Cleaning, Purging and Organizing the Entire House

So it all started with me watching Marie Kondo on Netflix. But then...I watched some of Khloe Kardashian's organizing videos and BAM! That was it...I was hooked and there was no stopping me. Have y'all watched Khloe's videos? Or at least the infamous Oreo stacking one? They're gold! She's the organizing queen! 

I went through every single cabinet, closet and drawer in the entire house. I filled my car to the brim FOUR times with donations! I cleaned, purged, donated and organized. 

But first, let me say a little something about organizing. Everyone is different and everyone has different needs/wants when it comes to their own home. For example, I LOVE seeing those perfectly organized pantries with all the labeled baskets, bins and jars. It looks so pretty, but...I personally need to SEE what's in my pantry. My pantry is a place for "browsing" if you know what I mean. I'll stand in front of the pantry and look around at all my choices before making my selection. And to do that, I need to see what all is in there. I don't want to have to pull out baskets and peek inside to see what's available to eat, know what I mean? 

So for now, I don't use baskets in my pantry. I just try my best to line things up and organize them by category. 

I know I could use clear bins (like Khloe does) and that would solve that problem, but everything is still "contained" and it would take longer to retrieve stuff, with having to remove lids, etc. And not to mention it would also take longer to unload everything from a trip to the grocery store, with having to remove lids, stock everything properly, put lids back, etc. Of course you could always leave the lids off, but then they don't look as pretty. And you'd also have to wash all those jars periodically. 

So in my pantry, I want to see what's in there. But in my bathroom linen closet for example, I don't "browse" in there, so I don't necessarily need to see the contents. I don't ever stand in front of the linen closet, trying to decide what I need. So for me, it's perfectly acceptable to use solid bins or baskets to store things like toothpaste and nail polish. You just have to decide where your priorities are and do what works best for you and your family. 

So, here are some ways I got organized...

The kitchen cabinets...

Inside the buffet in the kitchen...

The linen closet in my master bath...

See the bins? I'm totally okay with having them in here because they store things like extra soap and toothpaste, and that's not something I need to see several times a day. 

And Logan's linen closet in his bathroom. He doesn't like having his stuff in bins, so I let this one slide as long as it's still neat.

The silverware drawer. I've had that green caddy for probably 20 years or more. I just can't bring myself to update it with a new color... 

The buffet drawers in the dining room...

This is mostly seasonal stuff that's only used once a year, so it should be easy to keep organized. 

This little kidney table used to also store picture easels. What?! I don't know why I had them in there, lol. 

Ah...the bombay chest. It's still not perfect, but it's cleared out a little more than it was. I store a lot of extra home decor items and candles in here.

And my Kondo-ed pajama drawer! I'm telling you...if nothing else, at least google Marie Kondo's video on folding clothes (and Khloe's Oreo video) Life changing, y'all! These p.j.s used to take up THREE drawers! But then I folded them using Marie's special technique and it saved so much space! 

The infamous kitchen junk drawer. We all have one (or two) right? I have to keep the rubber bands in a ziplock to make sure they don't fall into the paws of a kitty. 

Definitely not Pinterest worthy, but it works for us. 

I literally went through my entire house and organized everything. I donated all kinds of stuff...a crockpot (I got a new one years ago and still had the old one...guess I thought I might need two for a really big meal?) a foot massager, juicer, tons and tons of clothing and shoes, books (an entire Harry Potter collection, as well as all the Twilight books) and my Baby Blues comic strip books! That's my favorite comic and I purchased about 20 of those books throughout the years. They're filled with a collection of daily comic strips. I used to love browsing through them during nap time, but I haven't cracked them open in over a decade. Plus they're all available online now, so there was no need to keep them.

Just for laughs, this is my all time favorite from Baby Blues...

 Ha ha! Love it!

I'll just say one more thing about organizing. I run a tight ship at this house and I know it. But you have to stay on top of things so they don't get out of control. My kids have never been allowed to leave their dishes on the table and walk off. They've been trained from day one to rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher immediately.

