Kitchen Storage

For a few months now, I've been trying to find a good storage solution for fruit and vegetables in the kitchen. Since moving into our house, I'd been using a large white bowl to hold fruit and veggies. It worked well for the most part, but sometimes I get a little gung-ho with the produce and end up with far more potatoes, apples, bananas, tomatoes, etc than can fit in my pretty white bowl.

Then I discovered Pinterest.

Pinterest introduced me to joys and wonders of beautiful and cool things I will never have or have time to make, but alas, I spend lots of time there. That's where I found these very cool wall baskets. Perfect for the small piece of wall between the pantry and the fridge. Perfect...if they were still available.

My search began, and every time I thought I'd found the best basket, it ended up being the wrong size or far more expensive than I wanted to go with.

Finally, I came across some great baskets at Kohl's. They were originally $30, on clearance for $5 each. I happened to have a gift card for Kohl's, so those baskets were free! That's the best price ever. So, without further ado, here's my new fruit and veggie storage in the kitchen.

Nice, huh? I just hope the girls don't go crazy trying to grab the lower one from the wall.


By the way, if you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, click here: http://pinterest.com/fabfish

Space Saving DIYing

Lately, the girls have been helping me with the laundry. I've known for a long while that our laundry room needs some serious reorganization to allow for better use of the tiny, tiny space. I realized it even more when I was in the room with two little helpers. It was a tight squeeze and the girls are still just knee-height to me. I can't imagine when they're three years old and really helping me out! Therefore, I've started--you guessed it--a plan to make the laundry room more friendly. More friendly to clothes washing and drying and ironing, cleaning supplies storage, and even kitty littering.

The first step is finding a compact ironing board. I currently use a double folded bath sheet on top of the washing machine. Yep, it's as horrible as it sounds. But I believe I've come up with a solution. Two of these extremely clever folding shelf brackets along with a DIY pressing board in whatever size I'd like. (Thank you to Amanda at A Crafty Fox for the wonderful idea and tutorial!)

As I've always thought, starting a room with something cute and homemade makes it a better room to use...no matter how dreadful laundry can be.

Little Touches, Playroom Edition

As I stated in this blog, I've gone on a cleaning rampage. I have officially finished the dining room and, early this morning (around 1 AM), I finished the playroom. My goal was to dust, sweep and mop all the surfaces; hang new shelving and finish floor pillow covers for the girls. This morning, it was all about that last floor pillow.

Here are the results! (Click the photos to supersize.) I must say that I am very proud of myself. My dinky sewing machine broke halfway through the first pillow, so I had to sew those suckers by hand. And, of course, the embroidery is all hand done because I definitely don't have the money for one of those cool Martha Stewart embroidery machines.

The embroidered circles were my original design. In fact, I did a small version way before the girls arrived. I had planned on doing the pattern on curtains for their room, but that fell through. Then I started searching online and came up with the felt butterflies for the second pillow. I knew when I did the butterflies that I was going to love it more than the embroidered circles, but that's OK. I will not (will not, will not, will not) redo that circles pillow because I love it too.

The playroom will be ongoing--adding new art, replacing old toys. But for now, it's seems quite complete. When I finish the entire house, I shall have pictures.

Super Spring Clean

I used to be a neat freak, and I've always been a procrastinator. Adding two little ones to the mix did not make matters better. My need to clean and straighten was quickly replaced by my need to eat and sleep.  But now I just can't take it anymore. I see dust on bookcases and fans, dingy spots on my beautiful white rug (Yes, I have a white rug in my sitting room...about one foot from Lillie's highchair.), stacks and stacks of junk mail piled up everywhere. I actually twitch a little when I walk into certain rooms.

Summer begins on June 21. That's seven weeks away. I plan to spend the remainder of this spring cleaning my house. And yes, I am insane.

I do not intend to spend every free moment cleaning. That's just crazy talk! I do, though, have a plan. An actual plan written on index cards with little boxes next to each task that can be satisfyingly checked off as I accomplish them.

