I usually like to open my posts with a pretty picture, but that's not happening today. Yesterday I finally tackled a cabinet that was driving me up a wall. It holds all of my runners, tablecloths, place mats, napkins and some random vases and pieces of china. It was actually holding more than it was meant to hold and everything was unsorted and getting wrinkled. It had been on my To Do list for quite a while. With the help of Emily, we got it emptied out and sorted. I found things I forgot I had. I like to pick up table linens when they are on sale and some were still in their packaging. A separate box was made for the Christmas stuff and that left a lot of room. Baskets came in handy for the napkins, rings, candles and candle holders. So, here is what it looks like now...
I can finally see what I am looking for. We filled 2 bags for Goodwill, most of it was vases that I could never get around to using and a lot of mismatched dishes picked up from thrift stores. I parted with a lot that I love but I feel a weight off my shoulders. I can honestly say that all of my cabinets and closets are clean and organized, here, on this last day of January!
I snapped this picture of the ivy growing rampant over our windows outside. While watching the dappled sunlight come through one day, I was amazed that the ivy was still green. It has been such an odd 3 months with so little snow and such warm temps. It is in the 50's today, perfect for a walk or a little doggie do clean up in the backyard. I think I'll take a walk!
We skipped the lake this weekend to go out to dinner with the entire family at Rosebud in Chicago. I tried to fix this picture but you get the idea. Oprah rated it as her favorite restaurant at one point in time. There were 15 of us and we celebrated my father in law's recovery from recent surgery. Good food, lots of fun and laughter, it was a great Saturday night. It has been a week since I last posted...I have been blogging when I have the chance, but I have been having a problem with finding no comment button on some of the blogs I visit. I don't know if it is just happening to me as there are existing comments on the blog. Just know that if you haven't heard from me, this is probably the issue.
I am joining Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday and Cozy Home Scenes for Cozy Home Party. I'll be stopping in to say Hi to the girls participating. Have a great week! :-)
63 comments:
Good for you, Jane. I've closets still waiting to be organized. Guess it won't be happening this January!
Hats off to you for parting with some things. I'm trying to do that myself this year. ~ Sarah
not just you, me too, some I cannot comment on at all, your cabinet looks wonderful, ful of treasures
Oh, that is what I need to scratch off of my list to do. You did great, your cabinet looks so neat and tidy! Your dinner with family sounds delightful!
It always makes me feel like a new person when I reorganize some things and give some things away. Good for you! :)
Hi Jane, your linen closet looks great!... always fun to find things we forgot we had... also glad to hear your father in law is doing well, and you had a nice dinner all together... I think the blogs you cannot comment on have switched to a new comment form, I too have not been able to even find a place to comment on some, yet there are comments from others... mine is ok and it looks like yours is too... hope you have a nice time on your walk... it is cold here still, but we enjoy our walk anyway, searching for signs of Spring!... love your ivy covering your window... seems so old~fashioned to see that... xoxo.... Julie Marie PS More of my blog books are arriving today, can't wait!
Isn't it nice, now your linen cabinet is all nice and organized!
Sounds like a nice gathering with family! Hope you have a great week.
It's funny that you mention about cleaning out your linen area, because I've been doing similar types of organizing myself. I think it may be the mild winter making me do it! We've had warmer than usual weather here too, and it makes me want to do Spring cleaning or something. Feels good to purge stuff, doesn't it?
Since weeks blogger works crazy. So many features are not available... :(
Do you want to sort my fabrics perhaps? I must make it so badly and have no desire .... ;)
Hugs
Tine
I have been cleaning like a crazy woman. My husband is sick of going to GW....but it has been a good thinning out of "stuff"!
Doesn't it feel great to clean out closets and get organized! I need to tackle my linen cabinet too.
