Project Life : Anything But Boring

I'm a lazy perfectionist.

Weird, right?

But really, that's what I am. I like things the way I like them, in a certain way at a certain time and with a little bit of charm, as close to Martha as I can muster. 

But only when I feel like it.

And it works for me.

Until I get this feeling like I'm slacking and things start to seem like they are anything but perfect. Then I just get annoyed...and I clean. I clean a lot. And I organize. A lot.

A week ago today, we got home from 20 days of vacation chaos. We were going, going, going from the minute we stepped onto our plane out of Norfolk, right down to the minute we crawled back into our own beds that first night back home. The next morning, though, instead of relaxing and lounging and doing what any normal person might do...I started in on my To-Do list. Laundry, cleaning, de-cluttering and organizing. After twenty days gone, my house was feeling much less than perfect...and I wasn't having it. 

I was on a mission...to clean every corner. Nothing was safe.

And before you begin, let me just say that I have already added "Always take Before pictures, no matter what" to my 'Resolutions' list, because I never remember to do that, and it's moments like these that I really wish I had.

This is our pantry. It is in need of a face-lift (ranked as Project #5 so far on our Family Projects list), but other than that, before my need to clean took over, this pantry was a mess. Once upon a time, there was order, organization and rhythm on those shelves...but that time had long passed. It was time to right my wrongs and make up for my laziness of the past. I would no longer have to apologize to anyone before opening my pantry door. I would no longer purchase multiple items thinking we were out, when in fact the items were simply hidden behind the clutter. (note the 4 bags of croutons...I'm ashamed) The time had come. And so it was written, and so it was done! Organize Pantry: Check!

This is my closet. It's actually mine and my husband's closet. This was something that, upon purchasing our home, I didn't care much about. It's a place to hang clothes...yay. But now that we have lived in this home for over a year, and I have done my best to keep this overflowing mess in order, I've decided I should have cared a little more about this...because there. is. no. room. I have utilized every inch of this closet. (Except for that patch of white straight at the back...I could probably do something with that...hmm...) But anyway, the beauty of this photo will never fully be appreciated because there is no before photo. The before was awful. It was scary and it was downright embarrassing. There were clothes coming from every corner, spilling onto the floor and crammed into spaces that don't even exist anymore. And I was tired of it. And so...I fixed it. It took hours...an entire evening...but once it was done, I was happy, and I could finally relax a little. Organize Closet: Check!

Ok, so those were my big projects when it came to organizing my house...I really felt like there had been more...but now that I think about it...those two projects just took me almost two entire days...so I guess it just felt like more. Is it sad that it took me two days to organize two closets?