Friday, April 17, 2009

Restoring Order: Fridge and Nightstand

Early in the week I was nothing but overwhelmed with the amount of order that needed restoring! Know what I mean?!

But, Wednesday afternoon - I got the table and kitchen counters cleared off while Emily mopped the floor (!) and things began to feel much better after that!

My little helpers and I cleaned out the fridge:

While it doesn't really look all that different, it is much more organized, shelves are clean and science experiments are no longer festering! (Ewwwww!) Things in here that make me happy: an old enamelware bowl filled with apples, a floating flower and a cute tea cup for baking soda! Emily keeps opening the fridge now just to see how clean it is and how our flower is doing!


The next project I decided to tackle for this week was my nightstand and the floor nearby. Oh. my. Yes, there really is a clock hidden under there! And, no, I did not make my bed yesterday. Thank you for still loving me. Ok, the before:

Ahhh - much better! And, yes - there is a clock under there!

Nothing earth shattering, but it definitely feels like a bit of order was restored this week! How about you?

Head on over to Rebecca's to link up your post or see other posts and come back here on Monday where I'll post a new challenge for next week! Have a great weekend!

23 comments:

Rebecca said...

Great job! Love the helpers! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh my word!! That night stand looked like the one in my bedroom!! I am glad i am not the only one whos gets like that!!!:-) I will get to work on it!! After the last restoring order post i sure enough worked on 3 other spots in my bedroom!! I think these posts are inspiring, thank you.tammyp

jen said...

Love your hoesty about areas that need attention- very motivating and encouraging to know that I am not alone in this area!

Wendi said...

Great job! Funny how something as simple as a clean nightstand can make you feel better.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle said...

Thank you for posting pics of your less-than-perfect areas! I often compare my home to those that I see online, and forget that people don't typically post their problem areas. LOL Very encouraging, and you did a great job! :)

Stephanie said...

I love that you put a flower in your fridge. And "well done" on letting your littles help. It takes longer and sometimes I have been know to go back over what they did after bedtime...shshsh. But well worth it to see them learning to help and enjoying it.

Isn't it crazy that one of the smallest tables in the house, the night stand, can gather so much stuff. You've done a great job.

I got my clothes cleaned out for the year. A small toss pile...a garbage bag full to take to charity and clean drawers. Even found a couple matches to socks I was missing. For me it's a good start.

Thanks for including us in the efforts to restore some order.

Nancy @ Homemade Blessings said...

Monica, my nightstand always looks like that (your before picture)! I clean it off and it grows right back again! It is my command central - where I keep my calendar, notebooks, Bible, and anything else that I am reading or need to deal with. It does feel nice when I get it cleaned off.

I have really been inspired by reading your post on Monday, and seen a number of areas in my life where I need to restore order. Thank you for this series, and I look forward to reading more.

Blessings,
Nancy

JESSICA said...

My nightstand is such a disaster also, I think that will be my project for this afternoon!

Jenny said...

I can't tell you how encouraging these posts are to me. It's kind of like the feeling I get when I see someone else's child throwing a tantrum in the grocery store. My first thoughts are no longer, "would you just look at that child!" but, "good...I'm not the only one!"

angie said...

How brave of you to have the girls help with unloading the refrigerator, and what a great way to get them involved.
I suspect (and note from your pics) that you don't use plastic storage containers for leftovers, etc. Can you tell me what you use in lieu of them? I would love to eliminate/reduce the amount of them from my kitchen.

Mrs. Pear said...

Great job!

I had to laugh when I saw that the fridge was up for this week! Guess what I cleaned yesterday!

I put our almost 4 year old at the table to color, and our 7 month old in her high chair where she could look in the fridge...a big favorite for her...while I cleaned. I tidied, chucked, and wiped down.

It looks so much better!

The Wilcoxson's said...

It is amazing how a little clutter control can make your day better. I spring cleaned early this year. It made me feel so much better to go through all the kids clothes and donate what did not fit anymore and just really got rid of stuff that was not needed.

Carly said...

I love the little extra touches in your refrigerator! So neat! Good work!

Anonymous said...

I love having my children help clean the fridge and pantry. We always have fun doing it.

Amanda said...

The before pic looks like my nightstand..and my dresser :( and every other surface in my home! The challenge for me is keeping it clean! I love this series you are doing--I always need help in the decluttering area. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Love the ideas you come up with...simple AND sensible! Old enamel bowl w/apples...yes, yes, yes! And a flower to greet you when you open the frig...why not? Love it :)

-Amy

Jessica said...

It feels so great to clean up those hot spots like the bedside table. A lot of stuff can get stacked on a little space. ;)

And the fridge, I'm just glad it's a weekly event at our house...otherwise I might have undiscovered mold/bacteria growing in the back like I did during my college days.

Thanks again for this great reminder.

PS. And how nice to have a little that is able to mop. I'll keep dreaming of the day. ;)

Megan said...

Monica, I've always loved you, but I want you to know I needed to see that.

Because I'm all warped like that.

Thanks for showing it. :)

Tracy said...

Yay! Monica doesn't make her bed everyday! ; )

I think my nightstand could rival yours for sure...there are too many things I'd like to read before I go to bed!

Thanks for the motivation, Monica!

Anna said...

Looks great! My little girl was "helping" me clean today. It doesn't go as fast, but I know she is learning as we go.

Thanks for co-hosting the series. I needed something to give me a jump start.

Jen said...

Hey! It seems like we have the same type of fridge! :) I did the same thing recently and my family said they couldn’t see any difference from the pictures I posted on my Blog. Not sure if it is good or bad? LOL! I love my fridge and yes, although it seems like we are the only one who noticed the changes in our fridge, and even if no one else noticed, our heavenly father does, for He knows everything about us.
Have a blessed Sunday, Monica. Can't wait to start next week's de-cluttering project!

Michelle said...

My fridge and nightstand look that way, and there is nothing better than reorganizing and restoring them! I feel peace when it is finished!

Ruth said...

I don't like to clean the fridge but I love it when it's clean. Such nice little touches, too.

My nightstand needs some reorganizing. i have a leaning tower of books.