I got up later than I’d planned this morning and felt like I was sort of chasing my tail all day long. However, because of the good routine we’re getting into and because of the hard work we’ve done to deep clean the house this week, the whole day didn’t feel derailed and I ended up getting most of the things done that I’d hoped to accomplish.
I’ve been doing a really good job of doing one load of laundry from start to finish every day this week. I’m amazed at how much this is helping our days go smoother — and how happy it makes me to know that all the laundry is done when I go to bed.
One thing that has made this to actually happen is that the kids have been folding and putting away the load of laundry every afternoon. So all I’ve had to do was start and switch the load — and then remind them to fold and put it away in the afternoon.
I may have solved my years-long battle of the laundry pile! And that is HUGE!
Kaitlynn made me breakfast this morning. She loves to serve me and is always looking for little ways to do so. Today, she presented me with a bowl of oatmeal that had chopped bananas on it. Yum!
Yesterday, she brought me a fresh cup of coffee almost first thing in the morning. It was totally her idea and it blessed me so much.
Moms of littles, I just want to encourage you: your hard work will pay off. Keep loving, teaching, and nurturing those babies of yours and someday soon, they’ll be making you breakfast, helping with laundry, and encouraging you throughout the day.
Silas practiced writing out numbers today, as well as working on learning basic clock-reading skills. He also did some Do-a-Dot letter printables.
While I was helping Silas with Kindergarten, Jesse made dinner and popped it in the crock pot. Yes, folks, I am so very blessed. Truly, I am blown away by this man that I married. And I fall more in love with him every day.
Life isn’t always all roses and rainbows and we have our struggles and arguments, but for the most part, we are just loving this lifestyle of us both working together and sharing homeschooling responsibilities, and all working together to keep our home running. I’m beyond grateful for this blog (and you all who read here) and how you help make this possible for our family.
All those years of hard work, sacrifices, and living on little have borne much more fruit than we could have dreamed. We have no idea whether this is just a season or a forever thing, but we’re seeking to embrace the here and now and loving where we’re at and how it allows us to get to spend so much time together.
After Jesse made dinner and we’d finished breakfast and morning chores, he left for a meeting and to run some errands. The rest of our morning was spent cleaning, doing morning chores, homeschooling, and reading aloud together.
When Jesse got home, I finished reading the last two chapters of our current read aloud book while he made lunch — it was bacon and eggs today. Yum!
And then he took over homeschooling and I headed out to finally run on the treadmill, take a shower, and do some blogging and business work.
Later in the afternoon, the kids came outside to help me shoot the pictures for my Apple Pie post. They LOVE to help me set up and take photos for my blog posts.
Kathrynne, especially, has really gotten into giving me ideas and suggestions for how to set things up and angles to take pictures from. When I was finished with taking pictures, she took the camera and snapped some more for me.
When I was finished with the Apple Pie photos, I quickly put on a little make up and headed out the door for a meeting in town with a few of my team members. We had our end-of-year meetings last week and are in the process of making some changes for 2015, so a few of us had to meet to put things in place to move forward with one of the action items.
I so LOVE the team of people I get to work with. Not only are each of them amazing and skilled, but more importantly, they are my friends. We share so much more than business stuff with each other and that’s what makes working together so much fun.
While I was at my manager’s office, I also got to pop in and see all of the boxes and boxes of orders being packaged up and shipped out. There have been a team of people working hard to get all orders out in a timely manner for Christmas. This is our first year to offer products, so it’s been a learning experience and we so appreciate your patience and input as we’re learning the ropes and growing in this way.
By the way, can you believe that we’re now completely SOLD OUT of all the Gratitude Journals? We have enough to send out all the orders that came in through this afternoon, but we had to pull it from our site this evening as we are almost completely out of stock and we just discovered that our publisher doesn’t have any more in stock, either!
The publisher is getting another big order printed and shipped in right now, but that’s going to take at least 6 weeks or so. In the mean time, getting your hands on a Gratitude Journal is going to be bit hard to do. We think a few Christian stores may still have some in stock, as well as possibly a few places online.
Basically, you all BLEW US AWAY with your excitement and orders. And we ended up selling 10 TIMES MORE than I expected we’d be able to sell by Christmas. I don’t know what to say other than thank you for believing in this idea of mine and being excited about it! I’m truly speechless and humbly grateful. You all mean the world to me!
I finally got around to cleaning the bathrooms tonight. Well, let me take that back: I started to clean the bathrooms and then realized that there was no way I could get to every single part of the bathrooms I wanted to and still go to bed by 11:30 p.m. tonight.
So instead, I decided to just focus most of my efforts on the bathroom drawers in the Master Bathroom drawers. Because clearly, these needed some serious help.
Yikes! I cannot believe I’m posting these publicly.
And yet another, really awful drawer.
I pulled everything out — and it was a little overwhelming!
I used a rag to wipe down the insides and then tossed some things, put some items in the shelves in the bathroom cupboard, and re-organized the rest.
I think I need to find some drawer organizers for all the little things. Still thinking on what would be best there — I welcome suggestions of drawer organizers or how you keep your bathroom drawers from looking like a Stuff Bomb exploded inside of them!
Leave a Comment & You Could Win This Stack of Books!
In my cleaning today, I found some more books that I’d love to pass on to a good home, most all that are ones I’ve loved and just want to share with someone who could be encouraged by them! Plus, I threw in a copy of both my audiobook, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and a copy of my new Choose Gratitude Blessings Journal that’s now out of stock in our store (I have a few copies left!), and a copy of my first book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.
Who wants to win them? To win, just leave a comment on this post and I’ll choose one winner tomorrow evening and will mail them to you so you’ll have them in time for Christmas. Some of these books are great condition and might even work as gifts for people on your Christmas list!
Did you work on cleaning your house today? If you blogged about participating in this Clean Your House For Christmas Challenge, leave the direct link to your post below that is specifically about this challenge. Or, leave a comment telling us how your cleaning went today.
The winner of yesterday’s stack of books is Sara (sara.perrera@) — I sent you an email tonight to ask for your address.
Thank you for being so honest and open!
Living room done even scrubbed the spots in the carpet with the best homemade cleaner found on Pinterest!
We put up our Christmas tree, decorated the house, and outside. Whew, it was busy but I love seeing all of the fun memories and looking at my various nativity scenes which remind us about the true gift of Christmas.
I cleaned my drawers too. Amazing.
I am trying only keeping the everyday essentials in one drawer.
Today I tackled my daughter’s closet. I only got half finished but I’m giving myself grace and going to get the rest finished tomorrow 🙂 Love this part of your blog!
I would love lots of books for winter reading!
My bathroom drawers look just like your before pictures, and I hope mine can look like your after pictures too.
My bathroom is on my to do list…needs some major organizational help!
This is great! Thanks!
I had forced cleaning today- boy threw up in the bathroom! I really didn’t need an excuse to clean, just some motivation. Thanks for a chance at a great giveaway.
Your “keeping it real” posts are most encouraging. Thanks for sharing! (And the chance to win the wonderful resources–books!! 🙂 )
Ok I am inspired to clean out my junk drawer-just not tonight! I will tackle it tomorrow. Thanks for the books-I would love to read them all.
Just so you know, I have shelves in my bathroom that are messier than your drawers! I recently cleaned one shelf and I’ll clean another one tomorrow! haha
I really enjoy reading these life updates! Thanks for sharing them with us!
I hope to win! 🙂 Your books sound amazing! I can’t wait to get ahold of one of those gratitude journals! Thank you for always posting such inspirational posts!
I would love to win this stack of books!
I would love to win those books 🙂
Thanks for the chance!
Unfortunately my bathrooms drawers are messier than yours! I’d love the books!
