20 Weeks: The Boys Closet – Cleaned!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Anisa

Welcome to my weekly update of my 20 Week Organization Challenge.  I’m on week 3!  This week I completed organizing the “Boys Closet Shelf,” which included storing their extra bedding.

We bought matching beds for the boys and once they are set up, we will lose the four drawers under H’s current bed.  I was using two of the drawers to store spare sheets and blankets and two to store the clothes H’s outgrown that we are saving for E.

Last week I tackled the boys toy storage in their closet.  Moving everything to the cubby-shelf freed up the four baskets that were on the floor.  I figured these would be perfect for the job.  I promptly filled them all up with bed linens and clothes.  Also we’d just been shoving the spare mattress pads (and other random junk) up into the corners of the closet shelf, since they wouldn’t fit in the drawers.

Here’s what THAT looked like:

The baskets, now full of sheets, clothes and mattress pads went onto the upper closet shelf, next to the toys I was already keeping put up high in matching baskets (like playdoh, paint and puzzles).  They all have tags so I can see which basket I need to pull down when it’s time to change the bed. I also found a space in the cupboard above the washer just outside their room for the humidifier, and I took some things out of the closet that didn’t belong in there to start with, like that box of cloth diapers for the new baby.

The result: Seven labeled baskets across the top of the closet, and no more random things shoved into the corners.  Nothing will fit up here but the baskets.  And they look great!

Voilà!  Another item crossed off the list!  “Boys Closet Shelf.”   I didn’t really realize how easily this project and last week’s project would perfectly roll into one.  But yay!  And bonus points for not buying anything new to organize that top shelf with!  Though fewer points, since I clearly bought that hanging organizer thingy for E’s clothes.

On the note of buying things, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite blogs: The Crunchy Chicken.  Last week she blogged about being Trapped By Your Possessions, and her past years’ Buy Nothing Challenge.  It’s a great idea and one I’d love to participate in, but I’m afraid with baby on the way I’d bomb-out completely.  I am going to try to limit my unnecessary purchases (more then we already do, that is).  But as I commented on her post, although I can’t promise not to buy anything right now, I can promise to purge until it fits!

How have you been finding ways to organize your spaces?  Have you made a list?  Have you crossed items off yet?

This post is part of the Organizing Junkie blog party!
To see what I’ve done in the last three weeks, check out my other 20 Weeks posts!

Categories: 20 Weeks of Organizing | Tags: , , , | 19 Comments

Three Cheers for Volunteers!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Anisa

Last week we went out to the garden and found THIS!  Volunteer spinach!  Hooray!

We decided to take advantage of the nice weather by getting a bit of garden prep done and putting a few seeds into the ground.  Rick also helped the neighbor get more ready on his garden by digging out three tree stumps and getting some major tilling and composting into the beds.

Our neighbor is cracking me up.  When he first wanted to do the garden he gave me free license for garden design as long as it included corn and potatoes.  Now he’s got definite ideas about what he wants and doesn’t want, so we are modifying the plans I made all winter a bit.  I’m actually really glad, since it tells me he’s a lot more excited about his space than he is letting on.  We’re adding carrots and onions.  He’s from Indiana and missed the corn fields, so we are planting four long rows for him to walk through.  I talked him into beans with the corn, though he thinks he “won’t like how it looks,” he’s willing to let me try it since I keep telling him the beans will help feed the corn.  But corn and beans are still a few month off.  This is what we actually planted this weekend:

Plant something – spinach, lettuce (four kinds), radishes, and peas.

Harvest something – eggs, compost and a leaf or two of that volunteer spinach.

Preserve something – Ah – TAMALES!  My friend, Jen, came over on Saturday and while Rick and the boys kept busy digging out tree stumps, we made a triple batch of corn and poblano tamales.  We ended up with 90!  Jen took about 30 of them home and let me keep the rest.  She was super generous and I’m very grateful!  We put away enough for five meals in the freezer, and kept out enough for Saturday’s dinner and lunch on Sunday.  And – OH were they delicious.

