Last week one morning was a rough one.  Everyone woke up on time, homework was complete, no major disasters.  I was just so aggravated with the house.  It seemed like everywhere that I turned there was something in my way or preventing me from completing a task.  I was going to need to do some seasonal organizing to transition from summer to fall.

It all started when I was in bed.  I woke up way before the alarm and was thinking about what I needed to do.  Top of my list  – vacuum.  My children have been really into art lately and there seems to be a non stop trail of paper scraps, sticker backings and broken crayons through the house.  This was the number one reason, besides the passage of time since the last vacuuming, that I needed to vacuum.  I thought about how this paper litter was driving me nuts and how to curtail it.  We were keeping the supplies in my daughter’s room because she has excess closet space and the kitchen does not.  It clear was not working, though.

I was determined to fit the art supplies into the kitchen.  And as I started the reorganization process I realized there were many problem areas to work on throughout the house.  We have been in this house less than a year.  I thought we were pretty organized, but now that the seasons are changing, I realize that we are not.  I tend to have this problem when the seasons change.  There is always that transitional period when summer and fall are battle back and forth.  The sandals and booties, the coats and umbrellas, they all get caught up in the clutter.  Then there is the bounty of produce that comes during this season.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the abundance of produce, but it creates its own bit of clutter.  I process a lot of garden and bulk produce and the related contraptions like the food dehydrator and canning supplies can really get in the way.  Most kitchens (including mine) are not designed to accommodate these extras.

I do normally go on a cleaning mission right before the Holidays, but I usually make through Thanksgiving.  Not this year.  I don’t know if it is the darkness, while I was starting my seasonal organizing process this morning the darkness was really getting to me.  I just had to get through a few more days of Daylight Savings Time and I would be ready to go back to Standard Time for sure.  Now that Halloween and that chaos is over, I am going to bust this clutter by Turkey Day, sooner, if possible.  So I am making a list of seasonal organizing to work on and I am going to tackle one at a time (not necessarily in this order).

1. Find a new home for the children’s art supplies (attack the catalyst first)
2. Swap and organize winter and summer clothing completely (The warmth is gone and won’t be back until April)
3. Organize the hall coat closet
4. Organize daughter’s closet (that is where the consignment/donate/sell stash resides)
5. Get together said donatables, consignment, etc.
6. De clutter kitchen counter tops
7. Work on the “wall of values” (more on that later)
8. Reorganize my studio (baby steps)
9. organize/ arrange china cabinet and hang up some decor
10. paint kitchen trim and heater (finishing up a project)

That should do it.  It is a good start and should get me to a better place. I may add to it.  Once I get started with organizing I tend to get a momentum going.  I have already gathered some recycling material (2 bags!) and took it to school for the Paper Retriever program,

I’m off to roll up my sleeves…