Ready? Set? Go!

It's go time.

Who's ready to start purging one space at a time?

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1. Bedroom Closet: Time for a fashion reboot. Let's get real: will you ever fit into your post-high school, pre-baby pants again? Are you holding onto things you haven’t worn in a year? Are hangers being wasted on shirts you bought (tags still attached!) but never wore? Say goodbye to the past and hello to the new you.

2. Hall Closet: Let go of the skeletons. Pick a closet, any closet: perhaps your coat closet, your linen closet, or your catch-all closet? Choose the worst offender or sort through them all. Fling open the door and face your hidden holdings.

3. Shoes & Accessories: Set off on some sole searching. How many pairs of shoes do you really need? Can someone else benefit from your 4th pair of black flats? How many purses/bags/totes can one girl really own? Cut them loose. Keep what you love. The rest is just baggage.

4. Kid Closet(s): Managing the monsters in their closets. It’s time to find a new home for those too-short jeans, too-tight shirts, and too-small shoes. Could someone else find joy in the dress shirt that makes your child cringe? Are there any other “monsters” hiding out in the deep, dark corners? Banish them once and for all!

5. Toys: Send Polly Pocket packing. Get the kids involved! What toys do they no longer play with? What could they do without? Explain to them where their extra toys are going: don’t be surprised when they are more than happy to share with less fortunate kids. Start with the absolute must-keeps and then streamline (i.e. toss, donate, or sell) the rest.

Now, just grab a button and link up your Instagrams, tweets or posts here.

<center><a href="http://hpartyoffour.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="our five...un.tied" src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t504/terpblog/projectpurgeb-01_200.jpg"/></a></center>

Come to Jesus Closet Cleaning

For all too long, I have over complicated my life. 

 I added too much to my plate.  

I worried about things that I had no control over. 

 I got overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin and my closet was no exception.

Over a year and a half ago my dear friend did a complete closet overhaul and since that day I longed to complete one myself but was frozen in fear of the unknown.

The rubber finally met the road when Katie proclaimed that she was coming over and she wasn't going to leave until it was done.  

With loving yet stern direction, I was led down the path of denial, self doubt and freedom all in one afternoon as we tackled this monster of a space.

BEFORE

AFTER

COMPLETE with INSPIRATIONAL sayings
{another brilliant idea from my closet consultant *she even let me borrow her frames}

What I LEARNED ...


Less is more
If you haven't worn it in a year, you won't wear it.
My closet should be a peaceful place
Your clothes need to serve a purpose
Forest green hangers are out of style 
{apparently turtle neck sweaters are too}
There is freedom in letting go.
AND
I have one amazing friend!


After nearly a week post purge, it is safe to say that getting ready in the morning is now 100 times easier, and I still get giddy every time I see my closet.

Menu Plan Monday

After week one of Menu Planning, I think I am hooked.  For the first time ever I made only one trip to the grocery store, saved money and ate some really great food.

We are ready to kick off another week.  The shopping is done, and it should be smooth sailing from here.

Monday
Honey Sesame Chicken, Katie led the way with this one, and I am more than happy to follow for three reasons.
1. It got the Terpstra stamp of approval.
2. It involves a crockpot.
and...
3. Rice.  My #1 pregnancy craving. Enough said.

Tuesday
Pan Roasted Chicken with Green Beans.  This one is an oldie, but a goodie and instead of lemons we slice up green apples to give it our very own twist.

Wednesday
Taco Rice Bowl. Another Kt find, and it has been awhile since we indulged, so it is once again making an appearance on our table.

Thursday
It would be a normal week if we didn't have some salmon with rice.  And, for an extra special treat we will be having asparagus from the local produce stand.

Friday
Find your own dinner Friday.

Sweet Treat of the Week
Last week we had sweet success with Greek Yogurt Cupcakes, and we are hoping for the same with Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream this week.

Menu Plan Monday

I have been inspired once again, and I am debuting my first ever Meal Plan Monday.

The shopping is done, the plan is in place, and now all I have to do is pull the trigger at 4 p.m. each afternoon. If I can ignore the temptation and ease of frozen raviolis, my planning ahead will have been worth every minute.

Monday
We are kicking off the week with Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers,  The boys say they "hate" black beans, but I am hoping to sneak them in to start off the week with  a score of   Mom: 1  Boys: 0

Tuesday
For the first time in awhile there is nothing on the schedule for a week night, so I will attempt a new dish, Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad, that has had my mouth watering since I saw it pinned for the first time.  I am going to substitute the noodles with brown rice and pray that it is just as yummy.