We also learned about making lard – we rendered pork fat both last year and this year.  But we learned a bit more this time around.  We ended up coming up short, so we added bacon grease.  I knew I was keeping that around for something!

Waste Not – compost and recycling

Want Not – Sunday we bought a few new baby chicks.  I really want a hen that will go broody so we can have her raise future chicken generations, so we’re hoping the Buff Orpington will provide on that front.  We added another Araucana, because I really love getting colored eggs,  and I’ve been thinking of actually, finally, selling some eggs, just to recover the cost of the feed, so we added a third – a Black Star.  Wouldn’t it be great if one of them liked to lay double-yolked eggs?  We had one pullet in the last batch that laid them nearly every day like a champ, but she was killed by a fox attack.

Build Community Food Systems – Well – already mentioned the tamales and the neighbor’s garden.  That’s it for this week.

Eat the Food – lots of items from the pantry.  Nothing special.

Categories: Chickens, Food, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes, Urban Homesteading | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

20 Weeks: Boys Need Their Toys

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Anisa

They just need to have a home for them too! Welcome to week two of my 20 Weeks of Organizing Challenge!

I’ve always been pretty good about limiting the number of toys the boys have.  I used these baskets to keep them picked up.  At first we tried sorting the toys into specific baskets, but really, I just cared that they were contained.  Here’s the system we had going in the bottom of their closet:

It kept the toys picked up, but it still looked kind of messy. Now, we have this:

The shelf is about two feet wide, three feet high and one foot or so deep.  H picked the colors of the canvas bins.  The storage system was on sale at Target so we got the whole thing for under $70.  It’s kinda pricey for us, but all their toys, with just a very few exceptions, fit in there with a little room to spare.  The exceptions were their train set which are in the two yellow lidded boxes which stayed in the closet under the hanging clothing organizer, and the big ride-on truck which is also parked neatly in the closet.

We intend to get a second hanging clothing organizer (so there will be one each for H & E) and when we have that, I’ll show you the final “after” picture of the closet too.  The freed up baskets I plan to use for storing the bedding.  It’s actually done now – more on that next week.  Voilà!  “Boys Toys & Bedding Storage” crossed off the list.

What about you?  What did you organize this week?  Remember to link up your blog in my comments with pictures, or you can send me pictures of your space and I’ll post them here to inspire others!

To see what else I’ve organized, check out my other 20 Weeks posts!

Categories: 20 Weeks of Organizing | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

DIY Pallet Compost Bin

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Anisa

This weekend Rick and I decided to move our compost bin.  Rick built it last year out of seven pallets he was able to scavenge.  I looked through all my old photos and posts and can only find a few random pictures with it in the background and no photos of its construction.  But that’s ok, because it wasn’t that great.

I mean it worked, we had two full wheel barrows full of compost (we put it in the neighbor’s garden), but the bin was poorly located, and too hard to move.  First off, we put it too close to the house.  It was really convenient for taking compost scraps to the bins from the kitchen, but it did attract some mice which wanted to move right in next door (in our house) when the weather turned chilly.

Basically the old bin was a two-bin system.  One side held compost that was almost ready and we added scraps to the other side.  Two of the pallets were hinged so we could open the bins and rotate things around as needed, but the whole thing was a bit unsteady and just awkward.  Here’s the best picture of it that I could find (that’s our neighbor, Haylee, in front of it helping Henry with his garden last spring).  See the vertical boards back there?

So when we tried to move it, it was all wobbly and heavy and kinda… well, you get the idea.  We decided we needed something better.  We built the bin Sunday afternoon reusing some of the same pallets and some scraps of lumber we had in the garage.  The new bin, with horizontal side boards, is in the chicken yard where they can have easy access to the goodies it will contain, and if it attracts mice, the chickens will take care of those for us too.  We’ll most likely build a second bin next to this one, as it was really easy (and we also generate too much yard waste for just one bin).