I am determined to tackle my bathroom this weekend. Thank you
Fantastic job, I’d love to win!
I love to read and those books look interesting.
I’d love to win these books! 🙂
Thank you for offering these books to your readers!
We are getting ready to move overseas and I would love the reading material
I always look forward to reading my email updates from you and checking in on your blog and facebook, I’m blessed and encouraged by your blog, thanks so much! You should try chocolate ice cream on your apple pie next time, I don’t know why but it is delicious, maybe the cinnamon and chocolate combo…
Great job!
This would be great to read for some great winter reading!
Thanks for posting! I’d love to win your stack of books!
You did a great job cleaning out your bathroom drawers. It is just amazing all the things that accumulate in them. Thanks for the book giveaway!
I love following your blog and would love to win some books 🙂
I love to read, and some of those book titles are calling my name. A gratitude journal is just what I need for 2015. Thanks for your amazing posts. I look forward to reading them everyday.
My cleaning today resulted in a huge pile of things taken to Goodwill and also some things taken to the recycling center! And what a really awesome stack of books!
I’m so inspired, my bathroom is a wreck, I’m definitely going to tackle it soon. I would love love love to win that stack of books, even though I’ll probably end up reading them instead of cleaning my bathroom 😉
These posts are such an encouragement to me! Thank you so much for being open and honest about your day and sharing it with us! And thank you for offering drawings like your book drawings!
Thanks for the encouragement and the chance to win some books!
I really love how you and Jesse have such a great relationship and tackle goals together and support eachother. With all the negativity on the internet, it is very refreshing to read your blog. Don’t worry, my bathroom looks the same! I did do the challenge today, but I did the surfaces – toilet and sink. I was taking your advice from Say Goodbye to Survival Mode about how much you can get done when your kid is in the bathtub and when you get up early. I got up an hour early, cleaned the bathroom while my toddler was in the tub and then we shared a nice breakfast at the table together before we saw Daddy off to work. It was a wonderful start to our day. Thank you so much for your valuable posts and books!
Woohoo! I’m so proud of you!
Love the encouragement for mine are little too. Hoping to get some cleaning done this weekend.
My daughter woke up with a stomach bug, so I accomplished nothing but spending the day with her. Poor kid.
I cleaned a little bit. More just the basic, routine maintenance. Would love to win! Thanks
I love these posts! New baby is slowing me down a little but I keep plugging along.
I saw the Ann Voskamp book and had to post a comment just for the chance to win her book! I’m sure the rest are great, too, thanks for the book giveaways.
This looks like a great selection of books! Thanks for sharing them! 🙂
I have an idea (that I’ll be doing in my drawer), since I saw that you have bobby pins… I went and bought a roll, but using the magnet that is intended to have a business card slapped on it will work, too. Instead of sticking to a card, stick it to the inside of drawer (or metal medicine cabinet!) for bobby pins, tweezers, clippers and the like.
And, what a great stack of books. Please enter me! 😉
My bathroom drawers are pretty bad too! I just keep going little by little cleaning them out.
Would love to win the stack of books! I ordered the gratitude journal this week using a birthday gift card from last July. Can’t wait for it to get here!
I would love to win these books! Homeschooling mom of 5 boys here who needs to read more but doesn’t have time to search for good books…lol.
Hey, it’s nice to know someone else’s bathroom drawers look like that sometimes too! I have found it helps to use small containers with lids to organize things like hair bands/clips and things like finger nail clippers.
I’d love to win the stack of books! Especially Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and the blessings journal!
Honestly we don’t have drawers in either of our bathrooms – each of us has a basket (just a small plastic one from Walmart) to hold our personal items. I wish I had been in time for yesterday’s books – they were calling to me. 🙂 your doing a wonderful job!
I did my bathrooms yesterday! While it wasnt a huge effort I did a thorough surface clean 🙂
I hope I win!! 🙂
I have that same slow cooker … Love it!
As a poster said above, a silverware drawer might work for smaller items (toothpaste/toothbrush, contact cases etc..). Also Walmart and Target sells these clear acrylic containers in lots of different sizes that you can mix and match to fit your drawer.
Love the idea of cleaning in December instead of January.
Great stack of books. What I would most like to get out of that stack is your book and the gratitude journal.
Another great bunch of books I’d love to have!
Good start!
Love your website! Would love to win the books!
today was a baking day, no time for cleaning, except cleaning the kitchen after baking!
Congrats on the success for your journals! That’s so great! And, thanks for the hope on life getting easier with “littles”. 🙂
For our bathroom drawers/cabinets, we use a combination of dollar store plastic baskets for bigger items, silverware organizer for makeup and small jewelry boxes/empty fruit cup containers for small hair accessories. I think it was Libby that has really sturdy, round fruit cup containers. I saved them, thinking they’d come in handy someday, and once we started collecting hair bows and barrettes, I finally found a use.
For whatever reason, no matter how often I clean out and reorganize, the bathroom cabinets and drawers always seem to clutter up and become messy the fastest!
LOVE your blog, and I think we just bought the twins to your washer and dryer : )
We LOVE that set… we got it when we moved because our washer had bit the dust right before we moved, so we left it back in Kansas.
well that’s good to hear because we pick ours up on Sunday : ) Cant wait to have a set that works Properly!!
I’d love to have a bathroom drawer! Our master bath has two sinks, which is great…but the tradeoff is that what looks like it would be a drawer on each side of the vanity cabinet is just decorative! That being said, I’d say to try the dollar store or $1 bins at Target for ideas on how to organize your drawers:)
I have four “littles”. Thank you for the encouragement.
My drawer organizers usually come from the recycle bin. Nothing beats free organizers from boxes I am going to throw out anyway.
Lovely stack of books!
I wish we had a bathroom drawer 🙂 we’re renting a small 2 bedroom apartment with 3 children and it is tight. I’m encouraged by your constant decluttering though. I drop off at least one bag at our local thrift shop every week. Two months in and I can finally tell a difference.
Yay!! So glad you’re finally seeing some fruit from your effort. Way to go!
We don’t have drawers in the kids’ bathroom. Our three little drawers in our bathroom could probably use a good cleaning. I am getting ready for some decluttering during Christmas break. Another good looking stack of books…
There’s some great titles in that stack! Sounds like a productive and homey day.
I love reading all of your posts. Your “realness” is refreshing.
Thanks for sharing your day with us. So happy you and Jesse are making your new routine work for you! Hope you guys and the kiddos are enjoying this joyful time of year. 🙂
Still trying to find time to do some deep cleaning/decluttering! Between homeschooling, laundry, cooking, and all the crafts and baking the kids want to do, I can’t find the time!!!
You crack me up. The bathroom did surprise me, but only because it was you. If you saw my house (not very minimalist, no matter how hard I try) you would flip. Blessings to you and your family.
I wasn’t joking when I said it was BAD!!
Would love to win the pile of books:)
That is what some of our bathroom drawers look like. Gonna go start cleaning now.
Today I went through our kids books and pulled several off the shelves that we don’t read very often.
I am trying to get some cleaning done today, but I am taking care of a sick toddler 🙁
Today I did the “if I see it I cleaned it”, I feel so much better just knowing what dirt and dust I throw away today! Books, books, books I would love to read more books.
I had company yesterday, so I focused on cleaning to make the house company ready. Thanks for doing this series and adding a little extra motivation!
Your book titles look interesting. Thank you for this give away.
Would love to have this pile of books too! So neat about your Gratitude Journal! Amazing!
trying to clean up and pack for the start of a Christmas weekend
My bathroon drawers could also do with a cleanup. I’d love to win the books!
Thanks for sharing your daily adventures in cleaning for the holidays! I love how you tackle one room a day in order to stay on top of house cleaning.
