The H.O.H. Project: De-Cluttering Part 1

You can read more of my Making Our House Our Home Series here:
Introduction: Love Your Home
Part One: Making a Plan
Most often when we think of clutter we think of excess stuff. Physical items that take up space. While this is one form of clutter, I have found that there are other types of clutter that can fill our lives. Today I will focus on reining in some of the physical clutter that fills our homes. In future posts, I will talk to the other clutter that can fill our lives.

Organizing to de-clutter: Bins are your friends!

If you want a more organized house, you need to make sure that the amount of stuff you have comfortably fits in your home. The old saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place," couldn't be more true. If you have something that doesn't have a place it is homeless clutter. If it has a home that is clearly labeled and easy to find, it is really an asset. If you have a home with lots of room for storage you probably will be able to save more things than if your home is lacking in storage areas.
In our current home we have lots of great living space, but are lacking in good storage space. While systematically going through each area of our home, I was really ruthless. I knew that we had to limit the amount of things we were storing in our home. At times this meant getting rid of the "we might use this someday" items. At this point in our lives it was more valuable for me to get rid of it then to save it in the chance that we might need it in the future.

The back of the van loaded to head to a children's shop.

When it does come to getting rid of something you will need to decide how you are going to get it out of your home. I used these sources (and in this order) to de-clutter:

1) Craigslist (or other online site): Great for bigger items that are still in great shape. In my experience this is where you will get the most money for your used items. And don't be afraid to re-list your items for a while. Your item may have gotten buried or the future owner just wasn't on that day.
2) Rummage Sale: Great for littler items that are in good condition like toys and clothing. Also great for items that didn't sell online.
3) Resale Store: We have several stores in the area that will buy your items (mostly clothes and children's items) from you to sell in their stores. Just know that these stores are usually picky about the quality of items that they will buy.
4) Donation Store: When you have something that you don't want to go through the hassle of selling or hasn't sold, but you still think someone will be able to use it, donate it. I would much rather have someone use it than no one at all.
5) Garbage: Your final option. When you have something that just isn't worth it to anyone, toss it!
I have been making use of all five methods to get rid of lots of clutter in our home. We decided at the start that any money we made would be put toward the purchase of some furniture/organizational items for our home. It makes it fun to add money to the envelope knowing that each item I sell will bring us closer to our goal.
I still have some areas to work through, but it feels great to have de-cluttered this much already. We had company last weekend and a birthday party here this weekend and it really was so much easier getting ready for both without so much stuff around.

Baby Cream: 12 Months

This post is a bit late, but my poor little girl has been suffering from a head cold forever now. (Seriously, like 6 weeks now.) I just wanted her final picture to be without watery eyes and crusty nose. However, at this point she may be two before that happens, so I just took them this morning.

Aside from the cold she is doing super spectacular. Last night I watched as she took five or six unassisted steps from our couch to our ottoman. We have been expecting her to start walking any day now. We know she can do it, she just doesn't know it. Peachy was sitting next to me and we both watched her carefully make her way across the room. So fun!

Aside from walking, she is fearless. That girl has not stopped climbing up things, standing on things, and just plain doing things a non-walking one year old should not be doing! This past month has brought its fair share of bad falls and scares. Thankfully her guardian angels have been keeping up with her antics.
While her vocabulary really hasn't increased over the last month, she is so much more of a communicator now. With various hand gestures and shouted noises, she lets us know what she does and doesn't want. This most often is at the dinner table. She pretty much has let me know that she is done with the baby food and will have what we are having, thank you very much. Thankfully she will try pretty much any type of food on her tray at least once. It may not always make it down the hatch, but she will put it in her mouth and chew it before rejecting it. At times she will be chewing something and then see something better and make the swap. Cracks me up.

She and her sister have been playing together more and more as of late, too. We have to explain to Peachy what is appropriate play for a one year old and what is too wild and crazy, but they do interact so much more. And no one can get her to crack up as much as that sister of hers. Built in entertainment 24/7.
I am still nursing Cream. I am currently working on weaning her of the afternoon session, but don't have any plans to completely wean just yet. Part of this is me and part of this is her.
For some reason, I am still really holding on to what is left of Cream's babyhood. I wasn't this way with Peachy. Maybe it is because I know how quickly they grow up now. I really haven't wrapped my mind around the fact that she is a whole year old now and entering into the toddler stage. It really is amazing how quickly this year has flown by.

