follow and my posts should show up in your News Feed.

Why to Do It: Right now, I’m only posting one post per week on the blog. Facebook allows me to share organizing related information with you almost daily. Three days a week I share a post from another blog that is organizing or cleaning related. In addition, I always post my weekly blog topic on my Facebook page as well as a flashback post of an organizing blog post from a few months back.

What You Get: This gives you some exposure to other blogs you might like and offers an alternate opinion from my own on different topics. If you aren't subscribed by e-mail and forget to check the blog on a regular basis, you’ll be notified of new posts through Facebook. If you missed a post on the blog from awhile back, it will be showcased on Facebook periodically.

Connect with Me through Instagram

How to Do It: Click the old-school looking camera icon under the “Follow Me” heading on the right hand side of my page or go to www.instagram.com/openconceptorganizing. Click on the +Follow button.

Why to Do It: I’ve found it somewhat difficult to incorporate Instagram into my blog, but thanks to a 31 day purge challenge, I’m starting to get the hang of it. You’ll find photos of my organizing projects and a variety of before and afters. Instagram is also a more personal social media avenue for me so you’ll find photos of my Mister and our furry kid, Mando.

What You Get: Because Instagram consists of photos instead of words (for the most part) it’s easy to scroll through your feed and see what’s new relatively quickly. It can be inspiring to see photos of other people’s work. Through the use of hashtags, you’ll find other people posting photos of similar projects so you get more than one idea all in one place. Plus, if you don’t live in a four season state like Michigan, you’ll get a glimpse of the beauty fall and winter bring to us folks in the mitten. 

Connect with Me through Pinterest

How to Do It: Click the "P" icon under the “Follow Me” heading on the right hand side of my page or go to www.pinterest.com/openconcept. Click follow to follow all of my boards or click on boards that might interest you and follow them individually.

Why to Do It: Pinterest is by far the most well rounded of my social media applications. You can find ideas and projects, recipes, home décor, hobbies I’m interested in, etc. I’ve tried to create enough boards so that there is something there for everyone but not too many that it gets to be overwhelming.

What You Get: Pinterest allows you to save - or pin - favorite posts or projects you might want to try later. I try to pin new pins at least four times a week, so if you're following me, these pins will show up in your home feed giving you the option to pin them too. This gives you links to new recipes, craft projects, and organizing ideas more often. Since the blog focuses mostly on organizing, Pinterest gives you the opportunity to learn more about me (and others) who share other similar interests. While I do love organizing and it is a huge part of my life, I also enjoy (and pin about) camping, eating, crafting, shopping, beer tasting, photography, saving money, and fashion.

I would love to get to know you better and learn what kinds of things you're interested in. Take advantage of all the benefits above and follow me on social media today!

What social media application do you like best? What topics would you like to see addressed on social media?

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Being Open to Answered Prayers

The word restless doesn't begin to explain how I've been feeling. I've strategically picked through every area of my life to find the culprit.

I've been praying for guidance but not really listening for answers. I think we often do that - ask God for help in one breath and rush off in the next one to find the answer ourselves. I'm not sure if it's a lack of trust or a lack of patience - or maybe both.

At church a few Sundays ago, I felt convicted that I've allowed myself to become distant with the Man upstairs. My prayers are routine and habit. My Bible reading is non-existent. My reflection time is filled with appointments, chores, and to-do lists. 

It's really no wonder I feel restless. 

I've slipped off my rock into the sinking sand.

That conviction was answer number one.

Since then, I've started reading the verse-of-the-day on the Bible app on my phone, but I know that reading a verse out of context can be dangerous so I read the entire chapter the verse is picked from each day.

Reading the Word helps me listen. It gives me something to focus on.

Recently, the verse of the day was 1 John 1:9; it's about confessing our sins.

I started reading 1 John, Chapter 1 and I found myself thinking that I may not glean much from it. Not because I don't have any sin to confess, but because I didn't think a chapter on that topic was going to give me the relief I was seeking.

Then I got to verse 4 and answer number two showed up.