I would suggest a silverware drawer tray for all the little bathroom things that get lost and all mixed up together. Or a few long and skinny plastic baskets that are usually found at the dollar store.
Thanks so much for the suggestion!
Love the books!
Enjoying your posts and would love to win!
Would love that stack of books to read!
Just got bookshelves put up (finally!) and am definitely up for a stack of books!
Would love to win these books
Those books sound interesting to read. We’ve had a mess of sickness so now I’m trying to get back on track and clean before family comes to town. Love the Mary Kay 🙂 first thing I noticed.
My cleaning for the day involved our spare bedroom. I took a huge load of things both to Goodwill and the recycling center! And I would love to have that stack of books to read!
doing some weekly cleaning & laundry
I’d love to win the books.
hmmm I need to clean out my bathroom drawers and cabinets. We moved a month ago and I still have a mess of stuff
Would love to win this!
Would love those books!
great giveaway!
I love this post because it reassures me that I’m not the only one with scary bathroom drawers! I would also love to win and share those books. 🙂
We are having close family friends over tonight for pizza & to take our young kiddos to a live nativity scene. With that in mind, I’m planning to do a quick tidy up here in a bit. (:
Good job.
I have LOVED doing these tasks this week & yesterday I focused on clearing out stuff in our office. Still needs some attention there but I got rid of 3 bags so it was a win!
I think I need to work on y bathroom drawers too!
I’m so in cleaning mode! Thanks for the motivation. My In laws come in town in a few days, they haven’t visited in almost 2 years and I want the house to be clean and welcoming. I am tackling cooking and cleaning a little bit each day. This morning I cleaned out the fridge and freezer. It looks beautiful! Also wiped down the dishwasher and I find it amazing how I missed these dirty spots all these months! Can’t wait to enjoy a week of holiday celebrations with them and in the meantime, I’m loving my clean appliances:)
No deep cleaning for us today, but we are doing home haircuts and finishing up ordering homeschool materials for the next couple years:) I’d love to win the books!
This series is very encouraging to me and (gasp!) makes me want to clean and organize. Will you be doing your 4 weeks to a more organized home series again next year? I would love to see it come back.
You have motivated me to clean my one (!) bathroom. I feel a little silly that I only have one, yet I dread cleaning it always. Would love the stack of books!
Crystal, I so appreciate your openness and humor. It’s been a blessing to watch you and your blog and business grow. Thank you for inspiring me and letting me know I’m not the only one with a messy bathroom cupboard!
Thanks so much for your kind encouragement!
Lovely stack of book, and I recently cleaned my bathroom drawers and cupboards, yours don’t look bad at all!
Looks like a fun stack of books – good job on the drawers!
Love all your posts!
How nice to have a clean bathroom!
Another stack of books.I love it.
As a consultant, I love seeing Mary Kay in your bathroom!
Pick me 🙂
Cleaning included bathroom and kitchen. The most dirt collecting rooms in the house!
Would love these books! Thank you for the opportunity!
Would love something new to read once I get my house all cleaned up 🙂
Looks like a great stack of books!
Crystal you are my hero and inspiration!
Thank You very much.
What a great collection of books !
This weekend is my big task of tackling the cleaning!
The cleaning yesterday went awry. Sick Babes… Hoping to make up for it this weekend!
I would love to know what you find for bathroom drawer organizers. I have struggled finding something that works and doesn’t break my budget.
Would love to win these, thanks!
Oh I have the Tam Hodges book on my Christmas list!!
I would love to win that pile of books! 🙂
great stack of books
There are some great titles in that stack! Would love to win!
Dollar store shoe bins under the sink, recycled tupperwear for hair things in drawer, and a weekly vitamin pill case are a great help for us. Never the less with all the use, the bathroom is an ongoing battle!! Thanks for your brave sharing!!!
I like to use baskets, clear plastic cups, small mason jars, or pieces of cardboard to separate things. I have a few cosmetic pouches but I feel that they don’t allow one to see everything and they just kind of become “pits of stuff”. So I like to be able to see everything.
I cleaned my bathroom yesterday! It was about time! It really needed it. Thanks for the motivation
I would love to win the books!
So I’m not the only who cleans bathrooms late at night :).
Messy, cluttered bathroom drawers totally bother me. I have to clean mine out all the time and make sure I don’t have stuff hidden that I’m not using.
Would love your collection of books
Nice job.
Need to clean my bathroom too. Would love to win books!
Your bathroom drawer didn’t look messy to begin with. Mine are horrible. It’s a win if I can get the poor things closed after I clean! Love your posts!!
Well, I didn’t really get any cleaning done yesterday but I did pack a suitcase full of summer clothes and about half if my fabric stash in preparation for our move next month.
We had our house on the market and one of the things we had to do was clear the bathroom counters for showings. It really made us think about what we keep out and where the rest of it needs to go!
Would love to win the stack of books. 🙂
I also cleaned out my bathroom drawers and continued to clean the whole house!!!!
I always love how you think your house is so messy. Please pray for me as my husband and I need to get rid of so much clutter in our house and it seems overwhelming! 4 kids ages 5 and under make cleaning out clutter difficult as well.
I find that my bathroom drawers are just never as tidy as I would like simply because of what they have to hold and that stuff has to lie down. Sometimes the most help in the bathroom is a big dose of just closing the drawer. 🙂
Just to make you feel better, my bathroom drawers look like that, too! 🙂 I haven’t been able to do all the cleaning stuff this week – too much going on, but your ideas of how to get it done are really helpful – hope to make some of that happen this weekend!
Tackling our bathroom storage closet in on my list of to-dos for today – you’ve inspired me!
Great job! Nice to see that others have to step back and not complete the entire job sometimes!
Great job! I was able to start on the kitchen yesterday… clearing counters mainly. Yesterday was a full schedule day of work and kids activities, so I was just happy I got a little piece done and dinner on the table!
I would love to win these books!!!!
I really need to do some cleaning too, but would rather read the books. LOL
Thanks for being real with us; I love your refocus back to blogging. I’ve been following you since around 2008 and really enjoy seeing your family grow. Be continually blessed this Christmas season!
Thanks for sharing your “before” pictures – it’s an encouragement! 🙂
Now you’ve inspired me to pull my bathroom apart and do a little reorganizing as well! It is something that so quickly gets out of control, but at least it’s in an out-of-the way spot. 😉
Your bottles roll around & will “mess up” your drawers quickly. Do you have a medicine cabinet that you could sit the pill bottles upright in? I have plastic baskets I picked up at Dollar Tree a few years ago that I put my vitamin/supplement bottles in. It’s quick to pull out the basket when I take them. They stay neater that way. I also have plastic baskets under the sink to hold my hair products, etc.
This is the set of books I need! I have been wanting to read “Who moved my cheese” for a while and your gratitude journal is on my me list for the new year.
On a side note, I am just starting to feel better from my illness last week, but I did manage to clean out my fridge and wipe down all of my kitchen cabinets tonight. I also completed most of my gift wrapping! I am usually a Christmas eve wrapper so this is super exciting for me. Now I can devote the rest of the day to family time. We are planning to head into Nashville today for pictures with Santa. 🙂
Way to go!!
No way is your bathroom drawers the messiest!!! Mine are!!! Would love the books for Christmas gifts!! Thank you Crystal for being so transparent. Love your blog.
I like that you show real stuff–my drawers look the same!
I truly admire your transparency and willingness to share your messy bathroom drawers 🙂 Reading your blog continues to encourage and inspire me to keep going when I get off track. Thank you!
loved reading about your progress
My goal is to finish my deep cleaning this weekend
I love that you have daily cleaning list! I am on it with you! This is my biggest issue…. I stuff everything in drawers, so it all looks neat and clean, until you open a drawer or door… and everything is insane! Thanks for the tips and I love seeing the daily clean for Christmas list!