But my point is, you have to have order and consistency to live an organized life. And your people have to be on board with it. If things are already a mess, it's much easier to just add to it by tossing stray mail, etc. onto the messy counter and forgetting about it. What's one more random item up there, right? Or not knowing what to do with something, so you just stuff it into the corner of a closet. But...if things are already organized, it's much harder (psychologically) to mess it back up. It makes you not want to throw junk mail onto a perfectly clean counter. You want to keep it clean, so you immediately recycle said junk mail. I know once I got my closet organized, there was no way I was going to mess it back up by storing random things in there that I really didn't need. 

A place for everything and everything in its place. Words to live by, my friends. 

I hope I inspired you to get organized too! Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa 

Warm Coats and Kitty Slippers

Thought I'd share some new (inexpensive) sweater coats I bought the other day. 

It's not very often that we Texans need heavier coats, much less gloves and hats, but I like to be prepared for those odd really cold days. 

What started my whole quest was a set of pink gloves my mom gave me years ago. I kept thinking how cute it would be to have a matching coat, hat and gloves, all in the same shade of pink. And watching all those winter Hallmark movies didn't help either. They all seem to have the cutest matching coat, hat, gloves and scarf. :) 

So I went on a mission to find a heavier pink coat or cardigan. I have a pink cardigan, but it's lightweight material. And since we don't ever get too cold here, a heavier version would work just fine for our "cold" days. 

Here's what I found at Walmart for about $16... 

And here are the gloves that started it all...

I bought that hat at Walmart too, for less than $5. You can see the arm of the new pink coat on the right. I think the pinks match well enough. The hat is reversible too. 

They also had this green sweater coat that I couldn't resist...

Here's how I stay warm on our cold mornings. Coffee, sweats and kitty slippers. And Cinnamon Toast Crunch. ;) 

While at Walmart, I found these cuties too... 

I LOVE this necklace! 

The tassel necklace was less than $5 and the earrings were all $2.88. 

I had to share this moon and stars necklace I got at Griffith Observatory too. I love it and it reminds me of my fun trip to L.A. 

That's all the deals for now. Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa 

Before and After...New Lamps!

I'm back with a full before and after of the new lamps! 

I'll be short and sweet with these descriptions. 


This is the "after" with the new blue and white chinoiserie lamps in the bedroom...

My nightstands are different heights, so I had to add some books under the lamp on the left to bring it up to the same height of the lamp on the right. 

I love how the bigger, matching lamps look in the bedroom! I think it makes a substantial difference in the overall look in here. 

And now on to the living room lamps. A quick "before"...

And after with the new ginger jar lamp! 

Once again, I think the bigger size is key. 

I love the scalloped edges on the shade...

And the matching finial...

And of course, I already painted the cord so it doesn't stand out. :) 

And last but not least, the other new lamp in the living room. Here's a "before"...

And after...

I can't tell you how much I love this floral one! I'm so happy it made the cut as it's even prettier in person.

I adore the crackly look it has...

And of course I painted this cord too. :) Can you see it in the pic below? I painted it to match the carpet. Ha ha!

And that's it for the new lamps! I had fun picking them out and I'm so happy with my choices. Buying online can be scary, but thankfully everything turned out great. Hope you all are having a wonderful day! 

~Lisa 

Guest Bath Artwork and Unicorn Cake Ice Cream

I finally decided what I wanted to put on the wall above the towel hooks in the newly refreshed guest bath. 

I took this pic from the top of Griffith Observatory on our recent trip to L.A. Then I printed it out in black and white and bought a new frame...

Here's a close up...

I love how it looks in B&W and I think it goes nicely with the black, white and grey colors in here. 

I also have a couple of food items for you today...

Unicorn Cake ice cream! So fun and yummy! 

I'm pretty much going to buy anything with the name "unicorn" in it. :) It's sweet cream flavored ice cream with blue and pink berry swirls (so good!) and white cake pieces. Yum! 

