4.29.2010

Busy Making Life Orderly for Others

I haven't found the time to post a new blog in almost a month - yikes! I have been busy getting my sweet family and beautiful friends' homes organized for better family life.

In these pictures, you will see one such project I have been working on with the homeowner. The first room is a Utility Room, where the family does laundry, stores home-repair/maintenance items, keeps their deep freezer and extra countertop kitchen appliances that they don't use on a regular basis. This room, for the last few years, was hard to get around in due to the lack of working organization. It was burdensome to do laundry in because of all the miscellaneous "stuff" laying about and getting to the freezer was pretty daunting before, as well. The homeowner and I spent 2 hours a day for 5 days on this room decluttering, finding homes for everything inside it and creating a working system to maintain order and peace in their home.

  
The second room is the Hobby/Play Room, where the family keeps games, hunting gear, sewing items, party/event goods - they host and help with parties very frequently - floral decorations, and the grand-childrens' play area.  This room was a storage room before, but over the past 5 years had become such a catch-all that it hadn't been assessable in well over a year. From the pictures, you can see that the room was filled to the max. There was not even enough room to open the door fully, because things were stacked so high. The homeowner and I spent 3 hours a day for 3 days on this room. What used to be chaos and a property loss, is now a place where children can play in safety and items can be stored systematically and in a easy to locate manner.




We had so much fun getting these rooms in order, that we couldn't stop organizing the rest of their home. In a little less than two months, working only a few hours a week (usually about 2-3) we have the entire home in perfect order. The homeowners now know exactly what they have, where it is located, and can easily tell anyone where to find anything they own, as well! This was definitely not the case before, as we discovered on day one, when we continued to find multiple items of so many things. Before, when they needed something they owned, but couldn't find it, they would buy a replacement, because it was easier to buy another than to spend hours searching for it in their home. This home won't be needing cleaning supplies (located above the washer & dryer) for a very long time : )

One of my favorite things about organizing is the before and afters. Its amazing what a few hours of focused work can do for not only a room, but for the lives involved.  I love that by simply repurposing things the homeowners already had (they had plenty of storage solutions, but had not put the time or effort into using them), we were able to get their home in order. Now they can keep their doors open to visitors, be better stewards of what they have been given, and they have acquired the joy of giving what they didn't use to others in need. How wonderful to minister to families in such a practical yet life changing way.

6 comments:

  1. Steph. You are so talented!! What a great job you did!!

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  2. Hey sis!
    I'm so proud of you guys!
    You did so well!
    Congrats on all your hard work :)
    I can't wait to schedule something for the boys' rooms!

    Visit my blog,
    kellyfreestone.blogspot

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  3. Stephanie - You are all around amazing in your talents. God has truly blessed you.

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  4. Thank you for all the kind words, friends! I'm working on getting the newest blog posted today. Love and miss you all!

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  5. Good morning Stephanie. I had to head over here to see who my 'new' follower was from my blog and I'm SO radically blessed. A girl after my heart...DECLUTTER..yahoo..SIMPLIFY..yahoo....ORGANIZED...yahooo...

    Steph..you got my 'dream' job. I LOVE LOVE helping others making their house a home. I've read a few of your posts, and seen the before and after pictures...What a blessing you are in helping others find peace and joy in their surroundings...

    Keep on keeping on girl!! Your fantastic!

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  6. Angela,
    Thank you for your kind words! I LOVE your blog, too! You're decorating style is so similar to one of my best friend's. Its amazing to see the things that you have done with your place and how similar it is to my friend's "one of a kind" style. I also, enjoy hearing the ways the LORD carries you through struggles within your life. You're an inspiration to so many. May God continue blessing you and yours as you seek after Him.

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