I liked seeing all your posts about cleaning your house for Christmas. I don’t have kids and I am single living in an apartment and it is still a struggle for me to get everything clean and organized and keep it that way. Seeing that you have some struggles as well shows me that you are human too and that I am not alone. You have helped me want to take an initiative and get some of my problem areas tackled. Thanks for sharing.
Good job!!
You were busy yesterday! I cleaned, too. After sending my toddler to grandma’s for a few hours, I was able to clean my bedroom, his bedroom, and make a dent in the spare room. I cleaned the bathrooms during his nap yesterday morning.
I didn’t clean at my house but I cleaned the nursery at church!
Thanks for sharing your life with us.
We have no drawers in our bathroom and I have always hated that, except now I see how it could be a blessing instead!
I finally pulled the Christmas decorations out of the garage and told my family that we wouldn’t decorate the house until it was clean and clutter-free. That was such a great motivator! We got everything cleared, put away and clean in no time…I’ll have to remember this for next year.
I’d love to win the books! And I’d also love to hear some ideas on how to organize bathroom drawers.
I think bathroom drawers fall close behind junk drawers as being the hardest to organize – mostly because they both get used the most. Once you so find a good organizing method (by using small bins, placing items in cabinets, or just straightening up every few days) it isn’t too bad though 🙂 God bless!
Thanks for offering so many books and for the motivation for deep cleaning!
I’m going to work on cleaning up my bedroom today. All this week I’ve been working on the ‘visible’ parts of my house first since I had a friend over yesterday. Now to tackle the ‘invisible’ parts!
Hello Crystal
I could so relate to your sweet children doing things for you.
My kids are now 29,27,and 25. My mother passed away the day before Thanksgiving. My kids cleaned my house, set the table and each helped cook the Thanksgiving meal. Talk about seeing the results of being their Mom (not their friend)this was the greatest feeling.
The three of them then went out and bought a Christmas tree and set it up so we could decorate it together. They told their Dad this will make Mom cry. I did but they were happy grateful tears.
That is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing! And I’m so sorry about your mother. {Hugs!}
Would love to win those books! The audio book woul be great to listen to while I knit/crochet 🙂
God bless you for blessing others!
Our master bathroom has no drawers, so I would enjoy having some. I know they would likely get messy, but would surely help with organization. I’d love to win the books.
Would love to win the books 🙂
Those little drawer organizers really help a lot for bathroom drawers! That’s how I organize my makeup and hair things in my drawers. It helps keep stuff off the counter too. 🙂
And I’m so encouraged to hear that eventually the kids can help out so much! I’m starting to see that with my five-year-old, but with a three-year-old and one-year-old, I’m still feeling pretty overwhelmed with housework and everything else.
Awesome job on the bathroom. It crazy how fast they get messy.
I need desperately clean the bathroom closet. I have baskets in their to organize things but it has gotten so out of hand that hardly anything is in it place anymore!
I would love to win the Choose Gratitude book.
I use shallow baskets for drawer organizers. Each person has their own basket, 1 for toothbrush and toothpaste and another for hairbrush and lotions, etc. Another basket for everyone’s use-ie clippers, tweezer, scissor.
You are doing a great job! My drawers are pretty bad too! 🙂
Believe it or not, our family’s bathroom drawers look even WORSE right now – you’ve inspired me to do something about it. And I would LOVE to win those books! Thanks for blessing others this way.
yes please!
I would love to read all of those books! I’ve been meaning to get to the library to get some new books to inspire me, but between working and having a 13 month old rambunctious boy, it’s tough! Your bathroom seems to collect stuff just like mine. You are lucky to have drawers. I only have cabinets, and need to get some organizers. Thanks for the motivation!
Crystal, I appreciate the fact that you are letting us into your house to see all the work that needs to be done and the progress that is happening. Its great that you also need to take stock, throw things out and organize- just like the rest of us! Would love to win the books, especially your new journal! Thanks for offering them to us and have a Merry Christmas!
Like many others have said. Dollar tree have a few different sizes of drawer organizers that work great.
Yesterday I prepared for my open house. It was such fun! I had a lovely time doing a little decorating outside–candles in pint jars to line the walk and a lighted garland around the door. It made our plain little house look beautiful!
I have to laugh at the master bath dilemma. Try organizing that mess with no drawers at all, like in our bathroom. Or with two tiny drawers in the other bathroom. I’m still not sure how to organize either room, so I’m hoping for good ideas here in the comments.
I’m going to work on inventory of our pantry today. Seriously ALOT of stuff that needs to be organized and then planned into meals these next few weeks. I love manager markdowns but then need to remember to use them in a timely manner!
I’d sure love to win some books for Christmas.
Crystal I actually use a silverware organizer in my bathroom drawer for makeup/ makeup brushes, tweezers, nail clippers, nail polishes, creams, and compacts. It was supposed to be a short term fix until I found “just the right thing” but turns out this is what I needed all along.
Thank you for keeping it real with those pix!
My master bath is still a work in progress. I also have a closet in there that needs desperate help, yikes. These books look great! Would love to win!
Looks like a great stack of books. My husband and I share a bathroom drawer – even with organizers it can get kind of scary!
i love how you always have nice things to say about those around you. I think a lot of people use the internet to complain about things in their life, to vent, but you keep it positive. That is why I keep coming back!
Another great looking stack of books I would love to win.
Pick me! pick me! I would love these books. thanks for baring your soul by photographing your messy bathroom drawers! I know that took real courage!
I cleaned the master closet yesterday. Thanks for the motivation MSM!
I would love to win the books. I always check your blog to see what you are reading and then I request them from the library – love your selection of books.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Every member of my family has a basket with their “products” so the bathroom area can stay more organized. Baby gets a plastic container for her shower toys. I always keep a kitchen sponge and Lysol al hand to fight germs and odors in this area 🙂 happy cleaning! Regards!
Those bathroom drawers can be tricky. 🙂 Loving following along with this series! Thanks!
I’m pretty sure I would not want to show pictures of my bathroom drawers! 😉
I would love to win the books. I always check your blog to see what you are reading and then I request them from the library – love your selection of books.
Thank you for the inspiration.
I would love to win this stack of books. Purchasing books isn’t in the budget right now and my library rarely has any of the books I want to read! Thanks for the opportunity!
I should have jumped on ordering a journal when they were in stock! Bummer 🙂 my bathroom cupboard is always an issue too. You’re not alone! Lol.
First of all, congratulations on the journals. I actually tried to find them on amazon yesterday and found they were sold out. Second, this week has been so inspiring. It’s a really busy week for me, but I’m gonna tackle these days next week. Third, we have the same brush. Lol
Congrats on the success of the journal! Money is really tight due to unexpected medical bills but I would love to purchase next year when things ease up. You are truly an inspiration to many! God bless and Merry Christmas!!
I have a few copies personally still and I’d love to bless you with one. Email me your address: crystal @ moneysavingmom.com
Cleaning at home and working on Christmas gifts today. My bathroom definitely needs attention as sometime soon I’ll be getting a bigger hot water heater of in and I’ll be losing some of my drawer space! I’m going to have to get creative til we can buy new shelving. But yay for a big hot water heater! 🙂 Thanks for all the chances to win some good books!
I would love to win!
would love to win your stack of books. 🙂 Especially am thankful for your humility in recognizing that its because of your fans of your blog that you are able to accomplish your dreams and that you encourage us to do the same!
What an inspiration to us busy moms!
It is so easy to let things pile up in drawers, especially when you just want it off the counter tops. Thanks for the giveaways.
Great job! Maybe little Dollar Store containers for organizing? Can’t wait to keep reading suggestions and see pics!
