Joy In Our Journey
  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
  • Home & Family
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
    • Life at Home
    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
  • Home & Family
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
    • Life at Home
    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
Picture

Tackling Big Projects Around the House

9/25/2011

13 Comments

 
     I've been avoiding a couple of big organization projects around the house. 

     Oh, maybe for about six months.

     And one of them got worse and worse.  Sure, I had plenty of time during the summer to reorganize the back storage room.

     But I didn't wanna.

     I finally decided last week that since I have my children do cleaning and organization that they don't wanna do, it was time for me to tackle at least one of these two projects.

     Actually, the girls helped me tackle the "easy" one:  sorting all of the bills and statements from the last six months.  They've been stacked inside the roll-top desk, which makes it easy to forget that they're there.

     The girls went online and listened to an "Adventures in Odyssey" audio story while they took the stacks of bills/statements and sorted them by company.

     Now you might ask yourself, "Why do these bills and statements get stacked up in a big pile?"

     Well, I'm not the "bill payer" in our family, although I'm comfortable paying the bills.  But this is something that Elmer enjoys being in charge of, and I happily comply.  After he pays the bills, he places the statements into the roll-top desk where we keep our budget book. 

     Maybe this is where things break down.  After he pays the bills and places the statements and receipts in the roll-top desk, he closes the top, and I never see the statements sitting there, so I don't think of filing them right away.  Or ever.  Until one day, I open up the desk to get some tape or envelopes out, and it's stacked VERY high.  Yikes!

     Out of sight, out of mind - that's my motto in life.  Or at least, that's how my brain works these days.

     Well, at least for the next 24 hours, the desk should  look like this:
Picture
...until it's time to pay bills again.      :)

     I think we have two options that would help us out every two weeks:

1.  Switch to BillPay with our credit union, and avoid most paper bills.  I know, I know - you've been probably paying your bills online or with automatic withdrawals for years now.  We've held off because of a direct deposit from my hubby's payroll that went bad a long time ago.  The bank we used back then was bought out by another bank, and they assured us that the direct deposit from my husband's paycheck would smoothly be deposited into the new account they had arranged for us.  Well, when I started receiving phone calls 3 days later that our checks were not clearing the bank, we realized there was a problem.  Even though this has nothing to do with electronic billpay, this has made us wary of paying bills online.  Some day, we'll succumb.  :)

2.  After Elmer pays the bills, he hands me the stack of paperwork that needs to be filed, and I file it immediately.  That would be an easier option, right?  Well, maybe.

     Maybe a combination of both would work best. 

And now for Project #2:  The back storage room.

     When we first looked at our house, before purchasing it, our realtor opened up a heavy door which led to a small room containing shelving and the hot water heater.  There were no windows, and he laughed and commented, "Well, here's the mother-in-law suite!" 

     Ha!  We'd never place our moms in that little, strange room!

     That room is really our only inside storage in the house, besides the kitchen and bathroom cabinets (one bathroom has no storage whatsoever), and the closets in the bedrooms and the schoolroom.  We don't have a garage, although there are two small rooms on the outside of our house that are the "outside storage."  Yes, it's a little bit different, but it works. 

     Our "mother-in-law suite" has concrete block walls, like the rest of our home, and it isn't insulated at all (like 1/3 of our home).  It houses our hot water heater and our big freezer. 

     Because our attic is on the smallish side, everything else we would normally store in an attic, garage, or pantry that can handle the heat and cold of the seasons goes in this "back storage room" as we now call it.

     Anything stored in there has to be able to handle the occasional mouse which wanders in during the cold of winter, so no food in cardboard boxes.  We mainly store canned goods, luggage, vases, "junk" towels, and sleeping bags in that room.  But we also store our vacuum, cat litter, and other odds and ends including rolls of paper towels and t.p., plus cleaning products.

     Every few months, it becomes cluttered on the floor and is actually unsafe (for me) to walk around in that room.  It's needed reorganized for a few months now, and yesterday was the day.  I think my main reason for putting it off was because I'm a slow organizer, and I knew I'd need about a 4-5 hour block of time, which is rare in our household.

     Anyway, here is the fabulously newly reorganized back room:
Picture
     I didn't get a shot of the floor.  It's pretty ugly - half of it smooth cement, and the other half some very old carpet that needs to be replaced.

     On the left, beyond this photo, is the big freezer we bought with our wedding gift money, and to the right is our natural gas water heater.

     We don't eat a ton of canned goods, because they have very little nutritional value, but on some of those busy nights, we use these.  I try to buy organic whenever I can find a great deal.

     Well, for now, the back room is organized.  I promise myself that I'm going to keep it clean and neat, but then the stack of luggage falls over, or the stack of clean "junk"/old towels falls over, and then the mess begins, because I've found that when it's harder to access where I'm needing to be, the lazier I tend to get.  Pretty soon, it all becomes a mess.  Sigh.  Would be nice if I was as organized as people think I am!