Hi dear Jane.....Oh your orderly cabinet look great. Would you mind coming to my house and helping me with mine?
xo
Jo
I still have to do my linen closet. I got all the rest of the closets done though. And all of the drawers in the house. I have taken CARLOADS of stuff to GW. Good job on your linen closet! XO, Pinky
You are amazing! ALL your closets clean and organized! I do not think that has ever happened to me. I KNOW it hasn't!! Not ALL clean at one time. ALL have been cleaned 'at one time or another!'
Happy 'JUNE-uary!'
Hi Jane,
Everything looks so tidy and organized!
So nice to get stuff like that off of your to do list.
We are in the 50's today too, boy am I loving it!
Say hi to Al for me!
Hugs,
Cindy
You're ahead of me, Jane. I have to organize closets and drawers here and I've been putting it off. I know I'll feel great when it's done, but it's the doing that's the challenge. Good for oyou!
xo
Claudia
such a good feeling getting this organized- it looks great and I know its easier to find stuff..
glad to hear you all got to have such a nice dinner together.
Sounds like you had a nice night out Jane! Congrats on the cabinet, it does feel great to check things off the list:@)
I'll bet you feel a great sens of accomplishment having done that, Jane! I know what you mean about linens. Last year, after Christmas, I had purchased a new Christmas tablecloth and napkins for my dining room table. We weren't even on the market yet and I had planned to use them this Christmas that just passed. Well, needless to say, we downsized and I don't have my dining table anymore. The daughter got herself a new Christmas tablecloth and napkins!
I am envious of your linen closet. I don't have a linen or a coat closet.
Brenda
I've been doing the same thing. I love tidy closets and drawers. What an accomplishment by the end of January.
Balisha
Good for you Jane! I am enjoying getting my STUFF organized too! Can't wait to start on my closets:) Enjoy your evening dear friend, sounds like a great weekend with the family! HUGS!
Doesn't organizing just make you feel good?? I know you smile when you open that cabinet now.
I also have had trouble finding comments on some blogs.
great job on the closet organization. i'm lucky if i get to fold laundry these days:-). i need to drop some things off at Goodwill too. hopefully, i'll get the time soon! happy week to you. xx
I must be on the same train of thought as you! I'm in the middle of organizing my bathroom cabinets and bedroom close! I even posted the ugly mess to shame myself into taking action! You've obviously gotten farther that I have! Nice job!
I love sorting and organizing Janie ~ but I do have to be in the mood for it!! I also have bags ready to go to goodwill as I did some purging last week while I was off. Glad you had such a nice dinner on Saturday night ~ it sounds like fun! xo
Your closet looks great. You did a great job of sorting and purging. I shipped 3 boxes of clothes to a friend that I know will/can use them this week...and I started working in the basement...purging and taking stuff to the thrift store. I am having a hard time letting go of some of my dishes, though...ugh...
I'm glad you spent time with your family and that your fil is recovering nicely! xo Diana
Oh, doesn't it feel good to have everything organized? At least for awhile. (smile)
It looks like a fun night out with family. So glad you FIL got better.
Whoooopeeee..... Is there anything better than a good clean-out? Nope, not referring here to my colonoscopy... :-) I've been going to post some pix of a similar kind of thing. It feels so good when everything's all organized. I think we thrifters end up with a little bit of stuff that we thought we really had to have, but later discover we really didn't need it.
Pat on the back for you!
Glad you had such a great family time.
xoxoxox
Spencer
That looks like some of my "to do" projects. Doesn't it feel great when it is done. Jane, I loved that you took photos of it. We all wish we were in the "after" photo though!
Sounds like a wonderful time at the restaurant and what a great thing to celebrate. So glad he is recovering well and everyone could celebrate.
Seems this is the month for "spring cleaning" though for most of us spring is far from here. Over the weekend, my Mom cleaned out a cabinet of dishes and placemats too. She kept pulling things out I'd bought a few months ago that I totally forgot I had.
Your area looks so organized, you're welcome to come to my house to clean something. If you find a good way to keep it clean once you've worked this hard, let me know!
Thanks for adding this to my party this week. I appreciate you visiting even though you've been busy, and hope you'll come again.
