OCD Has Taken Over My House

As a teacher, I have been known to show signs of OCD such as having my papers stacked up nice and neat, having my art boxes in perfect number order where the number is facing out, having desks line up perfectly with the lines on the floor, and I have even been known to flip out when a student turns in their paper and accidentally bumps my stapler on my desk so it is not facing in a perfect north and south direction.

Apparently, this OCD is making its way home with me. I have suddenly became obsessed with organizing my house so it will make me feel just as good at home as I do at school where everything is in perfect order. I started off this weekend shopping for containers and bins. I found some great ones at Big Lots and The Dollar Store. I also found some very cute ones at Target. However, we all know you get what you pay for so I tried my best to stick with the cheaper, yet not as cute, containers. We can't forget about the wonderful label maker I bought as well. My family better look out with me and this label maker!

I decided to start with the pantry in the kitchen. Then I moved to the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. Right now I am about half way through all the drawers and cabinets in there. Kevin and I also decided to tackle the garage. I only wish I had taken a before picture of the garage so you can see exactly why it took us almost 4 hours to clean it out and organize everything in there.

Ok, so let's start with the pantry. Here are 3 BEFORE pictures of our pantry:

We had to throw out an unbelievable amount of food that had expired. It was things like spice packets and honey jars that had gotten old. This cleared out a lot of space. Once we cleaned it out, I sorted the foods in different baskets and labeled them. I also bought a little shelf to give more space for my cans of veggies and fruits. Of course, all the cans must face the same direction. I was so happy to get drinks and paper towels off the floor. Here are the AFTER pictures of the pantry:

Let's do another before and after so you can see the full transformation. I already feel so much better and we have only tackled the pantry.

Once the pantry was done, I went on to the silverware doors. The first drawer was not so bad. I simply bought a newer tray, cleaned out the door, and put the new tray back in the drawer. The second drawer was worthy of before and after pictures. This was the drawer that holds 7 spatulas, 6 ice creams scoops, 8 wooden spoons. You get the idea. Anyway, I cleaned it all out, cleaned the drawer real good, bought an organizational tray to put in their and neatly arranged the essentials in this drawer. Here is the BEFORE picture of this drawer:

And the AFTER:

I moved right along to some kind of cabinet we could call miscellaneous. This cabinet held sippy cups (which have not been used for years), kiddie plates and bowls, some coffee sugar and creamer, a few jars of spices, etc. I transformed this cabinet into my very own coffee cabinet. It now has my k-cups coffee in a neatly labeled container, my mugs that I bring to school, mugs I use at home, and creamer and sugar. Here is the BEFORE:

And the Afters:

Next, I tackled the "junk drawers". I forgot to take before pictures of these drawers, but you can see how neat and organized they became with the containers in each drawer. This draw has a container for special coupons we get in the mail for Gap, Yankee Candle, etc. It also holds a basket of office supplies. Here is the AFTER:

This drawer contains a basket of stamps and address labels and a basket of envelopes so anything you need to mail a letter is right at our fingertips. Here is the AFTER:

This drawer contains a basket of notepads. It also has a basket for pens and another one for pencils. Here is the AFTER:

I really wish I had taken a before of our medicine cabinet. It was pretty bad. The two white baskets on the bottom hold any medicine and thermometers we may need. The blue basket with a handle holds first aid items. The handle makes this basket easy to pick up quickly if needed. Here is the AFTER of our medicine cabinet:

We also gave Miley her very own drawer. She has a basket of her treats and one for her medicines and brush. The drawer also holds her leash and her clothes. Here is the AFTER of Miley's drawer:

The last picture (up to this point) is of our plates and bowls cabinets. It was literally overflowing with plates and cups we don't use so we cleaned it out, cleaned it up, and back only the essentials including our paper china! Here is the AFTER:

I forgot to take a before picture of the garage which may be a good thing. I think I would have been pretty embarrassed for anyone to see the way our garage looked. I got a white plastic shelf for free from my grandmother's house. Then I bought some bins, labeled them, and filled them up with the girls' outside toys. Here are the pictures:

Organization at the Carter house has only just begun. We still have to finish the kitchen, the laundry room, the coat and linen closets, the cabinets in the bathrooms, the girls' closets, our closets, and the biggest job of all with be the playroom. Stay tuned for more pictures of my OCD moments!