Fall Favorites

I don't know about where you live, but around here the air has taken on a definite feeling of fall. While each season has its benefits, fall is just plain fun. The colors, the smells, the yummy treats. I just can't get enough of this time of year. And it shows in my fall blog posts. Today I am going to share some of my all time favorite fall posts from the past four years of blogging.
1) Microwave Caramel Corn (from October 2008)

2) Pumpkin Spice Granola (from October 2009)

3) Ribbon Wrapped Pumpkins and Buckets (from October 2009)

4) Pumpkin Roll (from November 2009)

Image Source

5) Fall Votive Holders (from November 2009)

6) Caramel Halloween Mix (from September 2010)

7) Stuffed Pumpkins (from September 2010)

8) Jack-O-Lantern Shirt and Treat Bag (from October 2010)

9) Pear Tee Shirt (from September 2010)

10) Turkey Tee Shirts (from November 2010)

11) Give Thanks Frame (from November 2010)

12) Crockpot Apple Butter (from September 2011)

13) Candy Corn Tee Shirt (from October 2011)

14) Fall Rag Wreath (from October 2011)

15) Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (from November 2011)

Wedding Fun

A little over a month ago, my younger sister got married. (I wanted to post about it sooner, but with being in the wedding and caring for the girls, I just didn't take many pictures on the day of the wedding. So, I had to wait until I could get some pictures off of other cameras.) It was a blast!

In a play on their last name, they gave away homemade granola in these little takeout containers. They also served as place cards. The groom's mom made all of the granola! It was delicious, too.

My younger sister had been in China teaching English last year. My older sister has been living in Japan for three years. So, for all of us to even be together was a treat. And then to celebrate a wedding on top of it all?? Awesomeness!

Getting ready to head over to the chapel for pictures before the ceremony. My mom made us all tote bags with different fabric bands. They were awesome!

I stood up in the wedding and Peachy got to walk in with me and then sit down by Mr. Cherry. I wasn't sure whether she would do it or not. We didn't put any pressure on her and she rocked it! Mr. Cherry said she had a smile on her face the entire way down the aisle.

Getting ready for pictures before the ceremony. Peachy was so excited to get a bouquet.  By the end of the day it was so beat up!

As is the tradition in our family, my mom made the wedding gown. She also made 4 of the attendants' dresses, her dress, and the girls' dresses. She is a very talented seamstress and very good at time management. :)

Cream was so excited to be in the pictures. When she would get up there, she would wave  at everyone watching her and clap and clap!

The wedding took place in the brand new chapel at the college that my whole family attended and that my father teaches at and my mother works at. So, not only was it a beautiful building, but it held lots of meaning. (Oh, that is also where my sister and her husband met.)

Sisters!

The brewery has peacocks. Some came to check out the bride.

Some of the cool shots at the brewery.

The ceremony itself was such a wonderful celebration of the love that the couples shares in the Lord. The music was beautiful, the words were awesome, and everyone in attendance was beaming from ear to ear.

In between the ceremony and the reception, the wedding party went to a local brewery to snap some pictures. The photographer was a friend of my sister's from high school. She did an awesome job. I wish I could post some of her pictures here. They are just so well done.

The happy couple!

This is the only picture of Mr. Cherry and I. Isn't it a winner? We look so in love. :)

Some of the table decorations at the reception.

The reception was held at the same hall that Mr. Cherry and I used for our wedding reception, so that was fun for us to reminisce about where we were 7 years ago. Peachy danced the night away. She did more dancing than I did. We were able to get the girls down with a sitter and return to the reception.

It was such a fun weekend. I wish we could do it every summer!

The girls dancing. (It was so fun to see my kiddos with some of their extended cousins.)

We ended up doing a photo shoot with the girls in their outfits  a few days later since  we didn't get any the day of the wedding.

The H.O.H. Project: Making a Plan Part 1

Once I got the idea to really work on making our house the home we want it to be, I knew that I would need two main things before I could actually start. 1) Get Mr. Cherry on board with me. 2) Sit down together and make a plan.
The first wasn't a problem at all. Mr. Cherry isn't a stuff kind of guy. In fact, he is kind of the opposite of a stuff guy. I, however, am a stuff girl. I like stuff and I like to buy stuff. So when I broached the topic of de-cluttering and organizing our home it took him less than a second to not only jump on the bandwagon, but start navigating it. Getting your household on the same page when it comes to reorganizing is important for several reasons. There are going to be some big changes going on. You want to make sure that this doesn't take anyone by surprise. You are going to need some help in instituting your plans. You are going to appreciate having someone there to hold you accountable. If you have older children you will want to bring them into the plan as well.
Once your family is on board, it is time to make a plan. Mr. Cherry and I set aside an evening once the girls were in bed to talk about our goals and get some plans down on paper. We discussed areas of the house that needed work. We made a list of projects that needed to be completed. And we noted items that we could get rid of to create more room in our home. It is important to remember here that your home is more than the four walls that create your house. Your home is also the people who live within these walls. We included on our lists personal goals and family goals to reflect this.
I have been making great progress in the de-cluttering department. I will share more on that in the next few entries.

Making our House our Home: Introduction