ORDER PLEASE
ORDER: the way objects in space or events in time are arranged or follow one another
Yep...order. I long for it. Doesn't everyone?? Isn't that why we all covet Martha's perfectly labeled bed linens with the cute little tag indicating the bed they go on? Or her beautifully arranged white dishes on the open shelves in her kitchen?? (Do you really think those get used??)
Order doesn't come easily in a busy household...and if it does, I'd prefer believing that it doesn't, thank you. The problem isn't that we're not capable, of establishing order, rather maintaining it, mostly because there is always later. It's just so stinking easy to stay busy and justify putting something back where it belongs when it is much more convenient. For instance, why should I make a trip all the way downstairs to return a needle to my sewing room when I can temporarily put it in a nearby location and take it when I'm actually going there? (Because it is sooo far out of my way you know, and it would take all of 30 extra seconds). Eventually, the pile grows, becomes scattered, lost and then I find myself in need of a needle, but now I have to go buy a new one. Now, there is a downside to returning something to it's proper location, and if you've ever read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin", you'll know what I mean. It is quite easy to get distracted during the 30 second trip to the basement, and suddenly, putting a needle away has turned into a 2 hour escapade involving things like laundry, lost shoes, popcorn under the couch cushions, etc, etc!
HOWEVER...since order is what I long for, on occasion I get a big itch to really organize something. Usually, when my task is complete, I'll stand back and ask myself why I didn't do that sooner because it is clearly the best thing I've done this month! (Then the reminder to myself that it will only stay that way if things get put back after they're taken out!)
I've been on a mission for years to properly organize my sewing room. I realize that I am so fortunate to have a whole room dedicated to a hobby, but even a room with a purpose is not fully functional if it is always a big mess! I've rearranged a thousand times, and I always love it...for the 24 hours that it stays that way. I think...I THINK I've finally found something that works! (It's been clean for two months now!!!) Pinterest...that lovely little cyber tool that I was so afraid would suck all of my time has actually turned out to be quite handy and inspiring! Lots of great recipes, crafts, and of course organizational ideas. I found a very pretty little sewing room on Pinterest that sparked my desire to try organizing my own one more time. Voila!!! Hopefully it was truly as simple as minimizing my fabric storage! My room went from this potential "Hoarders" episode
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My fabric is now on these handy little rectangle, acid-free storage boards. Little mini bolts. Most of what fits on one shelf was taking up an entire closet, and now I can see all of it at a glance! Here is what I discovered though...the first 50 plastic ones that I bought for $75 have little tabs to catch the fabric and secure it to the bolt. The next 50 cardboard ones cost around $11 and are simply comic book storage boards without any extra little notches or tabs. There is no convenience difference in my opinion. In fact, I'm seriously thinking about undoing all of my expensive ones and replacing them with the lesser expensive ones and selling the first ones on Craigslist or something! :)
Synonyms arrangement, array, disposal, disposition, distribution, ordering, sequence, setup
Related Words continuity; precedence, priority; chain, procession, progression, succession; series; aligning (also alining), alignment (also alinement), lining up; design, layout, pattern, structure, system
Near Antonyms confusion, disorder, disorganization, disruption, upset; disconnection, disjointedness
Yep...order. I long for it. Doesn't everyone?? Isn't that why we all covet Martha's perfectly labeled bed linens with the cute little tag indicating the bed they go on? Or her beautifully arranged white dishes on the open shelves in her kitchen?? (Do you really think those get used??)
Order doesn't come easily in a busy household...and if it does, I'd prefer believing that it doesn't, thank you. The problem isn't that we're not capable, of establishing order, rather maintaining it, mostly because there is always later. It's just so stinking easy to stay busy and justify putting something back where it belongs when it is much more convenient. For instance, why should I make a trip all the way downstairs to return a needle to my sewing room when I can temporarily put it in a nearby location and take it when I'm actually going there? (Because it is sooo far out of my way you know, and it would take all of 30 extra seconds). Eventually, the pile grows, becomes scattered, lost and then I find myself in need of a needle, but now I have to go buy a new one. Now, there is a downside to returning something to it's proper location, and if you've ever read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin", you'll know what I mean. It is quite easy to get distracted during the 30 second trip to the basement, and suddenly, putting a needle away has turned into a 2 hour escapade involving things like laundry, lost shoes, popcorn under the couch cushions, etc, etc!
HOWEVER...since order is what I long for, on occasion I get a big itch to really organize something. Usually, when my task is complete, I'll stand back and ask myself why I didn't do that sooner because it is clearly the best thing I've done this month! (Then the reminder to myself that it will only stay that way if things get put back after they're taken out!)
I've been on a mission for years to properly organize my sewing room. I realize that I am so fortunate to have a whole room dedicated to a hobby, but even a room with a purpose is not fully functional if it is always a big mess! I've rearranged a thousand times, and I always love it...for the 24 hours that it stays that way. I think...I THINK I've finally found something that works! (It's been clean for two months now!!!) Pinterest...that lovely little cyber tool that I was so afraid would suck all of my time has actually turned out to be quite handy and inspiring! Lots of great recipes, crafts, and of course organizational ideas. I found a very pretty little sewing room on Pinterest that sparked my desire to try organizing my own one more time. Voila!!! Hopefully it was truly as simple as minimizing my fabric storage! My room went from this potential "Hoarders" episode
.jpg)
.jpg)
...to this:
My fabric is now on these handy little rectangle, acid-free storage boards. Little mini bolts. Most of what fits on one shelf was taking up an entire closet, and now I can see all of it at a glance! Here is what I discovered though...the first 50 plastic ones that I bought for $75 have little tabs to catch the fabric and secure it to the bolt. The next 50 cardboard ones cost around $11 and are simply comic book storage boards without any extra little notches or tabs. There is no convenience difference in my opinion. In fact, I'm seriously thinking about undoing all of my expensive ones and replacing them with the lesser expensive ones and selling the first ones on Craigslist or something! :)
I still have a little ways to go, because there are still those things that I have no idea where to put. Maybe the trash??? I did find that I have about 52,000 hot glue sticks, upholstery items to reupholster every piece of furntiture in my house and enough sewing machine needles to last a lifetime. I just couldn't find them all before! Now everything has it's place!
The linen closet got a makeover too, although I don't have any before pictures. Let's just say for imagination sake that everytime I wanted a different set of sheets, almost everything had to be removed from the entire closet just to find the right one!
Isn't it pretty? Every size bed has it's own basket (which will soon have cute little labels indicating which size when I organize some other drawers in which they may be hiding!)
Rembember my spices?
I added some more little clips to the other door, and suddenly my whole cupboard is so much more user-friendly!
The bedroom closets are next, the refrigerator and pantry are done again for now, and at some point I'm sure I'll work on hitting every room in the house.
Currently, almost all of my walls look like this:
but my morning has been spent giving two rooms a fresh coat of paint.
While I'd like to say that my longing for order has caused all of this productivity, it is actually accompanied by another motivator. When is it that the home "to-do" list usually gets done?? When the house is trying to be sold. So, things on our to-do list are slowly getting crossed off because we're hopeful to put our house on the market in the late spring. It is VERY bitter-sweet...one because by the time we're finished with our list, we may look around and wonder why we would want to leave such a clean, organized, updated home, but also because we really do love it here, especially during the times of year when our schedule is a little slower. I think we've reached a point though where it is just much more practical to be within walking distance of the 90% of the activities that we are part of. Sooo...we'll see what God's plans for us will be. In the meantime, no one is allowed to use the linen closet, touch the walls, go in my sewing room or open the refrigerator...that way the order will remain! :)
