Organizing The Home And Must Have Organizing Items

I do not know the artist of this but how true!
Or it means you have a cleaning lady!

  I have been working on deep cleaning the condo but that is not an easy task! Things got out of control after we had to move everything around for the painting in the bedroom and live in limbo for over a month. Then things just got in the way because: my husband went to get surgery delaying the projects even more, the holidays came, I did 12-14 hour shift baking/cleaning for Christmas, planning of an 85th birthday and now it is time to do a deep clean! There are a lot of Honey-Do-Lists that I need to be done that have been waiting for my husband, we need to reorganize, de-clutter and there are things that need desperately be replaced! But besides cleaning I have to figure out better ways to organize items so I have been looking at what I already have, what has not been working and what needs to be purchased.

 One of the main things on the honey-do-list was the bed! That got done finally on Sunday morning after I made him breakfast and he had his coffee. We had to take apart the bed in order to paint the bedroom and get it out of the way. He was able to put together the bed but the slats under the bed just were not screwed back in and it was a mess. They kept shifting for a month and it was a pain. So the bed was fix but not before I released the dust bunnies into the wild (the trash) and I did a nice full dusting of the bed. Now the bed is ready for the show off of the new pillow case and the duvet covers.

West Elm's feather gray and white stripe duvet and standard pillow.

Euro Sham in feather gray and white stripe

Euro sham in sol stripe in golden gate.

The ultimate duvet and sheet set from west Elm.

 I ordered new pillow cases and a new duvet cover and I organized the items to show off for the blog on Sunday. However, I realized that for the last 5.5 years three pairs of fitted sheets that have been shoved in industrial washers and are hopeless! So I need to add fitted sheets and flat sheets to the list of things I need to buy. I am a pillow case nut! I have a lot of options and perhaps that is why they do not wear out as much. Pillow cases are a cheap way to get some monogram items in, and they can change up the feel of a room for very little money.

My new duvet cover and pillow cases.

My new linens with view of my bedside table

Pictures from my wedding day, A personalized Kindle Cover done
by some one Etsy and Monogramed Acrylic glasses.

My new water pitcher unfortunately my personalized Mark and Graham Acrylic tray I ordered arrived with the glasses EXCEPT they did not spell my last name correctly! They left off the T and then the trays went on back order!
 I just wanted so badly to be "Lady Fancy"-- to be continued I guess!

Mark & Graham Acrylic Glasses

  After five years, I got my husband on Sunday to finally put up the utility gripper! I can hang up all of the brooms/etc on the inside of the closet door. Before we just had the sad skinny metal hook that the former residents put up and it just made the Utility/storage closet cluttered. The Utility Gripper works well and it helps create space in the Utility closet. I also want him to put in the Utility/storage closet a 6 peg ash rack from Crate and Barrel's Clean Slate Line. I lost a lot of the shelves in order to be able to place the vacuum in the closet. I still have some usable space going to waste so I decided to put up a peg rack. After my husband puts up the peg rack I will have some space under the shelves to hang my dust pan, his portable first aid kit and the other utility items. I also bought the beautiful red dust pan that is featured in two out of three pictures below. My dust pan I think was stolen from my mother in law and we have another junky one that I got at stop and shop. The red dust pan actually will inspire me to clean more or at least show it off at dinner parties. "La-dee-dah! look at me I have a beautiful red dust pan!" I also got it at 15% off in the fall with the two piece bucket and storage caddy which is helpful to store cleaning supplies when not in use. 

Utility Griper mine is in white

Utility Griper so you can see the how it is used and red dust pan/etc. 

6-peg ash rack and red dust pan 

Casabella two piece bucket and storage caddy.

  I don't like plastic bags but my husband refuses to use reusable grocery bags so the bags pill up. I however use reusable grocery bags and totes when I can. It wouldn't be a problem if I was okay with just throwing them all out but that is such a waste! On the Honey-Do-list is to put in the utility closet a Simple Human plastic bag holder that I got in the fall. I originally got it for the kitchen but the area was too small for the plastic bag holder to fit. I hope that after it is installed the clutter of the out-of-control-plastic-bags will be quelled. It will go in the Utility closet on one of the corner walls. When it gets full I will give them to my mother in law who loves them because she has three dogs. At our condo they provide doggie bags so we are not in need of them. If I like the holder I might purchase another one just for doggie bags since my husband does bring in extras into the condo.

Simple Human's plastic bag holder.

