Organization Part II

My nesting fervor (no, not expecting; don't get any ideas) hasn't stopped at the toys.  That was just item #1 on the agenda.  We've also been cleaning out the pantry, closets and bureaus.  The holidays are a great time for this type of top to bottom cleaning because sooner or later (depending on the climate in which you live) you'll need to bring out the warm clothes.
The holidays are also the time to think of others and the gift of giving.  We all have so much, don't we?  I mean there are things I want, of course, but relatively speaking we really are so blessed.  So when we're out and about and see donation centers for food banks or the coat drive at BB's preschool, cleaning out the house and paring down the excessive stash you've been keeping for yourself makes sense.

• Clean that pantry.  Living in the city we don't have the pleasure of a walk-in pantry although we do have a huge kitchen by city standards.  Our pantry consists of a 14" wide pull out door with floor to ceiling shelves.  There is lots of room for storage but it needs organization.  I culled out all of the canned goods and unopened pasta boxes and put those aside for donation.  I always over buy these items because I'm disorganized so now that I don't have a stash, I can more easily organize the bare shelves, label them and go replenish everything in a orderly manner.
• Weed out coats.  Man, I love a good coat, and our coat closet shows it.  We simply have too many coats and jackets.  I'm including BB and DD in this too.  I still like to have options for the weather and for different outfits and occasions, so I didn't cut to the bone but I made a dent in our collection and took it to BB's preschool for the coat drive!
• Walk-in closet.  C and I share a large walk-in closet and there are clothes in there that I just won't be wearing anymore.  Those all got taken off hangers and put in a donation bag.  ALL of my maternity clothes have been put in a donation bag for taking away this weekend.  I got rid of many purses and shoes as well.  This resulted in 4 garbage bags of clothes and accessories and I'm not done.  I want to be left with a somewhat bare looking closet where I can actually see each item when getting dressed in the morning.
• Linen closet.  Our linens are kept in a large wardrobe.  This thing holds our whole family's linens - so all the crib beddding, BB's bedding, their towels and washcloths, and our bedding.  There are also storage bags for BB and DD's out of season clothes and miscellaneous things I put in there.  I made a small dent but this is definitely a to be continued project.  We splurged on new soft and luxurious bamboo towels in a rich charcoal and light silvery grey a few weeks ago.  They go great with the rich slate in our master bathroom.  So once those are all washed and folded, I will finish with the linen closet.  I think the labelmaker makes sense for this project as well.  Also, we invested in some nice bedding for ourselves - a new king sized comforter and several sets of duvet covers and all new pillows for the family.  Towels and beddings will need to be purged.  Remember that animal shelters could really use your old but in good condition towels so remember them when donating. Old pillows are being purged, but we also need to get rid of the large collection of queen-sized duvet covers we have.  Some are hard to part with but it's gotta be done.  Anyone interested?  Drop me an email.

Image: Chez Larsson