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I also really really didn't want to deal with putting away the decorations. The boxes & bins are all the way in the far corner of the basement. On the floor. I don't have the right storage for everything. Maybe I would really rather put everything in the attic...
Isn't that just.so.gorgeous?!? Note how the different holidays are in color coded bins. Lovely and brilliant!
Sometimes I let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So what if I don't have a perfect system yet. I would much rather sacrifice (temporarily) some hidden spaces for a clutter-free living space. And there is nothing like a pile of something in this house to make everyone feel like it's perfectly okay to dump their stuff wherever (and as I look around I see that I am the worst offender in this category...).
This morning I decided to try to get done as much as I could before breakfast. While my coffee was brewing I quickly unloaded the dishwasher, then emptied the sink. I lost the race--the coffee was done before I was--but I won a clean kitchen.
While I sipped my coffee I started walking around the main living area, scooping things up into small piles and returning them to where they belonged. One pile was just kids' toys. I found a cap gun under a chair, headphones on the entertainment center, a Jack & Annie book on the console table. Binoculars, walkie talkies, and other spy gear strewn across the bar.
Another pile was stuff for the laundry room/mudroom. Gloves & mittens that had been left out. A hat. The dog's leash. Some new clothes that need to be washed.
All the while, I was collecting the assorted Christmas decorations for another pile that will be stashed in the bins in the basement until I can re-create the awesome system from Attic Maxx. But that will require a plan, and I'll need more than just the time before my day begins to make it happen.
Catholic monk and poet Thomas Merton wrote that happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony. This morning, in less than 30 minutes, I was able to return a little bit of that happiness to our home. What can you do right now to make your home more organized? Take one teensy step and see where it leads you.
Happy Friday everyone!
I usually like to keep our tree up until Epiphany (Twelfth Night, Three Kings Day, whatever), but this year, because we were hosting a New Year's Eve party, I had to take it down to make room in the living room. All of my other Christmas decorations are still up, though. I'll probably pack them away this Sunday--Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear there are American Catholics who celebrate this way, too! Sunday will be a good day to put away our Nativity scenes. Happy New Year, Elizabeth!
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