Blog - Graceful Order

Sunshine, Breakfast and a Giveaway!

March 5, 2015 · by Maria · 197 Comments

Today we are talking sunshine, breakfast, a giveaway and camping! Doesn’t it all sound like a good combo? A few weeks ago we decided to go camping with the boys and take our kayak. The boys were ecstatic and my oldest started getting his gear ready since he often goes camping with his dad. In true form, I started making all sorts of checklists for our little adventure amongst the crickets and trees. I planned what we would eat and what we would wear and my husband took care of all the activities. Needless to say, the morning of was beyond hectic. I knew that it would be, so the night before I told the boys that we would rely on Jimmy for breakfast. You know Jimmy, right? Well Jimmy Dean had more breakfast options than Mom so the boys were excited to choose.

They chose the Croissant Sausage, Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwich. It was the first time we had these but I knew the boys would like them. I mean… a buttery croissant, sausage, egg and cheese… that’s a no-brainer for kids (and adults)!

I unpacked them and I love how they are already individually wrapped and you can break off the ones that you need and freeze the rest.

You can put them in the microwave for under a minute (if refrigerated) but I chose to put them in the oven for 20 minutes, so that we could load the car while they cooked.

And they looked so good when they were done! I thought I would snap a few pics…

But the boys had another idea…

Now that’s a bite!

The boys were getting their fuel for the long day ahead.

All the boys. There is my sandwich waiting for me. I am always the last to eat. Does that also happen to you?

Breakfast was done and the only thing left to do was clean the dishes. Well, kind of. There were about 5 crumbs left on each plate.

Really, it was nice to concentrate on the activities of the day and not have to worry about cleaning up pots and pans before leaving the house. Jimmy Dean made it super convenient to have a full breakfast and get out of the house in time to enjoy this…

Now for the giveaway!

Answer this question in the comment section for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card:

What’s your favorite way to start the day off right?

Entry Instructions:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 3/5/2015 – 3/29/2015

Be sure to visit Jimmy Dean’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Space Saving Closet Transformations

February 27, 2015 · by Maria · 3 Comments

After sharing a post on my closet transformation, Hometalk contacted me and asked if I would curate a board that included other closet transformations from their online community. Um, so I get to look through beautiful pictures on Hometalk and clip these ideas to my board? It’s like I was being asked if I would be willing to eat a bowl of ice cream for someone. Yes, I am willing. 🙂

If you haven’t heard about Hometalk, check them out. It’s basically an online community of people that share ideas and advice about home improvement, gardening and DIY projects. What I love is the ability to clip (kind of like a pin) pictures onto boards so that you can later reference your favorite projects. That is exactly what I did with the board that I am sharing with you today. I chose 18 of my favorite closet transformations to share with you!

If you missed my post about organizing my closet, you can read about it here. Transforming my closet is the gift that keeps giving. I honestly still enjoy this organized and bright space, even after a year of installing the closet system.

Another project that I clipped to my board was this pantry transformation from thediyvillage.com. Don’t you love this pantry?

These are just two of the 18 projects that you will see on my board at Hometalk. If you want to see the rest of the board, click HERE. I hope you enjoy the projects and Hometalk as much as I do!

xo,

Maria

5 Tips for Organizing a Toddler Room

February 26, 2015 · by Maria · 4 Comments

Let’s commence with humor, because humor will make motherhood (and life) a lot more fun.

“When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they’re finished, I climb out.” ~Erma Bombeck 🙂

Earlier this week, I posted about organizing kids’ bedrooms and I had some moms ask for specific tips on organizing toddler rooms. While all the steps from the last post still apply to toddlers, I want to share with you my favorite tips about organizing toddler rooms.

1 – Use a mix of matching containers

While matching your containers will instantly make any room look tidy, they don’t all have to be the same exact container. Closed toy chests work well for large toys, medium bins are great for small toys and open containers work well for storing books. Containers can be stored inside bookshelves or inside kid’s closets. Use toy chests for stuffed animals, blankets or place 2 or 3 open containers inside to sort smaller items. Otherwise, small items will get lost in the bottom of the toy box.

2 – Label bins using text and/or picture labels

When labeling bins for little ones, it’s a good idea to use a picture of the content of the bin, instead of text.

3 – Make items accessible for toddlers

Toddlers will only put away toys if they can access them. And even then, we know it can be a challenge. Even if you have to do some or most of the work (especially if they are toddlers), it will be easier for you to put away their toys if there is a system set up.

Also, they will only play with items they can access so be picky with what you leave at arms length. I choose to keep my son’s DVD’s at a height that he cannot reach because I know that he would take them apart daily if he could.

4 – Create a Reading Station / Nook

My toddler’s room is small, the smallest room in the house. Although a sizable reading station was not possible, a little nook in a corner was. I did not have space for a bookshelf so I added a shelf that could hold a small amount of thin books. He has more books inside his closet but these are the ones he reaches for time and time again.

