“The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.”

i totally found that quote and thought it summed up my struggle to get and stay organized in every aspect of my life. it is a battle. it's a fight to keep track of all those little mundane odds and ends of life: from pots and pans to bills to artwork to memorabilia to the minutes in our days. i find myself drowning in all those non-obvious things on a daily basis.

chaos, take that!

my friend karina posted a challenge on her blog to get organized and post our progress. the organizational bug bit me a few weeks ago, when enough was enough and i cleared out this cabinet. it was overflowing with phonebooks, artwork, art supplies and junk mail. jack had started getting into it and if the right piece of paper got moved, it triggered an avalanche of junk! i found some organizing things around the house, and used these cool little school supply boxes i found at wal-mart to contain it. now, the kids can grab a box of crayons, markers or art supplies, paper or a coloring book or workbook easily. below, i stored three boxes i found at costco for $15. on each, i labeled the kids' initials, and that's where i stash their artwork and important stuff to file or scrapbook. next to the paper is aidan's art "portfolio," which consists of 3 ring notebook and page protectors to contain his favorite drawings. crazy thing? it has remained this little oasis of organization amid the chaos hiding in most of my other cabinets and closets.

i knew i had scored a little victory when a neighbor girl came over and marveled at how clean my house was, and how good my art cabinet looked. apparently, a little goes a long way!

yesterday, bob and i spent a couple hours cleaning our garage. it was gross. but it's a start. i think i'm going to tackle the entry closet next, and i will have a before photo for that.