And this creamer. It's sold in the coffee aisle because it's not refrigerated. Although it does have to be refrigerated after opening. It's Almond and Coconut creamer, made with almond milk and coconut cream. It's made without dairy and soy, it's carrageenan free, gluten free and vegan. And it's really good! 

I got the creamer free when I bought some Starbucks coffee pods, but I'll definitely buy again. 

I had to share this button tin on my armoire in the bedroom... 

This button jar belongs to my mom and it was on her sewing table all throughout my childhood. I loved going through it when I was little. I was fascinated by all the colors, shapes and textures of all the buttons. I asked her a couple of months ago if she still had it and she wasn't sure. Then one day after I had my mom and aunt over for a visit, my mom said she had a surprise for me. We went back to her house next door and she presented me with her beloved button tin! 

I'm so glad she found it. It just brings back so many happy childhood memories. :) 

I also have this hobnail vase displayed on my armoire...

It's from my mother in law and I love how it has a floral design on it. I'm assuming it's from Avon because of this sticker on the bottom...

Anyway, hope y'all are having a good day and thanks for stopping by! 

~Lisa 

A Little of This and a Little of That

 So, I was innocently sitting on this couch the other day, enjoying these Lorna Doone cookies with a cup of coffee and reading a cozy mystery on my Kindle, when all of a sudden...I looked over at that lamp and immediately knew that it was time for an upgrade. I mean, just like THAT, I knew it needed to be replaced. Then I looked at its friend across the room and said "You too, buddy." ;) 

I do still like these lamps, but I've come to the realization that they're too small for this space. They seem too tall and skinny and I wanted something more substantial. 

So here's the story on the living room lamps (and the bedroom ones too, actually) About 10 years ago, my sister in law gave me three lamps. This one seen above, as well as the other one in the living room and another one in the bedroom. She had them for many years before that too. When I first got them, they were either black or dark brown. After about 5 years, I painted them heirloom white. Now it's been about 5 years since that. 

So all in all, these lamps are at least 20-ish years old and I've personally had them in my house for 10-ish years and they didn't cost me a dime. So...I think I deserve to spend a little dough on some lamps, don't you? 

At first, I thought I wanted gourd lamps for the living room... 

They're very traditional, easy to find and reasonably priced. But then I came across a ginger jar lamp. Here's what they look like...

I loved this ginger jar lamp! See how it has the pretty wood bottom and the lamp base looks like a ginger jar with a lid? I fell in love immediately. All of a sudden, I HAD to have one. I started googling them at online stores and it turns out, they're pretty expensive. Think upwards of $300. Gulp. So I figured I'd try and find one in the Houston area at a Home Goods or something like that and maybe save a few bucks. I literally went to 18 different stores in one day, looking for a ginger jar lamp. There wasn't a single one in my area. The only thing that came home with me that day was this Nest candle...

I mean, it's a nice candle and smells divine, but it's no ginger jar lamp. 

Then a friend on instagram (@meganinjersey) asked if I'd looked online at Hayneedle. I hadn't, but I hightailed it over there and found some good ones that were way cheaper (like $100 cheaper) So I hit the "buy" button and now I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival. 

I ended up buying one ginger jar lamp for the living room, as well as a pretty floral one. Then I also ordered two blue and white chinoiserie lamps for the bedroom. 

And to reward myself for making a decision on all those lamps, I got this...

Yum! A wedding cake flavored cupcake from Smallcakes. 

I'll do a before and after post soon with pics of my lamps. I already took the "before" pics, so I'm ready. :) I think you'll see what I mean about my old lamps being too small for the space. But for now, please enjoy this pic of Holly and Finn...

Holly: That's my spot. 

Finn: Do I look like I care? 

Every day, y'all. Every day. Holly is like the Sheldon Cooper of cats. You DON'T take her spot. ;) 

~ Lisa