Office - Is yours a Mess?

The dreaded "before" pictures of an office.

Then looking the other direction in this room you finally see the desk.

This client is a home builder and his business took off so fast several years ago that when he took over a bedroom in their home, they did not have time to clean it out first. Things just kept accumulating. He brought in pieces from a home (2 pantries and kitchen counter unit) thinking it would help him...but there was no organization in their use.

The AFTER Pictures:

This is the same space as in the very top photo. We took out all the kitchen counters and pantries. He still was going to frame the photos of the houses he built, he just put them up for an idea.
They painted the room once we got it cleared out. Looks wonderful.

This client built the table that sides up to his desk. He needed something to lay out house plans and be able to bring clients up to the other side to go over them with him. He had to use his dining room table before because he wouldn't take anyone up to his office.

He wanted something for his house plans. He wanted to be able to lay out the house plans and not have them rolled up for the ones he was working on presently. This was kind of an unconventional use of these cubby units, but the actual house plan units were very expensive. I gave him the options and he loves this plan.

We also used the closet for storage. He needed house plans archived. We came up with the inexpensive idea to stack these boxes on top of one another to make up an economical solution to that problem.

Would love to see your "before" and "after" pictures of your offices.
Having problems with it? I am doing my live show tonight on office organization.
Just tune in at 8:30 est to Mom TV and join me.

Share my Recipe Sunday - Sugar Free Peach Crisp

Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has earned my Gem of the Week again. She has given us a recipe that diabetics can enjoy! My father is a diabetic and loves good desserts...and is thrilled when we can find a good recipe that is sugar free.
Join our Share my Recipe Sunday and add your recipe to the Mr. Linky. Feel free to pick up any recipes to use in your kitchen!

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There are a lot of diabetics in my family. It runs in the family. Therefore, I try to make desserts once in a while that everyone can enjoy without as much guilt as usual ;-). This dish isn't terribly sweet and lets the flavor of the peaches shine through. If you choose to use fresh, you may have to alter the time a bit.

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup crystaline fructose
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups sliced frozen peaches
2 tsp minute tapioca
Place peaches in the bottom of a 9 X 9 pan. Sprinkle with tapioca and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Combine oats, flour, fructose, butter and remaining cinnamon in a bowl and combine with a pastry blender until nice and crumbly. Sprinkle over the peaches. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with sugar free vanilla ice cream if desired.
Kristen

July 4th Weekend Plans? Don't forget to Make Your List!

For many of us this will be a busy weekend, full of picnics, fireworks, family reunions and fun! This was a 4th of July weekend at our farm 3 years ago. My hubby was helping the triplets to make and paint their own birdhouses. We went canoeing, picked black raspberries and cooked out. Great time.
But busy weekends also entail planning things out so you do not forget to bring the brownies you promised!

Get out Your Paper and Pen and start your list for what you will need to have this weekend.
1)Cooler
2)Ice - Make your own ahead if there is time!
3)Food/Drink
4)Place settings/cups
5)Napkins/paper towels
6)Trash Bags
7)Bug Spray
8)Sun Screen
9)Lighter
10)First aid kit

Ok...now you add on to it. Think through what you are going to be doing for that day.

Check it off as you get it packed in the car.

Your day/weekend will go much smoother if you have it planned out and aren't forgetting half the things you need.

Momfluence & Type A Mom Are Having a Party at Blogher!

There are going to be so many really cool things to go to at BlogHer and this is one I just found out about through www.plussizemommy.com
Momfluence and Type A Mom are going together along with their sponsor HP to have a first ever LIVE sitewarming party at Blogher!

If you have a ticket to BlogHer already then you also need to register to try and win the $500 HP scholarship Oh my gosh wouldn't that be great to win to help with the expenses?

This should be sooo much fun!! Hope to see you there.

Kids Closet Organzing

Closets...you either love the closets in your house, or you hate them. I would have to guess that the majority of people are not happy with their closets. The biggest complaint I get is that they are too small.
It would be ideal for each of us to have someone come in and install a complete closet system wouldn't it? But that isn't realistic.
So we have to make due with what we have and be able to expand on it to make it more usable.
You can buy a hanger extension for as little as $9.99. It just hooks onto the bar above and gives you a 2nd hanging bar. This works great for kids. They all of a sudden can reach their hangers!! They can get their own clothes and hang up their own clothes. Not only does it help you, but it gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
Putting in an extra shelf or two in a closet isn't hard. Most homes today have the wire shelves built in. But there is a lot of wasted space above them. You can fit another shelf above in most cases.


Using the backs of doors can be a great alternative to finding extra space in a room. These over the door shoe hangers can be used obviously for shoes. But you can also use them for toys, combs, brushes, small stuffed animals, barbies, suntan lotion, sunglasses, winter gloves...and the list goes on.

Here is another option for the back of a bedroom door or inside a swinging closet door. It has little pockets for the kids items, blackboard and bulletin board. I found this one at JoAnn's. But I have seen them also at Walmart. They run about $15.
You can also hang magnetic boards, or just hooks for clothes to go on. The list is long, it just takes a little imagination. But don't waste that space behind or inside of a door.
Under the bed storage is a great option. Usually the only thing you find under their beds is clothes and toys that have made it there in a "clean up" attempt. You can store out of season clothes in them. Don't rule out this option if you have very limited space and more than one child in a room. If they don't have much closet or dresser space...use it for their daily clothes if needed. But be sure to get something that is easy to pull out and easy to open up. Or don't even put a lid on it if they are using it daily.

Keep things bright and colorful if you can. Baskets make a great addition for organizing socks, underwear, toys etc. This basket I put up on her shelf to put clothes in that she has outgrown. When you or your children come across something that doesn't fit, instead of shoving it back in the drawer..take it out and put it in the basket (or a hanging laundry bag or garage bag works too) to get it out of your drawer.

Use your floor space as best as possible. Otherwise it just gets filled with shoes, clothes and toys that hit the floor.
If you have room for a drawer unit like this, it is inexpensive and can house toys, workbooks, paper etc.. or can be used for socks and underwear if a dresser is limited.
The white shelves also can be used as such for shoes, but these are also a great space for baskets for any number of items.
Be creative and try and use all the space available.

Wordless Wednesday

My Brother, me, my Dad and my Sister - Our belated Father's Day.