By the way, the comment problem is not just you. I've had trouble with the comments too, sometimes having to reload the page to see the comment button or having to click the publish button a few times before anything happened.
What a great achievement, all your clutter gone to Goodwill and forgotten treasures found again. That's what I call a result!
Well done, you!! The more pregnant I get, the more cupboards seem to need tidying!! I am waiting for the nesting instinct to seize me into a tidying frenzy!!!
Sarahx
Your linen closet looks organized and wonderful. Mine is a complete horror. I am working on mending a hand made bed skirt that is beautiful and extra long and lovely. It will take a while and ironing it will be a hoot. It makes sense to have clean and orderly places to put important linens. On the blogs that now have the reply/delete feature I think you click on the thing that says number of comments. I took that off mine as it was confusing. hugs, Olive
It always feels so good to tackle a project that you tend to drag your feet on! Good job. I also have a lot of trouble with leaving comments! Traci
Hi Jane!
Your linen cabinet looks fabulous!
I too, love organizing in January!
I worked on my crafty studio room this weekend. It took five hours. I filled 3 boxes for the Goodwill!
How good it is to see that you are out and about and feeling better, and to hear that your FIL had a successful recovery from surgery.
~Lynne
[w/L]
Hi Janie,
Your cabinet looks wonderful. Bet this makes you feel so good!
I switched to Google Chrome as my browser months ago...problem solved.
Happy day,
xoBarb
Your cabinet looks wonderful all neat and organized. How wonderful that all your cabinets and closets are clean and organized! So jealous!
Doesn't it feel great to accomplish something that's needed to be done for a long time?
Your cupboard looks so nice, and neat, Jane!
I'm sure whoever receives your things you sent out will be tickled.
So glad you had a fun time at dinner last Saturday.
xxoo
It truly is one of the best feelings when you finally get something organized! And it also feels great when you go to get something and can actually get it without a huge hassle :)! Well done!!
Isn't it liberating to get rid of the clutter!!! It is also awesome that you are organized now!!
Your big dinner sounds wonderful!
xxDaniella
Looks like it is a day/week for organizing. This is what I did all day today. 5 Hefty bags later...YIKES.
Looks good! I've been doing some donating too. I had a few sets of dishes that I bought at garage sales and used for a tablescape, but didn't really want for my own use. I decided that maybe someone else would actually use them.
It felt like summer here today...can't believe it. As for the blogs that you can't comment on, they need to change their settings to pop-up comments instead of embedded. I had to do that to mine and I've been sending emails to those I find that have the issue.
Jane, the cupboard looks so much better. Isn't it a great feeling when there is a place for everything.
I'm going to add the Rosebud to my list of restaurants to try in Chicago. I wish I could say that I have all my cupboards and closets organized this month!
Congratulations Jane! Now if you'd just come over and organize mine! Just got done reorganizing all my xmas stuff so am taking a break! So glad your FIL is doing well, how fun to be with family in such a great place as Chicago for a weekend! The weather here has been pretty warm here too this winter. Kind of nice.
Rebecca
I need to do this!!
Dinner out with family sounds fabulous!
I am having a tad bit of trouble commenting, even with Google Chrome. After several attempts I continue on through blogland. The box is there and I do everything I can to publish the comment, but the it will not go through.
Love the way you have organized it.. I still have to do mine :-)
xoxo Rozmeen
It's always so refreshing to de-clutter and share things we no longer need with others. Your cabinet looks great and how nice your things are neat and tidy now. I'm having my first ever giveaway. Please pop in to enter if you get a chance. http://www.cottageandcreek.com/Blog-Archive.aspx?id=2536
Lynn
Email: Lynn@nsytes.com
www.cottageandcreek.com
don't you hate doing that...but when it is done, it feels so good!!!
I have been gathering boxes for a big clean out this month. The craft area and fabric storage needs a good sorting and I just have too much stuff! Good for you, getting everything organized. I'm a month late, most people tackle it in January, but better late than never!