     My next project is to finish reorganizing our master bedroom, which is also more like a storage area than a bedroom.  That's going to take more than 4-5 hours, though, because I have several areas to redo.  I also need to wash windows again, which I enjoy doing since we use a spray cleaner that really gets our 1952 floor-to-ceiling windows much cleaner.  It would be more fun to do if they actually came out looking completely clean, like newer windows would, but I'm not complaining.  SprayAway does a pretty decent job, the best job of any windows product or method of cleaning windows that I've ever used.

     The hardest thing in tackling a project, at least for me, is just diving in and getting started.  Once I start, it takes time, but it isn't hard.

     What project area do you find yourself needing to tackle this next month?  Do you find that you put off tackling big projects, too?
13 Comments
Jill link
9/25/2011 03:42:07 pm

Good job on the clean up. The areas look very nice. I always find that starting is the hardest part. I never want to start if I know I won't have time to finish in one sitting. I always have to remind myself of the old joke about how to "eat an elephant" answer, "one bite at a time". This reminds me to just get started.

Reply
Click here link
6/25/2012 04:03:26 pm

Cleaning home is something a tough job to do and it is essential too.Thanks for the blog post.

Reply
www.minnesotaroofcontractors.com link
6/26/2012 06:48:32 pm

This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting knowledge in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here keep up the good work.

Reply
christina miller
9/25/2011 11:39:01 pm

Yep, starting is half the battle. Just like excercise. Have you ever heard of www.flylady.com? She has excellent methods to stay on top of everything.

Reply
Mary link
9/26/2011 12:10:30 am

Good job- getting started IS the hardest part. I am procrastinating on a few projects myself!

Reply
Stefanie@Giggly Girls link
9/26/2011 12:21:21 am

Everything looks so nice. Want to come tackle my school room? It's looking cluttered again now that school's back in session. lol

Reply
Marlene
9/26/2011 01:19:59 am

I am so impressed!!!! Sounds like me totally!!! It is like exercising, I visualize it quite well, but actually getting it done is another story!!!! And I like the elephant story.

Reply
Jennifer link
9/26/2011 01:51:17 pm

Great job organizing! My Granny thinks every lady needs a roll top desk to hide clutter.

Reply
Christine link
9/26/2011 11:32:02 pm

Great job on organizing. My computer desk tends to get things piled up on it too.

Reply
Rodna
9/28/2011 02:21:26 am

Love the food storage organization.

I go online on the first of every month, and pay/schedule all of my bills so I only have to do it once a month.

Reply
Carpet Cleaning Gold Coast link
6/4/2012 10:12:46 pm

Its necessary to clean the carpet once in a while, just vacuuming it does not remove the stains and germs that may be hiding and contaminating the house atmosphere. Choosing whether to ask a professional or doing it by yourself depends upon the house owner but both requires equal efforts and care.

Reply
Carpet Cleaning Equipment link
6/17/2012 07:59:48 pm

It is a very profitable post for me. I've enjoyed reading the post. It is very informative and useful post. I would like to visit the post once more its valuable content.

Reply
Phoenix Commercial Roofing link
3/12/2017 07:50:56 pm

Awesome blog post. Thanks for sharing your experiences

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    ​​Hi!  I'm Julieanne!
    You'll find me in the kitchen
    ​trying new 
    Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters. ​


    Find
    Joy In Our Journey on:


    Sign up to receive
    Joy In Our Journey's
    latest blog posts, freebies, and more!

    You won't want to miss my FREE "Trim Healthy Mama-inspired" recipes, tutorials, giveaways, and deals - get them delivered fresh to your inbox!

      
    Picture
    Picture
        I'd love to share your product with my readers.  If you would like me to do a review and giveaway, just contact me via email and let me know how I can help.


        Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale without costing you anything extra. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so, it helps to support this site, so thank you!
     

     

    Search
    Joy In Our Journey

    Loading
     

    Archives

    December 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010

Search Joy In Our Journey.com:

Loading

You won't want to miss my FREE "Trim Healthy Mama-inspired" recipes, tutorials, giveaways, and deals - get them delivered fresh to your inbox!

Most Viewed on Joy In Our Journey:

  • Free Printables
  • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino
  • FREE customized Homeschool I.D. Cards
  • Trim Healthy Mama Visual Shopping List
  • Planning a Frugal Family Trip to Washington, D.C.


More about Julieanne:

  • About Julieanne
  • Contact Julieanne
  • Julieanne's BLOG

Please note that there are affiliate and referral links on this website.  If you click on them and make a purchase, I might make a tiny commission.  I only recommend products I use personally. Your support is very much appreciated and helps keep this free resource up and running!






  
Copyright © 2017       l       Joy In Our Journey.com      l