Baskets, Boxes & Bags - Organising My Home

There is so much to organize in any home

and

I'm sure you are like me

which means

we would rather have something that

looks nice

to help keep us organised.

SO

There is nothing better

for

Great Storage Solutions

than the 3 B's

BASKETS, BOXES & BAGS

When I was working on the Dressing Room and Storage Closet Overhaul & Inventory I had done a bit of a mixture and it was all centred really around those

Baskets, Boxes and Bags that I love.

Some of you who laughed at these labelled baskets

in my Hall cloakroom will have fun today again

(just a little hint of what is to come)

STORAGE CLOSET

Previously I had done a very quick tidy up in the Storage Closet because I had to get the floor cleared so that the walk-in closet could be a proper walk-in closet!

Now that meant that the closet did not look too bad on a cursory glance but the storage shelves and containers definitely needed more attention.

It is difficult to get pictures taken because of the smallness of the closet and only artificial lighting but I hope these are not too bad.

Left Hand side First set of Shelves

Doesn't look too bad here but top and bottom can't be seen here as it is too close to get a full length picture and they needed more work done on them, and some of the scarves had got mixed up so they got sorted neatly.


And then I got out my heart labels and strings.

I got these tags on Ebay and loved them so much I sent for more.

Because of being tied with string you can tie them tight or loose and let the tag hang just the right length to suit whatever basket you are using.



The top shelf had a smaller blue box than the two you can see in the BEFORE picture but there was room beside it to move the middle sized blue one up beside it leaving room for the third dark wicker basket which had been elsewhere in the closet so my sets of baskets are all together here now.

Right Hand side First set of Shelves

The top shelf here was not being used properly at all but because it is rather high up for me I couldn't use it for baskets or anything heavy that I might want on a regular basis so after looking around at the rest of the closet I decided that moving my Puzzle magazines up there would be better than having them take up a shelf under my shoes and would free up more space for my shoes, so up went the puzzle books.

I fixed up the handbag shelves as they get very untidy as I pull out and push in handbags all the time.

Then I change d the use of the three matching baskets here to take my sun caps, Fred's caps and my belts and of course labelled them too.

Okay there were definitely baskets here and yes a set of blue boxes but what about the bags?

The handbags?

No!

we need to go downstairs for

the bags

and

more boxes.

STUDY

In my Study the piece of furniture that was tackled now was the white console unit which is from the Hemnes range in Ikea.

I particularly love this range in white although I like it in the other colours too.

So this is what it looked like to start with.

What I needed was something to sit in the sections that would look like a good fit for them instead of all the different things I had stuck in them in the mean time.


The expanding files you can see in one of the bottom sections have now gone into the craft armoire in another Organising post and some other things have been housed in the armoire too but I have still to find a home for a few things since I have rearranged with my new
(wait for it)

BOXES

with chalkboard panels

that I shared in my Storage Bargains

I just love them

and my other

A4 sized Butterfly and Silver Boxes

so now with the large chalkboard boxes in the bottom sections

and the Butterfly and Silver Boxes in the top sections

and the top cleared up

my console unit looks like this

Then I must show you the lovely stationary box I have which I keep letters in and paper to write letters (unfortunately not many letters are written these days) 

Well now you are thinking

"she still hasn't done the bags!"

I love bags because they are very useful for storage and of course for carrying items to and from places that I go regularly.


I have my Ark bags that I mentioned in other posts and they are used for taking Sunday School materials to Church on Sundays or if I do a School Assembly.

But then below there is (clockwise from top left):

• my other Ark bag which is wider and this is the one that goes to the Kids After School Bible Club each Monday Afternoon to carry my Bible, songs, small games items and other miscellaneous items that I may need.

• my Craft bag

• my two bags for storing large songs and quizes

• and my Ladybird Tesco's Bag which I use to keep my wool.

and loads too many other bags to mention

because

many times a bag

is better for storage than a box or a basket.

So even though I was sorting out and tidying up I was working with

"Things I love"

my

Baskets

Boxes

&

Bags

and dare I admit it


I still have more


Baskets, Boxes and Bags to use elsewhere!

How far would you go for a Biscuit? - A Dose of Encouragement

How far would you go for a Biscuit?


Would you go to the kitchen cupboard?

   Would you go to the corner shop?

      Would you go to the supermarket at the other side of your town?

                                            Probably yes!

On Saturday we went 45 mins by car to the other side of Belfast just to get a certain type of biscuit.  We went to Ikea for their Pepparkaka Ginger Thins.

(I'm just wondering if they would be willing to pay me for this great advertisement for their biscuits hmmm?)

Saturday was Fred's birthday and our son and daughter-in-law had invited us to come for a birthday meal and Suzie had promised Fred cake.

So by Friday I was wondering what else we were going to do before going to see them in Belfast.


I decided that this was a good opportunity to go to Ikea and stock up on their biscuits.


The first reason being that I can have 3 of these biscuits with a cup of coffee in the afternoon and not use up too many calories as opposed to the chocolate biscuits that Fred likes.  The second reason is that I love to dunk these biscuits in my coffee and the third reason was that we had run out of them at home a few months ago.

So really we were not driving all that distance just for the biscuits but using the opportunity to go a little bit out of our way when we were already going to Belfast.

This got me thinking!

We went out of our way for something I wanted, but how much do we actually go out of our way to do something for others?

We did something for someone just the previous week which took a couple of hours of our Saturday because we had to drive a distance again and we were happy that what we did had helped to make this other person happy.  But many times we can look on making an effort for others as taking up our time and energy when we should be thinking of things that others need help with or that would add a little joy to their lives.

It is so easy to go on each day with our lives and have them centre around us and God but not around others.  Yet Jesus set us a clear example of  how his days on earth were centred around God and others before himself.  Look at how tired Jesus was at various times.


I often think of the example King David showed of kindness

2 Samuel 9:1

Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

David went on to find Mephibosheth and when he was brought to David at the palace he was afraid not expecting David to show him kindness

but

2 Samuel 9:7 

So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Was David just returning kindness because Jonathan had been kind to him?
David and Jonathan had been good friends and Jonathan had been an honest, supportive friend who showed great loyalty to David and also respect to his father King Saul just as David had.

Whether it was only because of his friendship with Jonathan or because of his personal relationship with God we know he followed through on this statement of kindness.

What is the difference for us?

Well we have the instruction from Jesus himself when He was asked about the greatest commandment

Matthew 22:34-40

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

What better reason to show love to someone than because it is what God wants of us.

What better way to show love to someone than to show kindness.

What better way to be able to share the love of Jesus and the message of salvation with others than to show kindness and be a friend who is proven to be trustworthy and dependable by their words and actions.

We drove home on Saturday night smiling and feeling very happy because we had spent a lovely evening with Daniel and Suzie,  but we also went home the previous week happy because we had put a smile on someone else's face and made her happy.

There should definitely be room in our lives for both of these types of days and for a lot more of them than there has been recently.

I am thankful that God wants us to help others.

Have you also noticed that in the helping of others our lives are enriched as well as theirs?