I will go room by room and do some serious organizing and cleaning. I will dust baseboards and get cobwebs out of corners, vacuum a mattress, wash curtains, scrub a refrigerator and steam clean the wood floors. (If anyone can recommend a good steam mop, I'm all ears.) I plan to locate my staple gun that went missing some time last year. I'm sure it's hiding with other things that have gone into hiding.

It began last week when I put together the first of two bookcases for my office and actually got books off the floor. I continued this week with freeing the dining room of dust and cleaning the window. Next up, remove the rug and play mat from the playroom and take care of those floors as well as dust the piano. I'm sure I'll find a (un)healthy amount of Cheerio bits.

There's an interesting saying I found that states, "Cleaning while the kids are home is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing." Well, it's going to be snowing in this house for a long while, so I just have to get over it and do my best.

Squeaky Clean

So...now that we've discussed organization and general tidiness. Let's talk about the actual cleaning. The let's-not-find-last-week's-can-of-soda-behind-the-nightstand kind of clean. (Unfortunately, I didn't just pull that statement out of thin air.)

With what do you clean?


I believe in keeping my kids toxic free. I've always used fragrance and dye free laundry detergent and dryer sheets. But in saying that, there are a few things that just work better because of the chemicals.

These are my cleaning friends:

Method Products
I've become a big fan of Method. They believe in clean cleaning--no harsh chemicals. Everything is plant-derived and people friendly. We use their all-purpose wipes, hand soaps, wood polish, stainless steel cleaner and home fragrances. I also like their wet dryer sheets, but the cost makes them a luxury rather than a staple.

Vinegar
It's a perfect way to clean drains and laminate flooring. In the drain, you pair it with baking soda, and it's a great way to freshen your garbage disposal and clear out small clogs. On the floor, it gets up gunky residue and doesn't leave a film behind. Hey, it also keeps ants at bay!

OxiClean
Formula stains be damned! OxiClean stain-treater works to get those spots out of bibs, baby clothes, and your clothes too. I also add a cup from my big bucket o' powder to the wash to make everything smell better and get cleaner. Oh, and it's great for spot cleaning carpets (but not so much on our red sofa). My biggest complaint is that it clumps on the cold cycle in the wash. The best way to prevent this is to put it in as the water's running, use a towel or burp cloth to swish it around, and then load the washer. I may try the little Max Packets for convenience when I run out of my big bucket.

Bleach

Never ever turn your nose up at bleach. It should be a parents' staple. You can sterilize toys, bottles, sippy cups, high chairs, bath tubs and even fruit and veggies (if it's super diluted). It will make socks and burp cloths and cloth diapers as white as the day you bought them. I pour some in all the toilet bowls, let it sit and then flush. Voila! Clean! To make the experience more pleasant, I buy the splashless Clorox bleach with a fresh scent. Not that I'm going around sniffing my bleach, but the scent does help cut back on the awful bleachy smell.

Scrubbing Bubbles

I'm lazy. Even though I love to see things sparkling and clean, I hate taking a long time to do it. I would rather my cleaning products work well and not require a lot of extra work from me. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you Scrubbing Bubbles. All those cute commercials are true. This stuff is a cleaning powerhouse. I spray in in the shower, in the sink or tub, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and wipe and rinse. It's amazing! While I was pregnant, I discovered that they make a natural cleaner. It works well, but not as well as the original. I use the natural spray on the sinks and counter tops while the original still goes to work on the tub and shower. I've even used it on the bathroom floors. I love it!


BabyGanics
I just discovered this company, and I'm already loving their hand sanitizer. It's alcohol-free, so I don't freak out when I use it and then Lille or Dani decides to grab my finger and chew on it. The smell isn't the best in the world, but it's not icky. They also carry laundry detergent, baby wash and shampoos, as well as all kinds of home cleaners. The company's motto is much like Method's--safe for the environment as well as the family. I did smell their laundry detergent, and I would recommend staying away from that unless the scent dissipates in the wash. I plan on trying their other products if the prices are better than Method.