That is what is missing: joy.

My writing process and blog posts have become planned, structured, and forced. While original, they imitate. While creative, they duplicate. I publish them and I am left with restlessness, not joy.

John wrote, as I do, to teach, to share, to inspire, to save but also to make his and his readers' joy complete. From today forward, I will write me - what I feel, what I know, what I believe, what I try, what I learn - what makes my joy complete. 

~Be open to joy. Be open to answers where you don't expect them.~

A Much Needed Vacation

Happy Monday to all of you! Things have been a bit quiet on the Open Concept Organizing front for the past week. The Mister and I ventured off on a much needed vacation and explored Michigan's Upper Peninsula for 8 days. We had a great time and enjoyed our days away from the internet and our electronic devices! It's for that reason that I do not have an organizing post for you today. I decided to give myself the freedom to take a break from the blog for a week as well. Never fear, it's back to work today! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and take some time to relax for yourselves as well. I'll be back next Monday with a brand spankin' new post. I'll leave you with a few snapshots from our time away. Take care!

The Week I Didn't Clean

Do you remember the Y2K scare? There were some folks who were genuinely concerned that the world would end at midnight on December 31. It happened again with the whole Mayan Calendar scare a couple years ago. And it happened at my house last week…

Let me explain.

I’m a bit of a clean freak. I’m not ashamed of that fact. I like my house to be clean. To avoid spending hours cleaning on the weekends, I wrote up a cleaning schedule that split our household cleaning tasks up across each day of the week. That has helped a lot. But I’ve been feeling rather frustrated lately. Frustrated that I can’t keep up. Frustrated that I have too much to do. Frustrated that I have no energy to do any of it. And not just cleaning, but all daily tasks in general. I’ve felt behind and unmotivated.

For those of you that have been following this blog from the beginning (thank you!), you may have noticed I started out posting three times per week. A couple months back, I dropped it down to two. Trying to get three good posts out every week while working full-time and keeping up with all my other duties was too much. I felt such a huge sense of relief when I allowed myself to drop down to two. But then about a month ago, two felt like too many. So I decided to drop it down to one good quality post each week, at least through the summer. That decision didn’t bring much of a relief; I felt guilty.

Even with that guilt-ridden decision, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had to give. I had the realization that I am busy because I am willing to be busy and I put a lot of pressure on myself to accomplish a lot of busy-ness every week. But accomplishing all of those things was leaving me feeling empty, frustrated, tired, and kinda hopeless – wondering, what’s the point of all of this?

So I challenged myself. For one week, I was going to take a break from blog writing, and a break from cleaning. (Cue dramatic music here). 

I worried that by Saturday, the world might end. I wanted to rest and relax, spend some quality time with my Mister, and really, just prove to myself that I could go an entire week without cleaning. I went and got my haircut one evening. I did some online work to make some extra income in hopes of buying a shiny new camera lens I have my eye on. I did spend some extra time with my Mister. And, most importantly, I rested. I’m happy to report that the world did not end. The house did not fall apart. No one got sick. The township did not show up to condemn the dwelling. Life went on.

The following week, I got back on the cleaning schedule but with a different perspective. I feel less pressured to get EVERYTHING done EVERY week. I have a realization of what rest feels like and I like it. I took a look at how I spend my time every week. Once I account for working, sleeping, meal prep and eating, exercising, blogging, personal hygiene, and cleaning, I’m left with only 2% of my week free to do what I want. That’s not very much time and that’s not how I want to live my life.

Our time here is short. We need to enjoy it. We need to spend time with the people we love and we need to spend time doing what we love. Yes, there are jobs and chores and obligations. But we have to free ourselves a bit to have fun, to relax, to rest. 

If you’re a clean freak like me, I challenge you to take a week to relax. And, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with your daily and weekly duties, take a look at your schedule and see which areas you may be too hard on yourself about. To keep going strong, sometimes we need to take a step back.