Consider bins for odd-shaped books. Some books fit nicely in a bookshelf, but toddler books come in all sizes and shapes and sometimes a bin is the best spot to store them.

5 – Have a spot to place clothing they have out-grown.

I keep an open bin at the bottom of my toddler’s closet where I can toss items that no longer fit. I prefer an open bin for this so that it is an easy system to follow. When the bin is full, I sort through it and donate the items.

Beneath the bin I keep boxes of hand-me-downs from my older son, with the following size he will wear. The next size or two he will use go at the bottom of the closet and the rest go on the last shelf of the closet, right up to the ceiling.

We started with humor so let’s wrap it up in the same fashion:

“The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable.” ~Lane Olinghouse

Isn’t that the truth?

Tips for Organizing Laundry Closets

February 23, 2015 · by Maria · 49 Comments

A few days ago we organized the laundry room and I wanted to share some of my favorite tips for organizing laundry closets for those of you (like me) that have a smaller area to work with.

Use vertical space for storage by adding shelves.

When we purchased our home, the laundry closet had one shelf above the washer and dryer. We added an additional two shelves to maximize the storage right up to the ceiling. This made a huge difference and using wire racks was an economical way to make the space more useful.

Use the side walls for extra storage.

I added a few small shelves and two-tiered baskets to hold more products and for little decorative touches. I added these metal adhesive labels just for decoration.

Add a clothesline to dry small items.

I added this retractable clothesline to dry tank tops and some other pieces that tend to shrink in the dryer.

In the corner, you can also see that I hang my cleaning gloves from a hook and a clip. They dry faster and they are out of the way.

Add a drying bar.

The clothesline that I added doesn’t hold larger pieces of clothing and I have literally used every corner of this little green closet. I added a shelf with hooks on the adjacent wall to hold shirts that are meant to hang-dry.

The hooks are from the Young House Love line. They have the cutest hooks and shelves.

Add a mini trash can.

I found this small trash can at Target and it is perfect to throw away dryer lint or little wrappers that I find in the boys pants before washing.

Add storage for loose change.

These little buckets from the Target dollar section, hang from a hook and they hold change, buttons and clothespins.

Keep extra hangers in closet.

Rid your master closet from all the extra hangers and bring them into your laundry room. I keep kid and adult hangers in the laundry closet to make putting away laundry easier and also for drying damp items in the drying hook as soon as I take them out of the dryer.

Decorate your laundry closet.

A small space like a closet, is a great space to try a wall color that you love but don’t want to commit to putting in a main living area. If you change your mind about the color, it is quick and inexpensive to change in the future. Add matching baskets that are functional to give your space a cohesive and bright feel. Although my baskets are not all the same, they are all white and they brighten up a space that is otherwise in a pretty dark corner.

For more tips on organizing the laundry room, check out these posts:

Laundry Room Before and After

Organized Home Week 7 – The Laundry Room

February 21, 2015 · by Maria · 13 Comments

Whether you have a laundry room or closet, it’s usually a space that serves more than one purpose. In my case, my laundry closet also holds the cleaning supplies for the entire house. And as you will see, I have a lot of cleaning supplies. I am always trying new products and comparing them so that I can later share them with all of you. Although I do have my favorites, I like switching them up from time to time and I enjoy the different scents and packaging.

In a few days, I will share how I maximize the space in my laundry closet but for now, I want to share general tips for getting any laundry area in good shape.

So let’s get ready to PURGE, CONTAINERIZE and of course, DECORATE!

Clear out the laundry room and separate like-items.

The laundry room can easily become a catchall space for the whole family, similar to a mudroom. Start by clearing out the space and separating the items into sections. If you have a few empty laundry bins, they are perfect for containing the contents of the space while you decide what to keep and what needs to go into another room. Sometimes it’s best to start with a blank slate so that you can better imagine the best placement for the items that you are keeping.

Designate the space for your needs.

Keep the products that you use most at eye-level. I keep my detergents and oxy powder cleaners right on the washer, inside of a metal tray. Adding a tray will not only make the items look neater, it is also keeps the residue from the bottles from getting all over the washing machine.

Containerize your cleaning supplies.

If you keep your cleaning supplies in the laundry room, designate plastic bins to keep them contained. I like plastic bins because they keep items from toppling over if you have wire shelves, like mine and they are easy to clean from spills. I use these open-top bins from Target and they each hold products for different cleaning tasks. I added a stick-on label that you can find here and they are both functional and decorative.

Create an ironing station.

Since I have a laundry closet with bi-fold doors, I don’t have the space for an ironing station in the laundry area. I keep this over-the-door organizer in another bedroom which is where I iron. If you have the space, you can use this set-up behind a cabinet door or create a station right on the wall. I like the organizer below because it stores the products together with the iron and the board.

Decorate your space.

Keep the laundry room looking crisp and clean and it will make laundry ~~so much fun~~ bearable. Use a comfortable, pretty rug in front of your washer and dryer, hang some laundry related art on the wall and add a faux plant for some color.