House project update: Windows!!

If it's possible to get giddy over new windows, then I'm giddy! Absolutely giddy! 

Our house project started with a roof - however, we haven't actually done any of the roof yet! It's sort of a long story, but my hubby is in charge of that and this is the order things are going for now. Our house is larger than it seems from the street. We also have a LOT of windows - 31 windows to be exact! So, it's a big deal to have all new windows in our home. Even the window guys couldn't believe how many they had to put in - we did 5 windows last year so this was only 26 to do in a few days.

Some of the windows we replaced were not even windows in the sense that they went up or down. They were just "picture" windows - just a plate-glass windows in several places. And now we have full functioning windows so we can open them and let air in.

For the front windows we decided to do casement windows - so we could have a full view outside. You can see the middle two windows were just those picture windows in our living room windows.

The kitchen windows, Rachel's room, Adam's room, and the window in our music room are all the double hung windows and have the wonderful feature of flipping out to the inside to wash them without having to take off the screen or even go outside! Fantastic feature!

 

I have already had to clean them since we are getting the house painted and after the painter pressure washed the house the windows were full of drops. But, it was super easy to clean! I normally would just leave it and never even bother!

My very favorite window is in our kiddos' bathroom. I know it doesn't look like much {the lighting in the kids' bathroom is awful - and quite frankly, photographing windows is a big challenge!} but it has this great feature. It's got the obscure film on the window, as we live on a hill and the neighbors' would be able to see right into their bathroom. The contractor suggested using this window, which is an awning window.

It cranks out and so when the kids are taking a shower, they can crack it slightly and when they are done or need air it cranks out really far. Outside this window is a tiny walkway that no one ever uses much so it won't smack anyone. It's really a neat window.

 

I also love the front windows because of the fact that they crank wide open. And we're window-opening-people! We love having the windows open - although it does cause quite a bit of extra dust, err smog, in our house! 

Well, as you can see we are happy with our new windows. We are going to benefit from the quiet inside, plus the fact that we won't be feeling heat seep through our windows this summer. Hoping to save on our a/c costs!

The house curb appeal does continue to improve. Everything takes time and being that it's outside it doesn't bother me so much! More to come....

 

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Parties:
Funky Junk Interiors
A Bowl Full of Lemons
House of Hepworth

How {the kids and} I organize their bathroom cabinet

Last month, my daughter and I tackled getting the kids' bathroom cabinets organized.  So, we're going to share a few tips, tricks, and motivation for you to get yours done also!

 Left side of the kids bathroom cabinet.

The kids' bathroom has a nice-sized counter and cabinets underneath. So, Rachel and I assessed all the stuff under there.  She's seven, and even at her age she realized there was plenty under there she could part with.

We pulled out all the clutter and set it on the floor and began going through it. Some needed to go elsewhere and other stuff she really never used. So, we made decisions on all of that.

We wiped down all the cabinets inside then put clean, fresh contact paper on all the shelves and inside the drawers.

I bought some cheap containers at the 99 Cents Store and we got to organizing.

I always say to have your kids help with organizing because it teaches them as you go. It helps them to see what is important and what is not. It sets an example to show them that it's easy and how to do it.

They get to put the labels on, too. 

When all was done, here is how the cabinet looks now! Lots of room. But, as I have said before, just because you have lots of room doesn't mean you need to fill every square inch of it. If necessary, we have the room to move over some things if I buy toilet paper in bulk and need to store it. 

The other cabinet is lovely as well, with new contact paper!

Under the sink and the kids drawers were straightened and re-configured. 

Here is our oatmeal container turned headband holder on the bathroom counter.  It's full of Rachel's hair things inside, too. 



Under the sink {which is missing some drywall}, I store their bath toys and also a basket with all-purpose {non-toxic} spray cleaner and some rags. This way the kids can do their chore of wiping down the counters more easily.

And that's it! Nothing scientific or crazy, but just getting the kids to learn how to organize and clean up after themselves!

2011 in Review

The end of 2011 is drawing near...I can hardly believe how quickly this year went by! I wanted to take an opportunity to not only review the year, but to thank the top ten referrers to Organizing Made Fun this year!