Well, with all this talk of cleaning. I feel as if I should go clean some bottles. Happy cleaning everyone!

Keeping an Organized Home

Back in pre-twin January, I wrote an entry called I Accept This Mess, and even though I have accepted the mess that my home has become, I don't have to be happy about it. So, in attempt to kick myself in the butt and try to make my home a little more organized and clean, I've decided to blog about it first. Maybe by putting it out there in the Internet universe, somehow I will actually make it all happen.

The biggest question of all is, how do you clean when you're taking care of two four-month old girls who don't especially like to take naps? The answer: a little bit at a time.

At first, I found myself completely overwhelmed by cleaning bottles, loading the dishwasher, vacuuming, laundry, sorting mail, dusting, etc. I would clean bottles as I needed them sometimes, or let the recycling pile up until there was a row of cardboard spilling over into the dining room. Now, I try doing mini-cleans when I can. I'll empty the dishwasher or take out the recycling while the bottles are warming. I'll wash bottles early in the morning if I'm not feeling deliriously tired. I'll do small loads of laundry while entertaining the girls with silly laundry dances. (I have a silly dance for everything.) You get the idea. It's amazing how much better I feel when the carpet is fur free, or I can actually see my kitchen table instead of a mound of junk mail and (oh, this is horrible) unpaid medical bills!

 Excuse me while I drool a little bit over this pantry from Real Simple Magazine.

One of these days, I really am going to send the family away and take a day to super clean. I even have a list: clean all sinks, mop, dust, clean mirrors, organize closets and pantry, clean out the refrigerator, unpack summer clothes, store winter clothes, and vacuum. What would make it all perfect? An unlimited shopping spree to Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Container Store, or my new mecca so I could be the envy of all organizational moms out there.

What would I buy there? 

First, a wall-mounted mail organizer. My biggest pet peeve right now is the mail. I go get it; I glance at it, and then I throw it on the table, on the bar stool, on the loveseat. I would do a better job if there was a place for it, and I sorted it once a week. (Daily would be ideal, but I don't live ideally.)

Then, decorative boxes/cubbies for the coat closet and laundry room. I'm a person who believes everything should have a place. If I created places for tools, batteries, lint brushes, tape, etc., then things around the house would be easier to find and cleanly out of sight.

Hooks, hooks, and more hooks. Think about how much neater you would be if you had a couple of hooks in every room of your house. I'm serious.

Simple shelves. Adding shelves in the laundry room and the master bathroom would allow for better use of vertical space. With kids, you've got to think about places to put everything.

So many food storage containers, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Nothing would stay in its original box again!

I Accept This Mess

Hello, my name is Faith, and I am an organizational freak. I cannot claim to be a neat freak. Just one look at my office will tell you I'm not quite that, but I do like for everything to have its place and be in that place. I do not like seeing piles of mail or dishes or clothes where they do not belong. I am a firm believer in The Container Store, all organizational articles written in Real Simple magazine, and Martha Stewart's pantry would probably make me cry.

With that said, I am learning to accept the mess my house has currently become. We've been receiving boxes  from Internet orders as well as trying to get the nursery together, all topped with my inability to stay on my feet for long bouts and working my tail off to get projects finished. In the wake of all this mini-chaos, the house has become a little less than perfect.

The girls will be arriving soon, and I know that I will not have the time to load and unload the dishwasher, put away everything I use, or generally tidy up at the end of the day. So I'm looking at this current pre-baby mess as practice for the sure-to-be-bigger baby mess. I am trying to clean a little bit at a time, but it's not the kind of organized I like. And I must learn to get used to it.

I also have to get used to letting someone else do it. Oh, I'm that too--a control freak. I've been very good (I think) lately about letting Tim do more stuff without making comment. My mom and my brother came over and folded clothes and vacuumed. I kept my mouth shut except for the big thanks I gave them as they were leaving.

So, as I prepare for parenthood by reading baby books, buying baby things, and putting together the nursery, I'm also learning what messy is. And how it's OK...sometimes.