  I ordered via eBay four Swivel Store-Spice rack which is perfect for my small spaces. I actually already have three in the kitchen but I ordered them for medication, first aid kit and those small travel sized toiletries. The paper tape I am not so excited about but it is good until I can get something better. I got a really good buy on them! I got four for $27.98 (or $6.99 each) with free shipping because they were out of their boxes and the store displays. Since I am using them outside of the cardboard box I was more than happy to save! The retail price is $19.99 each so I saved $51.98 by buying on eBay. That is my golden rule make a list of must haves and then check around for the best price. Most often the best price is on eBay! But not always the best deal is on eBay, so you have to be a savvy consumer and do your research!

Swivel-Store Spice Rack

My organized shelf with the 4 Swivel store-Spice Racks in my storage/utility
 closet. This allowed room for my dog's medications

Action shot of the Swivel Store-Spice rack.

  I have two drawers in the 25 year old bathroom vanity. But the drawers are just gross, one knob is broken and you forget where your items are because they are out of sight. We use to have an out dated medicine cabinet that was in the condo but we got rid of it because it was dangerous and never replaced it. The previous owners actually loosened up the medicine cabinet so that when we came in it would fall on us and they put razor blades in it. Unfortunately, my mother in law and grandmother in law were helping my husband clean before I moved in and it was my grandmother in law who almost got hurt! The previous owners were not nice people and they also never upgraded nor did they clean the place while they lived here. They were upset about the sale of the condo so they decided to misbehave! They stole the custom curtain rod, they ripped out cabinets that were supposed to stay and they put razor blades behind the medicine cabinet!

  The bathroom and the hallway is our next project to tackle.  Since we are taking down the towel bar with the make-shift "medicine cabinet" shelf it was important to get easy to get to storage. I tried multiple shoe boxes but they are bulking and do not look good.  My husband kept buying multiples of items we already had and then we could not see what we needed to purchase.

 While organizing my toiletries, first aid items and medications I realized what I need to purchase,what I do not need and what items were out of date. I also had no room before to put my dog's medications on the shelf and it was getting to be a pain to have it in the kitchen. Now I have room for my toiletries, my utility items and my medications. More importantly I can get to the items so much quicker and easier.

 While I was cleaning and organizing I notice that my husband was trying to put his camping pots/pans and etc on the shelves but that is not something I want to see every day. So I ordered some Mesh bags for his camping pots/pans so that whatever weather he is in the debris does not have to come back with him. Then he can put it in his closet for the occasional hike/camping trip. I also got him something to keep his utensils in. This is so that his utensils will not fall through the mesh bags/causing it to rip and also it allow them to stay cleaner on a hiking/camping adventure. I also got new laundry bags since a couple ones that I tried did not work out and we have been mostly using one as the workhorse.

BSN Heavy-Duty Mesh Equipment Bag (Blue)

Coghlans Waterproof Vinyl Pouch, 10.5-Inch

Trademark Home Heavy Duty Jumbo Sized Nylon Laundry Bag, Black

 I have laundry baskets that are really nice so that I can keep the colors separate. I found the cutest ones from CB2. The hamper is very sturdy, it can fold flat and it is fun so I don't mind it being left out. I got just black laundry bags so that the cute hamper will not get ruined. Also my husband would not want to be caught dead with cute laundry bags so I just do solid color laundry bags! I cannot wait until we can ditch the condo and move into a house so I can do my own laundry the right way! But until then all that is white will be gray but at least it never turned pink! No but seriously I want to have laundry in the condo but we cannot. We did laundry at the communal one once and it cost us $35. The clothing came out smelling worse than when it went in! Then I use to do the laundry at my in laws but that was not a long term thing. So now my husband does it. So yeah it is done the guy way... 

Washing Machine Hamper

 One of the best purchases that I made in this condo is a slim Polder's Chrome mini step stool. Since we do not have a lot of space we use the most of our upper storage. The step stool is our most important utility item so that we can easily reach all of our upper storage items. It is perfect because when I was making the kitchen I designed one of the cubbies to fit a step stool but I could not find a perfect step stool that would fit in that designed area. Now when I am done with the step stool it fit right in the area between the wall and the cabinets perfectly. Now the step stool does not have to be part of the condo's decor!

Polder's Chrome mini step stool

Polder's Chrome mini step stool closed.

  For my recycling I have a great item the stacking recycle bins that I original got from The Container Store. I am happy that is now carried by Crate and Barrel because The Container Store has a very expensive shipping cost. I think The Container Store charges 10% or higher per purchase while Crate and Barrel most items qualify for the $4.95 flat shipping rate or sometimes is free shipping. Crate and Barrel in this case is the better deal. I just wish there were containers stores that were closer then I would not have to ship the items that I get! 

