My 3 Minute Rule

A Beautiful Mismatched Table

Keeping things around the house clean can sometimes feel like a HUGE chore. Especially while pregnant (really, bending over is hard!).

I have found that giving myself a simple 3 minute task not only helps me feel like I am keeping things straightened up but also helps boost my mood. If things are put away I feel a sense of ease and enjoyment, two things I always want my home to feel like.  

Here are a few of the things I can accomplish in 3 minutes (or less!)

Sweep the kitchen/bathroom floor. (we don't have a huge kitchen and just a half bath downstairs so this is a quick one for me!)

Make our bed. (somehow a made bed is even more comfortable to snuggle into)

Put away random things all over the house.

Clean and cut fruit or veggies to eat later (I learned this from my mother-in-law, if you clean it, cut it and put it where they will see it, they (my husband) will eat it!)

Start the dishwasher.

Put away laundry. 

Wipe down the sink (any sink).

Do my hair (ok, not a house thing, but it does make me feel girly)




What do you do for a pick me up? What tricks work for you?

From Pinterest to Practical: Wine Toppers

Ok, I have officially jumped on the Pinterest DIY bandwagon. And I love it.

Obsessed might be the best word to describe my current interest in DIY crafts actually! Between thoughts of babies and delivery, I dream about the next project I can accomplish.

This week I tackled one of the easier projects, wine toppers made with old tops from trophies. It was the perfect project for getting rid of some trophies collecting dust in our basement and making Christmas presents. I am going to pair a few of these toppers with some local wine and ta da- instant Christmas gift.

Source: decoradventures.com via Erika on Pinterest

I didn't come up with the project idea (click here if you want the directions) so I won't explain how to do it, but I wanted to let you know how it went.

The only supplies you need are:

• drill with interchangeable bits
• old trophies
• wine corks

I had my husband drill the holes  (I don't do too well with power tools), then simply screwed on the toppers. It really was that simple! Easy-peasy! This was about a 10 minute project with almost fool-proof results. Highly recommended!!!

This is how mine turned out (no wine to cork with yet). We had some large toppers and then a few small ones. Some lucky friend or family members gets our old soccer toppers!

Wine Topper DYI

Cleaning Closet Clutter Too!

Any attempt to clean out part of our apartment is a win-win situation for me. This challenge fits right in with my 2012 goals (win #1) and I get to de-stress after a Monday full of work (win #2). 

I agree, the bathroom cabinet is not exactly a closet, but sometimes getting a little space cleaned up is the best motivation.  I am going to start with our bathroom cabinet as well. I noticed the other day when I grabbed for some extra toothpaste that the wonderful air vent located underneath the cabinet heats up all our extra bathroom supplies. Let's just say the shampoo's were extra watery. Ick. No better time to clean out all the crap!

I first got out all the current supplies, extras and random bathroom items.

I noticed that I seem to keep semi-empty bottles with little to no substance left. I took a handful of these items straight to the dishwasher to get a good clean so I can reuse them when I travel.

A little messy to start...

I then took my travel/cosmetic bags that were not in use and put them all together to make storing easier. I kept one of the larger travel bags out and filled it with some essentials so I can have a travel pack ready to go whenever I need.

I ran into a few products that I don't think will ever get used so those got moved to a throw away pile. 

When it was all said and done, I got rid of a lot of useless things and found three tubes of toothpaste I didn't know we had! Guess I won't need to buy that for a while! I am glad to get a small project done, I always feel more accomplished. 

Much Better!

This cleaning project spurred some new year cleaning bug and I have started a small pile of things I don't need from around the house.  I informed my husband of the de-cluttering just in case things of his go missing. It might happen. Just saying

How about your clutter? What do you do when you find you have too much? Any good methods to keep clutter at bay?