I use boxes like from crackers, cereal etc… I just cut them as tall as I want and they work perfectly 😉 and they are free! Thanks for the chance to win the books!
Oh, great idea!
This stack of books looks great! Be glad you have drawers in your bathroom. I only have two cupboards and have been looking for something to put in there so my things can be organized!!
I see some great books in this stack! Ps- I definitely swooned over your daughter’s breakfast….so sweet and can’t wait for my boys to be able to do this. They have a great example of serving in their daddy too.
Please dont feel bad about your bathroom! Believe me mine is worse. The problem is our storage is mostly over the toliet so…..if its not clean sometimes things end up falling in the toliet. yuck. Anyway you did a great job organizing it! I was going to do mine yesterday but spent all night folding laundry..and I think I’m getting sick. Anyway i WOULD love to have these books! There are several in here I have been wanting to read. Have a great day!
Oh, that would make it hard!
sounds great!
Thanks for the book give always. They’re a lot of fun!
Yesterday was a success for me, too! I looked at the master list I made on Wednesday with tasks to do before Christmas spelled out. I chose two tasks (finish shopping for the kids’ presents and write the Christmas letter) and tackled them. My wonderful husband also helped me out. We actually finished addressing all of the Christmas cards and will mail them out tomorrow. Your suggestions about goal-setting and breaking those goals down into bite-sized pieces certainly help me out!
Way to go!!!
I made some good progress on getting caught up on this challenge yesterday. My bathroom drawers need some organization too but I enjoy that way more than scrubbing showers, tubs and toilets, so I focused on getting the unpleasant part done and hope to do some organizing over the weekend.
I’m a little jealous seeing that ice cream and pie picture with someone in bare feet, as it’s 27 degrees here right now!
I try to do a little each day/week to stay organized.
I’ve heard such great things for Honey for a Child’s Heart!
I LOVE that book!
I’d love these!
I would love to win this great stack of books. Thank you for your posts and sharing your life with the rest of us!
Thanks Crystal!
I’m so glad I ordered my gratitude journal at the first opportunity. Congratulations on your success! I look forward to putting it to use!
Thank you so much for your support and kind encouragement! You all are amazing!
We have little containers, I think I bought them at the dollar store that fit into the drawers in our bathroom. I ended up using a bit of hot glue to hold them together since they would slide all over in the drawer when opening or closing it. I’d love to read those books 🙂
Thanks for that tip!
I love that you have “Big Sexy Hair” my best friend gave me that product the day before I moved away to start a new job. It was a bit of a joke between us for years that we would only have sexy hair when we went out to bars and were all dressed up and looking great. 🙂
I’ve heard rave reviews of it and recently bought some to try out!
I would SO love to win a stack of books!
Great job! I bought some cheap organizers from dollar tree and it made a world of difference for my bathroom drawers. You can see what they look like here http://www.thisyellowhouse.com/2013/10/organizing-my-bathroom-drawer.html
That was over a year ago and I still love them. My bathroom drawers stay so much more tidy now.
I’ve enjoyed reading your cleaning posts!! 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing!
I need some new books to read! And I’d love to pass these along to my mops groups’ library when I’m finished!
Thanks for the inspiration!
I would love to read those books!
monk5 at charter dot net
Great books! And so exciting about the journals! Congrats!
What a great stack of books!
I’m at the doctor for my youngest us having a bone biopsy. No cleaning fie me today. Just lots if lovin on her. Got my survival mode book in my bag to re-read. Need some work on what brings me passion besides having organized drawers. 🙂
I would love a stack of books to start the year with!! And now I’m off to clean my bathroom drawers- great motivator there!
I’m still plugging away at my kitchen cabinets and drawers! Yesterday I got a few of them done, so that’s progress. 😉
How sweet of your daughter! My daughter takes good care of me too, I love it. She is 8 years old in a few days and I’m loving this age. Even though it’s not always easy to raise children, it’s such a blessing when you see the fruit of your hard work. Yesterday I didn’t accomplish much beyond homeschool and food. Today I hope to get more done. Thank you for the challenge.
I agree with whoever said that your “messiest” posts are like a funny joke. 😉 please never visit my house!! Some areas are so bad that I have given up on them in favor of keeping our main living areas clean and presentable.
Yesterday got derailed for me. But I am praising God for that! Because my littles needed me to cuddle, and the two oldest needed some craft time with me. So instead of getting it all done I was blessed with arms around my neck and laughter. It has taken a long time for me to be ok with the days when the to do list gets ignored. Last night I went to bed knowing my kids knew they were cherished and so was I. They won’t be this little for much longer. *sigh*
Today after our errands our ran, I can attack what didn’t get done yesterday. 🙂
This is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing!
I would love to win that stack of books!
Oh, I cannot wait until my kids can put away their clothes. Gives me hope.
What a lovely day! I’m getting ready to attack my office today. Wish me luck – it’s a disaster (it’s the dumping ground for anything that doesn’t have a home)!
It’s probably a good thing I don’t blog pictures of my messes. They would eat your mess up. sigh… I totally love Angie Smith’s book – I can relate in a totally different way, but similar in making funeral plans that will be used soon for someone who is doing relatively well at the time of planning. It’s creepy weird.
I would love to win the stack of books – many people on my Christmas list would appreciate it, too!
Crystal, you sure are an inspiration! I am motivated but let’s see how long it sticks once I get home from work at 5:30-6 p.m. Anyone have any ideas for getting it all done after 5 and on weekends and still make time to relax?
What about choosing a few evenings and a few hours on the weekends to focus on cleaning/home projects and then reserve the rest of the time for things that replenish and refresh you?
Would LOVE to win. Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing about your day. That’s a very interesting stack of books; I’d love to win them.
🙂 nice work luckily since I only moved in to our home 2 weeks ago tr clutter has not found us…..yet;)
I love getting the chance to read how your day has gone from plan to actual. Thank you much for all you share!
I just love how you keep things real! You inspire and motivate me more than you could ever know!
Our bathroom drawers could use some help too! Should work on that one…
I love how you’re so real – and share your real life! Your simple ideas are motivating inspiration. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the chance!
These look like great books!
It sounds like you had a great day! I was able to tackle underneath my kids’ bed. It took longer than I expected so that is as far as I got, but it felt good. I love hearing about your work and family life. Congrats on high sales of your items. Blessings to you and yours this Christmas!
I would love to win these! By the way, I have purchased 6 copies of CHOOSE GRATITUDE for Christmas presents.
Thanks so much for your support! I’m so excited about how this practice is going to impact so many lives, as it has mine!
I think some drawer organizers would help. Glad to see you wear Mary Kay! After using for year I have started a Mary Kay business. Let me know if you ever need to order! The books would be a great blessing to me and great gift!
thanks for the motivation! Christmas is coming!
It’s hard for me to tell if you’re joking about actually winning the messiest drawer of the year award! Although I will admit that that drawer was actually reasonably messy! We clearly have different definitions of messy! Loving your blog and your real life posts.
I really need some new books to read! 🙂
Hmmm….didn’t really do any cleaning today (beyond the basic kitchen clean up), but I’d love to have a new stack of books to read so that I can put off cleaning even longer!
Crystal, where on earth did you find Aquify? It is my absolute FAVORITE contact lens solution, but I can’t find it anywhere anymore!
Your “messiests” are like a funny joke. 🙂
I would love to read Tam Hodge’s book that’s included in your pile. Thanks for considering.
Wow that is a big stack of books- they look great!
fun giveaway!
I use the small shallow baskets at dollar tree to organize my kitchen drawers (no drawers in my bathroom). I’m sure they’d work well for you. Just remember to measure your drawers and take the tape measure to dollar tree with you. And I’d love those books
Would love to win the books 🙂
Another great stack!