Stacking recycle bins in large and small.

  I also got four great storage bags for the bedroom which are fun but they help organize and hide the clutter. I got three with the saying "Great Big Bag of Stuff" and one that says "Random Crap" from Burke Decor for about $2.50 but they are no longer available there for that price. They are available for $7.00 each now and on another site ASOS for $9.50. They are laminated paper or something like that but they do well for just storage on a shelf. For $2.50 it was worth trying them out and if they rip they owe me nothing! They would be great for linen and bedding when not in use because they are pretty big they are 22.4 inches x 20 inches. The first one of these bags I put my christmas Ornaments and Christmas decorations in it. The second one I put the fake Christmas tree in. The third one I put in two different types of cupcake carriers (that I do not use often) and other travel containers. I still have one bag that I have not filled but I am sure by the time I am done organizing it will be full! 

Big Bag of Stuff!

Random Crap

  There are a couple of items that I would like to get for the organization. The problem with looking through all the clean slate items at Crate and Barrel is that they are utility items but ones that you wouldn't mine showing off. Here are a couple of items that I would like to get if budgeting allows and if they go on sale. There are also a couple at The Container Store that are not found at Crate and Barrel. These items are some of those items that you did not even know that you needed but now you kind of need. Some of the items are not expensive but they do add up! 

My got to have it list!: 

A pair of boot shapers with hangers. Tempted by the pink but for the long run I should get the white.

These do not have a hangers but they are also good for lower boots.

I cannot decide if I want a pop of color or go with the gray.  This is to go under my night stand.

I wish that they made this so that it would fit on my new shelves!
So cute! Maybe I will get them for my living room  bookshelf?

I hate cleaning out my fridge but after I do this might be a better way to keep clean!

Where was this when I wanted to make my own First Aid Kit?

Not sure what I am going to use this for but I like it. Maybe for cleaning rags, etc.

A handsome lint brush.

This must be the whole obsession with  Downton Abbey. Nice feather duster though!

I have got to keep clean all the new curtains that we have installed! 

For the kitchen. When you cook with garlic or other stinky food  you wash this stainless steel bar as if you are washing with a  bar of soap. Magically your hands smell cleaner or actually it is chemistry that does it. 

Stainless steel cleaner mitt that only needs water added.

To get rid of stains to be used with the below brush.

This is to be used with the soap above for laundry.

To remove all those annoying pills from your sweater!

Summer Ice Drinks For Less

The Waring Snow Cone Maker retails for $69.95 (this picture is from Crate and barrel)

Have you thought about getting an expensive Margaritaville or thought of dulling the blades of your blender to make your summer drinks this summer? Put down the credit card for a second and see a cheaper way to do your drinks this Summer. Pick up the credit card only after looking into the Waring Snow Cone Maker.

So you could just use a blender to crush ice for your frozen drinks. You might already have a blender handy. I have an issue with my blender. I got it for my wedding shower and it came with all these gadgets but it couldn't stop leaking when I did soup.  When I crushed ice on the ice setting I got crushed ice that was pitiful! The couple of ice cubes were tossed up the air by the blades but no crushing of ice! The ice was doing more of a crowd surfing that being crushed! The blender unevenly chopped ice even when I did small batches. I hate my blender and then after all that you have to clean it and have to worry about the blades cutting your fingers. It is not worth it!

I had at one point thought of getting a maragritaville so that I could get a nice summer slushy drink. But I did not have the $399.99 for a glorified blender. $399.99 was how much the Margaritaville cost when it first came out. People were going out spending that kind of money. There was even a South Park Episode regarding loans and the Margaritaville machine. Now the Fiji is about $349.99 which is down from the suggested retail of $500.00! But cannot be worth the price!  

Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker picture from Margaritaville Cargo website

Margaritaville now has a one pitcher blender that is called the Bahamas frozen concoction maker which is cheaper than the original Margaritaville and retails for $199.99 which is still way too expensive! I do not drink margaritas so I am not very familiar with the preparation for the drink. I think that the $399.99 original machine blends the ice with the drink. People have been doing that with normal blenders for years but dulling their blender's blades. 

The cheapest way to get a nice frozen drink is with the Waring Snow Cone maker. I know what you are thinking how can a $69.95 machine compete with the old Margaritaville that cost $399.99. I have never actually used a Margaritaville because I did not have the $399.99 to try out the machine. But if you want crushed iced for drinks and if you like snow cones this is a great device for you. With the savings of if you get the top machine of $330 or if you get the new cheaper Bahamas model you still save $130 you still save a lot! For the savings I think you can take the uniformed ice and mix in the ingredients yourself.

