I function best in an uncluttered environment. My brain already has enough things to think about without constantly looking for missing items or moving things from here to there to here in an effort to have some free counter space or a little bit of dressertop to use for a moment.

I wasn't always like this. I should scan some photos of what my bedroom looked like when I was 17 and living with my parents. Yikes!

Thankfully, I realised that sometimes, less is more. More room to work on projects. More space for hospitality.

I also realized that sometimes, less is less. Less work to clean around. Less bother to organize. Less effort to move.

The passing of time, the adding of children, and the blessing of a not-so-tiny home all tend to boost my possessions, and I find myself running out of counter space again, or filling up every single cupboard.

New things come into use, and other things are rarely touched. Some things that seem like a good idea to have just never really get used. And even though "my" personal items are at an all-time minimum, there's just so many things when you have a household... and a family!

Being frugal adds a whole new dimension to de-cluttering. I love to give away things I don't need. But I really don't want to give away things we do need, or may have to purchase later if I don't store them.

My friend Sheri recently told me that when she is de-cluttering, she prays,

"Lord, help me to get rid of the stuff we don't need and keep the things we will need."

What a novel idea! I am not an organizing pro. I desperately need wisdom when it comes to what to keep! I also need constant motivation and energy to keep on top of things like dirt and clutter.

I've been organizing in a big way in our home recently. I don't have before-pictures (although here are some 2-year-old photos of our living room and Yehoshua's bedroom--trust me, we have a lot more childrens' clothes and toys now!!!) but today I took some after-pictures of two rooms. (The kitchen photos are coming... once I get on top of the dishes and counters -- uhg!) 

First, the living room. Joshua and I both agreed that the living room needed some changes. We took out the stereo (it's on top of the fridge now) and desk (it's in our bedroom now) and got rid of the stereo cart. We took out a box of toys and are storing them elsewhere, so that the toy-mess during the day is limited. I got rid of a few books and moved the last of my teabag collection upstairs.

Here you can see the bookshelf and toy area. This is about half of the living room. The bookshelf has homeschool supplies on the top shelf. My books are on the second shelf, the children's books are on the second and third shelves, and the bottom two shelves are now toy storage. I love how everything's contained -- books, homeschool supplies, and toys -- and there's more open floor space. We all love this "new" living room!

The other half of the living room.

And the view of our front door from the living room. The top of the piano has wedding photos, Bibles, and lamps. We debated getting rid of the lamps, since we've never used them in our almost five years of marriage. We'll see. :)

Next, the children's bedroom. This room is tiny. It has always been difficult to work with. It has a vent, two huge windows and two doorways (but no door! So we put up curtains), and one of the doorways is at an angle. Try arranging two cribs, two dressers, and a changing table in here, and you'll soon realise why that's all I have in here! :)

I only made two major changes in this room. First, we took the baby swing and put it into storage (in our room), since it's not used. I used it so much for Yehoshua, but Eliyahu hardly used it. I want to keep it just in case, since it was a lifesaver with Yehoshua.

The other major change I made was condensing the children's clothing. I used to have a huge tote full of clothes and baby supplies, sitting on the floor in here. Now, the clothes that fits them is all in the dressers, and the clothes that is too big or too small is all in boxes or totes under the beds. I hate storing stuff under the beds, but with no closet, that's my option. :)

Here you can see Eliyahu's (left) and Yehoshua's (right) cribs. (Both cribs were given to us second-hand, what a huge blessing!!) Underneath is boxes of clothes, birth supplies (leftovers), and a portable playpen. To the far left is one doorway. On the right, you can see one of the dressers. I had to hold the camera up by the ceiling to get this picture! :D

Another view, this time from the ceiling on the other side of the room! ;) Clockwise from bottom left: Eliyahu's crib, Yehoshua's crib, Eliyahu's dresser, Yehoshua's dresser (with my CDs and camera on top), the changing table (with diapering supplies underneath), and our dirty laundry hamper (basket).

There's actually some open floor space, and I don't think I can get this room much sparser. It's better than it was, though!

I'm still working on the kitchen (mostly minor stuff) and enclosed porch (probably major!), so stay tuned for updates in a week or two with more photos. :)