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My Favorite Photos

Photography has always been an intriguing area for me. So often, I've viewed photographs taken by professionals  and longed for the skill to duplicate the clarity, colors, and creativity within their shots. The snapshots on my point and shoot didn't come close. When my parents handed down their Nikon D-70 to me because it was too much camera for them, I was excited about the prospect of my photography getting better. But with little to no knowledge about how to use it, I often got very similar results to my point and shoot. 

Frustrated, I decided it was time to pick up a how-to photography book or take a basic class. While my desire to learn to take better pictures was existent and growing, my patience was not. I wanted a quick fix like, "Three Easy Steps to Amazing Photography." I tried multiple times to sit down with a photography for dummies type of book but after a chapter or two, I gave up. There were too many things to learn and not enough room in my day or my brain for that matter. 

Then I started this blog. While blogs are a place for people to write things, they seem to be a bit more interesting and engaging when they have photos. In addition, it's really hard to have a blog about how to get organized without showing pictures of organized things. Can you imagine me explaining how I organized my command center without showing you any pictures of what I was talking about? A picture is worth a thousand words after all, right?

So as I started putting together my first 10 or 20 posts, I noticed a trend. The photos I was posting were dark, out of focus, grainy, and boring. They were nothing like the photos I was seeing on the more established blogs that I follow. They were nothing like the photos I had envisioned would fill this space. 

That was kind of a kick in the pants for me to get my act together and learn how to improve my photography. Not only is this a skill I want to develop for myself, but it's a skill that I want to pass on to each of you as you read my words. I want to give you pretty pictures to look at too!

Since I hadn't had much luck with books in the past, I committed to finding a photography class. Lucky for me, our local Community College offers both an in person class and an online class so I signed up right away. 

I'm now in week 6 of class and I'm finding it much easier to stick with. The motivation that weekly assignments and other students' photos provide is tremendous. I've learned so much in just six weeks and I'm really excited to get out and practice this new found knowledge on real life subjects. So if you see me often in real life, be prepared to see a camera around my neck or in front of my face. 

And speaking of photos, how boring would this post be without any pretty pictures? I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite photos I've taken over the last few years. They have bad shadows, poor use of aperture, the wrong ISO, and maybe even terrible coloring but they mean something to me. While this place is a place I vow to share organizing tips, I think it's also important that you have the opportunity to get to know me a bit more too (if you want to). So enjoy the collage below and I hope that in the next few weeks you'll be able to see a distinct difference in my photography.

The Beginning of Winter Love in Michigan

AuSable Light House (I climbed to the top!)

Grand Haven, MI

Chase, our family dog

The Pacific

Mando & His Stick

Baby Mando's First Christmas

Down on the Farm

The Arch in St. Louis

Our First Winter at Our New House

The City We Call Home, Grand Rapids

Mr. Mister running the 10k like it' nothing

Selfie of my mom and I. We look nothing alike, I know.

A blurry NYE with the Mister

All In The Name Of Love

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a terrific Valentine's weekend. Since February is the month of love, I thought I'd take a break from the organizing projects today and share a little more about myself with you - the story that is me and the mister. I promised back here that I'd share the story of how we got engaged, so in honor of keeping promises...here it is!

We did things slightly backwards in that we purchased our home before getting engaged/married, but we had several of those "where is this going" conversations and knew each other's intentions of this being a forever thing. We were scheduled to get the keys to our house on a Monday. I had a lot going on at work, so I decided to work that day and start moving in the evening. My mister, however, was so excited about moving in that he was sure to take Monday off of work and get a head start. We had a pleasant surprise the Friday before that when the previous owners gave us a call and said they were all moved out and the house was all ours as soon as we wanted to come over. I think it took us all of about 5 minutes to get ourselves together and get in the car and speed over to the new abode. We were so excited. Needless to say, a lot of moving happened over the weekend, leaving the mister with not a ton to do on his day off Monday.

