Day 103: Paper Police

I knew I wasn't finished with my new shelves in the room of "S.I.N." .... As I looked at the big pile of card stock just sitting there, I knew I had to do something better to organize everything -- in a neat, useful way!

So, I bought this handy paper organizer.


It's made especially for this purpose -- for crafty folks with too much paper, that is. I bought the one that actually holds 12x12 card stock, and it works great to color coordinate everything and store it in a MUCH-easier-to-use fashion! It looks neat, too! :)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 102: The Neat Trick to Cheaper Stuff, Online

OK, ok... so this isn't a tip about cleaning up your bathroom or organizing your underwear drawer, but it IS worthy of sharing. And, personally, I think it's worthy of being listed under my bag o' tricks in the "neat freak cheat sheet" file!

If any of you fellow neat freaks (or neat freak wannabe's!) love to shop online, then you MUST check out this little website: retailmenot.com. Whatever site you are on, be sure to visit retailmenot.com BEFORE making your purchase, because this little gem provides coupon codes and discounts, for perhaps 10% off... or $10 off! Of course, some retailers have opted NOT to be included on this site, but many are there... so TRY it! It's worth checking out so you can keep a little extra in your pocket... for the next online shopping trip! They also have coupons that you can print... so stop here before heading out to pick up groceries or try on some new shoes! (Hey, I buy everything from diapers to New York strip steaks online, so this is a GREAT tip!) ;)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 101: The Room of S.I.N.

As a neat freak who loves neatness and who spends most of my "free" moments cleaning, straightening and organizing, it's very difficult for me to admit this. BUT, I'm going to choose to confide in y'all: I have a room of S.I.N.

That's right. A room of S.I.N! And I bet you, too, have somewhere in your home where S.I.N. takes place... on a daily basis! ;)

What I am talking about here could be considered a dirty, little secret, but it's probably not as bad as you might be thinking! The S.I.N. I'm referring to is that room, drawer, cabinet, closet or ANY place you use to "Stash It Now!"

Whatever and wherever that is in your home... that is YOUR place of S.I.N! :) When things don't quite go anywhere else in the house, you stash it there. When company is coming over unexpectedly, this is your go-to place (AKA "dumping grounds") for the mail, homework, coats, shoes and toys that have mysteriously taken up residence all over the house. This is where random odds and ends and other junky bits and pieces end up when they just don't have a spot of their own, when you don't have time to put them in the correct place... OR, when you just don't really know what in the world to do with it!

And, believe it or not, this neat freak uses our laundry room for all of our S.I.N. stuff! And for the longest time (perhaps 3 years or so?!?!) the laundry room has been the bane of my existence, with its stacks of boxes and non-matching piles of everything, everywhere!

Don't believe it?!?! Well, here is photo proof:


In addition to the clothing (that has every right to be in there), you can also find mailing boxes, bags, crafting tools, photo albums, business supplies, catalogs... and things that would go perfectly (and preferably) in an office or in a "craft room," if we had those!

Of course, this is not a TERRIBLE, unusable space. And I have made many attempts to corral some of this stuff. As the pictures show, there are some baskets and bins and even a little dresser in there! And there is an overflowing -- but still handy -- laundry caddy (which currently serves as my baby boy's "closet," since it's SO much easier to get his clothes from the laundry room than to go upstairs to his room!) It just wasn't working. And it was making me crazy. So my wonderful, handy hubby put up some simple, floor to ceiling shelving for me all along the small wall right by the door!

Here is the NEW, improved space!


The washer and dryer stayed put, obviously, but we moved everything around a bit, and I was able to put items in more logical places -- and get them out of the middle of the floor!

Granted, it's not perfect. My son's clothes are still taking up the caddy. I will probably reorganize the shelves and move things around here and there. And I will still need an emergency "S.I.N." space at times. But, that will probably end up being a cabinet. (And I will ONLY use it for the temporary stashing of items!)

For now, I'm quite happy to be able to put things in their place. And I'm very pleased that I can actually open the laundry room door without making excuses... or cringing in disgust -- even when company is around! ;)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 100: Cleaning up the new look!

As promised, I am about to launch a new look for The Neat Get Neater blog! This is a test mode, with a few changes to come in a little while. Hope you like the new, clean, de-cluttered look! :)

Day 99: A moment of silence...

The tornadoes that swept through Alabama last week wreaked havoc in much of my home state. Survivors of one of the deadliest storms in our history are still mourning. Many are homeless. People trying to clean up the massive amounts of damage. And we are all looking forward to a hopeful future....

With this in mind, the Neat Get Neater blog would like to take a moment of silence to remember... and to pray. My sincerest hope is that the clean-up efforts are swift and effective and that people will find comfort, support and peace through this storm.

If you would like to donate to the cause, a friend has started a site that benefits the American Red Cross, Birmingham area. Click HERE for more details.

Day 98: The Neat Freak Easter Basket?

I just had to post this photo of some of the cool things my hubby and I got in the Easter basket my mother-in-law put together for us! Candy, chocolate... and cleaning items! :) Perfect for a self-proclaimed neat freak (and chocoholic!)!



Now, THAT's neat!

Day 97: Happy Oven Cleaning

It was my fault. I should NOT have used a cake pan that I'd never used before... on Easter morning... while making the Easter dessert!

If I had gone a more familiar route (AKA the tried-and-true Bundt pan), I likely would not have ended up with chocolate-chip pound cake rising up over the never-used pan and oozing like lava all over the oven.

*sigh.... (Cue oven cleaning.)

I decided to attack the problem (after the oven cooled, of course) with some baking soda, damp paper towels and a little elbow grease!


I just dusted baking soda over the slimy spots and let it sit for a moment....


Then I scrubbed gently with some damp paper towels. Most of the grime kind of solidified and got picked up by the baking soda. It was pretty gross.


My quick-fix, baking-soda method worked ok, for the most part; but some of the stubborn, baked-on goo needed "the big guns."

(Enter husband with razor blade.)

Yep. My sweet, helpful hubby got in on the Easter-morning-oven-cleaning action and carefully scraped off the remaining gunk... with a razor blade! EEK! (This is a cleaning method I tend to shy away from... mostly because I am accident prone and bad with sharp objects!) But it worked! And my oven was nearly returned to its original glory! :)


I, of course, lined the bottom of the oven, again, with some heavy-duty aluminum foil. As I've mentioned before, it's much easier to toss out a dirty sheet of foil than it is to clean the oven, and the foil catches the majority of the random food escapees and splatters (except when you have an occasional, unexpected lava flow!)


I also got a wild hair and decided to turn on the "self clean" for the very first time. I don't know why, but this high-heat, door-locking, oven-cleaning cycle always freaks me out a bit. And it was still going when we left for Easter dinner... with my lop-sided pound cake! And since we returned home late last night, I still need to peek inside (and get another photo) to see if my oven is even cleaner now!

Stay posted for an update! ;)


Now, THAT's neat!