Spring Cleaning Boost~

SPRING CLEANING!!! Something I hope everyone in your household participates in:) It's a very busy time in homes, but the outcome is fantastic! This year I've tried to be more organized with the way I spring clean my home. I started by targeting areas in my home that are cluttered and need a good purging. I also really wanted to go a little bit more simple with my cleaners. Especially with a child in my home, its very important to me that I use safe solutions. So I did my research. What gems did I run into? Vinegar and Baking Soda!!!!! There are never-ending cleaning possibilities! I bought these at Walmart and I spent under 5$ for both items. That is a great price for a safe solution that can clean so many surfaces.

Here is a short list of cleaning tips that I have found very helpful and work great:

#Tip1: Scuff marks on walls. Make a 50/50 paste of baking soda and water. Find any scuff mark or crayon on your wall and gently rub it in and wipe away. Poof!

#Tip2: Clean and unclog the yuckiest drain. Poor some baking soda down the drain and let it sit for an hour. Then pour about 2 cups of boiling plain white vinegar down the drain. Run hot water. Poof!

#Tip3: Oven cleaning. Transfer some pure white vinegar into a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar throughout your oven and then sprinkle the baking soda on top. Let it sit for about 30 mins, grab a heavy duty sponge or some steal wool (both can be purchased at the dollar store) and scrub that grime right off. Poof!

#Tip4: Deodorize your carpets and give your vacuum a cleaning treatment. Poor some baking soda on your carpets generously. Let it sit for 30 mins then vacuum it away. The musty carpet smell will disappear. Poof!

These are just a few of my favorite tricks. There are so many different uses for these two wonderful natural cleaning solutions! (I will be posting more soon.)

Another huge thing for me, since we live in a small space at the moment, is utilizing my vertical space. There are so many different and useful ways to use that dead space. One of those areas was in my laundry room. I had all of my larger cleaning tools leaning up against the wall right in front of my craft room door. It was always a problem tripping over the items while trying to access my craft space.

The door to the garage is also in my laundry room...vertical space. So I decided to use it! First I ran to one of my favorite stores for organization tools, $$Dollar Tree$$! I found a wonderful selection of hooks. I chose these ones because they were the only ones my tools would fit on nicely, wouldn't damage the door, and hey you can't beat a dollar.

They worked great! I'm even more in love with my laundry room now. 

I hope these fun tips have given you some more ideas on how to use that vertical space while finishing your spring cleaning! If you have any tips or tricks you've used this year that have made cleaning and organizing easier for you please feel free to share with us in the comments below. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week! :-)

~Chanelle

Here goes...

Welcome to a new start! I hope these posts are somewhat helpful. I am no expert, these are just tips that I have found useful while living in a small space. 

About a year ago I began searching for ways to keep things organized and out of the way. I ran across this book:

I enjoy reading, but stuff like this really doesn't interest me. That tells you how much I was interested in getting organized! (haha) It changed the ways I looked at getting organized and how I contain things. All the information can be overwhelming at first, so I took a little longer to read and complete the tasks she has you do. I recommend you take your time. I really enjoyed all that I learned from it and am reading it for a second time. Although all my posts will not be from just this book, I thought I'd share some of her insights.

In the book Erin recommends starting in your bedroom closet. So off I went. These are before pictures. Yes, I know...a big unorganized mess. 

(These pictures were taken after I removed all items I no longer use.)

                                                                                           

First step: Take EVERYTHING out! 

It helps give you a visual of the space your working with. Side notes: I really don't like the wooden shelving in our closet, but I didn't want to put something of better quality in because we are renting. Eventually one day I will own an Elfa system! But for now this will do ;-) 

Second step: Purge! 

I made three piles. Donate, trash & keep. Purging is very important. Make sure that while you're purging you get rid of all the items you don't wear or use anymore. You only want to keep items that you are currently putting to use. I ended up going through my closet and dresser 3 times. I got rid of over 15 garbage bags full of shoes, purses and clothing. Keep items that fit you and that you will use NOW. Everything else must go. Reasoning behind this: If you're holding onto a bunch of items you're "going to fit into someday" you'll never accomplish organization in your home. Removing these items and giving them to someone who can put them to good use is more practical. This will also give you space for new items as incentives. For instance, If you are on a weight loss plan you will now have that extra  room to buy yourself a new dress or pair of shoes for loosing that 10 lbs. ;). Purging your closet is something you should try and do every few months just to get rid of those items that have worn or need a new home.

Next I bought any items I would need to finish my organization process in my closet. I love Ikea for these items, they always have the best prices. Also stores like Burlington Coat Factory or Marshalls have wonderful selections and great prices. Here are the items I purchased over time for my closet redo:

(Like I said I would have purchased an Elfa system as well if I owned my own place, so instead this is what I bought.) 

Third Step: Reload your space!

 Now you may think I'm crazy, but one thing I've never really liked is plastic hangers. My husband has broad shoulders and they never give his shirts good support. I'm always finding them at the bottom of the closet. It also bothered me that none of my tank tops would stay on them, due to no grips. So I decided to save some money and purchase these velvet hangers. Wow, what a difference!!! Here are a few pictures showing the differences I noticed.