I did a lot of this in Jan. and it felt SO good to get rid of stuff. Secret now is not to buy more!!
Hugs - Mary
I LOVE LOVE LOVE cleaning things out and getting them organized! Good job!!
I need to do that same thing with a cabinet in my dining room. I am going to tackle it this weekend!
Love,
LuLu~*xoxo
Wow Jane! What a good feeling it must be. It looks great. Bravo!! xo
What a great job you did, your cupboard looks great. Now I feel guilty about mine. I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. Thanks for inspiring me!
You did well to get a whole closet done! It loos great. I have been slowly cleaning out dish cupboards and linen closets...the local thrift store loves me!
Hi Jane! Must be the week for cleaning and organizing! It is fun finding things we forgot we had LOL! I just did our closet and had 4 huge hefty leaf bags full. I had clothes from the 90's! I had a hard time commenting, in fact this is my third attempt, I was determined! Have a great weekend.
I remind myself that Blogger and Facebook are free to us and I feel that I shouldn't complain but dang...everytime they upgrade, something falls off the table. If the upgrade isn't automatic, those of us who continue to use the old (tried and true) eventually suffer. If I could revert from iOS 5 on my iPad, I surely would.
Now that I'm done complaining, I will compliment you on your cabinet. It does feel good to be organized and you look like you're good for the next year. Or if like me, for a few months anyway. ;-)
It is a really great feeling to organize things, and better still to part with some things. My daughter recently moved in to her first apartment. I found myself giving her all those extra dishes, pots and pans and linens. The funniest part is that I don't miss them at all, I just love seeing less clutter around.
Chicago, you know I have never been there. I know that it is a wonderful city. Great reason to celebrate, glad that he is better.
Have a great weekend. And Jane, than you again for always being so encouraging to me.
Karen
Your closet looks neat as a pin! Seems a lot of us are tackling closets these days. I've been working on some and have more to go.
You always eat at the greatest restaurants! Fun!
You're such a good girl getting that cabinet cleaned out, bravo! I too have been on an organizing rampage lately, sounds like we're all in the new year clean out phase.
Happy weekend to you,
T
Hi Jane! I have had the SAME problem with the comments button! What is going on? Very irritating!
I am so impressed that you have ALL of your closets organized. That is amazing. Good job gurly! :) I'm kinda glad you couldn't fix that picture of the restaurant. It looks really artsy. :) Seriously!
Hope you have another fantastic weekend! :)
~Liz
You are so organized now... and I'm a little jealous. ":o) I need to tackle a couple of cabinets myself...isn't it amazing how much STUFF we can collect over time. You did a great job!
Your posts area always such fun to read... a living, breathing family! I always love hearing about your outings and adventures!
Blessings!
Geneva
Hi Jane!
This is a great post! You have had a many fun and informative responses!
I have tried it all...I have been very fickle when it comes to cosmetics. (I was a buyer of cosmetics for a department store many years ago.)
For the past two years, I have returned to Lancome for my treatment and color. This has much to do with my age and my frugality. The line is moderately priced. I have a Lancome girl that calls me for every special deal and when I shop, I leave with a bag of freebies.
I have worn their Definicils mascara for over 30 years. It's the only formula that my eyes will tolerate.
My foundation is now their Lifting formula...yes...I said "lifting".
I have not purchased a blush or eyeshadow for two years. That's because the "gifts with purchase" have offered shades that work great on me. (Lucky!)
I worn both of the blonde brow colors...I prefer the lightest.
My fave lip shade right now is Fleur Impressionist. It's light...if I wish to rev it up, I use lip liner all over my lips first.
My fave fragrances right now are the Chanel Chance Collection... Eau Tendre for Fall and Winter, Eau Fraiche for Spring and Summer.
I am sure that you know this...but with a wedding on the horizon...Smashbox foundation and products are good. They were made for the camera.
I'm really not a glamour girl...but if I leave our house in a car, I have my makeup on!
Can wait to hear about your dinner in the ballroom!
~Lynne
[w/L]
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