He planned to put a couple pieces of furniture together, get a few rooms set up, and relax from a busy weekend. On Monday morning, I got up just like any other day and went in to work. I got a few phone calls throughout the day from him saying how bored he was and how he had nothing to do. It was totally believable because he is the type of person who can't sit still for more than 20 minutes at a time. I kept trying to come up with ideas, but I was running out of tasks to delegate. Quittin' time finally rolled around and I got in my car and headed home. When I pulled into the garage, he came out the front door dressed in a suit and offered to help me carry my things inside. 

Now, you'd think that would have sparked some curiosity in my head - but earlier that day, one of the tasks I delegated to him was to try on some older clothes and decide what he wanted to keep and what he could get rid of. This way, it'd help us organize our closets more efficiently. So I just figured I had pulled into the garage at the moment he was trying on a suit...

He carried my bag into the house and I followed behind. As I walked into the door I noticed some rose petals on the floor. 

Yep, that sparked my curiosity. 

I thought maybe he had planned a romantic evening to celebrate our new home. I hung up my coat and took off my shoes and walked into the kitchen to find multiple vases of red, white, and pink roses all along our kitchen island. Next to each vase was one or two cards or notes we had exchanged over our dating years. (Yes, he kept them!) As I started to wrap my head around what might be happening, I realized there was music playing in the background and at about that same moment he took my hand and started singing "our song" to me. He led me along the vases of past memories to the kitchen table. 

On the table was a plate of sushi, one of our favorite foods to share together. It was sushi wrapped in pink seaweed molded into the shape of a heart. I can hear all the awww's now (or the eww's if you don't like sushi...but stay with me). 

There was also a ring shaped jewelry box sitting there for me. He handed it to me and asked me to open it. I thought to myself, "That's not what you're supposed to do..." but I did it. It was empty! When I looked up, he was down on one knee. I don't remember his exact words because it all happened so fast - but he said some sweet things and then pulled out the real ring and asked me to marry him. Obviously, I said yes! 

He bought my diamond separately and had a band custom designed, so no one else will ever have a ring like mine. I called my mom first, bursting with excitement. She happened to be at the grocery store and I debated waiting to tell her the news until she got home but I couldn't hold it in. She started crying in the middle of the aisle. I still laugh thinking about her standing there on the phone bawling, so excited. While the mister had been sneaky and talked to my dad about a month beforehand, neither one of them let mom in on the secret. Very impressive!

So that's how we became Mr. and Mrs. Well, that plus 9 months of crazy planning, budgeting, food tasting, shopping, etc.... 

I treasure him and his support every single day. I really don't think I could do all that needs to be done without his help. I guess that's why they call it your "other half". Cheers to love (and to organizing)!

The Last Two Years in 740 Words or Less!

I thought it’d be fun to play one of those ice breaker games to help us all get to know each other better, but trying to find someone who has climbed Mount Everest or someone who is currently wearing an NFL t-shirt is a bit difficult in the blogging world. So to help you get to know a bit more about me, I’ll start with the story of how our home became our home.  

Our house hunt started quite randomly while out driving one weekend. We saw an open house and decided to check it out. The rest is history, as they say. We got the home buying itch, but we were not yet Mr. & Mrs and were both in the middle of apartment leases so we weren't in a huge hurry to find anything. We met a Realtor at a random open house, she took down our contact information, and called us a couple weeks later regarding another house she was showing. The property had been on the market for a bit and the price was just reduced. We agreed to stop by and check it out.

Until then, the only “feeling” I had gotten from the houses we had looked at was a growing anxiety that what I thought I wanted didn't exist. When we walked through the front door of this one though, my heart went pitter-patter. I was surprised because the inside of the house wasn't necessarily what I had been looking for. While some areas, like the bathrooms, had been recently updated making it feel a bit more modern, other rooms seemed a little dated, but they still felt cozy. The house was big enough for us to grow into (2600 sq. ft.) and had a large yard (1.75 acres). It’s hard to explain, but I just felt peaceful there. It didn't take long to decide this would be our house and we closed on the deal in November 2011. 