(Sorry my pictures aren't the best, I'll make sure they get better =]. )

You can see the difference in the pictures above on the amount of support each gives to your clothing. In the left picture: my husbands shirts actually have good shape instead of those horrible bumps sticking out of his shoulders. They also offer great support for tanks and other difficult pieces of clothing. The velvet also provide the grip everyone looks for in a good hanger. I ended up only buying 10 black and 10 pink hangers just to try them out. Before I went and splurged, I wanted to make sure it was something worth purchasing, and it is!! I ended up purchasing close to 100. You will love the support they give your clothing. By changing over to these hangers you're also giving your clothes a longer life, which in the long-run will SAVE YOU MONEY! See I told you you'd think I was crazy. HAHA. :)

Here are before and after pictures of my closet for now (small spaces):

Me and my hunny are loving it! Our small space is actually functional now. 

"A place for everything, and everything in it's place!"

I hope you've enjoyed this post. I'm still getting used to it because for me its a different kind of personal, but if it helps someone get organized.... thats all that matters! Remember this, your closet is the first place you go in the morning and the last place you go at night. Make it an organized space and a useful place, instead of a cluttered mess. It will make your mornings so much easier because you will know where everything is. 

Again, I hope this was helpful in some way. I hope it encourages you to look at your space and make the best of it. If you enjoyed this post, please leave your comments below. Thanks for stopping by friends. Make it a better day!

~Chanelle

A New Start To A New Year~

   Happy New Year....a few days late! I hope you all had a fantastic Holiday. We sure did! This year was the most relaxing year, we really had a great time! My sister and brother-in-law were able to come up the weekend of Christmas and my cousin also came home from college. It was very nice to see everyone and spend quality time with family!

    Every New Year I like to write a list of resolutions, which I usually forget about a few months into my year. My main goal this year is to work on keeping my resolutions(haha).

This year I've written some things down, and I'm excited to change some old ways and habits. One of those is my organization system in my home and other aspects of my life. I'm no where near an expert. I've read some books, viewed some blogs and vlogs. In doing so I have come across some very useful tips that have made a huge difference for me. So that is what I will be sharing in the near future here on my blog, and hope that you find some of them helpful. 

                                                                   I hope you enjoy~

                    (Here are some photos my husband took of our little family before the holidays.)

                      

Want more information on his business click here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dustin-Bresina-Photography/127920084031693?fref=ts

Falling into Winter~

I can't believe that today is November 4th. Time sure goes by to quickly! 

It's crazy to think I've had my fall decorations up for 2 months already. As I mentioned in my previous post we love fall around here, so I have a blast decorating each year.

 

Our family is so excited for Thanksgiving. This year the big party is at my mothers house. Also, looking forward  (hopefully, depending on the weather) getting to see my sister and her family the day after Thanksgiving!!:-) My mom and I had  a mini-planning session about a week ago:

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween! We don't celebrate, but we had a wonderful evening with Kayla at Jubilee Cupcakes on SouthHill. We tried to be creative with it this year and make it a fun family night and it turned out wonderful. We ended it at home with my parents, pizza and some 'on sale candy.' :-)

Earlier that week I took her to get her first "coffee" (hot cocoa)! She thought she was just too cool for words. It was cute!

We hope you all are enjoying this time of year. Winter will be here before we know it!

Have a blessed week~

Enjoying Fall~

   I absolutely love fall! The beautiful colors, the brisk breeze...the delicious flavors of coffee that come out. (Haha!)
We've been enjoying this wonderful season to the fullest! 
      I found this wonderful list on Pinterest and thought it was  great:

   

Since then I've been marking off some of these fun activities. We've gone to 2 different pumpkin patches, which Kayla loved! Here are a few pictures...(will be adding some others from our first trip later)

I hope you all are enjoying this time of year as much as we are:) Many more fall pictures to come... Thanks for stopping by!

=)

Just Us~

   

   Our story began 5 years ago this coming January 19th. Me and my husband were married at 1pm. It was the day I dreamed about for years and it was finally coming true. I married my best friend! He has been the best companion to me and leader to our family, the best father to our daughter and the world's best provider! You're amazing my dear..

   Two and a half years later God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl, Kayla Marie Bresina. She has been the joy of our world, and has taught us so much! She was born with an unexpended situation that threw a loop in my perfect plan of life... or how I thought it should be. God had a different plan:). She was born with a Full Brachial Plexus in her left shoulder/arm. It's been a long journey and will be for awhile, but God has been so gracious! He's healed her in so many ways already. It has blown our minds what prayer and faith will do! She will be three this coming May....well in attitude she's going on 16;-) She's my sweet baby doll and her daddy's princess!

{A few days old}

{Today at Church}

    Anyhow, I've always enjoyed reading others blogs and have been asked by many why I haven't begun. So here goes... Most of my posts will be about our family, Church, and updates on Kayla and the progress she's having. We hope you enjoy:-)

{Taken in spring 2011..Hope to have a new one soon}