Here’s what we came up with, along with a “How-To” incase you want/need to build your own.

The design is based on a New Zealand Hot Box, modified to reuse the pallets we already had.  It’s roughly 3 feet high and about 4 feet square.  The size is, of course, dependent on the pallets you have.

Materials Needed:

  • (3) pallets in decent shape. Try to find ones with the top deckboards closer together, not further apart.
  • (4) 3′-6″ 2×2″ pieces of lumber.  We ripped a leftover cedar 4×4 post into fourths lengthwise.
  • At least (18) screws
  • (6) 1×6″ boards, approx. 4′ long each.  We had leftover fence pickets this size.  You could use (9) 1×4’s instead.
  • a saw, claw hammer, drill, measuring tape, sledge-hammer and helper

Directions:

Photo A

  • Use a hammer to knock the bottom deckboards off of the pallets.  Click on Photo A to see labeled parts of the pallet.
  • You may also have to saw the center projection of the runner boards off on the sides of the pallet that will become the back of the bin.
  • Using the saw, cut the ends of the 2×2″ stakes into a point.  These will be driven into the ground.  Two stakes will be used as corner stakes in the rear.  The other two will support the sides and make slots for the front boards.  See Photo B.

  • Photo D

    Photo C

    Measure the length of the pallet you plan to use for the rear of the bin.  With a helper drive a stake into the ground about 6 inches on each side of the rear. The stakes should be on the outside edge of the pallet.  Screw the rear pallet’s runners to the stakes (Photo C).  The wood on the pallets we used was quite hard, so we had to drill pilot holes first.

  • Have your helper hold the one side pallet in place while you measure and drive in the front support stake, making sure the side pallet is square to the rear.  The front support stake should be inside the pallet, butted up against the top deckboards and about 1 to 1½ inches from the runner that will be the front of the bin (Photo D).  Screw the side pallet’s runner to the back corner stake (again the rear stake should be on the outside edge of the pallet).  Repeat with the other side, making sure it is also square to the rear.

  • Photo E

    Finally measure the distance between the two side pallets.  This will be the length you will need to cut the 1×6″ boards into the removable front slats.  Fill your bin with compost and slide the slats into the slot created between the front support stakes and the front runners on the side pallets (Photo E).  These slats can be removed when you want to turn the pile or use your compost.  These bins are easy to make and if you want a second or third bin to rotate your compost, it would be very easy to build additional bins adjacent to the first.

To see more of my Do-It-Yourself projects click the DIY category on the right.

Categories: Compost, DIY, Garden, Sustainability, Urban Homesteading | Tags: , , , , , | 12 Comments

Happy Chickens Lay the Best Eggs

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Anisa

LOOK what we got this week!

Plant something – not yet… this weekend if it doesn’t snow though!

Harvest something – eggs! Even old Mayzie girl laid eggs and she’s four this year!  We’re so happy to be back in eggs from out own girls.

Preserve something – two quiches and a bag of soup went into the freezer – I’m trying to get some meals frozen for when the baby comes.

Waste Not – compost and recycling, scraps to chickens, etc.  And I’m seven weeks straight on planning meals!

Want Not – We scored some twin beds for the boys from craigslist.  They are a really nice set that can be bunked or not.  We’ve already set up H’s and he LOVES it.  We’ll be saving his other bed for the new baby when they are older.

Build Community Food Systems – shared some frozen green chiles and grape jam with my sis & bro-in-law.

Eat the Food – Duck was on the menu this week.  I usually have a harder time using our game birds than the elk or venison, but I am making a point to do it.  And I LOVE duck!  Served up two zucchini-green chile quiches using veggies from the freezer at brunch.

This is my favorite duck recipe: Doug’s Grilled Duck Breasts from Field and Stream Magazine.  So yum!

