Pam's Super Clean Cat Castle: House Crashing

My super-organized friend Pam was kind enough to give me a tour of her amazingly clean home today. I now think of her place as the "Cat Castle" because she has dedicated space to her cats in every room and has lots of cute cat decor. Can you see the cat stained glass on the window and floor mat in her super clean kitchen? Her two cats (pictured below) are abundantly loved and well cared for and clearly have run of the house yet the house smells fantastic and I didn't sneeze once (I usually sneeze at other pet lovers' homes, no matter how well they clean).

Here's Pat's guest, aka "Cat Room." I love the cat decor on the walls and stuffed big and small cat display on the bed.

 Here's Patches, Pam's beautiful calico cat.

Here's Pam's cat, Snicker's, who I fell in love with when she crawled on my lap and started purring within moments of our meeting.

This is Pam's cat friendly bedroom (there's even cat furniture in the corner, as there was in most of her rooms, including her office, living room and even in her sun room) with Snickers the cat enjoying the bed.

I loved Pam's light and airy bathroom. The natural view of the woods outside and plants around the giant bathtub made it feel like a spa retreat.

Hearty thanks to Pam for opening her home to me and my camera! Her home is an inspiration for me to continue my decluttering projects in my own home. If you have an organized home or room and want to share your inspiring place with the world, let me know and I might feature you in a future blog post. There's no pay but you might just help make the world a more pleasant place.

May God bless Pam and her family and may He bless you too!

Full links and related posts: 
14 minute kitchen counter clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/14-minute-kitchen-counter-clutter.html
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post : http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
8 minute microwave area clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/8-minute-microwave-and-cut-flower.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html

8 Minute Microwave and Cut Flower Decluttering Project

This project took 7 minutes and 39 seconds. It included removing everything but the microwave, cutting boards (stored behind the microwave) and knife block; cleaning and dusting the area and contents; purging the clutter; categorizing the items being returned to the area (my sunflower trivets and my husband's magazines and what I presume is the last cookbook he used to make dinner last night); putting the things that belonged elsewhere away (if they belonged somewhere else in the kitchen) or in a basket for distribution later; culling the dead flowers from the arrangement; trimming the stems of the keepers; rinsing the old vase out and putting the remaining flowers in a new vase.

The first two photos are the "before" images. I included both because in the first one it looks more cluttered but you can only see the whole area in the second one.

This last photo is the "after" picture. So much nicer! I'd have moved hubby's cookbook and magazines (he has a bookshelf for his cookbooks and a storage area for his magazines) but figured he had them in the kitchen for a reason so I'd let him deal with that when/if he wants to do so. I'm so thankful that he cooks I can certainly live with a bit of clutter in the kitchen.

I hope this inspired you in some way! If so, I'd love to hear about it. You're also welcome to join my clutter busting Facebook community. Whatever your goals, may God bless you and keep you!

Full links and related posts: 
14 minute kitchen counter clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/14-minute-kitchen-counter-clutter.html
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
Easy exercise motivation trick: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-exercise-motivation-trick.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html

14 Minute Kitchen Counter Clutter Clearing Project

Before decluttering

As I mentioned in my desk clearing post, I love quick and easy decluttering and organizing projects that immediately make a difference. Above is a photo of my kitchen counter before I spent 13 minutes and 51 seconds (which I rounded up to 14 minutes for the title) decluttering, cleaning and organizing it.  That 14 minutes included removing everything but the blender, loading the dishwasher (I'd decided to do a timed project right after I emptied it and noticed how cluttered the counter was), placing a new roll of paper towels on the holder (not pictured), recycling the old paper towel tube, purging the clutter, categorizing what I decided would go back, dusting everything that needed it, and putting everything that really belongs somewhere else into a basket for distribution later.

Above is the "before" picture of my cluttered kitchen counter.  As you can see, it's kind of busy and there's too much stuff out which limits the work area for cooking.

After decluttering

The "after" picture is a breath of fresh air. I didn't fuss with my husband's sponges or "his side" of the counter (not pictured) but I think our shared side looks a whole lot better. While it does mean the kitchen is more his than mine, I'm truly blessed with a wonderful husband who cooks dinner every night so I definitely want to respect his space.

I relocated the phone to a little shelf that rests on the left side of the counters. I also keep bananas there but there's plenty of room for both. That was a well spent 14 minutes and these quick successes make it easier for me to stay motivated to plug away at my larger, long-term decluttering projects.

I hope this inspired you in some way! If so, I'd love to hear about it. You're also welcome to join my clutter busting Facebook community. Whatever your goals, may God bless you and keep you!
 
Full links and related posts: 
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post : http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
Easy exercise motivation trick: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-exercise-motivation-trick.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html 

My Home Vision & New Series on Decluttering and Organization

I find it helps to have a vision whenever I'm trying to accomplish something. One of my big resolution goals for this year is to declutter and organize my home. But the driving force behind that goal is my home vision.

Phyllis' Home Vision: A beautiful, peaceful haven where love reigns, God is honored, and my husband and guests feel appreciated and welcome.

The whole vision statement is a bit long so sometimes I just focus on the two words in bold, "peaceful haven." For me, peacefulness includes cleanliness and organization. Life is more peaceful when I can find what I need when I need it. A haven includes beauty, a place to relax and rejuvenate and quiet from the outside word. While our home needs a lot of work, it feels good to make progress! But it's a process and I'm battling multiple health challenges while trying to turn my vision into reality. So if you're a praying person I'd appreciate your prayer support for my health challenges and homemaking pursuits. If there's something you'd like me to pray for please comment below or email me at lovejoypeas@gmail.com and I'll be honored to pray for you.

There are plenty of great places like www.flylady.net on the web for people looking to declutter, but I figured that some of my own friends were also looking for a place of mutual support so yesterday I started a free Facebook community called Clutter Clean in 2013 and you're welcome to "like" the page and join in the fun. My hope is that we'll spur each other on to success and provide an atmosphere of encouragement for one another there.

Do you  have a home vision? If so, I'd love to hear it! And how you use it too.

May God bless you!

Full link to Clutter Clearing in 2013: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013

Self Talk for Decluttering

 Open skies symbolize open spaces and openness to change. 

Photo by Ben W.

Decluttering is a way to love yourself, those with whom you live and those to whom you open your home. Here is some positive self talk for clearing your clutter.

• I love clear, open spaces.
• I am fully able to declutter my home (office, garage, etc.) and I understand that seeking help (if needed) is a sign of maturity and responsibility.
• I bless others with the things I don't love, use or need.
• I schedule time to declutter in reasonable blocks so that I make progress but am not overwhelmed.
• I understand that things and memories are separate. 
• I respect the storage capacity of my house; when things start to get overcrowded I thin out my belongings. 
• I make decisions quickly and responsibly.
• I choose to keep only what blesses my family.
• I deserve a clean, organized and beautiful home.
• Decluttering frees me to live the life of my dreams.

Note: Partially inspired by www.flylady.net and Maria Gracia's Nov. 13-19, 2011 Get Organized Now e-newsletter article titled Bring Out the Clutter Warrior in Yourself.