I cannot believe how happy a clean drawer with extra space makes me feel. I cleaned my kitchen drawers a few weeks ago, and I feel so peaceful when I open them now!
I eat oatmeal with banana almost every day for breakfast.
I would love to win some new books for reading next year. Thanks for offering.
I don’t have any drawers in my bathroom but the bins I have in the hall closet resemble your drawers. It is so hard to keep them organized!
I am so glad I ordered my journals early! I am so excited to give them as gifts to the women in my bible study. Maybe I am odd but I love a new journal and pen so I hope they do too.
I hope the women in your bible study are blessed by them, too!
I would love those books!
Thanks for the wonderful motivation to organize my house. Tackling some of these cleaning tasks (aka bathroom drawers) can be a bit overwhelming! Hoping to get mine done soon
I had oatmeal with bananas yesterday too, but somehow your daughter’s version looks much prettier than mine ever does. Congrats on selling out your book! That is wonderful, and I am so glad you all are enjoying this season together. So many blessings!
At my house, those vitamins and other pills that are taken daily are stored in a basket that sits on the bathroom counter. Easy access and less to go into a drawer.
What a blessing to have children to help with laundry! I have four littles and am really looking forward to that time when they can help more.
Those are some great books! I would love to win them!
Oh Crystal! If you win the messiest drawer award then I certainly win the messiest bathroom cupboard award. I am going to tackle it today. I found some small baskets in our basement that would be perfect for holding all of that crazy clutter. Thanks for these encouraging posts and a peek into your life. 🙂
Thank you for sharing such wonderful books!! Many blessings to you and your family.
It sounds like you had a great day overall! I was able to do 11 loads of laundry yesterday! It included all of our linens (from 4 beds), towels and clothing. It was all put away too by bedtime, so I’m very happy to not wake up to scrunched up piles of clean clothes this morning….not that that ever happens here! 🙂
I also did school with my children, including helping my son past a hurdle in his math that has been plaguing him for months. That right there was worth the whole day!
I also got the kids outside for an hour or so, and while they played I swept of Dad’s back deck and raked the backyard.
Overall, a very productive day!
11 loads of laundry??? I think you deserve an AWARD for that!!! So impressive!
Looks like a great stack of books. Love that your husband helps with making dinner!
Enjoying doing this challenge with you!
Love your book giveaways! Trying to get in the habit of organizing, especially my kids’ rooms…
Nice stack of books!
Thanks for another chance to win some books. (It’s fun when you clean!) 😉
Those “stuff bombs” are always going off in my house too…only not just in drawers!! Great job…I think I might try deep cleaning next week. Thanks for the motivation. I’m so sad your gratitude journal is out of stock. I was really hoping I would get one for Christmas
Thanks for sharing your cleaning and keeping it real! Today I will work on my floors!
I would love to read these books!
Those drawers aren’t that bad. We’ve all got a few like that. Would love to read these books.
Still plugging away on getting organized and cleaned!!
I love it! You are motivating me to clean clean clean! Thanks!
Today was about cleaning than organizing for me. I love a freshly vacuumed carpet! 🙂
Y’all are so inspiring and real! : ) Thanks for sharing all that you do! You rock! Happy Friday!
Great progress on your house cleaning project! We’ve found useful containers for drawer organization at the dollar tree. I measured the drawers first, though, and then took a tape measure with me to the store.
Looks like a terrific stack of books, thanks for the opportunity!
Would love to win the books!
I would love to win! 🙂
The Dollar Tree has some fun little organizing baskets that work great for drawers.
got distracted and dont remember if the previous comment I was working on ever got clicked to “post comment”
So, backtrack…I am hoping to win one of the elusive gratitude journals!
Would love to win these books!
I need to figure out how to organize my bathroom stuff too. Stuff bomb is a good description. 🙂
I Clorox wiped the kitchen walls today!
Love your blog posts!
I know I say this every time, but you have such a wonderful collection of incredible books! I’d love to win this set!
Didn’t declutter the bathroom today as I have done that recently and it wasn’t a pressing thing. Instead I mopped my kitchen, bathroom and laundry room floors. Trying to get things done that will be difficult post baby. Would love to have some new reading material for that time!
Yesterday I cleaned all the kid stains off our walls.
My bathroom drawers look about the same. Just thankful to have drawers in the bathroom (our last few houses haven’t had them). Love these posts. They are encouraging me to get some things done!
You’re doing a great job with this challenge! Would love to win the books!
Thanks for being authentic and sharing what real life looks like. 🙂 The stack of books looks awesome–love this type of giveaway!
Great books for a xmas break read!
I love your blog- thanks for sharing a look inside your life!
I commented the other day that I didn’t think I would be able to get any serious cleaning done before Christmas because of the season of life I’m in (new baby, homeschooling, busy pastoring husband). Well, I thought about it some more and made a large list of things I would want done. I decided to spend the last three days of this week only focusing on the basics with homeschooling, and then enlisting the help of my older children (7 and 11), I assigned us each jobs, and would you believe we are almost done with our list?!? I’ve been so discouraged with house cleaning since baby came because my time is very limited, and cleaning has to come after meals, school and laundry, so some things just haven’t been done or taken care of in months. Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration! ☺️
Woohoo! This makes me SO happy!
Thanks for the chance to win. These books look great!
Great job on the cleaning projects! I hate organizing but it’s so lovely when it’s over to enjoy the results.
Thanks for all the book giveaways this week! Somebody is going to love all the extra reading material!
Im having surgery and have a bit of a sinus infection so, nothing besides what my husband does will get done today 🙂
Loving all the book giveaways this week. Somebody is going to love the extra reading material!
Will try again for one of those elusive journals. 🙂
Yeah! Another chance at winning some books!
Congratulations on your amazing book sales! And I’d love to win some free books 🙂 THanks for the giveaways this week.
I had the boys clean their bathroom….that counts a LOT toward cleaning house. LOL
We are headed out of town for a big trip next week and I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed. Following your lead, I’ve got my house in much better shape and am feeling much better about our holiday and travel plans!
I wasn’t able to get into our bathrooms today as I was out of vinegar to make the cleaner and I had a project that was needing done. We’re having company this evening, so I’ll be doing them today! Thanks so much for this challenge… it has been a real blessing to me this week (yes, even cleaning the kitchen despite my groan when i saw what we were to do that day! :).
This is our first year homeschooling and I am convinced that we have a daily tornado that goes through our house that leaves a trail of destruction! I appreciate you sharing your cleaning process with us.
I’ve only just discovered your blog and I love it!
I cleaned up my kitchen thoroughly this morning. It is lovely to come home to a tidy workspace after work
Brave lady… showing your bathroom drawers. Love that you’re keeping it real! 🙂
I need to do this in bathroom so bad! I’d love to win the books 🙂
Working hard to organize!!
Would love to win the stack of books!
These are great posts and it is so helpful to see what each part of your day entails. Knowing your husband makes meals helps me to see there are reasons you are able to blog so solidly. It’s been helpful to see real life and transformation.
My favorite acrylic drawer organizers are at walmart and bed bath & beyond. I like getting ones that have several sized boxes to hold things. Much better than 1 large container. So awesome that you and jessi can spend so much time together, what a blessing!!!! My husband and I just joined a crossfit gym so that we can workout together. Working out together is something we’ve done in the past and have missed it in recent years.
Thank you for all of the book giveaways! It’s such a blessing to us readers out here to see a little bit into your daily life and to see how far you’ve come. Thank you for sharing it with us!
The messy drawer is nothing compared to my bathroom closet! lol i try to keep up with it and between husband and kids it gets a little crazy 🙂
If you can clean your bathroom drawers, so can I. Right after I make a cup of tea…and maybe a cookie….