Categories: Chickens, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes | Tags: , | 1 Comment

20 Weeks: Bathroom Cabinet Rehab

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Anisa

For week number one of my 20 Weeks of Organizing Challenge, I thought I’d tackle our bathroom cabinet.  When I started making my list of 20 things, I went through my house and took a bunch of “before” pictures.  When I loaded them up and looked them over, the bathroom cabinet was one of the worst!  So it was first on the list.

YIKES!  That was our cabinet before.  You can see two storage thingies in there, but they are not doing their jobs.  And a whole lot of junk.

I do not get bonus points on this one, because I bought something to organize this space.  But it was on clearance for $8.  I bought a metal rack that has two compartments that slide out.  Here’s what the cabinet looks like now:

The rack on the left corralled all the bottles of peroxide and body wash on the bottom, along with the extra Q-tips and cotton balls.  The top holds stuff we use every day, like Rick’s razor and my makeup bag, sunscreen and deodorant.

On the right in the back is the plastic storage tub that was in there before.  I collected all the band-aids, gauze, and other random first aid items and put them in the box with the lid on.  We don’t use those things very often so I thought keeping the lid on would keep them all in one place and keep any random things that don’t belong from falling in.  I put the box length-wise in the back and it took up the back of the cabinet, butting up against the rack on the left, so nothing call fall in between the two.  I’ll set my hair dryer there.

On the right up front is all hair supplies.  I put my brushes in a little bucket so I won’t have to dig around for them.  The blue jar I was using in another part of the bathroom to hold hair ties and bobby pins. I very rarely curl my hair, but I don’t want to get rid of these tow curling irons (for the times I may want to use them).  I thought it best to put them with the hair stuff and to fill up that basket so I don’t just throw something else there instead of putting it where it belongs.

Lastly, in the middle in the front, between the rack on the left and the basket on the right are Rick’s clippers and hair cutting supplies in their case.  It fills the space there too, and it doesn’t get used often any more since Rick goes to a salon now.  But I do use it on the boys every few months.

Everything else was thrown away.  There was a lot.  I should have photographed that too, but I didn’t.  What did you organize this week?  Have you made your list yet?

 

To see what else I’ve organized, check out my other 20 Weeks posts!

Categories: 20 Weeks of Organizing | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

My Dirty Little Secret…

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Anisa

I have a confession to make.  I have dirty closets.  And drawers.  And cupboards.  And a messy office.  There’s barely room for me to type here on my desk.

I used to think there were two organizational types.  A filer and a piler.  And while I am a piler (goodness knows I like to pile), the truth is, when it comes to cleaning, I’m a hider, a stasher, a put-it-all-behind-that-door-and-no-one-will-be-the-wiser organizer. This type of “organizer” is a descendant of the hoarder.  (No Mom, I’m not calling you a hoarder, but you know we have at least one in the family).  I do get rid of things.  And I do have places to put things.  But not places for everything.  Maybe it because I have a small house?  Probably not though.  I think I’d still clean this way even in a McMansion with double walk-in closets the size of my living room.

So, this I’ve known about myself for a long time, and my husband puts up with it, mostly because the house looks neat when people come over.  But last week I came across this site, thanks to former Thrifty Thursday buddy, Tracy.  52 weeks of organizing.  Hmm… cool concept.  And that particular post, “Purge Until It Fits,” hit some high notes for me.  That’s what I usually do with the boys’ toys.  And I like it.  Rick calls me the toy Nazi, but I like it anyway.  So I decided to join in, with my own little twist.  20 weeks.

Twenty weeks of organizing.  I chose 20 weeks simply because I am half way through my pregnancy, which means I have roughly 20 weeks to go before the newbie arrives.  And I know that when I’m pregnant, I’m highly motivated to clean.  I nest with the best!  And also because I have to get the office out of the office and set up somewhere (where???) else in the house because we need this room for the baby.

To the challenge!