Here are my top, most viewed, posts of the year:

1. 15 minutes a day of cleaning - over 400,000 views!!!

2. 31 Days to {cheaply} Organizing Your home: Day #2 {over 66,000 views}

3. 31 Days to {cheaply} Organizing Your home: Day #1 {over 59,000 views}

4. 31 Days to {cheaply} Organizing Your home: Day #3 {over 34,000 views}

5. 31 Days to {cheaply} Organizing Your home: Day #4 {over 19,000 views}

6. How I organized my weight-loss {over 17,000 views}

My BIGGEST referral to Organizing Made Fun this year?

...with over 263,000 views coming directly from Pinterest!

Next, was Facebook {not even close} with over 80,000! But, still Facebook is an amazing referral to OMF.

But, what blogs were the biggest referrals?


1. A Bowl Full of Lemons

 
2. Organizing Junkie

 
3. Iheart Organizing

 
4. Delightful Order
 
5. Money Saving Mom
 
6. Organize and Decorate Everything

   








7. Thrifty Decor Chick

 

 8. Tater Tots and Jello

9. Funky Junk Interiors

10. Women Living Well

Thank you to all these great ladies who run some phenomenal blogs! I am ever so grateful for your referrals! 2011 has been a VERY great year on OMF, but I must warn you that for 2012 I already have some really great things lined up! Tell your friends and get ready to see some amazing things.  The sneak peak?  Here's my series for January: 
Isn't this exciting? I've got an amazing, organized giveaway NEXT week along with the first day of the series on January 2nd...don't miss it!

 

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Parties:
Southern Hospitality 2011 Link Party

Merry Christmas from Organizing Made Fun!!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you who stop by OMF to see what I'm organizing next - and hopefully you are motivated too! I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

I also want all of you to know that the very reason WE celebrate Christmas isn't about Santa Claus or presents. We believe that the whole purpose for Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And the whole reason He was born was so He could die for us on the cross - Easter is another of my favorite days!

If you've followed me even for a short time, you may know that I am a Christian. I believe in the Bible. If you think you're a good person and you want to know more about Christ, please click here. 

 

Have a very blessed day with your family and friends! 

Merry Christmas!

 

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Organized Christmas: Little Extras and Tips

This is the very LAST day of our Christmas Organizing series. Christmas is just TWO days away! Yikes! I've had my kids home all week with me and it's been a blast doing lots of fun things together.

I wanted to show you a few tips and tricks I had for this year's Christmas decorating. One of my favorite decorations came in a Harry and David gift box that my hubby got as a gift from work. 

 

It's actually everything put into one box. Now see how it looks!

All the small boxes inside the big one makes it an excellent and easy way to store it. If you get some pretty boxes or wrapped presents this Christmas, you could replicate something like this.

It makes putting it away a snap, too!

Another thing we did this season was to string lights outside over the deck. We have yet to build a permanent structure over our deck - mostly due to money and more so: time! Most of the year we keep a large pop up tent on the deck to keep the sun from killing us inside the family room. Below is how it looked last year with the pop-up still up at Christmas:

The lights look so lovely at night, but we had a hard time figuring out how to string them to nothing this year! Since the fireplace has nothing tall to attach them to and we didn't want to drill a hole in there either.

 

So, I found an old umbrella stand - which is heavy - and suggested we do something with that. He found a plumbing pipe and put it over the top of the umbrella stand and drilled in a strap and used a caribiner clip {I had to look that up on Google}. Hubby thought I was brilliant - well, maybe he didn't SAY I was brilliant but I'm sure he was thinking that he was smart to marry such a brilliant woman! Ha, ha...

He attached the other side of the string of lights to our outdoor speakers - which, if you know my husband, is an absolute MUST outside...and if you remember our inside surround sound system he put in earlier this year, you'll know it's important. He also used a caribiner clip on the speaker to hold the lights. 

Some fun stuff! I really like it - it's beautiful and even with our crazy Southern California winds this month they didn't have any problems staying put. Happy organizing!

 

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