I would love to win!
We’re doing well on the laundry too!
I cleaned all of our upstairs yesterday. If feels so nice up there. Now time to move on to downstairs. Thank you for the giveaways!
I finished up on laundry & kitchen chores. I plan on vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms today. I was exhausted yesterday and went to bed early.
I use cracker boxes cut down to fit the drawer for free organizers! The stack of books look awesome!
After reading your post from yesterday my daughter and I tackled the fridge. It was gross! I took shelves out and deep cleaned spots that probably haven’t been cleaned in the 8 (yikes!) years we’ve owned it. My hubby noticed and asked if I was pregnant and nesting! LOL! I had to keep opening it, not to get food, but to see how great it looked!
I have been cleaning right along with you. You probably already do this, but can I kindly suggest you move your vitamins and medications where little ones can’t reach? I know your kids are a little older but it is still a danger. My daughter almost died from accidental poisoning and since then I feel compelled to tell others. It feels uncomfortable to suggest it, but God nudges me to do it anyway. 🙂
Thanks for all you do! 🙂
Working on setting up a routine for my day too. I love that you still found time to clean, I would have given up. Looking forward to writing in my gratitude journal in 2015, here is my first entry, Jan 1, 2015, thankful for this lovely journal to keep track of my many blessing in 2015. Feeling blessed.
Thank you for posting the drawer pictures. You provide us all with inspiration and motivation as we continue to fight clutter and messiness in our own homes. Thank you as well for having another book giveaway.
We don’t have drawers in ether of our bathrooms, just large cabinets under the sinks. Both bathrooms look like CVS threw up in there! I have been telling myself for weeks to get them cleaned out. And trust me, you do not have the messiest bathroom in the world…
I would love to win the books!
When I have a larger bathroom, my clutter expands accordingly. I must tackle the cabinet and counter. The bathroom has no drawers.
Thank you for having another books giveaway.
Yeah
Would really enjoy these books!
I would love these books!
I have an amazing hubby of 36 1/2 years now. I am blessed.
I use a lot of those small plastic baskets that come in multi-packs at Dollar General to organize drawers all over my house.
Wow! Loving all the book giveaways!! 🙂 such fun to imagine a big stack of books arriving just in time for my two-week vacation!! 🙂
The children are going to Grandma’s house tonight. I look forward to cleaning bathrooms and mopping the floors!
I got the bathroom clean, but I definitely didn’t get around to organizing with a toddler underfoot!
I have teeny tiny drawers in my bathroom, yet stuff still breeds in there! I’m sure we don’t actually put all of that stuff in there!
We don’t even have drawers in our tiny 1970’s style master bathroom! I do have 2 small medicine cabinets and a little under the sink storage. It’s amazing how quickly those areas grow wild.
Me, me, me! I’d love to win those books! =)
Congratulations on the sell-out of your gratitude journals. How exciting! Thank you so much for all of the great ideas, photos, & recipes! You are a blessing! :o)
I would love to deep clean my house… But I am still trying to figure out some sort of routine to just get it cleaned weekly!
Love you keeping it realistic and thanks for shareing so much with us….encourages me to keep doing what I can and realize things won’t go perfect every time.
I know what you mean about the difficulties of organizing the little bathroom items. When I lived in AZ, the land of double coupons (hence, a lot of free HBA stuff pairing coupons with a sale), I ended up with a lot of dental floss, toothpaste, toothbrushes, first aid items, etc. All little things that are hard to corral. I finally invested in a few of these: http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-ClearView-Storage-Drawer-Organizer/dp/B001KN12PI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418385565&sr=8-2&keywords=rubbermaid+3+drawer+storage&pebp=1418385575339 What is nice about these is that they are stackable (i.e. linen closet friendly) and the drawers are see-through. I have one drawer full of toothpaste, one with deodorant, one with toothbrushes and floss, one with travel-sized items (makes packing for a trip that much faster), one with bandages and antibiotic ointment, one with sunblock, etc. Hope that helps!
I’m loving these book give aways – thank you for hosting them! There are several books in that stack on my to-read list. A bathroom drawer cleanout is badly needed around here too.
I have the same problem with my bathroom cabinet getting cluttered (I don’t have any drawers). You have inspired me to tackle it this weekend!
I too have a fantastic man in my life that I’m truly grateful for! He helps cook and watch our little one while I run around the house like a crazy woman, nesting, and settling in. I like things where “I” can find them so I do most of the organizing around here. Yesterday we had appointments and our little guy didn’t take as long of a nap as he usually does so I didn’t get my list done like I had planned. However, I got the blinds above the kitchen sink cleaned (finally! – moved in 3 weeks ago so that means 3 weeks of looking at those old food splatters and major dust) and did some more decluttering. I took some time off today to recoup from the overly ambitious days prior – to spend with my fam and make a few more homemade Christmas gifts. Up early today (4 a.m.?!) since I have so much on my mind so I decided to use the time productively and will definitely be taking a nap later. Thanks for the motivation and take care!!
I love how you are so real. I think that is one of the many reasons that I love Money Saving Mom. Thank you for sharing honest pictures of your cleaning.
I love to read. These would be so nice to have. Thanks!
Thanks for all the book give-a ways! I hope I win these 🙂
Cleaned and organized the kitchen yesterday – thanks for the encouragement.
I’m out of town, so I can’t follow along, but I am enjoying the series anyway. 🙂
I think today would be a good day to clean our bathroom! It’s pretty small so you wouldn’t think it would take long but it seems to take forever! Thanks for the encouragement!
I’m always amazed at how much you are able to get done. The drawers look great. Also congratulations on keeping up with your laundry. It is so great that you are willing to give away books. I would love to win the giveaway mainly because you’re offering the gratitude journal. Because of unemployment, finances are tight, but I have been having my children share something they are grateful for every day.
I need to do my bathroom drawers too.
This has motivated me to attack under our sinks in the bathroom!
Thank you for all the book giveaways! I also married one of those amazing men. It was such a blessing when I came down with a severe case of mono before we had been married for even a month. Now he is such a help in keeping things going with a baby in the house.
Thank you for all the book giveaways!
Your cleaning challenge has inspired me as well. Today, after home-schooling, I deep-cleaned in my bathroom and kitchen– including the drawers. I also did a lot of decluttering so that my regular cleaning tasks will be easier to accomplish. I was able to get ahead on the cleaning, which is wonderful. I had put it on next week’s to-do list, but something unexpected came up that will make it impossible to get it all done next week. LOVE MSM. Thanks so much!
You had such a productive day!!
I think I want some apple pie…. 🙂
Thanks for all you do!
I am very interested in reading many of the books on your list and would love to share them with others too! Thank you1
I use kitchen cutlery trays/dividers in my bathroom drawers. I find they are the only way to (tray to!) corral clutter. Or empty boxes cut to measure.
BTW Today I looked for a used wardrobe on various websites, I may have found one, I’ll go see it and buy it on the spot if it’s right for my space. No wonder my home is a mess, I have almost no useful furniture 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement!
I love that pile of books you are giving away!
I’m giving away some of my books and my sons books too!!!
In my bathroom I don’t have drawers – instead I have a square shelf piece from IKEA with boxes on each shelf. The deep boxes allow a lot of my products to stand upright which I think helps keep things organised.
If you’re willing to post the books to a missionary in Europe, I’d love to win this pile and pass it out!
Not much cleaning accomplished today for me. There’s always tomorrow! 🙂
I need to get to my drawers. They seem to get cluttered so easily and fast. Sigh.
Dollar tree has some great low depth bins that would work well with your size drawers. With vitamins I have a weekly pill dispenser (from dollar tree) and fill it up each Sunday that way I can put the bottles in a bottom drawer out of site.
