Project Simplify - Hot Spot #1 - My Closet

So I thought that I was excited to organize my house.  In my head, I can see the finished product and it's fabulous.  "A place for everything and everything in its place."  And getting there was going to be a piece of cake.  Right?  Right!

Then, along comes "Project: Simplify" from Simple Mom - what better way to get started than to follow along with another blogger's challenge, right? Work right alongside others who are in the same unorganized boat that I'm in! Right? Right!

Oh, but then Ms. Simple Mom has to start off with our own closets.  Um, no! Hello...still losing baby weight, still breastfeeding - not MY closet, I'm not ready! And there I was, making up excuses as to why I couldn't possibly play along.  And I was so justified.  Before I even got halfway through her instructions, my mind was made up - I was excused from this exercise.

O. K. FINE.  (Dragging feet, rolling eyes - my son's attitude has rubbed off a little on me).
Hmph.
I'll just take a peek in my closet.
Maybe I can do this.

And just like that, it came to me...Yes I Can!


And now I'm once again excited about organizing.  I realize that I will have a shelf (or 2) of clothes that I can't fit into yet.  But I realized several things will happen by the end of this task:

1.  I will have gotten rid of clothes that I don't like and that have never looked good on me, no matter what size I am.
2.  I will have a section of clothes that I KNOW I can wear NOW, so that on a rushed morning I can just grab something and go - no need to try on, get frustrated, and be irritated with myself
3.  I will finally get rid of my maternity clothes.  It's embarassing, and I can't believe I'm admitting it here, but sometimes I still wear some of my maternity t-shirts.  I mean, they're so comfy, and so easy to nurse in.  And I never intend to leave the house in them, but something almost always comes up, and there I am, in public, in my maternity clothes, with my 7 month old.  Yes, time to end that nonsense.

BEFORE PICTURES (Stay tuned for the after pics)

Misc. shirt drawer  - quick, find the white tank. No, not that one.  And not that one either.  No, that one fits funny...

The shelf in my closet that holds things that I try on, don't fit, and then get tossed up there in frustration. That's productive, I know.

Can you spot any specific piece of clothing?  Me neither. (This is another - try it on, can't wear it, toss it up there place to store clothes. I obviously don't fold the pieces that frustrate me.  Shoved in a heap on a shelf is a much better solution).

Full view of my closet.  I'm lucky, it's big.  But, that's no excuse to keep clothes that don't work for me. Oh, and the boxes of stuff that I still haven't gone through since we moved in October - those should probably go.

Okay, ready...set...here I go!!!

Getting Started

My family saw a lot of changes in 2010.  A new house (yay!), a new baby (surprise!), a new job for hubby, and no job for me.  I let go of some old friends, and made great new ones.   I ended the year knowing that there were still a lot of changes to come for my family in 2011.

I began this year with a few small changes, not realizing where they would lead.  In an effort to save money (see: no job), I started cooking a lot.  We used to eat out at least 3 - 4 nights a week, and that was one of the first things to be cut from our spending.  I started baking.  I started making a lot of food from scratch, because I had more time than money, and it ended up being so much cheaper since I was buying most of my staples in bulk.  A nice bonus to making everything from scratch was that I knew exactly what ingredients were going into the meals I was feeding my family.  This led to making my own baby food.  Which led to using cloth diapers.  Oh, and somewhere in there I also learned how to make laundry soap (it cost about $0.60 to make 1 batch, which has lasted me 6 weeks).  I will be posting on all of these projects later on. 

I also now have zero tolerance for the clutter in my house.  I have to admit that a good portion of it is from me.  I'm a saver - because when I do toss/sell/give away something, I end up needing it a week later.  But, it's time to get rid of the clutter and keep only what we need and use.  I have come across some great blogs about organizing, and I will be following the 52 Week Challenge from I'm An Organizing Junkie - although since I'm starting late, I guess it's actually going to be my 44 Week Challenge.  Expect pictures and updates weekly.

I have also been attending church regularly.  I really have missed it.  And the whole family is going, which I am so so happy about.  In my effort to become more faithful, I have been participating in Maximize Your Mornings from Inspired to Action.  I'm not following to the T, but I'm doing it and making it work for me.

There are so many blogs that I've come across the last few weeks that are a big inspiration to me.  I will be sharing links to all of them as I work through my projects.  

When I look at everything that I'm taking on, it seems like so much.  But I really am just taking it one day at a time.  I'm blogging to share my journey, in case anyone cares to know about it.  I'm not a writer, so let's not expect any prize-winning material here.  Just my experiences, good and bad, struggles, achievements, and things that I learn along the way. 

Let the journey begin!