What I like about the Waring Snow Cone Maker is that it helps me cut down on juice calories that I consume. I love juices like lemonade and it helps me cut down on how many juice calories I consume. I fill up the glass with ice then I pour over the lemonade. I can use a spoon to eat it like Italian ice which helps it last even longer. Plus I no longer have to spend a lot of money to get Italian ices when I can just buy some lemonade or a syrup and it is much cheaper in the long run. I can decide how many calories I consume and I can get more run for my calories when I use ice as the base. The ice fills me up more and is a lot more refreshing. During the heat wave I used it a lot! 

I purchased mine from Sur La Table which ships items for free if you spend $59.00 and I purchased it through Ebates which I got 6.5%  of the purchase back. I also purchased a couple of the snow cone syrups through Crate and Barrel through ebates and got back 3.5%. I purchased them for about $2.50 which is much less expensive than a box of Italian ices which will not last you as long as a 12.7 oz bottle of syrup. When I first purchase the Snow Cone Maker I got a $9.95 bottle from Sur la Table that was from Sonoma Syrups Co which is a splurge but it is very tasty. At that time the snow cone syrups were the same price at Crate and Barrel so I just purchased the name brand that I recognized. 

But if that is not enough check out below what you can do with your savings when you do not purchase any of the models of the Margaritaville! 

What to do with the savings by not purchasing the Margaritaville

1.      If you do not get the Bahamas cheaper version you can hire a bartender @ $20 a hour for 6.5 hours and have the bartender mix the drinks. If you do not get the original price of the Margaritaville which was $399.99 you can hire a bartender to mix the drinks @ $20 an hour for 16.5 hours and have them hand deliver the drinks with those cute little umbrellas in them.
2.       Instead of getting the Bahamas model you could go to the Elemis Spa at Mohegan Sun  if you add in $20 you could get a facial based on your skin type for 60 minutes. Instead of getting the top of the line Margaritaville you could go to Elemis Spa at Mohegan Sun and get the Renew package. It is a 2 hours and 15 minutes Spa treatment which is a 75 minute Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage and then they resurface your skin with the Tri-enzyme Resurfacing facial. 
3.      You could probably throw a party a couple of times and hire the Merry Maids to clean up the party aftermaths. Prices of course are by house type and mess. But for $130 or $330 that is a good amount of cleaning. In fact you could just have them clean up for normal everyday mess and you could catch up with some good friends instead! 
4.       Add $59 pretax or at  $189 you could go on a 3 day cruise going to Bahamas from Florida. If you did not get the Top of the line Margaritaville you could be upgraded to the balcony room and still have $31 to spend on tourist stuff! You would not have to pretend to be someplace tropical you could be some place tropical! 
5.       You could go to the Key West Margaritaville instead you could get a "Booze in a Blender" which is a 22 oz Margarita with a take home blending cup for $15.25, get a cheeseburger in paradise for $11.25, have key lime pie for $6.99= including 7% tax (not sure what the tax is in Florida but... And still only be out $35.83 and probably could fly down for the day via southwest from CT to FL for $99 one way instead of buying the Margaritaville! Of coures I would also recommend tipping the waiter or waitress generously! 
6.       You could save it in an Capital one 360 savings account and get an interest of 0.75% as of this post. Here is the rates for their other products. 
7.       With the savings one could buy the Warning snow cone instead of the Bahamas Margaritaville almost twice or if you were going with the original cost of the Margaritaville you could get after the savings almost 5 of them for your friends/family! That is crazy when you think of it. 
8.       In these times hard times for so many you could donate your money to The Red Cross, Donors Choose.org, Autism speaks, and do somethings to help those in need. 

My personal Waring Snow Cone Maker

Le Bois Sucré

  I have been away for a while researching ways to make extra money by baking. I have been getting a lot of requests for my cookies but my cookies are expensive to make just for free. So I have come up with a different baking name which makes French sense Le Bois Sucré instead of Sucre Bois. It means the Sugary Forrest or woodland.

  I have had one order from my friend Ipsita and I am going through lots of issues. Well with PayPal it cost money for transactions and it is not eBay where they calculate the shipping for you. Trying to accurately figure out how much it costs to ship to people in other states is hard. I thought I would bill for the cookies then bill later for shipping but for each transaction I have to pay 1.9% to 2.9% of the total plus 0.30. However with PayPal it is safer to use and it connects directly to UPS or USPS. So as soon as I have the money it will go to the address that was requested.

  So I am going through major growing pains! But luckily I am doing so with friends.