I ran a bunch of errands today. I am a getting closer to being done with my Christmas Shopping. Finished the day off with my son’s golf practice and homework. Whew.
Messy bathroom drawers I’d take. We had to put in a newer smaller sink last year. No drawers to even mess up so all that small stuff keeps getting shuffled in our linen closet or onto the side of the sink. You never know how much you appreciate drawers till their gone! Lol
Today was busy, but not with cleaning. There’s always tomorrow.
What an awesome day! I didn’t hit my goals yesterday, so hoping to double time today!!
I’m really enjoying your posts about cleaning and organizing as it is really motivating me to do the same.
Honestly, I got nothing cleaned. I spent the day in the emergency room with my son. (He is ok now) thx
I will try to catch up on yesterday’s cleaning and today’s at the same time.)I hope)
Thank you for the opportunity, and congrats on the success of your journal!
My bathroom drawers need organizing! I need a storage idea for my hair dryer and flat iron. They drive me crazy! Lol!
Your “before” pictures look better than my “after” pictures!! LOL!! 🙂
Oh that pie looks delicious!
As for cleaning, I focused on the essentials, like getting the dishes done, since we’re in for a bad storm and will likely lose power for a couple days (since we’re on a well, that means no running water). It feels good to at least have a clean kitchen to face the storm with!
My dad didn’t go at all as planned so no cleaning for me today. But tomorrow is another day, right?
My dad I mean! My dad is fine 🙂
One more time–DAY. Not sure what is up with autocorrect there!
Thanks for sharing! I straightened up the bathroom a bit, but the major task today was paperwork. We are over run with it!
Put all clean laundry away with kids putting their clean items away on there own (loving these ages, 12, 10, 7). Kiddos emptied the dishwasher and I reloaded, ready for the next load. Today, I filled a basket full of books and checked them on powells.com, donated a few and now will reevaluate what will go back on the shelf. All small jobs but feeling accomplished 🙂
I wanted to make time to organize and clean today, but between medical appoinents, working a full shift at my job, and cooking dinner, I was just done in. I took a nap instead! 🙂
Progress is a good thing, Crystal! Way to go! I made progress on a couple some cleaning/organizing projects this week, too! It feels so good!!!
Congrats on the PHENOMENAL success of your gratitude journals, Crystal! Isn’t it awesome when God does exceedingly more than you could ever imagine?
Congrats on the PHENOMENAL success of your gratitude journals, Crystal! Isn’t it awesome when God does exceedingly more than you could ever imagine?
Organizing all of my bathroom junk is a never ending battle. I don’t have drawers just a huge cabinet, so I bought 4 bins for it thinking that would keep me organized. And now I just have 4 overflowing bins of junk. I try to keep one product out at a time until it is used up and then pull the next one out of the pile 🙂
Great work – what an awesome stack of books as well!
We still have sickness in our house – can’t wait to tackle the bathroom! Way to go Crystal!!
Nice job, Crystal. You are such an encouragement. .
Sorry, Crystal. I messed up my comment above. Please feel free to delete. Thank you for your example and encouragement. God bless you and your sweet family.
I got all 3 bathrooms cleaned today, woot! (except floors, I’ll mop all the tile floors tomorrow) I just finished 1/2 hr ago….and only reason I started/finished was this challenge giving me that needed motivation today 🙂
Bathroom storage solutions I’ve been using:
– I use inexpensive, shallow plastic bins found at the dollar store that work well for my bathroom drawers where we store our toothbrushes & toothpaste.
– I use a wicker basket under the sink for taller items such as haircare products, brush, etc. And hubby has a basket under his sink for his peronal items.
One system I have found well that works for medications & vitamins:
– I keep any current prescription meds in the master bathroom medicine cabinet , as a reminder to take them when I first wake up & brush my teeth.
– OTC medications (pain relievers, cold medicines, first aid items, etc.) I keep in a bin on the top shelf of the linen cabinet. Puts it high up out of kids’ reach since only occasionally needs to be accessed.
– The vitamins/supplements I take (many are 3x/day), I keep in a bin in a kitchen cabinet – so I can remember to take them w/meals (ie. breakfast/lunch/dinner for any that are 3x/day).
Thanks so much for sharing these tips!
You get so much done in your days and are always an encouragement to me! Looking forward to joining in on the challenge.
I actually got some deep cleaning and decluttering done! A good day. 🙂
I, too, married one of those leaves-me-in-awe guys. He does more of the housework than I do and he’s an incredible dad. I’m blessed to do life alongside him.
I was able to get a couple loads of laundry done and put away (such a battle, lol) and some dishes done, living room is spotless and so is my bedroom. Just need to work on the kids bedrooms tomorrow.
I’m loving the Clean your house for Christmas challenge.
Thank you for being real and encouraging other mothers.
I spy with my little eye on that stack of books Ann Voskamp. Love her. Her book One Thousand Gifts has literally changed the way I look at the world. If you struggle with discontentment like I do this will alter the way you think in such a healthy way. Eucharisteo.
Thank you for this post. I admire how honest you are and how hard you work everyday! You are one of my role models.
My 18 month old is obsessed with bathroom drawers right now, which has inspired me to get child proof stuff so I can organize and have it stay that way! Way to be brave and post pic…you are not alone!
Great job on the vitamins! It’s been nice reading about your days. We homeschool and it’s good to read about how your family does it.
And congrats on the journal!
I worked on our bathroom closet, it looks much better now!
Today I was able to dust, sweep, & mop two bedrooms. I did all the laundry including my bedding. Ran errands & finished crocheting a hat. Productive day! Thank you for your constant encouragement. Congrats on selling out of the Gratitude Journal! That’s incredible!!
Thanks for the motivation to get house cleaning done in time for Christmas and company coming over! Good idea to do some each day and also to get the kids involved-good training for them for years to come!
You do some of the best giveaways! Thanks for these great reading materials!
I love your transparency with your messy drawers! Makes me feel like I’m not the only one!
i need to clean our bathroom drawers too.
This post has really helped me clean up better!
Thank you for the encouragement for mothers of little ones! Would love to get to read those books!
Also, thank you for being so encouraging to parents of little ones. We are in the thick of it with two boys under two (for 18 more days till our oldest turns 2)! Sometimes these days as fun as they are, can seem endless, and I forget that they will grow older and be more helpful and loving and someday maybe even become my friends when they are adults!
Does anybody else hate wiping/cleaning the blinds? I do but that is on my list in the next few days. Thanks for the inspiration.
I didn’t get to my bathrooms today, hopefully tomorrow. Great post once again!
You’ve inspired me to clean out the bathroom drawers tomorrow! Thanks for the encouragement!
Eeeek, I need to clean my bathroom! It’s gotten crazy the last weeks.
It’s down-pouring here in Northern California, but I still made it to Lowe’s to exchange our broken tree stand for a new one. So today we finally got our Christmas tree upright! I’m looking forward to decorating it with the kids, and finally getting all the boxes of Christmas decor out of the living room. 🙂
Way to go, lady!
Sounds like you had a really awesome day today! I did some basic catch-up on house work today since I had a migraine all day Tues & Wed, but the real highlight of my day was when my five-year-old read a bedtime story to us tonight and we all realized that she no longer needs to sound out the words because she KNOWS them! SO exciting!!!!
I really need to tackle my bathroom drawers too. Congratulations on selling out of the Gratitude Journals!! I spot one in the giveaway pile and I’m hoping it is my turn to win!
I need to tackle my bathroom drawer and under the sink–just not today!
It looks like a fun day!
Our bathroom drawers look great already but only because we thought we’d be moving homes this week and our bathroom drawers were the first things we packed. Turns out, we’re not moving but our drawers still look great!
Mine just got organized and looks so much better !