Step one: identify and list 20 areas that need organizing/reorganizing.  Keep the projects small – don’t list “organize office,” that’s too broad.  Go with “organize junk drawer,” and “clean off printer table,” etc.

Step two: organize those areas – one per week, don’t get overwhelmed.

Step three: Document your progress and share it!  I’m going to strive for before and after photos of each of my 20 items. I’d really love it if someone else wanted to join me in this challenge.  But your moral support and the blog accountability will do too.

Bonus points: organizing your stuff using or re-purposing what you already have as opposed to buying new things to organize with.

So my list for the next 20 weeks… in no particular order:

  1. Bathroom cabinet
  2. Boys closet shelf
  3. Boys toys & bedding storage
  4. Desktop
  5. Office corners
  6. Office closet upper shelf
  7. Junk drawers
  8. Buffet
  9. Our bedroom closet
  10. Kitchen desk area
  11. Boys clothes
  12. Move desk out of office/new baby room
  13. Make a place for table linens
  14. Canned goods/canning and food storage supplies
  15. Find a place for Rick’s work clothes and my business supplies
  16. Kitchen glasses cupboard
  17. Bathroom linens
  18. Scrapbooking table
  19. My sewing items
  20. Lower kitchen appliance cabinet

Stay tuned later this week for the after photos of the bathroom cabinet, which I completed this weekend.  What about you?  What kind of organizer are you?  Do you have any cluttered areas you keep behind closed doors?

Categories: 20 Weeks of Organizing | Tags: , , , | 15 Comments

Still Working Towards Independence

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Anisa

So I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen an Independence Days update.  Since October I think.  Well we’ve still been working, just nothing consistent over the winter, and no planting since that last post either.

My friend Annie has been keeping track through the winter and I am so impressed by her.  I thought I’d finally update what we’ve had in the last two weeks or so.  Also – I’ve totally lost count of the weeks (somewhere in the 40’s, I’m sure).  So going forward no more counting… just updates as they come.

Plant something – nothing yet.

Harvest something – eggs!  Some of the hens have started up laying again.  Hooray!  Two eggs last week, so far, another eight this week.  Yippee!

Preserve something – turkey stock – that’s all.

Waste Not – compost and recycling, scraps to chickens, etc.  Kept up the meal planning – 6 weeks straight now!  Made some turkey stock from the bones of a turkey and some rather limp veggies from the bottom of the fridge.  Went through the boys’ clothes and toys again.  Also sorted through Rick & my closet.  With a small house I just don’t have room to keep this stuff around.  So some other lucky kids will benefit from the Goodwill donations.  I did pull about 8 jackets and sweatshirts that I’m going to take to the used kids clothing shop to sell.  They usually buy that stuff, and for some reason, this season we ended up with a kajillion jackets for each kiddo.

Want Not – ordered seeds!  Hip hip hooray! – More on this below.  Also we got black-out/thermal drapes for the boys’ room.  They have old wooden single pane windows back there, and although we put up storm windows and the plastic, they were still freezing cold.  We hung up one set of curtains on one window and put a quilt over the other window (we’re waiting to hang the second set until we move their room around when E leaves the crib soon).  But just that little change has made a huge difference in the temperature of their bedroom.

Build Community Food Systems – Our neighbor ordered potato seeds for us to share and we got the corn and beans and carrots he wanted.  Plus we ordered veggies for our space, and based on some hopeful swapping with some friends, even modified what we were going to plant in some areas.  🙂

Also blogged about Non-GMO seeds and that sparked a conversation on Facebook with a friend who is working on her first garden at her home.  A little something.

Eat the Food – Turkey from the freezer.  Chiles, corn, jalapeño powder, pickles, frozen tomatoes, peaches, plums, elk, grouse, pheasant, beans and jams all getting used.  We’re really working through the freezer this year.  Our onions, garlic, potatoes, winter squash, strawberries and raspberries are all completely gone already.

Categories: Independence Days | Tags: , , , | 5 Comments

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