Wednesday
Our family favorite with be on the docket for tonight.   Salmon with brown rice.  Add some green onions, sweet peppers, avocado, and cherry tomatoes and we all wish there were leftovers.

Thursday
I will be giving a new Creamy Chicken Alfredo recipe a try.  Apparently spaghetti squash is out of season, so I will be replacing the squash with noodles.

Friday
Make your own meal night..... Everyone takes their pick of the remaining contents in the fridge.



What will be on your dinner table this week?

Medicine Cabinet Overhaul

It all started with a pot roast.  I was searching for oregano and kept finding myself stumbling upon random medicines in our spice cabinet.  Frustrated with our organizational mess, I opened our medicine cabinet to return the culprits to their rightful home, only to find myself taken aback by the mess before my eyes.  I open this cupboard daily, but today it's messyness moved me to action, it was time to do something about the chaos. 

I pulled out the Cricut {thanks Aunt Kris!}, some extra rubbermaid bins from the basement, and the black vinyl I bought from Hobby Lobby {totalling 4.80 with a 40% off coupon} and got to work.

Medicine Cabinet {Before}

I used the Cricut to type in the lables I wanted for each bin,

lined up the vinyl,

and watched as beautiful letters were magically cut out.

After cleaning up my very-used bins, I applied the letters directly to the surface.

When everything was said and done,

 we had a bin for each person in our Party of Four,

an ever important asthma bin,

a jar for drops,  a bin to catch everthing remaining that was without a home,

and a medicine cabinet that was organized and a joy to look at.

Medicine Cabinet {After}

Three cheers for tackling our house,one project at a time.

 I linked to...

The Buck Stops Here

Three months have now passed since my friends and I began our 31 Days to Clean Challenge. In the past three months we have scoured out homes from top to bottom {several times over}, conqured our laundry, and most importantly discovered a little bit more about ourselves, and why we do the things we do.

I remember somewhere along our journey reading an article that I identified with immediately.  It spoke of perfectionism and how some perfectionists avoid tackling tasks because they don't know how to complete them perfectly.  {Insert "Ah ha" spotlight shining directly down upon me}

They were talking about me.  I love to have things perfect.  I love things neat.  I love order.  I love to know exactly where to find things, but for the past thirty something years I have avoided everything because I didn't know how to do it perfectly.  I wanted ten-step solutions, precisely drawn out, telling me exactly, and in which order I should to things. 

After reading that article, I finally knew what has been plaguing me for so long. I now had a diagnosis for this disorder I had been struggling with my entire life, and now all I had to do was address it.

My friend, Katie found this sign that sums it up perfectly.

So there I had it.

The buck stops here. 

No more excuses.

No more unrealistic expectations.{because let's face it, nothing's perfect}

No more more procrastinating.

No more waiting for someone to fly in and rescue me. 

The time was now, and the task was our basement disaster zone. 

*and this was after two days of sorting.

After receiving a tip to just start, I did just that.  I sent my friends this picture, told them the date I would have it done by, and asked them to hold me to it. 

I started and there was no turning back.  I unpacked each and every tub, sorted them into five piles: keep, maybe keep, donate, sell, trash. 

It wasn't pretty but I did it. 

Once I had taken the trash to the curb, returned many miscellaneous items to their original homes, and decided what to donate, I then began to place the remaining gems into bins.

I made labels for each bin,

and made them interchangeable by attaching them with Velcro.

I created one area for crafts,

featuring a neatly organized drawer system,

that now explained exactly where I could find things.

I re crafted an old Rubbermaid drawer system into storage for the boy's art,

saving a special spot for the baby we are so excited to meet,

 wrapped the project up by stacking everything else in one organized spot,

and bounced up the stairs with sheer joy to tell Steve that I had done it.  For the first time in my life, I conquered my perfectionist tendencies and just did it.  I finished a project all by myself, and I was darn proud of it.

Is it perfect? No. The bins don't match.  The font on the labels isn't exactly how I want it.  The bins are not stacked on a shelf.  However, in a monumental decision to let it go, I used the bins I had, I didn't reprint the labels, and I let Steve off the hook in making a shelving system.  Why? Because I needed to let go and realized if I was waiting for everything to be perfect it would never get done...thus the cycle would repeat itself, and I would continue to be unhappy.

...I think I like this new me that is starting to evolve. 

You're next...how have you grown lately?