I remember the day we moved in because it’s also the day my Mr. proposed! I will have to share that story in another post…

So we've been in the house for almost two years, and we are just starting to do some work on it now. Why the wait? Well, two weeks after we bought the house, I got notice that I was getting laid off from work. Talk about a shock. I bought a house, got engaged, and got laid off all in one month’s time. Fortunately, I was only out of work for a week. I took a temporary assignment for a few months and found a new full time position shortly after. Once the anxiety of being unemployed was resolved, I was in full wedding planning mode. We set a date for September 22, 2012 and there was a lot to be done! I managed to put up some pictures and set out some accessories from each of our apartments but that is as far as I got in decorating. In fact, as of today, there are still empty picture hooks on the walls from the previous owners.

Once we were married, my Mr. had four busy months of finishing up his Bachelor’s degree and then we escaped for a week on our honeymoon in Punta Cana.

January to present has been quite a whirlwind. We've gained two nephews and a niece and got a new puppy. I decided to start my professional organizing business and blog and my hubby has started a Master’s Degree this fall. Whew! When does life slow down exactly??

It’s been nice to take some time to settle in. But now, little things that I could deal with before are starting to stare me down chanting, “Fix me!” As the ideas begin swirling and the energy begins building, I am so excited to share the progression with all of you.

I just completed the process of going through each room and very aggressively purging. I threw out, donated, and held a garage sale. With each room de-cluttered, it will be easier to go back in and organize what is left and update where necessary. Thanks for coming along on the adventure with me!

What project has life postponed for you that you’re excited to get started on?

Hello & Welcome!

Hello there! I am so grateful that you have taken some time to visit this new corner of the World Wide Web. My name is Jen and I am the owner and blogger at Open Concept Organizing. Writing and organizing have come naturally to me for as long as I can remember. I operated my own house cleaning business to pay my way through college and have always been one of the most organized employees in my career endeavors since. I feel most energized and driven when I am completing projects like budgeting worksheets, spreadsheets, to-do lists, and cleaning and organizing various spaces. After a stressful day at my "day job", you will find me relaxing by cleaning and straightening up my home.

Organizing a home often gets squeezed in (or out, really) to the hustle and bustle of daily life. Many other things take priority and before we know it, we're trapped under a pile of "life clutter". I've experienced this over the last year and a half after struggling with an unexpected layoff from a job I loved. While I was quickly blessed with a new position somewhere else, I've spent a lot of time contemplating my purpose - what is it that I am meant to do. Not only am I continuously drawn back to writing and organizing, but I'm learning about how important it is for me to stay open.  While my focus on this blog will mainly be residential home organization, my vision is a site devoted to openness: open, clean, organized spaces; opening myself up to new challenges and opportunities and encouraging others to do the same; being open to change, open to improvement, open to trying new things; and organization of all things to maintain that openness. This might include organizing a home, a fitness routine, a diet or menu plan, a vacation, etc.

There is already a wealth of information out there on the internet regarding organizing and there are many fantastic blogs that address this topic daily. It is not my goal to trump any of those existing sites but instead to add to the community that already exists. I don't believe that any one person can possibly have all the answers. That is why you'll find links to blogs I enjoy as well as other resources on my pages. If I can't help, I will do my best to find someone who can! Check out my blog roll in the sidebar for some of the great blogs I try to read daily. I hope to provide additional insight and ideas, make new friends, and encourage others in the wonderful world of organization.

I’m thankful for the support I have in starting this new challenge. Without that support and encouragement, this idea would remain stuck in a notebook somewhere collecting dust. So thank you to my Mr. who encourages me in my writing every day. Thank you to my family and friends for their support and willingness to volunteer their spaces for me to “practice” organizing. Thanks to Pat Raap at Raap Signs for helping me to create my logo. And thank you to all of my new friends that I anticipate meeting through this adventure. I appreciate your willingness to read, support, and share on this site. If you have tips or inspiration, this can be a place to share them. If you need tips or inspiration, this can be a place to get them.

My Mister & I

Please do not hesitate to leave comments, offer feedback, subscribe by e-mail or e-reader, and join me on Facebook or Pinterest.

Stay tuned for the next post which explains a bit more about my home and my adventure of getting it organized!